Long time since I've written an entry, not because I haven't wanted to, but more so because Dember was really busy for me and when I did find myself with some spare time, I didn't want to sit and write for 3 hours ( because that's about how long it takes me to write).
So, what did I last write about?? Skeet shooting? Deer hunting? and ditching my car, right? Well December was fairly eventful- and passed by very quickly. Before I knew it, Mrs Boss and I were on our way to Calgary, enroute to the airport thru a RAGING snow storm.....Seriously- highways were shut down. Cars upon cars upon cars were in the ditches. Everyone ( all the idiots that the cops were announcing on the radio TO GET OFF THE ROAD) had their 4 way flashers on. Semi's unable to make it up hills. It was bad..... What normally takes 2.5hrs to drive, took 4hrs. We FINALLY made it in to the city and pulled into a restaurant to eat when we got a call from Mr. Boss- Our flight had been cancelled....NO, REALLY???? .....So I called the airline to see if they could get us on another or a different flight. No one else was flying out either though- so that did us no good. They managed to get us on a flight out at 2pm- only getting into Vegas at midnight.... So I thought to myself- wow, long layovers?....
While passing through customs, my teller says " Is this your first time goinig to Los Angeles?"....so I look around to see who he's talking to, because it CANT be me....so I say "IM GOING TO VEGAS??????" So he looks at my boarding passes again and says, "yes, you are, right after you leave Los Angeles"...... oh lord....
If we take " three strikes and you're out" litterally, I think it's fair to say right then and there that my trip is goinig to be a bust, because I havent even left Alberta yet!
So we eventually make it to Vegas, and are on our way to our room and we're walking and walking and wallllllking down this long hallway, both of us thinking " ARE WE THERE YET???" When Mrs Boss says " wouldnt that be funny if that room WAY down there at the end of the hall ( with the double doors) is ours???" IT WAS!!! HEY HEY maybe our luck is turning around?? We had a HUGE suite, each with bed, wardrobe, TV, and personal bathroom ( with TV). Being the employee, I cave her the king size bed, and jacuzzi room, and I took the 2 queens and stand up luxury shower!
I attended session, looked at horse dung under a microscope, took pictures of a roller coaster that went around the outside of a hotel, pyramids, castles and all of the neon lights, spent some money, went to the National Finals Rodeo, saw Tracey Lawrence in concert, two stepped with a cowboy from Texas, had dinner with drug company reps etc etc. It was a lot of fun. Not much "touristy" things were done, but then again, we weren' t there to be the tourist.
On our way back home we were avoiding the LA stop and flew Vegas to Phoenix Arizona, then Phoenix to Calgary. Once in Phoenix, we had a couple of hours to wait before we caught our connection. So we were sitting, and waiting, and reading, and snoozing, and did I mention waiting? We thought it was kind of odd that it was getting closer and closer to our boarding time- and that no one else was congregating around this area but for whichever reason, we thoguht nothing of it. That is, until our names got called over the PA system. We made it to the gate we were called to in less than 2 mins, but they had closed the door and would not let us on the plane. Why call our names if youre not going to give us an opportunity to get there? So we went to customer service only to be told that the next available flight was only leaving the next day at teh same time! But- the not so funny thing is that they STOPPED the plane, and took off our bags, but would not let us ON the plane?! Apparently a rule for international travel. So wanting to get home, Mrs Boss goes to the West Jet counter and buys 2 tickets for a little while later. We made sure not to miss that one.... On the way back I saw, what I'm SURE to be a fighter jet. I think this, because it was small(er than the 737 we were flying on) and dark and was going faster than the 350kts at 37000 that we were doing. This made me very excited! We also flew over the grand canyon, both on the way there and back. But it was super cold that week we were in Vegas, and wouldn't you know it, the grand canyon was covered by snow! SNOW?? IN THE DESERT?? Apparently so. Actually it snowed in Texas that week too??? Global warming is DEFINITELY happening, I'm sure of it!
We finally arrived back in Calgary- some cars still in the ditches. Didn't have to do too much digging to get into Mrs Boss's truck, thank God! I drove home so that Mrs. Boss could nap. We arrived back at 11pm.
All in all, an interesting trip...Murphy sure loved me that week....
Now onto Christmas.
During the holidays I found myself test driving a few different vehicles.
I worked the morning of the 24th and had from the 25th to 27th off. Was ORIGINALLY supposed to have the 28th off as well, and had plans to go to Lake Louise to ski with a friend, but because I then had to work on the 28th I decided against going to Calgary over Christmas, and deicded to go over new years instead.
Christmas itself was kind of a bust- for reasons I do not wish to discuss. I web cammed with my family Christmas morning and got to see them open their Christmas gifts. It was just like I was there! ....
I had the whole day off on the 31st- and by this point had my vehicle choices down to a Ford Escape and a Hyundai Santa Fe. So I stopped in to the Hyundai dealership to take the Santa Fe for a second test drive and while doing that, my wonderful sales person started talking about the "sports" package. I said no thanks, but he said " what if I can get the sports package AT THE PRICE THAT YOU WANT THE BASE MODEL FOR?" So I told him that if he could do that, AND GET ME WINTER TIRES, ( and a big jesus bow), then I'd buy the santa fe. So, he came back with the offer at the price that I wanted, but with 2 tires instead of 4, and my bow- of course, and so I signed. So I am now the proud owner of a new 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe- sports model! Heated seats, sun roof, cd player, auto windows, locks, cruise, all wheel drive, XM satellite radio, LOTS of cargo room, and a BIG JESUS BOW! Merry Ho Ho to me!
I worked the morning of the 24th and had from the 25th to 27th off. Was ORIGINALLY supposed to have the 28th off as well, and had plans to go to Lake Louise to ski with a friend, but because I then had to work on the 28th I decided against going to Calgary over Christmas, and deicded to go over new years instead.
Christmas itself was kind of a bust- for reasons I do not wish to discuss. I web cammed with my family Christmas morning and got to see them open their Christmas gifts. It was just like I was there! ....
I had the whole day off on the 31st- and by this point had my vehicle choices down to a Ford Escape and a Hyundai Santa Fe. So I stopped in to the Hyundai dealership to take the Santa Fe for a second test drive and while doing that, my wonderful sales person started talking about the "sports" package. I said no thanks, but he said " what if I can get the sports package AT THE PRICE THAT YOU WANT THE BASE MODEL FOR?" So I told him that if he could do that, AND GET ME WINTER TIRES, ( and a big jesus bow), then I'd buy the santa fe. So, he came back with the offer at the price that I wanted, but with 2 tires instead of 4, and my bow- of course, and so I signed. So I am now the proud owner of a new 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe- sports model! Heated seats, sun roof, cd player, auto windows, locks, cruise, all wheel drive, XM satellite radio, LOTS of cargo room, and a BIG JESUS BOW! Merry Ho Ho to me!
Unfortunately I couldnt get insurance and registration and all of that good stuff worked out in time, so I wasnt able to take it with me to Calgary- but that didnt matter.
While in Clagary I got to see my cousin and her husband, visted with my friend from Vancouver, went to the Toronto Vs Calgary NHL game with my friend Matt, and then on Sunday before driving back to the south I went to the Military museum. Good times in Cowtown!
While in Clagary I got to see my cousin and her husband, visted with my friend from Vancouver, went to the Toronto Vs Calgary NHL game with my friend Matt, and then on Sunday before driving back to the south I went to the Military museum. Good times in Cowtown!
Already January has proven to be pretty busy. We're getting ready for the big bull sale that's going ot be on March 19th. Need to take pictures of all of the bulls so that we can make up the catalog. Apparently that's a good time- a few hundred head to sell, lots of alcohol, limos to take everyone to the bar afterwards. Should be interesting!
We've sorted cows that are getting ready to calve. There's about 200+ to calve- so Im checking them morning and afternoon looking for babies- or legs sticking out... :)
Its been SOOO mild because of Chinooks the past 2 weeks that theres been some major flooding. Water was backing up in some guys yard up the road, so he opened up the canal, but didn't tell anyone here and so the water overflowed on the weekend and the pregnant cows were standing in 7 inches of muddy water. Thank god none decided to deliver their babies- they would have drowned :( One cow did perish in the big flood though, she went to higher ground to lay down and couldnt get herself back up and so she bloated and drowned. We did surgery on 3 animals the other day- one was a fiesty little brat with HUGE testicles. He had a rubber band put around them but it wasnt tight enough and his testicles never fell off. They just got....REALLY nasty. So we put another elastic- much tighter. The other one had an infected navel, so we checked that out and castrated him at the same time, and the third, a little angus calf with a huge melanoma sitting about 5 o'clock to her rectum. So that got taken off and then sewed up.
Its been SOOO mild because of Chinooks the past 2 weeks that theres been some major flooding. Water was backing up in some guys yard up the road, so he opened up the canal, but didn't tell anyone here and so the water overflowed on the weekend and the pregnant cows were standing in 7 inches of muddy water. Thank god none decided to deliver their babies- they would have drowned :( One cow did perish in the big flood though, she went to higher ground to lay down and couldnt get herself back up and so she bloated and drowned. We did surgery on 3 animals the other day- one was a fiesty little brat with HUGE testicles. He had a rubber band put around them but it wasnt tight enough and his testicles never fell off. They just got....REALLY nasty. So we put another elastic- much tighter. The other one had an infected navel, so we checked that out and castrated him at the same time, and the third, a little angus calf with a huge melanoma sitting about 5 o'clock to her rectum. So that got taken off and then sewed up.
Have plans to go to Calgary this weekend- need to get out of this city for a bit- but its supposed to snow Friday, saturday and sunday? To tell you the truth, since ditching my car I've been on pins and needles when driving on crappy roads. And rightfully so- they dont plow a damn thing in this stupid town. They let all the hillbilles trample it down with their big trucks- and then because it gets to packed, all the roads instantly turn to skating rinks! It's stupid. But that's why I got the Santa Fe- the security of a bigger vehicle, and with AWD. Road conditions aside, I think it's not going to matter what you drive- if you drive like a retard then you're going to go in a ditch. I'd like to say though, that I was NOT driving like a retard when I went in the ditch :) So we'll play it by ear and see what the roads look like before I decide whether Im going to hold my breath for 2.5hrs....
Until then, happy trails to youuuuuuuuu!
