This Helmut is Heavy...I Like It

U.S. Surplus Corp. Phoenix, AZ where there are no refunds. Drop and give me 20!  I was on the hunt for camo.

This helmut felt like I had a bowling ball on my head.  Really, not kidding, it was that heavy!  I should play tennis with this helmut.  It would probably give me some fierce neck muscles.  I could really grind it! GRINDAGE!   

I bought these jackets for $5 bucks a piece.  I will cut them up and use them for my bag interiors. I threw in some socks for a shredder accessory for ME.

Orange leather for the outside of the bag.

Next stop was to visit with my girl Sherrie at H&R Fabrics.  I always love seeing her.  She helped me take Sam Harvey to the next level of coolness with her sweet suggestions to use metallics.  After that I dashed off to my pre-proposal meeting. 

I pulled into the Sojourner Center which provides temporary shelter for abused women and noticed the tall imposing gates and hard slump block exterior that had super high if any windows. There was a large semi unloading what looked like charitable items. Yeah, this has to be it.  I entered through the 2 sets of security gates, I was then escorted down a hospital like corridor.  My body started to tingle when I heard children screaming, laughing and talking.  When you have children of your own you become sort of mother of all children.  I knew this was going to be hard.  In the conference room there were some familiar faces around a long ugly table with rolling office chairs dated from the 80's with marker scribblings on the arms.  As we introduced ourselves I noticed that the guy next to me was what I call a Phoenix good ol' boy architect.   I just hadn't seen him in so long. He didn't recognize me either.  Many people don't since I grew my blonde out a few years ago. 

I could do wonders with the place.  Oh the colors I could paint.  Shall I go on? It felt so great to be sitting in a pre-proposal.  For the first time I felt like one of the good ol' boy architects.   I love being a girl competing for projects with men that could be my dad.  There is no end to the fun. 

  The hard part was touring the facility.  The hardest part was seeing the artwork on the doors of each room where a mother and her children were living.  My eyes were welling with water.  Inside I was trying to get a grip so I just took out my camera to give myself something to literally focus on.  Little notes like "I love you Mama." written inside a little construction paper heart.  My Lily gets emotional if I just scratch myself.  I just wanted to run home to my babies and hug them.  My heart started to grow bigger while I walked the halls.  One mother came out of her room and invited me in. The group was ahead and so I went inside.  It was a masonry painted room with hard floors and metal bunk beds. The children were jumping up and down so I told them to smile while I took their photo.  I thought of how my children can just open the door at their home and turn on the hose and just play in the yard. These children were locked away.  

At the end of the tour a good ol' boy came up to me and winked and said "Hey, why don't you send me a copy of your photos!".  I turned to him and chuckled so sweetly and then said "NO WAY IN HELL!" Then I chuckled so sweetly again and said "Later". 

I won't show any photos on this post because the nature of competing for public projects is super competitve.  I want this job.  This project is meaningful in so many ways.  I will have to prepare a statement of qualifications now.  I will eat my competition for breakfast.  SEMPER FI DO OR DIE!

Now I really should have bought the helmut!