Throwback Thursday #50: Blue Eyes And The Bay Bridge

“Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend.” ~Bill Watterson

I'm not a girl who gets scared very easily. I'm pretty tough. So when you read previously about the taxi ride in Rome and the bus ride in Baltimore, you know the situations were pretty bad. Well today, I am sharing the third of the three scariest moment of my life. And here we go.

So I had always wanted to live in Northern California at some point in my life. When I was applying for law schools, I got in at the University of the Pacific in Sacramento. They also offered to fly me out for an admitted student's day that they were having and to put me up in a hotel. Obviously I decided to go check it out, but I didn't really want to go alone. Enter to the story one of my best friends from high school, a guy we'll call Blue Eyes. (I was going to call him Old Blue Eyes, you know like Frank Sinatra? But since I'm 6 months older than him, I decided that adjective was unnecessary). Anyway, I asked if Blue Eyes wanted to join me for the weekend and the next thing I know we're on a plane.

Blue Eyes, being the supportive, awesome friend he is, went with me to the accepted applicants day. He sat through all of the presentations, sat in on a class, watched a moot court, and was a TOTAL hit. I think they were ready to pull the scholarship offer they made me and give it to Blue Eyes instead. Here was this adorable 22 year old guy who teaches kindergarten. I'm telling you guys.....he could have been the prom king at the University of the Pacific School of Law.

Well after the day was over about 4:00, we decided to go to San Francisco for the night. Blue Eyes had never been, and I am always game to go to my favorite city. We loaded up into the rental car and set off. Let me just tell you that the drive from Sacramento to San Francisco is completely beautiful! Vineyards and green farmland and everything good about northern California can bee seen on this short drive. Only complaint? I got carsick. Like real carsick. But, as you know from the Roman taxi post, this is nothing new.

We get to San Francisco about RUSH HOUR o'clock. There we are, along with like 5 million other people, on the Bay Bridge. Thank the Lord that Blue Eyes was driving. I was trying not to throw up or have a panic attack. We accidentally got in the wrong lane--you know the one for pike passes only and not money? Well considering there were 5 million people on that bridge, changing lanes was not an option, so we just ran it. I mean, we were in a rental car, so whatev. In the middle of all this, I say to Blue Eyes, "Promise me you won't get too drunk to drive us home, because I can't do it in this chaos!" (You see where this is going, right?)

We arrive at Fisherman's Wharf and stopped in at a blues bar to start the night. Well I make a beeline for the bathroom (I'm always proud when I can make it there before getting sick...you know, it's the little things in life) while Blue Eyes ordered something at the bar. I come out and see him knocking back a shot of Goldschlager. I didn't even know people actually drank that stuff, I thought it was just decoration. I realized then I better mentally prepare myself to drive us back to Sacramento.

Long story short (meaning our moms read this blog), the night ended at the Hard Rock where I had to literally try and carry Blue Eyes out to the car. Mind you, I'm 5'3 and this dude is probably 6'1. Because I was sick and unable to drink at all, I was the perfect choice to drive home.

Only Blue Eyes didn't want to go home....he wanted to go dancing. He asked everyone we passed on the way to the car where we should go for dancing. Broadway was the consensus. So we get in the car and he begs me to go dancing with him on Broadway. All I can think of is the two of us ending up either at some scary biker bar, or at a gay bar. And I'm just going to say it....Blue Eyes is really good looking. I did not want to have to fight off dudes to keep him safe. Call me a fun hater if you want, but I say that's friendship, y'all!

So I tell him that we can't find Broadway, and proceed to try and get us back on the Bay Bridge headed north. Driving in San Francisco is scary when it's daytime and you know where you are going. But at night, when it's dark, holy crap!

Blue Eyes wanted to be helpful, so he starts yelling out the window to everyone we saw, "Where's Broadway, where's Broadway?" Fortunately, no one was able to give us directions. (Two years later while living in SF, I ended up at one of those clubs on Broadway and had to call Blue Eyes. Looking back, we totally should have gone dancing!)

Finally, I make it onto the right highway for the Bay Bridge. My hands were seriously shaking I was so nervous. About this time, Blue Eyes decides to start calling people on the phone. He starts with the girl he had just started dating (and is now married to). She didn't answer. Shocking, since it's all of 3 am there. Then he called another high school friend of ours. He didn't answer. At this point, Blue Eyes is angry and rolls down the window to throw his phone out of it. I, whilst driving up the ramp to the Bay Bridge, manage to get the phone away from him. Somehow, he got my phone at this point, and called College Roomie's mother. She answered. (The irony of this is that a couple years later, they taught right across the hall from each other, and she gave him crap about this the whole year!)

Anyway, we are literally in the middle of the bridge when the next crisis occurs. Blue Eyes decides he has to pee and, again, rolls down the window. All I can picture is me having to call his mom from San Francisco county jail. I'm telling you, his mom is the sweetest lady, but you do NOT want her mad at you. I figured that a phone call from jail would probably cause mad to occur.

Anyway, Blue Eyes undoes his pants and I use my best "mom" voice and say, "BLUE EYES! You cannot pee out the window on the Bay Bridge!" (Sidenote: this was going to be the title of this blog, but after this post my mom said after this blog that using words like "pee" in a title is not ladylike). Somehow, I talked him down and convinced him he could hold it.

The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. Other than him scooting over to the middle seat and singing along with that James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" in my ear. Then he got real mad because I wasn't appreciative enough. He told me his mom cries when he sings it to her. I told him I was on the verge of tears....but didn't specify the reason. :)

To end the night, we stop at a convenience store once we got back to Sacramento to get him some gatorade for the morning. We get out of the car, I look over, and his pants are around his ankles in the parking lot. Apparently he forgot about re-dressing after trying to pee out the window before he got out of the car. Classic. By some miracle, we made it back to the hotel in one piece, fully clothed, without a criminal record.

So yes, it was so scary. I mean, simultaneously thinking you are going to crash a car and go to jail is stressful on a girl. But it is one of my favorite stories. It all culminates with a white envelope in my parents' mailbox. A ticket. With our picture on it. For not paying the bridge toll at 5:39 pm. My mom calls and says, "Did you and Blue Eyes do anything illegal in California?" My response, "How much do you know?"

If There Was A Limit On The Use Of "OMG".....

“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.” ~ Win Borden

......hotmail would have busted me last week. Here's how it went down.

About 9:00 one night, I sent an email to College Roomie and the Oklahoma Girls telling them I really wanted to do the first half of the San Francisco Marathon. This has been on my bucket list for a couple of years, and because I'm getting old and my body is trying to fall apart on me, I decided it was now or never!

The next morning by 8:30, the girls were all in. By noon, we had all taken two days off work and had committed to doing it. Girls Weekend 2011 here we come! As of yesterday, we have all registered for our respective races. Insert OMGs here!! (To read Blonde Oklahoma Girl's take on this, just click here!) Mind you, back in 2008 we did a Girls Weekend in San Francisco and had time time of our lives! Here are just a few pictures of our adventures....

Sidenote: The photo above has been deemed best photo ever!

So the plan this year is for all of us to run. I'm doing the Half Marathon and the girls are running the Progressive Marathon. Other plans are in the works....a trip to Napa, wine tasting and touring, driving down the coast, amazing food, mimosas after the race....OMG again!

There are a few other ladies planning on joining in the fun...The Bride is looking at her calendar but reports that she is "leaning towards coming" and Gonzaga Friend signed up last weekend to run the half with me! This is going to be EPIC.

Of course, this means that I have to get my poor body ready for running 13.1 miles. Mind you, I have been grounded from running for three months so I am starting from scratch. I've printed out a running plan, emailed all of the runners that I know in real life or in the blog world, got a list of new songs to download, and have started getting my booty moving!

Last weekend I bought myself a new pair of running shoes. They are Brooks brand and let me tell you, it feels like running on pillows! I'm a firm believer in these things now. I also bought a sport band to tell me how far I've run (important to know). And, as you know if you are my facbook friend, my iPod died last week. I was lamenting about buying a new one, but never fear....bloggers to the rescue! I won a giveaway (I never win ANYTHING!!) from Angie at Living Aloha of....you guessed it....an iPod shuffle! I can't wait for it to arrive. It's like fate!

Then College Roomie and I ran a mile outside (while wearing my new miracle shoes) on Sunday. She made it all the way to .80 before pulling out her angry voice with me. "This is NOT fun." That was impressive! On Monday night Aggie Friend and I ran 2.5 miles and tonight I did 2 by myself. Baby steps here. (PS--if you are a runner and have ANY advice at all, I'd love to hear it! The most I've ever done was the 7.5 miles at Bay to Breakers, so this will be a new distance for me!)

Stay tuned for training updates and trip planning in the next few months leading up to Girls Weekend 2011! OMG!

Logan New Mexico: Back Where I Come From

"Well in the town where I was raised, the clock ticked and the cattle grazed, time passed with amazing grace....I'm proud as anyone, that's where I come from" ~Kenny Chesney

Today I am linking up with A Little Bit of This & That to tell you where I'm from! Such a great idea for blogs....be sure to go over and check out where all of the other bloggers are from!

I know a lot of the bloggers participating in this little game talk about their cities, and all the fun things there are to do. Well.....I can't really do that because I'm not from a city with lots to do! Instead, you're going to get an earful about growing up on a farm and in a small town! Because I have blogged about several of these topics before, I am doing my best to put links to prior blogs in case you want to red more in detail!

I grew up on a farm and ranch near the village (yes, it's really called a village) of Logan, New Mexico.

We raise cattle and sheep, but also have horses and used to have pigs. We grow wheat, barley, milo and alfalfa. (You read all about the farm on Family Farm Fridays!) I'd say my childhood was pretty much ideal, the kind of thing that you would have seen on the Andy Griffiths Show had Mayberry been a farm instead of a town. (Hear all about it in my very first 4-H speech!)

Growing up we had awesome parents who have been married for over 30 years now (you previously met my Mom on the blog and my dad will be coming soon), wide open spaces, lots of animals, great neighbors, and my Gran lived next door. Little Brother and I spent lots of time outside running around, helping with the animals, riding horses, driving trucks and tractors, irrigating....you name it, we did it! Gran was always our partner in crime. She lived right next door and was seriously the most fun lady in the world! She was the kind of grandma who would bake cookies for a tea party one day, go on a cruise for vacation the next, and be out herding sheep the next.

Our neighbors were a big part of our life growing up. There were about 5 or 6 families living down "our road" that were like extra sets of grandparents or aunts and uncles. They always had food for us when we came over, helped us with our homework, and bought ANYTHING that was drug up to their door for sale! We would either ride our horses to their house, drive Gran over for a visit in her little pick up, or walk if it was a closer neighbor (including Mr. Maes whose wife made homeade tortillas every afternoon at 3:00 and you would see two blonde headed kids headed down the road!)

I went to elementary school and junior high in a nearby small town called San Jon. My mom was a teacher there and I still have lots of friends from that time in my life, including Teacher Friend, The Cheerleader and First Valentine, who you have read about several times before.

In elementary school I played "bitty ball" (which is our version of little kid basketball), showed lambs, participated in spelling bees and that sort of thing, and used to frequent the principal's office for my recess antics. My friend The Cheerleader and I were about the biggest tomboys that you have ever met and I swear to you once we were playing football with the boys and Teacher Friend's brother got a bloody nose from someone tackling him. They sent all the boys, Teacher Friend and me into the principal, who seemed very confused as to why the two girls were in his office....

When high school rolled around my mom retired (the first of like 5 times) and Little Brother and I started going to school at Logan. Logan was closer to home, but the big reason for that move was that we were following Mr. Franklin who had also left San Jon for Logan (You have also read about several times......I am not quite sure what he would think about being one of the leading characters on a blog!) That move ended up being pretty smart.....we both ended up winning multiple state FFA championships and getting judging scholarships to college. In addition to being active in FFA, I also played volleyball and basketball, and was involved in several other school activities (realize that with like 75 kids in the high school, we all did everything!)

High school in Logan was probably completely different than high school for most people. (You've read about that before!) Our whole school (I'm talking K-12 grade here people) was in one building. And there were about 210 kids total. My graduating class had 20 people in it. Here we are: To say that everyone knew everyone is an understatement. Everyone not only knew everyone, we knew everyone's business, their families, what they liked, who they were dating, what their dogs names were and where they were on Friday night! There were times I swear that teachers would be calling our parents to tell on us before we had even done the wrong thing that was coming!

The other thing that I've realized was different about small town high school is that we were all really good friends with the other small town kids around the state. This happened mostly through 4-H and FFA, but some too through playing sports against each other. For me, this included BFF and one of the famous Animal House Boys from college.

A lot of people don't get the chance to even meet everyone in their own school, much less to have friends from all over the state, so we were lucky like that! (I've written about this before as well!)

Anyway, hopefully this gives you a small, quick look into where I'm from. I think that growing up where I did, how I did is a huge part of who I am. As I wrote this blog, I realized that when you grow up in a small town and look back on that, it's not about buildings or places or events. Instead, it's about the people. And maybe that is the biggest gift a small town can give you!

Meet The Cast Monday #12: Little Brother

Today I'm introducing you to Little Brother. He answered these questions for me about a month ago and told me last weekend that he reads my blog every Monday to see if it's his turn yet. How cute is that? Obviously, I moved him up in line!

As you will see, he'll seem like a man of few words. I'll assure you that is only when he's typing them out.....now get him talking and that's a TOTALLY different story. He's a senior in college and will graduate in May with a degree in agricultural education. He's one of those people who knows everyone---seriously being in public with this kid makes you feel like he's running for mayor. Everyone loves him, and I've spent a big chunk of my life known as "Little Brother's Sister." It's a title I'm more than happy to have.

Meet....Little Brother!

What is your favorite childhood memory?

One of the best is playing king of the manure pile. {Yea, sadly, he's not lying. This was one of my favorite childhood past times as well---I feel a blog on this is probably necessary.} Or Gran letting me drive and it freaking out mom.
{I may get killed for that last picture, but seriously....how funny is that??}

What do you think was the best part of growing up on a farm?

The fact you get to be outside everyday and get to be around horses and cattle.

What was your favorite showing related memory?

Going to state fair. The dorms where the best place to meet people and get in trouble. {I couldn't agree more--you've read my take on this before!}

You’re currently student teaching agricultural education. What has been your favorite part of that experience?

Getting to be the one throwing the markers instead of the target. {This would be a reference to Mr. Franklin's habit of throwing things on his desk at you if you missed a parli-pro question. Probably also deserves it's own blog....}

You’re quite the dancer. Favorite song to dance to?

It really don’t matter if it has hair on it I can ride it if it has a beet I can dance to it. {I'll let a few photos do the talking.}

What is your favorite movie?

Probably Lonesome Dove

If you could marry one famous person, who would it be?

Jennifer Aniston she is the bomb all she has to do is meet me and its game over. {His lack of self confidence is of major concern to us all.}

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

I don’t really have a bucket list but one thing I want to do before I kick off is to make the Turquoise Circuit Finals. Roping is my most favorite hobby and I really want to make the finals at least so I have accomplished something while doing it.