Sister Surprise Cake

Ok.. so cake has nothing to do with this entry, but I thought it might be a fun title.

Thursday night, as I was watching the end of a TV show when I was supposed to be in bed, there came a knock on the door. Now I don't know about u, but getting a knock on your door at 10:45pm is pretty scary. Plus.. the only time I get a knock is from my VT's, HT's, or Melissa when she comes over for lunch (my one friend in Vegas now that Birgit is gone... don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for Melissa!).

I turned on the porch light and peeped through the peep hole. Its a good thing I have a bird or I wouldn't know how to peep. There was Melissa! In her PJ's! I felt pretty safe opening the door now that I knew who it was, but told her "you scared me!".

"I'm here to drop off something".

Strange... I thought, she'll be coming over for lunch tomorrow and could drop it off then. Maybe she brought the calculator I was borrowing for my test next weekend.

And then out of shadows comes my sister Emily! WHAT THE?! Where did she come from?! SO EXCITED! But very confused. How did Melissa know Emily had come and why did she drive all the way down to my house just to introduce her?

"I picked her up from the airport!" Melissa said (THANK YOU SO MUCH MELISSA!). Oh.. right... Emily doesn't like to drive. *sheepish laughter*... But SO happy!! I told Emily I can't thank her enough for coming to cheer me on at the triathlon so every thanks... well.... just won't be enough. I am very sad she's going tomorrow. Emily said I can't feel bad because I didn't even know she was coming... but it doesn't work that way. Too bad.. I'm gonna miss my Emily!

It was SO FUN to have Emily here. I know all my family was terribly jealous.... too bad. Do ur own triathlon and u just might be as cool as me.

BTW. Melissa's husband told me he wouldn't have been excited if his family surprised him in coming cuz of the potential aweful state of his home. Ah ha... the joys of being a Hotel Mel. My house was all ready for visitors and I could just bask in having Emily with me. We ate, she read, I pretended to study (reading, sleeping, crocheting, triathloning, eating, preparing a YW lesson), and just spent time together in the same house. Doesn't get much better than that, eh?

(there Emily.. I used ur name 8 times... Now they certainly know WHICH sister came)

Riding the Train

I interupt this blog to yell... MY SISTER SURPRISED ME LAST NIGHT! She is here! She is here! (movie trivia... except he instead of she) Thank you Melissa for picking her up from the airport! We now return to your regulary scheduled blog.

Beware! Painful minute detail by painful minute detail of a business trip ahead. All those who wish to be entertained with wittiness and thought provoking ideas might just want to skip this one. Wait for the weekend and all the painful minute details of yet another triathlon. Well... on second thought, wait until Monday or Tuesday.

Everything started nicely Wednesday with a quick trip in Ken's truck to the airport and arriving 45 minutes before flight time to our gate. As the "lowest-engineer-on-the-totem-pole-because-she-doesn't-have-her-PE" (LEOTTPBSDHHP), I was designated bag watcher as my esteemed colleagues went to get coffee and a strawberry shake drink. 25 minutes later, as the C group was boarding, my colleagues came back and we entered the plane at the end of the line.. .(Just want to mention here that LEOTTPBSDHHP had made sure the day before we were all checked in early to get the coveted A group boarding passes). I didn't share my smarties with the said colleagues because i hadn't had time to fill up my water bottle. They said they would make it up to me.. (uh huh.. shure)

Sitting between 2 nice ladies (I had told my companions I would have to sit between 2 OTHER fat guys because we were boarding so late... hee hee), I studied somewhat while listening to my ipod. I was actually grateful I didn't have to sit with those engineers because I designate myself the conversation-keeper-upper and I was relieved from my duties during the flight.

Reno was a nice town to drive through on our way up to Virginia City Nevada. We passed the Jacobs offices there and saw a cool Walmart. On the way up the mountains, we saw a really cool looking bridge across the valley that we decided coulda been put in a much better place. As we rose higher in elevation, the trees turned to Pinions and Ponderosa with the Cedars in between. Reminded me so much of Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was so wonderful! Virginia City is a ghost town that reminded me quite a bit of downtown Park City Utah, although much less glitzy and very run down/old. More like Silverton Colorado in its touristy feel. I shoulda taken a picture of the boardwalk. We got to spend about an hour walking down the main street because the event started at 2pm rather than 1pm like Ken thought. I should have taken a picture of the main street. Sigh... my blogging skills are not fully tuned yet.

Here I am in front of the Catholic Church there. It was way cool. I really like old churches where every part of the building had some design.

We had to stop at the "Bucket of Blood Hotel and Casino" with the player piano. A Banjo player was playing along. I couldn't tell if the player piano was accompanying the banjo or if the banjo was accompanying the piano. I pondered on this for a second.

Ken had been to Virginia City many times and so took us to a nice old fashioned fudge place. I got peanut butter swirl... surprise surprise. Then we stopped in at the "Ponderosa Pines Bar and Casino" for my colleagues to keep the drinking going.. (The Event people gave them wine to tide them over until the Event ACTUALLY started)

Here they are... (they didn't really want me to take a picture, but too bad... I got them in the act)
And here I am drinking water. First time ever at a bar. It was a good thing I have strong self control (that beer and wine smelled NASTY)

At this point, it was a good thing the LEOTTPBSDHHP had brought Fishes and Pretzels to snack on. Those boys were hungry for lunch but since Ken understood we would have food on the train, we resisted stopping for lunch...

We arrived at the Depot promptly at 2pm... a ghetto looking stop with a tent, balloons and a couple of tables with snack food and lots of alcohol. I tried schmoozing with people (the whole point of going to these things), but everyone I tried to talk to either walked away quickly, ended up being the crazy newspaper man and his wife, or was some guy from Reno trying to get onto the train. (I struck up a conversation with him because his shirt said "Still play with TRAINS"... I guess I shoulda known). I did meet some important people from Carson City, but I can't remember who they were. (I told Ken they were important people that did things for people in Carson City.) We actually ended up sitting by them on the train when it arrived 45 minutes late.

Here it is in all its glory! (thank you Arvid for the picture). We sat for a bit until we finally pulled out of the station. The engine is actually pulling us down the hill. For those of u who don't know, this track will eventually connect Carson City Nevada with Virginia City Nevada. It will be kinda like the Durango train that goes up to Silverton... except not even close as cool. The views there are nothing compared to this little jaunt down some rolling hills, through a couple of tunnels and around an old pit mine. You also look down the hill and see a large abandoned 4 story building covered in graffiti. Pretty cool, not! OK.. don't get me wrong, the tunnels were cool and of course the steam engine was WAY cool. Its just that I can compare it to the Chama Toltec and the Durango train trips (way mucho cooler).

After going through the first tunnel (currently a brightly colored diesel train takes a batch of tourists every hour or so down through this tunnel and then back again.. all for the bargain price of 25 bucks!), we picked up the plush car full of REAL dignitaries (the mayor of Carson City, some city people.... and other people I didn't know). This took a while cuz the couples between the cars wouldn't couple on a curve. Eventually the 4:00pm diesel train pulled us backwards onto a straight area so we could hook up. Finally, we were on our way towards the tunnel!

Oh wait.. first we had to stop at the "scales" (another ghetto looking spot with a couple of tents, balloons, finger food, a couple sandwiches, and lots and lots of alcohol) to get some food. Ken had already eaten all my pretzels (he did feel bad, but he was nicer when his blood sugar was up so I didn't mind). More schmoozing happened, some people talked... some more people talked... and then the Mayor and a bunch of Commissionaires cut a ribbon stretched out between two ladies in Victorian era costumes out in the middle of nowhere. Very strange. Arvid wanted me to get a photo, but there were too many others crowded around with snapping cameras so I didn't bother. Didn't want those VIP's to feel too special. Finally we got back on the train and headed out.

Going through the tunnel was so fun as well as picking up speed heading down hill.

I mentioned to my coworkers that up in the engine there were some REAL engineers... a saying I later had to repent of.

It was funny watching people go flying every time the train jerked. And how... uninhibited people were getting.. At the "scales", all the alcohol had been brought onto the train in big coolers. It really wasn't that bad (no throwing up or really loud laughter), but for a little Mormon girl having only her second experience of an open bar... it seemed... well... strange. Too give u an idea of how things were going, after the engine passed us and started pulling us back the other way, one of the ladies I had been sitting by came back and said she was the first person to pee off the train along the new railway. Ken turned to me and asked "So what do you think about those Dogers?"

Here is Arvid (the even tempered Engineer from Norway... that's why he has a mustache) and I..

And the GQ look from Ken. This is why he makes the big bucks... can look happy even when he is cold.

By this time, it was getting dusk (and MUCH colder) and when we got to the place to leave the dignitary train, the big headlight on the train wouldn't work. I was getting antsy and wandered all over the train, outside, and along the tracks. I told Ken I could run up to Virginia City and bring the rental car down, but decided I hadn't brought the right shoes. I asked the conductor what the situation was, and he said they were working on it feverishly, but when I got back to Ken and Arvid, I told them if standing around doing nothing was working feverishly.... I guess the Engineer finally decided to hot wire the light just so we could get back to Virginia City. This all happened at a town called Gold Hill. Its interesting that on these old trains, you head down 4 miles and there is the next town.. um.. didn't we just leave the town? Apparently the Gold Hill Hotel is the oldest hotel in Nevada and is haunted by 2 spectres. Ken said we could stay the night there, one room for me and one for them. I said that was fine as long as they got the haunted room. As u can see.. it was a long wait. By the time we got back to Virginia City, we were going to miss our flight so Ken called and bumped us back to the next one. This gave us time to go back to Reno, get gas, eat McDonalds at the airport, and wait for our flight. I quizzed them on questions I was studying for the PE while we waited... fun game for me, not so much for them :-). Since there were only 27 people on the flight back, I got a seat all to myself. I finally got home after 11:30pm.

And so the adventure ended. Oh wait... what about Jamie and my visitors to the Mel Hotel? Ah... Jamie and her mother called me right after we got off the train and said after spending an hour with Melissa, they decided to tough it out all the way to California. What is the use of staying at the Hotel Mel when you can't see THE Mel? I had left them some money for dinner, but they didn't take it... sigh... I wish I could have been more help to them. At least they got to use my restrooms... for which they tipped me 50 cents.

And 2 last train video for my beloved nephew Gage (which I forgot to turn around at home so its still sideways... too bad so sad) "I think I can" SLOW

and "I think I can" FAST (that is Arvid in the video)

"I Think I Can", "Toots", and "THE TUNNEL"

OK, so you are going to have to wait until tomorrow for the whole Reno trip story because I'm crazy busy trying to get caught up from yesterday... so all u get now is Video. Fast, easy, and explanatory. My kind of blog.

Here is the first... "I think I Can". This is what Ken repeated all through the trip... OK, so just a few times. I picked up the slack when he got tired.

Yes, its sideways and if I was at home I would have the software to turn it. Too bad. Just turn your screen. Don't whine.. I'm tired.

That is Ken in the video.

Second video... "Toots".

Third and last... THE TUNNEL. (which is what Jacobs designed)

Stay tuned for the whole story. I just know u want to hear about the FOUR AND A HALF HOURS we spent on this train. Talk about much longer than planned. We even ended up changing to a later flight so we could make it with a short stop at McDonalds. My favorite when I'm on a business trip... ick.

All the sordid details will be shared tomorrow... and perhaps it will even be funny by then!

Are you Terribly Jealous? You SHOULD be!

I am riding on a train in Reno! So I wrote this yesterday, but don't u just love being able to schedule your posts? Nobody really know I wrote this at work... unless I tell them.

I'm so excited! So is Ken (Transportation lead... retired from the County a year ago... old enough to be more sedate) cuz he keeps reminding me to bring a jacket and that tomorrow is the day! I'm sure Arvid (Temporary Structural Lead) is too, but he's always been good at keeping his excitement inside. Very even-keeled, the epitome of a real engineer. Nothing phases him, even Angus's outbursts of malice and contempt (typical draftsman notice I didn't say draftsPERSON).

Ah.. the work place. How I will miss it today while riding peacefully on a train!

The only raincloud on my parade is the late night. For some reason, Ken didn't want us to miss anything so our flight gets in at 9:25pm tonight. ICK.... Ick ick ick. AND Jamie is coming through tonight with her Mom on her way home to California and needs to stay at one of the Mel Hotels (Melanie or Melissa). Unfortunately Melissa is SWAMPED at work. Why does everything come at once? Both of us go for days with out anything important to do at work and then all of a sudden Melissa has so much to do she's getting home at 9pm and I just happen to have a train ride. (Um... so my situation doesn't sound as bad as Melissa's..... I still won't be there to greet the travelers!)

Its like having a big triathlon the week before taking a test that requires hours of study. Or planning a birthday party to match 5 different schedules. Goodness, u'd think in the course of a whole month there would be one day nobody is busy!

Don't THEY say troubles come in 3s? I disagree. They come in any number from 2-6 except on the second Sunday after the full moon you could experience 1 or 8. In fall, they come in 3s, 10s, or 4s except on Mondays, Wednesdays, and weekends when you could see 2s, 5s or 7s. Don't even get me started on Friday afternoons before a big trip.

And I'm riding a train pulled by a steam engine!! FOR FREE!! You got to take the good with the bad.

The Name Game

I got my first ever comment from a random person I don't know! Isn't that exciting?! So... it's because I left a note on her blog first, but still... she reciprocated. That is way cool.

You guys didn't much like that last blog. I am a big fan of my last name but after thinking it through, I've decided ladies just can't get that exited about it cuz it changes on them.. at least the women that read and comment on my blog. I think I will always associate myself with my maiden name even if I married someone with an awesome last name of.... say... Gurr. (I really had a roommate with that last name! She married an Anderson, poor girl). Wouldn't Gurr be way cool? Think about it... u could name ur kid Catherine and call her Kitty or Cat. I know a boy named Forest... or Hunter.

Of course without experience I can't really say one way or another, but apparently I am more in love with "Helm" than others of my family.

I am off to Reno tomorrow to ride the train and hope to bring back some fun pictures. I'm a little worried about being all day with Arvid and Ken... and asking them to take pictures. Pretty sure they won't be bringing their cameras!

As a triathlon update, I went swimming last night and felt so awkward in the water. Like a whale with 4 paddle wheels. (Paddle wheels cuz they splash alot of water and don't move u very fast) The race this Saturday is going to be a joy.

Emily, I asked the Young Woman on Sunday if they would do the honors of coming to watch and take pictures since my best fan couldn't be there. (This is the first triathlon you'll miss!) It sounded like some were willing, but when Melissa told me we are going point-to-point, those little 14 yr olds wouldn't be able to drive to the next transition area. I decided not to push it. Of course, if anyone is willing to be there anytime along the route or even at the end I would love to have some action shots! Here is the info http://bbsctri.com/pumpkin.html ... click on the "Event/Course Information" and select Short Distance. Melissa is doing the Olympic Distance.

Shipley

There is a guy at work here who has a big framed picture of a ship on his cubicle. I was gonna blog about how cool is that since his last name is Shipley. Too bad his last name is Ripley! Sigh... it was gonna be a great blog... Now it will just have to be mediocre.

Wouldn't it be great to have something like that to define your last name? I need a big ship's wheel with D&C 126:16 written below it on a plaque. Or even better one of those cool viking helmets with horns coming out... That would be way cool. We have to have some Viking heritage with all the redheads in my family. Vikings are kinda notorious for leaving their.... well... lets just say people look like Vikings all over Europe.

How could u define your name?

PS. Ripley does have a cool wooden chest with the old carpentry tools of his fathers as well as some old engineering tools too.... wait... if he had a scraper that would work. Rip that wood apart!

The Weekend Cometh.. and there was much rejoicing

Yea.... *flags waving*

There is much rejoicing because the work week is over! I have lots of plans - none of which will get completely done, but I am always very sincere in my desires. Also... more rejoicing because I still have my job! 12 people were laid off yesterday in the Land Development group. Talk about scary times. This is in addition to the 8-10 people laid off at the beginning of the summer from all groups. For the time being the Transportation Group has work... yesterday we learned Jacobs was put on a short list for the South I-15 design build project. This means we have until March to submit preliminary designs to the County (for those of u who care). As I told Arvid, I guess I won't be moving to Utah yet! So most of this weekend will be studying. In order to stay marketable, I need to be a PE... talk about motivation. I am even going to miss the Young Woman's overnighter this weekend. I debated on whether to go (because those young woman like my songs... and I'll do almost anything to stay in the limelight! You should hear our rendition of "Bill Grogans Goat"), but perhaps my lively hood should come first, eh?

I've also been thinking somewhat about my blogaholic nature and the fact that right now I have 2 blog entries already written and scheduled to post next Monday and Tuesday at 12:30pm... and 7 more under construction. I thought the excitement and willingness to blog would have worn off by now, but as we all know, I shore dew like to talk about myself! I've thought about limiting myself even more than 5 each week but I do think this stage will pass, although not as quickly as I thought. Having important things to do at work will certainly help.

Oh yes.. and I decided to do the triathlon next week. I ran last night for a full 45 minutes (4 miles)! ITS A NEW MELANIE RECORD! Now that I have plenty of motivation to study.. I can do both. Um... 'course I decided to go ahead with the tri 2 weeks ago but.... well... now circumstances show I made the right decision, right? :-)

As an end note to this random entry, I want to thank you guys for leaving me comments. It makes me feel loved. And for those of u who don't... well.... where's the love people?!