Does Anyone Blog Anymore?

Well hello there! Does anyone even blog anymore? I am thinking that I may give it another go......A lot has happened since my last post, but I am not going to bore e dry one with that now. Just thought I would get on and see who is still around. Until next time!  :  )

Still Here!!!!

Hello everyone!!! Once again.....it has been way too long since I last blogged. And I thought that life was going to slow down once I was done with school......Boy was I wrong!!!!!

Now that I am done with school,Katie has been playing sports as well as Eric, and we have literally spent M-Th and every Saturday, over the past two months, attending basketball games for both kidlets. Phew....glad that is done! However, baseball is already going for Eric and Katie starts fast pitch next month. We have been so busy that I have not even been able to ride for the past three months. I haven't even seen the horses. Until today, because I am feeding them while Amber is gone this weekend, and boy did it feel good to run my hands under their warm blankets and breathe in their horsey scent. Ahhhhhh.....there is just something about a horse that makes it all feel better, right?


Oh, and of course Amber has been harassing me about getting a horse. I really want one, but I have been just too darn busy. Speaking of that, I am thinking about returning to grad school. Yep...call me crazy, but I am really considering it. For one thing, there is now a part-time, advanced standing MSW program that will only take me one year to complete. And for another thing, once I have my MSW, I can do shift work at a hospital, which means that I won't have to work M-F anymore.

I am afraid that having always worked in the health care field has ruined me. This is because I have always worked three 12 hour shifts, or four 10's. And I hate to say it, but it really spoiled me, and I am not cut out to working M-F. Okay. There. It is out. So....anywho, I am going to meet with an advisor at UW to see about returning. Call me crazy!!!!

In other news, my family and I went on a great winter vacation last month to Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg ID. We went with some good friends of ours and we had a really good time. The resort has an indoor water park and it also has a gondola (20 minute ride!) that takes you up to Silver Mtn. The kidlets snowboarded and even I put on a pair of skis...something I had not done in over 18 years. Thankfully, I only fell once in two days of skiing, and I didn't break any bones...lol!!!

Well, I hope you enjoy my update. I am going to try to catch up on every one's blogs tonight. Not that I will be able to keep up or anything...lol!!!!!

If It's Not One Thing.......

Hello....hello!!!!!! I am thinking that everyone has figured that I quit blogging. Not quite the case. It is true that I have not been on Blogger in like...I don't know...two-three months???? BUT, I am not done with all of you yet!!!! LOL!!!!

What has my problem been???? Honestly???? I have had a really difficult time adjusting to working everyday. There. I said it. Plain and simple....I wish I only worker three days per week. I have been spoiled the last three years in school, and going back to work has definitely taken some getting used too. Now before you get all put-your-big-girl-panties-on-and-quit-complaining on me, just know that until the last three years, I worked 30-40 (or more) hours per week, so it is not like I did not know what I was getting myself into. And for the record, I am working 30 hours per week, M-F, 9-3:30. Now when you factor in my 45 min. commute it gets a bit longer, but that is the price you have to pay to live out in the country....and I am okay with that.

I just wish I were home more......

My job??? I really love it. I enjoy working with elderly residents and their families, and boy do I have some good stories to tell! (Paying attention to privacy laws and using fake names etc... of course!!!) It is nice to be out in the real world and to be treated like a real person again, rather than a student. It is also kind of weird to return back to the workforce as a professional and not just a worker bee.

When I was a nurse, I was "just a nurse," but now I have some serious credentials and education behind my name and other professionals actually listen to what I have to say. It has taken some getting used too, and I am not bashing nurses or other worker bees, because they are really the eyes and ears of the health care field. And CNA's??? They should get paid way more than they do...just saying.

So....I am still here, and I am hoping that I am finally getting into the swing of this working thing. Enough said about that for now.....
On the horse front, I have only gotten to ride a small handful of times lately, even though Amber now has the weekends off too. Why???? Because I only have my weekends to get hundreds of things done, which has included attending my kidlet's volleyball and football games on Saturdays, and taking them up snowboarding.

I know, I know...that's how it is when you work, right??? Oops, I am not supposed to talk about that anymore...lol!!!! : )

It's all good though. I hope that I can stop off at some of your blogs and do some serious catching but, but I may have to start over from scratch alright???

Thanks for listening to me vent and I will be back soon....I promise!!!

Fall Is Here.....

....And you would think that I would have some pictures of our gorgeous fall scenery, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, my camera just cannot capture the details or adjust to the dim lighting in the forest right now. Trust me, I have tried......
I want a new camera for Christmas. : )



There is definitely no denying that fall is here right now, as the days are sunny and warm (warm only in the sun though!) and the nights are clear and cold. The leaves on the trees are brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow, and all of the roads, trails, and paths are littered with the fallen ones. I love it!!! Spring and fall are my favorite seasons, because of all of the colors that burst forth out of nowhere, but summer has my heart when it comes to long, hot days.....sigh....



Sorry that it has been forever and a day since my last post, but I have been really busy (what's new, right??? LOL). I have been working at my new job the past three weeks, and I absolutely LOVE it!! However, I feel really bad, because a part-time, 30 hour per week, job opportunity opened up at a large facility much, much closer to my home and I just accepted their offer.



This means that I have to tell my other new job that I am leaving and give my two-week notice. I am sure that they will not be happy....
The new job will be a lot of fun, because I know the social work supervisor and one of the social workers really well. It is also only a 40-60 minute commute (depending on traffic) whereas the location I am at now is a 60-100 minute commute. Nasty!!!!



I also think it will be nice to work 9-3:30 everyday, and to have a consistent paycheck. Consistent paychecks mean more money, and more money means that I can get a horse sooner; although I am threatening to buy Waska from Amber...lol!!! I pretty much just ride him now and I really, really like him. Thankfully, he has recovered from his mild bout of laminitis, and appears to be doing well on his new insulin resistance diet. We shall see...



Well, I am off to the grocery store. hope you are all doing well, and I will try to catch up this weekend. : )

Back and Forth....

Hola!!! Nice helmet shot, eh??? Not to totally start off "off topic" but when my hubby saw this picture he said "...Oh, you are still wearing that thing??? I figured that you were just saying that you did..."

Huh??? He was the one who said I had to wear a helmet and be responsible (his words, not

mine) now that I had children. So...even though I know it is a good idea to wear one, I didn't for over 25 years and it really makes my head sweaty and itchy on warm days. In the future, maybe I won't wear it all of the time.....

Okay, back on topic...here we go.....

I really like my new job so far. I have only gone to a two day orientation, but I will actually start out on the floor this Friday. My only problem is I do not have many nice clothes, so I am going to have to go shopping. Which will probably be kind of fun because all of the new fall styles are out and I have nothing...lol!!As previously mentioned, Amber and I have been putting the miles on the ponies lately and it has been wonderful. Seeing that bear cub was amazing, and we pretty much see wildlife every ride now, which is kind of strange 'cause we are used to just seeing their tracks.

In the picture below (which was taken in an area that is undergoing tree thinning vs. deforestation) we saw an elk herd that was being led by a big bull. We chased them for a bit, but by the time I had my camera out, they were gone.As you can see from the picture below, we have been taking Miss Sienna out with us, as it gives her something to look forward to and some exercise as well. She does a great job of keeping up with the big boys too!Well, that's it for now. I have to head out shopping and clean my house up a bit. Eric's birthday party is on Saturday (his birthday is Friday) and I have a lot of people coming over to help celebrate. Hope all of you are having a great week so far... : )

Geez.......

Hey there all!!!

I just wanted to pop in and say "thank you" to everyone who left comments. I guess I will keep this blogging thing up for a while longer...lol!!! I have had a crazy busy weekend (with lots of riding!!) and start my new job tomorrow, so it may be a day or two before I have time to post again.

Again....thanks for understanding my blogging hesitation. You are all the best. : )

New Beginnings?

(Before I start, I want to apologize for the "ALLPOSTERS" image over most of the pics in this post. I googled "black bears" and these are a few of the images that popped up)

I have not posted in a long time. I don't even know if anyone even comes here anymore, except my mom (Hi mom!!!). I have deliberately been missing-in-action because I have been uninspired or unsure about what to blog about. I must say that I have been having a great time these past few weeks (because the kidlets are in school) and I have doing a whole lot of whatever I feel like doing, such as horseback riding and hiking. I am down 16 pounds in the last two months, and that makes me happy (and healthy!) too.Speaking of riding, Amber and I had the pleasure of seeing a black bear cub on a recent ride; hence the bear photos. He was definitely this past springs cub, but thankfully, we did not have the pleasure of meeting his momma too.

And he was the cutest little thing ever!! I can see how people get themselves into trouble with bear cubs, because we wanted to run over and pick him up...not that we would ever do that in 100 years, but I am just saying..... Waska (who I was riding), Bo (who Amber was riding), and Sienna (who Amber was ponying) didn't even bat an eye, and he was only about 65-70 yards away. I am still not sure what to think about that....Maybe they are just really desensitized to the scent of bears, and maybe we ride by them more than we know....

Now, I am pretty sure that his momma was near by, so after he appeared to not be afraid of us at all, I yelled a couple of times to send him on his way. Funny thing though, he actually came closer after my first yell. Again, maybe not so surprising considering we were about 1/8 of a mile down the road from an elementary school.Now where was I??? Oh yes....blogging. I am thinking that I may change my name to reflect where I am in my life right now, and that I may post on things other than horses. There will still be horsey posts, but horses are not the center of my life right now.

Maybe I could just change the order of the words in my title? I am not sure....

It is either change or quit though, and I am not so sure about the quit part....

Bear...I mean bare... with me a bit longer...I will figure this thing out. : )

Now You See It...Now You Don't.....

...Summer that is!!! Well, another summer has come and gone, and over here in Western WA, we didn't have the best weather either. The kidlets were only in the pool a handful of times. I am hoping that we have a nice, warm, fall but the jury is still out on that. To mark the end of summer, and to get a nice spot before Labor Day weekend arrived, we loaded up the trailer and headed over to an area known as Little Naches for five days. We were joined by our friends and we had a great time.

Our camping location was right on the river and the kidlets spent hours fishing and playing in the water. The only downside was that it was pretty cool over there (in the mountains near Yakima), which is unusual for this time of year.

We saw this little garter snake trying to warm himself on the rocks in the morning sun. He is about as dangerous as it gets until you move into the lower elevations in the east side. Then there are rattlers.....

In other news, school started yesterday (hooray!!!) and I am looking forward to getting some riding time in soon....I was also offered a position at the place that I mentioned in my last post, and I should be starting the end of September or first part of October. Thankfully, unless I am covering for someone, I will only be working about 25 hours per week, which will be really nice for now.

And yes, that is rain on the sidewalks in the kidlet's back to school pictures. It was raining. On the first day of school. What is up with that??? At least the sun is shining today. : )

Gray Horse Day.....

Greetings fellow bloggers!!! I swear that these past few weeks have flown by. We have been really busy with back-to-school shopping (starts on 9/1), and with enjoying our recent heatwave around here.
(Below is a fine art print titled White Horse Rearing by Sonia Torres) It has literally been too hot to ride (around 95 degrees everyday), so we have been swimming in our finally warmed up pool, and even went tubing down a local river. I would have loved to have taken pictures of that, but cameras and rapids don't always go well together...lol!!!
(Below is a fine art print titled The Sheik by Melissa Gates)

So, I received a phone call from the place that I interviewed twice at, and was told that I did not get the job. This is because that while the manager was away on vacation, a night shift employee, who also happens to have a bachelors in psychology, applied and they have to hire within their company first.

The good news is that I left a huge impression on them, and they will call me if anything else opens up.

(Below is a fine art print titled Power and Grace by Judi Kent Pyrah) It's all good though. It just means that it wasn't the right place, right???

Today, I had a 45 minute telephone interview for an on call/per diem position at another long term care and hospice facility, ending with a second interview being set up. We shall see.....

(Below is one of my favorite fine art prints-I actually have this one hanging in my living room-titled Head of A White Horse by Jean Louise Theodore Gericault)I must admit that I would be pleased if I didn't find a job for another month or two though. This is because it would be nice to be home and have time to myself without the kidlets. For instance, I cannot do anything that I want to do, when I want to do it.

I know, I know...that's part of being a mom.....

Take horseback riding. I can go whenever I want to, because I will be free of responsibility.

(Below is a fine art print titled Bravado Bey V by Rebecca Moore)

Anywho...please bare with me folks. I know I haven't blogged much about horses lately, but that is because I haven't been able to do much with them. Why??? You guessed it: The kidlets...lol!!!

I Have What???!!!

Okay, so I am going to write about something else that has recently developed in my life. (Well I say "recently," but I think it has been silently lurking for for about a year or so)

I was just diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension as it is officially called, but all I hear is stroke, heart attack, diseased arteries etc....... I suspected that I may be having trouble, because over the past year, whenever I went to donate blood, my diastolic pressure (bottom number and the force on the arteries when the heart is at rest) has been in the 90's. And I have always been a 100/60 girl...even during my terrible pregnancies.

Now, I assumed that it was on the higher side due to the chronic stress of being in school, the fact that I had put on around 25 pounds while I was in school, and the fact that I wasn't able to work out as hard as I normally did, prior to being a mommy in college (due to homework).
Uhhhhhh....think again. Since school has been out, my stress level has reduced as much as 90%, I have lost 12 pounds, I have been really working out hard, and I have had the time to actually cook dinner, rather than feed myself and my family fast food.

So, imagine my surprise when my blood pressure was 140/100 the other day at the doctors office. 100!!!!!! And I can't even blame it on white coat syndrome, because it was at the office that I worked at for years and with people that I know. After being a nurse for years, I don't get nervous at the doctors office.....

Okay, okay, maybe it is due to genetics???? Maybe. However, hypertension does not run on either side. Oh there are aunts here or uncles there, but they are also smokers, which as you know can significantly increase your risk for developing high blood pressure.

Who knows???? All I know, is that I left the doctors office with a prescription in hand, had it filled and have been taking it ever since. I will continue to exercise and loose weight, and hopefully I can go off of the med once I loose some more weight.

We shall see, but I am not taking this lightly. I am too young to have high blood pressure!!!!
In other news, Amber and I have been riding lately. Waska appears to be fully recovered form his bout with laminitis, and is responding well to his new diet. The verdict is still out on him though.............

Oh, and can you tell I have been playing with my photos???? LOL

I have Picasa and edited some of these pictures, which, incidentally, were taken on my hike this morning. My climb-1000 ft-in-one-mile-hike that is getting my hiney in shape and hopefully reducing my blood pressure hike. I have been doing it five days a week for the past month......

Well, I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Happy trails to you!

Life.....

It has been awhile since my last post, but don't worry, I am still here.

So what have I been up to??

.....Although I am still feeling very restless and somewhat displaced, I have been putting a lot of energy into cleaning my house. You do not realize how much junk, dust, and garbage accumulates inside of closets and cupboards in the course of 2.5 years.

Or maybe you do.....My poor house! It is finally starting to resemble my home again...lol!!! I must admit that it still feels weird to be deep cleaning though. I still get that slightly panicky-oh-my-goodness-I-have-homework-to-do feeling, but it is lessening in its frequency and intensity.

I wonder if it could be classified as a post traumatic college response/disorder or PTCD??? (Now before anyone with PTSD takes offense, just know that I have had/dealt with PTSD so I can make light of it)Another thing that been occupying my time is job hunting. Now that August and the end of summer break are upon us, I have been looking at the local job market with more intensity. I recently applied for a social work position at a large skilled nursing/assisted living facility (or nursing home as they were once called), and I have had two interviews so far.

They told me during the second interview that I was one of the top three applicants out of the more than 80 that applied. Nice to know that the job market is picking up, eh????

Okay, okay, that wasn't a fair assessment of the job market...or maybe it was??? I am being really picky about hours and location, and that places a lot of limitations on where I can apply.

I am not too worried about it yet though. I figure that as long as I am looking, the right job will eventually find me, right???

Well, I am off to catch up on your blogs. Have a good Sunday. : )

If Wishes Were Horses.....

If I were seriously able to horse shop right now, which I am not, I would fly down to CA and check this handsome boy out. His owner did a good job on his video too, as she shows him going both English and Western.

If he were to vet clean, he looks like he would be a fun horse; if not for me, then for my kidlets. Sigh.....

And while I was down there, I would stop in and ride Wesley, a Hanoverian/Oldenburg gelding. I don't know if I can picture myself out on the trail with him though...lol!!! He doesn't exactly scream "trail horse" now, does he???

And who doesn't love a horse that looks like a giant American Shetland Pony??? On my way home from CA, I can make a small detour through CO, and test drive this sturdy looking Morgan gelding. And with a name like Mandalay Bay, how could one go wrong????

Now, another breed that often catches my eye, as they are known for being intelligent, sure-footed, and hardy, is the Halflinger. I could visit this handsome fella once back in my home state of WA.
Now, not being a Halflinger person, I would most likely never spend $20,000 on one, but I bet he is worth every penny of it.
I was going to include some other horses that really caught my eye (at first), until I looked closer and saw that they had/have weak necks. That is one of my (and my sister, Amber's) pet peeves: A good looking horse with a wimpy neck.

I will save that for another post. Hope you enjoyed looking with me. : )

Summertime....

Happy Saturday everyone! The sun is finally out (again!) and so we decided to take a ride up to Crystal Mountain Resort, which is where the kidlets do a lot of snowboarding in the winter.

( Isn't Mt. Rainier beautiful??? )

During the summer, you can ride the chair lifts up to the summit and either ride them back down, hike down, or mountain bike down. We ended up riding the lifts back down because we were not sure how long of a hike it was back to the base.

On the way up and down, there are beautiful mountain meadows, with lots of elk and dear tracks all over the place. My husband and son were drooling...lol!!!! And it is pretty darn steep too!Do you see the river that snakes behind us in the photo below? That is the one that runs through the town that we live in . It is also why we are in big trouble if Mt. Rainier ever decides to blow again....

Oh, and FYI, Mt. Rainier is 12 miles away from where we are standing in this picture. Crazy, right???There are also a lot of places to do serious back country horseback riding, and we spotted these riders on our way down.
Just look at the angle of this run (pic below). Can you believe that this in an intermediate run, and that my kidlets have snowboarded down it multiple times??? No thanks!!!!!

I joked with them that I was not going to let them snowboard anymore.....Well, hope that you are all having a good weekend. I am still getting used to the fact that I do not have to go back to school in one month. I keep thinking that my free weekends are almost over. Sigh...I am sure that I will get used to it...lol!!!

Finally...A Ride!!!

Guess what I was finally able to do...all by myself and without the kids??? Yes, that's right folks, I was able to ride.Waska is having one of his two-steps-forward weeks, so Amber and I hit the trails. Well, we went on a nice long ride, but due to Waska's issues, we walked the whole time. It was all good though, as Amber and I were able to do a lot of talking and catch up on life.Despite our taking it easy, Waska was quite gimpy when Amber took his boots off. He was fine with them on, but without that added protection, he is tender. The farrier said to ride him lightly everyday (or as much as possible) despite the gimpiness, because it will increase blood flow to the area and encourage healing.


You can see how he is standing in the above photo, with his front legs askew to take pressure off. Amber wants to leave his boots on all of the time, but the farrier said that he has got to start doing without them. In the winter, the mud/wetness will literally rot his feet off.....
Above and below are shots of his hoof wall, and you can see the growth rings. I was not able to get a good shot of them from the side, but his new hoof growth is coming in at a totally different angle....which is good. I will try to get some better ones and also some shots of his sole. He is literally walking on his sole, which has been allowed to grow and thicken. It is almost like walking with a large wad of gum stuck to the bottom of your foot.And last, but not least, I will leave you with a parting shot of goofy Bo. I had just undone his saddle and was looking for a treat. Isn't he the silliest looking Arab ever??? LOL!! He does have a nice, square chest though.....