Saturday, January 31, 2009

Danger!!!!

Okay, at the insistence of Chelsi (insert big smile!!) I am going to share a little info with you all about me and horses. Many of us have either been blogging/posting about fear and horses, or responding and commenting about it. For those of you who have not read any of the posts that are floating around out there, let me clarify that this is not about horses and their fears, it is about humans and the various fears that we may have about horses. And there are a lot of us who have them!

Some of you may be shocked to hear me say that I have a healthy fear/respect for horses that are under saddle. On the ground, I am an uber-confident Boss Mare...just ask anyone who knows me...lol!!! And though I have seen horrendous accidents involving horses and people on the ground, they did not leave a mark on my psyche like one particular accident under saddle did.
Silly thing about this accident was that I did not witness the actual accident, but I did witness the aftermath, and that did some damage. Back when I was an invincible 17 year old, who rode horses with wild abandon, my mother and youngest sister were injured in a senseless accident that really didn't even have anything to do with the horse that they were on, and I think that is why it freaked me out so bad....it made me realize that even though the horse did nothing to hurt them, they got hurt anyway.

One minute your fine and the next minute your in critical care or dead. Could that happen to you while your walking down the street?? It could, but not likely.
Back to the accident....My mom went out on a lone trail ride, as she often did back then, and had my little sister (who was two at the time) placed in front of her in the saddle. She was riding her spooky but trusty mare, Jewel, when they went around a corner that they had been on millions of times, and found that some nasty blackberry vines had fallen down into the trail-right at their height.

They had ridden right into them, and they were scratching big gouges in my sisters cheek, and tangling into Jewel's mane. Jen (my little sister) started to panic and cry, and Jewel started to become agitated and wanted to move around (my mom had stopped her to try and get the thorns out of my sister). My mom made one of those quick, split second decisions, and decided that rather than stay on Jewel's back with Jen, she would grab Jen and slide off to the ground; thus saving them all from an imminent disaster. Or so she thought.....
What my mom hadn't banked on, was that the weight of my sister (she pulled her on top of her), would throw her landing off, and she landed on some medium sized rocks, without her hands to break her fall. Long story short, she landed on her side and her face, and she ended up with several broken ribs, a punctured lung, a huge laceration that ran from her temple to the middle of her cheek, and multiple facial bone fractures. She was in the hospital for days and had to undergo many surgeries to repair her face.
She did her motherly duty though...Jen escaped with only scratches on her cheek from those darn blackberries. And during the whole thing, Jewel just stood there!
Immediately after the accident, My mom (well all of us!!) took a lot of flak for keeping Jewel. When people heard about what happened, they all thought that Jewel did it, and said that there was no way that my mom could have gotten hurt that bad from choosing to fall off...but she did. And that is what freaked me out on some subconscious level.There is one more event (well not really an event, but a horse!)that made me realize how fragile we are, but that will have to wait until next time. It is also important to know that I did not truly become aware of my mortality until I had kidlets. Before them, I took a lot more chances with various horses that I will not do now.
(Warning: For those of you who have read my comments on other blogs, the rest of this will be sort of be repetitious) I have always preferred steadfast, trustworthy, and loyal horses for my own personal mounts, and even back then, I refused to ride an unstable horse. I had/have seen to many people get hurt and there was/is no way that I was/is going to become one of them.
This being said, I like a horse that is all of the above things, and yet still maintains its own mind. I don't mind a little naughtiness, just as long as it doesn't become a chronic problem. I also like well trained horses that are responsive and know what I am asking of them. In my opinion, old or current show horses make some of the best trail horses, because they understand how to move off of your leg, and a horse that moves off of pressure is priceless on the trail...trust me, I know...lol!!!

So enough about horses for now....I wanted to thank you all for your kind words about my blog slump!!! As I said in my comment to all of you, I was kind of hoping you would yell at me and tell me to "shut up, toughen up, and blog!!!" LOL!!!

I have also seen that some of you have passed on some awards to me, and I promise to get those up soon. I do not have any classes until next Thursday, so I should have plenty of time to relax...and to blog. Well, hope you have a great Superbowl Sunday! Me??? I am hitting the trails with Amber. See you soon!!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Inspiration Where Art Thou???

Goodness it has awhile since I posted/wrote about anything!!! You want to know why??? Well, besides that fact that I have been crazy busy, I just can't seem to sit down and write. I have all of these neat ideas in my head, and I even have pictures to go along with them, but I can't sit down and put those ideas on my screen for some reason. I have still been going around and reading/commenting on every one's blogs, but I come back to mine and go "Blahhhhhh...." Has this ever happened to any of you before??? I have been blogging for seven months now, and I was thinking that I may be a tad burnt out??? Is there even such a thing??? Maybe it is just because I have been so busy that I don't have the energy to devote to blogging right now? Who knows, but I sure hope it goes away soon!!!

I am headed out for a nice ride tomorrow, so maybe that will give me some inspiration.
Anywho...hang in there! I promise that I will be back to my regular, ranting and raving self in no time....well maybe I need just a little bit of time...lol!!!!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Where To Go and What To Do???

Well hello there!!!! It feels like it has been forever since I last posted anything. As previously mentioned, the past three weeks have been hellacious, but this Thursday officially marks the end of "J"-Term. Ya!!!!
All of this craziness has got me thinking about planning our summer vacation, but I am kind of stuck on where to go and what to do.
So...I was sitting here on the computer, needlessly searching for places to go and things to see, when I remembered all of YOU!!! That's right, you heard me. I know that a lot of you live in the PNW, and in BC (and there are others who have lived here, but have moved elsewhere!!) so I thought that I would ask you guys for recommendations.

We have thought about heading up to Banff National Park (Alberta, Canada), driving over to Yellowstone National Park, or going down to Oregon somewhere (Eastern or Western).Anywho...even though I just mentioned some places that are not in the PNW, if any of you know of some really neat spots in WA, OR, ID, or BC, let me know. We have sold our travel trailer, so we would need to stay in a cabin, cottage, or hotel. ... And, I was pleasantly surprised when my hubby mentioned that a dude ranch would be fun. He used to ride with me, but hasn't had a horse in years...maybe one day???? (PS-The horse in the picture below is not one that I know. He/she just popped up when I googled "dude ranch." Nice looking little pony, don't you think???)So lets here it!!!! Where should we go????
Hope that you have all had great weekends, and I promise to be a better blogger in the near future. :)

Friday, January 23, 2009

Blog Schmog!!!

Good grief you guys!!! Have you ever had one of those weeks??? I swear it was Monday the last time I turned around, and yet here we are, over 1/2 way through Friday!
Let me explain a little...

Because the university I attend runs on semesters, they have a little thing called January , or "J" term, where they cram a three month class into one month. It is a good way to get caught up on any GUR's (general university requirements) that you may still need, but the downside is that you are at school from 9:30 until 2:30, Monday-Thursday.

Once I get out of class, I rush to make the 35-40 minute drive to the kidlets' school to pick them up, we go home and get some chores and homework done, make dinner, and then we either go for a walk/run, go to gymnastics, or go to various appointments. Oh and I still have to clean the house, fold the laundry, and do my own homework!!
Then there are phone calls to make, emails to answer, and favorite tv show premieres to watch (Lost is back on!!!). Needless to say, I have been getting to bed around midnight, and getting up around 6:00. Craziness, I tell you!!! I also know that many of you live like this all of the time, but I don't, and I don't like it!!! Then...last week and part of this week, I have had sick kidlets, and I am talking about vomiting, not snotty noses. Oh, and dentist appointments, and doctor appointments, and....I know...get a hold of myself, right???LOL!!!

Anywho...that is why I have not been around much. I am hoping that things mellow out somewhat at the end of next week (end of "J" term!). I didn't even get to go riding today, because I had to take Katie to the dentist. The horror!!! LOL!!!

Talk to you all soon!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Mixed Up...

This post is kind of random and mixed up, because it is about horses and salsa. Of course, I am sure that there is some way that the two topics go together! If you are a Pony Cousin perhaps??? LOL!!!
Similar to the other PNW bloggers, we have been experiencing a lot of "frozen fog" over here, and let me tell you, it is not the best thing to ride in. On Friday, we went on a four hour ride, and it was only 20 degrees out. Thankfully, my layers of insulation helped to keep the cold at bay for the first three hours, but after that I froze to death!!!

At one point during the ride, Amber, who had on layers of clothing as well, decided to get off and walk a bit. She was hoping that it would warm her up, but it actually made her feet ache worse, because they were so cold. (If you look closely at Bo's ears(below), you can see that he was asking me why I didn't haul my fat a@# off of his back and walk...lol!!!!) You never realize just how many spiderwebs and cobwebs are floating around in the woods, until they are frozen, or until you are the first person to ride through a trail...lol!!! Sometimes we take dibs on who has to be first, and thus gets to be covered in webs and spiders.On to part two of this mixed up post..... (or not so mixed up post, depending how you look at it!) I have a minor obsession with Mexican food, and I love, love, love ,pico de gallo. I have been buying freshly made pico de gallo by the tubful at the grocery store, but after watching my sister, Jen, (who also happens to be a sous chef) make her own the other day, I decided to do the same.

Have you ever seen what a kitchen counter looks like after a person with ADD makes pico de gallo... or anything for that matter??? Well take a look at the photo below!!! (How does that darn Pioneer Woman always make everything look so organized and clean?? LOL!!!)So I chopped and I sliced, and I sliced and I chopped, and this was the end result.....
...And let me be the first to tell you that is is delicious!!! I had it for my snack, and for dinner!!! I love it so much that I just eat it by the spoonful...teeheehee!!! Is there such thing as eating too much pico de gallo??? I hope not!!! And eating it by the spoonful isn't bad for you right??? It's made out of vegetables...lol!!! (I am awfully giggly tonight, aren't I??)

(Speaking of random information...how about that inauguration this morning???? Can I just say that I love President Barack Obama???!!! I cried all the way to school, while I listened to his speech. I just hope that people remember that he is just one man, and that he alone cannot "fix" this mess that we have gotten ourselves into.)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Okay...I'll Play!!!!

Okay...now I feel guilty that I didn't nominate anyone for the "Lemonade Stand Award!!" I have officially been guilted into passing it on (wink, wink!!). I think the reason that I always hesitate to pass awards/tags on, is that a lot of people don't accept them. It may be because they can be time consuming, or it may be that they just don't want to deal with awards/tags (that's not the reason that they blog), but either way, I respect their decision. That being said, I will pass this along to 10 blogs that I read on a regular basis (why does it have to be just 10??), and they can accept the award or politely decline it...no pressure okay???

So, in no particular order (except for the first one, because I want her to know that she is NOT a whiner!!) here are 10 blogs that have a great bloggy attitude! PS-If you have already been awarded, just know that I thought of you! :)

1) Lisa over at The Laughing Orca Ranch! I think that everyone knows who Lisa is, and even though she has been going through a pretty rough time lately, she is most definitely not a complainer!!!

2) Trail Riding Cowgirl over at All Things Horses! She is great and doesn't like the long, cold winter either!! Hopefully this will help bring some sunshine into her bloggy world!

3) Chelsi over at Adventures of A Horse Crazed Mind! Have you checked out this girl's writing, artwork, and YouTube videos??? She is amazing! LOL!!!

4) Brown Eyed Cowgirls!! BEC has some amazing looking horses, and she lives in cold SD, so she also needs a little bit of summer!

5) Gail over at At the Farm! What is not to like about Gail??? An Arkansas gal who lives on her family's farm, writes amazing poetry, and often brings tears to my eyes with her words.

6) Carolynn over at A Glowing Ember. Yet another beautiful person (on the inside and out!) who is also a gifted writer. Haven't checked her out yet?? Head on over!!

7) Stephanie over at The School of Life With Horses! Stephanie's blog is soon to be featured in Horse & Rider magazine, and she owns the horse that I featured in my "All I Want For Christmas" post!

8) Grey Horse Matters! This is an excellent blog that is always full of helpful tips for the horse and rider! It features beautiful horses, beautiful scenery, and another talented writer (I am starting to notice a pattern here...are you???)

9) Lytha over at A Horse Crazy American in Germany! She is a former Washingtonian and Arab owner, who know calls Germany home. There is always something good to read on her blog...trust me!!!

10) Natarojo over at Just Horsin' Around! Hmmmm...should I like someone that has beautiful horses and rides in a drill team???? (Just kidding!!) She always has a positive, upbeat attitude, and takes great photographs! She also needs a bit of sunshine in her world!!!Well that wasn't so bad now, was it??? LOL!!! All this talk of lemons and summer has got me thinking about another one of my favorite lemon beverages.....teeheehee!!!

PS-For those of you who want to play along, please see my previous post about the rules and meaning of the award!!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Lemonade and Friends!

Hey!!! Doesn't a lemonade stand evoke images of summertime??? My bloggy friend Trainwreck, over at Cowboys, Kids and Sunsets, awarded me with the Lemonade award, and I believe that it is an award for blogs that have/show a great attitude. Do I have a good attitude??? (Just joking!!) Thanks a bunch for the award Miss TW!!! I am glad that you appreciate little ole' me...lol!!!
Now...I can choose to award 10 other blogs if I want to, or I can be greedy and keep it all to myself...teeheehee!!! Because it looks like this award has been making its rounds out there, I will not nominate any blogs in particular, but if you like it, have a great attitude, and want a little piece of summer, feel free to grab it!!!!

Friday, January 16, 2009

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know!!!

So, about one month ago, Beth, over at the Dog and Pony Show (how cute is that blog name??) "Scrapped" me, and I am just now getting around to doing it. Sorry Beth!!! I believe that I am supposed to tell you 10 things about me, and that is always hard for me to do. Honestly, I would rather read/learn about you, than write about myself! That being said, I recently read Lisa's Scrapped answers, and they gave me some ideas (thanks Lisa!!).

Here we go...

1) I have a mild designer handbag and shoe obsession. I call it minor, because now that I am a poor student, I can only indulge every couple of years...lol!!!
2) I also happen to like big, expensive watches! And no, I don't have an expensive one. I wear a Fossil watch for now.... 3) I like old, antique looking diamond rings. Not that I have one of those either, but maybe one day....(I do have a lovely wedding ring with big diamonds though, so I am not complaining!!)
4) I was preppy in high school. You know, I wore penny loafers, button down shirts, sweaters over my shoulder etc... Now my style would be called "classic" vs. "preppy" lol!!! I was also known to let loose and wear my Wranglers, a tee-shirt, and my Ropers too though!!

5) Like a lot of my other cowgirl, blogger friends, I prefer square toed cowboy boots.

6) I have a hard time being compassionate towards people who I consider to be less fortunate, or less worthy than me. (Does this mean I will be a bad social worker or counselor?? I don't think so. It makes me be aware of my feelings towards others, and that can be good and bad) This is something that I have always battled with, and I am finally overcoming it. It has been a struggle for me though, and it is really easy for me to think negatively about someone and backslide. (I guess this is my way of saying that I can be a major snob! I am trying though, and it feels better to love than to despise)

7) I can be moody!!! I wear my emotions on my sleeve, so you can usually tell what/how I am thinking/feeling by the way I am acting. (Just ask my family...lol!!!)

8) I detest phony/fake people. Want to get on my bad side??? Act fake!!!

9) I have greenish-blue eyes. When I wear blue, they look more blue; when I wear green they look really green; and when I wear nothing at all...lol (just joking!!!)...they are greenish-blue again!

10) I always have my toenails painted. I have a thing about feet, and get really grossed out by nasty ones!

Phew....I am done!!! Now that you all know a little bit more about me, I hope that you still come by and visit!! ;) Have a great weekend you guys!!!

Monday, January 12, 2009

After the Rain...

Remember how I said Amber and I were going to take a little tour of the flooding?? Well we did, but I won't bore you with pictures of damage that will mean nothing to you unless you know what an area looked like before the floods. Some of our trail heads are now gone, and our favorite creek-side trails are gone also. (I feel rather petty and shallow for complaining about that, when hundreds of people lost their homes and possessions) Guess we have a lot to do this spring and summer now, don't we???Do you recall this infamous picture from last spring (yes folks...June is still spring here in WA)??
You know, the one where I turned away to help Katie and Sienna cross the creek and when I turned back I heard, "Look mom!! I can stand on Bo's back all by myself!!" I think I aged about five years when I saw him...lol!!! Well the picture below is what that spot looks like right now. See the big trees behind Bo and Eric in that picture?? The above shot was taken from up by those trees, looking down to where Bo and Eric were. There is now mud, rocks, log jams, and small streams running through that trail.
Above is another shot of that same area (looking down), and you can see the log-jam pretty well. Right across the creek from the log-jam, used to be a trail head that took us up and out to some good trails. Thankfully there are other ways to access them, but that was one of the quickest.
As mentioned before, a lot of people have had their lives destroyed by the recent flooding around here, and my heart goes out to them. Thankfully this week is supposed to be warmer and drier, so the rivers should be able to recede back to their normal levels.And because I don't want to end this post on a glum note, I posted a picture of Katie's birthday/pony cake that my mom made her. Isn't it just the cutest??? Thanks so much mom!!! Hope that you are all having a good start to your week so far! :)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Hair Evolution!

Okay...I thought that I would do a post about my wild and crazy hair! (Shallow, I know!!)
It's just that I have had a lifelong love/hate relationship with my tresses (who hasn't, right??), and I think that I have finally come to terms with it. As you can see, I have always had wild, crazy, fuzzy, and unmanageable hair. And, unlike most people with naturally curly hair, I have fine, wispy curls, and not coarse, wiry ones. That may sound like a good thing, but it is most definitely NOT!!!Notice how there is not much difference between my hair as a three year old, and my hair as a 22 year old? Not good! I must also confess that my hair looks exactly the same when I wake up in the mornings now, as it did back when I was three...lol!!!!Thankfully, when I was around 28, my current hair stylist came into my life, and changed it (my hair, not my life!!) for the better. Below is a picture of my hair as it looks today, and as you can tell, it has a lot more style to it than it did in my earlier years (remember how it looked in the 90's???). Veronica was the first stylist to come along who realized that my hair needed to be drastically textured and thinned out, and you can see that my hair loves her for that! :) I now literally have most of my hair chopped off (volume not length), use two different products to control the frizzies and curls, and it actually resembles hair now, doesn't it?? Sorry that there are no pictures of my hair during my teenage years. Let's just say that I looked like a complete idiot, and that maybe one day (maybe!!) I will post some of them. Maybe!!!
Anywho...that's the evolution of my hair style in a nutshell. Do any of you have hair like mine?? PS-If your hair is straight and silky, I hate you and don't want to hear about it!!! (Just kidding!!)

Friday, January 9, 2009

One Week...

It's amazing the difference one week has made when it comes to the weather around here. This time last week, we were still playing in what was left of the snow, and now this week, thousands of people find themselves victims of the record-breaking flooding. The major highways that run both west to east and north to south, are shut down and many smaller highways and main arterials have been completely washed away. Whole towns have even been evacuated (two of which are very near to where I live), and thousands more are stranded.I swear that every year around Katie's birthday, something major happens, but usually it is just a snow storm, not a snow storm followed by flooding. Later on today, Amber and I are going to take a tour of some of the local damage, so I will post some of those shots too. (That's our plan anyway!) Oh, and as if flooding wasn't enough, there have also been some ginormous mudslides that have taken out homes and roads as well. Guess what?? I once again have no husband, as he is now hauling equipment and supplies to county crews, who are desperately trying to clear and repair roadways. He's taking some killer pictures too!As promised, here are some shots of us last week in the snow........
Above we have Eric driving Sienna in the snow, and below we have Miss Katie doing the same thing. It's really too bad that Sienna isn't bigger, because her and Eric really get along. Their temperaments match-up well (Sienna is like a little QH), and that is why I want to get Eric a "big" Sienna to ride.It was so cold that day, that we decided to make a fire, and Amber's Christmas tree was the first thing to go. It burnt up in about one minute too. Now I know why Christmas trees are so dangerous (dry ones!).
And last but not least, we have Sienna and Bo who are patiently waiting for their post-ride treats. Sienna always stretches out and poses for hers. She is like a little dog who sits and then gets her reward...lol!!!Well...that's it for now folks. Hope that you all have a great Friday, and my thoughts/prayers/positive energy etc...go out to all of those who have been affected by the floods. (I was tagged a bit ago, by Beth, and I promise to start on that this weekend too!)

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Happy Birthday Katie Kate!!! Well Tomorrow Anyway!!!

Yep, that's right!! Miss Katie turns seven on the seventh this year.
Here are a few factoids about her:
-Katie was born at 12:20 am, which happens to be the exact same time that I was born
-Katie weighed a whopping ten pounds and ten ounces (22 inches long)
-Katie was born at a birth center, with a midwife, and was surrounded by friends and family
-About the exact same time that I was in labor with Katie, my horse Shadest was at home colicking
-Katie was born on the day that Shadest diedSo...even though I was completely overjoyed by the birth of my baby daughter, I was incredibly saddened by the death of my horse (he was 16 and I had known him since he was a foal). Needless to say, I spent a lot of time crying hysterically and trying to hold it together.
Life goes on though, and even though I am teary eyed while I write this (due to remembering how much emotional turmoil I was going through at the time) I am eternally thankful to have a happy, healthy, seven year old.
Cutie patootie on the beach (three years old).
Above is a picture of Amber, Katie and Bo about six years ago(before he went back to his old owner), and below is a picture of Miss Katie on Bo Bo this past summer. So far, Katie shares my love for horses, but if she ever outgrows it, that is fine too.
Below is a picture of me and Shadest in 1991. (Quit laughing at my horrible late eighties/early nineties hair!!!! Stop it right now!!!!) Just thought I would throw it in here to...you know, as a tribute! :)
Anyway, coming back to the present, I want to post a link to my friend Angie's blog: Angie Penrose Photography. She is a photographer, and took a couple of random shots of Katie last week while we were visiting and having lunch together. She captured Katie as she looks now, but don't let the peaceful, serene expression fool you!!! Katie is no pushover...lol!!!
Happy Birthday Katie!!! Mommy and daddy love you!!!!

Monday, January 5, 2009

She's Baaaaaack......

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.....breathe a collected sigh of relief with me here people!!! I am back!!!! When I woke up this morning and the little green light was still off on my modem, and I went kind of crazy. I promptly called up the phone/internet/tv company, and after waiting on hold for several minutes and being disconnected about four times(due to "technical difficulties"), I was finally able to talk to someone, and I pleaded my case yet again. (As this was my third time, I wasn't so nice!!) I was told that it should be up and running within the hour (no use to me as we all had to leave for school!), and lucky for them, the little light was blinking when we all got home. (I ran back to the computer room like the crazed junkie that I am...that's how I knew so fast!!!)
I really missed reading all of your blogs, and I have started to play catch-up tonight, but gee whiz...you guys blog a lot...lol!!!! The unfortunate thing is that I started back to school today too, and here I am, blogging like a fiend, when I should be reading chapter one in my text book! So, remember all of that snow that we had around here?? Well it finally melted, but it snowed again last week (this time only about 4-5 inches). The good thing was that it was pretty localized, and my hubby didn't have to go plow it. This meant that I could enjoy it more, and I went for a nice long ride (about three hours) with Amber, Martha, and a gal named Jenny. (See??? I told you I was crazy!!!)
Look at how white and clean Bo looked in the snow (below)!!! I am just joking of course...every inch of his body that was/is not covered by his blanket, is covered in mud. He is the biggest slob ever!!! I took this picture so you could see what we looked like after leading the way for a bit. The snow was really wet and heavy, and the trails were partially obstructed by low-hanging branches. That meant whomever was in the front got doused. See my poor, cold, toes down there??? LOL!!!
Although it snowed the night before, the day was relatively clear, and I thought that the scenery was breath taking. See those hills that are over yonder in the picture below??? We rode over to them in a round about way. I get so lost on these particular trails (not when we are under the power lines of course!!), and I won't go into details about that, but let me just say that I regularly entertain Amber and Martha with my lack of a sense of direction. I need to live somewhere that I can see 20 feet in front of me. There are too many trees and hills here!!! (That's my story and I am sticking too it!!!)
See?? Look at the trees in the picture below. The trails ALL look like that. (To me anyway....lol!!!)
Well, I better head off to bed now, and don't worry, I have more snow pictures on the way!!!! LOL!!! The next set will include the kidlets and the ponies, and they are always more entertaining than I am !!!
Have a good night, and if I wake up and the little green light isn't on, I am going to go bananas!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Internet Woes....

Hello everyone!!! I feel like I have just gone through blogger de-tox or something...lol!!! Our Internet service provider has been having some difficulties, and I have not had the Internet for four days!!! (Shocking, I know!!!)
It is STILL down, but I came over to my husband's cousin and hijacked her computer for a minute (thank-you Marilyn!!). Hopefully ours will be up running in no time, but Qwest tells me that it may be a few more days. :(

Just wanted to let all of you know that I truly miss reading your blogs, and that I should maybe consider getting some help for this little addiction...teeheehee!!! Hope that you are all doing well!!?? I have had a great week filled with relaxing on the couch, reading the third book in the Twilight series ( I found it Chelsi!!), exercising, and last but not least....horseback riding. We went for a lovely ride in the snow today, but I did not bring my camera to Marilyn's house. That would be a bit obsessive, don't you think??? LOL!!!
Hope to be back up and running soon!!! Wish me luck! :)