Coyote Poopin'

One of my favorite shots from our recent salmon fishing trip. 

Boden Fun!

Let's face it, Idaho isn't always the most glamorous of places.  In a town where hiking boots, neutral colors, and zip off pants are the norm, finding some girlfriends that love to shop Boden seems like a shot in the dark.  Yet...here we are. We met up at the local wine bar to flip through our new catalogs (no peeking allowed ahead of time) and plan our next orders.  Thank you Boden for adding some color to our lives!

Crooks: Adventure Air in Lewiston Idaho

For Chris's birthday this year I decided to get him a hot air balloon ride as a present. After researching I found the closes one to Spokane was in Lewiston. This company partners with a company to book reservations. I talked to a lady at this partner company and was given a quote on a balloon ride. When I called back to confirm the reservation a different agent answered the phone and said that the other lady was mistaken and the price was substantially higher. Sooo....

I decided to bypass this booking company all together and go directly to Adventure Air. I explained the situation to the owner James Knight and he expressed his concern with the situation. After talking everything through he said I could rent an entire basket for $199 per passenger, which would mean I would need to find 3 other passengers to go with Chris and I. The basket holds 6 total (including the pilot). The price for an individual ride was more expensive and there was a slight cost savings by renting out the entire baskets. I invited my Dad, Brother and by brother's wife to join us. I called and finalized our reservation for a private ride and we were good to go! Or so we thought.....

We show up for our ride and there were five other passengers there. ???? I ask James where our private balloon was and he claims to know nothing about that. He asks me what I paid (in front of the other passengers) and makes a point of saying the price would have been double if we had actually reserved a private basket.

I had promised my family a private ride and now we were jammed into a basket like cattle to the slaughter with strangers. We couldn't even see out the other side of the basket! Our one sided view of stinky Lewiston was extremely underwhelming.

Had I know were were not going to have a private flight to ourselves I would have only booked the flight for Chris and I which would have saved me $597.

Oh and right before our flight the company ran a groupon deal for $139. When I talked to Mr. Knight on the phone he said they wouldn’t be doing another groupon deal because it didn’t make him any money. Well…apparently that was a lie also. Had I taken advantage of this deal it would have saved me….$300. And had I only booked the flight for Chris and I it would have saved me….$717.

And two more points of dishonestly:
5 people at $199 each means I should have been charged $995 dollars on my credit card; not the charge that came through for $1000. Where I come from it is not okay to “round up” charges.

The flight was supposed to be 1.5 hours and was just shy of 1 hour from the time of lift off. That means instead of paying $11.11/ minute we ended up paying $16.50/minute.

Needless to say I will not be recommending this company to anyone. Unfortunately, we made all of our arrangements over the phone so I have nothing in writing. But, you all know me to be an extremely honest person…so…..you decide for yourself.

Because I believe in treating people humanely I would like to mention how fantastic our pilot was. He was extremely knowledgeable and very very good. Also, the support crew was fantastic, they worked their tails off. Thank you!

I highly recommend a hot air balloon ride. It is a fun adventure and I imagine it could be a really great time; especially in a more scenic setting. Just make sure you do not book your flight with Adventure Air.
http://www.adventuristair.com/index.html

Come on People....EXPRESS LANE EQUALS FAST

Living in a small town you learn to slow down and take it easy.  However, when I am in the express lane at the grocery store I still expect a little expedience.  So....I was about to blow my top at the sheer ignorance and stupidity that was in front of me the last time I hit the express lane.  These three points pretty much sum it up each person who was in front of me:

1) Paying with a check lady
2) Paying with your spare change while toting an oxygen tank man (not so upset about this one)
3) Using my debit card at check our for the first time lady- "oops! I think I hit the wrong button", "oops! I hit the wrong button again!", "the buttons flip flop order, this machine is poorly designed".

AHHHHHH!!!!!

A House and a Couch

C is buying a house.  It is a wonderful house.  Not too big, not too small.  It is on a great street in the Audobon Park neighborhood.  The best part is that the house doesn't need any work.  The kitchen has been remodeled and the paint is beautiful.  C tells me to think of it as my house too, but it is hard to do when I have no idea when I will actually live there.  But, in the mean time it will be a lovely place to stay.  We already have plans for the entertainment room in the basement.  We are hoping this will be our forever home. 

Every new house needs a new couch. C and I have been couch shopping.  We have decided on the Dorset sofa.  It is a little retro, to fit the style of the house that was built in 1925, and a little modern too.  We are going to get it with grey fabric and blue trim and...wait for it....chrome legs!  CHROME!  I hear that country song now..."her favorite color is chrome!"

My Life by Bill Clinton

I recently listened to My Life by Bill Clinton on audio book. I have always admired the work he did as a president and was even more impressed after listening to his book.


Here are a few quotes from this great leader that demonstrate his drive to pull this country together instead of apart. The fact that he lead this country into one of it's most posperous times is a tribute to his strong leadership and vision.

• “By lifting the weakest, poorest among us, we lift the rest of us as well.”
• “We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”
• “Politics is not religion and we should govern on the basis of evidence, not theology.”
• “The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs; Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists.”
• “I have news for the forces of greed and the defenders of the status quo; your time has come and gone. It's time for change in America.”
• “For too long we've been told about "us" and "them." Each and every election we see a new slate of arguments and ads telling us that "they" are the problem, not "us." But there can be no "them" in America. There's only us.”

  Okay, and my personal favorites, although definitely a strong dish at the republicans:

• “I like that about the Republicans; the evidence does not faze them, they are not bothered at all by the facts.”
• “Taxing less and spending more... it's fun in the short run, but it's a recipe for disaster”

And since my mom was an educator and several of my friends are too, this one is for you:

• “If we want to invest in the prosperity of our nation, we must invest in the education of our children so that their talents may be fully employed.”

What a pain in the arm.

I made an appointment to see Dr. Crane at Internal Medicine.  I told the receptionist that I wanted to come in to get a prescription for milaria and shots for my trip.  I get to the office early and end up waiting 10 minutes past my appointment time before they call me back. 

The nurse gets my weight and asks me why I am there.  I said to get immunizations and milaria pilss.  She says "we don't do that here"??  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!  I about blew a gasket.  She said they could give me a tetanus shot.  But then I would have ended up paying for the office visit.  She tells me to go to the health department.  I tell her to make a copy of my medical record because I won't ever be coming back. 

I made an appointment at the health department for the next day.  I go back to get my shots and I am informed that I need to see my regular doctor to get a prescription for milaria pills (please refer back to first and second paragraph of this post...grrrrr).  So I get my tetanus and typhoid shot.  I find out that they can't bill insurance so it is $125 out of my pocket. 

Our benefits specialist at work says the tetanus shot would have been covered if I would have gotten it done at a in-network provider (please refer back to first and second paragraph of this post....grrrr).  LOVELY!!  And we aren't covered for travel vaccines by our insurance.  Apparently...we aren't suppose to travel anywhere. 

So...now I have an appointment at the Women's Health Care to get a prescription for milaria pills.  And they said since I am coming in I should get my yearly exam.....swell!  I can hardly wait!!!

This trip better be worth it!