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I’m very thankful for every single kind word, prayer, offer for help, shoulder to cry on, meal, card, beer (yes, beer), minute, and hug we’ve gotten this week. You’re all so great and we very much appreciate each one of you. We’re surrounded by wonderful people. Thank you very much.

My nephew Benjamins’ due date was just a couple of weeks away. The doctor visit just the other day went well. Benjamin died before he was born. I don’t know how else to put that. There are a lot of broken hearts right now. My brother and sister-in-law…there’s nothing I can say. I’m doing what I can and I don’t know what to do.

…that I tell you that I will not be getting a ski pass again this year. I didn’t get one last year, because of my divorce and not knowing where I’d be living and important things like that. This year, I’m paying off old debts and taking care of some other responsibilities. That is my priority. A $400something ski pass just doesn’t make logical sense. Plus, throw in gas money, Starbucks, bloody mary’s, and lunches…and that dollar figure jumps way up. Yep, those things just happen on play-in-the-snow days. Sniffle. Whine. Yes, I’m going to be sad about this again. Winter is my season. Snowboarding is what I do in my favorite season. This sucks. I am, however, very happy to know that some day in the future, I’ll be debt free again.

Sniffle.

My neighbor Rick and I were hanging out last week, having good conversation, as usual. We talked about death and he mentioned the years engraved on a tombstone. Birth - Death. Those years are interesting, but the dash is so much more interesting. I’d been meaning to post about it and I googled “tombstone dash” and found this poem. The last verse about sums it up. It’s been on my mind and I thought I’d share this with you, too. Really, you could take the same thoughts and feelings if you thought deeply about the old Tombstone Pizza commercials =).

THE DASH POEM
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

1. What’s your favorite orange-colored food?
   Tangerine! Actually, it’s the only orange colored food I like. Oh wait, there are pumpkins. Pumpkins are good.

1. What’s the best way to drink orange juice?
   With Vodka, of course. Really, it’s not very often I will chooose orange juice, since it’s made from oranges (ewe!), but sometimes I’ll have it…and not even usually with vodka. I really can’t remember the last time I had orange juice and vodka. As far as breakfast cocktails go, bloody mary’s are always best.
    
2. Which candy’s orange-colored pieces taste best?
   Oh, none of them! The only good candy is chocolate. There is no good orange candy. Oh…but there are orange m&m’s. Ok, my answer is m&m’s.
    
3. What are your feelings about orange soda?
   I don’t drink or like soda, so that’s first to know. Second, since I don’t like oranges, clearly this is a bad combonation.
    
4. When did you last wear an orange item of clothing?
   After all of that orange negativity, I love the color orange! I have two pairs of orange flip flops and I have worn them most of the summer (not all four flip-flops at the same time). My cell phone is orange. Tuesday of this week, I wore a darker orange shirt, jeans, and orange flip-flops.

My thoughts exactly! But, you already knew that about me. Found in my Google Reader from my RSS feed for NOTCOT.org, who found it here.

I knew about Reverse 911, but didn’t have my cell phone registered. If you don’t have a home phone/land line thing, you can register your cell phone. Here is the link for El Paso and Teller counties: http://www.elpasoteller911.org/.

Okay, so the news story was about how people got the ‘call’ two hours after a tornado was in their area. Still, it’s gotta be good if the boogie man is on the loose.

Here’s is my fortune cookie from lunch. I love it! I do kind of want to ask if it’s a great day soon or ages from now…lol, kidding. Krissy said I could/should use it like a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card. No matter what, I love it! Thank you to Jason for picking me up a great lunch and a great fortune cookie.

1. What’s something really, really stupid you’ve done that could easily have resulted in your own death? Being a teenager! Family and friends that knew me as a teen are probably still baffled that I turned out okay. =)
2. What makes you feel stupid? Casey. No, that’s not true. However, I’m constantly amazed at his knowledge and wish I had a even quarter of the knowledge that he does.
3. What’s something that’s stupid in a very smart way? Haha - Twitter! No offense, Twitter. You know I love ya. I tweet often.
4. What’s an example of a stupid idea working out in a way that solved a problem? Oh, it’s too early for this much thinking. Ask Casey.
   
5. There is apparently a brand of packaged popcorn called Smartfood. What might be found in the package labeled Stupidfood? Jelly Beans. Those things are just nasty.

A good bunch of us (me, Kelly, Ashley, Jim, Ken, Layla, Reuben, and Jason) went camping this weekend. We had a lot of fun. It was a great spot (Great Job, Ash!). We didn’t see or even hear other people the entire weekend. I am assuming that all of the group (including the dogs) are having a lazy Sunday, like I am =). The weather was mostly great…just a bit of rain, but the temperature was just about perfect.

We learned some things this weekend: Ken is the Hula Hoop Master (don’t YOU take hula hoops camping?). We know why Kelly will always wear a helmet when taking the motorcycle out. We know what pine cones sound like when they hit your tent. We know that Tucker loves mud baths. Jason learned that water can affect a fires’ ability to burn. And we know who has tequila pants!

Colorado is just a wonderful place to live and play!