Adventure #20 - "There's nothing in beer that will make you sick... except the alcohol."

We're getting better at this secret adventure thing!  This time around, Lisa was the planner, and she kept the identity of our March adventure private up until she sent out the following riddle one week in advance...

"Blonde or brown?  We're off to the lab to make a witch's potion, of sorts.  Call it chemistry or call it the satisfaction of enjoying the fruits of your own labor."  

After considerations that we were dying our hair or making bath products, most of us came to the (correct) conclusion that we were brewing beer... and we were pretty excited about it!  

Above, is our finished product... pretty legit, right?  I wish we could take full credit, but we couldn't have done it without the guidance and supervision of some pretty cool guys at Brew Lab in downtown Overland Park.  It was quite a process, but they made it super easy for us novices.  Our "Brewing Specialist," Tyler, was so knowledgeable and had the answer to every one of our questions.  I wish I could do him justice by correctly and properly explaining the process now, but that's going to be impossible.  There was just too much to absorb!!!  So instead, this is going to be a story told primarily by photos.  If you'd like a better explanation, you're just going to have to go find out for yourselves... which I highly recommend you do!

Part One (Saturday, March 15):

First up, what I expected would be the most challenging part of the day... all six of us had to agree upon which two types of beer we would be brewing.  At Brew Lab, they offer two different methods to brewing: "all grain" and "extract."  We would be making one of each.  Tyler mentioned that an Oktoberfest varietal would make the most of the "all grain" experience, so we chose that, as well as a Blackberry Wheat for our "extract" brew.  We began at the wall of grain, where we were given instructions on what type and how much of each grain we needed for our particular recipe.

Our Oktoberfest called for eight different types of grain, which we each took turns measuring out.  As you can see by the focus all most of us are displaying, we were determined to get those measurements precise...

Cono, "Nailed it!"

After collecting all of our grains in the orange bucket, we sent them through a grinding machine to be milled and then poured it all into a large stainless steel vat of water...

Alli gave it all a good stir, under many watchful eyes...

Then we allowed that to heat up to a temp of 157 F for 60 minutes.  At some point in the process, the beer traveled through those tubes from one pot to another...

While our Oktoberfest was cooking, we got started on our wheat beer, which we were making from extract. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the extract is essentially grains that have already been cooked down and made into a thick molasses-like consistency.  Here we are measuring out the extract and adding it to a new vat of hot water...

At some point, we threw in some yeast and some hops (the hamster food looking stuff), and let that all cook...

We had some downtime while the beer boiled... 

"When in Rome..."

When the 60-minute boiling period was complete, the beer was sent through a filter, and then a cooling device and ultimately ended up in the glass barrels you see below.  After a little shot of CO2, they were ready to be capped...

From there, we transported them to the basement, via pulley system...

... where they lived with their friends for two weeks...

Here we are feeling accomplished (and hungry) after a fun day of brewing...

Before leaving, we trialed Alli's new key chain breathalizer...

The result...

I'm pretty certain the only time you'll see a Femme in a beer lab with a blood alcohol level of .00 is when she's pregnant!!!  That's right!  Our little Lisa is expecting her first in early August.  We are all beyond thrilled to welcome a new little one into our lives!!!

Part Two (Saturday, March 29):

Two weeks later, we returned to find our babies waiting for us...

We washed and sanitized our bottles...

Then added the blackberry flavoring to our wheat beer and transferred our brews from their glass barrels into kegs...

The final step of the process was bottling.  We used a handheld gun-type thing to shoot both CO2 and the beer itself into the bottles, and then capped them with pry-off caps...

So efficient...

And finally, our finished product!  We ended up with 106 bottles of beer, which we divided amongst ourselves.  We did get to taste a little sample of our brews, but they were room temp and lacking carbonation, so the verdict is still out.  After they sit for two weeks, they will be ready for consumption, and we'll let you know what we think!

  

In the end, there wasn't much challenge or enlightenment involved, but our adventure provided us a time to catch up with one another and to work together on a project.  I think it was probably something that most of us would not have done on our own accord either... so an "adventure" it is!  

Adventure #19 - "I've never seen such flexible first-timers."

Success! Meghan planned an adventure AND managed to keep it a secret! Those of you who know Meghan will recognize how great of an accomplishment this is! For those of you who don't know Meghan, she's one who wears her heart on her sleeve; one for whom no topic is off limits; one whose voice carries; one who has trouble keeping her mouth shut when she becomes excited/heated/anxious/impassioned/worried/thrilled/devastated/annoyed/scared/upset about something/anything/her thing/your thing/everything! :)

So, Meghan was pretty proud of herself for keeping the details of her adventure concealed from the rest of us for the month or so that she was planning it... and rightfully so.  She's not the only one with a secret-keeping problem; most of us just get so excited about our ideas we can't wait to share them and seek approval/praise for choosing such an AWESOME adventure, because let's be honest, they've all been pretty awesome.  However, I've got to say there's an added sense of exhilaration leading up to secret adventures that I just can't get enough of.  I love the element of suspense and mystery, and am always eagerly awaiting the arrival of THE email... the one we always receive about a week ahead of time providing details and offering up clues to the identity of our latest adventure.  This time, Meghan's clues included that we needed to wear sports bras and hair ties, but no shoes, and she stated, "It's getting hot in here... but please don't take off all your clothes!"  Based on these clues, it had to be one of two things: walking across hot coals.... OR.... HOT YOGA!!!

As a relatively new yoga novice, and one who had hot yoga on my personal list of adventure ideas (yes, I have a list of 20+ ideas), I was super excited!  Some of my friends however, were not.  Words like "brutal," "intense," and "torturous," may have been thrown around, but when it came down to it, each and every Femme showed up with a smile on:

We met at Yoga Fix Studio in Mission, KS; hair ties and sports bras on, yoga mats, sweat rags and water bottles in hand!  As we walked in, another class was ending and we were all in shock and awe over how drenched in sweat these people were as they walked out of the studio.  Oh. Em. Gee.  

As advised, we got there early to sign waivers and pay our $15.  Actually, it ended up being $16 because we each had to rent a full size towel to lay on top of our mats to soak up the sweat so we wouldn't be slipping all over the place!  Really?  That much sweat??  Then we packed away our shoes and winter coats into personal lockers, emptied our bladders and waited for our last member to arrive.  While we were waiting, I was called to the front desk, Alli stating, "We've got a problem up here, Boss."  As the staff reviewed our waivers, they took note of my disclosure under the "medical conditions" section that I have an "extreme vagal response."  (That's the medical condition I was labeled with after coming close to and/or actually passing out a couple of times two summers ago).  "Yeah, the cardiologist told me there's really nothing wrong with me, but if I'm ever exposed to extreme pain or temperatures, I'm likely to pass out again," I explained.... Oh wait!  Extreme temperatures?  Crap!  After a fleeting moment of panic where I wasn't sure they would let me participate, I assured them that I was not too proud to sit down if I felt lightheaded, while Alli reiterated that we are all nurses and I would be in good hands if anything did happen. 

Luckily, they didn't seem too concerned and allowed me to proceed under the agreement that one of my fellow Femmes would catch me, should I fall.  While this really was a minor detail of our day, and I realize my health was never truly at risk, it did serve as a big reminder to me of how amazing all of these girls have been to me over the years, including the few months when I was a medical mystery.  As some of them were present for my past "episodes," they have become very protective and nurturing when it comes to my well-being, and I could not feel safer amongst any other group of people.  It's hard for me to put into words what each of them means to me; I just wish everyone could know them the way I do, and everyone could have equally spectacular friends in their own life.

But, enough with the mushy stuff, let's move on to the nitty gritty!  

Once we had all arrived, we walked into the studio about five minutes before class was set to start.  Our chatter and giggling were immediately squelched when we saw all of our classmates were already lying down on their mats, eyes closed, "zening" in a silent and meditative state.  The room was spacious and we all spread out establishing our own zones.  As for the heat, it felt pretty much like a sauna; hot and equally humid.  Initially, 105 degrees felt welcoming and relaxing, like a day at the beach after months of snow, ice and freezing temperatures.  There were large fans mounted around the room and I strategically placed my mat in direct alignment with one of them, thinking "they must turn these on at some point when it gets too hot."  Wrong.  They never came on during our 65 minute class.  Surprisingly though, the heat, while extraordinary, was never stifling or suffocating.

Our instructor, Mara, entered the studio and began class right on schedule.  We began with a breathing exercise and then moved into a series of standing poses, holding each for 30 seconds or so before returning to a neutral position for a momentary rest period and then on to the next pose.  Each movement and posture required balance, strength and flexibility.  Due to the type of yoga we were practicing, static poses and not a fast-paced flow, the heat was actually less of a hindrance than I expected, and surprisingly helpful with loosening tight muscles and increasing our flexibility.  As someone who has never been able to touch her toes, I was amazed that I was able to bend in so many ways I never thought possible.  The second half of the class was spent on the floor with poses done while seated, kneeling or lying down, however this did not make them any less intense or vigorous.  

At the beginning of class, Mara said, "just listen to my voice," and she was right, that's really all we had to do.  While she did demonstrate most of the poses before we attempted them, or along with us, she was fantastic at verbalizing each movement step-by-step and explaining what we needed to do in a clear manner.  She was also very encouraging and offered individual modifications to allow each of us to be most successful.  Her voice was commanding, yet calming, and she really was everything I envisioned a yoga instructor should be.  

Since this was an individual activity, with no verbal interaction, I have a very limited comprehension of everyone else's experience.  There were looks shared between Femmes, some saying "I'm dying here" <tongue wag>, others, "So now are you glad you put make-up on today?" <eye roll>, and "Stop laughing at me" <grimace>!  If I had to guess what each Femme was thinking, based on the facial expressions I noticed from her, I'd have to say the following:

Seabrin: either "I got out of bed for this?" or "I'm still pissed I was late... effing road blocks!"

Meghan: "It's hooooootttttttt."

Amy: "Yeah, I'm glad I picked a spot in the back." and "Child's pose!?! Thank God, it's about time."

Brandi: "What's the big deal, guys?"

Alli: "Just tell yourself you won't puke, and you won't puke... you won't puke... you won't puke..." and "I've got my eye on you, Deitch."

Jessi: "I'm gonna take this pose and I'm gonna make it my bitch."

For your comparison

In the end, it sounded like everyone enjoyed the experience MUCH more than anticipated, and I wouldn't be surprised if this became the (first ever?) adventure we actually make into a habit.  We left there soaked with sweat (some more visible than others), but with a sense of renewal and revival.  It was a good feeling. 

Alli said, "Next time I'm going to wear a colored shirt."  I asked, "Why? So everyone can see how sweaty you are?"  "Yep," she said.  Sweat: a sign of true accomplishment and badass-ness.  ;)

Destiny

Seabrin (spray-tan-gone-wrong foot and all)

Amy

Meghan

Brandi

Alli

Jessi

If hot yoga is something you have ever considered, I highly recommend you give it a try!  You should also check out Yoga Fix Studio.  Here is the class description from their website, http://hotyogakc.com/

Hot Yoga

This is a sequence of asana (postures) and pranyama exercises (breathing techniques) practiced in a heated room which allows you to work deeper to release toxins and stress while building strength, flexibility, cardiovascular, and mental and physical determination and focus.

This is a perfect compliment to any athletic pursuit as it helps minimize the damaging effects most sports and workout programs have on the spine, joints and organs.  This vigorous practice is designed to work the entire body as a system, toning and shaping muscles while working the internal organs to create inner health and vitality.

Adventure- #18- "You're not going to die..... at least I hope not."

Our 18th adventure took place six weeks ago, way back on December 5th.... I know.  I'm way late on getting this blog post written and published, and I hate to admit that I can no longer recount many of the details of the day.  I blame it on the time of year, the craziness of the holidays, etc etc, but enough with the excuses!  I'll just share with you what I remember...

Our outing started off with a bit of a disappointment as multiple Femmes did not show up at our meeting place, without expressing prior regrets.  Turns out they thought our adventure was planned for another day and were unable to join us (again, I blame the frenzy of the time of year).  So we ended up with a smaller than normal group, as we made our way to Sky Zone in Shawnee.   Yep, we went trampolining!!! (is that a word??)

Jumping on trampolines.  Sounds easy enough.  I expected this to be a relatively thoughtless, effortless and straightforward activity.  Boy, was I wrong!  Within the first five minutes of jumping, several of us had already taken a seat on the sideline to catch our breath and were baffled by how out of shape we appeared to be from doing such an "easy" activity.  After ten minutes or so of just jumping around freestyle, we headed over to the foam pit, where you are supposed to bounce yourself off of a trampoline and into a large pool of foam blocks.

Alli took right off and immediately jumped in, making it look like a piece of cake.  Jessi and Meagan soon followed, and then I believe Amy made it in as well.  This left Lisa and I, who had to get over our disgust with the idea of jumping into this cesspool of strangers' sweat and who knows what else.  Once we convinced ourselves we could, in fact, walk away without acquiring a communicable disease, we took our turns.  However, this did not go off as easily as you are probably imagining in your mind.  There is an exact science to successfully jumping into the foam pit that no one cared to share with us.  As a result, rather than looking like "Tigger" springing easily and carefree through the air, we both landed hard, on our hands and knees, on the edge of the platform (between the trampoline and the foam pit) and then awkwardly rolled/fell into the sea of germs.  After that initial disgrace, I did make one successful jump, while Lisa had had her fill.

Alli was definitely the daredevil of the group and was doing front flip after front flip into the pit.  I shuddered every time as I was POSITIVE she was going to break her neck.  After one final close call, Jessi declared it was time to move on.

Foam pit highs...

...and lows

 Next up were the basketball goals where we had a little shoot-out amongst ourselves, and where everyone was able to complete a slam dunk (sort of).  As far as actually making the ball in the goal... that didn't always happen, but we did all have a chance to hang on the goal, making us feel like real superstars.  Again, I was the last to complete this task.  As the tallest member of the group that day, you'd think I should have had an advantage at this, but that neck breaking fear was still there and was really stifling me.  Every time I bounced underneath the goal in preparation to attempt my dunk, all I could visualize was my head hitting the rim, jamming my skull down, while my body continued to travel upward and my cervical spine buckling upon itself and breaking into a million little pieces.  I'm not lying.  I am generally not an anxious person, but this adventure caused a flare up of anxieties inside me I never even knew I had.  I was disappointed and dumbstruck by my fear... but, eventually I was able to do it.

WNBA potential!?!

We finished up our time back at the open court area where we jumped around some more.  Alli and Jessi, both former cheerleaders, were doing all kinds of fancy jumps and tricks... I was exhausted just looking at them.  Lisa, Meagan and Amy joined in and I suddenly felt like I was severely misplaced at Cheer Camp.  Apparently, I'm the only one that is too inflexible to do a toe-touch or a "Herkie" (a term I had never heard before), so I stuck to my own specialty... lateral jumps off the sidewalls.

Like any adventure, there were varying degrees of success and pleasure.  Unfortunately for me, this was one of my least favorite adventures because of the disproportionate fear, the self-consciousness and the inability I felt.  It was eye-opening though to see some of the others having a great time while I was miserable.  It reminded me that we all have different strengths and weaknesses; different opinions and enjoyments; different struggles, and different victories.  It doesn't matter who's the best, or the fastest, or the strongest, for we will all have highs and lows along the way.  What matters is that we all try.

"Defeat is not the worst of failures.  Not to have tried is the true failure." - George Woodberry

Amy

Alli

Meagan

Jessi

  

Lisa

Destiny

Happy Femmesgiving!

This weekend we started a new tradition I am hoping will become an annual event.  All the Femmes, along with spouses, were able to get together to celebrate Friendsgiving, or Thanksgiving with your friends.  We ate a pot luck dinner of traditional Thanksgiving dishes with a twist, shared many laughs as all fourteen of us gathered around one table, and enjoyed each others company late into the night.

While the boys watched the Sporting KC game, the girls had a photo shoot...

Happy Thanksgiving from the Femmes to all of you!

Adventure #17 - "Should we just look the other way and let her have a good time?!"

After a summer hiatus, and a cancelled event in September, we have been longing for the return of our regularly scheduled adventures.  This month's activity proved to be the perfect kick-off for our next season of adventure.  It was physically demanding and mentally challenging; requiring us to execute a series of physical tasks, overcome fears and give up control.  What could be so perfectly perilous, so appropriately arduous for this group of brave Betties?  As unassuming as it sounds, the answer is tree climbing!

Suited up for an adventure aloft!

As I like to do, I kept the details of our adventure a secret from the other girls.  I did provide them with clues that would allow each of them to figure out the identity of our mystery activity with a little help from Google, but Meghan was the only one who came up with the correct recreation.  For this reason, it was a loooong drive to Stagecoach Park in Olathe, and a welcome relief for some when we pulled into our destination and spotted the following sign:

If 8 year-olds can do this, surely it can't be too scary or vigorous...

Just beyond the sign, the next thing we saw was a BIG, beautiful Pin Oak tree with a massive trunk and sprawling branches:

As we approached, we found our instructors, Becky and Dan, setting up a series of hanging ropes, the ends of which you couldn't even see from the ground:

Even I, knowing what we were doing, had no idea what to expect.  This set-up far exceeded my pre-conceived ideas, and I immediately knew my expectations for what we would be accomplishing that day were about to be blown out of the water.  In short, I was thinking "holy shit!"

We were fitted with appropriately-sized harnesses, helmets and gloves and assisted with the proper fittings by Dan and Becky.  I witnessed Seabrin tightening the straps around her waist right after Dan loosened them, explaining they didn't need to be that tight.  There's that control thing I mentioned before.  :)

Once we were all deemed suitably outfitted, we received a brief botany lesson and quick demonstration from Becky on how to ascend this beast, and were told that tree climbing is super safe... as long as you listen to direction and do what you are told.  The first, and most important, rule was to always remain attached to a rope system.  We were not to attach or detach ourselves, but to let Dan and Becky do all of this.  We each picked a rope and our instructors attached us to our lines one by one.  We were then free to climb away!

The gist of it is: put one foot in a foot strap, bend that knee up to eye-level, which creates slack in the line.   Then, pulling with your arms, bring yourself to a standing position.  This creates tautness in the line and moves you several inches off the ground.  You continue this process, inching your way up the line until you reach the extent of your rope, or a height in which you feel uncomfortable surpassing.

Here we are just getting started

And here we are getting a little more comfortable (some more than others) with it all

The process itself of climbing was easier than I anticipated after seeing Becky's demo, but it definitely required a lot of upper body strength and some wear and tear on our hands.  Brandi and I were the first two to start, and got the hang of it right off the bat.  Meghan and Seabrin were next and were equally apt.  Then came Jessi, whose apprehension was palpable.  Dan immediately picked up on this and gave her a bit of a hard time, swinging her around while she hung upside down (as pictured above) to try to loosen her up.  I'm quite sure that was a fail on Dan's part.  Meghan and I were already red-faced from hanging upside down (on our own accord) at this point, and Brandi was leading the pack on our race towards the top.

As Jessi made her way up, she encountered many rogue branches and had to play defense against a number of stray twigs and boughs.  The anxiety in her voice was giving Meghan and I good laugh, but we also sent her words of encouragement, validated that she had the most treacherous path of any of us, and cheered her success when she finally made her way to a clearing.  After reaching this point, she decided she had sufficiently provoked and prevailed over her fear of heights, and did not care to go any higher.  However, she realized she had no branch nearby on which to perch herself.   She lamented, "I chose the wrong rope." Agreed, my friend.  Luckily, Dan came to her rescue.  Conjuring MacGyver himself, he made some slick movements through the tree, finagled a few ropes, and before we knew it he was reeling Jessi in and deposited her safely on a branch.

The many faces of Jessi's tree-climbing experience

The last to start were Meagan and Amy, and they were also the furthest away from me, so I have less insight as to their perception of the adventure, but I will share what I did witness.  Meagan was very quiet the entire time she was climbing, I kept calling out to her, "Meag, are you ok?"  She appeared to have the hang of it, and was climbing quite well, but was battling her fear of heights the whole time.  Once she made it to the first branch, Jessi's branch, she straddled that bad boy and never let go.

Amy had the most trouble with the physical component of this adventure.  Doesn't help that she spent a large portion of 2013 with a brace on her arm, atrophying her upper body muscles and leaving her legally 2% handicapped (milk it for all it's worth, Amy).  With Becky's help, she was able to make it to a low branch, then surrendered to the tree.  "It took everything I've got to get to this point," she said, and went on, "I'm all out of things."

Meagan, Jessi and Amy holding on, on their branches

At this point, Meghan, Seabrin, Brandi and I had all made it to the ends of our ropes and were hanging around on some of the higher branches.

These photos give you some idea of how high we were

Our ropes ended at a part of the tree where several large branches come together creating somewhat of a platform, which Dan referred to as "the living room."  From there, Dan had set up one additional rope system that we could climb to a higher level in the tree.  Meghan, Seabrin and myself took turns maneuvering our way into "the living room," where Dan attached us to the second line and we ascended that rope.  At the top of this second rope it was quiet and still, and we were surrounded by a sea of leaves.  I really felt like I was in the tree then.  The air seemed crisper and the world more peaceful, up there.  After a moment of serenity, it was back to reality with Dan and his off-the-cuff comments and innuendos.  He absolutely loved every minute of his climb with the seven of us, and later that day sent me an email stating, "I can't remember when I had as much fun climbing."  Right back at ya, Dan!

Just hanging around in the tree...

... being silly!

At the end of our time, and after we'd all felt accomplished and were getting hungry, we began our descent.  To get down the rope, you simply reach your arm up above your head to a small wooden ball that is on the line and gently pull down on the ball.  Once you "release the clutch" as Dan put it, it's smooth sailing.  Becky was there to spot us in case it wasn't so smooth.

Gliding down our ropes

Despite sore muscles, callused hands and Brandi's legs "not working right" for three days following the climb, I think we all had a good time and possibly more fun than we expected.  I'm so proud of Meagan and Jessi for facing their fear and doing something I know they did not feel completely comfortable, secure or sure doing, and of Amy for not giving up on something that might have felt impossible at the time.  This was one of my favorite adventures to date, and one that definitely reminded each of us why we joined the club.

LOVE my fellow Femmes!!!

At the end of another successful adventure!

Wouldn't be a FF blog post without individual pics...

Destiny

Seabrin

Jessi

Meagan

Amy

Brandi

Meghan

"You're married... Heck Yeah!!!"

We'd like to congratulate the most stunning bride, Seabrin, and her beau, Kyle, on their recent nuptials!  Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Kansas City, and the ceremony was perfectly Seabrin with a few moments of comic relief sprinkled throughout.  At the reception that followed, we all had way too much fun on the dance floor and in the photo booth. It was a pretty perfect day.  Congratulations guys!

Welcome to the world...

... Baby Landon!!!

He arrived on July 12th, weighing in at 6 pounds and 14 ounces.  He couldn't be any sweeter, and all his "aunties" have already enjoyed plenty of snuggle time.  Congratulations Meghan and Mitch!