So, Ryker started working graveyard shift last Tuesday. That sucks - but it's better than him working out of town which is what most of the guys are having to do right now. The only problem...I feel like I'm working graveyard as well. Once the kids go to bed...it's deathly quiet in the house and I'm suddenly wide awake. I stay up until I think I'm getting tired and then I try to go to sleep. No luck. It's just don't sleep well when he isn't at home. I'm hoping at some point I'll get so exhausted that I'll just finally sleep well.
I've been wanting to work outside because there is certainly plenty of things for me to do, but for the last week the weather has been so crappy I haven't been able to do anything. So, lo and behold, I finally broke down and got a facebook account. I have to say it's a bit like being a crack addict (not sure what that's like really...but I'm thinking this must be close). It's pretty cool. I rediscovered a lot of old friends and I like that fact that I don't have to accept any of the random creepy people who happen to ask to be your friend.
Do I have a point here?...not really, I'm just tired and if I take a nap, I'll never sleep. The one nice outcome out of all of this is that I've been able to talk to Erica more. I need someone to talk to at night so we both get on facebook and talk on the phone and chat at the same time - it's totally stupid but it makes the time until I try to go to bed go by faster.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Utah Vacation
We have returned from our vacation to Southern Utah. We had such a great time! I have saved the photos on www.photobucket.com under luckystryke. Hopefully I can download the slideshow at the bottom of the page. If not you should be able to view them on photobucket.
We started off with a great visit with Coby...he and Steph we gracious enough to let us invade their home not once, but twice on this trip. The next morning we left for Zion in totally crappy weather. It snowed nearly the whole drive but it wasn't cold enough to stick to the road so it was just like driving in the rain. Magically however, when we hit Cedar City it was sunny and clear and beautiful.
We arrived at Zion to 60 degree temps and gorgeous blue skies. We hiked and took lots of pictures for the 2 days we were there. Ryker even attempted to take Kai'le on the Angel's Landing hike (if you aren't familiar with it do a google search for Angel's Landing pictures...it's worth the view). She did great up until the switchback section and decided it wasn't for her. I personally don't blame her :-) We saw beautiful waterfalls and caught 1200 year old water on our tongues. It was great.
Then we were off to Bryce Canyon. The kids loved the drive because it involved several tunnels - one a mile and a half long. Upon our arrival at Bryce, we had 4 hours before we could check into our hotel so we decided to make the best of it. We braved the Navajo Trail...with a stroller. Ryker took the brunt of the punishment hiking back out of the canyon pushing Brodee in the stroller through sticky, slippery red mud. Kai'le and I took a trail ride to the canyon rim, which was a blast. I had the worlds slowest horse and I think my legs hurt more from trying to kick the air out of his lungs that they did from not riding in 6 months. The view was worth it though - it was spectacular and our wrangler, Keziah, took a liking to Kai'le and made her ride very enjoyable. On our way out of Bryce we stopped at Mossy Cave. It was a gorgeous hike and the cave was amazing. It practically had a glacier inside of it from the water freezing during the winter. There were ice stilactites and stilagmites everywhere.
We then took the 120 mile drive of our lives to Capitol Reef. Stopping along the way at a petrified forest in Escalante. Highway 12 is a site to behold and if you ever get the opportunity to drive it in it's entirety as we did, I highly recommend it. It takes you through some amazing landscape from deserts, to canyons, aspen forests, pine forests, elevations over 9000 feet and sheer cliffs on either side of the highway! It was simply amazing.
Upon our arrival in Capitol Reef, we were taken aback not only by the landscape but the amazing food that is available in Torrey. The have two of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at...and you know how I like my food. Big kudos to the chef's at Cafe Diablo and The Rim Rock. At Capitol Reef we saw petroglyphs, an amazing natural bridge and took my truck off-road for an 30+ mile dirt road trek down the Waterpocket Fold. I also nearly lost my lunch leaning over the fench to get a good picture of the Goosenecks and once again we took Brodee's stroller places it wasn't meant to go "Moab Style" as Ryker called it - over rocks and stairs - he loved it, the crazier the better.
Finally it was time to head home, but the fun wasn't done. We stayed in Heber City at the Homestead Resort where Kai'le and Ryker swam in the Crater that they have there. I can't describe it - it's just wierd. You can check it out online though...very cool. We also stopped in Park City and rode the Alpine Rollercoaster. It was a blast and both kids loved it! The nice guy that was running it let us go again for free - so it was a killer time not once, but twice.
Grandpa Bob, Grandma Jami and Stephanie met us in Heber to ride the Heber Valley Railway. Brodee was in heaven and I spent way tooooooooooooooooo much money on Thomas products in the gift shop. We spent a nice Easter morning with Rod, Staci and Timmi. Rod made breakfast for us and Coby and Steph came as did Amanda and Cort and those cute little monkeys Hank and Jack. The kids enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt and we headed out for home. We stopped at Shoshone Falls along the way - which is currently at full capacity and then took a detour through Thousand Springs. It was certainly a trip to remember!!!!
We started off with a great visit with Coby...he and Steph we gracious enough to let us invade their home not once, but twice on this trip. The next morning we left for Zion in totally crappy weather. It snowed nearly the whole drive but it wasn't cold enough to stick to the road so it was just like driving in the rain. Magically however, when we hit Cedar City it was sunny and clear and beautiful.
We arrived at Zion to 60 degree temps and gorgeous blue skies. We hiked and took lots of pictures for the 2 days we were there. Ryker even attempted to take Kai'le on the Angel's Landing hike (if you aren't familiar with it do a google search for Angel's Landing pictures...it's worth the view). She did great up until the switchback section and decided it wasn't for her. I personally don't blame her :-) We saw beautiful waterfalls and caught 1200 year old water on our tongues. It was great.
Then we were off to Bryce Canyon. The kids loved the drive because it involved several tunnels - one a mile and a half long. Upon our arrival at Bryce, we had 4 hours before we could check into our hotel so we decided to make the best of it. We braved the Navajo Trail...with a stroller. Ryker took the brunt of the punishment hiking back out of the canyon pushing Brodee in the stroller through sticky, slippery red mud. Kai'le and I took a trail ride to the canyon rim, which was a blast. I had the worlds slowest horse and I think my legs hurt more from trying to kick the air out of his lungs that they did from not riding in 6 months. The view was worth it though - it was spectacular and our wrangler, Keziah, took a liking to Kai'le and made her ride very enjoyable. On our way out of Bryce we stopped at Mossy Cave. It was a gorgeous hike and the cave was amazing. It practically had a glacier inside of it from the water freezing during the winter. There were ice stilactites and stilagmites everywhere.
We then took the 120 mile drive of our lives to Capitol Reef. Stopping along the way at a petrified forest in Escalante. Highway 12 is a site to behold and if you ever get the opportunity to drive it in it's entirety as we did, I highly recommend it. It takes you through some amazing landscape from deserts, to canyons, aspen forests, pine forests, elevations over 9000 feet and sheer cliffs on either side of the highway! It was simply amazing.
Upon our arrival in Capitol Reef, we were taken aback not only by the landscape but the amazing food that is available in Torrey. The have two of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at...and you know how I like my food. Big kudos to the chef's at Cafe Diablo and The Rim Rock. At Capitol Reef we saw petroglyphs, an amazing natural bridge and took my truck off-road for an 30+ mile dirt road trek down the Waterpocket Fold. I also nearly lost my lunch leaning over the fench to get a good picture of the Goosenecks and once again we took Brodee's stroller places it wasn't meant to go "Moab Style" as Ryker called it - over rocks and stairs - he loved it, the crazier the better.
Finally it was time to head home, but the fun wasn't done. We stayed in Heber City at the Homestead Resort where Kai'le and Ryker swam in the Crater that they have there. I can't describe it - it's just wierd. You can check it out online though...very cool. We also stopped in Park City and rode the Alpine Rollercoaster. It was a blast and both kids loved it! The nice guy that was running it let us go again for free - so it was a killer time not once, but twice.
Grandpa Bob, Grandma Jami and Stephanie met us in Heber to ride the Heber Valley Railway. Brodee was in heaven and I spent way tooooooooooooooooo much money on Thomas products in the gift shop. We spent a nice Easter morning with Rod, Staci and Timmi. Rod made breakfast for us and Coby and Steph came as did Amanda and Cort and those cute little monkeys Hank and Jack. The kids enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt and we headed out for home. We stopped at Shoshone Falls along the way - which is currently at full capacity and then took a detour through Thousand Springs. It was certainly a trip to remember!!!!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
My Lost Ring Saga...Part II
After blubbering for an entire night and a whole day at work, I came home yesterday to find the proverbial needle in a haystack...better known as my wedding ring. I again looked in the house...nothing. I walked around where I'd been raking...nothing. We had been in the arena, but I honestly didn't think that it could've fallen off out there since so much time had passed from then until I'd noticed it was missing. Besides, looking in the arena was like trying to find a penny on a deserted beach. It's a sea of sand and divots and poop. I had to try though.
Kai'le and I headed off down the arena watching every step we took to see if something shiny magically would appear, but there was nothing. I had been cleaning horse poop out of the boxes and decided that would be my final look before giving up. I checked by the chute but didn't find anything. I checked where I'd been shoveling poop...nothing there either. Finally, I turned around, about to head back to the barn and there, covered in a thin layer of dirt was my poor abandoned ring.
I couldn't believe it. Of all the places I shouldn't have been able to find it, I found it in the headers box in the arena. I was so happy I almost started blubbering once again. I was also so nervous that I took it in the house and put it up for safe keeping so that I could finish my work outside. Now I can't remember where I put it...just kidding. It's back safely on my finger where it belongs. I'll be having it resized as soon as I get a second. From now on though, whenever I have to go out and work, it will stay in a safe spot in the house so it doesn't get lost again :-)
I think I may have to go and buy a lottery ticket now. It couldn't have been anything more than sheer luck that led me to find my ring.
Kai'le and I headed off down the arena watching every step we took to see if something shiny magically would appear, but there was nothing. I had been cleaning horse poop out of the boxes and decided that would be my final look before giving up. I checked by the chute but didn't find anything. I checked where I'd been shoveling poop...nothing there either. Finally, I turned around, about to head back to the barn and there, covered in a thin layer of dirt was my poor abandoned ring.
I couldn't believe it. Of all the places I shouldn't have been able to find it, I found it in the headers box in the arena. I was so happy I almost started blubbering once again. I was also so nervous that I took it in the house and put it up for safe keeping so that I could finish my work outside. Now I can't remember where I put it...just kidding. It's back safely on my finger where it belongs. I'll be having it resized as soon as I get a second. From now on though, whenever I have to go out and work, it will stay in a safe spot in the house so it doesn't get lost again :-)
I think I may have to go and buy a lottery ticket now. It couldn't have been anything more than sheer luck that led me to find my ring.
Friday, March 20, 2009
I'm Heartbroken :-(
So, since last year I've lost 43 lbs. I've very happy about that and proud of what I did. One of the side effects however, is that my fingers have lost weight as well. My wedding ring has been loose for quite a while now but I am very conciously aware of it - and entirely too busy to have it resized. That was until last night...
Ryker and I had been working in the arena and then I had been raking up dead weeds from around the front area of the driveway so that we can burn them later. It was chaotic. I was watching Kai'le, who was riding her bike, and making sure she was watching for the cars that never come down our lane. I was watching Brodee, whose pants were continually falling down, so as a result, so was he. I was raking. I was busy.
When we got to the house - we gave the kids a bath. We picked up toys. We changed sheets and blankets. Took the garbage out. Did the dishes. Fed the cats. All the while I never noticed my ring was gone. Finally, we sat down at the computer to write some roping information and I went to fiddle with my ring like I always do...but it wasn't there. I started to bawl. I know it's just a ring, but's it sentimental and it's dear to me. We looked high and low in the house and where we could outside, since it was dark, but to know avail. We'll look some more tonight.
Hopefully, it will turn up. I had to strap a toe ring to my ring finger this morning because it's just too wierd not to wear one. I went so far as to order a cheap silver and cubic zirconia replacement in case it doesn't show up. If it does, I'll wear the cheap one for outside activities and my good one for inside (after having it properly resized of course). Either way, I'll have something to wear besides a toe ring until we find out if we need to start saving for a new one.
Who knows - maybe I'll just go get a ring tatooed on - then I'll never be able to lose it. Wish me luck - I sure hope we find it!
Ryker and I had been working in the arena and then I had been raking up dead weeds from around the front area of the driveway so that we can burn them later. It was chaotic. I was watching Kai'le, who was riding her bike, and making sure she was watching for the cars that never come down our lane. I was watching Brodee, whose pants were continually falling down, so as a result, so was he. I was raking. I was busy.
When we got to the house - we gave the kids a bath. We picked up toys. We changed sheets and blankets. Took the garbage out. Did the dishes. Fed the cats. All the while I never noticed my ring was gone. Finally, we sat down at the computer to write some roping information and I went to fiddle with my ring like I always do...but it wasn't there. I started to bawl. I know it's just a ring, but's it sentimental and it's dear to me. We looked high and low in the house and where we could outside, since it was dark, but to know avail. We'll look some more tonight.
Hopefully, it will turn up. I had to strap a toe ring to my ring finger this morning because it's just too wierd not to wear one. I went so far as to order a cheap silver and cubic zirconia replacement in case it doesn't show up. If it does, I'll wear the cheap one for outside activities and my good one for inside (after having it properly resized of course). Either way, I'll have something to wear besides a toe ring until we find out if we need to start saving for a new one.
Who knows - maybe I'll just go get a ring tatooed on - then I'll never be able to lose it. Wish me luck - I sure hope we find it!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Back From Denver Means Back To Work
Well, I happily survived my trip to Denver. The flight there was great thanks to good weather, hardly any turbulence, valium and several glasses of free wine. I got an unexpected upgrade to first class, which I've never flown in before, and it was kind of hard to be nervous when there was a one year old little girl sitting next to me, smiling the whole time. I wasn't too sure the valium was working, I was still a bit edgy but nothing major, but I wasn't the blubbering idiot that everyone thought I would be after taking one. At one point however, I could no longer feel my toes, so I knew it must've kicked in.
Denver was nice, not what I expected. I left Boise in a snowstorm and when I arrived in Denver it was sunny and 60 degrees - an flat. I expected trees and snow capped mountains and instead arrived in a place that looked much like Boise. It was a nice city, and due to all the places that we had to be while there, I got to see a lot of it. I had fun with my co-workers and we managed to not kill each other, so that was a definate bonus.
Now that I'm home we have another couple of weekends before we go on vacation and lots and lots of work to do before then. This weekend we (mostly Ryker) rebuilt our pasture fence. The colts had pretty much laid waste to it last summer trying to get the goodies in my garden and it was in dire need of repair. By the end of the week we need to have the steer pen torn down so that it can be rebuilt as well. We were lucky to keep the 10 steers we had last year in it - there's no way in hell we'd be able to keep 25 in there without a major catastrophe.
For those of you who haven't seen it - I got the website up and running. It's www.luckystrykearena.com . I'm pretty proud of it and amazingly enough, it's had 475 hits as of this evening. Not sure who's looking, but I hope they continue to do so.
****Big news**** Coby and Stephanie are having TWINS!!! We are so excited for them. I guess if you're gonna do it - you may as well get it all out of the way at once! It's very cool. Also, Riley and Sunni were married on the 7th of March. Amanda has some really cute pictures of the wedding and they let Kai'le be a flower girl.
We love hearing from you, so leave comments if you want. We love and miss everyone!!!
Denver was nice, not what I expected. I left Boise in a snowstorm and when I arrived in Denver it was sunny and 60 degrees - an flat. I expected trees and snow capped mountains and instead arrived in a place that looked much like Boise. It was a nice city, and due to all the places that we had to be while there, I got to see a lot of it. I had fun with my co-workers and we managed to not kill each other, so that was a definate bonus.
Now that I'm home we have another couple of weekends before we go on vacation and lots and lots of work to do before then. This weekend we (mostly Ryker) rebuilt our pasture fence. The colts had pretty much laid waste to it last summer trying to get the goodies in my garden and it was in dire need of repair. By the end of the week we need to have the steer pen torn down so that it can be rebuilt as well. We were lucky to keep the 10 steers we had last year in it - there's no way in hell we'd be able to keep 25 in there without a major catastrophe.
For those of you who haven't seen it - I got the website up and running. It's www.luckystrykearena.com . I'm pretty proud of it and amazingly enough, it's had 475 hits as of this evening. Not sure who's looking, but I hope they continue to do so.
****Big news**** Coby and Stephanie are having TWINS!!! We are so excited for them. I guess if you're gonna do it - you may as well get it all out of the way at once! It's very cool. Also, Riley and Sunni were married on the 7th of March. Amanda has some really cute pictures of the wedding and they let Kai'le be a flower girl.
We love hearing from you, so leave comments if you want. We love and miss everyone!!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Recipe of the Week
Here's an easy one! Great for a light summer supper or potluck dish. You can embellish it anyway you like. The one I make for Ryker doesn't have quite as many ingredients as this one - because he wouldn't eat it - so feel free to add and remove things to your liking.
Summer Pasta Salad
1 pkg. rotini pasta, cooked, drained and chilled
1 1/2 c. fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried (if you are feeling brave you can try arugula instead)
1/2 c. pepperoni, chopped
1/2 c. Genoa salami, chopped - or you can use any dry salami you like
1 jar artichoke hearts (preferably packed in brine - but marinated works good too), drained
1 small can sliced black olives
1/4 c. red onion, finely diced
1/2 c. red or green bell pepper, chopped
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 a bottle Bernstein's 4 cheese Italian salad dressing (you can use more if you like)
chopped fresh basil and oregano to taste
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients - except dressing - together in a large non-caustic bowl (no metal). Add as much of the dressing as you like. I prefer mine to have a little more dressing. Add the fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving to let the flavors meld. The longer this sits - the better it tastes. If you keep it well covered and stir it every day or so - it will stay good for at least a week. Serve with crusty French bread for a nice light supper.
Summer Pasta Salad
1 pkg. rotini pasta, cooked, drained and chilled
1 1/2 c. fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried (if you are feeling brave you can try arugula instead)
1/2 c. pepperoni, chopped
1/2 c. Genoa salami, chopped - or you can use any dry salami you like
1 jar artichoke hearts (preferably packed in brine - but marinated works good too), drained
1 small can sliced black olives
1/4 c. red onion, finely diced
1/2 c. red or green bell pepper, chopped
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 a bottle Bernstein's 4 cheese Italian salad dressing (you can use more if you like)
chopped fresh basil and oregano to taste
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients - except dressing - together in a large non-caustic bowl (no metal). Add as much of the dressing as you like. I prefer mine to have a little more dressing. Add the fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving to let the flavors meld. The longer this sits - the better it tastes. If you keep it well covered and stir it every day or so - it will stay good for at least a week. Serve with crusty French bread for a nice light supper.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Trying to stay awake...
Well...it's 1:43 am and I have been on a conference call for work since 10 pm. It's supposed to last until 2 but they are talking about extending it another hour because the first phase of testing (which was supposed to take an hour and twenty minutes) hasn't been completed yet. We won't even make it to the second phase of testing on this call. Fortunately, this is my last night on call for a couple of weeks so I won't need to be on the subsequent call.
I'm having a very hard time staying awake because what my role in all this is, is to point telephone numbers to the different locations that they need them to route to to do the testing. If testing was going well, I would have plenty to do. Since it isn't...here I sit...blogging. This is after I added another cheesecake to my menu, played about 200 hands of blackjack on Yahoo games and another 200 hands of Pyramids on Yahoo games.
The only bright side to all of this is that I get to work from home tomorrow and don't have to wake up, try to get ready in what would be a semi-comatose state (forget about looking presentable) and drive in to the office. Plus, because this is going to take at least 4 hours (I'm betting closer to 5 when all is said and done) - I do get to sleep in a bit and won't actually have to be online until my first conference call at 11:30.
I can't wait to read this on the blog tomorrow and see if it is coherent. At this point I really can't tell. I could ramble on but I won't bore everyone with my on-call duty :-)
I'm having a very hard time staying awake because what my role in all this is, is to point telephone numbers to the different locations that they need them to route to to do the testing. If testing was going well, I would have plenty to do. Since it isn't...here I sit...blogging. This is after I added another cheesecake to my menu, played about 200 hands of blackjack on Yahoo games and another 200 hands of Pyramids on Yahoo games.
The only bright side to all of this is that I get to work from home tomorrow and don't have to wake up, try to get ready in what would be a semi-comatose state (forget about looking presentable) and drive in to the office. Plus, because this is going to take at least 4 hours (I'm betting closer to 5 when all is said and done) - I do get to sleep in a bit and won't actually have to be online until my first conference call at 11:30.
I can't wait to read this on the blog tomorrow and see if it is coherent. At this point I really can't tell. I could ramble on but I won't bore everyone with my on-call duty :-)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Busy Bee's
I swear we go from the most boring people on the planet to having not enough time in the day in 60 seconds or less! I've been a bad blogger...sorry. I'm back though and have lots of news to report.
First of all, a big congrats to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law Stephanie and Coby. After lots of trying (which can't be all bad!) and the help of a little modern science - Stephanie is going to have a baby!!! We are so excited for both of them and can't wait to welcome our new little niece or nephew into the world. Kai'le is also thrilled to be getting a new little cousin.
Congrats also to Riley and Sunni. They will be getting married on March 7th and will be welcoming a new little one as well sometime this summer.
And...last but not least - congrats to one of my oldest and dearest friends Kristi Smith, she and her husband Ryan will be welcoming their 4th little monkey into the world here in the next few months...HOLY CRAP IT'S A BABY BOOM - HOPE IT ISN'T CONTAGIOUS!!!
Ryker and I have been busy trying to get things in order for our roping club this Spring. I actually published and sent out a newsletter to the previous (and hopefully continuing) members to let them know the happenings around the Jones house. Some of you may know that we started a business this past summer for the roping club and we call it Stryker Stables. We decided that our arena should have a name as well. We settled on Lucky Stryke Arena and made a (we think) totally awesome logo for it. I was trying to download it here - but the blog doesn't recognize the power point format that it's in. Basically, it's a four leaf clover with a lightening bolt hitting directly in the center of it. Go figure...Ryker, four leaf clovers and lightening bolts...surprise, surprise!
To go along with our sweet new logo we have decided to take the steer by the horns (literally) and put on a summer roping series. We have commissioned 25 steers and a few fields of hay and will be producing ropings from May thru September for headers and heelers that are 2 1/2's an under. We are currently in negotiations with ACTRA to have our arena recognized as an affiliate - which will take care of insurance costs - and we've gotten two confirmed sponsors and are trying to work out a deal with a third. Amazing!!! People are giving us money to do what we love!
Needless to say, it's been busy. Ryker will be flying to California on the 20th to be a redneck for a weekend with my mom at the NASCAR race in Fontana. They've got really cool tickets that allow them to have breakfast and lunch with the drivers and then they get special seating in the grandstands. They will be with Kevin Harvik, Jeff Burton and the rest of the Childress racing team. Should be a good time and my mom will get some, not so free, electrical work done around the house. Then he and the kids will be off to Ogden on the 6th for Riley's wedding the next day. Hopefully they will make it back in time on Sunday to take me to the airport so I can be off to Denver. Then within three weeks will be off on vacation to Utah. Then it's back to work both in the office and at home to get ready for summer and lots and lots of roping fun. When you put it in that kind of perspective, summer will be here before we know it. Also when you put it in that perspective, it kind of sounds like we're SCREWED!!! But then again, in Spring time, when aren't we. Much love to all and I will be more diligent in the future with the blog.
P.S. I'm going to be building a website for the roping club and team roping series. I'll let you know when it's up and running and give you the URL - visit it often so it looks like we have lots of fans!!!
First of all, a big congrats to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law Stephanie and Coby. After lots of trying (which can't be all bad!) and the help of a little modern science - Stephanie is going to have a baby!!! We are so excited for both of them and can't wait to welcome our new little niece or nephew into the world. Kai'le is also thrilled to be getting a new little cousin.
Congrats also to Riley and Sunni. They will be getting married on March 7th and will be welcoming a new little one as well sometime this summer.
And...last but not least - congrats to one of my oldest and dearest friends Kristi Smith, she and her husband Ryan will be welcoming their 4th little monkey into the world here in the next few months...HOLY CRAP IT'S A BABY BOOM - HOPE IT ISN'T CONTAGIOUS!!!
Ryker and I have been busy trying to get things in order for our roping club this Spring. I actually published and sent out a newsletter to the previous (and hopefully continuing) members to let them know the happenings around the Jones house. Some of you may know that we started a business this past summer for the roping club and we call it Stryker Stables. We decided that our arena should have a name as well. We settled on Lucky Stryke Arena and made a (we think) totally awesome logo for it. I was trying to download it here - but the blog doesn't recognize the power point format that it's in. Basically, it's a four leaf clover with a lightening bolt hitting directly in the center of it. Go figure...Ryker, four leaf clovers and lightening bolts...surprise, surprise!
To go along with our sweet new logo we have decided to take the steer by the horns (literally) and put on a summer roping series. We have commissioned 25 steers and a few fields of hay and will be producing ropings from May thru September for headers and heelers that are 2 1/2's an under. We are currently in negotiations with ACTRA to have our arena recognized as an affiliate - which will take care of insurance costs - and we've gotten two confirmed sponsors and are trying to work out a deal with a third. Amazing!!! People are giving us money to do what we love!
Needless to say, it's been busy. Ryker will be flying to California on the 20th to be a redneck for a weekend with my mom at the NASCAR race in Fontana. They've got really cool tickets that allow them to have breakfast and lunch with the drivers and then they get special seating in the grandstands. They will be with Kevin Harvik, Jeff Burton and the rest of the Childress racing team. Should be a good time and my mom will get some, not so free, electrical work done around the house. Then he and the kids will be off to Ogden on the 6th for Riley's wedding the next day. Hopefully they will make it back in time on Sunday to take me to the airport so I can be off to Denver. Then within three weeks will be off on vacation to Utah. Then it's back to work both in the office and at home to get ready for summer and lots and lots of roping fun. When you put it in that kind of perspective, summer will be here before we know it. Also when you put it in that perspective, it kind of sounds like we're SCREWED!!! But then again, in Spring time, when aren't we. Much love to all and I will be more diligent in the future with the blog.
P.S. I'm going to be building a website for the roping club and team roping series. I'll let you know when it's up and running and give you the URL - visit it often so it looks like we have lots of fans!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Recipe of the Week
Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Ribs
4 lbs. country style pork ribs, boneless
5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and pepper
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. honey
2 tbsp. tabasco sauce
3 jalapenos, stemmed and sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
onion powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder to taste
2 c. of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 c. beef stock or broth
Wash pork ribs and place in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir carefully until everything is well combined. Place slow cooker setting on lowest notch - 8 to 10 hours. You'll need to start these first thing in the morning to have them ready for dinner. Once they've finished cooking you can make a glaze for them by straining two cups of the liquid (you'll need to let it sit for a few minutes and then skim off the fat) into a pan. Bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Combine 2 tbsp. corn startch with 2 tbsp. water and wisk in to hot mixture. Strain again to remove any lumps and pour over ribs.
I serve this with garlic and cheese mashed potatoes and green beans.
4 lbs. country style pork ribs, boneless
5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and pepper
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. honey
2 tbsp. tabasco sauce
3 jalapenos, stemmed and sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
onion powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder to taste
2 c. of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 c. beef stock or broth
Wash pork ribs and place in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir carefully until everything is well combined. Place slow cooker setting on lowest notch - 8 to 10 hours. You'll need to start these first thing in the morning to have them ready for dinner. Once they've finished cooking you can make a glaze for them by straining two cups of the liquid (you'll need to let it sit for a few minutes and then skim off the fat) into a pan. Bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Combine 2 tbsp. corn startch with 2 tbsp. water and wisk in to hot mixture. Strain again to remove any lumps and pour over ribs.
I serve this with garlic and cheese mashed potatoes and green beans.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I've conquered my fear of Vapo-rub...
Strange title to a post, I know, but up until about three weeks ago I hated anything greasy that contained menthol and camphor (Vicks, Mentholatum, the off brand stuff). Why? Because when I was a kid my parents were huge fans of the stuff, my Dad especially. I'm always warm all the time anyway. When everyone else is freezing with 47 blankets piled on, I've got my feet sticking out the end of the bed. I was no different as a kid. However, when I got sick, it was always worse but logically Mom and Dad didn't want me to get a chill so they'd throw an extra blanket or two on my bed...but that wasn't the bad part.
First I had to put on my long johns. Not the nice soft ones they make now that are nice and cozy, but so thin you hardly even know they are there. No, these babies were the off-white square patterned ones that have a texture somewhere between burlap and 80 grit sand paper. I HATED them and they made me itch. I'd bravely put on the bottoms, grumbling to mom that I didn't like them. Before the top went on she'd send me in to see my Dad for the Vapo rub down. I'm sure mom didn't put it on me because she's way too nice and if I'd complained she probably would've wiped it all off. Not to say that my dad isn't nice, but it didn't matter how much you bitched, if it was going to help you, he was going to do it.
I'd go in to see my dad, bottle of Vick's or Mentholatum in hand (whichever one we had) and he smear it all over my chest. Not the nice little soothing glaze that you see them put on the kids in the commercials, where mom's smiling and so is the kid who's getting it put on them. Dad would put that crap on about 1/4 of an inch thick. He might as well have used a putty knife. I could've written my name on my chest and been able to see it for a couple of days if I left it uncovered. I'd be crying or complaining or both by the end of it.
Mom would come in and put the long john top on (which would promptly fuse itself to the goo that was on my chest) - causing more discomfort- and heat, then tuck me into bed. After the lights were off I'd kick off as many covers as I could get away with because I was already beginning to feel like a space heater. At which time the fumes would hit...
By the time I was in bed and had finally gotten rid of the extra blankets, the 1/4 inch of vapo rub had had time to soak through my long johns and instead of the "soothing" vapors that clear your nose and give you the warm fuzzies, being under the covers had given them time to concentrate into noxious fumes that turned my snot as well as most of the hair in my nose to dust. Then my eyes would start watering, then burning. Because I had previously been pulling at my shirt which was fused to my chest at this point, I had Vapo-rub all over my hands. But when you are six and your eyes start burning you rub them. So I did and an all knew sort of hell began...
So as you can see, I had very traumatic experiences with the Vapo-rub. The other week though, Ryker got the flu. While I was at the store picking up a variety of goodies to try to make him better, I ran across the dreaded Mentholatum. After my goosebumps had subsided, I remember something I'd read on those chain emails that may or may not be true. It said if you rub it on someones feet who is sick and put socks on they will sleep better. So I thought, "What the hell, we'll try it." Needless to say it worked wonders. Ryker woke up the next morning professing the best sleep he'd had in as long as he could remember. One week after his flu was gone he was still using it and finally decided to stop in case it was possible to get immune to the wonderful effects. I finally broke down and tried it (without socks of course - my feet get too hot) and it worked great! Best sleep I've had in a long time. I tried it on Brodee this week because he had a cold, worked great. So, if you're sick, try the Vapo-rub on your feet before you go to bed. I guarantee you will sleep like a baby and if you have any lingering bad memories of Vapo-rub from childhood like me, it might even help you get over those too.
First I had to put on my long johns. Not the nice soft ones they make now that are nice and cozy, but so thin you hardly even know they are there. No, these babies were the off-white square patterned ones that have a texture somewhere between burlap and 80 grit sand paper. I HATED them and they made me itch. I'd bravely put on the bottoms, grumbling to mom that I didn't like them. Before the top went on she'd send me in to see my Dad for the Vapo rub down. I'm sure mom didn't put it on me because she's way too nice and if I'd complained she probably would've wiped it all off. Not to say that my dad isn't nice, but it didn't matter how much you bitched, if it was going to help you, he was going to do it.
I'd go in to see my dad, bottle of Vick's or Mentholatum in hand (whichever one we had) and he smear it all over my chest. Not the nice little soothing glaze that you see them put on the kids in the commercials, where mom's smiling and so is the kid who's getting it put on them. Dad would put that crap on about 1/4 of an inch thick. He might as well have used a putty knife. I could've written my name on my chest and been able to see it for a couple of days if I left it uncovered. I'd be crying or complaining or both by the end of it.
Mom would come in and put the long john top on (which would promptly fuse itself to the goo that was on my chest) - causing more discomfort- and heat, then tuck me into bed. After the lights were off I'd kick off as many covers as I could get away with because I was already beginning to feel like a space heater. At which time the fumes would hit...
By the time I was in bed and had finally gotten rid of the extra blankets, the 1/4 inch of vapo rub had had time to soak through my long johns and instead of the "soothing" vapors that clear your nose and give you the warm fuzzies, being under the covers had given them time to concentrate into noxious fumes that turned my snot as well as most of the hair in my nose to dust. Then my eyes would start watering, then burning. Because I had previously been pulling at my shirt which was fused to my chest at this point, I had Vapo-rub all over my hands. But when you are six and your eyes start burning you rub them. So I did and an all knew sort of hell began...
So as you can see, I had very traumatic experiences with the Vapo-rub. The other week though, Ryker got the flu. While I was at the store picking up a variety of goodies to try to make him better, I ran across the dreaded Mentholatum. After my goosebumps had subsided, I remember something I'd read on those chain emails that may or may not be true. It said if you rub it on someones feet who is sick and put socks on they will sleep better. So I thought, "What the hell, we'll try it." Needless to say it worked wonders. Ryker woke up the next morning professing the best sleep he'd had in as long as he could remember. One week after his flu was gone he was still using it and finally decided to stop in case it was possible to get immune to the wonderful effects. I finally broke down and tried it (without socks of course - my feet get too hot) and it worked great! Best sleep I've had in a long time. I tried it on Brodee this week because he had a cold, worked great. So, if you're sick, try the Vapo-rub on your feet before you go to bed. I guarantee you will sleep like a baby and if you have any lingering bad memories of Vapo-rub from childhood like me, it might even help you get over those too.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Recipe of the Week
So life has been fairly boring and I haven't had anything that I felt was terribly exciting to share (maybe nothing I write is exciting - but I like to think that some of it is!). Life will get more interesting in the coming weeks though. I'm starting to receive cheesecake orders for Valentine's Day. I'm limiting myself to 20 - I did 14 last year without the help of my two extra ovens - so I should be able to manage 20 just fine. I've gotten 7 orders so far. In March, I'll be heading to Denver for a week for work. I found a non-stop flight so that should help limit my anxiety about getting on the plane (I'll also be visiting the doctor for some happy pills so that I don't alienate my co-workers who will be joining me on the flight). I'll keep you posted.
Here's the recipe for the week - one of Ryker and Kai'le's favorites...
BBQ Shepherd's Pie
1 lb. hamburger
1 can corn, drained
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 small can baby peas (LeSeur are the best), drained
2 cups of BBQ sauce (your choice of flavor)
6 cups of mashed potatoes (either homemade or out of the box)
1 1/2 cups of shredded Italian cheese blend (I buy the Kraft in a bag)
Preheat oven to 425. Brown and drain hamburger. Season with whatever you like (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of paprika). Add canned veggies and heat through. Add the BBQ sauce and heat until boiling. Pour in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Cover the top with prepared mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Serve with a salad and cheesey bread sticks.
Here's the recipe for the week - one of Ryker and Kai'le's favorites...
BBQ Shepherd's Pie
1 lb. hamburger
1 can corn, drained
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 small can baby peas (LeSeur are the best), drained
2 cups of BBQ sauce (your choice of flavor)
6 cups of mashed potatoes (either homemade or out of the box)
1 1/2 cups of shredded Italian cheese blend (I buy the Kraft in a bag)
Preheat oven to 425. Brown and drain hamburger. Season with whatever you like (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of paprika). Add canned veggies and heat through. Add the BBQ sauce and heat until boiling. Pour in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Cover the top with prepared mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Serve with a salad and cheesey bread sticks.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Recipe of the Week
The kids love breakfast for dinner. Ryker and I do too. Since I find breakfast way too heavy to have so early in the morning we have it about twice a month for dinner. It gives me my breakfast food fix and the kids actually eat everything on their plates. Here's one of my favorite things to make it's called a Dutch Baby:
My good friend Kristi taught me how to make this years ago. I usually stayed at her house on Friday or Saturday nights and we would get up early and make this and then eat it while watching Mesquite Rodeo on TV - oh the good ol' days!
Dutch Baby
6 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter - don't use margarine - it just isn't the same
Powdered sugar and lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425. In a medium (9 in) cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet - with high sides), place stick of butter. Place in oven while you prepare other ingredients. Combine eggs, sugar, flour, milk and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high until all ingredients are well combined. After butter has melted in skillet (but not browned), pour batter directly on top of butter. Return to oven and bake 20-25 min or until no longer jiggly and it is puffed and golden brown. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
My good friend Kristi taught me how to make this years ago. I usually stayed at her house on Friday or Saturday nights and we would get up early and make this and then eat it while watching Mesquite Rodeo on TV - oh the good ol' days!
Dutch Baby
6 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter - don't use margarine - it just isn't the same
Powdered sugar and lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425. In a medium (9 in) cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet - with high sides), place stick of butter. Place in oven while you prepare other ingredients. Combine eggs, sugar, flour, milk and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high until all ingredients are well combined. After butter has melted in skillet (but not browned), pour batter directly on top of butter. Return to oven and bake 20-25 min or until no longer jiggly and it is puffed and golden brown. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Kai'le Angelle Jones
Kai'le is officially a Jones!!! Ryker, Kai'le and I visited the Canyon County courthouse yesterday to see the judge about Kai'le's adoption by Ryker. After months of wading through the legal system (on our own) we were able to finally produce the correct paperwork, all the social worker mumbo jumbo and the "trying to find George" rigamarole. The judge granted Ryker and I full custody of Kai'le, terminated George's parental rights and Ryker officially adopted Kai'le. Her new name is Kai'le Angelle Jones (as if we didn't know that already). We will need to send off for a new birth certificate where Ryker will be listed as her father. She gets a new social security card and then I have to go about changing everything from school records to shot records. All in all, it was a very exciting day. Kai'le was actually more excited than I expected her to be. Since she already thinks of Ryker as her dad and tells everyone her name is Kai'le Jones, I just figured it would be like any other day for her. However, she was very excited! She thanked the judge with a big grin and told everyone, including her teacher that she was officially a Jones.
It was a happy day for all of us and now we can simply move forward, as we have been all along, with our family intact and everyone sharing the same last name.
It was a happy day for all of us and now we can simply move forward, as we have been all along, with our family intact and everyone sharing the same last name.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Escaping Winter Doldrums
With new snowdrifts threatening to swallow my truck lurking just outside, I escaped to the yearly routine of planning our upcoming vacation. For those of you who know me well, I am a planner - right down to the quickest route to get where we are going, what we'll do when we get there, the good places to eat and where we will stay. Does everything work out as planned? Not exactly - but it makes me feel better and gives me something to look forward to and be excited about. We always manage to throw in something fun and unexpected - like last year - Ryker, Kai'le and I took a float plane ride. As most of you know I'm not the biggest fan of flying, but I did it and it was awesome. Sadly, just a month later that very same float plane and very same pilot crashed into the very same lake we'd landed on. Out of the 5 people on board 3 survived including our pilot but it still struck home pretty hard. Either someone is telling me to keep my ass out of planes or we are just very lucky.
Sadness aside, I began to plan this years adventure. We were initially going to go to Sequoia/Kings Canyon and on to Yosemite (and throw in a visit to my grandma who lives very close by). We were also going to take our future vulcanologist Kai'le to Mono Lake to look at the cool tufa formations and then on to the ghost town of Bodie - where I haven't been since I was three - in the hopes of recreating a famous picture in our family (and the Sorenson's) on the double-seated outhouse. However Ryker's electrical final, 22 steers and a multitude of other going's on in the month of May has postponed that trip. We needed something a little farther south if we were going to travel in April.
We decided on three of Southern Utah's National Parks. We are going to visit Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef. I have never been to Capitol Reef and I haven't been to Zion and Bryce since that fateful trip to Bodie - so 30 years give or take - and Ryker has never been at all. Kai'le cried when she found out she wasn't going on the aforementioned trip to Yosemite, but once I showed her all the cool sites - she lit up like a Christmas tree. If you'd like to check out what Utah has to offer - here are some sites of the Parks and where we have decided to stay. I'm looking forward to a fun vacation and getting out of the cold and snow for a little while.
http://www.desertpearl.com/
http://www.redriverranch.com/
http://www.brycecanyonlodge.com/
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/zion.htm
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/bryce.htm
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/capitol_reef.htm
Sadness aside, I began to plan this years adventure. We were initially going to go to Sequoia/Kings Canyon and on to Yosemite (and throw in a visit to my grandma who lives very close by). We were also going to take our future vulcanologist Kai'le to Mono Lake to look at the cool tufa formations and then on to the ghost town of Bodie - where I haven't been since I was three - in the hopes of recreating a famous picture in our family (and the Sorenson's) on the double-seated outhouse. However Ryker's electrical final, 22 steers and a multitude of other going's on in the month of May has postponed that trip. We needed something a little farther south if we were going to travel in April.
We decided on three of Southern Utah's National Parks. We are going to visit Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef. I have never been to Capitol Reef and I haven't been to Zion and Bryce since that fateful trip to Bodie - so 30 years give or take - and Ryker has never been at all. Kai'le cried when she found out she wasn't going on the aforementioned trip to Yosemite, but once I showed her all the cool sites - she lit up like a Christmas tree. If you'd like to check out what Utah has to offer - here are some sites of the Parks and where we have decided to stay. I'm looking forward to a fun vacation and getting out of the cold and snow for a little while.
http://www.desertpearl.com/
http://www.redriverranch.com/
http://www.brycecanyonlodge.com/
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/zion.htm
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/bryce.htm
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/capitol_reef.htm
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Recipe of the Week
Indonesian Pork Kebabs w/ Spicy Pineapple and Coconut Rice
Pork Kebabs:
1 lb. ground pork
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbps. ginger, chopped
salt, pepper and onion powder to taste
2-3 Thai bird chili's, chopped (if you can't get these fresh at an Asian market - you can use about 2 tsp. Sambal Olek - an chili paste you can find in most supermarkets)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Combine all ingredients except egg and mix thoroughly. Add egg and mix until completely incorporated. Take about a 1/4 cup of the mixture and pat into a log shape. Thread onto metal skewers and place on a rack over a baking sheet. Place under the broiler for about 5 min on each side or until lightly browned and juices run clear. Serve with Coconut Rice and Spicy Pineapple.
Spicy Pineapple
2 large cans pineapple chunks, drain and reserve the juice
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1-2 tbsp. Sambal Olek - 2 tbsp. will be quite hot, 1 will only be moderately hot
3 tbsp. corn starch
Place all ingredients except reserved pineapple juice and corn starch in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Boil for about 5 min. Mix corn starch with reserved pineapple juice. Add to pineapple/chili mixture. Stir until mixture returns to boil and begins to thicken. Cook until mixture is quite thick (reminiscent of pie filling) - serve hot.
Coconut Rice
1 1/2 c. short grain, rice
2 c. water
1 can coconut milk
Thoroughly wash rice until water runs clear. Combine rice and 2 c. of water in a rice cooker. Add can of coconut milk on top (do not mix into rice). Cook as you would any rice in the rice cooker. After rice cooker turns to warm, let rice sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. Mix with rice paddle until combined.
Pork Kebabs:
1 lb. ground pork
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbps. ginger, chopped
salt, pepper and onion powder to taste
2-3 Thai bird chili's, chopped (if you can't get these fresh at an Asian market - you can use about 2 tsp. Sambal Olek - an chili paste you can find in most supermarkets)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Combine all ingredients except egg and mix thoroughly. Add egg and mix until completely incorporated. Take about a 1/4 cup of the mixture and pat into a log shape. Thread onto metal skewers and place on a rack over a baking sheet. Place under the broiler for about 5 min on each side or until lightly browned and juices run clear. Serve with Coconut Rice and Spicy Pineapple.
Spicy Pineapple
2 large cans pineapple chunks, drain and reserve the juice
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1-2 tbsp. Sambal Olek - 2 tbsp. will be quite hot, 1 will only be moderately hot
3 tbsp. corn starch
Place all ingredients except reserved pineapple juice and corn starch in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Boil for about 5 min. Mix corn starch with reserved pineapple juice. Add to pineapple/chili mixture. Stir until mixture returns to boil and begins to thicken. Cook until mixture is quite thick (reminiscent of pie filling) - serve hot.
Coconut Rice
1 1/2 c. short grain, rice
2 c. water
1 can coconut milk
Thoroughly wash rice until water runs clear. Combine rice and 2 c. of water in a rice cooker. Add can of coconut milk on top (do not mix into rice). Cook as you would any rice in the rice cooker. After rice cooker turns to warm, let rice sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. Mix with rice paddle until combined.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year
This one will be short and sweet - just wanted to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!!!
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