July 23-24

Kevin sent me an email the other morning.  One of his friends is competing in a "Tough Mudder" challenge.  I had heard about this ridiculousness a few days earlier and thought it was insane.  After researching it, I am sort of intrigued.  So, the fates must have aligned and today, there is a Groupon to enter.


It is not a race, or so they claim. It is a challenge.  If I had to compare it to something, I think I would compare it to American Gladiators on steroids.  It is a 10 mile obstacle course doing military obstacles, run through fire, slide through mud with barbed wire above your head, and to finish it off running through live electrical wires carrying a 10,000 V charge.
In order for you to get the full idea of what this challenge entails, here is a link to the map with all of the obtacles.


If you are not convinced yet, these are some of their FAQ:


Do I really get one beer?

Yes. The registration fee includes one beer for participants 21 and over, which can be collected after the conclusion of the event.


Are you really giving out Tough Mudder tattoos?

Tattoos of our logo for anyone tough enough to want one will be available for $70. Send your receipt to info@toughmudder.com and we’ll give you a free entry to a Tough Mudder of your choice in 2011. Customize it by having the event date and location put on–keep adding as you go to record all your epic Mudder adventures.
 
Does anyone want to join me?

Wallowing

I suppose clean could be a subjective term.  I think that sometimes I am not the most immaculate person in the world, but I do like things tidy.  Kevin has informed me that since he got married, he has forgotten how to pick-up after himself, do laundry, or any other homemaking task.   To his credit, he does the dishes and takes out the trash, so I won't complain too much.  He has however, created his own definition of clean.  I am not sure I completely understand it, but I will give a few examples of some of the things that have made me wonder what goes on in his head.

Kevin has a habit of putting shirts, shorts, or anything he has worn, but doesn't deem "dirty" in a corner of the bed. Socks that he has decided are not "dirty" get placed in the middle of the bedroom floor. (if they go on your foot, in my opinion, they are dirty) One day, as I was gathering laundry, I asked my usual question"Is there anything here that you would like me to wash?", but this time I may have added "-or would you like to continue wallowing in your own filth?"  I thought I was funny.  Apparently I struck a chord.  I offended him.  This is not unusual I think I do this on a regular basis.  He of course opted to wallow for a bit longer.  Now any time I asked about anything, he likes to mention that he is enjoying wallowing.

Shoes are another area that confuses me.  I think that shoes in the middle of the floor are an obstacle, an object that possesses impending doom for the clumsy such as myself.  Not to mention that they look sloppy and out of place.  To Kevin, this makes them accessible and easy to find.  When I am cleaning, I enjoy putting them back into his closet on his shoe rack.  This, of course, makes me feel like I have tidied my house and it looks neat.  Each time I do this I know that I am about to get reprimanded for it.

Finally, the last thing is the cup.  If your mouth touches it, bacteria are breeding and growing.  This is a problem to me.  Kevin would keep the same cup on the counter for him to keep re-using for weeks at a time if I would let him.  If I put it in the dishwasher, I am in trouble because he didn't get good enough use from it. We have plenty of cups.  There are enough replacements.  Recently, I will replace it without  his knowledge and put the dirty one in the dishwasher.  I love him too much to allow him to get sick.

If you do not believe me about the shoes and socks.  Here is photographic proof.

My Mom

I love my mother.  She is pretty fantastic.  I admire so many things about her. Someday when I grow up I would be doing a pretty stellar job if I could be more like her.   I could go on all day about all the wonderful things that she does for everyone all the time, but I think i will just mention a few.

  I don't know if anyone has a better disposition.  She is so positive, upbeat, and FUN all the time.  I can only remember a couple of times when she was actually angry.   Like the time they changed the flavor of Diet Coke back when I was elementary school.  She got so upset she ACTUALLY wrote a letter.  Usually when she is upset about something she just threatens to compose those nasty-grams. 

She goes out of her way to be friendly with everyone.  unless you are a stranger.  Then you are automatically Chester and evil.  (yes, I learned it from somewhere).  She would always wave to everyone in town.  I used to have kids come up to me in school and tell me "you're mom waved at me today.  Does she even know who I am?"  C'mon this is Raymond, she knows EVERYTHING about everyone.  One of her best friends is Barb Depew. Talk about omniscience.

She is always up for a good time.  She has this addictive and inspiring zest for life.  I cannot tell you the number of times she stays up late to watch chick flicks with us, she gets giddy when she hears the Dr. Mario music, she hikes/snowshoes/cross country skis with her mountain mama's every week, her and Lloyd have taken up kayaking and go religiously at least once a week.  Kevin always tells me that I just want Jackie's life. I think I just want her stamina. 

This woman raised 6 kids who are all 2 years apart.  That in itself should be grounds for sainthood.   I think most of us turned out OK too.  Not only did she raise us, but with my dad's work schedule SHE moved us somewhere around 15 times, and no child was ever older than 8. I cannot even imagine all the times she wanted to strangle all of us, but she was always so kind. I am not sure how she had the patience and the ability to stay so collected all the time, but I think I need lessons.

 She had this amazing ability to balance life.  She had 6 extremely active children.  We were always involved in basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, swimming, baseball, figure skating, hockey, riding horses, and any other imaginable activity.  With 6 kids.... that is just crazy.  I can only remember a couple of times when my "stalker" (as my friends coined her) was not at my games cheering me on.  She was so supportive and wonderful, but she was not just at my events, but all my siblings stuff.  She was all our our #1 fan.

So besides her innumerable neuroses and her inability to cook, she is perfect.  I think that those things make her even more perfect.  I have learned to be more careful; ie wearing hoodies in movie theaters to avoid lice and not letting anyone sit behind me on a bus that could possibly decapitate me.  I learned that there is always something more fun to do than worrying about cooking or other menial things, so just go with it.  We didn't starve.

I love you mom!