10 completely unrelated very random things

1. They make camoflauge duct tape. How do you find it when you need to use it?
2. Snow is really pretty. In pictures. When I don't have to be in it. Or if I can stay in a car with someone who knows how to drive in it.
3. Have you seen the movie Idiocracy? The Jerry Springer Show is proof this movie could come true.
4. I got one of these a couple of months ago. I spent an entire weekend in it upon arrival. It was a beautiful thing.
5. I also got new glasses. I would post a picture but it has been so long since I blogged on a regular basis I forgot my password to my on-line picture album. Schweet.
6. I'm currently tearing my back yard apart to do a simple diy remodel. The remodel itself will be painless...but the tearing up of the current layout is making every muscle in my body revolt.
7. Regardless of how many hot flashes I experience my feet always remain ice cold. Someone please explain this to me.
8. I love coffee. Almost as much as I love the Wizard of Oz. But not quite.
9. I bought pretty yard gloves to tear my back yard up. I thought having something pretty and feminine and fun would make it easier to continue through the work day after day after day after day. Fail.
10. I think I may have a bunion. My grandma had bunions. This does not help me in my quest to feel young again.

Adam and Eve and Menopause

Let's face it, people. The journey to menopause just sucks and I blame Eve. This HAS to be part of her punishment for that whole apple business.

 As I sit here peeling off layers of clothes while experiencing my 874th hot flash of the week, I have to wonder how Eve dealt with this mess. It's not like she could jaunt off to the doctor to beg for a little pill to make it somewhat bearable. It's possible she didn't even know what the heck was making her feel so edgy and horrible to begin with. Nobody had any previous experiences to share with her, form support groups and blog about it so the internet world could come rushing to her aid. Heck, the only one she could talk to was Adam. And after her 27th emotional outburst about how the leaves were making her butt look fat I'm thinking Adam didn't really want to talk to her anyway. And there was that whole apple episode. He was probably still a little resentful over that. I'm sure

Eve was just an emotional, hormonal mess anyway but then throw in that whole sibling rivalry with her sons? Can you imagine? It's not like Cain and Abel were fighting over the back seat of the mini van. Cain killed his little bro, people. KILLED him! How did hormonal-ravaged Eve even wrap her head around that? Maybe she wasn't even old enough to be in menopause at that point, but we really have no way of knowing. Either way, hard to get over that. I get very sad when my kids are at odds with each other. But killing each other is a little beyond being at odds with each other, don't you think?

 So if you haven't already guessed I am experiencing all the joys of a 40-something woman going through the "journey". I didn't pack bags for this journey. I didn't make travel plans or purchase tickets. Oh, no. This journey is free. It isn't costing me a dime. What it is costing me are happy days filled with the once-present-easygoing-will-she-ever-return Cheri. I even opted out of facebook because I couldn't find it in myself to read about one. single. more. happy. family. So unlike me to not feel joy for other people and even feel a little....*gasp!*....jealous. It's part of why I haven't blogged much. But only part of it. Things that I could normally work through emotionally take an enormous amount of effort to process. I like for my blog to be reflective of my fun, happy side.

 Basically I couldn't find my fun, happy side the last 10 months.

 But it's peeking through again. I went to the doctor, something Eve did not have the opportunity to experience. Little by little I seem to be overcoming this beast called perimenopause....the state of going through the process but not quite being IN menopause. I'm processing things better. And I think I might actually be okay.

 Yes, only 4 short months ago I thought I was going positively insane.

 And I didn't have children killing each other.


 

Bad Blogger....Bad, Bad, Bad Blogger

Hello? I'm still alive. Are any of my readers? Or have I lost you all by being a bad blogger?

A bad, bad, bad blogger. *sniff*

I have things to say. I always do. We know this, people. So maybe I should start talking again. Or maybe some of you are happy I finally shut up.

We'll see which it is....

It all started with a dinosaur

 

And it has progressed from there.

 

I'm not sure what he was tryng to wrestle in the lower right hand picture. Or if he just needed me to hurry up with the picture of us in West Virgina so he could use the bathroom.

Before the earthquake adventure in Washington DC

we went 160 miles out of our way to visit a place in Nebraska called Carhenge. Without looking at the link I'm sure you can imagine the likes of this tourist trap. Think STONEhenge. But not as mysterious.

I wonder if they sell tshirts, coffee mugs and postcards at Stonehenge?

Anyway, I stumbled across this place while searching around for "important things to see" across I-80. Honestly, I was giddy at the thought of seeing this. I'm all about stupid and silly. This kind of tops the list. However the idea of driving 80 miles north then turning right around to continue on our way was...well, not something I wanted to tell Troy.

So I didn't. Don't judge me.

I didn't tell him until we were 20 miles north and he asked how much longer it would be. When I replied about 50 miles there was silence. For about 5 seconds. Then he looked at me and asked what in the world I was thinking. "This better be worth it." Dang. It's not like it was Wizard of Oz related. I thought HE would enjoy it, too.

Yes, I was worried. But I was also in my "seeing the country" mode and refused to let his perpetual pessimism bring me down. We had a few good laughs on the 80 mile trip, but in the back of my mind I was REALLY hoping this wouldn't be a complete bust. Troy would never let me live it down and I would no doubt be paying it back for the rest of the trip by having to stop at every single WWII museum and exhibit known to man.

As we approached the general vicinity, Troy saw it off in the distance. We were both quiet with anticipation and as we got closer we both burst in to laughter.

 

We bought t shirts. And postcards. And left a donation. Then started the 80 mile trip back to I-80.

Carhenge was a hit.

But not nearly as big a hit as THIS:

 

We didn't get a t-shirt. Or even a book of matches. They were closed. But we've got the picture...and the memory of the locals looking at us as if we were crazy as I ran from the car while my camera's self-timer was counting down.

All in a day's work of making memories, people.