Plankin' It Up!

A week ago I came across  a FB status that had me laughing and got me a little curious.  It read,"Sitting in Church paying no attention at all and trying to decide if I dare PLANK by the pulpit! Haha"  By Monday I had learned exactly what that meant, and I was in!!

this is Kelly a friend of Jeff's from highschool that I met at his 20 year reunion...

she is the one who started this whole mess for me!

The definition Wikipedia gives is a pretty good one, so click here if you want to read it, but if not heres my summary of it.  Planking is a game or competition to find the most incongruent, public place to lay face down with your hands at your sides. A photograph  must be taken and posted on the internet.  The more people that are involved  or the more ingenious the location the better.  I think the planks should be creatively named too. The craze has swept thru Britain and Australia and is making its way thru the U.S.

(A favorite of mine from kelly's blog post)

Sound a little dumb?  Well it kinda is, but thats exactly what makes it so darn funny!!  Yeah its pretty hilarious to see a grown man planking in his golf shoes on the balcony of his hotel like Kelly's dad.

Guaranteed that would have you busting up if you saw it, but I promise you that grown man was laughing even harder when he did it.  And therein lies the magic!!

what to do with strangers dressed as Harry Potter?

You plank with them of course!

Sometimes all it takes to have a really good time is to totally get over yourself and just be silly!  When I saw the post I knew exactly who would have a blast with this...Lauren VW.  

She said she'd take my friend Kristie and I after her trip to New York, but when the pics from Lauren started coming in from church history sites

Kirtland Temple Plank

(that's fresh yo!) 

Johnson Farm Plank

(this one cracks me up as they awkwardly chose half grass half sidewalk!)

Hill Cumorah Plank

and all over the east coast, 

Eerie Canal Plank

Niagra Falls Plank

Washington Monument Family Plank

Kristie and I were compelled to try to out-do the darling 15 year old and her family! The Bohn and Hankes planks were about to begin...so we named them the BoHank Planks and let the laughter begin!

BoHank Plank

Chang Hank Plank

Bo River Plank

Creepy Carousel Plank

(yes i realize i am no longer planking here, we were laughing too hard at being rejected by a teenage boy to join the picture and then realized I was stuck with only my useless broken wrist hand to try to get up with...my face awkwardly perched atop a filthy horses seat)  

In the process we dragged in our kids, a few of their friends, and a few of our own.  With two days that week spent on the boat we tried just about every possible way to plank at the lake

Gang Plank

Bo Jr. Bridge Plank

both directions across the seats...

Floating Plank

Belly Flop Plank

Moving Tube Plank

What resulted was a hysterical week of laying down awkwardly in some very public places.  

In Then Out Fast Plank

Skate plank 

Lets Go Shopping Plank

 Please Park Here Plank

We got  plenty of strange looks, several phone calls from friends wondering just what we were up to, we got honks and cheers, 

 Post Plank

  Happy Isles Helmet Plank

 Big Red Truck Plank

 Vernal Falls Plank

 Curry Camp Plank

 a few scrapes and bruises, dirty clothes, stuck, and the best abs workout from the continuous laughter.

Pizza Place Plank

(made even better because a stranger who had no idea what we were doing took the pic for us!!)

The Lazy Man's Plank

This was my most creative plank of the week by far...the Plain Plane Plane

And this was Kristies best of the week

By the end of the week the kids wanted to plank EVERYWHERE and we realized that it was possible to plank just about anywhere!

What Goes Up Must Come Down Plank

Think we're crazy? Just give it a try I dare ya!!  Send  me your best and we can vote on our favorites!!

White Girl Is My Homegirl!

After years of pleading from every member of the family I am finally ready to take the plunge and get a dog.  All of the kids are old enough to sleep through the night and wipe their own bums, so we are bringing in a new family member to train.  I still haven't agreed to let the pup into the house, but have conceded to the garage.  Beagles are small enough not to be too confined in the space we have to offer, but will be happy to come out on runs with me.  They also wont grow to be bigger than Brynne and push her around.  So we found a breeder in Modesto and went to meet the puppies two weeks ago.  Brynne instantly fell in love with one of the puppies just by what she looked like, then she found out the puppy was a girl and she was even more determined this was to be our dog.  When they let Brynne hold her she was the sweetest thing! She let Brynne cradle her like a doll and just snuggled into Brynnes arms for a good 10 minutes. Only looking up occasionally to lick Brynnes face.  Just two days ago Brynne asked me if I thought maybe she was in love with this sweet puppy.  There were only two girls in the litter and Lindsey the breeder told us she had named all of the dogs by their descriptions.  The girls were named White Girl and Black Girl.  Tomorrow the puppies will be 8 weeks old and ready to bring home.  White Girl will by my girl, so please I am begging you, help us come up with a new name because I will not be calling this one out across the park!

You Can Count On It!

There is definitely something to be said for traditions.  I'm loving the ones we have created with this crew!  If there is a day we all have free in the beginning of June and a trail open for hiking, we'll be there, you can count on it!

After forcing Kirsten to watch the sunrise with us, we'll stop at Starbucks for our usual oatmeal breakfast. We'll miss all of that crazy traffic in Oakhurst and be ready to hike bright and early.

Two years ago Reed was nearly struck by lightning after all of us scampered down the wet granite slope of Half Dome, last year snow blocked our trail to Eagles Peak, so we'll just count on the weather somehow messing with our plans and decide which trail to take when we get to the top and can see what we're working with this time!

Without fail, we will find someone who we recognize from afar as being a member of the church, and when we do, not only will Reed have a new BFF, but we will find that he has some random connection to them. Corey even had a connection to the couple we tried to befriend this time.  Wherever we go, there is always someone, you can count on it!

The views are always amazing 

And the granite walls still take my breath away!

We have come to count on finding an interesting hiker willing to take a picture of our group on the way up.  We don't know if they'll be like last year's photographer and just want to sing the birthday song while taking a close up, or the professional hiker from Thailand with the Austrian accent, but you can always count on finding some interesting folks out on the trail!

We can always count on great conversations and a large dose of silliness.  Some of us will undoubtedly be breaking in a new pair of shoes and Corey will wear his new broken in hat. I will make pasta salad and Corey will make cookies.  And while we know that water would be better, diet sodas will abound.

I

We can usually count on our fellow hikers to be pretty friendly.  Our photographer friend was willing to share his maps, but I'm pretty sure the wooden spoon is a left over compliments of the hairy, toothless, and aromatic volunteer crew!  We could count on them being on break along the path almost every time we saw them.  

I will always be in awe of the power of the water in the falls

And at the tranquillity of where it all begins

You can count on all of us wearing big smiles when we reach the top

and when we see just how far we've come!

No matter where you are in the park the view of Half Dome will always beg to be photographed.  We may be using fun iphone apps, a little cannon elph, or our "real" cameras, but you can count on Kirsten, Shelley and I to happily oblige.  

We will always agree that these stairs are faster, but much more brutal on the way back down.

You can count on a rainbow to be excuse enough for all of us girls to stop and take a few pictures.

 Whether or not Pepito is at the tunnel to send us out of the park, the view from there will always entice us back.  These days, in this beautiful place, with these friends, will always be some of my very favorites.  Half Dome or Clouds Rest are next on the list, but no matter the trail, there are some things that are sure not to change, and I am glad I can count on it!