#101. enjoy 4 all girls days (3 of 4)

All girl day #3

Who: BAC (Bitches Adventure Club)  This is the name J, H, and I have given ourselves.  There are tests for entry including how many days one is comfortable wearing the same underwear and how much make-up one takes camping.  We have yet to find anyone else who can hang with us.  Maybe we smell.

What: 3-day girls getaway weekend

Why: Because we wanted to return to Black Canyon during a hotter time for comparison.  Yeah, right, for comparison.

When: 05/20/10 - 05/23/10

Where: 1 night at the Hacienda Hotel, 3 days kayaking Black Canyon (Colorado River from Hoover Dam to Willow Beach), 2 nights camping

So this somewhat of a repeat trip from the #1 of 4 Enjoy 4 all girls days.  What can I say?  Black Canyon is simply amazing.  A natural sauna cave, a couple natural hot springs, very rustic camping which pretty much means very private camping - and it is right along the water for private beach access, easy kayaking in a beautiful serene environment, incredible slot canyons to hike.  It really just doesn't get much better than this.

Thursday:  We decided to head out after work on Thursday this time around so we could camp for 2 nights giving us an entire day devoted to doing whatever we wanted along the river instead of hurrying to find a campsite and get set up on day 1 and hurrying to take down and get to the end of the river for our pick up time on day 2.  The extra day was perfect.

We decided to skip the Vegas nightlife this time around and just stay at the Hacienda Hotel in Boulder City.  This is the parking lot that we meet in to get our kayaks and a ride to the river drop off.  The place is cheap, as in $27 for 2 queen beds cheap.  It's a huge place too with full casino, live entertainment, and places to eat on the bottom level.  The live entertainment while we were there was Chewy and Danielle, a husband wife (we asked) musical/singing duo.  The BEST entertainment has to offer in these parts.  At times during the night we could not stop laughing. 

We somehow ended up hanging at the bar, making friends with some boaters.  It was a huge group of guys who come to this place to boat and party once a year.  The stories were twisted and confusing and involved the death of spouses, cheating girlfriends who then married one of the other guys so even though the group was all there they were all split up and not speaking to one another, as well as 30-year olds who still lived with their mothers, and lots of other stuff that made my head spin...or maybe that was the shots.  I felt like we had just held a huge therapy session by the time we left!

Friday:  So we weren't exactly as refreshed as we could have been come Friday morning, but we seemed to manage just fine.  Here is the accumulation of our gear.  You can surprisingly fit a boatload of stuff into a kayak...all in dry sacks, of course.

Just starting out an the base of Hoover Dam.  That's the new bridge!

Before we even set up camp we had to figure out how to keep the beer cold.  It was blistering hot outside, but that river water was ice ice cold.  2 engineers and an education guru.  We had this one in the bag.

A view of the campsite when standing at the water's edge.  There is some great hiking in the slots of those rocks.

A view of the campsite taken from the tents.  Our own private beach!  We each brought a bundle of firewood, but ended up hauling it all back out because it was so insanely windy all weekend.  We chased one of the tents after first setting it up.  Take 2 involved large rocks on the stakes outside the tent as well as large rocks around the inside of the tent.  Crazy stuff!

We put that private beach to great use.  It was so hot the first day that we spent a good portion of it in these seats or lying on the ground with our feet in the water.

We learned about these sticky little prickly leaves on one of our night hikes.  The slivers on these things are so so tiny, and they grip like super glue if you just brush against them.  We learned the best way to get them off is to rub 'em with a rock.  This might not have been our first choice which led to some fine detail work with some tweezers.  Poor J!

Saturday:
The breakfast of champions:  oatmeal with blueberries, almonds, and butterscotch schnapps syrup. 

Saw a few bighorn sheep during this trip which is pretty hard to do because they blend in with the rocks so well.

Real women drink river water...through a filter first, of course!

The trail leading to the hot springs...

The ladder leading to the hot springs.  This thing was pretty sketchy and didn't have much traction for wet shoes.

But those hot springs are oh so worth it.  This one had a lot of hot spots that kept us moving around a bit. 

Posing with the sign because I'm just so damn classy.

And why I gave the pose I did!  Yup, keep your head above water in those springs or you could, um, die.

Sunday:
Hanging out with our duck friends Gary and Mary.  They seriously hung with us for the entire time we were there, leaving and coming back all throughout the day.  They were none too fearful about getting close to us.  We on the other hand weren't real keen on being crowded by the duck duo.

Trying to head toward Willow Beach for our scheduled pick up time.  It was so beyond windy that at one point we had to hold on to some trees growing out of the water because we were still floating backward even while paddling with all our might.

Our November '10 trip had to be postponed because the sickies were going around, but we are on the books for April so we don't lose our November deposit.  I suspect we will be heading back here at least once a year for years to come.

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#040. Hike 10 new trails (4 of 10)

New Hiking Trail #4

Who: the extreme things crew

What: hiking, canyoneering, rapelling, getting really wet

Why: It seemed like more fun than spending my Saturday house cleaning

When: 03/20/10

Where: Rubio Canyon, Altadena, CA

Step 1:  Hike to the top of Rubio Canyon and collapse take a short rest on the ground.

Step 2:  Get snapshot of the view.

Step 3:  Rappel down 90 foot waterfall.

Steps 4-9:  Rappel down 6 more (smaller) waterfalls.

Step 10:  Get in 1 "Brenda pose"



 Step 11:  Hike out wet and happy.  Drive home.  RELAX.  Begin looking for other places to do this again because this, my friends, kicked ass.

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#097. Thank 3 people who have bettered my life (1 of 3)

Thank you #1 was given to my urogynocologist on July 15, 2010.  He is the one who helped me find the right combo of oral meds as well as a cocktail of meds delivered directly via catheter to my ever-problematic and painful bladder.  I also gave him a stuffed bladder (from Iheartguts) just to lighten the mood.  I have the same stuffed bladder sent from Me hanging in my work office.

Dr. Tarnay,

I'm not quite sure how to even go about thanking you for all you have done so I will start with giving a view as to how you helped change my life.

Before meeting you I had been battling near constant pain for around 3 years. I was frustrated with the unpredictability of my bladder flares, exhausted from the multiple day and night trips to the bathroom, and trying to figure out how to come to terms with continuing to live (and I use that term loosely) this way . I had rearranged and re-engineered how I lived my life by placing a bunch of band-aid work arounds all over my symptoms in hope for a moment of relief.

I was failing.

It's hard for someone to understand how horrible you feel when you appear to look and act fairly normal. It's even harder for someone to believe that you are in serious pain when you are able to manage holding down a full-time job and perform day to day tasks. What they miss are the adjustments that were made for me to come across this way or how they evolved over the years. The best description I can come up with for others to get what living with the pain was like is to explain that instead of being able to yank your hand away when you touch a flame, imagine you are stuck holding your hand just slightly above that flame, but never moving it away. The flame might burn hotter or closer at times, but you will never know when. There is no real relief or break or a way to escape it. It became my new "normal". Over time I learned to just live with it and adjust my life accordingly the best that I could. My "world" became smaller, my smile less available, and my quest to always have bathroom access to ward off that pain took precedence over anything else.

I was miserable, but there was nothing I could do.

By the time I consulted with you I was rarely wearing jeans as they were too constrictive and I drove with only one hand as the other was used to keep the seat belt away from my abdomen. Riding in the car was often uncomfortable from the bumpiness and I lived in constant fear of being stuck in traffic with no bathroom access. I missed many work days and between the frustration and pain spent many others at my desk in tears. I felt embarrassed as I was always excusing myself or making excuses to use the restroom. I never knew day to day how I would feel and rarely made plans to avoid canceling last minute. I stayed away from activities where bathroom access was limited or those that "might" cause a flare. Intimacy was complicated and painful and generally avoided. I never felt rested as I was up so many times during the night.

I was a slave to my bladder.

At my first appointment you told me that you would find a way to help me feel better. I wanted to trust you, but had been down that road already. Many others wanted me to believe it was all in my head or not as bad as it seemed, but you took my pain at face value and vowed to fix it. Getting to today was not all smooth sailing, but you didn't give up and for that I am appreciative beyond words.

In the past few months I have been hiking all over Yosemite and Death Valley - all day kinds of hikes. I have been kayaking down the Colorado River. I have been caving and biking and running and snow shoeing and camping and...and...and. I have plans for a backpacking trip, canyoneering, a trapeze class, rock climbing, and beyond. I have a goal to run my first half marathon next year and will be able to honor my dad on the 11-year anniversary of his death later this year with a 100-mile bike ride* to raise money for MS (the disease that afflicted him). I haven't needed to get up at night for a few months now and am even able to sleep a little later than I have in years. Oh, and I can now wear both jeans and a seat belt.

I am back to LIVING.

Thank you for believing me and sticking with me and helping me. Thank you for not just allowing me to listen to my body, but for using the information to the best of your abilities to find a workable solution. Thank you for encouraging my crazy, overly-detailed pain graphs and for even consulting other specialists with them to make sure you weren't missing anything. Thank you for being open to trying unconventional methods and for not giving up when the first attempts only produced lukewarm results. Thank you for being there to tag up after every in-office treatment and for finding a long term solution for at home care.

You have changed my life in ways I can't describe and for that "Thank you" hardly seems like enough.

Forever Grateful,
Brenda
p.s. Please feel free to share this with any of the wonderful residents I met while under your care or any in the future... or really anyone you feel could benefit from it.


* (not part of the letter):  Unfortunately, the bike ride didn't happen as it occurred the weekend before we climbed Mt. Whitney.  Mt. Whitney is via permit and we didn't get to pick the date.  I had to be realistic and pick one or the other...  Hopefully the bike ride will happen this year (2011).

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#040. Hike 10 new trails (3 of 10)

New Hiking Trail #3

Who: the extreme things crew

What: hiking, rope climbing and swinging, scrambling, and hip deep water crossings

Why: I love a good hike!

When: 03/07/10

Where: Santa Ynez Canyon in Topanga State Park, Pacific Palisades, CA

I really liked this trail and need to get back to it again soon.  


The view started out with grassy open fields...and a few deer if you look closely at the center of the photo.



It may say no bikes, but we saw some crazy mountain bikers getting ready to head down just as we reached the top and finished our hike.  By the size of their calves, I would have to say this wasn't their first time doing this!

View before heading down the trail into the canyon

Things started to get a little more woodsy the further down we went.

Near the bottom we reached a stream which followed along the trail and had to be crossed several times.

One of the stream crossings and small climbs.  (I'm in the front with the orange pack.)

Waterfall!

First rope climb up the rock just to the left of the waterfall.  Out of the 30 or so people on this hike, my friend J and I were the only females to climb this while the rest sat and ate lunch.  Come on ladies (and half the gentlemen), this isn't called extreme things for nothing!

Another one of the crossings after the first rope climb.  There was a rope to swing on, but the angle was too awkward to get across...so we decided to just walk right through.  It was around hip-deep.  J and I were the first ones through which earned us the honor?? of being called bad ass chicks.  I think that's a compliment.

Another rope/rope ladder climb.  This one was HARD and only 4 of our now 10-ish crew made it to the top.  Some didn't try out of fear that the rope was not ours and others simply could not make it.  I think I finally found something my body knows how to do right and this was something I really needed...

Back at the end of the hike.  So pretty!

And then off to a BBQ pit for lunch and a beer.  A beautiful way to spend a Sunday morning.

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#081. Make homemade ice cream

Well, this one has been a long time coming. A LOOOOONG TIME. It started not long after this blog began circa the end of 2009. M told me there was a big package for me left on the doorstep. I hadn't ordered anything and wasn't expecting anything. We were dealing with a pretty sick golden retriever at the time and I didn't get a chance to open it that night. I spent the next day somewhat stumped at work and finally got to open the package when I got home.

I was amazed to see not only 4 of the most adorable ice cream dishes on the planet, but also some ice cream mixes and an ICE CREAM MAKER. Yes, seriously, for reals. Once again, stumped. Who would send me this? M knows of, but doesn't read this blog unless I force it upon him. The card wished me well on completing #081 on my list, but there was no signature. Hmmmm, packing slip. An there it was, my dear bloggy friend beebee had sent it. I don't know about you, but this would be an amazing gift to get from any friend I have in real life, but when you factor in that beebee and I have never met in person, well that just completely blows me away. Still over a year later and I am humbled by her generous spirit and supportive nature.

She used to blog publicly, but now blogs privately. I have to say that I am sorry for any of you that didn't get the chance to know her then and still be on the inside. She is in not so many words, amazing.

Thank you, beebee, for not only the incredible gift, but for your neverending support!  Love you!!

So I have an unhealthy obsession with ice cream. It might come close to an addiction during the hot summer months, but I don't claim it as such as I do tend to slow down a bit with it during the winter.

Because this post (like most on this blog) is so late in coming out, I have made homemade ice cream more times than I will ever admit to any of you. Oh, my friends, I am in heaven.

The pictures from the first time I made it didn't turn out all that great and the ones that I took recently are much more fun because they include an adorable 9 year old who helped me cook and bake everything under the sun while he was visiting through Thanksgiving. He was a bottomless pit and in a growth spurt so more time in the kitchen meant more food in his belly. We had so much fun.

Uncle M missed out on the ice cream this go around as he put his in the freezer for later.  Like I said, this one was a bottomless pit and he ate Uncle M's ice cream too.  I could never fault a kid for eating too much ice cream. I am a complete "anything goes" softy kind of aunt.

Photographic proof of the "making homemade ice cream" goal being completed:

Mixing it up was some serious business

A kid after my own heart.  You just can't let any of it go to waste!  It was good!!

He added every topping we had - sprinkles, mini chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles, butterscotch chips, strawberry and caramel toppings, chocolate syrup, chopped nuts (which he helped chop), and whipped cream!  Have I mentioned how much I love this kid!?

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#059. Go to a concert

Go to a concert

Who: the girls

What: Outside Lands Music Festival

Why: Because I like hanging with the girls

When: 08/14/10-08/15/10

Where: San Francisco, CA

So I am one of those people who is pretty clueless with music, movies, and people who are famous.  You do not want me on your team for any kind of artsy trivial pursuit.  I mean, really, it just doesn't get much better than The Beatles.  What else does a girl need? 

I was certain I really didn't know pretty much any of the bands before we went, but was pleasantly surprised that I did recognize quite a bit of music - just never knew who sang it!  And even if I wouldn't have recognized any of the songs or bands I still would have gone because 1) It was a girls weekend getaway  2) I love San Francisco and 3) I really really wanted to meet up with some fellow bloggers (outside of the concert)...and these are not necessarily in order.

The Line Up (so you can make fun of me for not knowing who these bands are):

First stop was for a wrist band showing I am of a certain age, second stop was for a glass of cab sav in a classy plastic cup, and third was for this tattoo thing on my arm showing the schedule - ya know because I had so many different stages that I just had to be at.

I don't know who this is, but I do know that I liked them...

Some of the crazy crowd.  This was seriously a people watcher's paradise.  I was only offered pot once from some young wholesome kids to which I declined.  I just can't see smoking pot for the first time at my age, young-uns.  That ship has sailed.

A little Kings of Leon on the BIG screen to end the night.

It was a whole lot of fun, but none of it matched getting to meet up with some online (now IRL) friends one evening outside the concert, but that one is for my other blog.  (-;

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