Snow!

We have about 3 inches of snow on the ground from yesterday's storm. It's pretty, but makes me very unmotivated to go ride horses at the barn. Ugggg...and there's even an indoor arena to ride in!

Ice is expected tomorrow... I know my mom is probably having flashbacks of last year's ice storm when the ranch was without electricity for two weeks! No fun!

I can't believe Christmas is a week away! I'm leaving work on Dec. 23 and not coming back until Jan. 5! Yay for vacation!

Mulkie Fraggle, come!

This post is about lessons learned.

Every morning, I wake up and let the dogs outside. I used to stand at the front door and watch them go about their business, and then call them back inside. Lately, I've been letting them outside for 20 or 30 minutes and then call for them and they come back in. They like to play, so I figured, hey, what's the harm, right? They're pretty good about staying in the yard.

Well, this morning, I let them out, like I always do, and came back inside for awhile. I then went to the door to let them back in and called, and Mazda came running. No Mulkie Fraggle. So I kept calling, and calling, and calling...still no Mulkie Fraggle.

I woke up Cody and we went searching. It had snowed yesterday, so we could follow the tracks. I talked to our neighbors, and Jean, next door, said that Mulkie had been on her porch this morning. So much for staying in the yard!

We came back inside and waited and called every few minutes, hoping she'd come home. I am a bad dog owner and didn't have her collar (with tags) on (I had just taken it off to give her a bath over the weekend). So finally, we got back in the Subie and went searching some more. We drove down Edwardsville Drive, stopped the guy from Atmos checking gas meters and asked him to keep an eye out. We saw an Edwardsville cop stopped on the side of the road checking for speeders and asked him to keep an eye out. We drove all the way to Camp Naish, just in case she went that far. We stopped at Ani Pals, the pet resort just up the road, thinking she may have wandered there because of the smell of other dogs. We stopped at another neighbor's house and talked to him, too.

Finally, we just decided to drive back home, and there she was, standing in Jack and Jean's driveway. ARRRGGGHHH!! I was so glad to see her! I really thought that she had run away for good, or been picked up by somebody who thought she was pretty and took her because she didn't have a collar. Thank goodness we found her! She's still in trouble for running away and will be spending some time in her kennel and will go outside on her leash.

Whew...that was enough stress for a Wednesday morning! Needless to say, I will NOT ever let the dogs out unsupervised again! Well, at least until we install our Underground Fence system...is it springtime yet?

Mourning the loss...

Blackberry Pearl White

On December 1, 2008, Blackberry Pearl White died of unnatural causes. She was brutally murdered when she was dropped into a vat of cool, creamy, 2% milk. Although she tried to come back to life on December 5, 2008 when she woke up when her alarm clock was scheduled to go off, showing signs of life by making strange ringing noises (scaring Abby half to death thinking that there was a burglar in the kitchen). She was finally removed from life (and battery) support and took her last breath.

She is proceeded in death by her grandmother, Sanyo VI-2300 Green.

She is survived by her mother, Sanyo Katana Pinkish, and her daughter, Nokia Cheapest-I-Could-Find-At-Target Black.


Nokia is with child and is expected to give birth to Blackberry's granddaughter, Blackberry Flip Charcoal sometime soon...maybe around Christmastime?

Where are we going?

After Thanksgiving with the Strawder Family, Cody and I loaded up our dogs, got in the truck, and headed south. We didn't really know where we were going, but wanted to take a road trip and end up someplace at least half-way warm! We finally picked our destination of choice when we reached Dallas...let's go to Galveston Island and dip our feet in the ocean!

We stayed just south of Dallas the first night, and made it to Galveston the next afternoon. We stopped by Moody Gardens Aquarium and saw all sorts of fun creatures - sea horses, sharks, sea turtles, seals, tons of fish, and an octopus! Then we found a beach (just typed in "beach" and Carmen, the Garmin found the closest one) and went for a walk. Mazda and Mulkie Fraggle LOVED the ocean! It was tons of fun.

We experienced some authentic Texas food...we ate at Whataburger and a Mexican restaurant (although I think La Casita in Salina is the best Mexican ever). We stopped just north of Dallas to sleep on the way home, and the next morning, Cody and I made a trip to Sergeants Western World (a horse-lover's dream store). I bought some nice reins, a new headstall, and we ooogled over the show saddles. We made it home on Tuesday evening...tired, but we had a blast.
















Carmen, our trusty Garmin.




















This is Cody's "Yes, I just spent 12 hours in the truck with you!" look. ;)
















Me outside of Moody Garden's Aquarium in Galveston.





















Look out! Shark attack! Inside Moody Gardens Aquarium.
















Me, Mazda and Mulkie Fraggle in the ocean!

















They played, and played, and played some more.
















A friend of mine asked if our dogs were the good photographers...lol, no, we found a nice lady to take our picture.
















Isn't is gorgeous?!!?

Awards!

It's a fact...I love going to horse shows. I love showing horses, period. This year, I decided to try out a new show circuit, the Golden Circle shows. I wasn't able to show at very many shows this year, but when I did, Shiloh and I did pretty well. Cody and I attended the 2008 awards banquet. They gave away some really neat bronze sculptures and I think they are soooo cool! I was very surprised to win a bronze sculpture and then, even more surprised to win Reserve High Point Adult for the year. Thanks, Golden Circle shows! We'll be back next year!




















Isn't this cool?!?!

















Check out this really cool garment bag!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was a blast! Cody and I celebrated the first Thanksgiving/Christmas of the year at my Aunt Cindy's. It was great to catch up with my cousins and see their growing children! Here's a pic of us at Aunt Cindy's very festive house.















Then, we went to Cody's family's Thanksgiving down in Coffey County. I didn't take any pictures there, but I'm sure his sisters have a few.


Our next Thanksgiving was at the White Buffalo Ranch. Despite the fact that were were NO deviled eggs (ahem, Grandma!), we stuffed ourselves silly. ;)

You have to raise your hand if you want to get a word in.




















Madi (Andy's girlfriend), Jim Jr., Doni D., Beckem (Madi's son), Mom, and Andy.



















Madi again, Grandma, Unca, and Dad. And Cody somehow didn't get in my Thanksgiving eating pictures, but he was there, too! ;)
















My mom and I braved Black Friday to get a Wii at Sam's. It's a ton of fun! I'm a particular fan of cow racing. Here's a pic of Grandma and Cody playing Wii.
















We really had a great time this Thanksgiving. Now, on to Christmas!

Vacation!

I left the office tonight, and will not be back until December 1! It's a great feeling.

I'm playing at the barn tomorrow, and then I have my awards banquet for the Golden Circle Horse Shows. I didn't attend that many shows, but they said I have enough points to at least win something! www.goldencircle.org

On Saturday, we're headed to New Strawn for Strawder Thanksgiving on Sunday. Then, on Sunday afternoon, Cody and I are leaving for a road trip! We have a new Garmin Nuvi to be our guide, and we have no idea where we're going, except that we're headed south. It'll be an adventure!

I'll post more about our adventure when we return!

Counter Space

I have a small kitchen. It's basically a kitchen in a hallway, so counter space is VERY limited.

So, Cody, his dad, and I found this really good deal at Lowe's...an over-the-oven stainless steel microwave for cheap! The only bad thing is that there wasn't any electric plug in over by the oven, just the BIG plug in for the oven. And, installing one of these isn't as easy as setting the microwave on the counter. The cabinet had to be moved up, and it has to attach to the cabinet, but not be too close to the stove top.

So, this weekend, with help from Ron, Ron's friend, and Cody, (okay...I wasn't even there, they did all the work...) I have a new over-the-oven, installed mircowave! It's fabulous!

And my favorite part!?! It has a "minute plus" button, so you only have to hit one button to heat up your food!

We're giving away the old microwave. And say HELLO to more counter space!!

Food

I typically think of myself as someone who will eat anything. However, there are some foods I don't like...

I don't like corned beef, sauerkraut, or Brussel sprouts. And I really don't like turkey. Or Swiss Cheese. Oh, and I my cousin, Kayla, and I had our "initiation into the family" by trying raw oysters that they eat every Christmas....we failed miserably. They are terrible.

I'm not a big fan of grape jelly. I like strawberry much better. And I don't really like mustard. And I have to be in the right mood to eat dill pickles, but I LOVE bread and butter pickles. And I do not like jalapeños peppers. They're too hot for me! I used to eat olives when I was younger, but I don't really like them any more.

I've grown to like the taste of beer, but I have to be in the mood to drink it. Otherwise, a give me a whiskey and coke with a lime and I'm happy! Or any fruity girly drinks...watermelon smirnoff or mike's hard lemonade.

I eat a lot of buffalo burger (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I love grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with apple sauce on top.

Side note: I used to have a cat named Pickles.

Life as a horse trainer

Boy 'o boy...where has all of my free time gone? To the barn, of course!

I'm giving lots of lessons, but also have two horses in training.

The first horse is Sam, who you may remember from 2002-2004. I skipped my senior prom to drive to Nebraska to buy him. He was a skittish, skinny, scary-looking two-year-old who I bought for the 4-H futurity. We did really well at shows, and I sold him in 2004. He is now a really cute, quiet, stout, loving eight-year-old. I'm going to tune him up and sell him for his owner. He hasn't done much in the last four years, but remembers a lot! He's so much fun! I really hope I find a good home for him. So, if you know of anyone looking... ;)

Here's a photo of Sam from the 2003 KS State Fair:
















The other horse I have in training is a four-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter with CURLY hair! He has the curly hair gene! He's sorrel, and his coat is even more curly than my hair! He doesn't have much of a mane or tail, though. He's owned by a lady who adopted him from a horse rescue. Right now, we're working on the basics, like saddling, moving forward when you pull on the lead rope, and not being scared of the world. He also had his first bath last weekend. It was a huge success! And now he doesn't stink! Yay! Note: it is a lot easier to give a horse its first bath when you have access to warm water!

Here is a pic of Cody holding Phoneix after his bath, and another pic with the saddle on! I'll have to take more pics of him with a real camera so you can see his curly hair!

Mailbox wars

When I was little, somebody shot the mailbox at the end of our lane. I remember it was a big deal because the mail lady cut her hand on the sharp edges.

Well, Cody and I have become victim to mailbox vandalism, too. We went to the Wade Bowen concert on Friday night, and came home to a dented mailbox. Cody pounded out most of the dents, but the door doesn't shut very well any more. I'm thankful it wasn't damaged very much and we don't have to buy a new mailbox!

The other mailbox news in Edwardsville is about our neighbors across the street. Their mailbox is on our side of the road, right in front of our house. It was your typical white mailbox when I moved in, but a couple months ago, they painted a confederate flag on it. Now, I can be pretty redneck myself, but a confederate flag mailbox?!? Are you kidding me? If it was on their side of the road, I don't think I'd mind it as much. But it's right in front of our house!

Well, it only took a couple days for that issue to be taken care of. Somebody spray painted the confederate flag mailbox gold. So now, it looks gold, with some red, white, and blue showing underneath. Classy, huh?!

My mom, the olympian!

Me and the Olympian!















My mom went to the National Senior Olympics last year and competed in racquetball. She was 7th in her age group! This year, she competed at the state level to qualify for the 2009 National Games (in San Francisco).

Good news...she qualified in both racquetball and archery for 2009! Here are a few pics from the archery competition.















Bullseye!
















The entire group of archery participants.





















My dad, the coach.






















Gold medal!



Congrats, Mom! Can't wait to cheer you on in San Fran!

Dreams

I rarely remember my dreams. When I do, it's usually a very strange dream. Over the weekend, I dreamed I started a hair cutting business with my long-lost friend from high school, Alicia. It was strange! We cut and styled hair and had a great business! It was very profitable!

When John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate, I dreamed we trekked through the Alaska wilderness hunting moose!

I wish I remembered more of them!

There are some words that I'll never know how to spell

I think I'm a pretty good speller. I like punctuation, too. I know the difference between your and you're, and there, their, and they're.

BUT, there are some words that I always misspell. One of them - recipe. Just now, when I typed it, I had to use Firefox's misspelled word red underline tool to fix it. Here's another one - definitely. Should be simple, right? I wish...

Good thing I have a degree in Animal Science...I can always become a dog walker if my communications career fails because of my spelling. ;)


Cody and I are having a "small gathering" at our house tonight, and then we're headed to the Reckless Kelly concert! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself!

Football game tomorrow, and the Theta tailgate. I'll be ready to crash by Sunday!

Check out Reckless Kelly's new song: click here

Riding Lessons!

A couple weeks ago, Cody saw an ad on Craigslist about a boarding barn in KCMO needed someone to give lessons. He told me to send an email, so I did, and low and behold, I'm now a contractor with the barn! Give me a call if you like to take a lesson! Right now, Shiloh is the main lesson horse, but more lessons horses will be available soon. And, if you use your own horse, you get a $5 discount! I'm already up to 8 students, and should have more soon!

The only bad thing is that I've given up my AQHA amateur status, by officially accepting money for giving lessons. That means I can't show in showmanship or horsemanship at AQHA shows anymore. :( If I ever wanted to again, I'd have to stop giving lessons for 5 years, and then I could regain my amateur status.

The good thing is, that by giving up my amateur status, I can now judge some horse shows! I was 5th in the world in horse judging in 2004 - now I'll be able to put those skills to good use! So, I'll be spending my weekends next summer wearing blazers in 100 degree heat, standing in a dusty arena watching little Suzy get the wrong lead at some po-dunk open horse show. Can't wait!! :)

Seriously, though...I love to judge and I love giving lessons. I think this is all going to work out!

Check out Woodson Hill's Web site: www.woodsonhill.org.

Concrete!!!

Step #1 - Make a form out of whatever leftover wood you have around. Reinforce it with braces and duct tape and lots of nails and screws.
Step #2 - Pour concrete (sorry, no pics, I was too busy helping!)
Step #3 - Wait for concrete to dry a little (or a lot!)





















Step #5 - Remove concrete form!


















Step #6 - Check out the new concrete wall!!































Step #7 - Check out the new concrete floor in the barn (because you ordered too much concrete!)
Step #8 - Thank your family (and boyfriend) for all of their help! (THANK YOU, GUYS!!!)


Stay tuned for another post about the tin on the barn!

Are you reading this?

I think the only people who read my blog are probably people from facebook, and my mom and grandma! I'd love to know who's reading this...not to be stalkerish or anything! If you're reading this, please comment and leave your name!

Thanks!



We're pouring concrete at Abigail Ranch this weekend. Yay! Now my house won't fall down! ;)

Tonight, I'm taking Shiloh to Woodson Hill Equestrian Center. www.woodsonhill.org
Check out the link! I'll write more later, but I'm going to start giving riding lessons there in the evenings. It's a great opportunity, and I'm really excited!

Tree no mo!

When I was little, there was this commercial on the radio that advertised for "Snore No More," some sort of anti-snoring drug. I'm sure it was a huge success and millions of people from around the world were able to stop annoying the innocent people who had to put up with Zzzzzzzzzzzs. ;)

Regardless of the drug's effectiveness, the commercial lives on in the White Family to this day. Everything that is "no more" is "no mo." We kind of have our own language, and I think this is one of the founding terms. So, let's practice! When it's snowing outside and you want it to stop, say, "Snow no mo!" When the Cheifs took out the Patriot's QB, you could say, "Tom Brady no mo." When Princess Diana died, my dad woke up my mom (mom was a huge fan of Lady Di!) and said "Di no mo." Get the picture?

The latest improvement at Abigail Ranch is "Tree no mo!" Cody and I (well...mostly Cody!) cut down the walnut tree in our driveway. It was an okay tree, but it needed to go. 1) It was in the way and Cody thought I was going to back a car into it one day. 2) It wasn't providing much shade or doing much good. We've expanded our driveway quite a bit, and the tree didn't fit there. 3) It kept getting lots of spider-wormy-thingys and they ate all the leaves off of it.

It looks a little strange at Abigail Ranch with "tree no mo." I'll try to get around to posting pictures soon!

Blog no mo........................'til next time!!

some more...

I'm not sure why these are so small?

Stoney LaRue!








Me on Stoney LaRue's bus!!

More pics

Me and Brady Black, Randy Rogers Band















Cody and I with Randy Rogers















Jackie and I with Willie Braun, Reckless Kelly.
















Me with Willie Braun, Reckless Kelly.















Bleu Edmondson!!

Red-dirt and I go way back...

I will never forget going to see Pat Green in concert at Longhorn's Saloon during my freshman year of college. It was before he was "big time" and he put a big oriental-style rug down on the stage and played the whole show barefoot!

I've seen some great shows: Stoney LaRue, Eli Young Band, Reckless Kelly, Micky and the Motorcars, Randy Rogers Band, Bleu Edmondson, Wade Bowen, No Justice, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Jackson Taylor, Roger Creager, and Cross Canadian Ragweed, to name a few!

Here are a few "flashback pictures."














Micky from Micky and the Motorcars















Mike Eli, Eli Young Band















Reba, Micky and I outside Randy Roger's Bus















Randy Rogers Band














Reba and I with Pat Green.

I love red-dirt music

Yep...I really do. It's a little like rock, a little like country, maybe a little blues...whatever. It's great. Cody and I went to the Eli Young Band concert on Wednesday at the Bottleneck in Lawrence. It was such a good concert! We met the band, got EYB guitar picks, and Cody got his shirt signed. They have a new album coming out...Jet Black and Jealous, and I'm obsessed with the title track. It's amazing.

Me and Mike Eli, lead singer.















Dominique, me and Brandi
















A kiss for the boyfriend!

Home on the Range

When I was little, I called the White Buffalo Ranch my Home on the Range. I sang the song to go along with it, even! I love that place. I love the mile long driveway. I love tall bluegrass that's over 8 feet tall. I love the pond. I love the big hill. I love the buffalo. I love it all, really.

Cody and I visited last weekend and had a blast. Mazda got to experience running in the really tall grass and chasing Speedy. We celebrated my dad's 53rd birthday with steak and potatoes. The highlight of the weekend was getting to spend time with my family. The lowlight was when Cody fell in the pond after trying to help my dad install the floaty dock, losing his glasses. They searched forever, trying to find them, but I'm afraid they've become decoration in the house of a big mama bass. :(

Here's a couple pictures from the weekend...

My dad opening presents. My grandma and me...think we look just a little bit alike? ;)