Years End

Nope I don't have a polished recap post for you, I don't even have a polished recap video.  What I do have is an overall joyful year.  Yes bad stuff happened, but this is real life and shit happens.  I am looking forward to the new year and new adventures.  The hubby and I had an impromptu goal setting session and our number one goal is financial stability.  Hah, hard to do with horses, but doable.  Really as soon as a hospital realizes how awesome I am and hires me we will be well on our way.

I guess this doesn't equal magic money

What does financial stability look like to us?  Bills paid on time every time.  Big hay stacks.  Regular car maintenance.  Lessons/horse shows (lucky for me the Hubby wants this to happen).  Racehorse stuff.  Savings for a vacation.

Oh hey that is me at an event

With some restructuring and more strategic hard work these things are totally doable.   I am looking forward to the challenge and can't wait for more adventures.

Maybe Prisoner and I can make an appearance in the next Jimmy Wofford book

More jumps like this

Posing at Disneyland with my step sister...no joke

Ocean selfie, feel the love

Need some music to listen to?  Check out The Cab, they have lots fun upbeat songs.

Christmas fun

While doing a little care for Prisoner's neighhhhbor (whose owner is out of town) I took the most adorable video.  Excepting my annoying voice, omg why do I have to sound like a twelve year old!?



And there you have it, Merry Christmas from Idaho!!

Still here...and full of superlatives

Sorry to leave you all hanging with one of the most depressing post ever, and thank you for all the kind comments and thoughts.  I have just been flying around like a mad person, working on red tape for job stuff, cleaning stalls, riding in between rain drops, working at the tack store, hanging with my mom (who is here through the end of the year), deep cleaning my house, etc etc etc.  If I refuse to think about it I don't cry, but driving alone in my car is a dangerous place for the state of my makeup.

This guys is good for lots of love

  I'm loving reading all your secret santa posts, I've managed to miss that train two years in a row...sad face.  We did have the most awesome impromptu get together with local blogger/horse girls the other night and seriously, BEST. SWAG. EVAHHH!  I need to get pictures of it all so I can share it here.  We had good food and laughter till our stomachs hurt.  Seriously why do we have things like jobs and school, lets just hang out and play ponies forever and ever...ok ok don't answer that.

Fun times from last year

I've been getting a few rides in on the best horse EVAH! between rain storms and general December insanity.

I just want to cuddle him

Check out that new bonnet!

After our coldest, snowiest November ever, we have had the warmest December ever (notice no gloves).

Mud wallower

We are talking near 60 degrees and even above on several days.  Turns out Prisoner likes to search for the muddiest of mud holes.  He is also the hairiest TB ever, he was shaved at the end of October and he is currently wearing a sheet and is plenty warm.
I popped over a few jumps the other day and we had zero rushing!

Ghetto photoshop skillz

I thought my position would be horrendous, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I did find out that he hates loose ring snaffles with a single joint, or maybe he loves them.  Either way I had no brakes and quickly switched him back into his D-bit Dr. bristol.  As mush as I love him, he is a little opportunistic.  I need to do a post with all my fun sunny pictures from Phoenix and SoCal.

Sneak peak

It is done

So sorry for the lack of happenings here, I've be lurking and reading your blogs, but I just haven't been up to writing this post.  Last Monday was the day. My dear sweet Mojito went to join a long list of amazing horses in pony heaven.  It was just time, his condition continued to slowly worsen and the nasty ice/mud of winter didn't help. The look in his eye finally told me it was ok, he was ready.  Darn it though, it didn't make it any easier. So in a trip painfully similar to that fateful one in January Sprinklerbandit and I hauled my boy in and said goodbye.  I know in my heart it was the right thing to do, but if I think on it for more than a few seconds the tears flow freely. Daily I miss the sing song greeting of his nicker.  I know he is back to gallivanting across fields with his incredible floating gaits and the worried crease of his brow is gone.
Adding salt to the wound I also said goodbye to my grandma that same Monday.  She was slipping away and gave me a final 'I love you more' and smile before she passed on thanksgiving day. I like to imagine that she is riding on my Mojito as she dreamed of for the years she watched him out her window.

New Boots!

My mom (who is the best ever) gave me something I have been lusting after for years now.  Waterproof boots!  Luckily my tack store discount made them a pretty good deal.  After a few days of wearing them though I think they are totally worth full price, after they have survived the winter I will talk about them again.

They are the Ovation Alistair Country Boots.

Photo from Ovation Website

I ordered the 9.5 (41) and they fit perfect, I've worn them with breeches and over jeans and there is just enough room.  I have a 15 inch calf in most half chaps and such.  My feet have been toasty warm with wool socks and I love that I can do chores and stay dry!

Shut the front door

They may actually make me hate snow in November less.  The inside has cute plaid lining, granted no one knows it is there, but you.  Kind of like cute underwear.

All the cute!

The laces and buckles on the side make them pretty adjustable, they could tighten up maybe another half inch from where I wear them and loosen up about an inch.  Height wise they end just below the back of my knee (about a half inch).  I need 16 or 17 inch half chap.  You may be scratching your head about what I do for show boots...cry.  Yes I'm 5'3" with size 9.5 feet, let's just say that stock show boots are crazy tall on me.

Prisoner says stick a cookie on his tongue

I've pretty much worn them nonstop since I got them on Thursday and I haven't had one sore moment.  I don't think I will be wearing anything else until the end of spring, kidding, not really.

Happy!

Now if only they actually made me this awesome, thanks to sprinklerbandit for photo magic!

Greetings from the frozen Tundra

Well today we reached a toasty 16 degrees. This is miserable, but the scenery is at least breath taking.  Interview was a bust, company was a bit sketch.  I pretty much said peace out, not really, but almost.  No worries though, I now have my first interview out of the way.  Onwards and upwards.

What to do in the snow?  Bake pie. Take pictures. Drink coffee. Plan for the future.

I'm writing this on mobile blogger (practically useless) so I can't caption the pictures, I'm sure all a y'all can figure it out.

My other life

Good luck kisses from my main 4 footed man

In a break from my lamenting about snow...I have a job interview tomorrow!  So totally psyched!  Life has been stressful and I look forward to the day I can put my bills on autopay!  I know it is just an interview, but it is a step in the right direction.

Prisoner has mad balancing skills

Ok, well back to the snow.

Thanks to sprinklerbandit for snapping some fun pictures!

 So this was our first day of snow, by day two we ended up with almost a foot.  Now our lows are below 0 and highs are barely reaching 23.

Big Papa (Courage) chaperons 

 This weather is unheard for November in this area, much more typical of January.  That said I don't think I have ever seen this much snow from a single storm here.

P-diddy rocks the kisses

 Our ski hill is had the earliest opening in 45 years and this now ties the record for snowiest November with the year 1892, no joke.

Blanket icicles 

 Trying not to whine, but seriously... wtf weather!

Only the cutest face ever

I can't believe cross country on green grass was only a week ago!

Before the snow

We are now buried in snow.

So Charlie is happy!

But before the snow came I had a lovely sunset ride on Prisoner and sprinklerbandit took great pics and video!

Quarter sheet weather

Into the sunset

Jumps look dramatic

He is really getting the hang of transitions with in the trot and staying steady in different frames.

Shorter steps

Looks like his neck is fascinating 

Stepping out

Fancy toes

Working on that lengthening 

Blaze face boy

Circle, because it is cool

Pretty much this post is just going to be all pictures and videos.  I love the colors and I love the horse!

Kisses

Hearts upon thars

Slow mo, ftw!

Also Micaylah, who took the xc photos from the last post, started a blog!  Go check it out!  twopointstacosandtiaras!

Like a boss

P-diddy (uses his rapper name when a badass) did cross country for the first time on Sunday.  He was a rockstar!  The lesson worked on the same things we have been working on and I was a little bummed to not school more actual xc fences, that said he was so chill about the jumps we did do that I have no worries for other xc fences.

Smirking, 'cause my horse is awesome

We started with a log, then a blue barrel jump, then a show jump, and finally a roll top.  I walked him up to each of the xc fences so he could check it out before I approached at the trot.  When I first rode into the xc field he was a bit flummoxed by the strange wooden structures covering up good grass.  Then when he realized they were for jumping I had to be very deliberate about where I rode so he didn't pull me to all the jumps.  Each time I showed him a jump he would look at it from several yards away and then by the time we were close I could have just closed my leg and we would have flown over.  I am so pleased by his boldness.

Love the colors, not my position

That hind end though

Looking for the next thing

He also stood and waited for our turns on the buckle.  He likes to bob his head while standing around and it is pretty funny as it seems that he is agreeing with everything.

He says place kisses here

The barrel jump was placed on a bit of a slope and P-diddy said it was no big deal.

Looks flat, but I promise we were jumping down a hill

action shot

We jumped back and forth over things and then strung a course together.  We trotted each of the jumps, but cantered between them.  The grass and terrain seemed to be no worry for P and we just worked on really trotting to the base instead of getting that one zoomy canter stride.

Like nbd

Gah love that heart

None of the jumps really made him snap his knees and go WOW!  Really though I'm fine with that, I'd rather he learns to relax, I know he has scope for days.

60 degrees that day, 30 today

Overall it was a success and I'm thrilled with my boy.

*swoon*