Almost Gypsy Soul

I was accepted into the 2017 Sweetwater County Leadership class, which was pretty exciting since only 15 people get to take the class each year. The class consists of leadership classes, a class community project and visiting business and places that make Sweetwater County tick. The goal of the class is to give a broad overview of the County and encourage participants to step up and take a leadership role in the community. Its also a great way to get to know people throughout the community. Each month the class spends a day exploring a topic that is prepared by the previous graduating class. Topics include: 1. Business and Human Services 2. Health 3. Industry 4. Recreation 5. Government 6. Education Our first day was Business and Human Services. We had the opportunity to explore, behind the scenes, several services and business throughout the community. There are so many services that really aim to help fellow citizens including the Community Food Bank, the various

 Building inside an Airstream is much harder than I thought it would be....I knew there was curves and it would present a problem, but I was under the illusion that he was straight for a little while before his shell started to curve. Well.....straight for a little while (in an Airstream) mean approximately one inch. Its a good thing we had the top hand (pictured below)....oh and The Retired Guy, affectionately known as The Project Manager. The Project Manager maintains that he has nothing to do with design, but he strayed into the design every now and again. Franklin felt HUGE after we tore everything out of it and I got a little carried away with what all we could actually fit back into him. We started with a twin bed with lots of storage. We salvaged some of the Airstream original roller drawers and added some under bed storage.   Next we tackled the barnwood walls.....to which I say if I never tear another pallet apart in my life that may be too soon.....BUT.....I

  When Franklin came to live with me, I thought we'd slap some paint on the walls and get to decorating. Little did I know, Franklin needed a little more TLC than I was prepared to give. Did you know that 75% of all Airstream renovations never get finished? But, thanks to the Project Manager, who you know as The Retired Guy, I got prepared to give Franklin some TLC. Bare with me, this will be the boring-est post about Franklin, there is no where to go but up from here, unless you are like really into demolition and plumbing and electrical and sealing up leaks. Click here to be reminded of what Franklin looked like when he arrived (also his name was Wilson when he arrived) . If you are interested in knowing why Wilson became Franklin, give a little click here. Ok, so now you are all caught up on Franklin....ready to see what happened in a little over 1 year?  We got super lucky on the electrical.....everything worked, we just had to follow it and identify it. We di

I saw something the other day that is both depressing and sometimes true here in the great white north; “April showers bring May Plowers”, and sure enough, it snowed today!!   This winter has made me drink a lot!   It’s been a long one!   But, I do see some green grass coming up, so hope is alive, and hey, the desert is going be crazy green this year!   Here’s to hoping spring comes soon!   Oh, yeah, and your playlist… Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Fishing in the Dark Billy Currington, It Don’t Hurt Like it Used To Luke Combs, Hurricane Eddie Rabbit, I Love the Rainy Night The Great Divide, Yesterday Road Enjoy!!

4. Be constantly on the lookout for things to be thankful for. The more you search for gratitude, the more you will realize how much goodness you already have in your life. From the tiny things, like a green traffic light, to the big things, like having a job you love – living every day with a mindset of gratitude is such an easy way to spend your life being happy with right now  instead of always obsessing over what you want in the future. Earlier this week someone asked me "What do you want to do ideally?" which of course translates into the dreaded "What do you want to be when you grow up?" or "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" So I started thinking about what my perfect week would actually look like and here is what I came up with. I want to go to work (I'll even keep the job I have because I like it most of the time) and help the agriculture industry. When I go home I want to ride my bike or ski and knock back a couple beers after

My BIL, T, he likes to rope. a lot. Like if he isn't drinking beer, mountain dew, or working you can bet he's somewhere with a rope in his hand. at a rodeo. at a jackpot. in the practice pen. And you know what, he's pretty good at it too. Since I'm ready for a trip to Colorado (I haven't been since January) here's what I'm going to need you to do.....go to the Fan Voting for Rodeo Allstars and VOTE FOR TODD WILSON IN THE TEAM ROPING and  CJ VONDETTE IN THE BARREL RACING.   because she is awesome and he is awesome and I want to hang out with them for the weekend at the rodeo. And because I really, really want  you to go vote for them (once a day, everyday) I'm going to give you the link so you don't even have to Google. You're welcome. VOTE FOR T WILSON AND CJ VONDETTE 

March… 4 foot of snow on the ground and the wettest time of year is still yet come (here at least)! I’d better get that boat fixed, might need it! But, we are on the downhill side of winter and spring is just around the corner. Anyway… It is again my pleasure to bring the monthly playlist to the AGS faithful. This is a compilation of songs that I have been listing to as of late. Some new, some old… but all worth a listen. Everything I See, George Strait With You I Am, Cody Johnson Can’t Be a Cowboy Forever, Aaron Watson Loud and Heavy, Cody Jinks Over When It’s Over, Eric Church  Enjoy! Happy Birthday Jen!

When a 6 year old wants "Aunt Jen" to have her Halloween party because it was fun, who is Aunt Jen to say NO? That's right, not allowed. So thanks to Little Boy, we had a 2nd Annual Boos & Brews Costume party. I changed the name a little, but it was essentially the looked like the same party. All those decorations that I bought last year, well they needed dusted off and re-used. I wanted to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid this year so I hopped on my faithful Amazon account to score a sweet deal, only there weren't any. The going price for Ursula costumes....about $120+. um.no. So I thought I'd settle for Ariel. Amazon didn't disappoint there, except my mermaid skirt didn't make it from China before the party so I had to do a little improvising, as in I changed the sheets on my guest bed. And I give you, The Little Mermaid 2016. While she doesn't sing to well, she sure likes those Dirty Hippies, complements of a mountain bike trip to Fruita.

16.  Let people love you.  You don’t have to earn it, work for it, deserve it, be good enough for it. That’s the whole point of love, at the end of the day. People love you for you, not who they want you to be. I feel alone sometimes which is probably understandable since my closest family member is 4.5 hours away and the only other thing in the house that breathes is a good bottle of wine my dog. Yes, I think the bottle of wine does not count...... maybe ..... probably .....does not count. Its so easy to focus on what one doesn't have especially when someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, but that doesn't mean its not all they have or that there aren't people out there who love me just the way I am and for who I am. To those who do love me, even when I might be a little hard to love. Thank you! , I'm thankful for you. For whatever reason, I have a hard time believing that I'm worth that love and I'm going to try just a little bit

It’s another all request month from our host, (apparently I have been slacking in the Red Dirt category… and I have, sorry). It’s hard to resist the pull of the classics, especially with what you hear on mainstream radio, but, I must say, these are an exception to the rule. Makes you feel pretty darn good about the artists that don’t sell out and hope that it will continue. Maybe Trump will make mainstream radio play more songs like these…. Hahahahaha….. Merica! Casey Donahew Band - Kiss Me Wade Bowen, Sun Shines on a Dreamer Miranda Lambert, Things That Break Micky and Motorcars, Tonight We Ride Randy Rogers Band, Neon Blues  Enjoy!

Almost Gypsy Soul was born out of a "Dirty 30" list and each year since I've had the equivalent of New Years Resolutions or goals.... 2014 , 2015 , 2016 . I've tried to keep you up to date on my progress through this blog and through that these have come to feel like a checklist, not really sure that I'm reaping what I'm trying to sow here, so to speak. This year I want less of a list to methodically and thoughtlessly cross items off of and instead, something more, something with deeper meaning something empowering, something that pushes me to be better, pushes me forward, productive member of society, comfortable in my own skin, have a direction ya know that kind of thing. And while I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate it through my words, I hope you'll bear with me anyway while I navigate 17 ways to fall in love with your life in 2017 . I'm really good at math and figured out that I'll have to examine more than one of these per

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at the start of another year… dang!   Not sure where the time goes! Some reflect on the past year and resolve to make better choices or to do something in the coming year that didn’t happen in the past or something like that… I haven’t won the lottery yet (dammit), so, I will still go to work.   This year my resolution is to get “yacht” in proper working condition so it can actually get used!   That is all that I am promising myself and those fortunate to grace the deck of it. With all that has happened in the past few months, it could be an interesting year in 2017! While we wait to see what 2017 has in store for us enjoy these jams!! I Don’t Look Back, Gary Allan Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd Pledge Allegiance to the Hag, Eric Church You Just Can’t See Him From the Road, Chris Ledoux Summer of ’69, Bryan Adams Enjoy!! Happy New Year!!