Creating! | Peaches Prattlings

{September 10, 2026} Day 10: 259.5 Miles, 7.5 Hours, 2 States, 5 Cities, 2 National Parks, 1 National Forest, 1 Continental Divide, and 1 Waterfall

Day 10 started nice and liesurely! Why, you may be asking? Because we’re staying at the same hotel another night! Kind of a luxury on this trip, wouldn’t you say?! I think I mentioned that this is the kind of trip where we’re at a new hotel almost every night, so to be able to take it easy, get on the bike, not have to pack up and load the bikes, a treat!

We decided to meet for breakfast at the hotel. When we were there in 2023, we really enjoyed the breakfast, this time, not so much. And that’s ok, we’re here for the hotel, the location, not the breakfast. Oh, I completely forgot! Yesterday was when Spain won the World Cup!

Admittedly, I am not a futbol fan, even though I played in high school, it didn’t stick with me, but… I come from a futbol family! My dad played 4th grade through college at his alma mater, Guildford College in Greensboro, NC! My b-i-l played, and still does, my sister and I both played, and against the school our dad was a coach, both EJS and MGS play, and EJS is playing for Endicott College in Beverly, MA! I told you, I might not play or be a huge fan, I am a fan of my family and love to see them play!

I digress…we happened to have just come from the pool when the final match was on tv and everyone was rivited! Even if you aren’t a futbol fan, the World Cup swept everyone up in the excitement! I was swept up in the excitment as well! We watched the last 15 minutes with everyone else and saw Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time in South Africa to win it all! I will just say WOW!

Back to our regularly scheduled program…That was Day 9! Back to Day 10!

One of the things we realized was we had a little too much in the way of clothing and needed to lighten the load a bit! PSM and I had originally gotten riding pants that would work with all weather, which we decided to nix at the last minute. Since we had already packed and loaded the bikes, we didn’t feel like undoing all that work, so we just threw on another pair of jeans, that was one pair too many. We also had heated vests that we knew we wouldn’t need for more than maybe a day or two, if that, and as much as we might use them for those two days, they were puffy and take up a lot of room. PSM had a leather jacket that was definitely taking up too much room. The thing is, when you’re packing, even though you’re trying to pack as little as possible, you’re still trying to pack for all eventualities. DJH had a bunch of things he also wanted to send home.

So…first stop of the day… Post Office! 8:55a, loaded up the things we were shipping home, got on the bikes, shipped our items, felt lighter, and then we were off for another day of adventure!

We headed into Yellowstone and rode through to our first picture spot, the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide runs for about 115 miles through the southern and western portions of Yellowstone National Park, it separates the Pacific Ocean watershed from the Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean watershed. 37 sec video, 48 sec video

Next stop, Lewis Falls, While the falls are only 30 feet in height, the width of this waterfall is the full width of the river and is quite impressive. You can often see anglers casting their line just below the falls and from there downstream about 2 miles before the river enters the canyon. It was absolutely stunning, and peaceful, you could feel how much everyone enjoyed it. Doesn’t the sound of the water just fill you with peace and joy?

After a nice respite, back on the bikes and on to Grand Teton National Park. Have you ever wondered how Grand Teton got its name? Better yet, do you know what it translates to? The name Grand Teton comes from the French phrase les trois tétons, which translates to the three breasts or the three teats. In the early 19th century, French-Canadian and Iroquois fur trappers working for the North West Company named the prominent peaks after noticing their resemblance to female breasts. Ya loin’ something new every day! Grand Tetons…unreal!

Next stop…Jackson. I know, I know, you’re asking yourself, but JJ, isn’t it Jackson Hole, WY? Why no, no it’s not! I was schooled while we were there! Jackson is the main incorporated hub located at the southern end of the valley, famous for its elk antler arches at Jackson Town Square. While Jackson Hole is a 55-mile-long valley in western Wyoming framed by the Teton and Gros Ventre mountain ranges, serving as a premier gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Who knew!

The ride through the park was lovely, then we were stuck, and I mean stuck…to get to Jackson we were stuck in traffic trying to leave the park, we were probably sitting for about 30-45 minutes, maybe more, which is not fun by itself, but when you’re sitting on a bike that gives off heat, your calves are near the pipes, and it’s close to 100 degrees, well, I think you get the idea. We finally made it into Jackson and found parking, thankfully! and made our way to the Roadhouse Brewing Company. Ice waters all around for my friends!

After lunch it was time to head back to West Yellowstone. The ride was beautiful and moved a lot faster than getting to Jackson! And we rode through Caribou-Targhee National Forest, this country is just beautiful! When we got back, it was pool, relax, find some food. We went to a Mexican restaurant ant we didn’t really enjoy that much, so no mention here. Video: Ride through Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Back at the hotel, we hung out a bit by the firepit and planned tomorrow’s ride. What more could you ask for?!

Day 10: July 20 Relive

Day 10: 259.5 Miles, 7.5 Hours, Post Office, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, tomorrow…more of the good stuff!

{September 2, 2026} Day 8: 369.7 Miles, 7.5 Hours, 2 States, 1 National Forest, 1 State Park, 6 Cities, 1 Amazing Pass

Day 8 started about 7am, load the bikes at 730a, breakfast right down the road at the Pony Expresso! Do you love it!? It was a drive through/walk up coffee/breakfast place with a sign on the door that says “STOP, Employees Only, try our walk up window to the right”…guess where the guys tried to go? VGT earlier for his first cup of coffee, next DJH when we walked up to get some food.

Did I mention that VGT is a bit of a coffee snob? Yeah, and he didn’t sleep that much on the trip, so…there were many mornings he would be up early and go in search of coffee, sometimes happy, sometimes not so much. So, we got breakfast, chatted about our upcoming ride, so excited, we’re going to ride Beartooth Pass!

Oh! I think I mentioned yesterday that it was also the Riveton Rendezvous Balloon Rally weekend, well, it definitely did not disappoint! I wish we could have stayed and watched, but we did get to see a few hot air balloons as we were loading up. I’m not 100% sure what this was, but it looked like a turtle with, I don’t know, 20 legs! lol

Now we’re off! The GoPro was aimed and ready to go, finally getting the hang of controling it while riding! There are tricks to it, especially controlling it with your phone. First, when you put a new battery in, if it takes a battery, is to turn it on, so it talks to the phone, if you don’t, then sometimes they don’t talk, and when you’re riding, not fun!

We rode Hwy789, which reminds me of the bad dad joke “Why was 6 afraid?” “Because 7 8 9!” Say it out loud, you’ll get it! HA HA. Here are a few videos to enjoy the scenery! 30 seconds 4.5 minutes

The hard part, with the scenery as amazing as it is/was, limited battery and SD card space, you have to pick and choose what you’re going to take pictures and video of. PSM and I always had 2 batteries constantly charging in our saddle bags, they went fast!

Eventually, we entered Shoshone National Forest, just look at it! wow! Then we were on US Route 212, a section known as Beartooth Pass or Highway, in Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the NE Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It is 68.3 miles and is comprised of steep zigzags and switchbacks, you may remember us talking about them a few days ago, they are hairpin turns and wonderful! The first time I did Beartooth Pass was in 2023 when we did our first 3 week trip, and I did it without a helmet, no, I am not a fan of going without a helmet, it definitely wasn’t intentional! After that experience, I totally get why some people choose not to wear a helmet, but I promise, I am not one of them!

The half-way point of Beartooth Pass is Top of the World Store, it’s also a vacation rental destination. This is a biker’s hangout if you ever saw one! You have every type of bike, rider, skill, everyone just hanging out, sharing stories, a drink, food, enjoying the camaraderie, kindship, and common interests. The store has all the good touristy items you’re looking for; patches, stickers, magnets, tshirts, and all the other branded stuff you might want! You heard that, patches and magnets, who’s in heaven? You guessed it!

After a brief stop, purchase, and bathroom break, we were off again! The sky, the road, the view, there is nothing like it! And…it’s July and there is still snow on the mountain, I hope you can see it in some of the pics and videos! We stopped at at Quad Creek Scenic Overlook to marvel at Mother Nature and three green MGs pulled up, what are the odds?!

Here are a few more videos of our ride: 5.2 Minutes, 11:51 Minutes. I’m working on creating a YouTube channel that can host all our videos, I’ll share when it’s up!

We came down off Beartooth Pass into Red Lodge, MT, yes, somewhere along we crossed into Montana and I missed my Google Maps State screenshot, and stopped at the Red Box Car for lunch. It’s a 100-year-old boxcar! They have burgers, fries, salads, ice cream. It’s a 1903 Box Car from the Rocky Fork Line that ran from Laurel, MT to Red Lodge, MT. 1903, how fitting, Harley Davidson started in 1903! It was right next to a stream, so peaceful!

The, back on the bikes to Livingston, MT, we were staying at the Comfort Inn Bozeman. The funny thing…it’s called Comfort Inn Bozeman, but it’s in Livingston, MT, go figure! We settled in, then headed down to the pool for a dip, then tried to get an Uber to one of the restaurants I found, but it turned out there were a few weddings in town and we wouldn’t be able to get an Uber or taxi for hours, so…we walked across the road to Big Sky Thai and what a treat that was!

There was only one other person in the restaurant, I have a feeling everyone was at one of the weddings! But…while we were there, several people came in for to-go orders, a good sign. Our server was great and her helper, the son of the owners, a charming and spirited 8 year old who charmed DJH! And the rest of us, of course! He was so excited to take our order, but jumping all over the place, it was great!

The food was really good, again, another great meal, we’re on a roll! After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to chill, then crash. Tomorrow, we’re heading to Yellowstone and guess who’s meeting us there?! PSM! YES!

Day 8: July 18 Relive

Day 8: 369.7 Miles, 7.5 Hours, Hot air balloons, Twists, turns, and switchbacks! Tomorrow…Yellowstone!

{January 12, 2025} Another project…complete!

We are really transforming this house into ours. I’ve shared a few things along the way, and here is the next latest and greatest!

First…do you see the floors?! The front room floor was a blond wood that seemed to have dark stripes. It was a manufactured hardwood and we loved it, well I loved it, PSM liked it, but…it was starting to show some wear and tear and we knew we were going to replace it at some point. We wish we had done it when we were renovating the kitchen, but it just wasn’t in the cards, wallet, or budget for that moment!

Well…a few months ago, it was time, so we had the same company come out, take measurements, and give us a quote. It turns out the wood that we used for the kitchen was no longer being manufactured, bummer, so we picked something that was very complimentary, and it really is almost seamless.

The other nice thing…we wouldn’t have to rip up the existing hardwoods to lay down the new floors! They could install them right on top of the current floor and there would be almost no difference in the transition. Score!

When we placed the order we were told there was be a back log and it might not be for a few months. Ok…so… a few months came and went and then it was November, they wanted to install Thanksgiving week, and since we weren’t here, we scheduled it for the first week of December.

They were there two days and it looks fabulous, like it’s always been there! What do you think?!

The next thing we did was have shelves installed. I don’t know if installed is the right word, but…these are custom shelves, JM, our fabulous carpenter/handy human being, who did a lot of work in our house custom built the shelves. He cut the wood and used our barn to prep and store the wood. By prep, I mean sand, shape, and shellac each board. I just wanted to use 3 s-words for this! ha ha.

He did an amazing job! The shelves are mounted on industrial piping, and I just bought industrial piping curtain rods, please ignore what’s there right now! I can’t tell you how many coats he put on the boards, I lost count! JM and I worked on the design, back and forth on some things and the end result is fabulous!

Then…today, we finally opened the boxes that held our books and bric-a-brac, as it were, things and books that we brought to the relationship and things and books that we bought together on many of our amazing trips. It takes work figuring out what goes where. We took a lot of time in St Louis and we took a lot of time here!

I remember someone seeing our shelves in St Louis thinking it was a Zoom background! I was flattered, who knows what people will think about these! What I love is just looking and remembering where we were when we acquired these things and all the memories they bring to the surface and I smile.

If you come visit, I’ll give you a tour!

{January 11, 2025} Seriously? A big, giant, duh! HA HA HA

Ok, so…having a moment and I cannot stop laughing!!! Let’s just say take two from my post last night!

I came up to my office to get some stuff done and I thought about the tubs of t-shirts in the wall of the closet, so I decided to figure out a way to get the shirts out, hopefully without cutting the tubs. I thought that if I get them out, I’ll just leave the tubs there.

I pull, and twist, and turn, I take the lid off, then manage to flip the tub on its side and I just pulled the shirts out, chunk by chunk. Then, just to get to the next one, I threw the shirts on the floor in a pile, knowing I would get them up when I was done.

I get the shirts from the two tubs and one was full of race shirts, road races I have done and the other was full t-shirts and pieces of t-shirts that I had already prepped to be made into a blanket. I look past the two I just emptied and it looks like there’s another! What?! Seriously?!

Then…I see another and then I see one of the snow people I put out at the holidays, then I look a little further…it is not a hole in the closet…it is one of our attics! What?! HA HA HA. Let me explain…we have one attic that is above our bedroom, you know…normal attic above the house. This attic, however, is not…I can’t remember if I took you on a tour of the house when we moved, but it’s on the same level as the 2nd story of the house, it’s basically above the living room!

You access it through a door that you pull down in the hallway and when you pull it down, those you can see into the space. It’s not big enough to walk around, but it’s not a crawl space! The door has wooden rungs or steps you walk up to get into the attic.

And there you have it…this was not a case of tubs falling out of the attic, they are still sitting in the attic! Well…now…I don’t have to go looking for those two tubs for the t-shirt quilt pieces! O M G!

Even better…meanwhile…as I’m doing something, I turn around and what do I see, but Bee doing her circles to make herself comfortable in the new pile of t-shirts that she must think is another bed. She does that when she gets on the bed, circles it, I don’t know, 50 times, and then settles in for a nap. Just look at her!

She circled, settled in, but doesn’t she look so confused?!

And then we had to circle again!

https://videopress.com/v/3COBvJum?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I couldn’t not stop laughing when I was telling PSM what happened! Just proves what he always tells me…I’m not wrapped right! And who am I to argue with the man!? sigh… HA HA HA

{April 23, 2024} Second Seder and Homeward Bound

First night with my family was fabulous, as always. Second night is always with PSM’s family, a fun time that!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s still a work day, that means, more cooking, just to fill in some of the gaps from what we ate last night at the first seder. We made two more kugels, another matzoh brittle, more gefilte fish, and more broccoli pancakes, oh yeah, more hard boiled eggs.

In between cooking, there was work to be done, for my job that is! I actually got a lot done, had a few calls, GES and dad went to the grocery store for some supplies, I did go out and treat myself to a chai at Starbucks, ended up talking to a nice guy about bikes, he commented on my Sturgis sweatshirt, how could I not talk about how much we love to ride?!

About 5p, I started to pack up my stuff and about 530p, I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed to PSM’s family’s for seder. There were a lot more people at the second night seder, GES was having about 20, we had 11 last night, sound about right!

I walked in with my goodies, the fabulous veggie matzoh ball soup for me and the peach matzoh kugel for all. Let’s just say, I know it was good, but…there was absolutely nothing left for me to take back to PA and PSM! Happily disappointed!

We sat down about 630pm, I ended up at the kids side of the table. Kids being the youngest was about 16 or 17 and the oldest in their 20s, these are bigger kids. They still do the Four Questions, well, they’re still the youngest! Of course, I was also seated across from some of the older trouble makers, myself included, not complaining, there was a lot of laughter and love!

As all families, they have their own traditions, we sing Take Me Out to the Seder, sung to…you guessed it, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! They use different Haggadah’s, as most families do, but like most families, everyone takes a turn reading, participating in the service and the telling of our story.

I stayed until the seder was over and we started clearing the table, and some folks were heading out, it was about 930p and I had a very long drive home! Not looking forward to that…I got on the road, had the top down for part of it, of course! I decided to go through Connecticut, how much traffic could there be at 12-1am?! Well…not hours of traffic, but there was traffic! Seriously? I cannot stand driving through that state! I may have already said it, I enjoy the state, just not driving through it! ugh!

After about 3 hours, I probably stopped every hour, to get gas, walk around, keep myself awake and ready to go. It was a very, very, very long drive. I find that during the day, I can drive for what seems like forever! I remember driving from St Louis to Denver, CO, it’s about a 12 hour drive, I did it in one fell swoop, isn’t that a great expression! But once the sun goes down, I’m not good for the full drive without stopping.

I made it home safely, finished a podcast, started a new one, that kept me going for hours, I wasn’t sure when it was going to end, but good for my drive! I made it home about 330am and I was done! I emailed dad and my sister to let them know I was home, went into the house and was greeted with running, snuggles, and kisses from the fur babies, someone had fallen asleep and left them out.

I proceeded to love on them, get them in the crate, and it was all I could do to walk upstairs, put on my jammies, and fall into bed, the alarm was still coming at 6a, really?

All in all, a good trip, too short, but a good one. Family, friends, food, and fun, what more could you want? Notin’ I tell ya! Nothin’! G’Night!

{January 28, 2024} It’s Sunday, time to idle? Us? not a chance!

I think I told you I was thinking about skiing today, but Mother Nature had other ideas, gee thanks…

PSM had to go into work to meet some folks, so I figured since we would be gone/occupied for a few hours, I’d go and hit the slopes for a few, and then we’d meet somewhere new, you know, somewhere off my list!

Since we have four places left to go on our Lebanon Valley Java Journey, let’s get up early, take the dogs for a walk, go to a new place for brunch or at least a drink and a pastry, then he would go off to work, I’d go skiing, etc, but as you know, that didn’t happen! I got up, Bee decided when we got to the end of the driveway, she would not be joining us on our jaunt this morning, grrr…fine…back to the house, collar back on, PSM was still home getting some things prepped to go into work and Ruby and I went for a rainy walk.

We came back and then by the time we got out of the house, we didn’t have enough time to grab anything, so he went off, I went back into the house to take care of things, feed the dogs, laundry, talking to you, you know, stuff. When we was done, he called and then came to pick me up and we went into downtown Lebanon for our first stop at Timeless Cafe. The last time we went, or the first time we tried, it was not a successful venture. The restaurant was crowded and we waited, and waited, and waited for someone to at least look at us and say hello. At that point we were hungry and not interested in waiting so we went somewhere else.

This time, I am happy to say, was a much different and better experience. If it wasn’t on the Java Journey passport, because of that last experience, we might not have gone back. I’m glad we took another chance! Inside, it’s charming, quaint, welcoming, and timeless. Could be all the clocks on the walls set to different times, and the clock hands aren’t moving, so definitely timeless! I just remembered that the first time we went, that was the first time I saw the mugs for the Java Journey and I was intrigued!

I ordered a chai latte, of course, with oat milk, it was pretty good. PSM ordered their signature drink, it definitely wasn’t for him, I think I told you, he’s not a fancy, sweet, or inventive coffee kind of guy, and that’s ok. Someone else probably had it and loved it. I went to the counter and got him a straight up decaf with a little cream, the guy behind the counter didn’t charge me, even when I said I would pay. Score one more for the cafe. PSM was going to have one of their breakfast sandwiches, then a bagel with cream cheese called to him and he answered! They have breakfast sandwiches or wraps that start at 7 o’clock, 8 o’clock, through 12 o’clock, which is what I had: egg, provolone, spinache, and tomato, skip the mushrooms, all on spinache tortilla wrap! I took a chance with the provolone, it wasn’t the best idea, but it was tasty!

We sat, ate, enjoyed, and chatted with the women at the table next to us, they were having baked french toast made with croissants, oh my! We may have to go back! They were also on the Java Journey, we chatted about that, then we asked for some recommendations for things to do, see, eat. Anything that wasn’t on my list already went on it! Thank you ladies!

We tiptoed through the raindrops, got in the jeep and headed on the road, where to? Well, we need to go grocery shopping, soon, not right now. We motored down the road to Jonestown to go to Swatara Coffee, [not sure what happened but their site is under construction, the link is to Google Maps to find them.] another stamp on the passport. I wasn’t expecting to go to another one so soon, but hey, you only live once! Wait, isn’t that what YOLO means? Yes, I am that goofy geek! Thank you very much!

We were wondering why the main drag looked so familiar, did we look at a house out this way? Not sure, but we’ve been through here! We went to Swatara Coffee, it’s a little smaller than the other location in Annville, but it was equally charming. One thing I noticed is that a bunch of these coffee houses sell not only their wares, like t-shirts and hats, some have vendor areas set up, others, like Swatar Coffee, have a specific artist’s earrings for sale, hmm…

The other thing, I’m not used to drinking more than one chai latte in a day! I usually have one in the morning, then it would be a ‘regular’ cup of tea or two, maybe more, but just a teabag, water, and sugar. The days we go to multiple new coffee houses, I’m getting chai, I know, I could get something else, but I want to try their chai latte, so sue me! ha ha

PSM had ordered an egg sandwich, I was not that hungry, but I was thinking a pastry would be nice, and I got their chocolate chip cookie thing! I don’t like chocolate, which you may or may not know, but…I love the cookie part of the thing! It was a thick cookie, some sort of frosting, then cookie chunks on top, let’s just say… O M G! YAASSS! PSM got their french toast muffin, tasty! I enjoyed it at the other location, and now here!

We got there at just the right moment, there was one other person in there, so we got to chat with the girl working behind the counter for a while, we spoke about the Java Journey and she works at the other location and really wants to go to the Whirling Dervish and hasn’t, I showed her pics and really encouraged her to go, but their hours…not easy to get there!

Just as we got to our seats, the place started to fill up! It’s not a very big space, maybe 2 2-person tables, then 2 6-person tables that could be broken up, if needed. In the middle is the coffee bar area, in the back was a room with a few tables. Today the back room had a crochet circle happening, some people were new to it, others experienced, a group of folks crafting and helping each other out. What could be more loverly?!

We got our drinks, I got my chai with mac milk, or macadamia nut milk, I remembered they had it from the other location. Another yum drink! We will definitely be going back, not sure to which location, maybe both, why not?!

After enjoying, laughing, talking with other patrons, we headed out, back towards the house and as we were driving, I suddently realized why it was so familiar! We were right near where the dogs were boarded when we took our 3-week motorcycle trip over the summer! I know I haven’t told you about it yet, I will, it was AH MAZING! I love when things click!

We went to Grocery Outlet, they have a decent selection of vegan stuff for me, score! We were there to pick up salad fixings for the week and see if they had any other goodies! Their prices are really good! The thing about Grocery Outlets, they have the staples, but they don’t always have the same things each time you’re there, and when I talk about goodies, they had Christmas mugs left over with chocolate in them for $1 each! I bought what they had and next year, someone[s] is getting one of these mugs personalized! With fresh chocolate, of course! ha ha

After the grocery store, we were trying to figure out what to do next. It was a chilly, rainy, blech day, we didn’t want to be outside, but we weren’t quite ready to go home. In the same parking lot is Michael’s, the craft superstore, which can sometimes be like kryptonite! I realized I haven’t been in almost 2 months, so PSM pulled into a spot and I went in, just to look, ha ha! I ended up finding some Cricut supplies, normally $18-$20 for $5! You cannot beat it, so I bought a bunch! And I will be using it, some great colors and patterns! Oh, the Cricut, that’s a whole other post!

After I came out, we decided we still weren’t ready to go home and he wasn’t that jazzed about the first playoff game, so we went to one of our favorite activities…mani-pedi! And what that is, a manicure, for the hands, and a pedicure, for the feet! We like Lebanon Nail & Spa of PA, they’re very nice and they do a good job. And PSM’s favorite part…the massage chair, nap time!

Oh, the joy! The bubbles, the jets, the massage chair, the foot massage, oh my! The thing I love about going is to get my cuticles trimmed, my fingernails shaped, and looking cleaner. I’ll be honest, the polish never lasts more than a few days at the most, but my hands look so good! The pedicure, same procedure, luckily, the polish lasts a lot longer on the toes! Just makes me feel purdy!

They finished my nails, I was dry, it’s time to go home! We loaded up, headed home, let the pups out, played with them, and PSM settled in to watch some ‘fusball’. I did something else! I don’t remember! Then about 615p, he headed to the 7th Street Bar & Grill, a neighborhood place we like to go, good staff, good food, and a good local hang out, some of PSM’s co-workers go there and we seem to run into them every once in a while. He was headed there for the game and I hung out with the pups, finished my pho from last night, and worked on the IMRG Chapter 2024 Calendar, I think I told you…I am now the Calendar Queen!

Is that enough for one day? I think I’ve had enough, it’s been fabulous talking with you, but I need to decompress and settle in. Have a fabulous night! See ya’ tomorrow!

{February 1, 2021} A new adventure starts today!

Today I started a new job and that means a new adventure! And what a day to start! And what starts! A new month, first day of the new month, and the first day of the week of the new month. What are the odds. What a way to start!

I had been looking for a new opportunity, something different from what I had been doing for the past several years. Now, by different, I mean the products and media that I use to create, not a different career path. I was on the lookout for an Instructional Designer and/or Software Trainer, two roles I am incredibly proud of. As a Software Trainer, I absolutely love explaining how a product or application works. I always say that an application is an application is an application, and by that, I mean it doesn’t matter to me what it is, I want and can learn it and turn around and teach it to you. I don’t even need to understand it completely to teach it, I have to understand it and be able to help you understand how to use it in your day to day job. As I teach, I learn, meaning that no matter how many times or how many years I teach something I learn something new every time I teach!

I didn’t know for a long time that being a good trainer was not as easy as I thought it was. I found out, years ago, that I have the ability to learn an application in a short amount of time and be able to turn around and teach it. I’ve been brought on projects and put in front of a class in a week or less. I would prefer to have more time to prep, but I am always up for the challenge. I really do live for it, I have the best time in front of a class, could be in part, not only my love of teaching, but my gift of gab, which I had way before I kissed the Blarney Stone! I have said in the past, I get a runner’s high when I teach, I do! When it’s a good or great class, I thrive and float, my feet sometimes don’t touch the ground for a few hours after I am done! I absolutely love seeing the look on someone’s face when they get it! I can see the proverbial ‘lightbulb over their heads’!

I will also take the time to explain something to someone until they get it, I want them to understand. I am also very honest that when I teach, I have the patience of a saint, but personally…I have the patience of a gnat! No patience, none, if a website hasn’t started in 3 seconds, I’ve started over! It’s true! Ask anyone who knows me! But for you, in my class, I have all the time in the world! Let’s dance! I am, after all, the product of two amazing and gifted teachers!

On the opposite side, when it comes to writing, I’ve always been a good writer, at least that’s what I have been told! ha ha! It must be true, for some reason you keep coming back to see what I have to say! I didn’t enjoy writing as a kid, I could write a book report, but I’m not sure it gave me the joy I get now. Now, reading, that I enjoyed, and I could tell a story, just didn’t feel much like writing it down. Later, in college, I got high marks on my stories, very descriptive and inviting. I remember writing a paper about my grandmother’s house and my professor said they could see it clearly in their mind and wanted to go and visit.

I started blogging, as you know, and that seems to be going well, ha ha. I’ve updated or written resumes for people, hopefully it has helped. I’ve written dating profiles, those I really enjoy! I even wrote one for a guy I was dating at the time! It helped him meet his current wife, go figure! And…four people have gotten married from the profiles I’ve written! I’ve even written them for people I didn’t know, my favorite was someone I met on a train. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself!

When I got into writing professionally, it was really the same way I fell into training. It started with “We got this new application, teach us how to use it” huh? Ok…then I was in one position and I knew I was going to be out of the office for a bit, so I wrote instructions on how to do my job and when I got back, the person who was filling in had no questions and was able to follow everything as if I was walking them through it step by step. Then I started getting jobs as a writer, sometimes updating existing training materials, sometimes building new materials and then one job or project led to another and here we are.

When I write training materials, I really get into what I’m doing, when I know how to start. Sometimes, I have to sit and look, and look, and think, and look, and think before my brain clicks and I think…oh yeah, this is the way we’re going and we’re off and running! If you know me, you know I don’t turn something in until I am proud of it, I’ll work through the night, hence the 80-120 hours I got in trouble for submitting sometimes! I love testing a product every which way to see how it works, if I click this, what happens? If I click that, where does it take me. Can I break it? How do I explain this so it flows just so. How can I write this so the trainer can teach it, even if it’s not me, and the student can understand it. Where do I add a screenshot? Oh man, I do love a screenshot! I’m being serious! How much is too much information? How many details derail the point or the materials? On my last project, I built a lot of the materials I was teaching, based on the data given to me, and some of the materials I had updated what was given to me. As I was teaching, I realized that some things just didn’t flow right and I rearranged things, moved things around, made them flow better and I have to tell you, when I was done, I was so very proud. And that was at 4 o’clock in the morning, I’m not kidding, I was driven and I was going to turn in something I was happy with. And…I’ve heard that others were happy with it, it made more sense, and that to me was everything!

So…as I mentioned, I was looking for something different, not in the role, but in the software, I had been writing and teaching the same product for the last five years and it was time for a change. And that’s where we are today! Today I started with a new company and it’s a whole new ballgame! I am going to be updating some existing materials and building brand new content, I am so ready to jump in and get started. What I really love about writing assignments is that each client has different mediums they want to use. Some use Word, at this point, I’m an expert for building training materials! some use PowerPoint [PPT], I have since become quite the PPT aficionado, it doesn’t intimidate me anymore!, some Adobe Captivate, I’ve dabbled, some Articulate, I’ve experimented, RoboHelp, it’s been a while, and now, with this new job, I’m getting to use two new mediums, Skilljar and Genially, and from what I’ve seen when I investigated them, I’m excited!

As I get more into what I’m doing I’ll definitely share! I know you know that! For now, Monday, February 1st, new adventure! Liferay, here I come!

{December 8, 2017} Paper, I recommend paper!!!

I am tired of doing dishes! Only paper!!

I say that every time I am washing dishes! Argh! And the reason I am washing so many dishes is that the dishwasher is broken and it turns out we are waiting is our landlord. When PSM reported that the dishwasher was broken, the owner wanted to know what we did to break it, “I barely used the dishwasher, what did they do?” Seriously?

PSM and I are both landlords and know when something breaks at our respective houses, we talk to the management company about what happened and who to send out to fix it. We don’t ask what the tenant did, unless it’s something that sounds absolutely crazy, not general wear and tear on a house.

So, that being said, every time we cook, we have to wash the dishes. Now, when PSM is here by himself, he doesn’t use a lot of dishes, it’s just cooking for one and I’m the same way when I’m on my own, probably use the same dish, spoon and cup, so to speak.

With me being home and cooking every day, I’m cooking for two, some of the dishes have been quite simple, but others have required multiple pots, pans, spoons, measuring utensils and then of course, we have to serve the food on something!

I have enjoyed every minute, getting to create new things, come up with something creative or just the simple and cooking for PSM and sharing meals with him. It really has been great and makes me want to be in the kitchen more often, so I think that tells you why cooking when I’m on the road is a treat.

But…no more dirty dishes! Paper plates please! Of course I don’t think of the paper plates until I am washing dishes again! Drat!

Is that the water running? Nooooooo!

{September 26, 2017} It’s not October…

Please stop with the Halloween decorating!!

I get that it’s fall, officially. Halloween is in October, I don’t know if you know this interesting fact. I know once fall comes, it’s time for pumpkin spice and fall decorating, I’m good with that.

If you know me, you know I la,la,la love Halloween and used to have the biggest, most fabulously decorated house. I loved decorating, setting up for trick-or-treating, seeing the kids faces when they walked the path to come to the door for candy.

What’s hard is seeing all the decorations for Halloween is that my birthday is in September and I always refused to decorate for Halloween before October!

I know the decorations are in the stores in July, I’m just never ready to put it out until October 1st!

I’m not ready, so please stop! You only have to wait six days! Then, go for it, I cannot wait to see what you do!!!

{May 21, 2017} A day of rest? I don’t think so!

This is my sister’s house, what’s that?

741am, the texts started, “how’s it going?” All good. Some kids were up at 645am, others about 730am. Auntie J was in the basement, there’s no sleeping in…

Good morning little people, so cute! All slept well, made it through the night, even a milestone was had! And what did their parents do while they had an empty house? Cleaned the cabinets, went to the mall, went for a walk. Whatever it is mommies and daddies do when their kids are out for the night!

Two kids went home, four went to Sunday school. GES had a brunch at the temple, the rest of us had breakfast and relaxed a little. I walked to CVS, um…i got a haircut yesterday, sparklers showing, had to fix that!
Kids home, play in the bouncy house, friends for a quick visit, bounce, snacks, I did my hair, 35/40 minute process [color, rinse, shower, dress], out the door. A cheering section for EJS’ lacrosse match, great match, they won, she scored! It was great to see her in action!

I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere, but the referees stop and teach the kids why they stopped and coach a little.

Back to the house, friends over, lunch, more bouncy house, crafts naps, myself included for a few.

Laundry, pack, play, detergent down! MGS, our tiny acrobat… crawl behind and grab what you find! dinner, play, bath, bed.

Goodnight kisses for all, I’m leaving very early in the morning.

What a weekend! I need to get back to work so I can get some rest!

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