A Great Morning!

I'm having one of those Great Mornings! A lot of times we remember the not so good ones, and we like to talk about it. But not today.

I woke up on my own this morning to a lot of wind, but still it was on my own. No alarm clock today. I actually saw daylight before it even went off. That's good for me! I sat up in bed and read some in a book that I'm really into right now. My husband and my furry child were asleep beside me.

After Ryan headed to work, I did some finishing touches to the house before my parents arrive. The house smells of burning candles and it rained hard this morning. I've been listening to records all morning. When my uncle passed in August, we were handed ALL of his albums for us to go through to keep or sell. I've been jamming out to Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder...just thinking about my Uncle Dennis and picturing him bouncing and dancing around his house. Knowing he is so proud of me because I'm totally enjoying his music puts a smile on my face.

Now the sun is coming through the clouds and I've been working on knitting a scarf. I'm trying to teach myself how to knit, and with the help of Dolly Parton's Heartbreaker album, I'm well on my way- Finally!

The only thing that could make this day any better would be for Ryan to be at home instead of work!! He'll be home in a few hours, and we'll enjoy some of my favorite food (Taco Salad) with my parents, and thanks to the Presidents of the United States - Ryan and I get to spend the day together tomorrow.

I Love Great Mornings!!! And it's only Noon.

The Newest Adventuresse Family Member

Here's a simple version of how The Adventuresse Family began and consistently grows:

After I finished college in 2002, one of my bestfriends, Jody, and I set off on an adventure. We packed up and headed Out West, camping and sightseeing along the way! I think we went away searching for the answers to life's questions and plans for our future. I don't think we found them, but the one thing we did discover was our deep desire and need for ADVENTURE!! So came "our name," The Adventuresses!!

Somewhere outside of the Black Hills of South Dakota with our newly purchased cowgirl hats, we knew we were in need of new names. Adventuresse/Outlaw names!! I mean, seriously, we were reaking havoc all over the West in our sweet-ride, a 4-Runner turned into a 2-seater named Sedona, on the trip. But we were stuck known in the West as Kari and Jody. Where's the fun in that?! Sedona was no wild horse, but it got us where we were going. The ride had a name. Our tent became known as The Westward Castle. Now, WE needed names! With a quick phone call to Doug, her father, he helped us and inspired us with ideas. Left to our own demise though we started fast at work.

On the run early that summer, I became forever known as Wrangler Daisy duke, and Jody became infamously called Sundance Jessie james!

In August of 2003, Wrangler Daisy married Ryan Jenkins. On our honeymoon in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, he discovered his name. You see receiving membership into The Adventuresse Family and declaring a name is serious and not to be taken lightly. It must be found on a exploration with an Adventuresse. Ryan was crowned with the name Shooter Jackson hole!

Then, there came David Thomas! Jody and David were dating at the time he was blessed with his name. The four of us were camping in Yosemite, and his name unfolded into Mustang Rocky balboa. Mustang Rocky and Sundance Jessie married in May 2006.

And now the newest arrival!!! Mustang Rocky and Sundance Jessie gave birth to their first child, a son, on January 18, 2008 at 7:41 pm. His birth name is Bodie David Thomas. And he will remain with that name until the proper age and the right Adventuresse moment. At that time, he will be dubbed with his own Adventure/Outlaw name.

He is a handsome and wonderful addition to The Adventuresse Family! I was so glad to be there for his first adventure into this world.

We all look forward to the family growing, our children finding the need for adventure, and discovering their forever Outlaw names! Who would ever know that a Road Trip out West would create and bind two Adventuresses together in such a way?!!

Congratulations and Blessings to the new parents from Aunt Daisy and Uncle Shooter!! The Adventure Continues...

Christmas in Charleston

We spent our Christmas in Charleston, South Carolina this year. When you say Charleston, I (Kari) request you say it with your best southern drawl. My brother, Derek, lives there...about 5 minutes from the beach. We had a family Christmas at a beach house we rented. Christmas at the beach was something neither of us had ever experienced. It was pretty cool. It was different being at the beach when it was cold and during the holidays but enjoyable to just be at Mama Ocean together.
My parents brought a little tree for us to decorate. Christmas morning Ryan and I brewed some coffee, grabbed a quilt and the camera, walked a couple of minutes to the Atlantic, and watched the sunrise. It was so amazing that we watched it again the morning we headed back home. Since we've tiled our bathroom and kitchen, we've been deemed the experts. My bro asked for a tiling job for Christmas. Ryan, Derek, and I spent a few days doing demolition, tiling, and grouting. Our tiling ventures keep getting better; that means Derek has the best one yet. We spent some time on a lighthouse hunt, walking Market Street, and eating some seafood. It was nice to be with family at the beach for Christmas.

T'was The Night For Love - Santa Love

T'was The Night Before Christmas is NOT the story for us this season; this year a new man is in town, and he has his own story. It's the story of Santa Love! Before we share his story, we'll provide you with some much needed background information, or it could be me making a long story...even longer.

When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I much admire the white icicle lights and battery operated white light window candles. White lights on the trees, and beautifully handmade white snowflake ornaments (probably from a unique artisan who has a workshop in Maine and whittles them from a special white oak tree) are such a cozy sight. It's like Southern Living at its finest! I picture a warm fire, eggnog being served in, of course, white mugs, and men and women in matching argyle sweaters. It's really quite nice....BUT...

At the Jenkins' we don't play like that! Our first Christmas I mentioned hanging those lights on the outside of our house, and Ryan was appalled. "No Way", he says. "If we're putting lights out, they're going to be colored bulbs and big ones at that." So, it begins. We don't aspire to be The Griswolds in Christmas Vacation (even though I bet they have a fun family Christmas), but we do like the colorful slightly over the top decor ...it's fun and joyful!

As I shared this story at work, a friend said she had been holding on to something special for a few years and she firmly believed it had just found a new loving home. We named him...Santa Love.

Santa Love was originally bought in New Orleans at a hardware store for the creator of a cartoon that aired on Cartoon Network called The Oblongs. From what I understand, the creator chooses to illuminate the rooms in his home with decorations like pigs rather than society's normal desk lamp. Being that he lived in San Francisco and Santa Love was purchased in Louisiana, the shipping dilemma began. It would have been cheaper for her to buy Santa Love a plane ticket than actually ship him through the United States Postal Service. With my friend not knowing how safely he would arrive at The Golden Gate Bridge, especially if he was not on a non-stop flight, she held on to him. Well, then came Hurricane Katrina. Santa Love resided in mid-city on Clarke Street with his owner at the time. With the evacuations, she trusted the protection of her home to Santa Love and reluctantly left him to fend for himself. After 2 months, she was able to return to her home....EVERYTHING flooded and destroyed...EVERYTHING but 3 items: some silver, a guitar, and the unscathed Santa Love. Knowing he must have a determined and special fate, she's held on to him since...waiting for the perfect home for him.

After one of my massage sessions this week, I walked into the break room. The lights were off, but a radiant glow was coming from around the corner. As I turned the corner, there he was in all his glory. He was more amazing than I had pictured...and he was ALL MINE! He stands at about 3 feet tall and weighs in at about 3 pounds or less...a definite lightweight. He's dressed in a Santa outfit, holds a Wish List, and beams a dark skin tone. His only flaw....a broken off pipe which now looks like the burning end of a smoked cigarette. He's beautiful. He's the newly named and warmly welcomed into the Jenkins' family - SANTA LOVE!!


Ryan suggested placing him on the roof. My response - "Not even a possibility for someone so fantastic. Get your own Santa for that!" He's staying safe and protected in the warm walls of our home. He's part of the family now. He's going right in the middle of the living room...where he belongs!

To view him, you'll have to come to the Jenkins' home. Be prepared to have your picture made with him. All guests have the opportunity. We'll update the photos as people have time to come in and enjoy some special quality time with Santa Love this Holiday Season.

Thank you so much, Bethann! Your generous gift has earned a permanent place in the life, the memories, and the legacy known as...The Jenk Adventure!

Chaco's Fascinated


New Family Portrait

Face to Face

Chad, Fawn, and Caedmon made the trek from Georgia to visit Santa Love!

Jim & Choyer come over to dine with Santa Love.

Jolynn and Maranda flirting with Santa Love.

The K Browns!

Gone With The Wind

Ok...I was born and raised in Georgia, and for so long was ashamed that I had never sat down and watched Gone With The Wind in its entirety. Since I've been sick for awhile, I've had some down time. After searching through our assortment of movies and wondering why we own so many and can't quite find ONE we want to watch, Ryan and I pulled out the Margaret Mitchell classic. I said I had always wanted to see it, and probably since I've been under the weather, he agreed to the viewing. It wasn't until it started that I shared with him it was nearly 4 hours.
We watched and watched, and took pee breaks and flipped the DVD over like a record to watch the second side. All the time wondering if there was a happy moment in this entire movie.
Now, I love my roots...don't get me wrong...but how depressing?!!! When Rhett Butler said his infamous phrase at the end and Scarlett walks back to Tara, the music starts and it FINALLY said - The End...we just looked at each other with this flabergasted look. What?!!!
Everybody dies, everybody's homes get destroyed, children are dying, people are racist, nobody ends up with the one they love, the nicest girl in the whole movie dies!
For it to be a classic, it was hardly one that either of us would watch again. And for it to win 10 Academy Awards...what?
Now to those of you out there who love or even like this movie, then more power to you. No hard feelings, but two thumbs down on this one. We both felt like we suffered through it more than enjoyed it.

Chaco's Montage

Chaco made herself a montage and wanted us to share it with everyone.

Merry Christmas,
Chaco

Cold Remedies

So, I'm trying to approach this "blog" thing more consistently. I figure it's like that movie Field Of Dreams..."If you build it, they will come." But in blogger world, I guess it's "If you write it, they will come." I apologize in advance for anything weird that comes out. I came down with something nasty yesterday, and I have serious medicine head. At about 2 pm yesterday, my throat started to close up, get tight, and become very sore. By 4 pm, my itchy watery eyes started to seal the deal. At 9 or so, I was so out of it I could barely talk. I drank some Emergen-C (vitamin boost), started taking cold and cough Ayurveda herbs, and started the whole gargle with warm salt water trick. I've rested today, had a couple of doses of Ny-Quil to aid in my sleeping abilities, drank OJ, sipped on soup, and religiously nursed Ricola Honey Herb throat drops. Now, I'm sitting up in bed, watching the room spin, and wondering is there anything else I can do to kick this thing?. If you've lasted this long in reading my cold blog, you are so awesome. Please feel free to pass on any cold tricks you've been taught over the years to help me in this "cold mess" or any future ones the Jenkins' will run into.
Thanks!!
Floating in Nashville,
Kari

Christmas Shopping? Any tips??

Christmas Shopping? The whole thing is bewildering to me.
First of all, I'm not a big shopper anyway...for which Ryan is always reminding me that he is grateful. On rare occasions, I'll get the shopping bug. For some reason, I'll have a little extra cash or it has been allotted in our monthly budget, and it's fun to search for the greatest deal and come back with a purchase and cash still in hand.
Second of all, it's a bit overwhelming...the gift, the perfect gift. I'm not one to just buy a gift for someone at random, wrap it up real quick, and throw it under the tree right before they walk in the door...just to pretend to look for it when I'm passing them out. I like to buy a gift that means something. Maybe I heard someone say they like this or are interested in that...when that's they case, I'm off - hightailing it...for the all-time perfect present (in my opinion). I find more joy in actually coming up with it, creatively brainstorming. I will say that yesterday I walked a few stores, and there are a few of you that showed yourself in the perfect gifts. Now, I just have to actually purchase them. Procrastination doesn't always work in my favor. But you see, when it's Christmas - I have to come up with the perfect gift for at least 20 people in a month's time.
At the end of every Christmas season, I say that I'll shop throughout the year. It sounds great, but it just doesn't happen. I admire the people I know that have their "gift" journal and buy and write the gifts down throughout the year or those who love Black Friday (Hats Off To Debbie!!), but it's the end of November and I'm wondering how I'm going to get 20 perfect gifts in a month's time.
So, for all you avid shopping guru's, please feel free to post any tips or ideas for how you do Christmas shopping. I would appreciate any advice you can give me for this season or the one that will come around again in about 365 days.

December Is Here, and We're Chasing Dreams!

It's here! We already have our lights up outside, the decorations up inside, and the shopping list done. Not the shopping....just the list! It's only a few days after Thanksgiving and we're already in the Christmas mood.
We had a good Thanksgiving this year. We hung out with a few couples that do not have family in town. A full afternoon of good food and football. We thought about going bowling...but after stuffing our faces, all we could do was raise the remote. The day before, Kari and I spent the entire afternoon cooking for the feast: sweet potato casserole, cinnamon apples, pumpkin roll, and apple pie. (Kari did most of the cooking...I just did some of the easy stuff!)
Life is being good to us but is also showing us some challenges. Work for both of us is going smoothly. Kari definitely enjoys her job. She also has been working diligently on her birth assistant certification. On top of that, she is also juggling the thought of going back to school to get a labor and delivery nursing degree. (Some of you may not know this, but she has the aspiration to open a center for expecting and new mothers that has prenatal massage, baby massage, yoga, birth assistants, among many other things.)
With me, I am just plugging away at my job. Not sure if the word has been passed around, but I am in the midst of a career change...(although this transformation may take a long time.) I am trying to change careers and become a Park Ranger. I know, I know...you're thinking "from Information Technology to a Park Ranger?" Well, after a lot of thought and soul searching, I have realized that I took my current job for the salary only, which doesn't always make for a fulfilling or enjoyable work week. I applied and had an interview for a job in a Georgia State Park, was selected as a part of the top three applicants, but lost the job to someone who had a lot more experience than me. So as of now, I am just going to try and work to save a little extra cash so I can possibly go back to school to get a Masters Degree to give me more of an edge on my application.
Yeah, we have some lofty dreams, but we're young still and have a lot of room to reinvent ourselves. That is part of the" Jenk Adventure" and the joy of this life.
Among all the other excitement in our lives, I'm going to sell my truck this week and we are going to be a one car family for a while. Luckily Kari and I work fairly close to each other, and I still have the motorcycle as a means of transportation.
So that's it mostly. I hope everyone is doing well and is having an adventurous season!

High Hopes and Lofty Dreams

Today I was checking up on a friend with a new babe and their new baby's website. I was posting a comment and sent it from this blog site. Honestly, in the last 6 months or so, we've been sucked into the world of myspace and keeping in contact with people there and totally forgot about this one. I started reading our last blog and I was like - Wow! A lot has happened. Since most of our family would check this one, I propose a new idea. When we blog at one, we copy and paste it to the other. That way we keep in touch with family and friends. What a genius idea?!
We'll do a quick rundown...
My bestfriend did have her baby 4 weeks ahead of her due date like I anticipated. I made it just in time on March 8th. Emileigh Kate is beautiful, and Amanda and her are coming up next weekend for some "Auntie" time.

After our bathroom job, we did the kitchen...tiling, painting (walls and cabinets), lights, and hardware. We painted our bedroom and got a bedroom suite...which we've been wanting for 4 years.

I finished my Infant Massage Training, a Prenatal Massage Certification Course, and now I'm taking a Doula/Birth Assistant Training at the end of October. I'm still at Practical Massage Therapy and loving it.

We went on a vacation with some of our close friends this summer. We went to Alaska and had the time of our lives! We did everything from train riding to 4 wheel driving to helicopter glacier landings to seakayaking to watching humpback whales and hiking mountains You can check out our pictures at www.picasaweb.google.com/thejenkadventure.

I (Ryan is typing now) got a chance to see my sister (Jessica) a few months ago. Until then, I hadn't seen her in about 7 years! It was great to see her and great to see that she was doing well and hear how things were going in her world in Montana. Even though we only got to see her for an afternoon, it was like we picked up right where we left off.

Chaco is still the furry kid in the house. She rules the roost and loves sleeping on the bed and barking at the squirrels.

So now, we are just working and trying to enjoy ourselves here at home. We have some more things to do to the house still. I've also been playing music and have some shows coming up that I am excited about. Kari has been doing a lot of quilting and we've both been exercising a bunch. We get up at 5 am every morning to go to the YMCA. We are also trying to do more camping.

We'll keep you updated on new things and we'll try to do this more often...(we say that every time!) I'm sure we'll have plenty of things to talk about in the near future.

For now....Jenkins Out!

February Is Over!!

February is over, and honestly we're kind of glad.

We had a lot going on this month. My Infant Massage Instructor Training is finally in the mail. Now, we go through the grading process, but the hard work is completed! I ended up taking a few days off of work to visit with my family and grandmother. While I was there, I spent some time doing some practicums for my Infant Massage stuff with some college roommates.

Ryan and I threw a couples baby shower in Cave Spring, GA for my bestfriend from high school, Amanda. And I also made a special trip down there for a photo shoot I gave her for Christmas. I've seen the pictures, and they are amazing! Now, my bags are getting packed, and I'm awaiting "the labor call." Yes, I'm a few weeks ahead of schedule, but our friend, Melanie, went 4 weeks before her due date. She caught us all off guard, so I'm just attempting to be calm and prepared for the occasion.

We finally finished our bathroom this month!! Two and a half months of working....no... slaving on the bathroom, has turned out to be all worth it. It is much, much better than when we first moved in. We tore out the sink, toilet, floor and shower walls. We tiled the floor, then put in a new plastic shower wall. We were not satisfied with the new wall so we decided to tear that down and cut out the wall and install a tile shower wall. It looks great! We then painted, put in a new shower head, put in new shower faucets and handle (which took some plumbing work!! That was fun!), put in one of those curved shower rods, a new toilet, and a new vanity/sink. It was quite the job...but we are pleased. We still have a couple minor decorating things to do, so when that is done this week, we will take some before and after photos and post them here.

From one project to another...now that we are done with the bathroom, we are going to start tearing up the kitchen floor today. We decided that if we didn't start it now, we would never get around to it!

We are frantically awaiting our trip to Alaska in June, and the Motorcycle riding season has begun, so the excitement never ends for us!

Since we are such good bloggers (can you hear the sarcasm?) we've also started up a Myspace page. It seems to be an easy way to keep in touch with friends we can't see alot. For any of you that has a Myspace page, come see us and add us as a friend!
www.myspace.com/thejenkadventure

We hope everyone is doing well and we'd love to hear what is going on in all of your worlds.

The Worst Bloggers EVER!

OK. So we admit it - We Are The World's Worst Bloggers! One day I'll think, "Hey, I should write about that." But then, something usually comes up and we don't. After a couple of times of that, then you think that you've got too much to write. We'll try and get better.
Right now we're anxiously awaiting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live...the perfect time to try and blog.

We sold our house within 1 week, and moved into Nashville at the end of November. We're now living in a 1960s ranch that we've started to work on. Ryan refinished the hardwoods underneath the carpet in the living room the first week we moved in. Now, we're tackling the main bathroom (luckily, we have one more in the basement). We took tiling classes at Home Depot and tiled the bathroom floor. We're waiting for more tiles to come in, so we can do the shower wall. We've got lots more to do!

Tiling at 3 A.M with a Cold

My parents and brother came to visit a few days before Christmas. Ryan got sick, so he was out of commission for the entire visit. We had a nice time seeing each other for the holidays. This was our first Christmas by ourselves where we didn't travel to see family. We spent it with friends this year here in Nashville. After Christmas we traveled to Virginia to visit Ryan's family. We enjoyed shackin' up with MawMaw and PawPaw and taking time to be with Ryan's family because we don't get to see them that often. We thought we were going to have to leave Chaco with MawMaw and PawPaw because they became so attached. If they weren't attached, they all did a good job of pretending. We were only there for 4 days, and we could have used another day or so to visit.















Christmas Eve with Friends




Chaco on Christmas Day

I'm loving my new job at Practical Massage Therapy. I picked up another day beginning in January.
We had a bird in our house. Ryan had to come home and rescue me from being attacked!
We're excited about our trip to Alaska in June. That's all Ryan can think about!!
Except for his new inversion therapy. He has this thing that he hung in a door frame. Every chance he can get he straps his "special" boots on and suspends himself upside down. He has degenerative disk disease and bad back pain, and this helps stretch him out and give him some relief.

Ryan upside down

I'm still working on my infant massage certification. I'm going to Atlanta soon to snag a couple of friends for my practicums. How cool is that?!! I get to see some close friends and teach them how to massage their babies and communicate through touch.

We'll try to blog more often and keep everyone up to date with The Jenk Adventure!!!

Early To Bed. Early To Rise...yawn.

I think that's how the phrase goes. I wouldn't know really. But I will say that the last two nights I've been waking up at times that I think God could even be asleep (He needs to rest, right?). Ryan and I have a lot going on right now, and something in me is turning on way too early. Wow! I'm turning into my mother. I always wondered what that was like for her. Due to a nightmare, I was planning our summer Alaskan vacation at 3 am yesterday, and this morning I was up at 4:30 singing Hanson and remodeling a bathroom (in my head). Probably, the only other time I've been like this was when our friends called us to let us know they were in labor. The ironing and the dishes were put away before 7 am that day. Anyway, I decided to channel my energy and efforts into a well over do blog that I've been scripting (also in my head) for a month now.

Before this morning, the title of the blog was going to be - (wo)MAN, I Love My Job! Due to confidentiality, we're going to give my client a "fake" date and a "fake" gender. Yesterday evening a client came in that I hadn't seen in over a year; we're going to call this client, a "her," and leave it be. She's a great person, and I had actually thought about her often. She heard I was in Nashville working now, and she decided to come and see me. We went into the room for the "interview" part of the session, and she said she just wanted to relax, had a lot going on, and felt the need to come in. Ok. I thought. I can handle that. Before I stepped out of the room, she added...I've got a lot of emotional stuff I'm dealing with. Can you help me get rid of the "bad" stuff and push it out or something? I thought, "Whoah there. Kind of caught ME off guard." Reduce muscular tension - check. Increase circulation of blood and lymph- check. But I'm not "directly" asked to help get rid off emotionally binding and burdening stuff too often. People will say that they want to relax and get away, and people will leave in an altered state brought about by releasing and balancing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects, but I'm not usually verbally called on before hand for such a task...you know to personally push out the emotionally "bad" stuff. Honestly, when she said that, it lit a fire under me. It didn't frighten me. It hit me like a ton of bricks (how many times do I need to be hit to remember) what the power of touch is capable of, and I get to be apart of that, assist that, watch that take place on a regular basis. Just so you know - she left relaxed, happy, and balanced. It's amazing what touch can do.

You'll all probably get a ton of information in the future about the class I took last month. But for now, in a nutshell, I went to Atlanta for 4 days last month and took a course that certifies you in Infant Touch and Massage. The teacher, Maria, helped pioneer the movement over the last couple of decades. She parted ways with some of the women because she felt the need for individualized touch sessions instead of the usual routine taught to parents for "well babies." She works for the University of New Mexico Hospital now. She makes home visits and works in the NICU at the hospital. They work a lot with drug exposed babies and premies. It was an incredible experience. We were in class for 4 days from 9-5 and learned the entire time. We had families come in, and it was one of my most amazing experiences. With this approach we teach parents how to touch and massage their infants in specific ways designed just for them. Some benefits for parents massaging their infants...where do I start? On the infant side - bonding, attachment, communication, body and sensory awareness, sleep deeper and longer (yeah!), stimulate GI and circulatory systems, neurological development, regulate state transitions, helps digestion and colic, regulates all physiological systems, relaxation, and that's not all of them. And then on the parent side, builds competence and confidence, ease stress, helps relax their child, relaxation and unwinding, communication, bonding - do I need to go on?! I totally enjoyed watching the families come in and #1 bond with their babies and #2 at the same time enhance their children's overall health. Blew me away! Maybe later I'll share specific stories. I'll ask the parents. So, right now...I'm in the certification process. I have to do some reading, teach at least 15 sessions, take an exam, do a little research, observe another instructor, and then I'll be good to go. If you're interested in knowing more, I would love to talk about it. And if you're a new mom or dad and you're not in my reach, I'll contact the instructors and find one for you in your area. Once Ryan gets up, I'll get him to help me attach a picture of the people I took the class with in Atlanta. They were awesome!

Hey, the sun is rising! Maybe I'll watch my Hanson dvd now.

We Have A Blog???

So, we had this brillant idea this summer to start a family blog...well, that's great but we never told anyone we had it. So, I guess until now...it was a private diary or something like that.
Here's an update on the Jenkins Family.
I (Kari) started a new job a few weeks ago. I left Studio Gaven and the room renting situation and moved my massage practice into Nashville. I'm at a neighborhood massage studio called Practical Massage Therapy. I feel like it's one of my wisest moves. The people there are great, and they obviously understand massage. So, I'm starting to build my business in Nashville. I'm also offering house calls to a few of my Franklin based clients. The new website is www.practicalmassage.com. Check it out when you get a chance. I think it's incredible.
I (Ryan) have been the same 'ol - same 'ol. Work is well, although this month I am in the process of replacing computers for all 67 of my employees. This is a job that takes alot of time and patience. Aside from work, I have been playing in a band since December of last year (2005). We are Losing Home. That is our bands name, not a description of mine and Kari's luck. We have only played a few shows, but we practice every week in the hopes that the shows will come more often once our newly recorded demo is finished. Check us out at Losing-Home.com. I made the web site, so no cracks! Oh, and speaking of losing homes, Kari and I have begun another adventure together!
It's Kari again. Since we both work downtown now, we knew we would need to make the move back closer to Nash-vegas. It just makes sense. Yesterday we put our house on the market, along with 11 others in our neighborhood, but we'll see what happens. For those of you who haven't been to our humble abode, you can check it out by following these simple instructions. Go to www.realtracs.com, click on Search for a Property, and at the bottom of the page put 812331 as the MLS #, and we should be there. We had to make it a model home look for the sale, so a lot of the personality and pictures are gone.
Well, I hope everyone is well. And I think after actually sending a blog out, we'll be more consistent. We will see. Take care!

Our Canoe Trip

I'm so excited this is my first blog! Thanks Hollie and Audrea for showing it to me.

On July 3rd, Ryan and I went on 9 mile canoe trip down the Duck River. It's a little place called River Rat's that we found one day on a backroad near our house. The guy just walked us to this gravel road and said, "The ramp is down there, and there are some boats for you to use. Call us when you get to the outpost and want us to come pick you up." He tossed us some paddles and some lifevests, and that was it. So, we walked down there. And the adventure began.

First, the canoe was heavier than we thought. So the lovely Ryan had to push it down the gravel road to the river. It was too heavy for me. We loaded our backpack and cooler and with direct orders from the hubby, I hopped on in. Ready for the peaceful day!! He put one foot in the canoe and we leaned. Me being the serving wife tried to correct it by leaning the other way. Over We Went. It took a couple of times of flipping the canoe before we figured it out. Us and everything that belonged to us (books, food, etc) - DRENCHED...and we haven't even left the ramp. We figured it out eventually, and off down the river like Huck Finn we went. At that point, I was glad the guy just dropped us off. He would of had a good laugh at our expense. We did enough of that for everyone.

The ride was peaceful. Ryan was teaching me to steer after a while. There were cliffs all around us, and we saw so many turtles and fish. All of a sudden, I hear rapids. Yes, a waterfall. I knew it. The worse part about it was that I had to anticipate it for hours. Because you know you start hearing it way before you actually get to it. Well, we made it. I paddled so hard, and then held on for dear life. It turned out the rapid was actually more like a Class .4 for those rafters out there. Yes...not Class 4, but a Class .4. We hit a few of those that day, and each time I took it so seriously. We just laughed.

The whole day was pretty amazing. We didn't see a single person on the river. The water was so still. We hardly saw any civilization...except for a couple of trailers, rebel flags, some nice cabins, and a lot of homemade rope swings. We pulled over and ate some lunch. And successfully, we reentered the water without a flip. We did see a deer running up the cliffs. Oh, there was this one time where a mule deer starting barking. Ryan said he thought it was a mating call. I told the deer that I wasn't interested and paddled harder. We also saw some cows and bulls that made it down to the river. Don't worry I paddled harder then too.

When we made it to the pull out spot, there was this ropeswing hanging from the bridge. We couldn't resist. We had a time or two on the ropeswing before some young kids made it down the river. Then, we pulled out the "maturity card" and let them enjoy it. That day was an amazingly fun adventure for us. With all of our mad canoeing skills, does anyone want to join us some time?!
--Kari

Remember..."Life is not a problem to be solved; it is an adventure to be lived."

The Gap

A few months ago, Kari and I took a trip to the mountains of North Carolina. Mom and Ken live in Asheville and have been bragging about the roads around where they live and how great they are for riding motorcycles. So we decided to take them up on their offer and loaded up the FZ1 in the back of the truck to tag along on a weekend of riding.

Kari, Chaco, and I all stuffed in the front of our truck and drove the 5 hours to the Smokies and the best roads within 1000 miles. We left on a Friday and spent that evening cooking out on the
back deck and relaxing, talking about bikes and what had been going on in our life.

On Saturday, we woke up early and put our Yamaha FZ1 and their Honda Magna in a trailer and took the hour long trip to an area of the North Carolina Mountains called Deals Gap. There is a road in this area of the country that has 318 curves in 11 miles with no joining roads. It is called the tail of the dragon. We parked the truck and began our day of riding around 10:00 or so.

It was beautiful! Wonderful roads and great views. There were so many motorcycles! Hundreds and hundreds of them. Kari and I have a communication system on our motorcycle, so we can talk while we are riding. So we just rode back and forth through the curves, talking and enjoying each other's company. When we made it to the tail of the dragon, I was a little nervous, because there are no roads where I live that are this curvy. After a the first few curves I got used to it though and settled in to a rhythm. There were lots of cruisers just taking their time on the road, but then there were many sport bikes who were using the road for a race track and passing on the right hand side of the road. Very dangerous!, but I do have to say that it was amusing. We rode for a couple of hours and then found a fast food joint to eat lunch.
After lunch we got gas and started back up the mountain. Ken was letting me lead, so I decided to pick up the pace a little bit. The curves were very long and sweeping, much different from the tight switchbacks the tail of the dragon has. I lead for a bit and decided to stop at an overlook that was up ahead, just before we got to the Cherohala Skyway.
















After the stop, we jumped on the skyway. It runs along the top of the mountain range and is filled with beautiful views and overlooks. It is fast paced and many riders ride it like a race track. Not too far from our last stop we came upon a bit of a traffic jam (motorcycles only) and we quickly found out why. There were a group of men in leather racing suits gathered around a guy lying on the ground. His helmet was on the ground and he was moving around, but he deffinitley had a hard accident. His bike was no where to be found, so I am guessing it went over the edge of the road and down the hill. We made it through the slow down and began making it down the road again, only we weren't talking and enjoying the ride. The rest of the trip down to the next stop was a little somber. We stopped at an overlook not too far from the accident scene and had a snack. That helped us cool down a bit. I read an update online that no one was killed the weekend we were there. That was good.
We decided to head on down the mountain and go to a nature area for a few minutes. Then it was back on the bikes and to the souvenier store for some T-Shirts and stickers to commemorate the great day of riding. We then went and ate bar-b-que in a little town called Robbinsville. Another gas stop and back up the mountain to the Deals Gap meeting area. Hundreds of motorcycles gathered at one place, just talking about the days ride. There is a tree at this stop that is covered in motorcycle parts from bikes that have wrecked on the tail of the dragon. All of the parts have notes and signatures from the riders. Some were funny, some serious.
After that, it was time for our ride home. I decided to lead at this point and it was a very nice ride. One of my favorite parts of the trip. The air was cool and the sunlight was beginning to hide behind the trees. I sort of felt like a kid who had been at an amusement park or summer camp all day, and now I had to leave. I wanted to stay for another day, or days.
The next day we went for another short ride near where my parents live and then spent the evening resting our tired rear ends. Monday Kari and I made our way back home and joined back in with the daily hum and drum of life. Since then we have ridden the roads around our house, but it is just not the same as being at Deals Gap. So, I guess my parents had every right to brag about riding those roads (and they still do!). Hopefully soon we will make our way back there to join in the fun again.
--Ryan

A Cussing Out

Ever been cussed out? Better yet, have you ever been cussed out by someone you work with?

Yesterday afternoon I was cussed out by someone I work with. Well known as a (not so nice person) for lack of a better term, this person is avoided by much of the office for good reason it seems.
I am not saying I am any better than anyone else in the office, but I do see and talk to this person on a regular basis because of the nature of my job. Basically, in order to do my job correctly, I have to communicate with this person.
On a regular day, this person (notice I am not using any names to protect the innocent/guilty) is fairly calm and normal to work with. In my relating to them, this person only gets upset on a rare basis. And although they are very "needy" in the terms my job would use, they seem to fairly understanding on a regular basis.
Needless to say, this has been the first "cussing" experience I have had with this person...I have had other "cussing" experiences with others in the office, but not this person.
I will not go deeply into the situation, only to say that from my standpoint, the cussing at was not merited. This person did not have a reason to let loose verbally on me, but they did anyway. And let me insert that there was someone in this persons office that they had a mind to impress also.
So it seems like I was the cutting board for a bit of frustration with the persons own mistakes and the persons need to impress their visitor.
What do I do now? Now that I have been the victim of a cussing out, where do I go with my communication with this person? I have a thought to be a jerk back, or give only silence back.
But it seems somewhere in my mind, maybe in the portion that leads me to better things, I think I should be nice. I should go above and beyond, not to admit a mistake on my part, but to fix a problem that wasn't mine in the first place. And not for some sort of reward or accolation, but for sanities sake alone.
By reacting in a loving/nice manner, maybe I will mirror what I have been taught by Christ and forgive.

You Meet The Nicest People On A Harley

You never know who may live right beside you. For me, it has always been that guy that owns two Harley Davidson motorcycles. For me, a staunch Harley...let's just say "disliker", that was all I needed to know;

For a year and a half now Kari and I have lived in our first house, surrounded by a hundred folks in the same type houses with little yards, all less than 10 feet from each other. It's weird how all of us never talk to each other except for a head nod or a wave when passing by on the sidewalk or watering your lawn.
Even our dogs seem to communicate more.
Kari and I have houses on either side of us. In one house there is an old couple. They have moved down from New York to be here in our quaint little town. Or should I say that their children have moved them down. Their children, who are probably in their 50's moved George and Virginia down here to be close. The "kids" come over and mow the lawn and spend time at the house. But that is all we see of them. Just glimpses and waves. I spoke to George one time at length about dryer vents. He had a hard time hearing me. That has been the extent of our relationship.

The house on the other side was much of the same until lately. When we first moved in, a middle aged woman moved in around the same time. Again, the only communication was a quiet hello and a nod of the head. Our realitor told us she was a "Harley" person. Soon after she moved in we noticed a man of her age had moved in also. We weren't sure if he was her husband or boyfriend, but in a neighborhood like this, all you really do is speculate.
A year and a half has passed with only a slight hello and a small "great day today" comment about the weather. Once a day he would start his loud Harley Davidson and would let it idle. Glub, glub, glub. If you live anywhere in suburbia, you've probably heard one. Every few days, except for the coldest winter months, he would jump on for a quick ride down the street and back. Most Sundays he and the lady would take a ride and not come home until later in the afternoon. We had a connection with this family because of our love of bikes, but that was as far as it went.
Then one day, while I was working on my Yamaha motorcycle in my garage, the man came over and startled me with a loud comment. A question really, but phrased in a manly loud voice.
"Mind if I mow yer yard?"
My answer, being the "manly" guy I am....(heh), was; "na, don't worry about it, I was going to get to it this afternoon."
I thought he was telling me my grass was getting too tall. He then described to me how he had this riding lawn mower that he used for another house he was trying to sell and that he used it for this little plot he had with this house (which really didn't have much grass growing in it anyway, seeing as how this was a fairly new house). He told me he felt bad using this huge riding lawn mower to mow his little lawn and that it would only take a few minutes to mow our backyard.
"Well,..I guess you can go ahead, but you really don't have to.", giving him a way out, just so I don't have to feel like I owe him something. After a small conversation about motorcycles and our motorcycle history, I went back to working on my bike, and he went back to preparing his mower for the task ahead. I was quite surprised! Surprised enough to call Kari and leave a message on her cell phone about what had happened. Then a few moment past and he came back over.
"I'll go ahead and take out yer front yard while I'm at it and that way all you'll have to do is trim. It'll only take a few minutes." He said.
"If you would like, but I can do it...my lawn mower is going to stop working if it sits here too long." I explained to him.
He told me that it was no problem, that he was more than happy to help out another cyclist.
"The less time we take doin' this stuff, the more time we can git to ridin'." he told me.
I deffinitley agreed with this.
And off he went, mowing both lawns.
I thanked him verbally, but felt like I owed him something, but he kept reassuring me that it was not a big deal. He didn't mind at all. "Anything you need at all, you just holler!"

A month later, Kari and I had to go to a wedding out of town. We were gone for 5 days, and I won't lie, my grass was not short. But my time was and I knew I would have a day when I got back to mow. But, when we returned, my grass was short. I could not thank him enough the next time I saw him outside of our garages (he stands outside every few nights and smokes a cigarette, I guess to let some steam off.)
"Not a problem man, anything you need at all, you just holler!" he always said.

After that, there was more communication. More hellos and how ya doin's. More conversations about riding motorcycles and the best roads around.

Just a couple of days ago, I had a motorcycle problem. I couldn't get air in my tires at the gas station. The nozzle was not creating a seal with the tire. This was causing the pressure in the tire to go down. I visited three gas stations and could not get the tire pumped up. So I quit before I made it so bad I couldn't get home, and rode slowly back to the house. I was fairly upset, because I couldn't understand why my tires wouldn't take air.
Then I heard this noise...glub, glub, glub. He was starting up his Harley for his regular evening run.
I jumped up and ran outside to say hello and ask if he had any suggestions.
"We'll, I'm not sure, never heard of that before" he said.
He handed me a foot pump made to pump up bicycle tires. "You can maybe try this, but I doubt yewl git far with it."
I thanked him and brought it over to my garage to start pumping away and see if I could get anywhere. Sure enough, the pressure in the tire began going up.
Then after only a few cycles of pumping, he walks into the garage with a canister full of pressurized air. Try this, it may get you somewhere.
I placed the nozzle on my tire, and sure enough, the tires pumped right up to where they were supposed to be.
"Thanks!" I said, "you saved my tires! Where did you get this can at, I would like to buy myself one?"
"Well, you can git one at the farm supply store down the street. But I tell you what, you can keep that one over here and if I ever need it, I'll come askin fer it. I've never used it in the years I've had it anyway. And if you ever git yerself one, you can bring that'en back" He said.
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Isn't it funny how you can see Christ in the most unusual places. That seems to be the way God has worked in mine and Kari's life.