They Turned Me Loose!

It finally happened! I was turned loose in a pickup truck today all by myself. The girl that normally picks up the mail for the oilfield was out today and I was asked to go get the mail. It's about a 2 1/2 mile drive from the office to the highway mailbox so off I went. The first obstacle was getting into the truck. It's not made for short people such as myself. Thank goodness no one was looking (as far as I know). Then the next thing was the drive itself. Because of all the snow and ice, we've had a lot of melting taking place because of some warmer temperatures. Thus, the entire oilfield is one big muddy, sloppy mess. Kinda reminds me of what the good ole boys would use for boggin'.

So, I took off having to be aware of possible antelope attacks, sliding off the road, etc., but I made it even though there were a couple of times I thought I'd have to put in in 4 wheel drive. Who'd thunk I'd be doing all this a few short months ago? NOT ME!

Some pictures of the wildlife at the oilfield. Though I see either pronghorn antelope or mule deer everyday, it never ceases to make me smile when I see them running free around me.

The Trip Home From Utah

Before we left the kids house on Monday after celebrating Derek's birthday, we checked the internet hoping for good weather on our drive home. Though we did encounter snow and ice, the majority of the roads were clear.


These pictures show some of the beautiful scenery we experienced on our drive home.

How ya like Joe's new wool cap? It'll help keep his head warmer without falling off his head. I think he looks adorable!

Our New Sidewalk

A couple of weeks ago, our landlord, Leonard, installed a new sidewalk for us. He thought it might help Joe be able to manuever reaching the car a lot better. Our previous one had about four steps, was uneven and badly worn away in many places. So, one morning the contractor showed up and the old sidewalk ripped off.

These pictures were taken the day the cement truck arrived. Though Joe couldn't go outside, he still managed to supervise from inside the house. (I didn't supervise as I was afraid I might catch a glimpse of some "plumber's butt").

Now I'm Ready For Some Real Field Trips

It's official. I now have my own pair of steel toed boots exclusively for work compliments of the U.S. government. Aren't they just cute? And, they'll go so well with my hardhat and safety glasses. (I'll try to add a picture of all of that sometime).

So with these boots, I am now able to go places in the oilfield that had been off limits before due to the lack of proper PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). Look out oilfield, here I come!

What Do You Do At Lunch?

One recent day it snowed at work. Yes, imagine that. It snowed really deep and it was a wet snow this time. Most of the time it's very powdery until it starts to melt. However, this time it started out wet and was the kind you make snowballs and snowmen out of. I decided to make my own miniature snowmen. Isn't he handsome? Eyes made out of nails and his mouth out of a twist tie. He hung around for awhile until I finally tossed him back into the snow. (He must have known what his fate would be because I just really noticed his expression on his face. Poor guy)!

Then at lunchtime, Trina, who works with me, said this was the perfect snow to make a snow angel. I thought it was a great idea, so after suiting up to keep warm and dry - out we went with her taking pictures to document this once in a lifetime experience since I doubt I will ever do it again...

Isn't that a great snow angel? All went well except I got left with the back of my legs slightly damp and cold, but sometimes that's the price you pay for having a little fun. This is what every 56 year old woman should be doing during her lunch break, don't you think?

Grandma Carol and Derek Went Solo

While Corey and Nikki went out on an afternoon date on Valentine's Day, Derek and I went out on our own date. We left Grandpa at the apartment to hold down the fort since it was snowing heavily outside and we knew he didn't really want to spend time wandering around a craft shop on his crutches.

So, armed with a diaper bag, spare diapers and an emergency bottle out we went. I admit that I was somewhat nervous. After all:

1. It was snowing;
2. It had been a long time since I'd ventured out by myself with a one year old; and
3. It was my first outing with Derek all by myself.

All went well though as evidenced by the pictures. He loved sitting in the shopping cart and he never uttered a cry the entire time. He enjoyed popping his dimples out to any woman who came by and gushed about how cute he was. (Reminds me of someone else when he was that age. Hmmm, wonder who that might be)?

We made it home just in time for an afternoon nap and hopefully Derek will enjoy more trips like that with Grandma, and Grandpa, in the near future.

Birthday Trip To Utah

Last weekend Joe and I had the opportunity to travel to Utah on Friday to celebrate Derek's first birthday. We didn't know until Friday morning if we were even going to be able to make the trip due to the weather reports which said we would be facing bad snow and ice. However, after checking the internet for the latest road conditions between here and the kids home, we packed our bags and headed out. (We had made arrangements for a girl in the ward to watch the furry kids and called her to confirm we were going).

The weather wound up being absolutely perfect for the drive and we made a few stops for Joe to exercise his leg, as requested by his doctor.

The following pictures were taken Sunday night when we all celebrated Derek's birthday.