“for most folks, no news is good news; for the press, good news is not news.” gloria borger

for me, good news, is GREAT! i got some great news this week and i really wanted to share it with all of my peeps, that's you. and since you're my peeps, i hope you think this is great news too.

are you ready to be wowed?

i got a promotion. i have an official title. i get benefits, and a raise. i even get business cards, and somehow, that's the most exciting part. i'm kinda weird like that.

you may be a redneck if... your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.

you thought i was done telling you about the fourth of july, didn't you. wrong. what can i say it was an action packed day? but i promise this is the last post until next year. promise, promise.
we came home from council just in time (okay, with plenty of time) to join in on some good old fashioned fireworks displays.

 "You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."
Erma Bombeck

2 legit 2 quit!!!

friday was "blast from the past day" at work and, being the coolest and most fantastic staff at the club (one of my kids told me that), i showed up in the coolest and most fantastic costume. which i wore all day. awesome much?

p.s. can you believe that kid is one of my teens?!! they're so SO SMALL!!! (or maybe i'm just a giant)

TIMBER!!!!

well, now that you're clear on how a porcupine race goes down, let me fill you in on what happens after the 'pines go back to the wild. the loggers get their day in the sun. i'm guessing they actually spend quite a lot of time in the sun, but this time, people are watching. the logging skills show consists of 3 events, but i don't know the names of any of them. gimme a break, i'm not a logger! the world class advertisement looks a little something like this:

the first skill has something to do with throwing a choke around a bunch of logs on a semi. it's all timed and stuff, fastest wins.

i did not find this particular event especially exciting. neither did the booger.

the next event was chopping wood. no. not chopping. sawing. yeah, that's the word for it. not just sawing, CHAINsawing. is that a word? chainsawing? is now. call me old fashioned, but i think chainsaws are cheating. sure, they're faster than hand saws, but i was kinda hoping to see some old school, two way, double sawing (i don't think that's what it's really called). beggars can't be choosers though, so i'll take what i can get.

the third event was axe throwing. yep. AXE THROWING! people actually throw axes. who knew? i am just now realizing that this is likely not an entirely useful skill and i sincerely doubt that loggers find it necessary to throw an axe on a regular basis, but it was kinda fun to watch, especially since most of the competitors had consumed a fair amount of beer by the time they stepped up to the plate. yes, i said plate, but what i meant was fluorescent green spray painted 2x4. what are they throwing at? this:

i kid! i kid! this is serious business!

for realsies though...

then they have an obstacle course for the future loggers of america. wait, do you think that's a real organization? i'm looking it up. i'll get back to you on that...

sounds of summer

i can't believe it has taken me so long to put this together, but i have FINALLY compiled my summer playlist. this one isn't so much summer themed as it is full of the songs i'll be listening to all summer. some new obsessions, some old favorites, and some totally influenced by my job (i'll bet you can guess which ones...). at any rate, they are all playing on my ipod daily and i don't care who knows!


1. the sound of sunshine by michael franti and spearhead
    because it sounds like summer
2. you always make me smile by kyle andrews
    because this song makes me smile
3. modern nature by sondre lurche (sawn-dray lurk-ay)
    because i like to say this dude's name
4. price tag by jessie j
    because she just wanna make the world dance
5. tonight tonight by hot chelle rae
    because it's my party and i'll dance if i want to
6. am i the only one? by dierks bentley
    because every party has a pooper, but it ain't dierks!
7. party rock anthem by lmfao
    because i hear this song 15 times a day and i don't hate it yet
8. barefoot blue jean night by jake owen
    because summer is all about barefoot, blue jean nights
9. say you like me by we the kings
    because life would be so much easier if you would just say you like me
10. lip gloss by lil mama
    because there are people who didn't believe this song existed and i am not okay with that!
11. pretty girl rock by keri hilson
    because confidence goes a LONG way
12. i hate boys by christina aguilerra
    because i do
13. water by brad paisley
    because it pretty much encompases what i love about summer and because i love brad paisley
14. barbara streisand by duck sauce
    because it's fun and that is what summer is all about
15. blow away by a fine frenzy
    because. just because.
16. lover lover by jerrod niemann
    because it's a great song for driving country roads in the middle of nowhere
17. count on me by bruno mars
    because it's sweet, but not sickeningly so
18. who says by selena gomez
    because i like to sing along to it. don't judge me.
19. bright lights bigger city by cee lo
    because i love cee lo, but i'm getting bored with "forget you"
20. somebody to love by justin bieber
    because i've been spending too much time with maren ;)

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

yankee doodle day at work. yes, i get paid to make a fool of myself and dress like an idiot. don't be jealous.

i thought i had this one in the bag. i mean, what's more patriotic than the statue of liberty (never mind that it was a gift from france, that's irrelevant)? the AMERICAN FLAG that's what.

my plans for domination have been thwarted once again...

"i thought: this is not racing, it's a suicide mission."

and when you're racing porcupines, it might be!
in celebration of nation's independence, dad, booger and i made a little trip to council, idaho to witness the 41st annual world championship porcupine races. yeah, that's a real thing. and they don't just race pines (that's what we seasoned veteran's call them) they parade them around town. pretty much awesome. then, they follow the races up with a logging skills competition, arm wrestling contest and classic small town awesomeness. find this hard to believe? well, don't you worry your pretty little head, i wouldn't dare have such an epic experience without documenting the whole thing. with 2 cameras even. you're welcome.

 first you gotta get the little buggers into a trash can

which is more difficult than it sounds

i think he looks pretty comfortable down there...

once he's in there, you line 'em up on the starting line (where else?)

it's okay if you want to double check and make sure he's still in there

ready...set...GO!!!

use your trash can and broom to coax him in the right direction and try not to get caught in the corner

cross the finish line first and you win!!!

get your picture taken with the winner*...

then raid the course and pick up quills shed by the 'pines, you know, as souvenirs

*may or may not have been the winner, they all look the same

wonder twin powers activate!

aren't we just the cutest ever?! yep. i get paid for this. have i mentioned that i love my job? i soooo do!!!!
i put in a lot of effort here. i even spray painted my socks. that's dedication friends.

and then we went on a field trip to the movies. i got plenty of compliments, just so you know.