She's back

Being a horse person, I'm quite fearful that saying ANY of this is a total jinx, but at the same time after this weekend I'm also feeling quite confident. Fateful last words, right.  Oh, well I'm going to say it anyway.  Stella's back.  We just had a funaminal weekend.  We had several clear rounds.  We jumped some GREAT jumps.  After some convincing on Lindsay's part I only had a lesson on Saturday, no showing and decided to go on Sunday in the Open (that's Jr., Amateur, and Professionals) Class.  The $7500 Woodside Classic.  Well, we kicked ass.  Out of 30+ competitors only 8 made it into the jump off, Stella and I being one of them. Out we went, laying a carful and clean round.  Meaning we weren't super fast, but we didn't hit any rails.  So over all we go 3rd. For feeling like we were having a hard time coming back into the show season, I now feel like we're in full swing.  Two more shows until Canada!  Come on Stell-Bells lets BRING IT!

Random

I'm getting off the freeway today and there by the side of the road is a crane.  Just looking into the gutter for something to eat after last nights rain i'm guessing.  But here is was 5ft from my car as a zoomed past it at 30 some odd mph.  It didn't even care.

Friends

Apple Jacks and I have been dating a year and half now.  This are things and trucking along.  One thing that alway worried me was the friend thing.  His friends, who seem to be a lot of girls, have become my friends, or at least people who I hang out with.  I haven't alway been comfortable calling them my friends.  Most of my friends, Ms. M, Ms. T, and Ms. E all live far away.  As time has gone on these women have become people who I hang out with without Apple Jacks and more and more my friends. So I thought a blog post should be there for them. 

 So here's B, Jen, The Ma, and Me and B's birthday cocktails.

Good times had by all! 

The Ma's Birthday

The Ma wanted to learn to snowboard for her birthday.  Jen and I decided that we'd waste a day of snowboarding and show her what to do.  It's was a beautiful day and I ended up riding in just my tank top for a while.  Yes, i was one of those girls, but it was a good time.  

The Ma and I on the chair lift

The Ma, Me, and Jen chilling in the sun at lunch.

Lux

I've been leasing a horse for the past couple months, just to get more time on a horse and more time in the ring.  It's been great, but, this whole sport being a luxury and all, having a second horse has been a bit of stretch so, it's time for Lux to go back home.  I figured I needed to share something about her. A picture or two maybe. Here we are waiting to go into the show ring. Lux is being a bit shy, but she is only 5 so that's understandable.

Despite her young age, she does her job quite well.  We were Champion in our division, as well as having won the Foxfield medal.  I will miss her.  She taught me what i needed her to teach me and i think visa versa as well.  

My Mothers Dream

My mother doesn't dream, or if she does she doesn't remember, but the other night she did, and it was a weird dream. 

She dreamt that she found Apple Jacks in his house, a long low dark ranch style house, "entertaining" some hookers and whores. She was so mad she woke herself up yelling.  Totally disturbing. My mother is dreaming about my boyfriend. She claimed it was a combination of too much CSI: Las Vegas and being ticked off at my dad. 

After almost a week

I can walk fine, but the color is moving across the top of my foot.  Only thing, I can't feel my pinky toe. But really that's probably a good thing.

Stepped On

WARNING: If you have a weak stomach I suggest you skip this post.

On Saturday I was at the barn finishing up getting Lux ready to ride. I was putting on her bridal when she side stepped and crunched my foot.  Being the smart horse she is, when she felt something funny under her foot she teisted around on it to look at it.  As she did this I yanked on her, trying to get her to step off me.  When i did this is just caused her to pushed down harder before she stepped off.

This time felt like it was minutes but I know it wasn't. As the realization hit me that my foot was searing in pain, I chocked out words to the other girl getting her pony ready to tie Lux back up and get another grownup.  

I hobbled, screaming and crying (beyond crying, though i don't know what word that would be) into the tack room and laid on the ground.  My trainers came running in and got me ice, took off my boot and put my foot up.  My pinky toe was a bit bloody, but that was it.  The mud and the way my boot leather was twisted was the only thing I had at that point to show the trauma I felt.  

I kept screaming quietly and shaking my hands trying to get the hot burning pain out of my body when my mom showed up. She was coming out to video me and luckily she showed up right then.  With her motherly wisdom she nixed my idea of putting a boot back on and riding and told me she was bringing me to the emergency room.  

Three hours, five x-rays and no fun pills later, they tell me it isn't broke and I'll be fine in a couple of days.  Oh, and I need a tetanus shot.  That hurt more than my foot.  

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Too my slight disappointment the colors aren't as vivid in the pictures and my foot isn't nearly as colorful as I hoped, but it is puffy.

Day 1>

Day 2>

Day 3>

An Early Spring

After 20 minutes of running around outside in the bright sunlight, Mocha, AppleJacks' dog, needed a siesta.

Triangle solo

Yes, that's right.  The Foo Fighters had a triangle solo.  It was a great show, and the triangle solo was only a very small bit.  I've only see the the Foo Fighters at Bridge School. Or at least I think that's the only place.  I'm starting to loose track of all the shows I've been too.  Anyway, this show bumped Damien Rice off the top of my recent shows list.  Yes, I do admit they are totally different shows so even with that I still thought Foo was great.  

They played songs from every album. They did a whole acoustic set on a stage in the middle of the floor that made it feel VERY personal despite the nose bleed seats I had.  It was a great show.  If you have a chance you shouldn't miss out.

Out of Practice

Okay, so I'm so so so out of travel practice.  I was standing in line for security to fly out of the rain and into the sun in Arizona when i realized i didn't have my ziplock bag.  Dear god, how did i forget to put my 3oz liquids into a quart size ziplock.  Ugh.  Thankful there was guy standing there with one in hand for me to use.  I made it safe and sound to the sunny AZ.  I even needed my sunglasses when i got off the plane!

I might not have gotten a raise....

I didn't get my raise at The Academy, the center where I do my non-private tutoring.  Before the holidays I asked for a raise.  I got part of it but in terms of dollars per hour I didn't get shit, though I was asking for a lot more money than I'm making, 40% more.   I was also laughed at by the center manager "No one here makes that much." but she humored me and sent it along to the owner anyway. I haven't heard a thing.  

Today, I heard something... I found out the other women who does the elementary tutor program with me is leaving for the rest of the school year.  What does this mean for me? you might ask.  More money? oh not quite. not without working more thats for sure. I need to absorb all her tutor kids into my schedule.  Meaning I will now be booked from 3:30-6:30 four days a week at a minimum. Somedays I will have kids as early as 2:30 and as late as 8.  Other days I will sub from 7:45am and still tutor until 8pm.  

Oh did I mention that I also need to write reviews and  create lesson plans for ALL the elementary kids now.  Oh, yes, that raise... well I got the more responsibility part but not the money part...hmmm

So for all you Bitches who tell me I don't work hard can F-off 'cause really, the rest of this school year is going to be jam packed with kids. 

Land In Colorado

My family has property in a subdivision, The Reserve on Elkhorn Ridge, in Fraser Colorado.  It's a small town in the Fraser Valley, home to the Winter Park ski resort. Last spring my brothers and I went out to look at the bark beetle situation.  Over the past few years the bark beetles have gotten worse and worse.  The Homeowners Association required we cut down dead and infected trees and spray to save others.  We ended up cutting down over 500 trees and spraying 250 more on out 12 acres.  My parents ended up cutting down all the trees under 6 in. in circumference, almost everyone on their lot. 

It's a mess.  If you look at the number of trees left in The Reserve it is pitiful, but the number of green trees is outstanding compared to the rest of the valley.  Google maps recently updated its image of the valley and I was floored when i saw it. I had to call my brother and have him look at it and he was floored as well.  

These are pictures are from the spring visit. 

Here, other than the juvinal moose, you can see some of the infected trees

.

This image is of The Reserve and reminds me of how green it was this past spring but you can still see a few brown trees out there.  

The link to the google maps is The Reserve at Elkhorn Ridge.  You'll be looking right at my brother and I's property (between the road and the meadow with an old jeep trail in the middle of it).  To the North is my parents property, now almost naked and treeless.  If you zoom out two and look toward the north west, into the valley, it gives a true perspective of the damage the bark beetles have done.  All that brown is dead infected trees.  Not only is it a bark beetle infection issue, but all those dead trees are basically kindling.  If there is any remote fire, the whole valley will be gone.  I sound like such a hippy but I've never had anything like this effect me so personally.  

House Pics come in instalments

New Couch in the family room

The New Bedroom

These are the people I'm related to

This is a picture my sister-in-law took of my brothers and I at Oma's 90th birthday.  We are such total freaks.  If you call me weird at least you know I'm not the only one, and it's also probably genetic, though it could be nature as well, we'll never know.

More house photos

Female Friends

Okay, so i've been saying this for years but never blogged about it, mostly because I know my mom reads this and I don't want to deal with the "talk" that could come with it but f-it. It's my blog, right?

Years of dating and being out of college I've notice a few things.  It is easier to meet men than it is to meet women.  Why, I don't really know? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not easy to meet men, but you go on a date with a guy, and if it doesn't work out you don't see them again, and if it does you do.  But where is there a place to have same sex totally platonic dates? I don't need a match.com I want to friend.com.  I don't meet people though work, and who i do meet, how do I make that next step, that "hey, we should hang out?" without seeming desperate, needy, clingy.  

I've been fortunate enough to become close with several of the friends in Apple Jacks friend group.  They've slowly become both our friends and I hang out with them without Apple Jacks.  

Which is great, to have a new, different friend group than the one I had, but the one I had before has dispersed.  People have left, moved, faded away, and that's just how life goes.  So, there is a part of me that feels it's time to add more people to my posse, but how.... How do you meet new people? I'm not a go out there and do things alone type person... I don't have guts like that.  I took a writing class a few years back hoping to make some friends, but nothing came out of that.  I also had a book club with Ms. O and that faded and none of the friendships lasted from that.   Both a few years ago and with someone else recently, i also tried to rekindle a friendship with an old horse friend and both fizzled and faded rather quickly.  So.. how, i ask you, does a girl meet other girls?

So, The Ma and I are looking into doing a training thing for a half marathon and vowing to socialize with others.  I've been on Craigslist responding to people's book clubs.   

All in all, really.... how is it easier to date men than have a friend date with a girl!?!

Oma is 90

This fine women has lived on this fine earth 90 years!

Both Abbie and Grammy had a great time celebrating.

Here is 4 generation!

Abbie, me, cousin Summer, Grammy, aunt Marbe, and Oma

Here are some Pics

Family Room

Here is mom and Abbie playing with Legos on Christmas Eve

Kitchen

Across from the family room is the kitchen.  

Living Room

Here is my whole family enjoying cookies after Christmas Eve dinner.

I'm in

Okay,
I'm in my house. All in. I've spent two night and the heater is almost balanced... master bedroom is still a bit cold at night, but we're working on it. Things feel good. I have a Christmas tree up and am all ready for Christmas Eve. And i know i said I would show pictures but saddly i have no clue where my camera is. Not in the slightest. But as soon as I find my camera or take pics with someone else's I'll put them up.