My run-in with the law

I have great plans for some awesome posts, but I haven't had the motivation/inspiration to write them. I promise I'll get to them later.

For now I want to share a funny story with you.

I've been sick for the past few days- it stared out as a nasty cough and turned into the flu with a high fever. I should have seen this coming when I signed up to work with germy kids every day, but I thought I was immune to everything after working for the library for 6 years.

Anyway.

I've been house sitting for my uncle every weekend which is fun, but I prefer to be sick in my own bed. I slept at his house last night and decided to drive home this morning. So, I was driving down 287 from Lafayette to Longmont, getting very excited to crawl into my own bed. Then I saw lights flashing behind me.

Lets just say there was a lot of swearing on my part as I pulled over to the shoulder. Here is a little taste of the dialogue going on in my head: "Oh F#&$ F*&# F@$&! Please don't arrest me! I don't remember doing anything wrong. Was I speeding? Did I run a red light? I know Nyquil shows up on the breathalyzer. But I took my last dose at 3am, so shouldn't it be out of my system? I'm going to jail. I can't go to jail! I'm wearing my AmeriCorps sweatshirt! And no bra! And hideously ill-fitting red sweatpants. F$@* F!#@ F*#&."

The ironic part of this, is that I've been anticipating getting my first ticket for a while now, so I should have been mildly excited. There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders when you have a perfect driving record and I have been wanting to get a ticket just to get it over with.

It turns out I got pulled over for not having a license plate on the front of my car. I'd been meaning to get to it, I just kept forgetting. He let me off with a warning and told me to have a nice day.

So now I am still ticket free and did not go to jail. I hope that someday I'll be able to check those two items off of my list of things to do.

Mike "outside the box" Weaver

If you haven't met my dad, shame on you! He's pretty terrific in general, but one thing I especially love about him is the way he thinks outside the box. For example, one time he and I went up Poudre Canyon to cut down a Christmas tree. After hiking around the property for a while we finally spotted one that was "good enough" (meaning we were cold and tired of looking). We drug the tree back to his truck, but realized we were stuck up on a cliff and would have to drag the tree an extra 1/2 mile or so. Rather than exhaust ourselves further, dad came up with a brilliant plan: throw the tree over the cliff and climb down after it. Watching that tree sail over the cliff was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Until it hit the cliff several times losing a few branches. When it finally came to a halt, my dad suggested that we not tell mom about it.

That's one of my favorite Christmas memories.

Right now my dad is working in Del Norte, which is southern Colorado. Here is a picture of what he's been up to:



Yeah, that's a cell tower on his truck. Evidently they would have had to dissemble the crane, haul that up the mountain, put the cell tower on a flatbed trailer, drive it up the mountain and then put everything back together again. My dad suggested putting in on his truck.

Classic Mike Weaver move.

Exciting!

First woman to deliver inauguration sermon.

Integrity

Confession time: I'm a closet football fan. I know, shocking. I should clarify that statement to avoid confusion. I've become a big fan of the Broncos, but couldn't tell you much about any other team (I just found out that Carolina has a team, but have yet to figure out if they're North or South). My interest in football began while living in Mississippi where Saints fever was epidemic. Amidst the chaos of hurricane devastation, people were able to smile and cheer and invest hope in something bigger than themselves. Football. I had never seen that side of the sport before, and it really gave me a new outlook. I still struggle with the ridiculousness of the sport: outrageous salaries, confusing rules, outrageous ticket prices, testosterone overload on the field, scantily clad cheerleaders. But the sport is growing on me.

I've taken particular interest in the team since the shocking firing of Mike Shanahan, head coach for the past 14 years- 21 years total with the team. Hard to imagine this team without him. I might go as far as saying that Mike Shanahan is the Broncos. He had some fine moments with the team throughout the years, including back to back Super Bowl victories. But I think Shanahan's finest moment with the organization was the press conference he held shortly after being fired. Here are a few snippets in case you missed it:

"...Pat Bowlen. That is tough because he is a great friend and he will always be my great friend. He is the best owner throughout sports, and I appreciate every opportunity he gave me to be successful. I can go on and on but you have to make tough decisions being the owner of this organization. Pat made a tough decision and you have to do that in an organization. I just want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to do the things I have been able to do."

On if he deserved to be fired

“The thing about deserving is it really doesn’t matter about deserve. I feel good about the job I have done. The thing is, you have to make some tough decisions when you run an organization. You have to do things that are in the best interest of the organization, and I felt that that was right and I understand the direction he went."

"...at least I feel like I’m leaving on a high note—a note with character, a note with a team that’s going to be on the rise. So from that standpoint I feel good."

What an astounding display of integrity. I have no doubt that he is upset by the circumstance, and yet he gets in front of the cameras and handles the situation with class. He doesn't point fingers. He doesn't make excuses. He doesn't bash his friend who pulled a "Donald Trump" on him. Instead he understood that he wasn't the best person for the job and truly did leave on a high note. Shanahan has provided an incredible example, and I can only hope that I would act in a similar manner if put in the same situation.

Chicago trip in a Nutshell

Hopped on plane. Fell asleep. Woke up with stranger in my face. Landed at Midway. Picked up by Erin. Drove down 55th. Arrived at Apartment. Got jealous of apartment. Took Eddie for walk. Saw breathtaking view of downtown. Went to Lauren's restaurant. Giggled when Erin was molested by bartender. Ate yummy food. Took bus up to downtown. Took L up to Northside. Hung out at bowling alley. Experienced Mike Herdegan's sense of humor. Finished drinks. Walked to bar. Drank beer. Drank mystery shot. Walked to L. Arrived at downtown. Walked to Navy Pier. Desperately searched for bathroom. Walked outside. Saw fireworks. Took many pictures. Watched Erin attack Kerry with tiara. Posed with stained glass. Took more pictures. Got mad at middle school kids. Walked to bus stop. Took bus home. Slept. Heard "Priscilla, 405, Priscilla!". Woke up. Agreed to stay in PJs all day. Laughed at the champagne opening extravaganza. Drank mimosas. Ate delicious breakfast. Watched hockey. Played The Office. Drank first Chicago beer. Played Imagineiff. Drank more. Watched How I Met Your Mother. Drank more. Went to bed. Woke up. Watched more How I Met Your Mother. Took bus downtown. Walked around. Took pictures. Went to Museum of Contemporary Art. Met Erin at Hancock Tower. Had drinks on 95th floor. Took pictures in the bathroom. Went to a movie. Cried my eyes out. Missed Chloe. Suffered from popcorn belly. Thought about going for a double feature. Decided not to. Rode bus home. Watched more How I Met Your Mother. Slept. Woke up. Ate yummy breakfast. Walked by Obama's house. Walked to library. Rode bus to Art Institute. Made fun of art. Strolled through Millennium Park. Took pictures. Made fun of ice skaters. Walked to giant Christmas tree. Ate at Giordano's. Suffered from cheese belly. Rode L to Northtown. Sat in bar drinking beer. Got annoyed by the pub crawlers. Got less annoyed upon finding out they were raising money for MS research. Walked to Beat Kitchen. Drank beer. Made fun of hipsters. Listened to awful music. Listened to more awful music. Listened to really good music. Got super tired. Walked to L. Walked to bus stop. Waited at bus stop. Got on bus. Made fun of wood paneling on bus. Arrived at apartment. Fell asleep. Struggled to wake up. Took bus to downtown. Took second bus to downtown. Got on train to West side. Arrived in Elmhurst for lunch with Tammy. Heard all about her 3 years in Honduras. Got back on train heading to downtown. Saw dream man reading Love in the Time of Cholera. Got off train. Bought popcorn for parents. Got on bus. Arrived at apartment. Watched football. Ordered Noodles. Played Imagineiff. Played The Office. Went to sleep. Slept in way late. Went to Museum of Science and Industry. Had two awkward moments with staff at the U-Boat exhibit. Walked back to apartment. Tried to drive to Erin's work. Missed exit. Went to airport instead. Flew home.