Go USPC!

USPC = United States Pony Club. We just got home from the Oregon Region Dressage Rally at DevonWood. It was a rockin' weekend.

Our club, Chehalem Mountain Pony Club, was originally going to have two teams at the Rally. Unfortunately, a few of the riders were unable to ride so we were only able to fill one team. One extra rider was left, so Natalie was chosen/decided to be a "catch rider". She was snatched up by one of the Oregon Trail teams, who was short one rider. Oregon Trail often uses Janice as their trainer, so they are kind of our "sister" club. 

The weather was perfect, sunny and warm with a light breeze both days. Perfect horse show weather. I was so excited to see the sun... since it has been such a rare event these days. I ended up getting burned to a crisp, despite putting on sunscreen several times. My ghostly white skin just couldn't take all those hours in the sun. That was really the only bad part of the weekend.

Memo was a nice, calm, relaxed horse. Nat rode some of her best dressage tests yet, and received great scores. She was in the 60's all rides, with her scores going up 2 points each ride. It was a great confidence booster for her, especially after all of the cross-country drama lately.

Nat clicked with her new teammates quickly! They were a force to be reckoned with. Nat received an "exceeding standards" on her formal inspection. Memo was glistening like a copper penny in the sun. Her white socks were sparkling. The tack was polished and perfect.

At a rally, the riders are judged on their riding as well as their stable management. Natalie's team received zero penalty points the entire weekend! It was amazing! All of the riders had very consistent, high-scoring rides as well. Their horses really behaved themselves.

Turns out that Nat's team won first place for both Stable Management and Riding! What an accomplishment for them. And the best part... Natalie made some great new horsey friends. She ended up staying the night on Saturday with the team and they had a great time having a sleepover in a horse stall together! How cool is that if you are a horsey girl? And at DevonWood no less ;)

Jim will have pics on his website soon. He was bummed about all of the shadows created by the sun. Overcast works out so much better, but oh well ;) I was glad to see the sun for a change. He still got some awesome shots.

Happy Summer, everyone!! Nat and I will be sleeping in tomorrow. Can't wait!

Grillin'

The sun finally came out this afternoon. Alleluia.

Time to do some grillin'. Here is what's for dinner on a busy weeknight after riding lessons:

Spicy Chicken Italian Sausages 

Grilled onions and bell peppers (I use one of those special pans used for doing veggies on the grill)

Serve on a grilled hoagie bun

Foil potato packet: I slice up some potatoes. Pop them in the microwave with a little bit of water and some onion for about 5-7 minutes to par-cook them. Drain the excess water. Spray some foil with cooking spray and add the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and some parmesan cheese. Add another layer of oiled foil on top and wrap it up.

Grill it all up until done. I like the sausages and potatoes to have some crusty stuff on them. MMM! Serve with some fresh fruit on the table. Don't forget some white wine. You're good to go.

June-uary

That word has been popping up here in Oregon a lot lately. There was a snowstorm in Eastern Oregon that closed I-84 yesterday. What the heck??!!

No snow here. Just cold and wind. And gray. A few sprinkles. Ugh.

We were supposed to give Memo a bath today. Hopefully it will warm up so we can do that on Friday before we leave for the show/rally at DevonWood. Email me if you would like Nat's ride times.

A HUGE shout-out to my girl Shauna. She celebrated her two year survivor anniversary yesterday. You rock, sista! 

Two more days of school left. Nat has her last exam today. Hopefully the last two days will be low-key and easy. I'm thinking I should save about $40 a week in gas not having to run her back and forth to/from school. Score!

Just celebrated an early Father's Day with lunch with my parents. Very nice to spend time with them.

What a random post, eh? I'll quit blathering now. I'm getting a big mailing ready to go out for my business so I will go work on that now.

Toodles!

Happy 18!

On this day 18 years ago, I married my best friend. 

We picked June 9th because it was my Grandparents' 50th anniversary... really made our day extra special having them there. You would have thought June in Las Vegas would be a safe time to have an outdoor wedding on the golf course. Turns out, it was a monsoon! Pouring rain, flash floods and high winds. Our beautiful trellis decorated with fresh flowers and ivy went flying across the golf course. The ladies in the club house playing bridge told me that it was good luck to get married on a rainy day. They were right :)

We ended up having the ceremony in the club house on the dance floor. My pastor was a bit ticked because the bar opened so the guests could have drinks... that is Las Vegas for you ;)

It was one of the most wonderful nights of my life. I married the man of my dreams, with all of my family and friends there to celebrate. Rain and all, it was the perfect night. Who else has storm clouds in their wedding photos in Las Vegas? Those were way before the days of digital... I wish I could post the pic. The photographer had us go out to the golf course between rain storms. We are holding hands in front of a huge palm tree with the most ominous black clouds behind it. Stunning pic.

I wish I had Shauna's beautiful words to convey what I am feeling today. But I'm just me... my plain and simple words will have to do. My heart is so full of emotion.

I came home from dropping off Natalie from school this morning to find two dozen red roses on the kitchen table. After 18 years, he is still bringing me flowers. I'm the luckiest lady alive. I have tears in my eyes as I type this.

Happy Anniversary, Jim. Thank you for giving me the best years of my life. Thank you for all of the adventures we have had together, for our beautiful daughter, for our wonderful life. I can't wait for the next 18 years with you. Thank you for showing me what true love is all about. All my love, P.

A Week to Go...

The countdown is on. Five days of school. Summer is almost here. Despite the winter-like weather... although today is nice. The local newspaper called it "June-uary". Pretty much sums it up.

Just got back from a walk with Shauna and Simba. We got iced coffees, then headed down to the Tigard dog park. It was so cool to see Simba interact with all the cute doggies. So nice to get caught up with Shauna too. Sucky that you have to go back to chemo tomorrow, Shauna. My thoughts will be with you, and I'm just around the corner if you need anything.

We kind of survived the Inavale Event Derby. The weather could have been worse. Just kind of cold and windy. Some mist, but no pouring rain.

Nat and Memo had a great dressage round. No bucking which is always a plus. They were in 5th place after that. Cross country warm up looked good. The actual xc round... not so much. Memo had 3 refusals pretty quickly and they got the big "E"--elimination. What a bummer.

Jim got great pics. We had a great time camping with our horsey friends. 

Next weekend: Dressage Rally at DevonWood. Never a dull moment around here. Hoping for some of those once we are out of school :) Dull moments would be a good thing.

Linky Love

These websites just can't help but put a smile on my face.

For a good laugh I visit The Pioneer Woman. Ree just cracks me up. I love her recipes too. She also takes amazing horse pics. This was my favorite!!

To see pretty, frivolous cupcakes I visit this site. There is just something happy about pink frosting.

For good, midwestern scrapbook humor, I just love Cathy Z.  She is so real.

Because I'm a food nerd, I just love this website. I've never made any of her stuff but it sure does look yummy.

I really want to take a vacation here. How cool is that??? And close to home!!

Hugs

Big hugs going out to my friends at Hot Off the Press tonight. Their dear receptionist, Kate, passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack today. I can't imagine the sadness that is filling the building after today. The office will not be the same without her.

I remember Kate always having a smile, and always willing to visit. She was such a friendly lady and loved her family dearly. She was an avid gardener. Everyone always went to her with their gardening questions. I was one of her "best customers", always utilizing my employee discount to purchase scrapbook goodies for my friends and family. She was our go-to gal to purchase things, and always handed out new paper books to us when they came in. Everyone loved Kate.

This all happened so suddenly. She was at work this morning. You just never know. Give those you love extra-big hugs tonight. Hold them tight. 

Hugs to all of you. I'm so grateful to have known Kate, and I am so thankful to have so many special people in my life.

Whew!

Finally getting a moment to breathe. I think these moments will be few and far between the next two weeks. Nat is still snoozing. Boy does she need that.

It is a cloudy, quiet Sunday morning. Jim woke up early to head out to Hood River for his ride. I just got off the phone with him, and luckily it is clear and sunny out there. Finally he will get a good ride in. Last night when we got home late from Gig Harbor, he was lamenting the fact that he should stay home and mow the backyard and get stuff done. Nah. It will get done somehow. We have been going so hard that the house and lawn have been a last priority.

I hope to get motivated to get some housework done this morning, then Nat and I will head up to the barn to see Miss Memo. I hope it will be nice enough to ride outside.

Tomorrow it is back to the craziness of the last two weeks of school. Nat will miss Friday so we can go to Inavale for the Event Derby. Should be a blast, as long as Memo stays on all fours ;) Hopefully she will get new horseshoes that are drilled for studs this week. That should help a lot. We are so excited to have Sam's pop-up camper for the summer... will be so much more luxurious than our tent ;) It is always a fun time to camp with our horsey friends.

Our trip to Gig Harbor was short and sweet. We had a fab lunch at Kelly's... they have the most incredible sweet potato fries. MMM! Nat hit the cool bead store. Sam showed us some cool houses on the water. A person could definitely retire there... love it! Jim and Nat played their Wii. What a kick! They had a great time. Might have to look into one of those. It was just fun to hang out with Sam and family. They are great :)

Off to start my day. Might need another cup of tea first though ;)