#Gnarly Party Rentals

[gnarly-party-rentals]

Birthday Party Rentals

Planning a memorable celebration is easy with birthday party rentals, which offer a range of exciting options to suit any theme or preference. From bounce houses and inflatable slides to tables, chairs, and tents, renting party equipment can transform your backyard or venue into a fun-filled paradise.

One of the most significant advantages of birthday party rentals is the variety of options available. Rental companies provide many items, ensuring you can find everything you need for a seamless party setup. Whether you're looking for themed decorations, interactive games, or practical furniture, these services have you covered. This convenience means you don’t have to purchase and store items you'll use infrequently. Simply rent what you need, enjoy the party, and return the items afterward.

Hosting a birthday party can be expensive, but birthday party rentals offer a cost-effective solution. Renting allows you to access high-quality equipment without the hefty price tag associated with buying. Additionally, many rental companies offer packages that include multiple items at a discounted rate, making it even more affordable to host a grand celebration. This approach saves money and ensures that your party has all the essential elements to keep guests entertained.

Another significant benefit of birthday party rentals is the ease of setup and cleanup. Rental companies typically handle the equipment's delivery, setup, and breakdown, allowing you to focus on enjoying the party rather than stressing over logistics. This professional service ensures everything is installed safely and correctly, minimizing the risk of accidents and maximizing the fun for your guests.

Overall, birthday party rentals provide a practical and enjoyable way to enhance any celebration. With various options, cost-effective solutions, and stress-free setup and cleanup, renting party equipment is a smart choice for creating unforgettable memories. Whether planning a small gathering or a significant event, birthday party rentals can help make your celebration successful.

Featured Business:

Gnarly Party Rentals is the ultimate choice for birthday party rentals that elevate your celebrations. Imagine your dream party brought to life with our incredible range of customizable options—from enchanting themed decorations and vibrant bounce houses to exciting inflatable slides and interactive game stations. Our expert team is dedicated to making your event unforgettable, handling every detail with precision and care. We offer a seamless experience, from the initial consultation and personalized planning to the flawless delivery, setup, and post-party cleanup. At Gnarly Party Rentals, we take pride in turning your vision into a spectacular reality, ensuring every moment of your celebration is filled with fun, laughter, and unforgettable memories. Let us transform your next birthday party into an extraordinary event that leaves a lasting impression on all your guests.

Contact: Gnarly Party Rentals 101 Silver Oak Circle, Southington, CT 06489, United States H4CV+FQ Southington, Connecticut, USA (860) 919–1136 https://www.gnarlypartyrentals.com/

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgqhDNbmxKE

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBvgx4fNBUKvP-5E_38e_6Tw6WxKqzfA6

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gnarly-party-rentals/birthday-party-rentals

Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/gnarly-party-rentals/sets/birthday-party-rentals

Medium Post: https://medium.com/@gnarlypartyrentals/birthday-party-rentals-955dc4a8a20f

Weebly: https://birthday-party-rentals.weebly.com/

Tumblr Post: https://gnarly-party-rentals.tumblr.com/post/757590219117756416/birthday-party-rentals

Strikingly: https://birthday-party-rentals.mystrikingly.com/   Google MyMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1ywQQRoRz9jyyyFkfHp40WmJFmfVyYBE

Google Map CID: https://www.google.com/maps?cid=9889042167422525274

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/view/birthday-party-rentals-1/

Wakelet Collection: https://wakelet.com/wake/ozfOo7XBu97JSyVl08HMo

Twitter List: https://x.com/i/lists/1818900342068986267

Twitter Tweets: https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818901916178624963 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902135444217944 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902271662735760 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902408392798238 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902532581900347 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902698143764832 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902819455275261 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818902942251987424 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818903073273888848 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818903199702466881 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818903350118957402 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818903610425749545 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818903752524677208 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818903873291206793 https://x.com/GnarlyPRentals_/status/1818904039972536780

[frangipanidownunder]

Returning the Past: part 1

Okay, so after more than a year of working on this beast, I am finally going to post what has become known as my ‘Aussie casefile’. (Hey @lepus-arcticus and @baronessblixen - remember this?) 

This started as an idea for a multi-chap fic set downunder by way of an explanation for that rowboat scene in IWTB. In this universe, M&S are newlyweds. 

This is ten chapters of nonsense, but written with love. I’ll post a couple of chapters a week and most of it will be under a cut because, you know, words.

Disclaimer: I am a fake Aussie. I have never been to the Daintree. But I am not a fake fiction writer - I made a lot of this stuff up...

Chapter One

There was a long stretch of white sand, the whitest she’d ever seen and where the ocean met it, blues and greens swirled in a tortoiseshell pattern. The row of trees bordering the beach was low, gnarly and the darkest green. A mint-fresh smell rose on the hot, light breeze. She could imagine the warm water dragging sand between her toes, the wind whipping her sarong around her legs, her hair across her face, the sun dappling her body. She closed her eyes and breathed in, long and slow. When she opened them again, the perfect view was still there.

                But Mulder wanted to go monster-hunting and he was practically out the door before they’d even unpacked.

                “Come on Scully, the Tasmanian tiger has been spotted in these parts on numerous occasions.”

                “And no doubt always by men who’d drunk too much of the local amber nectar. Thylacines have been extinct since 1936, Mulder. At the hands of man. And we’re 2000 miles from Tasmania. The Great Barrier reef is not, and has never been, the natural habitat of the Tasmanian tiger. And Romero Sands is an ‘exclusive honeymoon retreat offering the most private of accommodation’ , not a magical, mystery tour.” She turned to face him. “Besides, I want to do the tree top walk and the island tour. And there are those little row boats you can hire.”

                He grinned. “I know, I know. And we will do all those things, I promise. But please come tiger hunting with me first. Please.”

                She looked back at the beach, sun glinting off the turquoise water before turning to Mulder, decked out in camouflage gear and binoculars and not for the first time wondered what the fuck she was doing.

 They drove into the depths of the rainforest, following the nasal directions of the GPS. Towering ferns at the roadside cast crazy patterns the road, the tree canopy so tall that the highest branches looked like witches fingers scraping the blue sky. Even in the air conditioning, her sunglasses slipped down her nose.

              “There’s a lot of paranormal activity downunder, Scully.”

              She looked at his lap and smiled. “I bet there is.”

              He chuffed and drummed the steering wheel. “No really, there have been many reports of UFO activity and alien abductions over the years. I’ve been in contact with the UFO and Paranormal Research Society of Australia. It’s fascinating.”

              She twirled her hair in her fingers and laughed softly. A honeymoon in tropical Australia, about as far away from the darkness as they could get and yet. “I thought you wanted to find a thylacine, Mulder. Not a little green man.”

              “Grey, Scully,” he said, squeezing her knee. “All these years together and you still get it wrong.”

              “There doesn’t seem to be anything grey about Australia.”

              He looked out of his window and nodded. “Tropical rainforest. It’s either hot and wet or hot and dry.”

              “Sounds about right.” She gnawed on her knuckles as he gave her a look.

              “So, after we’ve done with Tasmanian tiger hunting can we go alien hunting?”

              She shook her head and laughed. “I didn’t realise that marriage would revert you to the little boy version of yourself, Mulder. Asking me what you can and can’t do like I’m your mother.”

              “And I didn’t realise that marriage would turn you into an even bigger stick in the mud, Scully. We’ve flown halfway around the world and you don’t seem to want to open yourself up to new adventures in a different hemisphere. I mean the water goes down the plughole the other way round. The animals are unique, marsupials and monotremes. This should be right up your alley.”

“Everything is out to kill you – plants, birds, fish, insects, reptiles.”

“But, Scully, the sky is enormous. There are different constellations. Australia is an amazing place. A continent in its own right. And all you want to do is lounge by the pool.”

              “Mulder, you’re whining.”

              “I think you’ll find that’s whinging, Scully. Over here, it’s whinging. I memorised the Strine dictionary to prove it.”

              “Strine or no Strine, mate, whatever it is, you’re fair dinkum doing it.”

              “I just want to experience everything that there is to offer here – rainforest, coral reef, marsupials extinct or otherwise.”

              “And Aussie aliens?”

              He turned and gave her the full watt smile. “Do you think they say ‘G’day, mate’ when they greet you here?”

              She reached in to her bag to get a bottle of water. “Yeah, and maybe they throw a prawn on the barbie as a welcome party instead of torturing you.” His smile fell away. He chewed his lip. She saw how his knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry, Mulder. That was out of line.” She ran her hand over his forearm.

              “S’okay, Scully. It’s just sometimes it all comes back…”

              She rolled her lips. “I know.”

              Clouds gathered ahead, brooding grey. In her guilty silence she imagined the faces of aliens, hideous and tattered at the edges.

They turned down the narrow lane marked on her map as Eddie Romero Track and pulled up in the small car park, bays edged with pitted sleepers and low growing ferns sprouting at the corners. The air was full. Scully reapplied her sunscreen, sprayed insect repellent on them both and adjusted her hat. She shrugged a small back pack over her shoulders and Mulder took the heavier one.

              “What have you got in there, Mulder? A wombat?”

              He unbuttoned his khaki shirt further as the air grew thicker. “I might have packed for all occasions, just like the good little Indian Guide I was.”

              She walked to the map board that stood next to the trail entrance. “I don’t think that it’s likely to rain sleeping bags here, Mulder. Just the usual tropical stuff.” She looked up, eyeing the rolling clouds above.

              “It might not need to rain sleeping bags, Scully. But I might just get lucky, eh?” He pulled open the bag and showed her the rolled up silver fabric and telltale zip.

              “Mulder, if you think I’m sleeping out here, you are nuttier than the macadamia plantation we passed. Besides we’ve got that wonderful four-poster king-sized bed back at the villa. You’ll always get lucky with that thing.”

              He chuckled. “The guide should be here soon. I was told to pack all this stuff. Just in case.”

“Well, this is about the first time you ever been quite so prepared.” She wandered to the edge of the forest where the track began. There was a rustling in the undergrowth. She peered in further and saw two kangaroos. She beckoned for Mulder, putting a finger over her lips as he strode closer. The animals, smaller than she expected stood stock still, clearly sensing human presence. Their bodies marked with a reddish brown jacket, paler grey elsewhere and a distinctive black stripe across its face that set them apart from the photos she’d seen in tourist brochures. The animals turned and bounced deeper into the forest.

“Pretty good spot on the first trip here, Scully.”

“They were smaller and prettier than I’d imagined. I didn’t realise they had such distinctive markings.”

Behind them, car tyres scrunched over grave. They both turned to watch a land cruiser pull into the space next to their rental.

“Mr and Mrs Mulder?” The young woman held out her hand. “I’m Steph Callow.”

Scully stared at Mulder. He didn’t look at her, as he shook Steph’s hand. “Thanks for coming out with us.”

She smiled at him. “Not sure we’re going to see anything but there might be evidence.” She held out her hand to Scully. “Mrs Mulder, nice to meet you. Your husband’s enthusiasm has been full-on. I really hope we can find something for you both.”

“Dana Scully,” she said, shaking Steph’s hand. “My husband’s enthusiasm,” she eyed Mulder, who was finding the map very interesting, “is one of his most enduring traits.”

“Endearing, Scully? Did you say endearing?”

Steph stood between them before Mulder shrugged his backpack higher and grinned. “Let’s go and spy on some thylacines.”

 A way in and her legs were already aching; her new walking boots were heavy, making her feet sweaty hot. She was out of practice. Paediatric surgery was a million miles from chasing aliens, cryptids and human monsters. She sucked on the top of a water bottle and squashed another mozzie against her arm.

The noises of the Australian bush were a mix of musical and maniacal and she had quickly grown accustomed to the background sounds, but the feral growl that rumbled ahead had her throat drying. She stopped and tried to listen, but all she heard was Steph and Mulder chatting in the background. She picked up her pace to catch up with them.

              “So, where exactly was the latest sighting, Steph?” she asked.

              “Another couple of kays in.” She stabbed a spot on the map. “There’ve been a few sightings there. It’s a dense clump of Alpinia caerulea.  A native ginger. And lots of ferns and smaller understory plants. There’s a creek and the small marsupials, possums and tree kangaroos love it. It’s prime hunting grounds. The last time I saw one, a young male, was about a month ago.”

              Mulder swiped the sweat from his forehead. “And other members of the group saw a female with cubs at the same spot.”

              Scully pulled the map from him, flattening it out in her hand. It was just miles and miles of bush. Five hundred miles, in fact. “Group? What kind of group?”

              “Why so sceptical, Dr Scully?”

              She whacked his arm. “What kind of group?”

              He stretched his neck side to side. Steph drank from her water bottle, seemingly oblivious.

              “Mulder?”

              The rumbling growl filled the air. They both looked towards it. Thick low-growing pines, bulbous trunks, eucalypts in silvery spotted greys dominated the view in both directions. The birdsong had silenced.

              “Could be a koala,” Steph said, looking up. “People often mistake them for dogs.”

              “I thought they were nocturnal.”

              “They are usually, but it’s not uncommon to see them during the day. And the group Mr Mulder is referring to, is the FNQAAS. We often head out here, to watch the lights.”

              Scully shucked off her backpack and let it drop to the ground. “The funkas? The lights?”

              Mulder shrugged and looked up again, shielding his eyes.

              “The Far North Queensland Alien Abductee Society. They hold regular meetings here to watch the mysterious lights that sometimes appear in the middle canopy. There are blue and white lights that bounce over the trees.”

              “And you’ve seen them?”

              “Oh, yes,” Steph said. “When I was taken they were the brightest they’ve ever been.”

              Scully licked her lips and looked at Mulder. “When you were taken?”

              Mulder stepped towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Steph is an abductee. And president of the FNQAAS. She’s been taken several times.”

              “Mr Mulder tells me you’ve both had similar experiences yourself,” Steph said, offering them a muesli bar.

              Scully sighed and shook her head. “I don’t believe this, Mulder.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “You said this was a trip to see thylacines, a nice little trip to the forest. But…”

              “The thylacine sightings are linked to the lights and the abductions, Scully. It’s a fascinating case.”

              “A case. On our honeymoon?”

              Mulder smiled over at Steph, who was bent down taking photos of an elegant fern frond that curled outward. “Scully, I didn’t tell you at first because I knew you wouldn’t come. There are more holes in the stories than the plants in this forest but it gets us out and about.”

“No, Mulder. It gets you out doing the things you want to do. I get out plenty. It’s you who sits in that house all day reading stuff about funky Aussie alien hunters. There are no thylacines here. There are no lights. There have been no abductions. These people have probably inhaled some exotic fungus and shredded their minds. And once again, you’ve fallen for it.”

She grabbed her bag and stalked away.

“Scully! Where are you going?”

“Back to the car. You can get a lift back with funky Steph.”

 She headed back along the path listening to Mulder’s footsteps crackling across the springy forest floor.

“Scully, wait.”

The path ahead seemed darker than on the way in, the gnarled branches twisting lower, obstructing her way. Leaves scratched at her arms and legs, leaving red marks.

As she rounded a bend, the first drops of rain began. She heard the low rumbling growl. The clouds darkened. The trees loomed higher and higher. Her breath came in hard spurts. Mulder grabbed her arm just as the first lightning strike lit up the sky. It flashed and arced, causing her to stumble. He fell with her. Steph was close behind and she knelt where they fell, pointing up.

Scully followed the blue light, low and flat, as it streamed off the canopy. Mulder shielded his brow and a slow smile spread across his face. The white light followed, in smaller dots, bouncing around. The air smelt of sulphur. The growl grew louder and louder until a peal of high-pitched barking filled their ears.

“This is amazing, Scully.” Mulder was holding her elbow and stood up, bringing her with him. A blinding flash crashed above them. Twigs snapped and split, raining down on them, bark scratching their skin.

An ominous crack, deep silence, then a large branch crashed through the air, sending them barrelling to the ground.

[jasondilts]

When the Time is On You...

When the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off.

That’s one of the 5 sutras for the Aquarian Age that Yogi Bhajan gave us, axioms for how we could live successfully in uncertain times. As exciting as it sounds to be alive during the time of a great shift, it’s also downright confusing and a bit scary. These words were given to us as a map for how to survive, but also to thrive. After all, we aren’t here to just buckle up for whatever bumpy ride someone else wants to take us on. We can and we should be writing our own destiny.

 But there’s the second season of Making a Murder on Netflix, the new iPhone we need to stand in line for 4 hours to buy, that guy on Tinder who wants to meet up, this psychedelically immersive 4-D art show to check out, and the new vegan soul food place downtown. All of that must be done first…

 Sound familiar? Your proclivities may be different from mine and perhaps you find other distractions, but most of us really aren’t living up to the full capacity of who we came here to be. That must change.

 Perhaps the greatest promise of the Aquarian Age is the notion that we are in control of what happens to us. We are the masters of our own fortune. No longer do we have to be at the effects of others nor are we held back by a lack of access to information.  We are free, if we want.

 At least that’s what my friend said it one of his rock songs. I think he’s spot on. We have to decide that we want to start living up to our potential. When we aren’t, we feel a lot of weight.

 I’ve been thinking about this particular sutra a lot lately, mostly because I feel a lot of pressure and I haven’t exactly been in “start” mode. I moved to Los Angeles 5 years ago, a driving force behind my relocation being the promise of living in a city full of creatives. I’d long wanted to write a novel, but I felt I didn’t have the experience to do so. I figured I needed to take writing classes, learn more about the craft, surround myself with fellow writers, and be close to the proximity of power players in Hollywood to be successful at writing.  Eventually, I found my way to all of that. The one thing I didn’t do though was the only action that really matters: actually START WRITING.

 I had lot of excuses…really good excuses. Exciting excuses!

 At first, I got bogged down by the office politics of my day job and decompressed with a glass or four of Merlot after work. I told myself that I’d write once things got more stable in my department. A year and a half later, I was successful in my role of being an event manager, but massively failing at being a writer—simply because I was drinking wine when I could have been writing! Or going on hikes, or going to museums, or seeing my favorite indie band at a concert, or sun bathing at the beach, or binge-watching  Scandal or whatever fill in the blank distraction I’d pursue every hour I wasn’t at working. I was having loads of fun, but something inside me was festering.

 At first there was this lingering suspicion that I should be writing instead of whatever I was doing. Then I started to wonder if I would ever write again. That created within me a gnawing thought that perhaps I would not, which soon turned into a constant worry that I would be forced to always work jobs I hated. I saw my writing talent as a golden ticket out of being a slave to the 9-to-5 life.

 While I wasn’t showing up to write, I was showing up to kundalini yoga class—5 or 6 times a week! I learned early on in my practice that the technology of kundalini yoga and meditation allow us to re-write our destiny, both how we experience the moment of the day and what we can attract on a larger scale. That first year in Los Angeles, kundalini is what anchored me into my potential. I wasn’t showing up fully yet, but each time I’d go to class I was growing in ways I didn’t totally comprehend. All that kundalini yoga eventually gave me the gall to quit my job to pursue something more in line with my passions: working at a spiritual community center.

 When I started this new adventure, I thought that my new business partner and I were going to write a book and get a TV show made. Finally, I could be creative! Then came the obstacles…

 My first day on the job all but one person on our staff quit and I realized the organization was in debt up to its ears. We were in serious jeopardy of being shut down within a few months. Suddenly I had to summon all the experience I’d garnered in the political and non-profit world to create revenue streams, organization charts, job descriptions, cash flow spreadsheets, and budget forecasts. In an 80 hour-work week, there truly was no time to write, or so I told myself. I soon figured out how to make ends meet for the business, and the team we built was rock-solid at running the place. Under the most challenging and daunting of circumstances, we were persisting with success. Yet I was angry inside—viscerally upset at myself for not figuring out how to do all that was on my plate and write. The silver lining for my desire to create was that the TV show we were working on was inching toward becoming a reality. That didn’t quite satisfy me, though, because the show would never be my creation. When you’re a writer you know that you have a responsibility to bring forward your own words to light up the world you see. You can’t find true satisfaction within the framework of someone else’s vision.

 That realization gnawed insistently, coaxing me to START, inviting me to ease the pressure. But instead I kept on not writing.

 For the next two years, I was the executive director of the organization and also ran several Airbnb rentals. I maybe wrote like 2 blog posts during that time. The rest of my words were for delicately crafted e-mails, intricately thought-through job roles, and explaining to Airbnb guests how to turn on the lights. There was a lot of forward momentum in my life and the work I was doing.

 Then it all stopped.

 The TV show didn’t get picked up, though we did get one Real Housewife away from a network season! Soon thereafter it became apparent that our organization was going to close. When we did finally shutter, this strange quiet took hold. I had other sources of income by that time that didn’t require my fulltime focus, and for the first time ever I had no excuse not to write. The time was on me and I needed to start. This Aquarian sutra apparently doesn’t know how to quit me.

 Well, 18 months later I still haven’t started. I’ve tried. I created elaborate outlines for multiple books. I even wrote entire chapters. I started on concepts, scrapped them altogether, and then began something different. But I haven’t written a novel yet, and I’m not anywhere close. I run a successful business today, but I feel like I massively suck at being self-employed because I should have used this time to write my book. On a more fundamental level, I feel like I massively suck at being alive because I’m not putting my energy toward the reality I know I need to create.

 Looking back, I can see that I actually expended a lot of energy over the past 5 years NOT working on what I knew I needed to start. All of the circumstances that arose to “prevent” me from writing were really just manifestations of self-doubt that I called in. When we don’t do what we are here to accomplish, we create something else in its place. Usually that something will hold us back as powerfully as fulfilling our mission could propel us forward.

 My creation is a massive complex of anxiety and social-phobia. For the past 18 months I’ve been crippled with nervousness, worry, and unease. The slightest obstacle becomes a mountain of distress. I still go to class all the time, I go to the gym daily, and I hike a lot, but I avoid social situations as much as possible. I have this weird phobia of interacting with people. I go out in public all the time, but I do so in this impenetrable bubble. I wear an energetic cloak that puts out this gnarly “don’t talk to me” energy. I use my iPhone as a shield of having to engage with anyone. I get out of conversation as quickly as possible. It’s a strange dystopia for someone who ran a political party and 8 years ago had ambitions to be mayor of a large city. For the longest time I wondered why I had retreated so far into my own shadow. Then during a meditation recently, it hit me right in my third-eye: I avoid being around people because I have nothing of worth to say. I’m not doing anything creative with my life and so I don’t have anything of value to bring to a connection or a conversation. That has to stop and it needs to stop by STARTING something worth talking about.

 There was a partial eclipse this past weekend that amplified any actions we took. So, I wrote. I still can’t get into writing a novel, but I got into writing this. I am really into writing about how we can successfully circumnavigate these strange times. I’m taking at least a small step toward “starting” something by putting together this simple Tumblr blog where I’ll muse about what I learn as we collectively navigate this Aquarian shift. I already made one post before writing this and the plan is to do a few a week. I’m fortunate enough to live in a city where I can easily find the teachings of kundalini yoga and where conscious community is basically mainstream. This blog is a bridge to the rest of the world, and hopefully a way for me to learn more about the energies and activities that are happening in other places as we all level-up!  

 Besides, Tumblr banned porn last month so I figured it was a good time to fill up this space with something more productive J.

 No matter where you are, stasis is our worst enemy; so too is stasis’ best friend, elliptical motion. We never really want to grow or change anything, but every now and then we’ll eke out a victory by kicking a habit or starting a new routine. In my own life I’ve noticed that overtime I get comfortable in familiarity, though, and activities that were once growth become a circle of the sameness rather than a climb to a higher level. Right now, I know that the time is on me to write. That must become my new pattern—the action of each day doing something to advance my writing. I hope the pressure is soon off!

 More than that, though, I hope these words serve you. What aren’t you starting? What pressure are you feeling? Do you think that if you stopped making excuses or creating distractions that the pressure could soon be off?

 We’re in this Aquarian shift together so let’s START acting like we’re in charge of our own destiny so we can all be there more fully for each other!

[breakfastisntincluded]

€15

The scheduled wedding event today (the final wedding event) was a Luncheon at the giant fancy house that the wedding people were staying in, which is in Sollèr; so Kate and I were going to hang in Port de Sollèr and eat ice cream from the tasty looking zone and get one of the dope looking little boats we've seen in the harbour that you pedal around and there's a slide on top so that you -the consumer- can enjoy all of the finest consumer luxuries whilst you are in Spain. A big marital spanner was thrown into the works of this plan when Kate and I were invited to also attend the luncheon. Drat. So we woke up late (grrrr Sick Rebecca) and we're leaving tomorrow morning so we had to eat an odd collection of all the food for breakfast, and then we went off on our way to the Luncheon Party Thing, fashionably two hours after the start time of the 'drop-in, drop-out' event 👌🏾 We had to go up this weird little road and then mom had written down the wrong house number so we went to the big gate dad thought it was and then we went away from it and then we went back because it was in fact the right place :P The house was worth the winding road though, it was insaaaaaane it was huge and made of stone and it had a big courtyard outside and grassy zones and a nice pool :o We had delicious paella and looked all around inside the house that was old and stoney and also modern because it was ~recently renovated~ 😱 We brought our togs but the pool was surrounded and filled and generally occupied by wedding revellers who were terrifying norm core old people (30-40 age olds) so we dared not enter. And then there was also the wasp problem. WHYYYY ARE THERE SOOOOOO MANY WASSSSSPPSSSS EEEEEEEVERYWHERERREEEEEEEESODKSLXISJDLWJXWKPSJWLSOWJDLWID it's just ALLLL the TIIIIMMEEEEE it's an unrelenting shit storm of terrible wasps all day long and I hate it. Anyway, because of these horrible things we absconded from that zone and went to the port to party it up Vladnik style. The parking situation down there is so gnarly (the bad way of being gnarly) but we found a park straight away in our usual street so heck yeah for that 👌🏾👌🏾 We went down to the beach and we eventually found the boat boy and we got our little boat! It was so fun and the water is so nice and it's just so cool being in the port zone with the bay all around and the boats and all the peeps having fun in the sun 😱☀️ Sadly the parents had made a plan with their pals to go to some famous seafood restaurant for dinner so we didn't have time to go to the glorious ice cream zone 😭 But I guess we'll live 😭 So we hilariously rushed along nicely to the pals' hotel which is a block up from the beach and got changed in the bathroom to get changed. Now papa and the pal had heard that the place was very popular and it was very hard to find a park so though we had a rental car they decided to leave it behind and get a cab to the restaurant. This turned out to be a "mixed-bag" decision because there was actually plenty of parking, but, you had to go up ridiculous windy hill zone and then back down a different ridiculous windy hill zone to get there, so I guessssss it was better to get a cab? It was better for dad and not better for me because I couldn't open my window and there was a big ass red beetle thing by me that was freaking me out so it was a very sickly and unpleasant journey for me in many ways 🤑 We arrived and then had to go down a path and some wide stairs and then we got to this awesome little rocky cove that was really cool 😱 People were swimming there which was insane but for looking at it was a great place, so I guess it was worth not getting ice cream from that one particular place in order to go there??? :P And mom had said that it got really famous because it was in a movie that I had never heard of but it turns out that it was actually in the TV show the night manager which I have heard of (because it stars Britain's sweetheart Hugh Laurie and his bastard son Tom Hiddleston) so that's cool. We had delicious sea foods (HAH! I simply had a delicious dish croquet and then a tasty tasty omelette) and then when we left it was all dark which was spooky but cool and the taxi picking us up was slow arriving so we got to stand in the carpark and look at the stars in the cool zone. What a good day 👌🏾😎

[azoffroadjeepadventures-blog]

Why go on a Jeep tour?

Why should you go on a Jeep tour? Over the years, Arizona Off-Road Jeep Adventures has grown rapidly to become Scottsdale's #1 ranked TripAdvisor Outdoor Activity. Our guided Scottsdale Sonoran Desert Jeep Tours are exhilarating 4x4 off-road adventures through some of the most beautiful and rugged Jeep trails in the state. Led by our team of professional Off-Road Tour Guides, guests learn about the Sonoran desert flora, fauna, and Native American and Arizona history while experiencing some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Sonoran Desert.  

Many potential Jeep tour guests ask us, “Why can’t we just rent our own vehicle and go drive around in the desert?”  We have five good reasons why taking a guide-led (meaning a tour guide is driving the vehicle throughout the entire tour) Jeep tour from Arizona Off-Road Jeep Adventures is a much better option!

1. Our special recreation permits include some pretty gnarly off-roading trails, including some that many other vehicles would not be able to safely navigate. Our Off-Road Tour Jeeps are modified with 6-inch lift kits and 37-inch tires -- and not just for the looks. These modifications enable our Jeeps to successfully negotiate rigorous trails without getting stuck. Sure, you can take your stock rental Jeep out on nearby off-road trails. There is just no guarantee that you will be able to get it back safely!

2. Our professional Off-Road Tour Guides are highly trained off-road drivers. Yes, we know that you had a Jeep 20 years ago and that your brother-in-law is a great driver. But, not only are our Off-Road Tour Guides highly trained, they have been on our trails hundreds or even thousands of times. When you take a tour with Arizona Off-Road Jeep Adventures, you can be confident that your tour guide will know every single rock and bump on the trail. We guarantee that you are in the hands of professionals who will ensure that you get back to town safely. They will give you the peace of mind to sit back, relax, drink a complimentary Arizona craft beer, and enjoy the amazing scenery and stunning sunsets.

3. We take you to the most scenic Sonoran desert trails in the Scottsdale area--with a surprisingly short commute to the trailhead.  Rather than spending hours on your own, driving to get out of the city, wandering through the desert and potentially getting lost (worst case!) or just not finding the great scenery that Arizona is known for (disappointing, but avoidable!), we take you straight to the best trails for off-road sightseeing in the Phoenix area. And, our professional Off-Road Jeep Tour Guides have extensive knowledge about the Sonoran desert flora and fauna you will see, as well as vast knowledge of Native American and Arizona history to add color and background to the beautiful scenery. With only a 15 minute drive from our meeting location to the trailhead, you’ll spend more time enjoying the desert, knowing you’re guaranteed some stunning views, and you’re sure to learn some amazing facts about everything from cactus to coyotes.

4. Tread lightly! As special recreation permit holders of the Tonto National Forest, we have spent 28 years protecting our trails. We constantly modify our tour routes to ensure that we are not overusing particular trails. Often the public can cause long-term damage to off-road areas without even knowing it, especially if they drive off of the designated trails harming the biological soil crust, or aren’t aware of how weather and other trail conditions can affect the condition of the trails for those who come along later. Excessive damage to National Forest trails forces the government to close down certain trails to the public forever. We ensure that we tread lightly and preserve our trails for generations to come.

5: Come as strangers, leave as friends. Rather than memorizing a boring tour guide script, our professional tour guides build connections with guests from around the world, and so do you! Our fleet of modified Jeeps hold anywhere from 6-14 tour guests, so there is plenty of room for groups of all sizes. If you are a solo traveler or traveling with a significant other, you will be placed in a Jeep with people you have never met, giving you the unique opportunity to build new friendships while experiencing the wonder of the Sonoran desert. If you are here for a corporate event or a bachelorette party, we can place your group in our Jeep Gladiator, which has been modified to hold 14 guests, or in multiple Jeeps if necessary. It’s not unusual for our tour guests to make new friends, connect on social media and stay in touch -- with each other and with their tour guides.

If you are looking for fun things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona, we highly recommend joining us for a Jeep tour with Arizona Off-Road Jeep Adventures. Our Sonoran Desert Jeep Tours are ideal for small groups, large groups, corporate events, bachelor and bachelorette parties, family outings, or any other group looking for an amazing experience in the Phoenix area. In addition to off-road Jeep tours, Arizona Off-Road Jeep Adventures also offers a long-range shooting experience at a private outdoor shooting range, Scottsdale hiking tours, a City of Scottsdale tour and an outdoor cowboy catering service serving old western dishes at our Sonoran desert venue. We have combination packages combining our Sonoran Desert Jeep Tours and other outdoor activities. Book your outdoor adventure with Arizona Off-Road Jeep Adventures at www.thejeeptours.com or call (833) 827-5196.  And don’t forget to follow us on social media:

Website:            www.thejeeptours.com

Facebook:         www.facebook.com/azoffroadjeepadventures

Instagram:         @azoffroadjeepadventures

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/azoffroadjeepadventures

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/azoffroadjeepadventures

[themiddlelayer]

Survived Week 1.. mostly

I’ve still got an hour until I’m off work but I’ve been mostly fucking off today. I was tasked with managing workshop sign-ups on Wednesday and literally spent a day and a half doing nothing but opening e-mails and adding info to a spreadsheet. The department is really feeling the loss of the admin who left the company last week. 

I say I “mostly” survived because I’ve had a gnarly head cold since Wednesday night. I was pushing myself with work, school and baking “Murder Cakes” for Tampa’s work thing and then a friendly conversation with MM took a hard left and sent me spiralling. 

MM and I were having a friendly conversation that started because he got a job in DC and will be moving back this spring. Tampa and I are signing another lease at the little rental so we can save up a little more and have a better cushion before buying a house here. That means we won’t be able to take Bleu back. It’s looking like MM will be taking her and Monster with him when he goes. 

He was talking about his going away party (already) and mentioned that he didn’t know how I’d feel about coming because of who he was planning on inviting. I assumed it was Pixie he was talking about, but he said... “Her too.” Then proceeded to tell me that he’s been back in touch with Gypsy and Nomad. 

I immediately got dizzy and literally thought I was going to vomit. He realized what he’d done and tried to apologize saying that it’s “not like they are getting back together or anything” but that they spent an evening with both of them talking and “getting closure.” 

I’m sure he felt the venom in my voice when I said, “Well, I’m glad *you* got closure.” He said that they were open to talking to me as well, but no.. just fucking no! Gypsy has already attempted communication with me once this year, via text, and I just ignored it. 

Tampa was amazing, doing what he could to soothe me including pulling my weighted blanket over me while I cried that night in bed. 

Why was I crying? Rage. Pure fucking rage.. that MM would have the audacity to get back in touch with them after the way things went. At one point he specifically said that just because we were splitting up that he wasn’t going to reach out to Gypsy so either A) he flat out lied to me then or B) she read my blog, knew I was gone and that he was fair game again. Either way, what the fuck!?! 

Just the fact that Nomad was willing to allow that tells me that she never told him about all the times they used “alternative means” of communication after the initial blow up because Nomad basically forbade her from talking to MM. Nomad must not know how many times she and MM ‘broke it off’ but kept coming back to each other. MM insisted that it was only talk and that they weren’t actually together again, but I don’t believe it for a fucking second. 

And yes, it brought up all of the pain of that loss all over again. I kept thinking about Lil Hulk and Boy1der, and Nomad’s mom... all whom I grew to love as my own family. I kept thinking about all the times I played emotional whack-a-mole and forced therapy sessions when people wanted to run away. I thought about the night I sat on the floor of the shower holding Nomad, who was suicidally depressed, while MM and Gypsy made dinner and ignored his sobs. I kept thinking... “MM never asked me to come home. Nomad never asked me to stay. They were both still chasing Gypsy while I put out fires and made nut butter and jelly sandwiches.” If there was ever a moment when my worth to each of them individually was illustrated it was then. 

It took an act of strength unlike any I knew I was possible of to walk away from those lives... first the quad life, because I finally hit my limit of trying to fix everyone and make it work, then my life with MM because, frankly, I’m worth more than that. I am worth more than what they gave me and I didn’t deserve to be forced to be the one to make the choices that had to be made. 

I want to be over it, but this is not the kind of pain that subsides through anything other than time and distance. I wanted to be able to be MM’s friend, but the minute I let my guard down and started talking about our lives again he casually tossed that grenade at me and ripped it all open again. I will NOT allow that anymore. He gets nothing beyond social pleasantries if we end up somewhere together, and logistics and business conversations about our divorce otherwise. 

Before this, I was finally in a place where I thought, “I can go to the Vegan Festival thing and if I run into them there I will be able to just look right through them and move on with my day.” My only fear has been running into the kids and how hard that would be. But I really was getting to the place where that pain was becoming a distant memory. 

Last night Tampa said he wants to go up to a little mountain town to do lunch this weekend. It’s where they like to go hiking and I’m struggling with the urge to avoid the place for as long as I know they still live around here while wanting to rise above it all and just live my life without them in my thoughts. I know Tampa will support me and understand either way, but it pisses me off that I’m even in this place emotionally again. Seriously. 

Tampa will be home with takeout soon and we’re planning on enjoying some special chocolate and peanut better crispy bars and just unplugging tonight. I can’t wait! Tick, tock!