Restless

Calm, collected

I slide into bed.

Eager for the morrow,

Wanting, waiting

for the day to begin.

Right side, left side,

back, stomach.

Sleep eludes me.

Toss, turn, flop.

A stubborn mule,

rest relentlessly refuses

to come to me.

12, staring out into the darkness,

the day begins shape in my mind,

1, eyelids are heavy,

but pinned upright,

2, eyes are bloodshot,

mind is racing.

3, deep breaths and

counting sheep are failing.

4, bargaining with God,

just one hour of rest.

5, accepting the day,

it will begin.

6, sleep.

My eyes rest, heart slows,

my body slumbers

as easy as it can.

7, the morning comes.

Once eager, now I pause.

Snooze, just ten more minutes.

The day can wait.

Snooze, just ten more minutes.

I can wait.

8, I should have been awake an hour ago.

The day begins,

I am ready, not rested.

Whatever it holds,

I am prepared.

Until next time, may you sleep well.

Skate

Yolanda

I want to introduce someone who has a recurring role in these writings but never gets mentioned out right. She plays a vital role in my life; often carrying me from moment to moment. When she breaks down, I make sure she gets back to her usual self. She can be a bit stubborn at times, often forcing me to put my foot down. She can be very responsive, though she is either hot or cold. She has kept me on the road to success and has taken me down some questionable paths. She moves when I move, you can say we are attached at the hip. She lights up my world when it is dark outside and serenades me whenever I ask. She is not jealous of The One; they share a mutual bond by taking care of each other. Having her around reminds me that I have places to go; she is quick to remind me how far I have come. She lets me know if I am going too fast, though more often that I am going too slow. She has endured my abuse for far too long and deserves better.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Yolanda the Honda. My trusted companion on the road. Far more important than just a car.

Until next time, may you take care of those that take care of you.

Skate

Productive Saturday

Thanks to TOM and TOD who came out with a trailer and chainsaw. We were able to take out a couple of trees and a lot of mess. It was quite the busy morning hauling back in forth. The One and TOD tore down the trees; TOM and I took the loads off to the dump. Our teamwork allowed us to be finished with the trees in the afternoon. The One and I bed farewell to them after all that and then we continued to work. I cannot wait for the grass to grow in the back yard.

As we were finishing up around five, not surprisingly, our neighbor popped out with a chainsaw to trim his bushes and then mowed his lawn. An all to funny experience we get to enjoy every time we do yard work.

Until next time, take a break.

Skate

Marriage Well Wishes

For my beautiful youngest sister, her new husband, and their two lovely children:

With warmest wishes for the best in life, as you all look forward to a shared future of love, friendship, and the wonderful closeness that is family.

Congratulations.

Skate

What Cheer

I like places that have interesting names. What Cheer, Iowa would be one of those towns. A quick look at Google and you pop up with Jot 'Em Down, Texas and Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania; West Virginia has a Star Trek theme with Tribble, Vulcan, and Enterprise.

A few more favorites of mine:

Hoop and Holler, Texas

Hoot and Holler Crossing, Texas

Knockemstiff, Ohio

Spunky Puddle, Ohio

Whynot, Mississippi

Ynot, Montana

Neverfail, Tennessee

Hobo Station, Mississippi

Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky

Bat Cave, North Carolina

Half Hell, North Carolina

Little Heaven, Delaware

Tick Bite, North Carolina

Shoofly, North Carolina

Dead Woman Crossing, Oklahoma

Goodnight, Oklahoma

Until next time, may you find your own little crazy town name.

Skate

Broke Down

I did, not the car. It did not take much. I talked myself into stopping before The One even came home. I liked the idea that we would not get tired in the middle of the night while driving. I liked the idea that it would be a small drive in the morning that would be easy to make. She liked that we did not rush getting to where we are going.

We Pricelined a hotel on the way up and landed a Holiday Inn for $50. The room is wonderful and the internet is free. The only problem: resteraunts are not nearby. We had to travel to find a few closed joints before giving up and just going to McDonalds.

Now it is time for bed.

Until tomorrow, sleep well.
Skate

Long Day Behind and Ahead

I tried to get yesterday's post in, but never managed to get a break. I woke up at five to hit the gym; came home to shower and dress for work, then drove to work; work went longer than expected and ended up being late for rehearsal; after rehearsal, The One and I enjoyed a dinner together; by the time we got home it was past ten and the internet was down. It was quite the long day. But it was my last long work day until next Friday. Pardon me while I do a little happy dance.

Today will be a long driving day. The One and I are heading up to Iowa for my youngest sister's wedding. We will be there for until Sunday morning. I have made this drive many times. It is not the most exciting drive as most of it is just up 35. The One is on her way to convincing me that we should break it into two parts and not rush. The idea behind that is we do not have a hotel until tomorrow night and we are projected to get there early morning if we drive straight through.

I have two problems though. One, I do not like making unnecessary stops. If we were to stop in Des Moines we would only be three hours away and that is easily drivable. The second problem is that I do not want to wake up and drive for another half day which is what we would do if we stopped outside of KC. I know of a few places just inside the Iowa border but then I run into the first problem.

I am certain that we will discuss this on the road.

Expect a catch-up post later today while we are out on the road.

Until then, enjoy your days of work.

Skate