December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas and Pray for Sadie
November 10, 2007
Luke's Latest Work
http://cuerogear.shutterfly.com
November 05, 2007
Introducing... SADIE!
We sometimes let her up on the couch, and she loves to put her head on the pillows!
She loves attention and she loves Luke... she's good at giving kisses!
One of her favorite places - her bed in the corner of the kitchen.
She keeps us laughing, trying to bury a chew toy on her bed by pushing at the bed with her nose, stalking the coffee table after Luke pushed it with his foot and it made a noise, and getting so excited her whole body just wriggles and shakes when we get home!
She's also been sneezing and coughing quite a bit the past two days, so if anyone has any thoughts on why or helpful remedies, they'd be much appreciated! We have a physical scheduled in two weeks, but may try and move it up to get the hacking checked out. She's not perfect, but she sure is a cutie and we are enjoying being dog owners. :)
October 06, 2007
The Summer's (almost) Over!
Perhaps one of the most fun things of the past 3 months is that Paladin went to his first horse show ever! He was wonderful and we had tons of fun... here are some pictures of my handsome boy in action!
Jumping his heart out (can you tell which way we're turning next?)...
Good boy!!!
Hangin' out with the gang - L to R, Jamie, me, Juliette, Melissa and Galen (that would be, horse-wise, Spike, Paladin, Arrow, Jestic and the big boy, Jazz!)
It was a great experience and we can't wait for little schooling shows to start again in the spring. And, speaking of shows, we are just two weeks away from our first show at HGF! We've been planning like crazy and still have a ways to go, but we are hosting an "Eclectic Horse Show Series" for the holidays, with one show in Oct., one in Nov., and one in Dec. Instead of the usual classes from just one discipline, like jumping or dressage, we are incorporating lots of disciplines into a fun show for everyone. We will have groundwork and round pen classes, dressage classes, jumping classes, and some other fun classes including a costume class in October and hopefully a pairs class in November!
While I've been crazy with this stuff at the barn, Luke has been working weekends at a dude ranch, leading trail rides! 1000 Acres Ranch is located near Lake George, almost an hour and a half from here, so Luke stays up there the weekends that he works. He's enjoyed the different experience, but is ready for it to be over (he has one more weekend to go).
One weekend while he was gone, I redid our entire bedroom! I pulled up old carpet, stripped old wallpaper, primed and painted and got the room set back up again before he returned as a complete surprise. I have lots of pictures step by step, so I'll have to post them sometime soon.
Well, I'm up to the barn to teach some lessons and hopefully ride my own horse today! I know I've said this before, but we promise to not let it be another 3 months before posting... eek.
July 17, 2007
Would You Have Guessed This?
You scored as Elinor Dashwood, As Marianne's older sister, Elinor lives at the other end of the emotional spectrum. She rarely reveals her intense feelings and is more concerned with being honest and loyal than having what she deserves. Even though her intentions are pure, she sets herself up for loss by constantly placing other people before her own needs. Overall, Elinor is gentle and rational but is just as capable of radical emotions (despite her withholding them) as her sister.
Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com |
July 16, 2007
"Tasty Little Morsels of Perfect Goodness"
This evening, we had to make a late run into town to deposit some checks and pick up some feed for the barn, so we decided to swing by the grocery store and pick up a few necessities as well. And, well, some not-so-necessities. I try to be very good about making lists, comparing prices, only buying things I need, getting healthy food, never shopping on an empty stomach, etc... but... we were late getting to the store, tired and very hungry since we hadn't had dinner yet. When we walked in, the artisan breads looked so delicious that I picked up a rosemary-olive oil demi loaf and thought, "I'll just have a bite to quell my stomach so I'm not shopping hungry." Yeah, right. Within 10 minutes we had devoured the loaf and sheepishly brought the bag along with us to the cashier... "We were hungry and it looked sooo good, we just couldn't wait!"
And then, all good intentions aside, I looked at the candy bars and completely caved. Splitting Reeses cups (my favorite) with Luke on the way home from the grocery store, the car filled with good food, is definitely one of life's little, simple, slightly naughty pleasures that is oh so good. As Luke put it, "They're tasty little morsels of perfect goodness." You said it, honey!
What are you thankful for today? :)
More Roping Pictures!
Laying down the cow
Logan holding the rope tight while Luke ties the cow - what a team!Close-up of Luke multi-tasking: controlling his horse, tieing the cow, and answering a question all at the same time! The cows - left to right, Baldy, Big Red and Dolly - happy to be done for the day and ready to go back home!
All in all it was a great day and people really enjoyed the show. Now Luke and Eric are working on gathering a few more cows to rope and practicing for their next big appearance, yet to be scheduled. Luke is going to be giving roping demonstrations for a local corn maze in September and October, but it is as yet undetermined whether or not the cows will be going along for the ride. ;) We'll keep y'all posted on his rise to fame!
July 14, 2007
I'm Sick...
I must say I'm not surprised... one of the chore girls has been on vacation this week so I've been filling in, which means early mornings and longer days than I do already. Thurs. and Fri. I worked, then last night was there till midnight braiding a horse for a show today. This morning I was awaken by a phone call because a horse was colicking... and the day just got better from there!
Now, I don't want to complain because this is a very small trial compared to what many people face, but it's frustrating to me because I rarely get sick. So your prayers for my health would be much appreciated.
How can we pray for you? Whether big or small, no request is too small for our Father!
July 11, 2007
In the Newspaper!
Jamie's sister Jenny got some wonderful pictures of the actual demo, so hopefully I'll have those to post soon.
June 14, 2007
Things I'm Thankful For/Am Currently Enjoying About Life
- A job where my days are filled with incredible variety - none of the "same old, same old" for me! (This, of course, can also be stressful as it requires constant adaptation, but it's always an adventure)
- Two wonderful veterinarians who take amazing care of all the horses at the barn, including mine, and are friendly and great to work with as well.
- My goofy horsey teenager who is a bratty pain-in-the-butt and a sweet, wonderful, athletic, hilarious, amazing blessing all at the same time. He never fails to make me smile and he's just so adorable!
- An incredible husband who takes wonderful care of me and is so sweet and supportive of everything I do.
- Trail riding. It's just great.
- New job hours that mean I get more sleep and more time to get things done at home.
- Coming home at the end of the day exhausted but content, knowing I put in a good day's work and can now rest, relax and be refreshed for tomorrow.
Thank you, Lord, for all Your simple yet magnificent blessings.
June 05, 2007
May 23, 2007
Tagged!
1. I have a very hard time making decisions, so deciding what 8 things to put in this list is going to be tough!
2. I'm an overachiever and always plan on doing more than I'm actually able to accomplish. Case in point: our living room walls have now been pockmarked and scraped from having wallpaper taken down for five months (wow, I can't believe it's been that long!), while we've been trying to finish up painting the kitchen cabinet doors and work our crazy more-than-full-time schedules. And I thought we could finish both rooms in a week... :-P
3. I'm a homebody - my favorite ways to spend leisure time all involve just staying home and either getting housework done, napping, or curling up with a cup of tea and a good book, especially on a rainy afternoon. I love coziness!
4. The first time I met Luke, my husband, I hated him because he had punched my little brother in the stomach.
5. When I'm riding in Luke's truck, I like the volume on his stereo to be set at a number divisible by five (usually 20 or 25). Don't ask me why, I have no idea, it's just the digital display and I like having it there... Luke said that was too quirky a fact to leave out!
6. Despite being a homebody, I also LOVE to travel... on my list of places to go: Europe (Vienna, Paris, Greece and Italy), Cameroon again, Kenya again, NC to see family, one of the Caribbean islands, pretty much anywhere I haven't been.
7. I have a horse who, if I sit on the fence of a pasture or corral that he's in, will walk over to me without a halter or bridle on and position himself so that his back is right next to me. Then, he won't let me get off the fence unless I climb on him. Isn't that cool? I LOVE that he wants to be ridden so much! :-)
8. I love to cook, particularly comfort foods like soup and good breads, but I also love trying new recipes or looking for unusual ingredients in the grocery store that might be fun to use in something. My most recent dish was a combination of onions, chick peas, and coconut milk simmered with spices. Yummy and sooo good for you!
So there's the list, and now I have no idea who to tag... I'll have to come back later and add tags (and don't worry, I really will get to it tonight).
March 23, 2007
We're Back!
Our kitchen is painted now, thanks to a visit from Luke's parents, who were a HUGE blessing! Our horses are doing well, although poor Paladin was neglected most of the winter while I was busy doing all the riding for both Jamie and myself, since she was great with child. We are tired at the end of every day and just coming into a very busy training season, but we still enjoy our work and love living in this beautiful, though not always cooperative, area of the country. We look forward to being more in touch in the months to come!