Doin' the Mom Thing

Nan called last week to see if I wanted to join her on a trip to Santa Barbara to help Carter get set up at college.  So maybe he'd already been there a week and all of his stuff was in his room, but she was just feeling like we should go and put a "mom spin" on things.  She didn't have to ask twice!

Nan's trainer and almost family member Matt knows how off the wagon we are when we're together.   We thought we'd off set the countless bags of sugared treats and empty chocolate wrappers sitting in our front seat with a little action on the stairs at SBCC.  The view was incredible and the workout enough to make Matt proud.

 I had to check my google maps three times before I would believe Nan that there were really no Target stores in Santa Barbara.  Not even a Wal Mart.  K Mart was our only option for getting the storage drawers, shelves, bathroom necessities etc that we were certain Carter couldn't live without.  3 stores 20 cardboard boxes, a million plastic wrappers, and several hours later we had our guy all set up!

Project organization was almost complete, but we needed just one quick trip back to K Mart.  While we did get the last few essentials our favorite find was this fancy ride!  I've never seen anything like it.  It was pieces of so many different kinds of vehicles.  Gas tank was in the back of a bottomless truck bed, the seats were from a tractor, the floor was plywood and the front was an even better mish mash of stuff!   

While we were checking it out the guy came out with his pack of smokes and tatted sleeves and told Nan she ought to get inside for a picture!  Who were we to argue?

The creepy guy at 7-11 who told Nan she had a sexy professor look going on may have been a front runner for being Nan's next boyfriend, but the ingenuity in making this car may have given this guy just a small nudge of an edge ;)

The next step was laundry.  Starting off with a gigantic bag of dirty clothes wasn't the best idea for the boy who would rather buy a new shirt than wash one.  Nan and her sack of laundry was almost as good as Santa with his sack of toys!

Don't worry, it wasn't all work and no play.  We had lunch at some great outdoor cafes, shopped for  hours, met up with Carter's roommate Taylor from last semester, and spent time with the always beautiful Julia Carvahal.

We hung out in the courtyard at the apartment complex and got to hear all about the interview  Carter had done earlier in the day promoting his new clothing brand Klutch.

 And best of all we just got spend some time with our guy.  I just love both of them more than I can say, and was incredibly grateful for the invite.  Doin' the mom thing is never a bad thing!

Puppy Love

 It's true, I totally love this puppy.  I even talk to her in a funny little voice.  I want to bring her when I go places, and worry about how she's doing when I don't.

I stumble out to check on her as soon as I wake up.  I wander out to the garage to play with her in the middle of the day. 

I give her little puppy kisses and I even let her inside of my house!  My family was watching me with her tonight, and decided it was time they let me in on a little secret.  

This crew had regular meetings, secret meetings, and were involved in a conspiracy.  They plotted and planned.  They executed strategies, and played on my weaknesses.  Until eventually they wore me down.  They convinced me they were finally responsible enough to have a dog.  The responsibility would not be all mine.

So far they are holding up their end of the bargain pretty well.  They are quite pleased with themselves for working all the right angles and wearing me down.  But their daily comments can't conceal their shock at how attached I've become to our little Shelby.  Seriously though, how could you not love this face?!!!

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!!