Mother of Pearl!!!

So my mom falls. A LOT. And its not like she is does not know how to walk- although maybe the balance in her ears are off- she is just clumsy. If she were an Indian her name would be "Falls A Lot"

Anyway- If we count up her falls and have a chart we maybe could think of a medical condition for her- but they really are spread out and they really are funny falls. Like a couple of years ago when she went to go visit her friend Erna, she was walking up the walkway (which is stair friendly- BUT spread out) she completely bit ass! She says it was because of the water/mud combination on the stairs. I think it was because she was not paying any attention! Like the time where she fell UP the stairs in her house- ok so she was wasted from the Denver Broncos playoff game and I brought over jello shots where they were supposed to be taken when the Broncos SCORED not when they got a first down- but still that is a FALL.

She has gotten really injured on these falls. Like one time she was leaving her school after a day of teaching and she was wearing awkwardly tall shoes (I know these shoes because I gave them to her after realizing I do not wear tall shoes) and she was walking down the stairs of Smoky Hill High School. Well she totally lost her balance (naturally) and fell on the side of her foot BREAKING her foot! I get a call from her telling me that she was on her way to the ER because she fell and broke her foot! I knew at some point of my adult life I would get that call. So we all meet her at the hospital where it takes HOURS for anyone to see her injury and yep- sure enough she broke her foot and has to wear a boot for 2 months. Best part is? It is December and she now has to do Christmas shopping on a broken foot!! Although she DOES get a handicap sticker which means front row parking during the busiest shopping days of the year.

Her most recent falls I laughed out loud when I heard about them. She was at 24 hour fitness with Ashley and they are both on the treadmill. She is walking fast at this point but a song came on that she just loves. Candyman by Christina Aguilera. WATCH OUT if that song comes on and my mom is listening to it. Get out of the way if she is driving, LEAVE the dance floor and make sure you are not walking behind her treadmill. So she ups her speed- she is starting to run- at this point she has no idea what happened. She closes her eyes and she is really into the song. She says maybe she fell asleep. Ashley thinks that she is pulling a fast one on her and totally joking around. But my mom stops moving her legs. Her lower half of the body just stops moving- which seems odd considering she LOVES this song. Few seconds later- BAM! she is on the ground! FALLS OFF the treadmill!! WHO DOES THAT?! She is laughing, Ashley makes sure she is ok, but come on- that is funny stuff. And I am sure we can all imagine my mom- "Oh dear!"

A trip to the zoo sounds fun on a hot afternoon doesn't it?! So my mom, Jess, the nephews and Aunt Jeannie all go to the zoo. (Meanwhile everyone else in this country WORKS!) So they approach this half wall thing that tells animal lovers how far an animal can jump. This wall thing has been there for years and its always a challenge to see how far you can jump. SO they all start jumping- Michael gets as far as a penguin which apparently they can jump far. Jeannie is now challenging my mom to see if she can get close to that. Well my mom thinks, I have short legs and I have no chance- but screw it! Lets do it! SO they all stand around to see how far she can jump. Someone holds her purse. She pretends to stretch. And JUMP! she sticks the landing! Oh wait....there she goes....and FALLS on her ass!! MAN DOWN!! she is now on her back staring in the sky laughing...again, we can all imagine mom, "Oh dear!"

So I am worried that I am going to miss a really good fall and a really good laugh, but at the same time I really want to have her wear her scooter helmet everywhere she goes for safety purposes. Can you just imagine her on a scooter. It is pretty bad ass.

HIGH ALTITUDE WARNING!!

My mom, Steve and I went to Steamboat last week to do check out some things before the big week. The best part was tasting our food for our weeding. YUM!

It was absolutely beautiful and Steve and I fell in love with Steamboat even more then what we we already do!! There are bars that do not exist in the winter time- mostly because of the 4-5 feet of snow that they get- and mostly because we never adventure near the Yampa River during the winter. (Well unless you are going to eat at Double Z's- then you will get a taste of the Yampa River- but again, you will not know it even exists- plus you only get a taste of the best BBQ that you will have- heart attack on a plate- what other place will make you a hamburger WITH a smoked sausage on it?) Anywho- there is so many bars that you might find in a state like Hawaii, Jamaica or even Mexico- where you are walking along the streets in a bathing suit after a long day of swimming and shopping and then BAM! there is a cute bar that is outside, a guy that is serving up beers and pina coladas- wears a god awful colorful, loud shirt and you would think that would have an accent (probably Jamican) and want you to join him as you belly up for a drink. There is an area where you can sip your drink- in this case we got a Sol- a really light Mexican beer- you grab a lawn chair, enjoy the sun, and the Yampa River that goes by. Its nothing like the ocean or the beach- but this is Steamboat Springs and this is a mountain town. You do not see water- usually- and you do not see these bars. But Sunpies was the best bar we have been to. In a long time. Probably in the top 5 bars we have EVER been to. And this is next to The Bell in Hand in Boston which is also one of the OLDEST bars.

So all we want to do is stay at this place. FOREVER. But we have a lot to do in the 30 hours in we are there and we have to move on. The town is so cute, every one of the Steamboaters is so cute. People walking their dogs along the paths right next to the river, LOTS of people on their bikes- and I do not mean motorcycles, I mean BICYCLES. People are not lazy here like they are in Denver. We LOVE our TV back in the city. Its all about cable and how we get the best public transportation over there. Here- you can get to the "city" in 15 minutes from your mountain condo if you are on a bike. I know it takes you 5 minutes in a car. We must go check into the condo we are staying in- there are like 80 of them so we must go on the hunt for it.

We walk to the gondola square from our condo in probably 10 minutes or less. We are walking along the side of Yampa (How long is this river?!?!) it is amazing- so pretty. We get to the gondola square where there is a bunch of contsruction- which kind of sucks, but nothing you can do. We go to the Grand hotel to check that out and to make sure we still have reservation for that Sat. night. Then we head over to Slopeslide for eats and more drinks.

I am starting to feel a little light headed and I am just thinking it is because I am hungry. I also have a headache coming on, but hey- I ALWAYS have a headache so no big deal. We eat, drink- just sit on the patio and just love the scenery. We are excited about tasing the food tomorrow and go on the gondola. We go back to the condo and get ready for a swim in the pool and hot tub. I have a huge headache and playing in the pool is a little hard- I am sucking wind but I do not swim at all either. ever. Which is weird because that is all I did as a kid.

Needless to say- I was feeling a little altitude sickness. It was really weird- but I did not drink very much water either. The next day I drank a bunch of water and was feeling a little better- but drinking water is key in Steamboat Springs.

Railbenders for Steve

The Railbenders are one of Steve favorite bands- they are a local band- and what I like to call "hoo-da-lee-who" (country) music. Now trying to find a gift for your husband-to-be is probably be one of the hardest things to do. I mean Steve has everything- He bought the big TV he wanted, the X-box, the fooseball table, the bar, the mini fridge that holds his beers, the PSP- I mean shit- the guy acts like he is 12 again. SO what better way to give him a gift then to have one of his favorite bands play for him.....
SO back in January, I email the Railbenders. I ask them what they think about coming up to Steamboat Springs, August 8th-the night before our wedding, to play for Steve. They actually emailed back and said they were in! They loved Steamboat Springs and better yet, they loved the Tugboat bar and grill where I was going to have them play! So now that they are in and they have August 8th locked down in their calendar, I have to act fast to get the Tugboat on the idea.
I called the Tugboat and they give me some other number of a guy that book their bands. The guy, Jeules, actually called me back, told me he knew the Railbenders and have heard their music and they are in. This is easier than I thought it was going to be. A few weeks go by and I want to make sure that this guy has contacted the Railbenders manager, Ken. Ken says that no one has and that they would like to get the ball rolling on this. So now I start freaking out a little bit. I have called this Jeules guy and he has not called me back. SO I google his name. (thank god for google....I mean the internet knows EVERYTHING, Right?!) I read an article about how bad this guy is as far as booking bands and that he has been fired from most jobs!! WHAT?! Shit balls!
So I called Tugboat back and ask them for a new number, they give me Chad. Ok Chad- you better come through! I call him like 3 times and nothing. So what do I do? I goole his name! Chad + Steamboat gives me his last name so I google that. The google gods tell me that he is located in California- so I get his email address. (Again, why can we not find Bin Laden? surely Google knows where he is...) I email him- people are better with email. I know I am. He emails me back saying that he is waiting for the Tugboat's budget in order to book anything and he has no idea when that will be. Well it is March now and I have no idea what to do. I call Ken up. He tells me that I still have a soft hold on August 8th but that we need to figure out something soon. SO I go to Steamboat Springs. If I go INTO the Tugboat- someone HAS to talk to me about this.
I get Audio Steve from work on board with this as well. Audio Steve is the "audio steve" from Sugar Ray. yes THE Sugar Ray. He knows Mark Mcgrath....oh and if you live in Sterling Heights (which most of you do b/c we just addressed the wedding invitations) check them out at the Freedom Hill Amphitheater on July 20th.....Sugar Ray that is....ANYWAY- Audio Steve is telling me all the stuff that Ken is telling me I need (Like a PA....what the hell is a PA? I have a SHIT TON of Producer Assistants that I can give you!) SO Audio Steve is now excited telling me that HE will be the audio guy for the show. Awesome!
SO we go to Steamboat- My mom, sisters and I pile in the car (leave Steve behind) and go on ahead. We made other appointments up there- cake, photographer, you know....wedding stuff. We get there and go right to the Tugboat. There is a huge sign on there. "CLOSED FOR MUD SEASON." HOLY SHIT!! Now what am I supposed to do?! I look in the windows- I see someone in there, but it won't matter. Nothing will work now. Its over. I look over and my mom is banging on the windows, "Andrea, someone is in there!" Oh crap- mom is so going to get me in trouble. So I decide to call the Tugboat since they are programmed into my phone at this point. This guy answers, I tell him the situation and that I have a letter for the owner and all I need is someone to give it to him. WOW- he was a complete ass! He finally comes over to the window after hanging up on me- and says, "You know, I DO have work to do!" grabs the letter out of my hands and slams the window! WHAT?! So that was it.....no big present for Steve. I was so sad- I had no idea what to do.
I emailed Ken when we got back to tell him the news. He emailed back and told me how sorry he was that the Tugboat was as bad as it was. But he has an idea.....Why not have all of us go to Elways June 11th where they are already playing and give Steve the present that way. They will dedicate songs and it will be a huge surprise! Great idea- evite went out!
Wednesday was fast approaching and I told Steve that we got tickets to a Rockies game (which we did but thats a whole different story) so not to make plans. That day, I went to work- everyone was in and were trying to get off work in time for the big event. They get there at 5- we arrive at 5:30. I get home, (told Steve to dress kind of nice since we will go to a nice dinner beforehand) grab Steve and get in my car. We are driving there- I get a text from mom. "The band is already playing!" My heart races and in my head I keep thinking of all the emails that I sent back and forth-I KNOW they were supposed to go on at 7!! SHIT! she texts back- "Nevermind- just a sound check!" WHY would she do that to me?!? "Who was that?" Steve asks.....quick think of something....fast. "Oh my mom just text asking if we wanted to get dinner, but then texted back saying nevermind- you have the game." Good one.
I got Steve a card telling him that I got "some people" to join us in Steamboat the day before our wedding and that tonight is a "skinny down" version of it. We are getting close to Elway's. Cars. Everywhere. Crap. Traffic. Why now?! So I am panicking and Steve has no idea why. We are getting closer, I tell him to open his card. He is trying to figure out my riddle- keeps reading it out loud over and over. "Dre, I don't get this, what people? what are you talking about? whats going on?" Now he is starting to get mad as I pull up to Elways. As soon as we turn the corner, there is the tent outside and people everywhere. He says, "What is going on? Dre- talk to me! Is that your mom?!" He gets out of the car and sees a sign. "Railbenders! Tonight!" He is starting to figure this out....
We walk up and there is a table full of our friends, his parents- my mom....he looks at me and says, "What?!" They all point at a different table further away. There is his friends, Tony, Pink, Josh, Caleb....he is shocked! It worked! We walk over there. He looks at me and says, "Are we going to just leave for the Rockies game?!" I tell him the whole story and he is so excited.
I needed to talk to Jim Dalton- lead singer- to make sure that we Ken told him about the songs I wanted him to play and the shout out to Steve. So they walk in and channel 4 interviews them.....I forgot how hot Jim is. Delicious! Anyway- I make Meghan go up there with me- who doesn't love a Meghan Hott? We go up there and Meghan starts talking- and then I jump in blabing about who knows what. Man that hat makes him even hotter. He even has a toothpick in his mouth like a pure bad ass. He is truly dreamy...."Oh yeah, Andrea Price Right?" Holy shit. He knows my name. What am I? 12? Why am I struck by his manly appearance and that country twang voice of his. (Steve- your still the man for me) "Yeah that's me! Cool I just wanted to make sure you talked to Ken. Thanks so much for doing this Steve really loves you guys. And I KNOW you know him. He is the guy that always buys you whiskey at every show he goes to." "Oh yeah....that guy. The whiskey guy! We know him! We love Steve! Yeah, we are all set and you guys are on our set list so no worries." Man I love the Railbenders. They are now MY favorite band. NKOTB- take a seat!
So I go back to the table where my mom is- she is a couple drinks in and feeling it. Man she is so damn cute. "Go get Steve- Tell him that they are here!" Good idea. I go get Steve. I go back up to Jim with Steve. "Steve....." Jim says. Now Steve probably thinks that he remembers him from way back when....They start talking and Steve tells me to go get Josh so I do. Josh and Steve are now talking to Jim. Man Jim is hot.
The show starts and they start with I-70 westbound. Good choice. Probably 10 minutes into the show Steve decides that it is already time for the whiskey so we have my mom go get some. While we are deciding this- Jim starts saying something.... "We want to say congratulations to Steve and Andrea on their engagement- they are getting married August 9th. They are really good people." Steve and I high-five each other (its what we do) and he goes into another song.
Throughout the night Jim keeps shouting out, "This one is for Steve" and they played Whiskey Rain, Drinking Buddies, Piss up a rope....all the songs that Steve loves. It was SUCH an awesome night. Steve got drunk, Mom got drunk, I got drunk, Jim and crew got drunk. They played for 4 hours straight.
All in all....it was MUCH better than the rockies game.

Oops!!

Steve and I were at the grocery store today and we were both in a super goofy mood. We go to the lotion aisle b/c it is summer and I need sunscreen and what not. So he is looking at one part of the aisle and I am trying to get him to calm down. I mean he was acting like a 5 year old. "Dre....I wanna go home.....just pick something...." So I am standing there now taking my time to pick a lotion b/c now I am just proving a point. Well when he gets annoyed and wants to annoy me even more he turns me into a puppet. I know....its hard to imagine, but picture someone taking your arms and moving them around. Well that is what he is doing. He is also saying, "This is the lotion I want!" and trying to get me to pick a lotion up. Well when he does this, and he knows when he does this, it cracks me up. I cannot stop laughing- I have no idea why- but I am laughing so hard, he is trying to get me to grab a bottle, so I just grabbed the one I was looking at and he is taking my arms and waving them up and down saying "Yea! I picked one!"

As soon as he moved my arms up and said that I let go of the bottle, no idea why, I just did! The bottle goes flying up in the air. I am thinking it will drop behind us....Steve looks in the air, lets go of me and starts laughing. I do not see the bottle at all. All of a sudden I hear it SLAM!! It went in the aisle next to us!! We both look at each other start laughing and run out of that aisle (after I grab another bottle of lotion!) We finally get another aisle and are still laughing so hard, we get distracted at what this aisle has to offer. "Oooo....I think we are out of shampoo...." I think to myself.

We are getting ready to leave the store and we hear "We have a clean up on aisle 3. Clean up on aisle 3." We looked at each other, both knowing that we were in aisle 4 and just starting laughing again!