Thunder From Down Under!

Last Friday, C and I had a very exciting new thing for the week. 

Las Vegas show The Thunder From Down Under came to Sugar Creek Casino in OK... so naturally we had to go.  Best $20 I have spent in a looong time.  It was amazing.  Exceeded all expectations, and by looking at that picture, you can imagine I had high expectations.  Yes - they look exactly like that in real life... if not better.

It was just SO much fun! 

Normally I don't like being in a room filled with screaming women... but this was a fine exception.  Unlike the  arguably creepy/slow sexual nature of female strip clubs, this show kept all the sexy, took out all the creepy, and added in endless entertainment!   The whole time C and I were dancing, laughing, smiling, etc. 

Honestly, I kept thinking I was living in the movie Magic Mike.

They had similar group dances - western, military, gangster, YMCA people... corny, almost impressive, dance moves to pop songs... amazing. 

They also had solo performances and each guy pulled up an audience member for a personal dance on stage.  Some were hilarious... in a sexy way.  They also did an incredible job at getting a wide range of participants - from 70 year old grandma to hot young 20s they got it all.

Oh, and they had Australian accents.  Need I say more?

During a break, they had 3 ladies from the audience come up for a fake orgasm contest.  Think When Harry Met Sally times 10.  Hilarious.

Ladies - add this to your bucket list.

I guarantee you will not regret it!

Summer Fun: 1st Edition

I love summertime.

There is a carefree, happy quality that just hangs in the air.  It seems to bring out this energy and excitement - I'm not sure why, but its amazing.

C and I (and friends) have a lot of fun summer plans!  Swimming laps and reading Harry Potter poolside (British accents only), lakes and parks, BBQ's, events around town, etc... the list goes on and on!

Our mini-road trip on Route 66 was really the grand reopening (post coming soon), but this past weekend kept it going strong.

New Computer!

This has absolutely nothing to do with summer... but it is very exciting!  My old computer recently broke and after lots of research, I bought an HP Ultrabook Touch Screen!  She's fancy, she's fun, she's whippy and witty.  She's Jada.  I'm learning about all the features and new software - its quite fun.

Self Defense

Also not so much a summer activity, but new and interesting nonetheless.  My friend Sarah was recently inspired to learn some self defense techniques and Carolyn and I accompanied her to a free trial class.  The ACWA class far exceeded my expectations! And it was a lot of fun.  Our class was focused on parking lot safety... basically what to do if you're attacked while going to your car.  We learned a lot of helpful hints like how to carry your keys, how to get in your car when there is a suspicious vehicle nearby, etc.  And we also learned some easy and doable close combat skills - I now know how to avoid your hold, break your arm, smash your ribs and run away.   We all came away from the class feeling really empowered.  Learning self defense is really valuable... I want to learn more and I'd be happy to pass along the information!

Drive-in Movies

For our new thing of the week, on Saturday night, C, Janie, Derek and I went to the Chief Drive-In Movies in Chickasha, OK.  Not my favorite drive-in location, but still good fun! 

I have always loved the drive-in.  Its this wholesome activity that offers a glimpse into a simpler time.  You get to enjoy the summer nighttime, the stars in the sky, and a double feature for $7.  What beats that?  

We saw Man of Steal (sexy) and The Internship (funny). 

And as usual, the best part is the people you're with. 

Callie!!

Jess and I had lunch and sno cones with Callie!!  It was so good to see her and catch up on life.  The beautiful thing about solid friendships is that you can go months without seeing each other and have it feel like no more than a few days have passed.  I wish we could have spent so much more time together, but it was such a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. I'm so grateful for the 8 years of friendship we have had, and endless years to come. 

hoopers

C & L learned hula hoop tricks for our new thing one week.

We're awesome.

drink, ski, and hike

My last two weekends have been full of adventure!  First, C and I took a lovely trip to Denver and this past weekend I did an overnight backpacking trip in Arkansas.  

Kirsten!:

I was sooo excited that I got to meet up with Kirsten & Preston (forgot to take a picture...).  Went to a cool little place with great queso and drinks - of course!  Kirsten would make an excellent local guide.   I wish we could hang out all the time!!!! 

St. Patrick's Day!:

I have an intense appreciation for holidays/festivals/celebrations.

We dressed up in green and these fancy stickers!

 Good thing we had extra because we gave them out to lots of strangers we met throughout the day. Everybody we met was incredibly nice and celebratory... well done, Denver.

We went to an Irish pub called Scruffy Murphy's where they had traditional music and dancing!

 There was a little girl dancer in the group who was ADORABLE. Here we met these guys and ended up spending the rest of the day with them! 

We went to a rooftop bar and met some more people.  Meeting randos is one of my favorite things.

And ended the night with some yummy pizza.

12 hours later we were home and exhausted!

Love my C.
Celebration - check.

Skiing!:

Ski day at Loveland!

I have never really been skiing before so I was very excited and also nervous.  I didn't know what to expect.   C and Mr. Gubes were excellent instructors! I borrowed all of T's clothes and skis - thanks T!! I learned how to snow plow, of course, and do parallel turns.  By the end of the day I was zipping down parts that scared me in the beginning!  And I only fell once or twice after lunch break! 

We went on a tree trail that was a fun change of scenery. 

I loved the atmosphere - everybody was nice and friendly, the staff was happy and chill, and there were dozens of adorable little kids learning too.  Also, everybody's ski gear is lovely - people just look good in ski clothes. It was snowing throughout the day, giving it a very 'winter in the mountains' kind of feel. 

I want to go on a legit ski vacation now - stay at the lodge, come in after a good day on the slopes and chill with friends, etc.  Any takers for next season? :)

We also practiced self arrest with my ice axe for our new thing of this week!  It was very effective, so rest assured that I probably won't fall down any mountains this summer!  Forgot to take a photo of this too... and we even put on silly hats for it...

A lovely, albeit quick trip! Love my C. Love the Gubes. 

Hiking:

A few weeks ago, I met an amazing group of women and decided to go on a backpacking adventure with them!  They are quite a bit older than me and I am inspired by their continued sense of adventure and youthful spirits.

This was my chance to test out all my gear, test my level of mental and physical preparation, and also have some fun with the women in the woods. 

It was rainy and cold the whole time... but it was awesome.  Pretty much the entire time we were covered in fog, but it created this beautiful enchanted forest look.

I loved my gear and I loved being outside (even in that weather).  In preparing for this weekend, I knew it would either make me incredibly nervous or incredibly excited for the PCT and after it was over I could not wait to finish planning and preparing and start my journey.  With full packs on, we hiked 12 miles the first day and 16.6 the next.  My dreams of PCT all of sudden became more real, and more importantly more realistic.  My confidence and excitement is starting to well overcome my nerves and anticipation.
Due to the weather, we decided to finish up early, head back into town, grab a shower and go out to dinner for a celebration.  Here is the group:

I feel so blessed to have met these women and have them help me prepare for this journey!  One of the best parts of any journey seems to be the people you meet along the way and they are no exception.  

Queen of Sheba

My friend Sarah has told me about an Ethiopian restaurant in the city called Queen of Sheba.  If you watch the league, I hope you too can only think of Queen of Shiva.  

Excellent selling point: you eat with your hands.

I thought that sounded like a great new thing for last week!

We had a good size group - Sarah, Misty, Chris, C, T, Jess, and me! I love love love dining in big groups.  It brings such a festive element to the meal. 

I was very excited to have T in town. :)

 And C was very excited for our new thing of the week!

 I got the variety plate - why try one when you can try many? 

The crepe/pancake part is called injera - its super spongy. You tear off a piece and scoop up some food.  A bit messy, but fun and different. Every now and then its nice to ban utensils.    T started a bit of a game where she tossed some injera on your plate and wherever it landed, thats what you ate. haha Even more fun!

 I enjoyed the food, but its not the type of flavor/texture I would want regularly.

I was reading about Ethiopian food on the restaurant website and came across this bit of information: 

"Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual of breaking injera and eating from the same plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship.  The quintessence of those bonds are often demonstrated in the form of gursha-that is, the placing of food in the mount of another diner from one's own hand."

When in Rome...

star wars party!

Theme party? Count me in.

I love themed festivities.

Drinking in the museum, after hours, without children, with science experiments?! 

Yes please.

Star Wars Party??

When I first heard Star Wars, I thought "no way" but the more we got into it, the more fun it seemed to be... and C and I (and our friends Audrey and Tyler) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Star Wars party at the Science Museum of Oklahoma last Thursday!  

I dressed up like Princess Leia:

Thanks to Jessica for helping me create my costume!!  Total cost: $6... worth every penny.

When we first got there NOBODY was in costume.  C overheard somebody point to me and say "oh, there - there's one" haha.  I know nothing about Star Wars and I was one of the fanatic freaks... who would have known.  Haha

Then, we saw more fans.  Who's that?!

 Got harassed by some storm troopers:

 I found out that I helped turn the ewoks to the good side, Darth Vader is my father, I kissed my brother, and I put a chip in R2D2 - a very informative night.

Time for scientific fun!

Playing basketball using air tube things... sounds lame but it was pretty cool.

Laying on a bed of nails - they were legit sharp! T - did you steal your sister's chin?!?

Light saber fighting! (They make you put on those drunk goggles that make you lose your balance to increase the difficulty level haha)  

Smashing freeze dried foods and flowers.

Riding segways and hoover craft!

 

And they had a DJ so we danced the night away:

We had so much fun interacting with a lot of the people there, playing around the various exhibits, and just having a dorky good time.  

I'll end the post with this epic picture of C riding some kind of space ship. 

one new thing

C and I decided to do one new thing a week!

Whether big or small, its a really fun way to get us trying new things and spending fun time together.

It forces you to think outside of our typical routines and see things in a new open way.

Week 1: Hiking with our backpacks

 Sally and I got our new backpacks and C and I had never been on a hike together before!  It was a lovely time.

Week 2: Making bracelets

I don't have a picture of C's, but it is beautiful.  

I guess technically not something "new" as it was sort of a throwback to middle school, but I figure a 10+ year gap is sufficient for being something "new".  It was actually really therapeutic/calming.  I made another one for a friend and it turned out so even better than the first one! 

Week 3: Watching The Exorcist (eek!)

Recently before bed, C and I have been reading the Exorcist... sounds like a great pre-dream read right?  Surprisingly, no nightmares to date.  The book was really fun to read together... I got to try out a variety of demonic voices which is always fun.  We finished reading this week and watched the movie as our new thing.

Creeeepy.

This week: Star Wars party at the Science Museum

I - am - so - excited.

And I don't even like Star Wars.

Recently, a speaker at a conference I attended was talking about mental stimulation in retirement communities.  He said one of the most important parts was to "be a rookie every year".  To always be learning and growing and experiencing life in new ways.

Keep life fresh.

its really happening

For a few months, I've been preparing for my upcoming adventure... reading a ton, buying things (get the gear!), etc - but when my backpack arrived in the mail, as soon as I put it on I got this completely overwhelming feeling of .... 

Am I really doing this? ...I'm really doing this! ... woah... this is really happening!

It surprised me how that one thing really made it all come together in my mind.

It happened again today when I purchased my ticket to San Diego... and I am sure it will continue to happen as the time comes nearer.

This is really happening. 

Sally got her backpack for her summer adventures recently too - I'm certain she had the same excited and overwhelmed emotional reaction. :)

Here are a few pictures of C, Sal, and I at Lake Thunderbird: