Bah Humbug

Can't even believe that tomorrow is December. I'm in major denial. I want this long Thanksgiving weekend to last just a bit longer. I can't seem to get in the Christmas spirit at all. I'm going through the motions but my heart is not there. Picked up my Christmas cards, wrote my letter, have been making and buying a few gifts... can't seem to find the joy or fun in it. I could care less about putting up lights, decorations or a tree. Bah humbug. 

I need to snap out of it!! Any ideas?

Thankful

I am thankful:

• For my dear husband and daughter. They mean the world to me.
• For my family and friends. I am truly blessed to have them in my life.
• That Memo is feeling better and almost back to her old self.
• For the peppermint mocha in my hand. The first of the season. Yum.
• That I did not have to get shots today. Still too congested.
• That I have a day off from the barn. Nat has an orthodontist appointment.
• For the stuffing I will eat tomorrow. My favorite :)
• That Shauna is getting a break from chemo. Alleluia!
• That I am finally getting a few orders. Not the deluge from last year, but I will take anything I can get with this sucky economy.
• For the sunshine today, even though it is cold. Lifts my spirit.
• For the 5-day weekend we have ahead. Sleeping in will be the best part.

I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for you all. Even though times are tough, always remember the little things that make life so precious.

On the Mend

Memo seems to be doing better... she seems much perkier and is eating, drinking and pooping (tmi!!). She will have a long road to recovery... no work for awhile, special diet, meds, etc. Seems we are through the worst of it. I am almost afraid to type that out though! What a week it was! Sigh.

Tonight Natalie finally gets to see the new Twilight movie with a friend. Jim and I will go see the newest James Bond movie at the same time. It will be nice to escape for awhile. We all really need that!

Hope everyone has a good week! More later!

He's Famous

You can see my sweetie twice in this video. 

This summer, Jim did a dual-sport ride up in Shelton, Washington which is on the Olympic Peninsula. He is the guy styling on the black and gold BMW and the white and gray riding gear. Looking quite handsome if I do say so. He is towards the beginning in a water crossing and at the end saying that he had a great time.

Waiting to hear how Memo faired the night. Elise and Janice offered to take the night shift again. Bless them.  I got home about 8:30ish last night. Memo shows glimpses of feeling better, and then does something that makes us worry again. Breaks my heart.

I am heading out to McMinnville (hour drive?) to get a special supplement for Memo, and then I will be back to the barn to meet the vet. I hope it is not another cold, long day at the barn. My asthma is really bothering me... my chest feels really tight and full. My nose is running and my eyes are red and puffy. Allergies suck.

Keeping fingers crossed that we get a quiet, uneventful weekend.

Some Good News...

... from Shauna. So glad to hear that her CT Scan was good. Alleluia!

Memo is "stable" but not much better. Looks like the vet will be out again today.

I am not getting shots today after all. Too much exposure to allergens this week at the barn. Feeling very crummy and on the verge of having asthma issues. Too big of a risk of having anaphalaxis so I can wait a week. So relieved. That is the last thing I need to deal with right now.

Will keep you posted on the Memo girl as much as I can. Thanks for all of the phone calls, texts and emails. Means the world to me.

I will leave you with a pic. Can't wait to see this smile again:

UPDATE: Some of the blood work is concerning the vet. Said if we wouldn't have done the fluids yesterday we would have lost her. Starting her on some antibiotics now. Just got Nat from school, stopped home to dress warmly and get a snack, and now heading to the barn again.

Memo Update

Just spent another cold night at the barn. Memo is not doing well. The vet was with her all day and administered 40 liters of fluids, and she will be back in the morning. Janice and Elise offered to do the night shift of checking on her every 4 hours. They are life savers. Please keep Memo in your prayers and thoughts... Nat too. She is a wreck. Maybe you should throw Jim and I in that prayer too. Thanks.

The Not-So-Perfect Birthday

We had such lofty plans for yesterday... riding lesson after school, come home and make Nat's favorite dinner (chicken scampi), eat creme brulee for dessert, maybe watch the new WallE movie she would get for a gift. 

Nah. Didn't happen.

We made it to the barn. Nat did her lesson.... which was pretty much in slow-motion. For those of you who know and love Memo, slow-motion is not really in her repertoire. She prefers fast forward, not mellow and despondent. After her lesson, we took her temp and it was elevated. Her gums were a yucky shade of yellow instead of bubble gum pink. Not good. 

She just hasn't been herself since Sunday night when I had the pleasure of walking her around for 3 hours (Nat had homework). It has been obvious that she did not feel well, but really didn't have the symptoms of her normal colicing.

After dragging my feet for as long as possible, I finally had to call our vet. She arrived about an hour later and took care of the Memo girl. It seems she had a small intestine colic, not the "normal" large intestine colic. Not going into the gory details, but she was "tubed" and the vet also did some blood work. Hopefully she will be just fine.

Jim joined us at the barn after work. He is such a good dad. At about 9:00PM, we finally left the barn and headed into town for a late dinner. Made it home about 10ish, Nat opened her gifts without much fanfare and jumped in the shower. No candles on the creme brulee. Maybe tonight. If only we could have had an extra hour or two of sleep this morning... we were really dragging.

If only 14 could have been a little more joyous for Nat. It broke my heart to see her in tears at the barn... so worried about her horse. She loves Memo so much. If only the check for the vet bill could have gone towards new boots that she needs so much or for upcoming holiday gifts. Horse ownership is such a big sacrifice for us all. I hope and pray that it is all really worth it... but when I see Nat wrap her arms around Memo it sure does seem like it.

My Birthday Girl

Tuesday is a big day around here. My baby girl will be 14! How did that happen?! Thought it would be fun to visit birthdays past:

Here is 2000. Nat's 6th birthday.

Here is Nat as a big 7 year old, with chocolate cake all over her adorable face:

Love this pic of 9-year-old Nat with Carley, Alex and Taylor:

In 2004, she hit double digits:

2006. So grown up with her stylin' glasses and short hair:

2007 was a biggie! Nat was an official teenager and horse owner:

So proud of the young lady that Natalie has turned out to be. She is wise beyond her years, but still has such a young, fun-loving spirit. I am so proud of how hard she works in school and on her horse. I am so proud of how she treats her friends. I am so proud of her independence, her self-confidence, her grace, her perseverance, and her outlook on life. I am so proud to be her mom.

Happy birthday, my dear Natalie Jayne. I love you with all of my heart.

Long Time, No Blog

Busy, busy, busy. I really feel like a taxi driver most days. Seems like I am running all the time. Today I am off to the post office, to get shots, to have lunch with a friend, to pick up Nat from school and then to the barn. Whew. Tonight Nat has a couple of Pony Club friends coming over to work on organizing this weekend's educational meeting. Somehow we have to fit homework and dinner into all of this.

Natalie had yesterday off for Veteran's Day. She enjoyed the morning hanging out here at home, while I went to coffee at my friend Teri's house. Her new home is so lovely, and it was great to visit with her, Kimberly and Shauna. Nat and I spent the afternoon running a few errands and then at a riding lesson.

We are getting quite the storm here... lots of heavy rain and wind. Would give anything to be able to stay at home with a hot cup of tea to ride it out. No such luck.

Off I go... Happy Wednesday everyone.

Thursday Update

Seems like I don't have anything exciting to blog about... just slogging through our week. Lots of barn time, doctor's and dentist appointments, and other normal happenings this very rainy week.

I did get a play date with Shauna on Tuesday. A college friend of hers was in town and I got to play along. What a fun time we had! We hit Moonstruck for a chocolate chai, Noah's for a bagel, went for a walk, and then to Pho Van for lunch. Sheila is a pilot and has those great benefits of jumping on a flight whenever she has time. Boy do I miss those benefits from my days as an airline employee.

Tomorrow is my monthly coffee date with Robanne :) More yummy chocolate chai in my future.

I haven't posted much about cooking lately. I'm still cooking... we haven't eaten out much... but I feel pretty uninspired. Lots of Trader Joe's stuff saving the day. Tonight I will make Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo from scratch. Last night was beef & bean flautas... I guess I also made those from scratch. I'm really missing my CSA :(

I'm thinking that we have a fairly quiet weekend ahead. Nat will need to get to the barn, and she and her friends are going to see the musical at school. Can't wait to sleep in! I've been dragging this week and can't seem to get enough sleep. I did get a chance to exercise a few days and thought that would help but not so much.

Have to say that I am so excited about the election. Here's to HOPE and CHANGE! Yes we can!

Get Out the Vote!

Please do not forget to vote today!!

And for some thought-provoking reading... check this out!