Slideshow removed. Album Link:
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
1 Year Ago Today
One year ago today Cody was supposed to make his entrance into this world. December 9th was my due date and I was more than ready for him to arrive. Instead, we waited another 8 very long days!
This year those 8 days can take as long as they want to arrive because on December 17th my BABY will be ONE YEAR OLD!!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! We now have a toddler...I guess it's not official yet if you consider a toddler a walker because he hasn't quite accomplished that task yet...but OH, so VERY close!
We will be getting his first professional pictures taken this weekend so hopefully, we'll have a happy, cooperative little guy so we can capture the memories of his 1st birthday and his true joyful nature on film. He has always been a little entertainer while posing for pictures for me, but we'll see if he can find that personality in a studio with a stranger behind the camera. I obviously won't be able to post those pictures online but I have once again taken some of my own pictures for his 12 month pics and to celebrate his 2nd Christmas! So, enjoy the new pics below...
This year those 8 days can take as long as they want to arrive because on December 17th my BABY will be ONE YEAR OLD!!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! We now have a toddler...I guess it's not official yet if you consider a toddler a walker because he hasn't quite accomplished that task yet...but OH, so VERY close!
We will be getting his first professional pictures taken this weekend so hopefully, we'll have a happy, cooperative little guy so we can capture the memories of his 1st birthday and his true joyful nature on film. He has always been a little entertainer while posing for pictures for me, but we'll see if he can find that personality in a studio with a stranger behind the camera. I obviously won't be able to post those pictures online but I have once again taken some of my own pictures for his 12 month pics and to celebrate his 2nd Christmas! So, enjoy the new pics below...
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thanksgiving Blessings
Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted so I guess I'll update you today by showing you what we have been up to....
Have you been peeking in and disappointed that there were no updates here?
Jeepers, don't be too cranky that I haven't posted in awhile...
We haven't been hiding...
We've just been busy playing with our sweet Cody. We are also getting into the holiday spirit by doing online shopping (no malls for us - yuck!!!). We've taken Cody to get his first Santa Claus pictures at the local Christmas event. (sorry, I can't post any here since they were taken by a professional photographer) and we've bundled up and watched the Christmas parade in town.
We were family-less for Thanksgiving this year since we won't be making the trip to Roseau until New Year's and my parents were bummin' around at the beach in Texas. Our good friends the Dicksons were also family-less for the holiday since their daughters would be going to different homes, so we made a little trek to South Dakota and enjoyed a wonderful Thankgiving dinner, lots of laughs, and great fellowship! Thanks to Mark and Dee for a memorable weekend! (for more pictures of the weekend, you can see Dee's post at http://thedicksonfamily4.shutterfly.com/)
I also have to add how thankful we are for a wonderful neighbor who allowed us the opportunity to travel over Thanksgiving by volunteering to take care of our horses. We didn't even have to call and ask!!
Looking back at the past year we have many things to be thankful for. No doubt our little Cody has been one of the greatest gifts God has blessed us with. He brings us much joy with his delightful personality and abundant smiles and giggles. We hope you've also found many things to be thankful for this past year, and enjoyed your Thanksgiving wherever you celebrated!
Don't forget to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and see the new pictures of our now 11 month old!
(Happy Birthday Lori and Molly!)
Have you been peeking in and disappointed that there were no updates here?
Jeepers, don't be too cranky that I haven't posted in awhile...
We haven't been hiding...
We've just been busy playing with our sweet Cody. We are also getting into the holiday spirit by doing online shopping (no malls for us - yuck!!!). We've taken Cody to get his first Santa Claus pictures at the local Christmas event. (sorry, I can't post any here since they were taken by a professional photographer) and we've bundled up and watched the Christmas parade in town.
We were family-less for Thanksgiving this year since we won't be making the trip to Roseau until New Year's and my parents were bummin' around at the beach in Texas. Our good friends the Dicksons were also family-less for the holiday since their daughters would be going to different homes, so we made a little trek to South Dakota and enjoyed a wonderful Thankgiving dinner, lots of laughs, and great fellowship! Thanks to Mark and Dee for a memorable weekend! (for more pictures of the weekend, you can see Dee's post at http://thedicksonfamily4.shutterfly.com/)
I also have to add how thankful we are for a wonderful neighbor who allowed us the opportunity to travel over Thanksgiving by volunteering to take care of our horses. We didn't even have to call and ask!!
Looking back at the past year we have many things to be thankful for. No doubt our little Cody has been one of the greatest gifts God has blessed us with. He brings us much joy with his delightful personality and abundant smiles and giggles. We hope you've also found many things to be thankful for this past year, and enjoyed your Thanksgiving wherever you celebrated!
Don't forget to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and see the new pictures of our now 11 month old!
(Happy Birthday Lori and Molly!)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Just for Fun
Hey all you pet lovers out there, I'm posting some fun pics I've taken of our critters over the last year or so. I entered some into an online photo contest, thus the reason for some many animal pics.
Slideshow removed. To see photos: Critters
Slideshow removed. To see photos: Critters
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Fall on the Farm
It was 2 years ago this October when we broke ground for our horse barn! We had a wonderful barn raising event and invited family and a few friends to help us get started. They did a GREAT job and got us well on our way by getting most of the framing completed.
Since then it has been a work in progress as Grady and I, and occasional help from our wonderful neighbor, slowly find time to work on it. With a long, sick pregnancy and now the busy days of parenting a baby, I realized that my desire for a finished barn wasn't going to happen instantly! So, we've set small goals. Last winter the goal was to get it enclosed before the storms of last winter began. We made it!! This year my goal was to get lights before this winter's daylight savings time change. We DID it!!
Last weeekend grandma volunteered to spend two full afternoons playing with Cody so Grady and I could get busy wiring. It felt so good to be able to DO something again. Last fall, needless to say, I wasn't too helpful in my last trimester of pregnancy! Our tractor bucket made for excellent scaffolding so Grady drove me around and despite my fear of heights I wired away! Thanks to my friend Mark who taught me so much about barn building and wiring! Grady worked on the wiring he could get from the ground and in 2 days we had LIGHT!
Some day we will get our soffits in, finish off the trim, and build stalls, but for now I'm happy with LIGHT!!! The days of walking around with a flashlight in the COLD winter are gone!
Fall is a beautiful time of year around here so I will share with you a "Few Fun Photos from Fall on the Farm." Try saying that 5 times fast!
Since then it has been a work in progress as Grady and I, and occasional help from our wonderful neighbor, slowly find time to work on it. With a long, sick pregnancy and now the busy days of parenting a baby, I realized that my desire for a finished barn wasn't going to happen instantly! So, we've set small goals. Last winter the goal was to get it enclosed before the storms of last winter began. We made it!! This year my goal was to get lights before this winter's daylight savings time change. We DID it!!
Last weeekend grandma volunteered to spend two full afternoons playing with Cody so Grady and I could get busy wiring. It felt so good to be able to DO something again. Last fall, needless to say, I wasn't too helpful in my last trimester of pregnancy! Our tractor bucket made for excellent scaffolding so Grady drove me around and despite my fear of heights I wired away! Thanks to my friend Mark who taught me so much about barn building and wiring! Grady worked on the wiring he could get from the ground and in 2 days we had LIGHT!
Some day we will get our soffits in, finish off the trim, and build stalls, but for now I'm happy with LIGHT!!! The days of walking around with a flashlight in the COLD winter are gone!
Fall is a beautiful time of year around here so I will share with you a "Few Fun Photos from Fall on the Farm." Try saying that 5 times fast!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Does anybody know where last month went?
My goodness, this last month flew by! I feel like it was just yesterday that I posted Cody's nine month pictures. A few days ago (like 2 days before Cody's 10 month) someone asked Grady and I how old he was and I quickly answered "9 months" while at the same time Grady answered "10 months." It hadn't dawned on me that he was MUCH closer to 10 months than 9! I can't keep up! In the spirit of the fall hunting season, you'll find Cody's 10 month pictures posted below.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Competitive Mounted Orienteering
Competitive Mounted Orienteering! Does anybody have a clue what it is? I didn't either until we participated this weekend.
If I told you it basically involves riding horses in the middle of the forest searching for paper plates, would you think I'm nuts? Sound crazy? fun? adventurous? complicated? I suppose it is all of the above.
If you guessed it might involve compasses you are right! Unfortunately, even in this high techie world a GPS isn't allowed. Bummer.
Anyway, when we found out it was basically a scavenger hunt on horseback Grady and I thought it might be fun to try it out. We'd done it on a motorcycle throughout the state of Utah, so why not on a horse in the middle of a southern MN forest?
Here's how it works. The organization managers select a location and set up the course throughout the trail system using paper plates as markers. We were given clues for 10 separate plates and by using a map, our compasses and our trusty horses, we set out to find the hidden plates. Each marker had 2 clues...something like this: "A stump chair covered in moss" and "A tarzan vine hanging partly over the trail" Behind each clue it gave a number of degrees for the compass reading. Once the clues were located we each would set out from our clue in the direction of our compass reading and hopefully if we 'triangulated' correctly our paths would meet in the near vicinity of the plate. Fortunately, the ride managers were kind for this particular event as there weren't any plates suspended 40 feet in the air or hidden from sight. However, sometimes the woods were thick enough you had to leave your horse behind, other times we could ride right up to the marker.
The courses are usually designed to be somewhere around 10-12 miles and to be truly competitive in this sport you basically have to run your horse for the entire length of the course. Grady and I had already predetermined we weren't about to be competitive time wise. We just wanted to try something new, enjoy the ride and see if we could find all of the clues. I think our horses were quite thankful we were just out to have fun as it was a very warm October day and the trails were quite steep. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather and such a gorgeous setting. It was a memorable way to celebrate our 5th anniversary.
If I told you it basically involves riding horses in the middle of the forest searching for paper plates, would you think I'm nuts? Sound crazy? fun? adventurous? complicated? I suppose it is all of the above.
If you guessed it might involve compasses you are right! Unfortunately, even in this high techie world a GPS isn't allowed. Bummer.
Anyway, when we found out it was basically a scavenger hunt on horseback Grady and I thought it might be fun to try it out. We'd done it on a motorcycle throughout the state of Utah, so why not on a horse in the middle of a southern MN forest?
Here's how it works. The organization managers select a location and set up the course throughout the trail system using paper plates as markers. We were given clues for 10 separate plates and by using a map, our compasses and our trusty horses, we set out to find the hidden plates. Each marker had 2 clues...something like this: "A stump chair covered in moss" and "A tarzan vine hanging partly over the trail" Behind each clue it gave a number of degrees for the compass reading. Once the clues were located we each would set out from our clue in the direction of our compass reading and hopefully if we 'triangulated' correctly our paths would meet in the near vicinity of the plate. Fortunately, the ride managers were kind for this particular event as there weren't any plates suspended 40 feet in the air or hidden from sight. However, sometimes the woods were thick enough you had to leave your horse behind, other times we could ride right up to the marker.
The courses are usually designed to be somewhere around 10-12 miles and to be truly competitive in this sport you basically have to run your horse for the entire length of the course. Grady and I had already predetermined we weren't about to be competitive time wise. We just wanted to try something new, enjoy the ride and see if we could find all of the clues. I think our horses were quite thankful we were just out to have fun as it was a very warm October day and the trails were quite steep. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather and such a gorgeous setting. It was a memorable way to celebrate our 5th anniversary.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!!
Ok, so no bears, but definitely lions and tigers!
I recently made a trip to the Zoo with a couple former college roommates with whom I continue to remain good friends. I just wish we lived closer to each other so we could have such fun occasions more often! It was yet another beautiful fall day so after a great lunch at Panera Bread (YUM, I love Panera) we loaded the kiddos into the cars and headed off to the zoo. I tried to imagine the 3 of us in college running off to the zoo for a cheap day of fun...fast forward 10 plus years (I'm not telling you exactly how many ;) ) and now were all pushing strollers.
Watching the critters (yes, I'm actually talking about the animals...not the children) was enjoyable, but I think it was more fun to watch the kids watch the critters. Although, if given the option, I think all 3 of us would have stuck around the primates much longer and watched the adorable little baby orangutan with it's wild hair and cute little face (I tried to get some pics of the baby but it was pretty hard in a dark room and through glass). A couple of the adult orangutans were quite entertaining as well with their blankeys they toted around. One played a little game of peek-a-boo with Cody that got him giggling pretty good.
All around the park there were little statues of the animals marked 'Do Not Climb'. Let's just say it was rather evident this sign was ignored more than once. I'm certain us crazy college kids had fun climbing and posing on these statues. This time, it was the kiddos. How can you say no, when it made for such cute pics? LOL. Besides, the sign also read 'For Your Safety'...so I guess you could interpret that to say, 'if you climb just make sure you stay safe' OR 'please don't sue us if your kid gets hurt attempting to climb'. In today's society perhaps the latter is correct.
Anyway, we had a fun day and safe day...even surrounded by the Lions and Tigers and no Bears, Oh My!
Zoo pics
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Family Gets BIGGER!
NO! We're NOT expecting!! No, we didn't get ANOTHER horse, nor another dog, not even a stray barn cat!
Cody has new cousins!! Yep, one boy born to Grady's sister Lori (and Peter) and one girl born to Grady's brother Jesse (and Jess)! They are twin cousins actually, born on the same day at the same hospital with the same doctor! Crazy!! A big CONGRATULATIONS to both families!! Can't wait to see them!
That makes 11 nieces and nephews for Grady and I, or 11 cousins for Cody! Won't the house be full this Christmas!!!
Well, I'll have to post more later, but I'm taking Cody to the park and meeting my neighbor today for a little walk. Gotta soak up this awesome weather before it turns cold!! Hope you all are enjoying it as well!!
Cody has new cousins!! Yep, one boy born to Grady's sister Lori (and Peter) and one girl born to Grady's brother Jesse (and Jess)! They are twin cousins actually, born on the same day at the same hospital with the same doctor! Crazy!! A big CONGRATULATIONS to both families!! Can't wait to see them!
That makes 11 nieces and nephews for Grady and I, or 11 cousins for Cody! Won't the house be full this Christmas!!!
Well, I'll have to post more later, but I'm taking Cody to the park and meeting my neighbor today for a little walk. Gotta soak up this awesome weather before it turns cold!! Hope you all are enjoying it as well!!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
9 Months Old!!
Our little boy is 9 months old!! Can you believe it? I can't. He is already starting to look more like a toddler and less like an infant (sigh...my little baby is growing up). He's cruising all over the house crawling and walking along furniture. I suppose it won't be too terribly long and I'll be chasing after him. Already, I can barely keep up with him when he's in his walker...it really should be called a runner! He LOVES to cruise all over our entire unfinished basement, arms flailing in the air, grinnning from ear to ear.
Let's see...what is new. Well, I'm back on the internet!! I have no idea why...but I'm not complaining!! We spent 5 days on the phone with help techies and by the time we were finished we were elevated to a level 4 tech. Whatever that means...I figured it had something to do with their level of understanding and speaking the english language, rather than anything to do with technical knowledge. Each time I moved up a level...well let's just say by level 4 you actually spoke with someone in the U.S. Anyway, maybe by some miraculous chance my internet is functioning now despite the fact that all levels of support tell me I have something wrong with my equipment and there is nothing they can do to repair my internet remotely. Currently I am getting the best speeds I've ever received in over 1 year but they still want to charge me $125 to send someone out to have a 'look'! Umm, let me think....uh....NO!!!!
So, I guess we'll risk it and see how long we can get our best coverage yet on 'broken' equipment. Ah....technology, isn't it grand?!
We've been 'farming' again around here. Though we got our yard planted this spring, we didn't have much success getting the addition to our pasture planted. In the middle of planting Grady got dumped on and the days following were the infamous spring flood of Iowa. So, we've been seeding grass again this fall. This field is a bit too big for good ol' redneck riding lawn mower so we've been using our John Deere 3320. We've borrowed some implements from our neighbor and he never ceases to be amazed and what our "itty bitty" tractor can pull. He said we might have convinced him to trade in his big fuel guzzling rigs. Hmm, can you see it now...covering THOUSANDS of acres on a little 3320...ya I don't think so! But then, I suppose it is better than a team of horses. LOL!
We recently took Cody on a 'tour' of the local fire department where Grady is a volunteer firefighter. I thought it might be a fun theme for his 9 month photos. He had fun exploring the trucks and equipment and I had fun snapping shots. At the bottom of the page I'll post some of those pictures. (Jeni, if you read this thanks for the darling outfit!)
Well, I'm off to a company picnic and then to the fire department shrimp boil...yum!!!! Don't forget to check out the new slide shows.
Let's see...what is new. Well, I'm back on the internet!! I have no idea why...but I'm not complaining!! We spent 5 days on the phone with help techies and by the time we were finished we were elevated to a level 4 tech. Whatever that means...I figured it had something to do with their level of understanding and speaking the english language, rather than anything to do with technical knowledge. Each time I moved up a level...well let's just say by level 4 you actually spoke with someone in the U.S. Anyway, maybe by some miraculous chance my internet is functioning now despite the fact that all levels of support tell me I have something wrong with my equipment and there is nothing they can do to repair my internet remotely. Currently I am getting the best speeds I've ever received in over 1 year but they still want to charge me $125 to send someone out to have a 'look'! Umm, let me think....uh....NO!!!!
So, I guess we'll risk it and see how long we can get our best coverage yet on 'broken' equipment. Ah....technology, isn't it grand?!
We've been 'farming' again around here. Though we got our yard planted this spring, we didn't have much success getting the addition to our pasture planted. In the middle of planting Grady got dumped on and the days following were the infamous spring flood of Iowa. So, we've been seeding grass again this fall. This field is a bit too big for good ol' redneck riding lawn mower so we've been using our John Deere 3320. We've borrowed some implements from our neighbor and he never ceases to be amazed and what our "itty bitty" tractor can pull. He said we might have convinced him to trade in his big fuel guzzling rigs. Hmm, can you see it now...covering THOUSANDS of acres on a little 3320...ya I don't think so! But then, I suppose it is better than a team of horses. LOL!
We recently took Cody on a 'tour' of the local fire department where Grady is a volunteer firefighter. I thought it might be a fun theme for his 9 month photos. He had fun exploring the trucks and equipment and I had fun snapping shots. At the bottom of the page I'll post some of those pictures. (Jeni, if you read this thanks for the darling outfit!)
Well, I'm off to a company picnic and then to the fire department shrimp boil...yum!!!! Don't forget to check out the new slide shows.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Life is s l o w e r in the country, especially this week.
Technology. It's great when it works...but really stinks when it doesn't!! Satellite dishes stink all the time!!! Yes, it is great to have 'high speed' internet...or that is what the satellite company calls it. I think 'sometimes higher speed than dial up' would be a more appropriate title. Currently NO internet is what we have. I woke up Thurs. to an internet outage which, sadly to say was not shocking as it occurs so regularly with a satellite dish. If we had another option I would definitely jump on that! Today, I am still without internet but blogging to you from an internet connection in town. I've received comments from our help techies ranging from a broken satellite component to bad weather being the reasons for our service interruption. I'm afraid it is going to be a very spendy repair on a dish that is just over 1 year old! I'm disgusted!
Meanwhile, I've used the internet a bit this weekend in town and can't believe what the true definition of high speed is! Simply amazing how fast pages load, and how quickly items download and upload!!! Our system seems archaic compared to this! I wonder if I moved back to a city (NO, I have no DESIRE or plans for that!) if I would feel archaic in this fast-paced society?! My few visits to the city this summer sure left me yearning to get back to life at home, in the country. VISITS are FUN, for a short time. Traffic, lines, congestion, loads of people packed in small places...NOT FUN! Yep, I much prefer my 'connection' to fast paced society to be via the web.
Sooo, I hope you will forgive me if I have a stint of bloglessness for awhile here, as I'm not sure when our internet will be up and running again. For those of you who become impatient waiting for an update from this household...well...I think you're ready for a visit to the country! LOL!! You'll be able to unwind, relax AND not only get updated on our crazy antics, but even experience them for yourselves! HINT HINT...to those of you who have been too busy lately to make a visit. ;)
Blogging off with a 'glimpse' back into true 'archaic' times...
(see photos at the bottom of this page)
* slideshow has been removed, to view pictures click on this link Choo Choo Train
Labor Day weekend we took a walk down to the miniature steam engine train owned and operated in my parent's neighborhood. The current 'Engineer' is the son of the man who built this track in 1948. When I was a little girl we would hear the little train whistle 'choo choo' and all the neighbor kids would bike down the road to catch a ride. This past Labor Day we were greeted with the familiar 'choo choo' echoing across the lake so we couldn't resist taking Cody for a ride on this special little train.
Meanwhile, I've used the internet a bit this weekend in town and can't believe what the true definition of high speed is! Simply amazing how fast pages load, and how quickly items download and upload!!! Our system seems archaic compared to this! I wonder if I moved back to a city (NO, I have no DESIRE or plans for that!) if I would feel archaic in this fast-paced society?! My few visits to the city this summer sure left me yearning to get back to life at home, in the country. VISITS are FUN, for a short time. Traffic, lines, congestion, loads of people packed in small places...NOT FUN! Yep, I much prefer my 'connection' to fast paced society to be via the web.
Sooo, I hope you will forgive me if I have a stint of bloglessness for awhile here, as I'm not sure when our internet will be up and running again. For those of you who become impatient waiting for an update from this household...well...I think you're ready for a visit to the country! LOL!! You'll be able to unwind, relax AND not only get updated on our crazy antics, but even experience them for yourselves! HINT HINT...to those of you who have been too busy lately to make a visit. ;)
Blogging off with a 'glimpse' back into true 'archaic' times...
(see photos at the bottom of this page)
* slideshow has been removed, to view pictures click on this link Choo Choo Train
Labor Day weekend we took a walk down to the miniature steam engine train owned and operated in my parent's neighborhood. The current 'Engineer' is the son of the man who built this track in 1948. When I was a little girl we would hear the little train whistle 'choo choo' and all the neighbor kids would bike down the road to catch a ride. This past Labor Day we were greeted with the familiar 'choo choo' echoing across the lake so we couldn't resist taking Cody for a ride on this special little train.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Take Note
When you visit this site don't forget to scroll down to the bottom as I plan to update periodically with photo or video memories we've captured throughout the year.
I've just now posted some pictures of our trip to the MN State Fair.
I'm slowly learning how to use this site and so far I like it! Hope you do too!!
I've just now posted some pictures of our trip to the MN State Fair.
I'm slowly learning how to use this site and so far I like it! Hope you do too!!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Vacation Adventures!
We had a blast!! Our 10th annual trip to Custer State Park (here's my first attempt at linking you to my photo album debut!) was AWESOME!! The weather was the best it has been with sunny skies every day and temperatures in the mid 80s. We saw absolutely no rain and we didn't have to ride in 100 degree heat (sorry Dee). Apparently, the week prior to our arrival it rained almost every day. Too bad for those campers, but we had the greenest grass we've ever seen and the creeks were full with fresh running water for the horses to drink from.
The week was also free from any major harm to people or horses. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our safety!! I suppose my sister-in-law, Merrilee, might tell you she had a little unexpected 'bath' at the end of her first day of riding when Toby decided he really didn't want to swim in the creek and abruptly jumped the bank. She slipped right down his back, and PLOP, into the water. Thankfully she was unharmed. I suppose she might also tell you about another 'voluntary dismount' she made while we were climbing a very steep hill with the horses. She just chose to finish the climb on her own since Toby seemed to be a bit of a 'tree hugger.' But, not to leave Merrilee thinking she was the only one who had any minor mishaps, I also took a little spill. No, I didn't voluntarily or involuntarily dismount from my horse, YEP, I fell off my own two feet!! Typical Jill style...aka clutz! On my way to use the cowgirl restroom on the trail I tripped not once, but twice bruising and scraping my knees. Thank the Lord for my horse who carries me so much more gracefully!!!
This was a year of change. Besides the lush green grass, the flowing creeks, the new tree growth, and all the BEAUTIFUL wildflowers that were present this year we saw another new thing! First, imagine riding your horse along the Centennial Trail in the back country of Custer State Park where no motorized vehicles can go. As you weave through the forests and run through the prairies you can just about imagine what it might be like when the first explorers came to this area on horseback. It's so rugged, yet peaceful, so quiet....but wait...what is that sound? Is it a bird? A deer? An elk? The grunts of a buffalo heard ahead? Nope, ...it's.... the chime of an incoming text message!!!
Yes, the rookies of our trip this year were The Blackberrys! We got a chuckle from the new sound the horses were making as incoming messages chimed out from inside the saddle bags. I don't yet have one of these fancy cell phone, googling, texting devices, but I must say it came in handy when we were bewildered about the 'hiccups' my mother's horse, Dually, appeared to be suffering from one night. With one quick google search we learned it was actually a case of the Thumps which is cause by a depletion of essential electrolytes, specifically calcium. A couple doses of electrolyte replacer and Dually was back on the trail.
So it appears next year we may be exchanging bumps and bruises for Thumb Texting Tenosynovitis!!!
The week was also free from any major harm to people or horses. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our safety!! I suppose my sister-in-law, Merrilee, might tell you she had a little unexpected 'bath' at the end of her first day of riding when Toby decided he really didn't want to swim in the creek and abruptly jumped the bank. She slipped right down his back, and PLOP, into the water. Thankfully she was unharmed. I suppose she might also tell you about another 'voluntary dismount' she made while we were climbing a very steep hill with the horses. She just chose to finish the climb on her own since Toby seemed to be a bit of a 'tree hugger.' But, not to leave Merrilee thinking she was the only one who had any minor mishaps, I also took a little spill. No, I didn't voluntarily or involuntarily dismount from my horse, YEP, I fell off my own two feet!! Typical Jill style...aka clutz! On my way to use the cowgirl restroom on the trail I tripped not once, but twice bruising and scraping my knees. Thank the Lord for my horse who carries me so much more gracefully!!!
This was a year of change. Besides the lush green grass, the flowing creeks, the new tree growth, and all the BEAUTIFUL wildflowers that were present this year we saw another new thing! First, imagine riding your horse along the Centennial Trail in the back country of Custer State Park where no motorized vehicles can go. As you weave through the forests and run through the prairies you can just about imagine what it might be like when the first explorers came to this area on horseback. It's so rugged, yet peaceful, so quiet....but wait...what is that sound? Is it a bird? A deer? An elk? The grunts of a buffalo heard ahead? Nope, ...it's.... the chime of an incoming text message!!!
Yes, the rookies of our trip this year were The Blackberrys! We got a chuckle from the new sound the horses were making as incoming messages chimed out from inside the saddle bags. I don't yet have one of these fancy cell phone, googling, texting devices, but I must say it came in handy when we were bewildered about the 'hiccups' my mother's horse, Dually, appeared to be suffering from one night. With one quick google search we learned it was actually a case of the Thumps which is cause by a depletion of essential electrolytes, specifically calcium. A couple doses of electrolyte replacer and Dually was back on the trail.
So it appears next year we may be exchanging bumps and bruises for Thumb Texting Tenosynovitis!!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Check it Out!
Fall is just about here so I suppose it's time to turn over a new leaf. HA!
Actually, I'm trying out this new blogspot because APPARENTLY (or so I've been told) it is easier to add pictures, videos, and other neat stuff to my pages. Though I am somewhat computer savvy, I still find I'm a bit 'technology challenged' when it comes to this blog stuff....BLOG is still a pretty new term in my vocabulary! (Sweet, I just figured out my first link!) So, I wouldn't yet call all this webpage stuff EASY, but as with all things new it takes time.
Give this new site a try with me. I'd love to hear your comments on how the site loads for you and if the links etc. are easy to navigate and working properly. At this point I'm not sure yet if you can 'subscribe' to my site in order to know when it has been updated. If I figure out how, I'll let you know. But, in the meantime I guess you'll be responsible for checking it out from time to time if you want to 'Journey with Jill' and follow the whereabouts and happenings of our family.
My former xanga site still exists for those of you who'd like to search through the archives of my past blogs. www.xanga.com/jilythekid
All future posts will be added on this site....hopefully! HA!!
Don't forget to add this page to your bookmarks!!!
Actually, I'm trying out this new blogspot because APPARENTLY (or so I've been told) it is easier to add pictures, videos, and other neat stuff to my pages. Though I am somewhat computer savvy, I still find I'm a bit 'technology challenged' when it comes to this blog stuff....BLOG is still a pretty new term in my vocabulary! (Sweet, I just figured out my first link!) So, I wouldn't yet call all this webpage stuff EASY, but as with all things new it takes time.
Give this new site a try with me. I'd love to hear your comments on how the site loads for you and if the links etc. are easy to navigate and working properly. At this point I'm not sure yet if you can 'subscribe' to my site in order to know when it has been updated. If I figure out how, I'll let you know. But, in the meantime I guess you'll be responsible for checking it out from time to time if you want to 'Journey with Jill' and follow the whereabouts and happenings of our family.
My former xanga site still exists for those of you who'd like to search through the archives of my past blogs. www.xanga.com/jilythekid
All future posts will be added on this site....hopefully! HA!!
Don't forget to add this page to your bookmarks!!!
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