Photo update

Here is a little photo update for those of you just DYING to see the latest of B & D... and by dying, I mean if you are bored at work and have already reached your facebook stalking quota for the day and have nothing left to do but actually work OR check out the latest post on the blog of yours truly.  Here is a plethora of pics from the past couple months:

Just in case you missed our halloween costumes...

we went as each other.  It didn't turn out so well (obviously).  You can imagine in your own minds what you think we look like.  I'm not writing it here.

The fabulous crew (sans the moustaches)

At T foxes birthday/turned moustache party, thanks to Kim's fabulous "moustache kit" bday gift...

Miaken's bday extravaganza and all of the madness that came with it:  Hiking Bald mountain, random indoor helmet wearing, excess amounts of food (and apparently nose picking) and way too much laughing.  My favorite photo is the fake laugh pose with our sparkling cider.  My friend Gentry has the best fake laugh face ever!  Kim comes in a close second.

Reincarnation Requests

I am making a request that, if I am reincarnated, I want to come back as this:

Me. Zebra.  Got it?

In our court...

Amidst our nation's complete economic implosion.... at least we have one thing to look forward to.  I'll take it.  

Tagged

I normally hate this stuff, but since I never update my blog, at least now you will have something new to read... however boring and uneventful it may be.

The rules:
1. Link to person who has tagged you: Annie
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Random things? hmmm...

1.  I hate structure.  I hate routines, planning, schedules and lists, because they bore me and make me feel like I am part of the Truman Show. I don't like doing the same things every day, I hate 8-5 work schedules, I don't plan ahead for the weekends (very often), I take different driving routes everywhere, I don't really have favorite restaurants or bands (that excludes you, Radiohead) because I get bored so easily I am always looking for something new.  I will never be able to run on the treadmill every single day for fear I may die of boredom.  I will say that at times I do use a list, but only when there is too much on my plate to remember and if I don't write it down I will forget it and it will float away with all of the other millions of things I have forgotten to do in my lifetime.  I prefer spontaneity.  I know this method is probably FAR less productive than all of you with set schedules and daily routines out there, but I prefer creativity over productivity... most days. 

2.  I am tempted to buy a doughnut every day.  Never do I pass a grocery store without closing my eyes and envisioning myself heading straight to the bakery, where I pick up a fresh maple bar or a cake doughnut with white frosting and sprinkles.   I am obsessed with doughnuts, people. Now, that doesn't mean I eat a doughnut every day,  but I think about it, and occasionally either rewarding myself or giving into self-pity, I buy myself a doughnut and savor every bite.  If it were up to me, doughnuts would be fat free, contain millions of anti-oxidants and make your skin glow.  If I were to write a letter to the doughnut, it would probably go something like this:

"Dearest doughnut:

Thank you for your beautiful round shape and sometimes creme-filled center.  Thank you for your variety, for your flaky layers and your fancy icing and confetti hat.  I love you doughnut, and yet I despise you for making me want you. Damn you, doughnut.  Damn you.

Sincerely,

Dana"

If you doubt such an obsession, go to your nearest Harmons and ask for a maple bar with cake frosting on top.  You will doubt no longer...

3. My ideal world would consist of me working 6 months out of the year and traveling the other 6.  I would have a small villa in Marbella, Spain as my base camp and I would explore every nook and cranny on the European Continent.  I would hike the great wall of China, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, learn flamenco guitar in Sevilla, buy pottery in Morocco, eat platano frito in Ecuador, take pictures in Tokyo, ride an elephant in Thailand and the list goes on and on.  I would take in every moment and always be learning.  I would see.  Everything.

4.  In my next life I want to come back as a Zebra.  There is nothing cooler than a black and white striped horse with a mohawk and an attitude. Enough said.

5.  I firmly believe that a few caring people can change the world and I fully intend on being one of those people.  

6.  Even though almost three and a half years have past,  I still think about my mission every day.  Despite my  bad mouth, my irreverent manner and frequent off color jokes,  I loved my mission.  Call me crazy ( and many of those who have  been there will), but I would go back in a heart beat and do it all over again.  I learned more about myself, my limits, the world and the billions of people living in it during that short 18 months than I have over most of my life.  There is nothing like waking up every morning with one single purpose.  And I didn't even mind the structure...

I tag Lynze, Barbara and Tara.  Take it away, ladies.  

 

Mini

Someday one of these will be mine.  Ben agreed to get another dog ONLY if it was little and looked like a teeny tiny Molly replica.  Here are my mini versions of the Mollster:   

I know one of these is black, but he was too cute not to throw him in the mix

Truly, this one looks exactly like her, and I would happily take any one of these three:

    

Look at this face. Who can resist this face?

  

  

            

And my all-time favorite:  Say hello to Tiny.  He is the runt, but his owners say he is the leader of the pack.  Hmmmm, reminds me of someone else I know...

Take your votes, guys so I can bring home a MINI!

Hebgen Lake and a whole lot of catch up

Yes, I know, it has been awhile.  Please pardon our slight absence from the blogging world and enjoy the latest post on yet another lake vacation.  

This labor day weekend we traveled to Ben's old stompin' ground and got a nice look into the childhood of Ben, his siblings and a long line of ancestors who have been visiting Hebgen Lake, Montana since about 1930.  Not only have they been visiting Hebgen since before World War II, but they also happen to own what to me seems like most of the land up there. EVERYONE IS RELATED UP THERE!  It is one big happy family.  Every soul I met this weekend was an uncle, or a great aunt, or a third cousin, or married a relative and on and on and on.  Between the Rybergs, the Richards and the Coveys I think most of the lake is covered.  Ben knew EVERYONE up there, even the card dealer at the Stage Coach Inn in West Yellowstone asked him where he had been all summer (as if that should be a surprise to anyone reading this...).

Everything has a story in Hebgen, everyone a connection, every log a link to something historic.  It's quite nice really.  Not only that, but Ben just happens to have the largest memory store in  human brain existence, and could relate nearly every story in Hebgen Lake history.  He never missed a beat, and is far and away the greatest tour guide around.  

We hauled our old ski boat up and plopped it in the lake Friday evening in order to enjoy some great waterski runs throughout the weekend. Although I knew the lake would be glassy all day long, what I didn't know folks, is that the water temp is just a hair above freezing and the air temp is chilly at best.  Someone needs to tell the pool man that the water heater is broken!  Seriously, I kid you not when I say freezing.  Let me spell it out:  F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G!  It was arctic.  I'm surprised I didn't see penguins and polar bears swimming in that water.  Even a beluga whale would have been cold.   

Long story short, I needed a dry suit to ski. I am a wimp when it comes to cold water.  I have no problem admitting that.

I did make one grandiose splash into the lake, but only after being peer pressured into rollerblading off of Ben's homemade ramp into the icy waters below.  All of you who know anything about the Hebgen know that the rollerblade ramp is a huge part of the experience.  The photos below will give you a better idea of what I mean.  Basically Allyson, Dan and myself became Ben's lemmings for a moment... and it was fun.  

We spent most of Sunday at Yellowstone National Park, checking out all of the cool sites and searching for Bears, which we never saw.  I'm still depressed about that one, especially after hearing from our whole crew that they had seen bears EVERY time they had ever visited the park.  Thanks guys.  apparently there is bad blood between the bears and I.  

Here is a photo rundown of the trip:

Saturday morning: boat ride to visit the Woolleys and tour the lake

Our dog, Molly, Lovin' life at this moment

The building of the infamous rollerblade ramp

Ben's first jump, showing us how it is supposed to be done

and again here...

And these are our versions:  Dana

Allyson ( I think her pic is my favorite)

and Dan, with the blade dive

My sister Tara and her two boys Jack and Gus came over from Island Park to visit on Sat. afternoon.  Jack worships Ben.  According to him, they are "best buddies"

Tara and I out on a canoe ride to Bird Island (notice the sweatshirts in ALL of the photos)

Two peas in a pod in a dingy

At Yellowstone National Park

The group all together

Back at the Cabin, and most likely our family Christmas Card this year (if we did those types of things)

On the pier

It was a fabulous trip, and although I nearly froze to death,  I would do it again in a heart beat, granted I have a dry suit.

I will eventually update this....

I promise. Things are a little crazy here on the farm, but updates are on their way, so stay tuned!

Wakeless Speed Dreams

It’s all washed up now.

A brown paper bag. soggy

Like it had it all before,

air-filled lungs and good circulation—

A pile of dead limbs. 

I flail my arms to keep them stinging.

A black pearl inside an oyster.  A name on the side of a pirate ship.

I wear a patch over my eye so there’s less of me to look at.  

I watch the brown paper bag float by, on the bag the writing: “gone fishing"

in big, blurry letters.  It weeps for me and my dead arms. 

I don’t know why.

It leaves particles of recycled paper in a wake of tears.

I’ll stop flailing now and let my limbs go limp.

The soggy paper bag picked up by the black pearl pirates—

transformed into a hat.

Have you seen this man?

Last seen wearing: a blue and white striped polo, tan shorts and flip flops.  

Answers to:  Ben, Marvin, BC, Curtis, Master, Head Honcho etc.

Last heard: giving someone sixty seconds to see if they could wrap him up in tape...

If seen please contact his wife, Dana.  It is his birthday today and she would like to wish him a proper happy birthday.

LOVE YOU BEN!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

he is going to kill me for this...

So far away now...

This post is for my homie Benny, the ultimate brother.  We waved goodbye to him yesterday morning as he headed towards the dreaded airport security gates on his way to Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  His kicks are polished, his white shirt pressed, his passport in his pocket and he's off!  On the journey of a lifetime that one can never fully describe:  La Mision.  Ben is a breath of fresh air for us all.  His laugh, his smile, and his kickin' sense of humor bring us all to tears... of joy.  There is no one more fun than Ben.  His presence will be missed in our house for the next two (long) years, but we know he is where he wants to be and he will bring smiles to the faces of the Brazilians in Rio.  

As an ode to him today, we bring you a little bit of the bro that "likes to party" as he would say:

one final glance back...

We love you Benny!  Go get em!

We miss you already.  Come back to us soon...and in one piece, please.

Lake Powell and so much more...

Nothing is better than a week at the lake with the Hale clan.  We had one final hoorah for my bro Benny before he takes off on Tuesday to servir Dios in the beauty and danger that is Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  We packed a full Hale Family trip into a few days and enjoyed sun, ski, play, ride and the occasional air-soft gun war and bean bomb.  

Here are a few highlights from the awesomeness:

My one true love (besides Ben, I guess).  Skiing.

Ben shreds as well (old school style)

Keto's life jacket is starting to look a little on the small side, in my opinion

enjoying one of the many meals.  For some reason, food always tastes better down there

Shannon, Benny and myself on a sunset ski run

my still super hip padres

The stand up.  The boys did time trial races on this thing.  One word:  hilarious.

During our triathalon event.  This included three events, a race on the stand up jet ski, two laps around a rock in the channel on the big wave runner (or as Ben likes to call it "the wet bike") and then a final lap on the kayak.  The transitions from each event were the best.  nothing like watching my bro Cam leap from a jet ski going full speed into a tiny kayak wearing euro swimming trunks.  

This was of course my Ben's idea:  Air-soft wars.  They split up into two teams and played capture the flag with air-soft guns.  They look a little bit like terrorists to me...

I thought about playing and then realized I was smart.  Getting shot with an air-soft gun point blank doesn't exactly sound like my idea of fun...  They sure had a blast though.

They have no idea what is about to come there way (see next pic below for more details)

My Dad (the large child) shooting bottle rockets at them while they play.  He is using a table as cover and an aluminum foil tube to shoot bottle rockets directly into their game.  I'm still laughing...

Our whole relationship started right here

with my bros headed to dangling rope (and liddy)

"El Capitan"

Wow.

My two favorite Bens: Hale and Curtis

I saved the best for last ladies:  Cameron, with his euro mud flap haircut, his euro shorts, thinking he is the hottest thing alive.  I have to love him for his creativity...

And so ends another successful trip to Lake Powell, brought to you by Deb an Eric.  There is no doubt that my family rocks.  If you question such a claim, return to the pics above.  No one does it like the Hales do.  This will always be my favorite place on earth.