Uber-ing. That Is A Verb, Right?

Flying the friendly skies this week.  My compadres are in various states of rest…one is sleeping, one is playing Candy Crush.

I decided I would use the time to write a bit.

Because I know that you’ve been waiting for yet another blog post.

I know you lose sleep at night, waiting on me.

Right?

No?

Darn.  Okay, let me keep my illusions of grandeur for a minute or two, okay?

Okay, minute’s up, and I’m back to reality.

 We have been Ubering quite a bit lately.

In Spokane a couple of weeks ago, I think we Ubered (is that a verb?) something like 12 times.

And the grand total was STILL cheaper than a rental car for a week.

I really like it, for the most part.  But I really, really like people.  I like finding out what makes them tick.  And why they’re doing Uber.  And if they’re doing Uber for a full-time job.  If they have kids.  I want to know the entire drill.

And it’s so cool to me!

In my albeit limited experience, I have found:

Most Uber drivers with family want to set their own schedules. They want to be able to be with their families from this hour to that hour, every single day.

Most single night time Uber drivers are men.  I believe that’s because it’s safer.  And they might not be too worried.  And before an Uber driver can pick someone up, their credit card has to be on file with the company, etc.

The single lady night time Uber drivers pick their times, and the ones that we have had final their rides prior to 11 p.m.  And I don’t blame them.  Crazy stuff can happen after that hour, and I wouldn’t want to be party to it.

Not at all.

Anyway, hats off to the Uber Drivers we have used thus far. 

Job well done.  Now if we could just tip via the app.

Fred Ex was our Uber Driver today.  Love it.

And give 5 stars, as your app would say.

Crazy Times Around Casa Del Snelsonez

It’s been the craziest week.

We arrived in Texas from a Young Living Gold Retreat in beautiful Spokane, only to drive 5 hours to another retreat, this time a spiritual one.  Both were extremely good for the soul.

My mind is on overload!

And Monday?  Back to work in the oilfield!  It’s a good think I have Jesus and ThatManILove and these oils and these silly dogs to help keep me grounded and facing forward and going!

In addition to work, this week, we’ve attended a funeral, had overnight company, and dog trainers, and dog sitters flowing through our house.  One of my couple friends lost their sweet grand baby, and my heart so hurts for them.  More friends face health issues.  Life sometimes is just not fair.

Dex the rescue German Shorthair hurt his foot in the kennel, so he’s walking wounded, but doing well with his training.  Zanna is milking whatever she can, well, for whatever she can, as usual.  These dogs crack me up.

And voila, Friday is already here, and I have two vendor shows this weekend.

Where did this week go?

Next week will be pretty busy, as well, with work travel and presentations.

I’m working on the balance side of it all, trying to get it all done and achieve balance.

Maybe investing a little more time in writing will help.  I hope so.  I’ve missed writing!  I like the download aspect of it.

And yeah...one thing remains - it's never boring around here!

Happy trails!

Venice...Mind? Blown.

We have trekked miles, and ridden water taxis all over Venice in three days.  And all because we won a trip in a Young Living contest!

I’m sure we missed quite a bit, but my feet are saying…”Girl, believe me, you hit it all.”

We went to Saint Marco, and saw the big cathedral.

We traveled down the Grand Canal, right after sunset.

We went to the Guggenheim Museum, where some of Jackson and Charles Pollack's works were shown.  It was a very powerful collection, spanning several years.  They even had some of their familial letters on display. For example, several of the paintings in this room were painted in West Texas.

We went to the island of Murano where the glass blowing factories reside…and amazingly made it out of there with no major purchases.  (Though we almost caved and bought a beautiful piece….maybe someday.)

We stayed at the Hilton Molino Stucky – a beautiful property, built into an ancient building.  Good job, Hilton!!

Did I tell y’all anything about eating?  The food, amazing.  The gelato, consumed while walking along the waterfront? Divine.

Watching all the people, from all the nations, tourists and Venice dwellers, was one of my favorite things. Speaking of humans, we met some amazing people on this trip to Venice, Croatia, Turkey, and Greece, and formed some great, godly relationships with some of them.  We know, in our hearts, these friends will be friends for life.  Thank you, Jesus, for your love that knits us all together.

We want to go back to these beautiful countries, and soon.  Thank you, Young Living, for sending us on this amazingly, wonderful journey!

#youngliving #YLcruise #venice #greece #croatia #turkey #guggenheim #oilnatural #essentialoils

Passports...What Is The Real Expiration Date?

Mi Vida Loca!

 It's been crazy...y'all check your passports! If you think you have three months to go before it expires, guess again! I had to expedite mine...it expires Sept 8, 2015. We get back from this trip on June 13. For my passport to work, it would have to expire Sept 14, 2015. Late Friday afternoon found me contacting RushMyPassport, and fedex-ing my passport to San Francisco, for delivery Tuesday morning at 8:30 am in Midland. Which would have been fine - - - but the US State Department had a computer glitch so no passport for Janie on Tuesday. Instead, Steve and I picked that bad boy up this morning at UPS at DFW. (it's never boring around here.) 

Trip ON! Thank you, Jesus!

Here's the real scoop on passports and expiration dates:

Passport Expiration - Don't Get Stuck!

Dialing In The Big Bad Dodge Ram Truck

So.

I might not be ready for the big time yet.

I had to put my truck in the shop for  yet another post-wreck repair.  The wreck that wasn't ever my fault.  That happened in November. Yeah, the four-car one.  Where the guy hit me going 55 mph while he was eating his burrito.  Thank God noone was seriously injured.  

And my truck was supposedly 100% repaired at the end of February. Right.  Yeah, whatever.

Will they EVER be finished?

But…I digress.

Back to the rental agency.

The SUV I rented wasn’t ready.  Wasn’t going to be ready.  Had not even been turned in yet.  Didn’t know if it was coming in.

So…they gave me a Dodge Ram Crewcab.

No problem.  I used to pull horse trailers.  I can drive a big truck.  Especially one that's pretty.  Powerful.  Pretty powerful.

I get in, stick the key in the ignition.

Nothing happens.   Repeat.  Nothing again.  I put my foot on the brake, wrench the steering wheel, again, nothing.

I look to make sure that it’s in Park. 

That is, when I found the Gear….ummm…shift.  Knob, I mean.

What the heck?

You turn the knob to put your car in REVERSE?  In DRIVE?  In PARK?

RAM TOUGH?  Take your thumb, and your pinkie, place them on the knob, and turn to the right to put the Big Bad Dodge Ram CrewCab in Drive.  YOU CAN DO IT.

What if you wanted to drag race?  (As I dissolve in a paroxysm of giggles, making engine racing noises to myself.) (Okay, so I'm easily entertained.)

And the key?  Is one of the newfangled key FOB thingamajiggies.  That goes to the Dodge Ram Truck that I had to get the Hertz parking lot attendant to help me start.  That same Dodge Ram Truck that belongs to National.

Help me.

Please.

Turn the dial to reverse and lets get the heck outa Dodge, okay?

And quit laughing.  Right now.  

I cannot make this stuff up.

Choot Like A Girl

I love small town truck stops.

You never know what you're going to see there.

I saw this t-shirt, and it made me smile.

Heck, it made me wanna go shoot my shotgun.  I'm a little behind this year, anyway.

Love the smell of shotgun smoke!

Intervention Needed

I should just hire someone.

I hate to pack.

Oh, I can do it.

I can rock it, if the trip is 2 days or less.  I am the Queen of Minimalist.

But...if the trip is more than 2 days?

Indecision city.

Is it going to be hot where I’m going?  Or cold?

Or, God forbid, hot in the days, and wintery at night?  Double wardrobe.

In October, when we head to New Mexico Oil and Gas Association meetings, it’s at Santa Fe.  So, casual and sunny with a crispy hint of fall during the day, and wintery temps at night...when, by the way, you have to dress formally.

Recipe for packing disaster.

Headed to the Northeast in winter?  I want to take every fat heavy sweater I own...mostly because I don’t get a chance to wear them here in the west of Texas, where 75 degrees is the norm.

Then my suitcase gets overcrowded.

I get frustrated.

I threaten to cancel the trip.

Yup, I should just hire someone.

It’s obvious I need intervention.

Upbeat Barista

Sunday morning, heading to the Houston airport, we stopped at Starbucks, as is our wont.

We pulled up to the drive-thru.

A friendly Barista male voice boomed out of the loudspeaker:

Good morning! Welcome to Starbucks, it's a beautiful day -  I hope you’re having a wonderful day!  What great-tasting drinks would you like today?

ThatManILove was rendered speechless.

The voice again:  “Good morning!  Hellooooo!  Anyone there?”

ThatManILove:  “Yes, I’m here.  I’m...uh...just...uh...trying to recover from your overtly enthusiastic optimism.”

The voice, laughing:  “That's an awesome response!!”

ThatManILove:  “No problem, I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Me?  I thought it was super refreshing.

We pull up, and the barista introduces himself.

Meet Preston.

Yes, I think I'll fill out the survey.  Because to render my smart, lawyer-like man speechless is no mean feat.