1 Week At Our New Equine "Residence"

So the boys (and Fuego!) have now been at their new place of residence for a full week.

And it would appear that the three of them have integrated with one another nicely.  Only a few additional scrapes and hair missing.  What a RELIEF!!

There was a lot of discussion prior to the move and lots of communication between people who knew all three horses about how to ease them in to this with minimal amount of fighting between them all. 

Quick recap about my two:
Socks - was an intact breeding stallion until 6 years of age; low man on the totem pole in a herd now that he's aged.  However, is boss of Strider.

Strider - gelded as a yearling.  While at the last boarding facility, he was top dog of the herd.  Can be a bully.  However, yields to Socks.

Now, lets add Fuego in to the mix.

Fuego is a beautiful red road mustang that my now co-boarder Jet owns.  He was also a stallion and has at least 1 filly I know about on the ground.  When I initially moved Socks and Strider to the previous boarding facility, Fuego ran my two in to the ground to keep them away from "his" herd.  So, for the past 2+ years, Fuego's been in a large pen with occasional rotation out when my two are put up.  The three of them will ride out together just fine.  It's just at liberty that things could have potentially gotten hairy, so rather than deal with it, the old BO just kept them apart.

However, I get along great with Jet.  And I didn't want to lose a good riding buddy.  I hated seeing our barn break up, so she and I decided we'd stay together if our 3 could get along.

AND THEY DO!!  HOOOOOORAY!!!

Conditioning Isn't THAT Complex!

Now that I'm all caught up on an established endurance blog (Redheaded Endurance), and some of the newer endurance blogs (Willstheconquerer and green-to-100 and silver eagle soars), I'm off to go find another established endurance blog to devour like mad.

I keep jumping back and forth between Endurancegranny's and Funder's "It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time".

This is also along with my brief glimpse into the "arena set" of the $900 Facebook Pony and She Moved to Texas' blogs as well.

I especially adore the older blogs.  They're established, and there's enough reading material there to keep me happy for a few weeks while I get caught up to the current entries.

I'll probably continue to devour Endurance Granny's blog and then go read Funder's.

But, and I've known this, I've Known this, I've KNOWN this, but conditioning needn't take all that long.  I'm kind of "out" of it due to the weather, but for well over a month, I was committed to getting out to the barn 3 times a week and 1 day on the weekend, and I was lunging 2 horses at a gait or at a trot for 20 minutes (with brief breaks, they're both out of shape) because it was time consuming for me to catch 2 horses on 100 acres, groom and tack up.  Yes, short cut, but I'm trying to juggle my family and my horses and my "endurance" (well, right now, my Limited Distance) hobby.  So lunging was what I had the time for.

Now though, that we've moved, they're in a pen.  Very easy to catch them.  The property I'm boarding on has a lighted arena I can use.  A nice round pen.  And marked trails!  And a rought guesstimate about how long the trails are on each side of the property.  And one side is fairly flat trails, and the other side is hilly trails.  Conditioning opportunities abound now!  And I'm so close to McKinney roughs that I can haul over there for a morning ride on the weekend should I so desire!

So, as I'm reading through the Endurance Granny's blog, I'm noting that conditioning rides during the week are 6 or 7 miles (give or take, sometimes more), and I realized; hell, I can do that now!!  Pick a side of the property, pick a speed and get my tail shaking!!  I can do this. 

So I'm back to committing some of my time on weeknights to getting out there and getting myself some time in the saddle. 

I have a few "large" purchases I want to make before our next ride:
Heart rate monitor (about $100)
Hoof boots (price varies; probably about $160-$200?)
New saddle (the one I'm looking at, about $350 at the top end)

It's all doable, and it's all potentially doable prior to our next ride (in October, but I need the hoof boots ASAP to try and make the first ride in October on Strider).

I'd like to get Socks some official AERC miles.  Still trying to figure out how to make that happen.  It might be possible if I can borrow a lighter trailer to haul both boys.

In which case, I REALLY need to get myself a tent.  :)

Reality checks...right in the heart...

At work today (well, I mean, it IS Monday, right?), and I'm flummoxed and emotionally twisted over finances and some health problems (nothing serious, but my gall bladder is on a personal mission to kill me...or at least make me want to carve it out with a spoon ["Why a spoon cousin?" "Because it's dull you twit, it'll HURT more!"]) and realizing that all of my plans for this week are spiraling out of control, and my desire to go to the barn Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Weekend (Pick a day, any day!) was going up in flames.

Well, suffice to say, I was NOT a happy camper. 

I haven't ridden either of my horses in well over a month, closer to 2 months.  I've only seen them twice in that span of time (owing to holidays and weather primarily), and I'm just frustrated and angry about it, and that's bleeding over into my entire life.

Honestly, it's not a joke when I say my horses are my therapy.  Good ride.  Bad ride.  I just need to ride.  Or just get me out there to spend time with my horses.  It's a mood shift and I need it so badly.

Anyway, I'm at work, doing all of the little tiny things that need to be done, returning phone calls, putting out tiny fires, answering emails and in the midst of all of that, I'm reading the blogs I follow.

I'll be honest; I'm new at following Endurance blogs.  Not due to lack of desire, but I haven't followed blogs since LiveJournal stopped being the place to hang out once Facebook crashed on the scene. 

But, for the past few months now, I've been following 2 local Hunter/Jumper bloggers. 

Now, when I follow a blog, that means I go back to the very first entry (assuming I can get to it) and I begin there.  I want the WHOLE story.  I want to know how we got from *there* to *here*, and that means to get it, I need to read it.  Plus, it's nice not having to wait for updates.  I'm kind of impatient.

One of the blogs is the $900 Facebook Pony about Henry and his rider Amanda.  I don't understand some of it (I don't speak "English"), but the pictures are always great and I love the glimpse in to a world of horses so different, yet so familiar, to my own.

But the other local H/J blogger I follow is She Moved to Texas about Simon and his rider Lauren.  I love reading Lauren's blog because it's got lots of different things.  How to make a successful blog.  How to do equine photography.  And even some equine DIY stuff!!  It's fantastic!!

So, $900 FB Pony is usually first up for me to check in the morning as Amanda does her posts kind of early in the day.  Lauren does her updates around 10 (she talks about that in one of her previous blog posts). 

However, I noticed last week on Friday there was no update.  Weird.  I checked sporatically throughout the day thinking maybe she was just late.  But, nothing.

And today there was an update.  And it brought all of my own plans, bothers and nuisances right in to sharp focus and contrast.

I mean, you know it's never good when a blog post has a title of "The Heart Hurts".  My first thought was she'd somehow lost Simon, and my heart sank.

But no.  It was worse.  SO much worse.

I thought, as I read she and her husband were going to end up divorced.

But no.  It was worse.  So SO much worse.

Her husband died of a drug OD.

And my life snapped back and I realized that in all of my own petty worries and concerns, here is the fellow equestrian who's dealing with some REAL shit.  REAL problems.  And a heartbreaking loss I can't even fathom.

And the sheer outpouring of love for her on her blog.  Touching. 

I hope that some of the pain eases for her.  I know her heart will never be whole again.  How can it be?  But may the pain lessen over time.  May she find love and comfort and get through the rough times ahead as she has to go through the unthinkable of planning a funeral for someone she planned to live out the rest of her life with.  And she figures out where to go from here.

Her life will never be the same. 

And mine?  My life really isn't that bad. 

I needed that reality check today.  But not at that high of a painful price.

Pre-ride weekend ramblings...

I'm currently at work, but I've already mentally checked out, despite the mountain of work threatening to bury and crush me beneath its behemoth hulk.  And it's not like I can even stay late to finish up what isn't done.  Joe and I have our first Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" class tonight promptly at 6:30, so, time is running out.

But, when I've gotten breaks in the workload (waiting on faxes, just taking a 15 minute break, or just needing a mental break from reading), I've been popping on Facebook....because that's what I do.

And I had a moment where I kind of went "The endurance community is kind of cool."

Now, I'm not going to lie, the first two rides I went to, I could sense/feel the cliques.  Dude, they're real, like in any other group of people.  It's not that they're unwelcoming to newcomers, but they're very excited to see friends they may only see at rides, so they're busy catching up with one another, so they may not exactly greet the "Green Beans" with open arms and a booming welcome.

My first ride, I happened to get to hitch a ride with a rider who has been in the community for a few years, but tends to keep to the fringe.  I get it.  So it was GREAT to have her as someone to keep me company all weekend long.  Didn't hurt she also shared her knowledge with me.  That's what probably helped Strider and I get our first completion. 

My second ride, I went 100% solo.  Right after the ride dinner, I was sitting in my trailer, feeling rather lonesome and out of sorts.  No one really talked to me, and I was so overwhelmed about the new routes that the trail was going to be taking due to the weather that mentally during the meeting, I just shut down.  It had already been a long day of hauling to get to camp, and then setting it up that I was just mentally checking out.

I sent a text to Joe while I was sitting in my tent feeling sad for myself and told him I didn't even know why I had come.  I was lonely and I didn't feel like I fit in.

Now, as a brief backtrack, another rider had started a private conversation for some of us newbie riders on Facebook to talk and get to know one another.  But, as I'm such an awkward chickenpants, I was to scared to try and find their trailer to go say hi.

Joe told me if I was that unhappy, he and Kaylee could come up (4 hour drive?  And sleep I dunno where?  No, I wouldn't subject them to my own folly).  OR, he said just pack it in and go home.

Not gonna lie; briefly thought about it.  Except it was getting dark by then.

So, I ran to go potty, and when I got back, there were 3 people in my camp petting Strider.

It was the group of people who had hooked me up with some fellow green riders! 

So, I walked with them back to their trailer, met their horses, and worked out a ride plan for the morning with the newbie rider.

And I felt better.  So, at least I knew someone!

And, then I met and rode with a very experienced rider on the trail who helped keep us on pace and on track, and then she happily conceded the Turtle Award to Strider and I. 

After our completion and I got Strider settled in after our ride, she and I had a celebratory glass of wine at her trailer and sat and talked.  And that was nice.  And she said she'd try and save us a spot next to her trailer for the next ride.

And, tomorrow I leave for our 3rd ride, but it'll be our last ride of my "spring" season.  And, here I am on Facebook, talking with people who are coming, looking forward to seeing her again. 

And the few people I've talked to on Facebook, who have either been at the rides I've already been at, or who I've met (albeit briefly), while none of them can make the ride this weekend, we're all making plans for the rides in the future.  And it's nice.  Well, actually, there's one lady who I briefly met at my first ride who'll be at this ride, and I'm planning to ride with her on Sunday...so that's taken care of!!

So, while I know there's cliques, it seems that my way around it is to form my own group of friends to talk to at rides.  And keep up with them between rides on Facebook. 

And I know that as each ride goes by, it will get easier and easier.  I'll be (slightly less) anxious about going and making it through.  I'll figure out more and more what works best for me and my horse.  We'll tally up more and more miles, and, I hope, we'll enjoy the trails as they pass beneath our hooves.

As my horse lends me the strength of his back, his legs, his feet, his wind and his heart, I hope that we can enjoy the trails together.  We'll never be swift, we'll never be 'racers', but may our rides always be safe and pleasurable together.

It's almost time again Strider.  Time to saddle up and ride.

The Endurance Riders Prayer

I know that I haven't finished my write-up for my second ride just yet...and as of today, I have just today and tomorrow before I pull out on Friday for our third (and last of the Spring season) ride, but someone posted this to the Facebook AERC page, and it perfectly sums up how I feel while preparing for a ride. 

The Endurance Riders Prayer
Dear LORD as I send in my ride entry today,

I pray that you watch over my horse and his health,
Like holy bubble wrap for his legs, spine, gut, face, eyes
And holy armor for my truck/trailer, with specific attention to
My truck and trailer tires, suspension, exhaust system, brakes, transmission,
pumps, buttons, brakes, flooring and lights, and any other important parts I may be
forgetting or unaware of that are likely equally as important.
Also LORD, please watch over all my endurance pals and help them to be equally as safe as they make their preparations for their own rides.
In your holy name,
AMEN.
-Elizabeth Ecklund

Each and every rider worries and frets over every little thing on their horse up to the minute the ride begins, then as we go down the trail(s) at our own speed, we fret about them taking a misstep or a stumble.  Will they pulse down quickly?  Will they be sound?  Will they vet check okay?

We're bundles of anxiety...except the siren's song of the trail, it calls to us. 

I have found a joy and purpose in my riding that has been lacking the past few years.  Casual trail riding no longer satiates me.  I want to ride for a purpose.  When I put my foot in the stirrup, I want to gently encourage my horse to stretch himself just a little bit more than the last time we went out. 

I absolutely adore being out on the trails.  Being out there and enjoying my ride with everyone else.

I am overwhelmed at the improvements I've seen in my horse.  No longer is he sour and annoyed when we ride.  He comes to see me when I pull in to the barn, as if to find out as soon as possible what new adventure I have planned. 

He walks out with purpose if we stay on the property at the barn, and walks away from the herd without an issue.  He's ready to go.  Water in the way?  Let's get through it, or around it, but it's not going to deter our ride.  Want me to cross that creek that's to his belly?  Okay, sure.  I'm ready, let's RIDE!!

My horse is so utterly and completely different from the horse I used to have that it's sheer joy to ride with him.  He still pushes himself, and I still worry.  But we enjoy our time together.

Oh Strider, may our trails together be ever filled with beauty.  May you stay ever sound and may you always enjoy our rides together. 

Together, my sweet, brave boy, we'll see many trails.  Make many new friends.  And enjoy our hours together.

On the road to ride camp...

Friday morning, I slept in until 7.  Except I kept waking up sporadically all night long, checking the clock, thinking and re-thinking of everything I needed to take and pack and to not forget.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that the ONLY thing(s) I need are:
A horse
Tack

The rest of it, I don't doubt I could get at ride camp if I arrived only with my horse.  It's really not a joke that endurance people are so generous. 

Honestly, I suspect if I just showed up with a horse, I could cobble together tack to ride in, something to feed him and water for the weekend.  Because that's how endurance people roll.  They're so very generous.  It's one of the things I truly enjoy about being in ride camp.  Well, now that I'm starting to meet some people! 

Facebook helps in facilitating meeting others!  As does riding with people.  I'm quickly figuring out who's who...or at least putting some names with faces. 

Anyway..Friday morning.  The plan was to be rolling on down the road from the barn no later than 10:15. 

Yeah.  No.  11:15. 

It was raining all night, so just kind of icky out.  I hadn't yet filled my water tank.  I needed to load up my coolers with the frozen water and get my food and clothes loaded at the house before I could even get to the barn.

Got Kaylee out the door around 8ish, trailer loaded around 9:30ish (I could NOT resist a final shower before leaving the house since I knew the next shower I'd be taking would be Sunday night when I got home).  As I'm literally putting my boots on, Joe calls and asks if he can meet me out at the barn to at least say "Hi" as I'm running out of town.

So, I bolt out to the barn (well, bolt isn't accurate....I made my way slowly and carefully..you can tell there's 300 lbs of water in the bed of the truck, and I haven't even added the weight of a horse yet!) and make my way down to get Strider.

I stop and say hi to Socks as he's milling about with all the other horses while I wait for Joe.  He's got, as usual, some sunburning going on with his nose.  I need to get something on that to prevent the burning.  Poor fellow.  :( 

I have to hand-walk Strider through a few gates since there's 2 cattle guards in the way.  Always fun as I slog through wet grass up to my knees.  But, we did it.

And, he popped right in to the trailer (YAY!).  That felt good.  However, without Socks on the other side of the divider, he kept sticking his head under it and giving me this pathetic "Mom!  HALP!!  I'm STUCK!!  And sad looking!" look.  It really is pathetic.

I finally loosely tied him up while Joe and I went over the trailer one last time and made sure it was in as good as it could be order.

Said our good-byes, then Strider and I were rolling.

Instead of taking the toll road, I routed through Bastrop.  Not smart.  I think that added extra time to my drive.  I did stop for a potty break and water on the way, and finally gave up and hopped on the toll around at 71, then all the way up through to IH-35.

I stopped for gas around Waco.

And, I think sometimes the Universe puts us where we need to be and gently nudges us to our karmic destiny.

Anyway, I had JUST finished filling the truck up and was fixing to go inside to go potty again (I hate stopping!), and I had been thinking about an instance in the past where a poor guy had approached Joe at a gas station because he was a day or two before payday and didn't have the money to put any fuel in his truck, so Joe got a pump started for him, and the guy put $10 in. 

So, as I was thinking about that, a guy, deeply apologetic, came around the side of the pump as I was putting the nozzle away, and in a very embarrassed tone told me about how he and his wife were from Waxahachie and had driven down to Temple for him to get a job (he installs or does glass for businesses).  And, he realized he'd left his wallet behind, and the only reason he knew was because his wife mentioned she was starting to get hungry.  And, could I lend them some money to put like $15 in their truck? 

I happily started the pump up for him, and offered him a $20 for him and his wife to stop for something to eat as well.  As I told him, it wouldn't get them anything fancy for lunch, but it would at least get them something to eat (and, what I didn't say was, if they were careful and the little bit of gas they put in to his truck didn't get them home, whatever change was left WOULD).

I believe good karma gets paid forward.  I also believe that we put out positive energy in to the Universe, and that the Universe put me there at that exact moment to help him out.  If someone else had been there, he might not have gotten any gas.  If he'd gone to a different gas station, I wouldn't have been able to help.

The good feeling carried me forward.

Until Fort Worth.

Oh gods, how I hate you Fort Worth.  You and your ugly traffic and your road construction and your moron drivers who seem to assume that I can stop in a heart beat. 

I was SO relieved to get off 35 as soon as I was able.  SO relieved.  I'm sure Strider couldn't figure out why he was getting jerked around back there while I struggled with people cutting me off or not letting me merge when lanes mysteriously vanished within 100 yards or whatever.  SO annoying!!

But, we finally go to leave 35 and continue on our merry way to a far less busy road. 

I considered stopping for lunch several times, but by this point, I just wanted to get to ride camp so I could get my horse off the trailer, get my camp set up, and cook my hot dogs I had waiting for me in my cooler.  I'd been thinking about them for days and how good they were going to taste!!

And, as ALWAYS happens, I missed the turn off.  Yep.  ALWAYS happens.  So, I continued down a little further, turned it around and got back on track. 

Beautiful twisting roads with some hills.  I could drink in those views for years.  Wide open fields and just green, green grass.

And then, I turned off a paved road to the Forest road.

POTHOLES!! 

I can't stress how BAD the potholes and divots and just how AWFUL those roads are.  So SO bad.  I kept hollering out apologies to my horse for the rattling we were doing.

But, my phone's GPS got us to ride camp, where I stopped briefly and grabbed my envelope from registration and then I took stock about where the heck to park myself.  Most of the sites were already full, and I didn't want to get to far in to the grass for fear I'd never get out again. 

It was at this moment I was grateful to have a small trailer.  I saw there was an open spot near the registration trailer, near the vet-in area and near the potties.  SOLD!!!

I manage to pull through this site, assess where I want to put my portable corral, and I unload my horse.  Who, I must say, was GRATEFUL to be off the deathbox of horsey-doom!

Things just never go right...

Saturday the 25th was our second LD ride.  The Spirit of Texas Endurance ride at the LBJ Grasslands.

Now, since I've gotten the horses AND gotten a trailer, the LBJ Grasslands was one of my "Want to visit to ride" destinations.  How wonderful for me that the stars aligned to have an endurance ride at a location I wanted to ride at!!

Ohhhhh Universe.  Why do you mock me?!

The week leading up to that weekend, I had plans.  Every single day of the week was planned in an attempt to ease the transition for me to make the trip to the ride nice and smooth.

Funny thing about plans.  Mine always seem to never go smoothly.

So, that's how I found myself on Sunday before the ride using the PVC prep and cement to prepare my portable corral panels.  Oh, what a non-surprise, I was short a length for my 5th panel.  Fine, I'll make do with 4 instead of 5.  Except Joe went and grabbed the size I needed for my 5th panel on Monday and completed it for me.

Monday, ran to the barn to do a very light session with Strider.  Between the weather forecast, and Joe being out of town starting Wednesday, I knew I needed to try and work Strider at LEAST once more before our ride.

I also needed to do this as I had re-rigged my saddle, and I know, I know, I KNOW you simply DO.NOT.CHANGE.ANYTHING. right before a ride.

I don't recommend anyone do this. 

Now that I've said that; re-rigging my saddle worked wonderfully.

I bought a (used) Toklat saddle pad that's grippy on the bottom, 2 60" long latigos and a 30" roper style cinch.  And this all seems to have pretty much solved the issue I battle with saddle slip.  The pad grabs, and having the back of the saddle snugged down helps as well.  And it seems to work well on Strider.  I also did a quick step-stool/mounting block "stand STILL damn horse!!" lesson.  Saddle stayed put, and Strider eventually figured out that it was easier to just stand there with a foot cocked than to move away from my step stool (this lesson did NOT translate to our ride on Saturday with all the other horses trotting up and down and warming up right by our campsite).

Took him to the arena and we lunged for about 15 minutes in the saddle, then I decided to mount up.  And this was the real test of my saddle since mounting is when it always slips because I can't pull my fat ass into the saddle. 

Stayed put!!  YAY!!!! 

So I rode Strider around at a gait and a canter for about 10 minutes and called it a good solution.

Tuesday.  OHHHH Tuesday.  You were not a friend of mine.

The plan:
Take the truck to work, swing my Tractor Supply after work (which meant getting to the barn later) to get the 35 gallon water tank and the hay bale I needed, more treats and some VitaCalm.  I was hoping to get some wax crayons, but they didn't have any.  Ugh.

Did manage to get in and out and run to the barn.

The plan was to hitch the truck and trailer and do a trailer loading lesson and maybe one more gentle workout since it would be the last time before our ride.

NONE of that went right.  NONE of it.

Well, not entirely true I suppose.

I get to the barn and go to hitch up to the trailer.  After the million and one itty-bitty adjustments to get the ball under the neck (I want a wheel for my trailer SOOOO badly!), I started cranking down to drop the hitch on to the truck.  Crank down.  And down.  Down more.  Uhm, leg's all the way retracted, and I'm still over the ball.  WTF?!

Then I realized that it was because I keep a very LARGE block of wood to rest the leg on, and so now the entire trailer's hitch is sitting on this block, and unable to go any lower to drop on the ball.  Oh lovely.  Now what do I do?!

Thankfully, Joe came out with the hydralic jack we have, cranked the hitch up, we removed the wood and slowly lowered the hitch on to the ball of the trailer.

Sadly, this all ate in to my trailer loading session time. 

Not.  Good.  Because there wasn't another single opportunity for me to get to the barn before Friday morning to practice.  We had thunderstorms predicted (which we got), which meant I couldn't get the trailer back down in to the valley the barn is in (it's a gravel road in and out for the trailers). 

The sun was quickly fading, but I decided, well, I'm calm right here, right now.  Let's just see where we're at.

Let me back up for JUST a moment.

I have a 2 horse straight load trailer.

I've tried to get Strider to load.  Usually this involves removing the divider in my trailer, opening both back doors and me getting inside the trailer while someone gets behind him and wacks him on the butt with a carrot stick to get him in. 

I've taken him to a few places, but it's always taken someone else to help me get him in.  One time I actually allowed someone else to try and load him, but he outwitted them (they'd make him back up fast-fast-fast, so he learned he'd just stop further and further away from the trailer.  I did mention he's a Jerkhorse, right?).

I have NEVER successfully loaded my horse alone.  EVER. 

So, back to the present attempt at trailer loading.

I have a long cotton lunge line, so I used the center dividing pole in my trailer as a guide to keep Strider's head straight, and I stayed outside of the trailer so I could tap his butt to get him in.

He acted terrified and tried to dance around the side of the trailer.

"OH NOOOOO!!!  I'm so SKEEEERED!!!!"

Jerkhorse.

I just kept his head pointed forward and tapped his butt.

In less than 2 minutes, he loaded up.

I cannot express my shock and delight.

Figured it was a fluke, but I let him take a break, scratched him, praised him, then had him back off.

Then I loaded him again.

Gave him a break.

And loaded again.

We slowly yo-yo'd in and out of that trailer about 5 or 6 times before I was convinced my horse could load and WOULD load with just me there.

And with that, I turned him lose with a promise to see him Friday morning and headed home.

After I got home, Joe and I finished drilling holes in my panels, then headed for bed.

Wednesday evening saw me racing home after work to grab Kaylee so we could do some shopping for the weekend.

The water tank doesn't come with a hose attachment.  I needed one.  I also needed a few things from Home Depot and I needed some groceries, which she and I grabbed.

I got her to bed around 10 pm, then started trying to get the hose attachment on my water tank so I could get it loaded and filled with water the next day.

I wrestled with it.  I fought with it.  I'd fill it up a little bit to see a slow drip of water.  No good.  I didn't dare risk my precious water to a slow leak.  Tried again.  Same problem.  And again.  STILL same problem.  Around and around and around I tried to fix it. 

I failed.

And I gave up after midnight.  I still needed to pack and get ready and now I was in a tizzy about not having enough water.

Thankfully our friend's husband came over on Thursday evening and got it done.  So I was able to load my saddles and non-food items in to the trailer Thursday evening.

You're exhausted reading this?  Imagine how I felt actually doing it!!  And we haven't even gotten on the road yet!!

Lunging As A Stand In For Riding...

So I'm rolling in to week 2 of lunging for conditioning. 

I did commit and did 3 days last week.  And, for fun, I decided to see how Socks handled it on Thursday and Friday.

Surprisingly well it turns out.  So much so that I dropped the $15 with AERC and registered him.  So he's now my offical back-up horse.  Funny thing is that I really REALLY want to try him out on a 25, but I'm committed to Strider and getting his miles going.

It might be that I'll start taking both and riding one on one day and the other the other day.  We'll see.  That's a sizeable financial investment, so we'll see.

For the moment, I'm carving out the time to go to the barn 3 nights a week.  No lies, this is hard sometimes.  Fighting rush hour traffic is NOT fun for me.  Depending on what time I leave work (3 nights a week we're allowed to leave 30 minutes early to do exercise time), it takes an hour to an hour and a half to get to the barn.  Battling traffic that's mostly at a stand still.  I cannot express my loathing for Austin rush-hour traffic.  But I do it because it's exercise for me and exercise for the horses.  But it's hard.

I will say this to any potential Limited Distance/Endurance riders with children at home; this would NOT be possible if it weren't for my husband at home with the baby and the kids.  I have NO idea how single parents do this.  I couldn't and wouldn't attempt this (and certainly not with a 7 month old child at home) without help. 

The reality is my day begins at about 6am and most nights I'm getting home around 8:30pm.  Joe makes dinner and takes care of Kaylee until I get home. 

Anyway, I've started to lunge in the arena as our round pen is on a hill, and while I like the idea of them having to work on a hill, it's too much to ask all the time in an 60ft round pen. 

So I clipped Socks to the lunge line yesterday and lunged in our arena. 

He really has a very nice extended trot and really just takes it nice and easy on himself.  He's figured out that he really has no idea how long the session will be, so it's best to just take things at a nice and easy trot.  I usually lunge 5 minutes each direction with a break in between to check on them.  We work mostly at a trot with brief moments of canter interspersed. 

There are some poles in the arena, and I could see him looking down and carefully placing his feet over them.  It was kind of adorable. 

As I'm trying to get both horses to associate this work with something fun at the beginning and end, I do bribe with horse treats.  I offer them treats when I catch them in the pasture (I hate chasing my horses down in 100 acres when they REALLY don't want to be caught).  And, when I finish up, they get about 6 more treats.  2 are just "gimmie" treats that they get without working for them.  The final 4, we're working on "bow" (I bring the treat down towards the ground between their front legs).  One, I figure it's a fun little trick (I would eventually like to teach them to put a knee down on the ground; imagine how much easier mounting would be if I could get my horses to kneel or lay down!), and two, it just gets them to stretch their neck down.

So, I wrapped up working with Socks.  Opened the arena gate and told him he was free.  And he just stood there for a bit hoping for more treats.  Then slowly walked out.  He's a real spitfire that one.

I will admit while I'm trying to leg him up, I do worry about making him hot for guests and friends to ride.  And then he does things like that and I realize that he's just a laid back guy who takes life in stride.  "Want me to go 25 miles mom?  Sure, I'll do that, and I might even have a few stupid moments, but I'm not going to kill myself to win the darn thing!"  And I'm good with that!  I still want him to be my safe, family friendly horse.  If he ever shows signs that he's getting hyped up and hot, I'll stop conditioning him for LD/Endurance.

After Socks, it was time to work Strider.

Now, he was in time-out.  The BO got a new horse in, and she said Strider spent the previous day chasing her all over the place like he wanted to kill her.  Which is odd.  Strider usually LOVES the ladies, but apparently not THIS lady.  So, Jerkhorse got put in time-out up by the barn with his "I love to hate you" buddy Fuego.  And he kept pacing and zooming around the time-out pen.  So, he had been working himself, and I -almost- copped out and said he'd been working himself, why should I add to his workload.  Except, something someone said on Facebook echoed to me "Don't waste your time with 'junk' miles.  Make each mile count." 

And all he was doing while zooming around were junk miles.  NOTHING useful, nothing with a purpose except to display his frustration at being put up and away from "his" herd.

So, I grabbed him and down the hill to the arena we went. 

Now, when we first entered, he was acting like he wanted to roll.  I'm good with a rolling session, so I unclipped my lead rope (needed to put the lunge line on him) and gave him a few moments.  Then realized he just wanted to graze.  So, as I went to go get him, he scampered off.

Oh no.  Oh NO you did NOT just run off from me.

So I made him think he was gonna die.  I got after him and swung the lunge line around my head to get him to move out.

And learned a kind of cool thing about him.  Even in the arena, he lunges in a circle.  Okay, cool.  I can work with that.  I prefer to not use a line anyway, so we worked our circle.  And we put in our time. 

Strider does better when the sun's not on him.  The sun was starting to set while we worked, so he was in the shade for the whole 20 minutes and he wasn't breathing hard.  Some of that is (I hope!) he's starting to get in to condition, and some of it is lack of sun on his body.

I'm still considering shaving his neck for the ride next weekend.  I am certainly going to braid up the little amount of mane he has.  I'm just trying to brainstorm ideas to help keep him cool to help him pulse down.

Some things I'm considering doing and/or WILL be doing:
Having a water bucket and a flake of hay waiting at P&R (WILL be doing!)
Taking 2 of my frozen 1 gallon water jugs to use at P&R to dump over his neck (fairly certain I'll be doing this) - my rational is that the water will melt while we're riding, so still be cool.  I'll take 1 up to P&R while we ride first loop, then, after he vets in, go and get jug 2 to leave for loop 2. 
A blanket/rug/tarp to drop my saddle on before we go to P&R (WILL be doing!)
Shaving his neck/rump.  I'm still torn on this.  I might shave them down on Sunday

I feel like I learned a lot on my first ride, and I'll forever be grateful to Lynne for sharing knowledge with me.  I honestly believe if it wasn't for her help, I would NOT have gotten a completion for our first ride.  Now, I've got to build on that knowledge and make our second ride even better than the first was. 

And, after our second ride, we'll have 2 weeks until our 3rd (and final) spring ride for the season.  Where I'll keep working to improve our time.  And our conditioning. 

Then I've got to figure out how to continue conditioning over the summer.  In the Texas heat.  I think I'll be doing some hauling over to McKinney Roughs or other areas where there is lots of shade to ride on the weekend, or else get up early and try to squeeze in a ride on the weekends both Saturday and Sunday.  I'm not sure how to handle Monday through Friday yet though.

Day by Day

Here I am counting down the days.

30 days until I load the horse in the trailer and go to Shanghai.

Each day it gets more and more real.

Each day I tick things off my to do list.

Sunday March 1st; weather permitting, go trail riding at Nails Creek at Lake Somerville with the Central TX Lady Trail Riders.  Very excited as I'm going to take Socks so I can just sit back and relax.

Monday, March 2nd; pay my membership fees for AERC and PFHA.

Wait until I get both my AERC number and Strider's AERC number, and as soon as I have those in hand, I mail off my check for Shanghai.

March 7th; Trailer loading clinic.  Taking Strider.  Going to be up VERY early (I'll probably have to set the alarm for about 4:30 or 5am) so I can go to the barn and wrestle my horse in to the trailer.  Little worried about this.  Super long lunge line, hay and grain inside the trailer and a whip to coax him in I guess.  Honestly, if this clinic can help me get him to just self-load I'll weep with happiness.  Or at least make it NOT a struggle.

March 8th; Open Schooling event at County Line Equestrian Center in Hutto.  It's their St. Patrick's Day open schooling, so I'll doll up which ever horse I feel like taking.  Probably will be Strider.  In which case, as long as his registration goes through with PFHA, the day in the saddle qualifies us for "Pasos for Pleasure" hours.  Looks good on his registry number and we earn points and prizes as well as promote the breed.  He needs the exposure and trailer loading practice.  Not going to overnight him this time I don't think.  The drive isn't that bad to Hutto, and maybe some of the ladies at the barn will want to go.

Somehow try to squeeze in one good ride prior to Shanghai.  Might even get brave and load and go ride solo some where.  I need to find a place with decent footing where I can really open Strider up and get him moving and see what he's got for a day, but still allow him time to recover prior to Shanghai.

I honestly am still up in the air about how I want to do Shanghai. 

Do I want to try and do 25's both days?  Do the 25 on Saturday and the intro on Sunday?  Just do the 25 on Saturday and then volunteer at the vet check station?  Just do the 25 on Saturday, pack up and go home?

Joe gave me the pass to stay gone all weekend.  And part of me says I need to volunteer and contribute, but part of me says I want to challenge myself and Strider and try to do both days.  These decisions are getting to me.  I might contact the ride manager and ask her if I can register for Sunday and decide on that day what I want to do.  I kind of want to try and ride both days.  If I'm going to be sore, might as well go for broke! 

We'll see.

Equine Annual Goal

In the past few weeks, I've openly accepted my goal for this year in regards to my horses.

And as such, I'm diving head-long in to learning more.  This learning process involves joining various Facebook groups, buying a few books, investing some money for training into my horses, joining actual organizations and planning to join other organizations.  Putting dates and times on my calendar while I figure out how far and long I'll have to drive.  Wondering if my horse can do it.  Wondering if I can do it.  Making lists of things I already own that I can use and of things I'll need to go out and buy in order to make this work.  Looking at retro-fitting my trailer in order to make it work, but looking at it in the condition it currently is in and planning how to make that work in the here and now.

What is it I'm looking at doing?

Endurance riding.  If you don't know what it is, go to AERC.org (American Endurance Ride Conference).  Right now they're running a special, but it's usually $75/annually and your first horse is free (each additional horse is $15 for a lifetime membership).  I will be joining AERC on March 1st and registering Strider as my mount.

This is the perfect sport for me as well as for Strider (and Socks to a minimal degree). 

So with all that in mind, my first step was publicly announcing "I'm going to ride at LEAST one ride this year."

My second step was getting Joe's blessing.

My third step?  READ ALL THE THINGS!!!!!

No, seriously.  There are so many ways to be involved and so many organizations that I'm overwhelming myself, so I'm trying to pace things out.

Currently, I paid in $15 for a "Green Bean Membership".  I did this first as it gave me access to their forums where I was able to dabble a bit more and read a few more things.  Also, for so little, it allows me to feel like I'm an offical "Green Bean", though it's more a state of mind than anything else.

What's a "Green Bean" you ask?

Glad you asked!!!

(Taken directly from the Green Bean Endurance web page at: http://greenbeanendurance.weebly.com/ )

"Who are the Green Beans?

Green Beans are riders (and horses) new to the wonderful sport of endurance riding as well as the amazing mentors willing to give us a hand. Click below to learn more about who we are and what we do!  (PS - we have t-shirts!)"

So, I now am official.  I'm getting active in the AERC Facebook groups as well as on the Green Bean page.  I'm also considered in the Heavyweight division (between my tack and myself it's over 211 lbs), so I've joined a Facebook group for riders in that division.

But!  There are other organizations I'd like to join in order to help both my horse and I potentially gain the most that we can out of our rides together.

As I've said, AERC is my next organization to join.  Strider will earn points and miles as will I.  Assuming we complete our ride in time and he's not pulled by the ride vet. 

Some of the other organizations I'm looking to join?

TERA.  Texas Endurance Riders Association (Web Page at: http://texasenduranceriders.org/ )  This gives me a discount at some rides and is only $25/annually.

Now, here's where things get interesting and a wee bit sticky, and I'm still weighing if it's worth it to me.

Strider is a Paso Fino.  PFHA (Paso Fino Horse Association) offers a few different programs for those of us who don't show our horses.  However, you need to be a member of PFHA.  Once you're a PFHA member, that opens up some programs.

Right now I'm enjoying networking, and getting very excited about my ride which is now just a little over a month away.   

I'm also just soaking up books and reading what people are willing to share with me on Facebook.

Some of the things which I suspect are keeping people from this sport:
Lack of a horse.  Actually, this shouldn't stop you!  I see MANY people who haul horses to rides so their horses can get mileage for AERC, but they don't have enough riders for their horses!  Want to try out the sport, reach out and ASK!!

Lack of 'proper' tack.  Look, all of the photos I see online are of riders in lightweight saddles with matching biothane tack in their flashy colors, and the rider is all rigged out with all sorts of acoutrements.  NOT NECESSARY!!!  Want to know what I'll be doing my first ride in?  My leather gaited saddle with my mismatched headstall.  Why?  Because it fits my horse and is comfortable for me.  You can ride in tack you ALREADY OWN!!  Own an English saddle?  RIDE IT!!  50lb cutting saddle?  RIDE IT!!  If it fits your horse and it fits you, then you're good to ride!

Fear of rejection.  This was one of my biggest fears.  This sport seemed overwhelming to me, but so far, everyone is welcoming and willing to share their information.  There are mentoring programs, and I've seen so much support poured out my way, and people encouraging me that it's incredible. 
"Oh, I've seen this neat piece of tack I'm looking at buying!" 
"I own that, feel free to try mine out before you buy to see if you REALLy like it!" 
"I'm doing this ride this weekend.  Anyone else?  I've never done a ride before and I'm nervous!"
"Oh, I'm doing that ride.  Would you like me to ride with you?"

The reality is that I figured that I'd be "only" a trail rider.  Except I know Strider can do so much more.  He has the ability to be more, but it's a matter of me finding and figuring out what he can do.  I've had SO many people tell me he'd be an endurance mount, but for years I've made excuses and talked myself out of it and hidden my desire to try it in earnest.

This is our year.  My husband supports me.  My friends support me. 

I'm hoping by the end of May Strider and I will have racked up at LEAST 100 AERC miles.  There are currently a total of 5 AERC sanctioned rides in Texas that I can drive to in less than 5 hours (there's on near Amarillo, but I'm NOT driving close to 8 hours to do it) between today's date and the end of May.  There's 1 that has iffy footing, so I may or may not ride that ride (got to buy some boots!).  But, if I make my goal, then we'll hit 100 miles EASY before the end of May. 

Who knows, if the footing is REALLY that good and I'm feeling VERY confident in him...maybe we'll try a 50.  ;)

And, while I'm 99% sure I won't ever do it...even I can't deny that the pull of Tevis is there. 

First things first though; Shanghai Trails!!

Charity...

I've been moved to tears recently over those in need. 

I'm not sure if that's the post-partum pregnancy hormones talking, the nostalgia of my son getting older and my itty-bitty baby, or what it is, but I find myself shedding tears over people who need aid.

Joe and I were recently at our local grocery store, and as we walked in, I noticed brown paper bags to help "Tackle Hunger".  They were only $5. 

When I read what was inside, I got a huge lump in my throat as I realized that for so little, there was a nutritious meal for a family that otherwise might go hungry.

I asked Joe to please donate, which he did without a second thought. 

That moment made me realize how fortunate we truly are.  That, while we complain about the grocery bill, we can afford groceries.  We've never had to go to bed hungry.

It also made me realize that we could have been in that position.  Joe was laid off when the new Constable took over, after having worked there for almost 10 years, he wasn't brought back.  If Joe hadn't found a job, we very well could have been the family in need of a $5 meal.

As we exited the store, I looked around and realized that within 1 mile of where I stood there was, without a doubt, a child going to bed hungry that very night.

And it made my heart ache.  A parent going without food so their child could have food as they looked forward to Monday and the school day so they could eat again. 

And I clutched Kaylee a little tighter.

As I drove to work this morning, my radio morning show played some audio from when they dropped off 4 bikes to a disabled mother and her children for Christmas.  And I wiped away the tears yet again as I realized that I helped make that happen for her and her family.  Sure, I "only" gave $20, but that money, along with everyone else's "only" $20 added up and helped make Christmas happen for those children.  It helped buy them brand new bikes.

I've recommitted myself to save enough money to "buy" a llama through Heifer this year.  A full llama is $150.  I only need to put $20 aside each month.

I want to donate $20 each month on top of that to a charity of my choice.  I usually do Heifer as it's simple, but I think I should branch out and donate to other organizations as well.

But who should I donate $20 to?  There are many shady organizations out there who don't give much to those in need, while the people on the upper end of the ladder take home large paychecks (yes, I'm looking right at you HSUS).

So, who are some of your favorite charities or organizations?

Susan B. Komen comes to mind (my grandmother died of breast/ovarian cancer).  Who else?

Back to it...

A week off work does wonders to your motivation.

Like utter and complete decimation of any semblance of motivation.

We had a wonderful Christmas despite some hiccups the day of, and I even squeezed in a ride over the break.

Monday was spent running errands with A-man; doctor's appointment, Strait Music to drop off his horn, then last minute Christmas shopping and lunch.

Tuesday, Joe came home early since he wasn't feeling well, and I bolted off in the late afternoon to have Austin's car repaired (he's got my parent's old Honda Accord, which fell under the airbag recall).  That whole thing was a fiasco in and of itself.

I called Friday the 19th on my way home, because I realized I'd called about this back in November after Thanksgiving, was told they'd call me when the part came in...and I never received a phone call.

After getting run around on the phone, I was told the original part had been shipped back since it'd been so long, but they'd re-order it and could I bring the car in on Monday?  Uhm, late in the day I could.  Made the appointment, and not 2 minutes later I get a call that the part won't be here Monday, could I just bring it in on Tuesday, anytime I wanted?  Ugh.  Fine.  FINE.  Way to underwhelm me, but fine.  Let's just get this over with.

Suffice to say, walking in on Tuesday, I was already a wee bit annoyed with this whole affair.  But, I happened to mention in passing that the driver's side seatbelt buckle didn't always catch....what would that cost, ball park, to have fixed?

Was told they'd look at it and get back to me.

As they finish the airbag repair, I'm told the seat belt buckle is a lifetime warranty by Honda.  They'll get the part ordered, and it should be in within 48 hours.  I give them extra time due to Christmas, so I call when I get to work today.  Part's not in.  It's on back order.  They'll call when it comes in.

I'm not holding my breath. I'll call back on Friday.

Wednesday was nothing but being lazy around the house. 


We did rent "The Interview" once Austin got home.  It was awful, as was expected.  But, whatever.  Movie not even out in the theater and I was able to watch it from home?  Got to admit, I like that.

As par tradition, I watched "Scrooge", the old black and white version with Alistair Sims.  It's a remnant of my childhood.  I dozed off during it, but it always takes me "home" and old traditions.  I could practically quote the movie along with the characters, and I love that.  I hope to share that with Kaylee as I've shared it with Austin.

Thursday was Christmas.  Kaylee slept in until about 11 as did Austin.  Josh was with his mom, so Joe went and got Nanny (his grandmother) and brought her to our house where we opened our family gifts.  It was nice and quiet and I enjoyed it. 

Austin got computer parts, which he was excited about.  I didn't get Kaylee much (a little Disney train and a little stocking stuffer), but wrapped the gifts from her Aunt Meagan (my best friend) for her to "open". 

After that, over to my sister's house to open more gifts, eat tasty food and just relax, then home again around 8 or 9.

Friday was a lazy day as it was raining.

Saturday, I did go to the barn with the plans of hauling to McKinney Roughs to ride with some new people.  Rain shut down McKinney.  Instead, one of the ladies hauled to the barn and we rode around the property, which was nice.  I did get hooked on to the trailer by myself, but, between the wind and the rain and the cold, Socks refused to load.  Poop.   I'll post more about that later.

Sunday was spent tidying up and being lazy again.  Missing the sun.

And, now it's Monday...back to work until Wednesday, where I leave work at noon for the year. 

I hope everyone had a great holiday and got to spend it in whatever form or fashion makes your heart happiest. 

It's not a matter of "if"...

...but "when".  Especially if you live in Texas.

Allergies. 

If you live in another state, you just THINK you know what allergies are.  You don't.  I promise you don't. 

I love my home state, but, let's be real, it kind of wants to kill us all.

We have scorpions, rattle snakes, water moccasins, black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders and all other sorts of creepy crawlies that want you dead.

Then, add in all of the allergens, and BAM!  You have a state that's painted a bulls eye on your head and is trying to hit the target.

I'm a native Texan.  I was born here and have lived here for pretty much my entire life (excluding a few years in exile in Kansas, which sucked for SO many reasons). 

I have never really experienced bad allergies.  Some mild sniffling and sneezing in the spring and summer from freshly cut grass, but never have I ever had to deal with cedar allergies.

Hah.  I am this year.  And it's awful. 

Let me show you how the cedar count has been this week:

Can you see that?  That explains my misery which started Monday afternoon with a slightly sore throat, and escalated last night in to a throat that's so sore that it felt like needles were being stabbed in to it, which caused me to cough so much I was choking and close to vomiting.  My eyes were watering so badly it was like I was crying.  My nose is so congested that I only have 1 working nostril.  And my headache...oh lords, my headache.

I'm not going to lie, my ability to breathe (or rather, lack of at this moment) is impacting my drive to get work done at work. 

It's also impacting my drive to shop for Christmas. 

So far, I've only gotten the boys their stocking stuffers.  I resisted the urge to buy some for myself, because this stuff looks so freaking awesome!

I hadn't heard about this stuff until late last week, googled it, saw a video and said "That's so freaking cool!  I've got to get some!  It'll make the neatest stocking stuffer for the boys!"

Magnetic Thinking Putty Video

I can't wait until they get it so I can play with it. 

However, much beyond buying the Thinking Putty, I haven't gotten anything else done.  Well, I bought my Secret Santa gifts, and gifts for some of my coworkers (just not all of them, which I need to do tonight since I'm out of the office all week next week).

Then it's time to shop for my family.  I'll get it done, it's just kind of stressful.  Especially since I've put it off for so long.

Thank goodness for Amazon Prime!  2 day free shipping, YES PLEASE!!

And so, with that, it's time to get to work (or at least try to work), intersperse it with some shopping for family on Amazon, and try to get everything done I need to get done before tomorrow.

Now, here's hoping I can get motivated enough to make it happen!

'Tis the season

Every year at this time, it's customary to think of those who are less fortunate.

While we don't exactly live in the lap of luxury, neither do we have it as badly as others in our community, never mind how the 3rd world countries are.

Hands down, we are fortunate as a family.  Not as fortunate as others, but still pretty blessed.

So, at this time of year, I always try to send money to at least one, sometimes more, organizations that help those in need.

One of my favorite charitable organizations is Heifer International.

I've given to them a few times, usually buying a flock of ducks, or honeybees.  My goal is to someday purchase a llama, but that's down the road a little bit. 

If you're unfamiliar with Heifer here's who they are and what they do:
Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.

How it Works

We empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity – but our approach is more than just giving them a handout. Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.

When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

Passing on the Gift

The core of our model is Passing on the Gift. This means families share the training they receive, and pass on the first female offspring of their livestock to another family. This extends the impact of the original gift, allowing a once impoverished family to become donors and full participants in improving their communities.

Heifer does more than just animals; they reach out through a variety of ways.  Women's empowerment, clean water, veterinary care and more.  It's an organization that, whenever I donate, I spend a few days imagining the positive change I've helped start for a family, and for their community.  All for the cost of a meal here in the US. 

Closer to home, and only around the holidays, I give to a local radio station's fund raiser:
JB and Sandy's Bikes for Kids

What I love is that this is a long-time Austin area fund raiser.  It gives children who otherwise might get nothing for Christmas a brand new bike, helmet and a lock.  Not a used bike, but a brand, spanking new one that isn't a hand-me-down.  And the cost of the bike/helmet/lock all together?  Only $190.  Granted, I can't afford the whole kit, but I always give some and know that on Christmas Day, I've made a difference to a child in my own community.  I've given them, not just a gift for one day, but a gift that will give for the rest of their lives.  A gift that leads to independence and freedom and a sense of normalcy, like other children.  A bike is such a huge milestone in a child's life, and I love being able to say I've helped, even if it's in some small way.

Every year I wish I had more money so I could give it to the organizations that have mission statements I can get behind.  Be they local or international, making a difference to someone who needs the help makes me feel so good.

What are some of your favorite charities?  I'm always looking for organizations to donate too, as I love to share and help, not just my fellow man, but animals as well.  So, animal charities are worth telling me about too!

And, if you'll take just a moment during this holiday season, dig through your wallet, see if you don't have just $20 to share.  Drop it in to a Salvation Army bucket.  Snag a tag off an Angel Tree.  Buy a gift and leave it in gift barrel.  Find a local family and sponsor them.  But please, pay your good fortune forward to someone else who may be in a situation that is unfortunate.  Your gift could make a difference and truly lift them up.

And for my Jewish friends as today is the first day of Hanukkah:

As you celebrate the Festival of Lights, may your home be bright with happiness and love. Best Wishes at Hanukkah!

Weekends are too short

No, really.  I mean that.  2 days just never seems long enough to get everything done or see everyone I want to see.

Saturday we slept in some, or at least until Kaylee started stirring, which was around 9 or so.  I needed to get to the post office to mail out my Secret Santa gifts, and Joe needed to get his textbooks returned through a UPS drop-site (just as an FYI, if you're in college, Amazon's textbook rental is AWESOME!  This is the second semester we've done it for Joe, and we've decided this is how we'll continue to do it if the books are available to rent).

So, we quickly got ourselves ready, got Kaylee ready and headed out.  1 stop by the post office to find out their hours (and be horrified by the length of the line), 1 stop by the UPS drop-site (privately owned shipping store), 1 stop by Walgreen's (I wanted to send some candy with 1 of my Secret Santa gifts), back to the post office where I just bolted in, grabbed some priority boxes and then back out again, then BACK to the shipping store to send my last Secret Santa gift out.

Off to grab lunch; Schlotzsky's.  Seriously, this is my favorite restaurant. 

I've loved Schlotzsky's since I was young.  Been a fan for 20+ years.  And in those 20+ years, I've only ever had 1 sandwich.  The Original.  No onion.  Want to make me happy?  Bring me an Original.  Not sure where I might like to eat?  Scholotzsky's is ALWAYS a safe choice.  Steak?  Yeah, that's awesome, but it's not an Original. 

Anyway, after lunch, off to buy groceries (ugh, I hate grocery shopping).  Grab the boys some lunch, then unwind before heading off to a holiday party/game night at my BFF's in Leander.  Josh wasn't feeling well, so he stayed at home while the rest of us went.

Took Kaylee who didn't do well.  Too late in the evening, too many people, and the poor thing had a meltdown unless Daddy was holding her. 

We didn't stay super late, though I know Austin was have a good time playing "Cards Against Humanity" and feeling like he was an adult.  Always nice to see his goofy and playful and fun side shine through.  I get angry teenager more often, so I cherish those times when angry teenager goes away and I get my fun-loving son back.

Sunday we slept in.  I piddled around because at noon I was meeting some women in Luling. 

I'll be honest; I'm painfully, horribly shy in person.  So much so that meeting new people causes some serious anxiety for me.  It's uncomfortable and I'll spend time coming up with reasons not to go, or things that just HAVE to be done right this very second.  But, I'm trying to push myself outside of my comfort zone, and I need more people and friends that I can go trail riding with.  And that's what this was; fellow lady trail riders.  More specifically the "Central Texas Lady Trail Riders".

It was a nice meeting and getting to know some people.  There were only 4 of us on Sunday, but I hope we'll grow slowly and have a few more additions.  I want to trail ride off property more often, but Strider's not ready to go it solo, and sometimes not everyone at the barn can go when I'm free.  And, while Socks is pretty steady, it's not necessarily a "fun" ride.  Strider's a fun ride.  Socks is a safe ride. 



The rest of the day was spent just hanging around the house. 

So, here I am, feeling unmotivated yet again.  I've got to get over this end of the year blahs.  Some money coming in will help alleviate some of my stress.  Getting things cleared off my desk at work will help some as well.  I'm hoping I'll be able to squeeze in some time out at the barn over the holiday break (assuming the weather plays nicely with me!).

I know I can't be the only person battling the holiday blues.  Any ideas, tricks or tips to kick them to the curb?  Especially with the sun setting so early, even going out for a walk with the dogs in the evenings after work doesn't work (I don't get home until between 5:30 and 6 most days).  Looking for SOMETHING to help with these blahs!

Life happens

Feeling a little unmotivated today.

Let's call it the Holiday Blues.  I always seem to get them; I suspect it's the stress of finding that perfect gift for everyone, and making sure you've covered all of your bases and gotten something for EVERYONE who potentially MIGHT get you something.  And then, when someone you didn't anticipate getting you something, you have to scramble to get them something, adding to the stress.

I know I do this to myself.  I need to find a way to somehow "Let it go!  Let it Goooooo!!!!"

I blame some of my severe lack of motivation on not having to work yesterday.  Our friend who watches Kaylee called on Wednesday evening to let us know her daughter was sick; potentially with the flu.

Okay then.  Called mom who had a mid-afternoon commitment, but (surprise, surprise!) was available today to watch Kaylee.

So, I called out of work yesterday.  It was so nice to sleep in again with my little girl.  We got up at 10 so we could meet Daddy at the state capital for lunch, and then head over to my office so people could see her (again).

Networking through Facebook the past two days.  Happened to stumble in to a group of local trail riders.  And, since I'm notoriously shy, I made myself reach out.  I figure, they're horsewomen.  At least we've got that in common?  Sounds like we're meeting for lunch on Sunday.  This works since the weather's probably going to be bad on Sunday, so it's not like I'll miss riding time.

I was also upfront and honest that Strider's still a little green.  My goal for 2015 is to send him to Holly or her son Douglas for at least another 30 days.  He's good, but I know he can be better.  I just lack the knowledge to get him there.

I mean, come on, he's really smart and he lacks fear (for the most part).

And then to decide what I really want to do with him.  He's a great trail horse, and LOVES going new places and seeing new things.  Competitive trail perhaps.  I know he'd make a great endurance prospect or LD prospect; I just don't have the time to condition him (or myself). 

As for Socks, I'm not quite sure his fate yet.  I suspect ultimately he'll be Kaylee's mount.  I'd like to look in to doing 4H for her.  Then let her decide what direction she wants to go.  We've got a few more years to go.  And perhaps a REAL pony before we step up to the (super short) horse.

How can you not love that face? 

Honestly, people have asked me how he ended up being such a good horse.  Honestly, he still has some issues (tarps, for example, are death to horses...water is also to be avoided if at all possible), but really, he's so honest and really steady.  I got SO very lucky with him. 

Some day I'll go in to his 'back story' about how I ended up with him.

Truth be told, Socks and Strider are the only GOOD things that came out of my time with my ex-boyfriend.  Well, that and some honesty with myself.

What about you?  Break-ups, good or bad or amicable, what are some POSITIVE things you've left a relationship with? 

Introductions are always a challenge...

It's been a LONG time since I last blogged.  I was a regular blogger back when Livejournal was popular, if that tells you anything.  You know, back before Facebook was the place to be. 
Which is dating myself.  Oh well.

Anyway, since I've been blog stalking the past few weeks, let me do an introduction.

Why?

Simply because I dislike reading new blogs myself and not knowing who all the "players" are and trying to puzzle it out as I read.  I also dislike not knowing the "backstory", but, being realistic, I can't provide the backstory for EVERYTHING important in my life. 

Over the next few days, I'll provide the "backstory" for those important people and animals and "things" in my life.  That'll probably be interspersed with current events. 

Emphasis on "probably".  Heavy emphasis on "probably".

Me?

I'm Erin.  As of today, I'm 37 years old.

Here's my cast of characters: 

Joe (my husband; we've been married for 1 year)

Austin (my 16 year old son, and I usually refer to him as "A")

Josh (my 12 year old step-son)

Kaylee (my newborn daughter, and I currently refer to her as Kaylee-bear)

 The animals:

Dogs

Shadow (my husband's dog who is a black-lab mix)
Pancho Villa (my dog who is a Dachshund)

Cats

Shane (my cat)

Snickerdoodles (my cat who I have a multitude of names for; Doods, Poods, Poodler primarily)

Lizards

Lazarro (Austin's Leopard Gecko)

Chili (Austin's Bearded Dragon)

Horses

Socks (my Arabian, registered name "El Sidar")

Strider (my Paso Fino, registered name "MGA's Fuerte del Energia")

Those are all the main players.

I work for the State of Texas as an administrative assistant.  I've been with my agency for 2 years. 

For fun, outside of spending time with the family, I trail ride my horses, or ride with my husband on his Harley.

I'm an avid reader and I love movies (don't most people say those things though?).

My favorite books:
The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah - Richard Bach
The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle

That might give you some insight as to what I like to read, so there's some insight in to who I am.

So, what about you?  What are some of your favorite books or movies?  Your "Go To" faves?  I'm always on the hunt for new things to love!