Only Fern

Cows are fed. Water's not froze, but I thought I might be for a short second...then I got back in the truck. For a Southern dog, Newt sure likes the current sub-Artic conditions of home. He also likes to think he's a cow dog, NOT QUITE. He did try hard though. I should be a proud dog mother...proud that he actually knows what a cow is since he is a Blue Heeler that has lived the majority of his life in a back yard in a college town. Okay, all of his life except for Christmas vacations and a few summer trips home. Christmas. It's Christmas Eve, and I cannnot seem to catch the Christmas Spirit. Guess it's a little late. I do have a piece of advice for everyone that I know and everyone that I don't...DO NOT MOVE, DO NOT PLAN A MOVE, DO NOT RELOCATE ANYWHERE NEAR THE END OF YEAR! It's a crappy experience. The stresses of maintaining life's routines and packing and preparing for a move just kind of squash a girl's Christmas Spirit. I did do some sho

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas...Happy Hanukkah...Happy Kwanzaa...Joy to the World.... Happy Holidays one and all! I didn't realize that it has been soooo long since I last posted. I have a lot to share with you. 1) I have moved. I pulled up stakes and moved. It took a 26 foot Penske truck; 6 very, very dear and wonderful friends; 2 loving parents; 1 case of Coors Light; and one evening at the Dixie Chicken; but I am relocated! 2) I survived my bootcamp workout! In fact, I shrunk my entire self by 6+ inches! 3) Newt the wonder dog and I made it home. In fact, we rode home from Texas in the back seat of my mother's suburban. Brought back memories of show days...dad driving, mom shot gun, and me curled up in the backseat with a book. However, I didn't have the privilege of text messaging in those days, hell, we didn't even have cell phones!...and my spine was much more open to riding like that for hours upon hours. **Please stand by. I come to you this morning from Dad&

Who is on The Pioneer Woman 's blog today?! Brandi, Robynne , and I are! Last week I posted about the three of us road tripping to Austin to the book signing. This morning I wake up to find us on the blog, and we look fabulous!! I promised to write more about our adventure...Here. We. Go. I would like to mention that I took notes. I find myself doing that quite often, so that I may better tell the world what I have just witnessed. We arrived @ Book People 3 hours before the signing, and as luck would have it Ree was going to be early and sign books at 6, speak at 7, and sign more books after the talk. We acquired wristbands for the 6 o'clock "showing", bought our books, and perused the book store. I just love book stores--books, people watching, books, nifty little coffee places in the corners, books...I looked over the cookbook, I became very hungry, I added to my ultimate wish list, I was overcome with awe, and I drank the strangest iced tea ever (that's a

Sorry I have been away so long! We'll cover more on this later, as I need to squeeze in a quick blog and get on the road for a quick trip and much needed "therapy" (a steer show and all that goes with it)....I'll be back in town tomorrow afternoon...LOTS TO DO, LOTS TO DO. Last night, some very dear friends (Brandi and Robynne) and I made the trip to Austin for the Pioneer Woman 's book signing. It was SO MUCH FUN! I had never been to a book signing before, and I loved it. We were lucky enough to get in the "before the talk" signing group, so we were lucky enough to escape the madness right after the talk, catch a tasty dinner, and get on the road for home at not too late of an hour. The cookbook is beautiful, Ree is very kind, and her family is charming. I want to be a part of them. The youngest boy...I just love him. I wanted to put him in my purse, but the girls said he wouldn't fit. We also got lucky and Marlboro Man signed our cookbooks to

I know that my goals over there read, blog at least 2x per week...still can't cross that one off of my list. Nor, can I cross off don't eat out for a week--eating is such a social activity. Maybe if I wasn't so social AND like eating so much, the number inside my jeans would be much smaller...that and beer is also a social activity...and I like beer and I am social...ANYWAY... My dear friend Brandi asked for pie baking lessons. We arranged an evening to make said pie. Flavor: Buttermilk. She did very well. We made crust from scratch, and she rolled it out herself. Although, she did get to use the Cuisinart to do the crust. I really wanted to make her use a fork or a pastry blender thingy. She wasn't so much a fan of scooping the lard, but ooooo lard makes such lovely crust. Prior to pie baking she asked for a list of ingredients. I said lard...blah, blah... and she said, Crisco? And, I said no...LARD. Lard makes such amazing crust, but that's another day.

Pisces February 19 - March 20 Although it looks as if the next few months should be shaping up to be a great time for you business-wise, dear Pisces, today it might appear hopeless. Mundane, routine, unrewarding tasks may take up a lot of your time on the job today. Nevertheless, don't see this as being engraved in stone; don't let the frustration interfere with your outlook for the future. You are due for advancement in some way! Let's hope that there's some truth to that!! Inspiration on a Wednesday: I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future!

I hope that the day is Great! I hope that I feel this spunky all day! My day didn't start just as I wanted. I had aspirations of waking up and working out. Ummm, no. I slept a little too late for that, but rather than rush I made and ate a good-for-me breakfast and started the iPod and it was tossing out good tunes right and left. A little Fergalicious will get any one's Monday going! Add to that texts messages from two of my absolute favorite people and a pot of good coffee, and it all kind of takes away form my frizzy hair on a humid as hell day and my self image dissatisfaction (note to self: working out this evening!) Just bought a new CD on iTunes, I really need to quit that. I need to purchase the actual CD, but what to do with all of the plastic cases and liner notes??.... anyway... Ryan Bingham , you make me VERY happy! Ryan, I will be even happier when you play in town on October 30!! Although you are playing at my very least favorite concert venue, I'll ha

Just read that it is World Vegetarian Day today, and that October is Vegetarian Month...its 7:45AM, I think I'll have steak!!!

My mother has self help books shipped to my door. Do we have a problem? I think maybe.

It's Friday!! Okay, so that really doesn't count when all I have looming ahead of me is DISSERTATION! However, I do I have some weekend recommendations brought about by recent experiences. **please note, any day of the week is fine** 1) Boxed Wine. A recent find is 'The Black Box' boxed wine. One box of wine is equal to 4 bottles of wine. At my local H.E.B. it worked out to $5 and some change/bottle! Score! I tried the Cabernet Sauvignon. Not too shabby. The box claims that wine will stay fresh for up to a month. I say, "Who keeps open wine around that long??!!" 2) Eggs. Eggs were my staple one week recently. I think I ate eggs at least 4x one week. Not just any ol' eggs--I made scrambled eggs with tomato, onion, feta, and basil...scrambled eggs with tomato, bacon, mushrooms, onion and blue cheese...scrambled eggs with pico de galo and cheddar and avocado. The eggs with tomato, basil, onion, and feta were by far my favorite. Don't go t

Sorry to have stayed away so long! Life's been a crazy roller coaster as of late, and I told myself that we would only blog on "good" days and some days I let myself feel guilty that I was going to blog when I had other things to do. Well, I still have other things to do, but I have a lot of things to share...in fact, my list has outgrown a Post-It...time to get it on "Only Fern"! For starters, the below horoscope is one that is for my sign, but I stole it from a friend's Facebook page. It's very applicable to my place in this life lately, and it made me go "hmmmm....". Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20) Sometimes I wish personality traits were something you could buy over the counter. If I were placing an order for you, I'd get an ounce of patience, a spoonful of confidence, and a maximum dose of perseverance. Those would yield success, whereas right now you're getting frustrated early, putting yourself down too much, and giving up long befo

Second question of the day: About those "cupboard" without solid doors or those that are just open shelves...who is really that organized and how do dishes on the open shelves not get all eww and dusty??

Question of the day: Why doesn't Chinese food in real life come in cute little boxes like on TV??

Wow! I didn't realize how long it has been since my last post! A lot has happened in the month of August-- 1) I'm moved into my new place. As of last night, I'm as settled as I'm going to get. 2) I survived Beef Cattle Short Course. 3) My friends and I discovered an excellent breakfast venue. 4) Found a random biker bar and loved it. 5) I survived yet another wedding. 6) I continue my journey down the road of "Find a Job" as I struggle to finish 7) I made my friend Brandi an excellent birthday dinner if I say so myself. Hell, I even did all of the dishes! I'll post about each of these and try to get caught up. For now, I 'll post about yesterday...The past couple of weeks have been a struggle to say the least. I can be quoted as saying, "I'd leave if I had somewhere to go..." numerous times in the past few days. Well, I'm going to finish with wavering enthusiasm because I started this and I'll finish it. However, finishing wi

1) I really should have lived in the mid-70's 2) I'm a sucker for a big yellow horse 3) I may never move freely again 4) I strongly dislike living in a maze of boxes

I'm hot. I'm tired. I'm ugly. I have 1/2 a living room left to vacuum and I'm done @ Westcreek Lane....and my darn vacuum just started smoking and died...

You know that last pass through a house as you move out?? That one that has you throwing whatever in the same box just to get the hell out of there?? I have that box...it contains a set of knives, 2 dowel rods dog toys, febreeze, kneehighs, a slip (who wears those anymore (besides apparently me) anyways?), coat hangers.... Lord help me!!!! Please God bring me a husband so I never have to do this all alone again. After today, NO MORE HEAVY LIFTING.

Just read the funniest thing.... "Vegans complaining about hotdogs is like Amish complaining about gas prices."

Why can't I ever get to fly next to someone famous or facinating or an empty seat?!

I just saw myself @ 90... BIG teased hair. Sequined jacket. Full make up. Pink pants. Red shoes and bag.

Man (~40yrs) in business suit w/ faux hawk...hmmmm...

As much as I love lime green...lime green pants should be worn by no one! There is a child crawling on an airport floor...I think that it would be safer for the lil critter to crawl in a horse stall!

Yes, I should have been a rodeo queen. Not a whole lot has happened to me since my last post. There have been a few Fern-ism's here and there, but nothing too remarkable off hand. I've been keeping busy with stuff. Packing and readying myself for a move...well, it sucks. I have a moving crew. I have put a deposit down on said moving crew...1 bottle of Seagram's 7 and a 12-pack of Squirt. Things I have learned since my last post: I am not a fisherman Newt has become addicted to riding in a car Current phase: drinking water out of a glass Lonesome Dove is a Classic (oh wait, I already knew that) I am very Type-A...too Type-A for making Power Point Presentations Children should not have fondant covered cakes for their first birthdays--the cake may be lovely, but its too hard to dive in Ziploc Microwave Steam Bags are the new savior to corn on the cob The new Lean Cuisine Breakfast Panini's are not good, they suck That it is wonderful when an old friend comes back to you.

It's HOT out there! Wait, it was nearly HOT inside my house last night when the stinkin' air conditioner froze up...cross your fingers, she's working again. The dryer's not working, but I maximized efforts and read journal articles at the laundromat yesterday. 9 loads, 3 articles, and lunch in 2.5 hours w/o my iPod)...not too shabby. It was 83 at 8:30 this morning...it's up to 93 now at 10:35...it's predicted to be ~105 again today. That's nearly too hot to drink a beer, too hot to sit in a pool, too hot to sit in the pool with a beer! Is it possible to sweat in the cement pond? I had a mini epiphany...I should have went to law school. Readin articles, wonderin where the iPod is, maybe analyzin some data, and tryin to stay cool!

Sorry for 2 posts in one day, but this made me giggle. I just took a Facebook quiz "Which Decade Fits Your Personality?" Apparently the 1920's fit me best, and here is my description You are classy, not afraid to go against the norm, and love to celebrate the joys of life. You love to be in the "right now" of society's latest "new thing" and because of that you exert the latest fashions and put a high priority on having a great time. After all, you deserve it after all the struggles you have gone through in life thus far. You have a little rebel in you, although you don't overtly show it because you keep yourself and your standards classy, sophisticated, and elegant. And chances are, you have a thing for jazz music. You are a perfect combination of lady-like and party animal. That last sentence is my favorite part!

I may have nightmares... My children may not have the privilege of growing up as I did... My family's livelihood is at stake. What has happened to this world we live in?! Do people not like to eat anymore? Has the population lost grasp of where their food and clothing comes from? I just read that the Humane Society of the United States has received license as a higher education granting degree institution! Link On the same blog ( Advocates for Agriculture ) that I read nearly everyday, I found a post titled "US Agriculture Can Feed the World". I would like to think that we, American Agriculturists, can feed the world; however, this is becoming a greater challenge each day. I am getting the sense that food production for our own country and other countries is not a priority. Correct me if I am wrong, food is necessary to sustain human life, is it not? Also this past week, Food, Inc. came out in theaters attacking our food industry. A counter attack has been formed b

I had a great weekend. Spent Friday at the Texas State Jr. Hereford Show. Caught up with some old friends, made a few new ones, and got to hang out with the cows (my favorite part...it was cheaper than seeing a shrink). It was Fun In The Sun on Saturday at the Texas Reds Festival --a celebration of steak and wine! Tried most of the wine and missed the steak. I'm okay with that...I really enjoy the steak that I am capable of at home--Nebraska Beef and Cavender's Greek Seasoning--mmmmm delicious! It was VERY, VERY hot that afternoon, but Brandi and I persevered. Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards Landon Winery Inwood Estates Vineyard I've had in my possession a Wine for Dummies book. I've made it through a chapter or two, and I've set it aside for one reason or another. I think I need to get it back out. I went through the tasting on Saturday with this attitude "Fern, do you like it?" I answered "yes" to some, "mmm, okay" to many, and &qu

A hodge podge of thoughts on a Wednesday: 1) My dad is the greatest...but of course I'm supposed to say this. I inherited many things that make me stunningly similar to this little round man, well little and round...there's two things for my list and the way I walk and talk and my hands and legs and feet...he has a kind heart, and I like to think that mine is from time to time, an appreciation for all things outside and good cows and stout horses, fine scotch and starched jeans...HOWEVER, I DID NOT INHERIT HIS PATIENCE, HIS EVER PRESENT FAITH THAT GOOD WILL ALWAYS COME, AND HIS CALM...nope, it's no where that I can find in myself. I do always feel better after I have a mental overflow and call him. How he hasn't choked me before now is a wonder Let's just say that there was a meltdown of momentous proportion this morning, but after a phone call with Tubby, the course (although still unknown) is a little smoother 2) Emotional eating is something that I have develo

Wow...it's been awhile. Not too much has happened since my last post, except LEVI & LAUREN GOT MARRIED. And, it was beautiful! Brandi and I started our wedding weekend Saturday morning. We packed my car and were careful not to forget what Brandi called "the kit". "The kit" consisted of 2 varieties of vodka, bloody mary mix, gin, tonic, lime, 3 varieties of beer, and a bottle of wine. "The kit" came in more than handy! We were put right to work upon arrival. We helped to haul the last load of stuff to the reception hall, and little did we know what lay ahead. We set the tables with the linens that Lauren's Dad and Levi had spent the two previous days pressing. We got to help decide the best location for the band and the keg. We got to help in the kitchen. Lauren's mom had taken on the responsibility of the reception meal herself. Family friends were cooking the meat and potatoes according to her recipes. The rest of us were franti

Last week a pest control man so kindly brought me mouse bait... I get to the office this morning to find that those little bastards have only eaten the bait by my desk! 6 little bait squares and they eat nearly 1/3 to 1/2 of the one by my desk. The pest man told me that one bite and the little feller would be done for. I am hoping and praying that he/she/they have went and found a more romantic place to meet their maker than in one of my desk drawers. I still don't get the full appeal of my desk. When we discovered the mouse issue earlier this Spring, I was the only one with a desk full of mouse poo. All that I had in my cubical, in my desk, were some cough drops and some Midol. Everyone else has cubbys full of snacks! I guess it's like what they say about dogs and how they find the person that tends to like them least to pester first. Damn them little creatures! I have NEVER liked them. Not in my feed room, not in my barn, not in the ranch truck, not at all...and certai

I tried not one, but three new recipes this weekend! I tried the Steak Bites recipe I posted awhile back. DELICIOUS! I was right...beef in butter cooked in an iron skillet...AMAZING! Mom mentioned a recent "invention", some kind of salad. It sounded good. I tried it. It's good! Cucumber, tomato, purple onion, red bell pepper, with balsamic vinaigrette. I let all of that soak, I guess the correct term would be marinade. When it was time to serve, I added feta. I am a genius...YUMM-O! That was last night. This morning I got the wild hair to make pancakes and bacon. May not sound difficult to some, but I've never made pancakes before in all of my years. It was a mix, don't let me fool you. But, I did use cream (fat free creamer) instead of milk and added a little vanilla. After I poured each pancake in my skillet, I added blueberries. Such a good idea! If you add them after mixing, the berries stay whole and the batter doesn't get all purpley. M

Pisces February 19 - March 20 Seek out the beautiful and marvelous today, dear Pisces! It is one of those times when the cheap and shoddy just won't do. You need the Rolls Royce to take you to the ball tonight, not the beat-up lemon that barely chugs along. Travel in style and dress as if you are flying first-class all the way. There is a boisterous social element to the day that should make your waking hours pleasurable and possibly very romantic. I have my horoscope on MyMSN page, which is my internet homepage. This is today's. Will someone please tell me what this means?!?! Seek out the beautiful and marvelous ...well, I shouldn't look in the mirror then! It's a glasses, t-shirt, and tennies day. Yes, mom, I did put on make up (very minimal, but it's there!). The Acura is amazing, and she is not a lemon! Travel in style and dress as if you are flying first-class all the way. We've already covered this...not happening. possibly very romantic ...who write

1/2 Cup Shortening 3/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter 1 1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar 3 TBSP Milk 1 TBSP Vanilla 1 egg 1 1/2 Cup Flour 3/4 tsp Baking Soda 3/4 tsp Salt 1 1/3 cups (8 oz pkg) Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits, divided Heat oven to 375 F. Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add egg; beat just until blended. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits; reserve remainder for topping. Drop by heaping teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; top each with reserved toffee bits. Bake 7-8 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely. About 3 dozen cookies. I use butter instead of shortening and cream instead of milk the Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits are hard to find, but I have had success with the Toffee Bits (1 Cup) and Milk Chocolate Chips (1 Cup) DO NOT OVER BAKE! These seem to over bake really easily T

Howdy! I haven't forgotten. Thursday through Sunday last week I took a little "vacation". I was at the barn on campus...preparing for a lamb sale. Yes, it's true. It was great! It's one of my favorite weekends of the entire year, and it's definitely on my top ten things I will miss when/if I ever leave here list! There was four days of good food, good friends, good laughs, and oh yeah, there were sheep. Most everyone worked hard, but we also focused on the food and the fun too. My computer was in the shop, so I really didn't feel overly guilty for playing for 4 days! I slung hash, went on beverage runs, watered sheep, made sheep pens, ran to the mall for sale day wardrobe advice, ran random errands (4 consecutive trips to Tractor Supply)...I was your all-around gal. I even offered to wash sheep. Friday was amazing...we relaxed, we ate, we ate, we ate some more...and of course we had to wash down all of that delicious barbecue (Hops farmers ever

Unfortunately, I have a case of the Mondays... After a short chat with my major professor, I am bummed. This damn research project may be the death of me... After what seems like years, but is only months, it's not going to be as earth shattering as I'd hoped...no wonder no one wants to hire me... It's true folks, I peaked somewhere around the age of 11. My computer has a hic-up today...I hope that it is only the crappy network, as I don't want to pay the $35 diagnostic fee + whatever they have to do to it + $50 rush fee because I don't want to/can't really wait 3 to 5 days! I've ran virus scan and will start a de-frag shortly, so wish me luck!! I'd be better off losing a kidney instead of this computer at present. My weekend started off with a bang and ended with a thud! I spent Friday lunch with Stanley and Johnny D at Wings-n-More...ate too many fried pickle chips, hot wings, chicken fingers, and curly fries...but man was it delicious. The company

Its a GREAT day!!! Wings n More lunch with 2 old friends!!! Fern's heart is smiling!! Wishing everyone a FABULOUS weekend!

It's been awhile since my last post. I've been contemplating how to entertain my following with my bits of wit...okay, that's crap...I've been up to my elbows in data crunching in my cubicle. Oh no, I'm not done, just taking a break. Over the course of the past week my obsession with Crystal Light Lemonade has also morphed into an extreme like of Diet Lemonade from Chick-fil-A. It's SO good! It's graduation weekend here, and I am so glad. It's the end of another semester, and the majority of them all go away for the summer! Bliss! No traffic. No waiting in line at the grocery store, at restaurants, anywhere. I made the most amazing supper the other night, and none of it really went together. I grilled a piece of Tilapia. It was okay. I'm not very good at cooking fish (I've been told that I grill the best steak ever, but fish...no), nor am I very excited about cooking for one. To go with my fish I made steamed broccoli (the new Ziploc

Pisces February 19 - March 20 Unfortunately you can't measure love the way you would the stock market, dear Pisces. And it's all right if that scares you a little, because you know that you have to work at something if you want to make it happen in your life. We all need to have the courage to try new things. So, yes you will find love in your life, but as to whom you will 'invest' with and how much you will 'invest,' you won't find out until the big day. Be patient, you won't be disappointed. So that was my horoscope this morning on myMSN...funny, as I made blog notes last night while I was watching Grey's Anatomy (and weeping). The episode focused on "the best day" and how one doesn't know what their "best day" is until it is here and gone, and those "best days" are those that are ordinary and filled with our favorite people and often just little things. I agree with this...and I'm anxious for more

The day started slow...okay, so I slept later than I wanted to which puts me in an odd kind of a mood. As I'm hurrying out of the house, what should run out from under my car--across my path but this damn black neighborhood cat. I spit (all over myself) right away (darn superstition...who ever told me to spit probably did to make me look like a moron!). Speaking of morons (oh wait, that's me)...I got a text message from the Putz today and it has totally perked up my morning! Maybe I should explain...one of my oldest and dearest friends and I had an odd obsession with the movie "Grumpy Old Men" while we were in high school. We would literally recite the lines with the actors, and eventually my mother banned us from watching it (okay, so she tried). Somehow through all of this I became the morn, and a naturally she became the putz. We had a rally of texts going this morning that had me belly laughing in my car, which was likely dangerous on several counts. We t

I used to be an upbeat spunky soul...I don't know when or how it happened...okay I might...and I think that cubicle life is taking a small toll on my psyche...not to worry I'M LOOKING FOR SUNSHINE! The other day I was in Target. As I passed by the books, I noticed the new Michael J Fox book Always Looking Up . I bought it. I am in need of new reading material, and I think that I'll start there this evening. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Thank You my "sister" and her family for brightening my day!! I GOT FLOWERS TODAY!!! Trust me, this NEVER happens!! And, they just happen to be one of my "right now" colors...orange! What started out as a "off" day turned up when the flower man came. I didn't sleep well. No, it wasn't the new mattress or my Cinco de Mayo activities of yesterday. I think I just had a lot on my mind. Received yet more rejection in the mail yesterday...I am jobless, soon to be homeless... Also, my dad had a skin cancer spot removed from his neck this morning. They have been telling me that it is not much to worry about...I'm worrying damnit! Its times like this that make me question my Texas-ness. Don't get me wrong, I've loved my time here and the friends and "family" that I have made here, but it sucks being so far from home! I did get up and get myself together today...haven't done a lot of that lately. And...I have made very li

I made a big girl purchase this weekend. I bought a new mattress on Friday. They delivered it on Saturday. I have slept amazingly ever since! It was a very adult purchase, but I was was careful in my research and I tried several stores in town. I did try no less than 5 mattress stores in town, and returned to the first because they 1-were the most reasonable in price and 2-had the friendliest and most helpful staff. I upgraded to a queen, and so far the only difference I've noticed is that there's less room in my room. As I upgraded, I had to upgrade some of my bedding. Through this process I have learned this DO NOT BUY CHEAP SHEETS! The cheap sheets will itch you! I have since replaced the itchy sheets with some that I found that are much softer...no, they are not 500 count Egyptian cotton, but they are cute (brown and cream giraffe print) and sateen finish! This bed purchase, like most things I do was rather dramatic. This should not be surprising to those of you who

I was just shopping. I bought one of the new "green" reusable shopping bags...the clerk bagged up all of my things, including the new reusable shopping bag in plastic bags....hmmmm

The idea to create a blog began on my trip home for Easter. By the time I reached the airport in Denver, I had a list of things written down that I wanted to include in this first blog. Since then, I haven't had time to get started...I'm making time now. Okay, really, I'm just procrastinating, but we'll get to blogging.... The Classy Traveler The trip began with me driving to the airport and parking. I have never done this all by myself, therefore, this was a mini-milestone for me. I parked, I gathered my stuff, I had all of my bags attached to one another and was wheeling away towards the shuttle bus stop. Now, I should mention that I was dressed relatively cute, and this is worth mentioning because my typical travel attire usually involves windpants, etc. Once I'm at the bus stop, the bus arrives, Mr. Bus Driver gets off to carry my bag on and allows me up the stairs in front of him...I fall up the stairs...I eat $%#@...face plant...oh yeah...I'm just thank