Discover the Spirit

Tanner left me for Utah this week - so I'm blogging again.  I miss his funny blogs so hopefully I can get him to do the next one :)  Most of you are aware of the Niederhauser chaos and drama that's been going on this week.  I don't plan on getting into it here.  But Tanner's work was really generous and let him take some time so he could go home and be with his family and support them and his dad.  His parents didn't know he was coming so it was quite a surprise.  I'll be flying solo for the next several days.  But that's okay because I have to work the next 5 days anyway.  No great work stories or pictures to share this week.  But as of today I've officially crossed over.

My plates came in the mail a few days ago.  It's finally been warm enough to go outside and change them.  So I did that today.  Still waiting for Tanner's plates in the mail.  But we both did get our ND driver's licenses a week ago.  Tanner primped up his stache to full awesomeness and then we went and got them.  Right after we got home he shaved it off.  It was apparently becoming more work than it was worth.  Now he probably understands why I don't ever do my hair.  When we told one of our friends that he shaved because we went and got driver's license pics, he said, oh that makes sense.  But he thought he shaved before the pics.  Haha.  Nope.  It will be forever immortalized in that driver's license photo.  I asked him if he wanted to get pulled over now so he could show it off.  Luckily he said no.

That same friend recently talked us into purchasing some cross country skis.  I've been wanting them forever and I knew people had mentioned you could go up here, but we just never got around to committing to getting any.  Well he has been building and clearing up a sweet trail down by the river and through the trees and he said we should get some.  That was all Tanner needed to be totally on board.  So in further attempting to "discover the spirit" of North Dakota,  he did all the investigating and we purchased them a couple weeks ago.  Last Saturday was the first day we had to go out together with them.  So we met up with Mike McBride (aforementioned friend), at the trail head all geared up and ready to go.

One small problem.  The guy we bought our skis told us the boots we were buying from another online site would fit the bindings we were purchasing from him.  Well - he was wrong.  And we didn't even test out our stuff till that morning.  Turns out the boots did NOT fit the bindings.  I was so saddened by this.  Mike happened to have a pair he was going to send back that would fit Tanner, so Tanner got to get that worked out and go with him later that afternoon while I had to work.  We sent both our boots back and my new ones came in the mail yesterday!  Perfect timing for a beautiful, perfect day off!

I realized a few things out on that trail with Rozzi as my trusty companion.  One - it was much harder than I was expecting.  Tanner said it was when he went.  And I knew it was a good workout.  But I haven't been on skis for quite some time and this isn't your straight, groomed, smooth path that I had experienced all the times before.  It was curvy and narrow with lots of trees and little ups and downs that you had to maneuver.  I struggled a bit. Two - it was good for my heart to be outside, recreating.  It's probably blasphemous to mention this, especially in North Dakota, but it made me sad that winter is ending.  I don't want the snow to melt.  I'm just getting into this!  I guess if nothing else, we'll be excited about winter coming next year!  And three - although I never have and still don't have a problem doing things by myself (I'd rather that than not go at all), I don't find as much enjoyment in it as I used to.  Made me miss my hubster.  And re-made me so grateful that he's my forever adventure buddy!  Now just hopefully the snow's not all melted by the time he gets back here.


And why not finish off with another cuddle pic of our kids?  They're so cute.