Me and the kids went out to the ranch on one very important task. It was to clean the ranch house. We split up the work and got it done faster than I thought. We played first of course. It was great enjoying my children while cleaning, listening to music, trying out our new dance moves while cleaning. Next weekend I will go out to finish the windows and base boards. Have I told you lately how much I love Ashalee, Andrew, and Adam?
Michele and her flip flops
I am extremely lucky to have such an awesome best friend. Michele is one of the kindest people I know. I have learned from her that kindness is more than a behavior, it's a way of being. She loves my children, therefore, I love her. I have known her for four years but it's felt like longer. We have so many inside jokes that at times it's hard to make eye contact with her for fear of bursting out laughing. When I see her she usually knows what kind of day I have had. We have so much in common but are so different at the same time. I love being with her even if we are doing manual labor that is kicking my butt, because we enjoy each others company and it usually turns out hilarious. For example, on Wednesday we decided to take the boat out to Quail lake while the kids were in school. When we got there the boat wouldn't start. So Michele said, "We can just turn the boat around, back the truck up into the water and jump the battery to the boat. The visual for me was that BOTH vehicles would be in the water, and electricity and water don't mix. I reluctantly agreed to help her with this insane endeavour praying the entire time that no one would get electrocuted. Miraculously we stayed safe, got the boat started and headed off onto the lake. When it was time to go the boat didn't start. We were almost as far away from the dock as we could be. No boats on the lake, just us. I freaked, Michele jumped in the water tied a rope onto a hook on the front of the boat. She looped the rope around so that it made two ropes coming of the knot. One for me, one for her. At that moment I understood what she was doing. We were going to pull/swim the boat to the dock! I reluctantly jumped in and we started swimming like crazy pulling the boat a inch a minute. This is not a small boat either. It's a 18 foot pontoon boat with a bathroom on the back. In the middle of the swim, I look over at her and she is just smiling. We were actually having fun. Except for the part I thought I was going to drown. The point is that we made it. We did it together. forty five minutes of swimming pulling a boat together laughing at the predicament we got to share together. I call it a Michele moment, and I have many, many more. I wouldn't change any of those crazy stranded somewhere pretend your Mcgyver moments for anything, because they were with her. She is impulsive and that drives me crazy because I am not, but I have never laughed so hard with another person. Come to think of it I have never cried so hard with another person. She'll say things like "let's build a house today" or "Do you want to tile today" with so much excitement in her voice. She truly believes there is nothing she can't do. I have learned by watching and working with her that I can do anything. I know how to drywall, tile, frame, paint my toenails, and love deeper because of her. I care about her so much that I will forgive her for wearing flip flops while riding a horse. There are things I teach her too. Looks like she's getting a pair of cowboy boots for Christmas. Anyone up for a lake drive/swim? 
