Random Things I Wonder About.....

Since my family is German, why did we never call our grandparents Oma and Opa? And why are MY parents not called that now?

Since my husband's family has a strong presence in the various Mennonite and Old Order Amish, why is no grandparent called Dawdi and Mammi? I guess Memaw is sort of close, but hmmm.....

Why do some articles of clothing reflect the mostly flat belly I have worked so hard to re-achieve, while others make me look like I'm pregnant again?

Why does it take having a child to make you realize the small things really DON'T matter?

Why does it take a bazillion times longer to get anything done when you have a child?

Why can't I get past my fear of eating Asian food after 10 1/2 years? I get the craving, but chicken out.

Why does it feel so good to brush your teeth?

Why is it so much fun to watch a person sleep?

Why do we wonder about things that are so silly?

Leadline Lessons....

Today was the last day of the Flory grandparent visit, and it was a beautiful morning. The perfect day to take Grandpa to visit the ponies. We waited all week just to build the anticipation...it was worth it.

Claire was the pony du jour. She's a wonderful little beastie with a pretty face and the perfect personality. She loves Luke because he likes to give her treats and pet her nose. Ponies remember that kind of stuff!

I hopped on first, of course, and gave her a very light hack. Grandpa Flory likes to see me ride, something I'm always willing to oblige. Claire happily trotted and cantered once each direction, hung out for a couple of pictures, then gave me that "you've got to be kidding me" look when I switched saddles. I think she was relieved when she realized the leadline saddle is only about 5 pounds. Luke was patiently waiting with his Storm Trooper helmet securely in place.

Luke's been on ponies and horses in my saddle, daddy's saddle, and Grandpa Flory's old saddle, all of which are obviously huge for him. This was the first time he's been up in his very own saddle, despite the fact I bought it when I was 5 months pregnant. I now know I need to poke a couple holes in his leathers! For today I just wrapped them, but they were still a little long. Luke didn't care, he gave a light hold to his grab strap, pushed his little heels down (all by himself!!!), and was ready to roll.

He rode for about 15 minutes and thought it was awesome. He is DEFINITELY happier in his own little saddle than he is being swallowed up by someone else's. He cracked a couple of smiles, he talked up a storm, he leaned down and patted Claire on the shoulder and neck, he adjusted himself to be more secure. He's honestly a natural, even though every parent in the world feels the same way about their kids.

After some more pictures it was time to take Claire-bear back and untack her. I kicked Luke's foot out of his iron to show him how to swing his leg over (like an almost 2-yr old would catch on), he immediately fished it back to his foot and jammed his heel down. I kicked it out, he fished it back, I kicked it out, he fished it back with an emphatic "NO!" All Grandpa and I could do was laugh. I asked if he was ready to get down and the answer was "No!"

"Are you sure?" "No! No down!" "Claire's tired and hungry, can you get down so I can untack her? You can help." "NOOoo!"

He finally relented, but he was NOT happy about it. I guess you can all imagine just how pleased I am about that. No sarcasm, just pleasure. I think it's wonderful that, at least for now, my perfect boy wants to be on the back of a pony as much as I do.....

Air Force Academy...

There are a few people I think of immediately when the subject of the Air Force Academy comes up. It doesn't matter if I'm watching a game, seeing news footage of the graduation ceremonies, or actually visiting.

I can't help but think of Kristina, who I competed against on the local horse show circuit while growing up, was accepted to the AFA and turned down a killer job opportunity to answer that call. I can't help but think of Mark, who was the absolute best officer I ever had, even if he does think Krispy Kreme are the most delicious donuts in the world. I can't help but think of Rob, who is the son of my mom's boss, became an F-15 pilot, and is quite a person.

And I can't help but think of my dear brother, David. He was actually ridiculed by a fellow high school classmate because he chose to forego the Academy for a program at a small private school that suited him better. That classmate was accepted and came out here to the AFA for school. He lasted one whopping semester and quit. David is now a Major with 14 1/2 years of service behind him. I am so proud of him! Jealous, too.

Why am I jealous? Well, I REALLY miss my own military career. I regret having left Active Duty, I regret not being a better Airman, I regret not setting a better example for my subordinates. I don't regret my decision to return to Ready Reserve status to stay home with my son, but I miss the military life. David has known nothing but that life, which sometimes leads to arguments about how the "real world" works (trust me, there are huge differences, and the "real world" sometimes royally sucks), but I think he does realize just how beautiful a life he truly has.

As one may guess, we made a trip to the Air Force Academy today. Not a big visit, just one to see the chapel. I love it on that base, it's just a beautiful setting, but it also makes me a little sad. I do hope to "serve" again when I finish nursing school, though. I hope to work in a military hospital as a surgical nurse. Only God knows, but since I stopped serving before I felt ready, I pray I can give back to those who continue to protect us.

Anyway, Luke was impressed. I'm not sure how many out there in bloggerland have visited any of the Service Academies, or the various chapels, but the 17-spire structure set in the foothills of the Colorado mountains is very, very pretty. Luke is a fan of lights and thought the sun coming through all that stained glass was worth staring at, and worth telling the whole world about. He didn't understand why he couldn't explore more, but he was still a very good boy (which is saying a lot because he feels horrid right now with two of his 2-yr old molars cutting at the same time).

After we got back outside Luke got to run around the bronze statues of the WWII planes (only one picture, and it didn't turn out well). Since the parade grounds with the static displays of the newer planes, including the ones Grampa Mel had, were off-limits to us, this was the best I could do for him. He didn't mind. He ran on the marble walkways, tripped, and discovered when you fall on smooth marble (not polished, just smooth), you sllllllide! He thought that was fun. I laughed. Then he chased a magpie.

The walk back to the car was full of thought. I hope and pray that I can raise my son to appreciate the military. I hope and pray he will not be against serving his country. I hope and pray he'll understand the sacrifices made by those who serve. I hope and pray that he'll appreciate and understand all that he's blessed with in his life here in the United States....even if he never wears a uniform. I hope and pray that his crazy parents can raise him to know his life of freedom came at a very high price. It's a big task, and one that gives me an even greater appreciation for my own parents....

A Day at Cripple Creek...

Yesterday was a BIG day for us. Memaw and Grandpa are here visiting from Texas. We drove up Phantom Canyon, a winding and narrow dirt road that used to be a rail line for the gold mine trains down to Florence, to spend some time in the city of Cripple Creek.

Cripple Creek used to be a big hub for gold mining in Colorado. Now it is widely known for being a casino town. There are donkeys that are descendants of the pit donkeys running wild all over the area, plenty of museums, shops, and other attractions.

The attraction we visited, after eating lunch, of course, was the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. It was Luke's first time on a train. What fun we had! Luke had a smile plastered from almost the first moment. He LOVED the whistle! Every single time it was pulled we enjoyed a round of smiles and giggles. He also immediately cued into the fact the engine was a coal-fired steam engine, meaning the engineer would occasionally shovel coal into the boiler, providing us with a great view of the fire. He thought that was great! It was tough to get the pictures, though, because he'd be watching inside the engine and we couldn't get the camera in his way.

We had a wonderful surprise at the end of ride. The engineer noticed the Luke thought the goings on in the engine, he saw the concentration and the smiles. He invited Luke up to the engine to pull the whistle and the bell. Luke was all for it, then he kind of got shy. He was all about the train, though. He watched it pull away, he waved and waved, he whipped around every time he'd hear the whistle. I think we've found a new favorite thing in life!

It was a cool day, but the mountain air felt wonderful. We saw parts of the old mines, shafts, and towns that you can't see from the road or towns. We learned more history of the area and various mines. We saw some beautiful country. I love the mountains.

We've got a busy week ahead of us. It's going to be great fun, and hopefully a LOT of pictures. I hope everyone had a wonderful, wonderful Memorial Day! We certainly did....

7 Things About Luke

I've been tagged, via reading a friend's blog, to list seven things about my beautiful boy. Here goes:

1. He shocked everyone, except for his daddy and me, with his size at birth. Both midwives were sure he'd be right at 7 pounds...he was 8 lbs 8.5 oz. The nurses couldn't believe the size of his feet. He completely skipped newborn shoes & socks!

2. He's got this wicked sense of humor. Already. At not even 2-years old. Seriously, he cracks everyone up. And he loves it.

3. He took a very long time to make his appearance into this world, but he definitely goes through the day at the speed of light. He loves to take everything in and hates to miss a moment. I think that's why he rarely naps.

4. He adores animals. Cats are his favorite, by far, but all animals are wonderful to him. He sits in the window and talks to the birds, he rushes to the ponies to hug them and pet their noses, he tries to figure out how to get in with the animals at the zoo (thank goodness that doesn't happen!), he tries to pet fish through the glass, he even waves and says "hi" to the cows, horses, antelope, deer, elk...whatever he sees out the window when we're driving somewhere. Dogs are the ones that make him laugh, though.

5. He loves to dance. The type of music doesn't matter. Put on something classical, he does this cute little slow dance. Put on bluegrass, he bounces around. Put on rock, he starts spinning. As long as music is on, he's happy to show his moves.

6. He thinks water is awesome and has been in swimming lessons since he was 10 months old.

7. He loves his books. Each day he brings one (or more) to me and doesn't budge until we've read it through a couple of times.

Time for me to tag everyone who reads this one! Tell me seven things about your children!

Wow...what a weird day..

I've heard from everyone I know who lives in the tornado damaged areas. The stories are amazing!! It will be interesting to hear what the weather service says about all of this. What is not being reported on the news is that the Budweiser brewery (of interest because it's also a first-level training place for the Clydesdales...they always have 5 or 6 young Clydes there) suffered some damage. What I've heard is the Clydes were released to run down the road, which they did, but they came trotting back as soon as they felt it was safe. Nothing more than a few bumps & scrapes....and probably a little bit sore from galloping down pavement. All the brewery employees (which includes tour guides, barn staff, landscapers, and the actual brewery people) are safe and fine.

The Colorado State University farm, where the vet clinic and other agriculture departments are, was heavily damaged. I haven't heard of any injuries to the people, which is very good. I don't know about the animals. The farm is literally across I-25 from the brewery.

The majority of very heavy, as in homes ripped of their foundations, damage is in the town of Windsor. Parts of Fort Collins, Wellington, Greeley, Platteville, and Miliken are also seeing some damage. Only very minor stuff from the tornado that touched down near Boulder and Longmont. Thank goodness!

Here's the weird part of the day for me. My aunt called earlier this evening to share a story from my cousin. I had to ask if he was here! I think I asked her twice, actually. Nope, definitely in California. He was driving home in Riverside County (CA) when a tornado dropped and crossed the freeway right in front of him! Then came the hail. Then came the closing of the freeway due to semi's having been tossed around like toys. A train was also knocked over off the tracks. He's fine, just a little shocked. Here's that tornado (if you look carefully you can see it was two twisters. One is straight down, the other is obvious):

Here's the picture he took while driving. Looks like snow, doesn't it?

All I can think of is the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." Not the same, but when your aunt calls and tells you of tornadoes not far from L.A., it does make you think! Sleep well, everyone. Tomorrow is supposed to be fairly active again.....

Tornadoes....danged tornadoes

This is going to be short, but I'll add more later.

About an hour ago the town of Windsor was hit by what is currently thought to be an F4 tornado. A twister that was over a mile wide at times. One person has been reported dead, a LOT of damage, and the weather threat is not over for the day. Greeley was also affected, but not nearly as heavily. A second tornado touched down just outside of Longmont, but there's not any reports of damage from that one.

We've lived here 2 1/2 years now. This will be our third summer. Luke was 5 weeks old when we experienced the first tornado here. I was in the bedroom nursing him (we had a houseful and I was craving privacy, anyway) when the typical thunderstorm was moving in. My husband and father-in-law were in the attic and I was hollering for them to get down because of the lightning. Imagine my surprise and a bit of fear when I saw the funnel cloud go across my window!! Poor Luke, I darted out of that room with him so fast! We watched the tornado make it's way East from the back porch, ready to make the run to the basement. That one was just tiny, didn't cause damage.

A few weeks later we had a more powerful one come through. That one we did hang out in the basement for. The hail and wind stripped the leaves off the trees and plants. There were limbs down all over the place. There were some homes (in a line) that had some minor roof damage, but everything was otherwise fine.

Last June my parents were visiting and went with Luke and I to get his 1-yr pictures. We were trapped in the mall because of a tornado. No damage on that one, either, but I never want to be in a building like that for a twister ever again!

There have been countless other funnels and rotating storms around here. We're pretty much always ready for it. It's still scary. I'll continue to take a tornado over an earthquake, though!

Unfortunately, my neighbors in the North part of the state haven't been so lucky this day. I'm waiting to hear from some people, despite knowing it's going to take some time because of the power outages and obvious immediate needs. My heart is just breaking and my stomach is sick. It is horrible to hear and see what's coming out of that area.

Oh, and now there's another twister in Laramie, Wyoming. Reports of Damage. It's going to be a long day.

But we are safe in the Southern part of Colorado. At least for now....

The Pictures

I'm not smart enough to figure out how to put a slideshow on here. Sorry. Anyway, here's the pictures from yesterday. :)

A Day at the Lake

It was a wonderfully warm day today. I absolutely love summer! Okay, so it's still spring, but close enough. With family coming to visit in less than a week, I decided it was time to go get the State Parks Pass....finally. I'd been kind of putting it off, but this was the perfect day to venture to the closest park: Lake Pueblo.

Poor Luke was just glad to be out of the house. I don't blame him...despite the fact we haven't actually been inside the house since it's warmed up. The yard is loving the attention. Speaking of, I need to get current pictures of the backyard and get them on here. Anyway, the strawberries are stressed. I'm sure at least 2 of them will survive, but most are looking.....quite poor. I'm not terribly surprised, it's just what the wind does around here. I just hope I don't lose them all.

Luke LOVES water. Under normal circumstances our Saturday mornings would be filled with swimming lessons. Since the indoor pool had a problem in the middle of January, has been closed since, and the outdoor pool is not yet open, we're stuck. I thought a nice treat in the 92-degree weather would be a dip in the lake. It's hard to take pictures when you're working to convince the not-quite-two-year-old that he can't go barreling as far as he wants into the water!

We had a ball. I think it was about 2 hours of splishing and splashing. There are plenty of rocks that now have a new home IN the lake. A couple of older ladies had quite an entertaining afternoon, thanks to my boy. The squeals, giggles, and shouts of joy were enough to illicit a few giggles from those two serious souls. I, of course, never cease to be amazed at how much I laugh when I'm out somewhere with this wonderfully perfect little man. He's just a hoot!

I've got pictures, but they'll have to wait for morning. I need sleep because he wears me out!

What Can Big Brown Do For You?

So, who else watched the Preakness today? After getting past my sadness over desperately missing the East Coast, I just enjoyed a day of cleaning house and watching the races. I was happy to see how the round-table discussion sparked by the breakdown of "Eight Belles" went...the fact Bob Costas had anything to do with that discussion had me nervous.

But, man, what a race! The more I watch "Big Brown," the more I just shake my head in utter amazement. He just sort of cantered around the track, making his big "run" out of a hand gallop! It's just so easy for this horse. He's done after this season, retiring to the breeding shed (which I actually think is a good idea in his case, due to his horrible feet. I somehow think the feet won't be passed on...guess I've just seen enough of that). The end of his racing career *could* come after the Belmont Stakes in a few weeks. Could we possibly see a Triple Crown winner then? Time will tell....

I finally got the strawberries planted today, too. My friend, Terie, came through when I mentioned that I was going to buy some when they arrived at the stores. She had a bunch of wild ones that she was hoping someone would want. They're now in my big flower bed in the backyard, next to the blackberry and blueberry bushes. If only I could take some of the wild asparagus and get it to grow out there.....speaking of, I need to go pick some more! I'm craving it.

We went to the river walk in Canon City yesterday. I've taken Luke and Red (the dog) out a few times, but this was a family trip. I shouldn't have been surprised at the level of the (Arkansas) river, the snow IS melting, but it made me utter a "wow." Duh. Luke had a ball throwing rocks in the water and a small herd of deer decided to stop and watch the silly boy. As soon as he turned around to see them they trotted off. Luke tried to trot after them, very cute. He was thrilled at the amount of birds flitting around, the squirrels galloping about, and had his very first taste of prickly pear cactus. By that I literally mean taste. The blooms are done and the season's growth bulbs are perfect for snacking. These were the sweetest ones I've ever munched on, and Luke loved it. I love passing on survival skills to an almost 2-yr old!

This evening was a birthday party for the son of a friend in the Springs. At a fun little place called Pump It Up. Basically, it's a big indoor bounce town. We got there about 30 minutes late (due to the race), but Luke had a blast. We did, too, but we're not toddlers. He bounced, and ran, and slid, and bounced, and bounced, and giggled his little butt off. Then it was pizza, fruit, and cake time. Have I ever mentioned how much my child eats? Seriously, I am scared of the teenage years. He's going to need his own fridge and freezer. His appetite as a toddler is that of a teenaged boy, so I'm in big trouble. After two pieces of pizza (mine and his), he had my portion of pineapple, and a huge piece of cake. He actually turned his nose up at the strawberries, fresh beans, carrots, and grapes. Weird, but I'm guessing he can already tell the difference between the organic we buy and the conventionally grown fruits & veggies because those are normally things that are devoured before even pizza. I think his favorite was the balloons. He played with his all the way home, then raced through the house squealing with delight as the balloon bounced off the walls.

Now he is snoring away in what I hope is a happy dreamland. I think he's in a growth spurt, which means I really, really need to get him a couple new pairs of jeans. He's so tall! The ones he has (size 3T) are already a bit too short. He can't really ride ponies in shorts and he doesn't actually have any jodhpurs, yet. Anyway, I think that about the growth spurt because he's been sleeping longer than usual. It's just kind of amazing when everyone already thinks he's at least a year older than he is!

Okay, I'm needing to go to bed. I'm tired!

Yikes! Now THAT'S a Flip!!!

So, I was directed to the pages of a couple of UK papers today. I couldn't believe what I saw, and I can only imagine what it was like to see it in person. The saddle slipped back to the mare's flanks, causing it to act as a bucking strap (the same thing that makes rodeo broncs buck). She didn't like it, threw herself into the rail, fell down, and here's the rest:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1955631/Horse-performs-dramatic-somersault-on-race-track-in-Germany.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=566411&in_page_id=1770

Amazing that she got up, shook herself off, and walked away fine. I imagine a few visits from the chiropractor will be in order! Her jockey is also fine, just in disbelief with everyone else.

HBO had a segment on their "Real Sports" show on Monday night. I've been waiting for it, despite my not being able to watch since we don't subscribe to those channels. I have enough contacts, however, that I've been able to see it. I give huge kudos to them for doing a fantastic job!

The segment was on a subject near and dear to my heart. The equine slaughter industry...more specifically, racing Thoroughbreds. It's such a big subject to me because I owned a wonderful Grade Appaloosa gelding that was literally purchased off the kill buyer's truck.

Paco was on his way to the slaughterhouse to be made into food for Europeans when he was saved. He was called Taco because of that rescue, but I HAD to break my rule and rename him after I bought him from his savior(I'm of the mind it's bad luck to rename your horses). I couldn't shake the thought of what almost happened to him when I visited the plant he would've been processed at. What made this tiny horse, who was only a half inch too big to be called a pony, so fantastic was his personality. I turned him out in the backyard after my mare beat the daylights out of him. He's the only horse I've ever owned who literally walked right into the house (I had stupidly left the door open to grab the ringing phone). He followed me right into my laundry room! I wish I had taken pictures, but I was so scared he'd fall through the floor (it was an 80-yr old house with the original wood floor) that I hurriedly shuttled him back outside and let my heart slow down. I would've trusted that horse with ANY baby who could barely hold themselves upright. I donated him to a kids camp as a trail pony last spring after soundness issues. He's pretty much in heaven now that he only has to walk up & down trails for about a half hour each day in the summer, and he got to stay in Texas. He's the kids favorite and the owner's second favorite. They have made it clear he'll stay there until he dies (lucky for me they're the sister and brother-in-law of a close friend here in Colorado, so I can definitely keep tabs on him!

Back to the HBO documentary segment. It was heart-wrenching for all involved since there was no legal way the horse documented could be saved. It would've been too questionable. But it was so beautifully put together and highlighted the backside scene at so many lower tracks. God bless the trainers out there like Nick & Kim Zito and Michael Matz who work their hardest to rehome/rejob ANY Thoroughbred they've ever trained! In fact, a horse who the Zito's trained is noted in the segment. "Little Cliff" was rescued at auction just a few weeks ago after the current trainer ignored the sticker on his papers and shipped Cliff off to slaughter after a single bad race. It shook the Zito's to the core.

It certainly isn't a pretty segment, but that's how they hoped to present it: as the ugly truth it is. Well explained, complete with video clips from the former U.S. slaughterhouses (now closed as it's currently illegal to slaughter horses here), and current clips from the active plants in Canada and Mexico. While it is difficult to watch, I'll include the Youtube link that someone so kindly made, as well as the written description from those involved in a following blog.

So, there's that. Not too fun to read about, but a subject I'll always fight on. I'm not totally against it, but it DOES need to be humane. Currently it is not. Not at all. My horses are just lucky enough to have an owner who will provide a quick & painless end when the time comes, and a permanent resting place. Oh, and for those who are wondering, Thoroughbreds are actually the third breed in slaughter numbers. Quarter Horses are far and above the number one breed (due to insane regulations, or lack thereof, in the AQHA breeding program....maybe permissions is a better word to use), Paint and Grade (unregistered) horses are a distant second. It's just one small reason I don't ever want to own a Quarter Horse. But that's beside the point. At least I can rest easy tonight knowing my beloved Paco is loving life in his Texas home....

Sorry I haven't been around for a couple of days. I've been kind of busy. Still trying to take full advantage of the lovely weather, though my poor house is suffering. Really, it is crying out for a good, deep cleaning! Well, we're having company on Sunday, so it'll get a pretty thorough one over the coming days. Family is coming to visit the last week of the month, so it'll be cleaned well all through the week...with the exception of Saturday the 24th. I have a horse show that day :)
HBO's Real Sports did a fantastic piece the other night on a subject near and dear to my heart. I'll talk about it later. But I'm happy they did it.
It's cold again today. Technically, today is the safe day for spring planting. I've obviously started early since my stuff has been in the ground for about a month, but I'm also pretty cognizant to bring certain things in and cover others when needed. Ironic, though, considering it's 47 degrees outside. And, shock, it's windy.
The birds are fantastic, though. I've got new visitors this year. The baby horned larks came for a visit the other day, too. Early this year! My tree has been full of orioles the past few days, male and female. I have what I assume are a breeding pair of grosbeaks. It's so exciting! Yes, yes, I'm a dork. I won't leave out the mention of all my return visitors, though.
Well, we're off for a few hours of errands. Have a great spring day!

MORE Fires??

I'm sitting here waiting for dinner to finish cooking and looking out both front and back windows at the vast contrast. Out the back I can see the clouds building as the front is inching this way. Out the front I can barely see the outline of the Wet Mountains as they're shrouded in that eery orange hue.

Saturday there was another 9000 acre fire East of Colorado Springs. I happened to hear about it on the radio while driving out to play with my beloved ponies. Me being me, I had to look around to see if I could find the smoke plume....silly since the area was probably 60-70 miles away. Wouldn't you know it? I actually COULD see the plume! I pointed it out when I got to the barn. I wasn't the only one amazed. Aren't we sad? I do hate to report that a few homes did burn in that fire, but am happy to say no lives were lost.

Today I was, once again, driving to the barn (this time only to dig up the wild strawberries so I can transplant them to my big flower bed), heading West on Highway 50. What do I see in front of me? A huge smoke plume coming from the mountains. Oh, great. Nothing mentioned even on the radio station out of Canon City. Hmm..well, too big and WAY too windy to be a prescribed burn.

I did finally hear something while on the way home, but still not a whole lot. What surprised me is that this has to be a fairly large fire because the location is quite a distance away. I don't know numbers, but looking on the map it's at least 50 miles. That smoke plume was bigger than the one Fort Carson displayed! The good thing is it's a remote area in the mountains. The bad news is it's a remote area in the mountains, prime with fuel, being pushed by sustained winds of close to 50mph (gusts over 70). The good news is the front coming through will drop the temps drastically and may even provide snow.

So, the sunset will be very pretty tonight, but firefighters will be having another long one......

World Disasters.....

It's days like today that I wish I had trained my dog as a Search and Rescue dog. I didn't even think about it when he came to me. It actually only came to mind after September 11, and he was still young enough. The reason I didn't do it was because I was still on Active Duty and there was no way I'd be able to commit us to that kind of thing. Now he's too old and sore. He would have been fantastic at it. I have asked his blessing to let his successor be that SAR partner for me....I'm not sure he's thrilled with it. Probably a good thing I don't actually have a puppy to train.

It's a tough day. I've been absolutely heart broken and have shed tears for those in Burma...or Myanmar, or whatever the place is called now. I just can't understand why it's taken so long to allow others to bring help, nor can I understand why the government is hoarding the supplies to "distribute them ourselves." Part of being spoiled rotten in a free Republic, I guess. But then to see the tornado damage my own nation's mid- and Southeastern-sections, fires tearing through homes in the West and Florida, flooding in my favorite metro area of D.C., and China's earthquake terror & death....wow. It just bears down on my heart like a ton of bricks.

The earthquake damage and scores of people still trapped are why I started with the entry of SAR canine teams. There are some disasters that dogs can provide such great help that they're necessary. Yet here I sit, with my now older, sore, but eternally faithful pup, and I can only have my heart break into millions of pieces for these poor, poor people. Maybe in a few years, when I graduate and achieve my goal of being a trauma surgery nurse I can put that training to good use with a canine partner. Just maybe.....

No More Association....

A certain someone has made it clear that I am no longer to make any association to him, or admit relation to him on this blog. Since I can't go back and "remove my (his) name and any/all pictures that I am (he is) in from the blog," I will just no longer make any reference to him. How sad that he's so embarrassed by me that he doesn't want any single person in this world to know of any relationship....but his wish is my command.

Happy Mother's Day...I hope yours was better than mine.

A Day at the Zoo...

I already mentioned that I took Luke to the Denver Zoo on Tuesday. We went to meet a childhood friend of mine. She moved to Utah when I was 16, she was 14. We met because her family moved her horse to the barn I was riding at, and we just hit it off from the start. She moved to Tuscon before I left home, but we kept in touch.

As fate would have it, the first part of my schooling after BMT was in Sierra Vista, Arizona...a town on the Mexico border about an hour or so South of Tuscon. I got to see my dear friend again! We managed to keep in touch when my time there was done and I moved on to Florida for part 2 of school, then on to Hawaii to start my career. It was sometime around my wedding in 1998 that we lost touch.

This past winter I received an email from Chelsea. She was now living in Casper, Wyoming. We were able to catch up on things and are nearly inseparable once again....at least in terms of emails. Her husband, Mark, had a business meeting in Denver and I jumped at the chance to spend the day with her family. We had a fantastic time and I think Luke has a new girlfriend in Olivia!

Definitely a zoo we need to visit again a few times. We go to the Pueblo Zoo all the time, we go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs) fairly often, but this was our first trip to the Denver Zoo. So many things to see and do in that city, so little time to do it in....

Yesterday Jeff and Luke decided to try to fly a kite. Yes, it's an F-16...I couldn't resist finding one after seeing a neighbor's last summer. It went okay...sort of. It's been so darned windy that the kite would get up fine, but then it was pushed down by the wind and would demonstrate why we call the real planes "lawn darts." Aside from that, it was pretty cool, so they were basically ready to come back inside.

I guess he played pretty hard because later in the day he decided he was done. This is what we found on our (still unmade) bed:

Amazingly, he actually went to bed by 10pm (late, but pretty good for a this boy after a huge nap) and slept until almost 9am this morning! I think he's much more than ready to spend the day outside, so we're going to close here and head to see the ponies.......