Good bye!

Thanks for the fun and friendship. It's been great!
sparklingsoul524@hotmail.com

I've decided that I'm not going to continue this blog. I don't feel it's the right medium for me at this point. I love the journaling and thinking that it makes me do, however, I'm not all that comfortable completely spilling my guts in public. Most of the things I've been wanting to write about are just too personal, and internet anonyminity (that's a word, right?) is pretty much non-existant. The weird thing about the blog is that I felt somehow compelled to write. Like there were so many people out there just dying to read about my life, that I had to post more often, so I wouldn't be letting them down. I'm hoping to be disciplined enough to actually write without that inspiration, but time will tell. So far, I haven't been doing very good, but I'm going to format a computer journal that is pretty and colorful, and add all the piddly stuff I see throughout the day that catches my eye or my heart, like quotes and stories and pictures, hopefully like an electronic scrapbook. And I'm hoping I can find a friend or two to share it with, like prayer-partners. Then I'll still have some of that addicting accountability and feedback, without the publicity. If anyone has any suggestions (software, formatting, etc) on how to make it work, please let me know!!

I'm officially starting riding lessons (dressage) again tomorrow, and will be riding twice a week, and hopefully will have the chance to work with my trainer's "wonder-child" that she doesn't have time for. He's a horse much like the one I put down a few years ago (identical in looks, actually) and he has amazing talent that is going to waste in the pasture. If I do start him back up, it would probably mean atleast three evenings at the barn, which is okay, since I'm excited about getting back into shape!

My own girls are doing good, and we're riding every weekend, especially since it's been nice so far this fall. Dolly has her amazingly furry winter coat, and looks like a big, black, velvet teddy bear. Very cute. Two weeks ago, I crashed her, though. We were cantering along on the road and in the transition down to the trot, she tripped and sommersaulted onto her face. Fortunately for me, it was one of those spooky slow-motion accidents, and I was able to get off and just watch it happen, and was in no way injured. Unfortunately for her, she broke her fall with her face. The browband of her bridle dug a big hunk out of her forehead, and she had little cuts and nicks from the gravel all along her face. Poor thing. I felt so bad for her; 25 year old, 1800 pound draft horse falling on her face. She's healing nicely though, and shows no evidence lingering emotional issues, for which I am very grateful.

I've been making time for old (and new) friends, which has been great. I didn't realize how much I was missing that face-to-face friendship.

My husband has informed me that he is not interested in having kids. Not now, not ever. Predictably enough, he doesn't really have a very good reason, so I'm curious to see how he feels next week/month/year. For now, though, we have officially stopped trying, although we aren't really doing anything to prevent pregnancy either. I'm leaving it in God's hands. If he wants us to be parents, then we'll be parents.

I'm also leaving the health and future of my marriage in God's hands. I've decided to "shut up and pray." I've been praying for my husband about certain issues for a while, and I'm just going to step up and expand the process. I'm also praying for the courage and patience and faith that I will need to get through it all. Please add us into your prayer requests if you're so motivated. It will be extremely appreciated.

I'll still be cruising through some of my favorites now and then. If you want to chat, feel free to email me. Otherwise, farewell, and God bless!

Thursday Thirteen # 13

On November 1, I started work at my new job. I am really excited thrilled ecstatic to be working there, and honored to have been chosen for the position so here's:

Thirteen Things I Like About My New Job

1. The pay is better. About $3 more per hour.

2. The benefits are better. Health insurance is paid 100% by the company for me.

3. The vacation is better. I accrue vacation days per pay period, and will get 8 days for the first year. Sick days accumulate at the same rate.

4. The location is better. Instead of working in the heart of a good sized city, I work in a small town.

5. The drive is better. I travel about the same distance, however it takes half as long, and instead of 11 stoplights, I only have one.

6. The schedule is better. I get off at 4:30 rather than 5:00 and the schedule is very flexible to accommodate having a life outside of work. I also have short Fridays in the summer!

7. The supervisor is better. I feel very appreciated and feel that they are excited to have me on the team. I am in close contact with my supervisor daily, and don't feel that I will be taken for granted, ignored, or underappreciated. I feel that she will address concerns fairly and promptly.

8. The company is better. They seem to truly value their employees and encourage them to grow both professionally and personally.

9. The mission is better. It's a non-profit organization rather than a for-profit business. They're more concerned about helping people than improving the bottom line.

10. The people are better. Everyone is relatively pleasant and nice. So far, I haven't really seen the dramatic soap-opera that offices generally become. There don't seem to be a lot of cliques and gossip, and I feel very welcome. The president of the company is someone that I admire immensely, and all the people there are the kind of people that I want to emulate.

11. The ambition is better. Everyone stays busy. There is little grumbling about the work, instead people seem energized and driven by the work.

12. The atmosphere is better. My office is big and has lots of wonderful storage and work space. I am privileged to have a nice big window with a view of the park across the street.

13. Everything is better! I did my second interview two days before the other candidates due to my vacation. I was the unanimous choice for the position, and they felt so confident hiring me that they cancelled the rest of the second interviews. If I could list all the things I'd want in my dream job, I'd end up with this one. How lucky can a girl get?

(If only I felt that way about my marriage. Oh, well, I guess you can't have it all.)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. ItÂ’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Bambi

Suburban Survivor

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES...

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend" bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment . He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care (weekend, evening, on a holiday or right when they're about to leave for vacation). He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

There is only one TV between them, and a remote with dead batteries.

Each father will be required to know all of the words to every stupid song that comes on TV and the name of each and every character on cartoons.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, which they will apply to themselves either while driving or making three lunches.

Each man will have to make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla and one marker; and get a 4 year old to eat a serving of peas.

Each man must adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep their nails polished and eyebrows groomed. The men must try to get through each day without snot, spit-up or barf on their clothing.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties. They must try to explain what a tampon is for when the 6-yr old boy finds it in the purse.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

He will need to read a book and then pray with the children each night without falling asleep, and then feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair each morning by 7:00. They must leave the home with no food on their face or clothes.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

They must clean up after their sick children at 2:00 a.m. and then spend the remainder of the day tending to that child and waiting on them hand and foot until they are better.

They must have a loving, age appropriate reply to, "You're not the boss of me".

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If by some strange freak of nature two men tie, the ultimate winner will be chosen when the game is played for one more week, with one small adjustment...the man also has to work a 40 hour week in addition to the previous conditions.

Signing Off

I'm losing the ambition to keep this blog going right now. The ten days of not posting while on vacation didn't help much, either. Apparently I lost my momentum.

In addition, there is a lot of stuff going on in my life lately that requires my attention.
1) I'm starting a new job on Wednesday - woo hoo! Better pay, better benefits, better location, better schedule, etc, etc. On paper, it's my dream job. We'll see how it is once I get there!
2) I'm having issues with my marriage, which is something I need to deal with. I feel like my WH doesn't really want to be married, which bothers me. However, it bothers me more that I don't even really care anymore. (Atleast not tonight.)
3) I'm rethinking the decision to try to get pregnant in light of #2.
4) There are some friends that I really want to reconnect with, and I need to make more time for that.
5) I plan on starting dressage lessons again, which will take up 2 nights a week.
6) I really need some "me time" to unwind and destress and think about things.
7) I am the kind of person who organizes their thoughts by writing, but even this relatively anonymous blog is too public for some of my thoughts. I'll be spending more time with an unpublished journal, trying to sort things out. I might publish it some day, I might not. We'll see.

I will probably not be posting very regularily for the next while, but I will be keeping up with some of my favorites. Thanks for the prayers and emails.

Search Statistics

Someone recently found my page by searching "what injections will make your butt bigger?" The sad part is that it's a legitimate question with a surgical answer. Apparently there are injections and implants available, similar to breast implants. Here I thought most women think that their butt is too big. I guess you learn something new every day. How funny.

Now We're Cruisin'

Sunday October 15, we set sail on our cruise ship, the Carnival Valor. We spent Sunday night and all day Monday just cruising.

We used the time at sea to explore the ship. The first thing we did is check out the buffet! It was so nice to get your food and sit down to eat without having to pay for it! Then you get up and leave your dishes on the table, and they are magically cleared away! If only I could do that at home!

Our stateroom was not particularily roomy, and we ended up with two twin beds pushed together to make a king, but it was clean and nice. There was lots of closet space and lots of shelves in the bathroom for stuff, so that was nice. All you really do there is sleep and change clothes, so it wasn't that bad.

Some of the fun places on our ship were:

• The One Small Step Disco - Where the walls were made of TV's and the dance floor is made up of squares of light that change color.
• The Caboose - A game room with perpetual motion spinning chairs. Once you sit in them and start spinning, you just keep going around and around and around and around and around...I don't recommend it if you tend towards motion sickness!
• The Atrium Lounge - Nine stories high, complete with piano and bar, decor done in American flags.
• The Ivanhoe Show Lounge - Very neat, looks like a stone castle. There are soldiers in full armor lining the walls, and the stage curtain is made of sequined sheilds, each with a different picture. Has a main floor and a balcony. This is where we watched all the after-dinner shows (comedians, hypnotist, Broadway-style shows, etc.) They also use it for bingo, movies, and other fun stuff.
  
• The Lindy Hop Piano Bar - This one is done with Charles Lindberg in mind. It has a plane hanging from the ceiling and tables made of propellers. In the center is a circular bar whose top looks like a piano keyboard. In the center is a revolving stage with a black baby grand. The guy who played in there knew just about everything you would ever want to request, and had costumes to compete some of the songs (Elton John, Elvis, Kermit the Frog, etc.)
• The Paris Hot Jazz Club - Done in the theme of black entertainer Josephine Baker's "Banana Dance" which she performed wearing only high heels, a skirt made of bananas, and a pearl necklace. A band played in the club nightly.
  
• The Washington Dining Room - This is where we ate dinner every night. The outside walls on the lower level (where we were) were mirrored, and the other walls were painted an unusually garish coral-pink color, and had cream colored trim. The carpeting was red with a blue and yellow pattern. The mirror frames and accent pieces were done in an ornate, gold, Baroque style. The decor was a little far out for me, but the food and service was excellent. We ate things like filet mignon, lobster, veal, prime rib, and duck, with desserts like creme brulee, chocolate melting cake, and baked alaska. the best part is that if you wanted more than one thing, you just order two, or however much you want. Mmm-Mmm good!
• We also had a sushi bar, sports bar, supper club, another show lounge, cigar bar, wine bar, and a casino.

Our ship's total passenger capacity was 2,974, and it carries a staff of 1,180. It had 13 decks and was 952 feet long. We cruised at an average of 21 knots (24.15 mph.)

Thursday Thirteen #12

Hi, I'm Amaranth, and I'm a bibliophile.

My philosophy is, "One can never have too many books!" accompanied closely by the idea that getting rid of a book is a sin.

I tend to get books from libraries and bookstores and friends with good intentions of reading them, however I have more ambition than I have time. They end up in piles around my house until I finally get to them, so here's:

Thirteen Books Laying Around My House

In the Office:

1. "Open Mind, Open Heart" by Thomas Keating

2. "Better Off" by Eric Brende

3. "Touching Evil" by Kay Hooper

4. "Grace at Low Tide" by Beth Webb Hart (started)

Stuffed Randomly into the Bookshelf:

5. "Olivia's Touch" by Peggy Stoks

6. "To Know Her by Name" by Lori Wick

7. The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis

8. "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis

9. "The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

10. "No Wonder They Call Him Savior" by Max Lucado

11. "The Lamb's Supper" by Scott Hahn (started)

On the Dining Room Table:

12. "Six Hours one Friday" by Max Lucado

13. "Angel Creek" by Linda Howard

In my Tinkerbell bag that I carry to work:

14. "We Worship" by Father Oscar Luefahr

15. "The Blue Castle" by L.M. Montgomery (my lunch hour read this week)

16. "Christian Meditation" by James Finley (started)

(I know it's more than 13, but I did leave lots of them off the list in an effort to conserve space.)

::Edit:: Since I wrote this a few days ago, I have finished "Better Off" and "Touching Evil" and highly recommend both books. "Better Off" was great and will probably be the topic of a future post once I get organized again. I have also finished "The Blue Castle", "Chill of Fear", and "Sisters Found."

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

First Stop: South Beach, Miami

We spent the first two days of vacation (Friday and Saturday) in South Beach, Miami, Florida.

Friday we got into Miami early, becuase our flight left home at 6:30 am. We spent the afternoon playing in the nice warm ocean, picking sea shells, and sitting in the tiki bar. Then we took a nap and got dressed up to go to dinner. We also went clubbing and used our free passes to Mansion - South Beach's hottest Celeb and A-List hang out. (We never did see anyone famous.) We got free passes from a bartender at our hotel, and saved ourselves the $30 cover. We stood outside in the line for a while, until someone finally recognized our VIP passes and then we got in right away. Once past the door, mixed drinks were $11, beer $8. In order to get a table, you had to buy a bottle, minimum $250, with Grey Goose topping it off at $600. That didn't include pop or mixers. Inside it looked like an old Gothic mansion, with a big curving staircase, and stone walls with fake ivy growing on them. The DJ that night was Dave Navarro, but we didn't stay long enough to see him, since the place was a little to high priced for us small town country folks. It was a fun experience, though. SoBe was like nothing I'd ever really experienced before. At home, we grumble about a $5 cover, and we go out in jeans and t-shirts. There, people dress up and walk the street to see and be seen. Everything is magnificently expensive. It wasn't unusual to see regular looking folks getting out of stretch Hummers wearing Milano Blahniks. How those girls can spend all night in those shoes is beyond me! My feet were killing me and we were only out until about 2am. South Beach is known for its nightlife, and there is plenty of that! Most of the clubs stay open until atleast 5 am. Wow! On the street, I stopped to hold an albino python, which completely freaked out B, one of the girls in our group. She was so afraid that she actually crossed the street rather than walk past the snake! I thought it was kind of neat, and it weighed more than I thought it would. It was very strong, too, and a real pretty yellow and cream color. Unfortunately we didn't bring a camera, and I wasn't about to pay the guy to take my picture. The bad thing about having a nice SLR digital camera is that it gets heavy after a while, so WH doesn't like to bring it along all the time. Note to self: Get a little point-and-shoot digital that will fit in a purse.

Saturday we spent the day shopping. We walked the 3-4 miles down the boardwalk to the shopping district, which was a lot more my style than the clubbing from the night before. It was nice to be in the sun, and check out the shops. The only thing I bought was some postcards to send home!

Home Sweet Home

I've spent the past 10 days on vacation. We spent two days in Miami before embarking on a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise. We went with two other couples, neither of whom we knew very well. Fortunately we all got along, since we had to spend an entire vacation together! It was a good time, but it sure is nice to be home. I intend to write all about it and post pictures as time allows. Unfortunately, that's not right now.


In the mean time, you can keep busy with weffriddles by clicking here. Just a warning, though, it's addictive, frustrating, and time consuming. But fun! I made it to #15 before I got stumped and quit for the day. (Hints or spoilers welcome for 15!!) Special thanks to FTN for the link. Just what we needed...as if blogging wasn't enough of an addiction!!

Thursday Thirteen #11

Tomorrow I am leaving for a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise so here's:

Thirteen Things I'm Going to Do on Vacation:

1. Take lots of pictures.

2. Go swimming with the stingrays and snorkeling in Grand Cayman.

3. Check out the different kinds of music and dancing every night.

4. Do some Christmas shopping in Roatan, Honduras.

5. Go cave tubing in Belize.

6. Dress up for dinner every evening.

7. Visit the Mayan ruins in Costa Mesa, Mexico.

8. Read and relax by the pool.

9. Participate in the costume contest. (As a 1920's flapper)

10. Get a massage.

11. Get formal pictures taken.

12. Enjoy the exciting Broadway shows every night after dinner.

13. Get a tan!

There will be a plethora of daily activities for us to partake in such as:

Shopping, Beauty Salon, Spa, Exercise Facilities, Golf, Casino, Bingo, Pools, Hot Tubs, Sauna/Steam Room, Galley/Ship Tours, Wine Tasting, Ice Carving, Dance Classes, Karaoke, Game Shows, etc., etc.

I don't think I'll be bored!

Am I packed yet? Hardly!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

1. From amaranth:
Name three people you would pick (and why) if you could choose who to be stranded on a deserted island with.
Even though this was my question, it's the toughest for me to answer. My first instinct would be my husband, my mom, and my sister. My husband is a farm-boy, and good at making things work and fixing stuff. However, he doesn't like to eat outside and he's kinda picky, so it'd be interesting to see how he gets over that. My sister is a ball of evergy, and fun to have around, although I'm sure she would be "so bored!" My mom is an excellent cook. I'd also like to bring my best friend B, who is very outdoorsy, and likes to hunt and fish and camp. She'd be a good choice. My other best friend MB has three small children, and she could use a vacation. She's always a good one for finding the fun in any situation. Can I bring 5 people?

2. From julie:
What is your favorite genre of film and what is your favorite movie from that genre?
I watch too many movies to have a favorite, and I like: drama, action, comedy, sci-fi. I don't like horror or "stupid" humor.

3. From tiffany:
Which country would you like to visit and why?
I would like to visit the Mediterranean area. I would also like to visit Portugal, for the horses.

4. From wil:
What are you driving these days? What's it's (their) good and bad points? Would you buy another one, and why or why not?
I posted about this once before. I am ready for a new car, although mine still runs just fine. I would buy another Grand Am, but I think I'll upgrade to the Grand Prix next time.

5. From cindy swanson:
"Lost," "24," or both?
LOST. I've never seen 24. I am, however, kind of disappointed with LOST lately, so we'll see how it goes this season.

6. From lady starlight:
You've been very good this year. What should Santa bring you for Christmas? (the sky is the limit)
The 200 acres of paradise conveniently situated across the road from my mama. (Complete with dream house and barn.)

Things That Make You Go, "DAMN THAT HURTS!"

Tonight I fulfilled #11 from this post. Well, sort of. I didn't go for the whole thing, but the parts I had done were enough. It didn't hurt as much as it could have, but it wasn't pleasant. We leave for a Caribbean cruise next Friday, and if I'm going to spend nine days in a bikini... I haven't yet decided if I'll do it again, but atleast I can day that I've done it once!

Views

Apparently I have a thing for sunsets.

September 27, 2006

October 4, 2006

Shay's Story

My husband just forwarded me this story in an e-mail, and it is definately something I have to post.


At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the student's delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped, comes into the world an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself and it comes in the way other people treat that child. Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and put on a team shirt with a broad smile. His Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow grounder right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

Thursday Thirteen # 10

Yesterday, I needed a dose of retail therapy after my usually wonderful husband upset me, and the garden center was having a sale, so here's:

Thirteen Plants I Bought:

1. Hemerocallis - Happy Returns (yellow daylily)

2. Hemerocallis - Purple d'Oro (purple/red daylily)

3. Pink Mist Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)

4. Butterfly Blue Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)

5. 'Franz Schubert' Phlox (lavendar)

6. 'David' Phlox (white)

7. 'Magenta' Phlox (dark pink)

8. Echinacea Purpurea (purple coneflower)

9. 'Burgundy' Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)

10. Purple Dwarf Aster (bright purple)

I only bought 10 new plants, but this weekend I will be dividing:

11. Hostas

12. Mums (Pink, Dark Pink, Yellow)

13. Tall English Asters (Bright Pink)

Hopefully I'll be able to find room for all of these...I intend to dig a new bed along the house somewhere...

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

1. From amanda f:
What do you do when somebody complements you?
a. Smile and say thanks
b. Ignore it and change the subject
c. Complement them back
d. Turn red in embarrasment at the attention and look around to see other people's reaction
e. Take it as your due!

Usually a. Smile and say thanks.

2. From shelly:
What color are your eyes?

Dark brown

3. From kia:
What do you like most about yourself?

This was the topic of a Thursday 13 here.

4. From julie:
How do you spend Christmas?

Christmas eve we go to my mother-in-law's house where we spend the evening in tortured small talk until "Santa" comes. The same Santa has been visiting since my husband was still in footie pajamas. Then we endure 9 people taking the same pictures of every family on Santa's lap, and a frenzied mob of kids opening so many presents, they forget what they got. We also draw names and exchange wonderfully tasteless gifts that you will never use among the siblings, which is always so much fun. All of this is topped off with bland sugar cookies, because no gathering is complete without sweets. Then we go to midnight mass.

Christmas day, we get together with my family either at our house of my mom's. We open gifts in the morning, and cook a turkey dinner complete with all the fixins (becuase turkey is my favorite) for dinner in the afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is usually spent cleaning up after dinner with the men snoozing in front of the TV. Sometimes we watch a movie in the afternoon.

I much prefer our Christmas day festivities with my family, but probably just becuase it's what I'm used to. The Christmas Eve festivities always leave me feeling so drained, because it's too much noise and confusion. I don't like seeing all the greedy, unappreciative kids, either. Should we have children of our own, the way we celebrate Christmas will change quite a bit. Until then, I suffer through the chaos!

5. From wide imagination:
When do you normally blog? Day or night?

During the day, at work. (shhh!)

6. From rach:
What song can you relate to your personal life? Share a line or two of that song.

I don't have one, but I think that a theme song is a really fun idea!

7. From sherle:
What is your favorite color for a sleeping environment?

I want to do my bedroom in browns, but it currently has white walls and beige carpet. The bedspread changes, but when company comes it's usually a red and yellow quilt with matching pillows that my mother-in-law made. On normal days, it's one of the quilts that I've made for myself.


Monday Madness

Chinook

I was thinking about my favorite horse today, so he's the topic of this post.

Chinook
1989-2003

I have had my own horses since I was 10, and have made my way through many different riding disciplines over the years. However, I left them all behind when I found a true love in dressage at 21.

dres·sage (druh-sahzh) n.

The guiding of a horse through a series of complex maneuvers by slight movements of the rider's hands, legs, and weight.

Dressage tests the horse’s physique and ability, and the horse and the rider’s understanding of each other. It suits the obsessive-compulsive, anal, perfectionist side of my personality to a tee. I love the history involved, and the ideals of the sport. I enjoy competing, something I'd never experienced in the politics of other disciplines. I love the personal challenge involved in dressage, and the systematic and thorough training of both horse and rider.

I started riding dressage in the spring of 2001, and bought an upper level prospect through my trainer a year later. He was a 17.2hh, 12 year old gray TB/Holsteiner gelding named Chinook who had been a notable jumper in a previous life. We did really well together until the winter of 2002, when he started having various lameness issues, seemingly related to his back. He took the winter mostly off, and as spring 2003 rolled around, we started him up again. Again he had lameness issues emanating from his back. After unproductive sessions with a chiropractor, we took him to a large clinic to be evaluated. He was immediately diagnosed neurological, a dreadful diagnosis meaning that there was something wrong with his nervous system and spinal column. So we proceeded to test for all known neurological diseases. We did blood tests, spinal taps, radiographs, and x-rays. We were incredibly surprised when all tests came back negative. His condition progressed from mild lameness to things much worse. He eventually lost most of his hind limb control, along with his balance and his bladder function. After a while, he preferred to stand in his stall leaning against the wall. He staggered when he walked, and one had to be extremely careful of the possibility of him falling. He had also shrank two inches as his muscles atrophied. Afraid of one of the working students getting hurt, we kept his stall door padlocked, so that he would only be handled by either my trainer or myself. Through it all, he had surprisingly few mental effects, and never lost his "spark," even as his condition worsened. That just made it more heartbreaking, to see this seemingly normal horse whose body would not cooperate.

As we continued to run tests and get negative results, we started to lose hope that we would ever know what the issue was in time to treat it. I watched him failing more by the day, and made the decision in the summer of 2003 to have him euthanized. It was a difficult decision, but was ultimately necessary, as he had become a danger to himself and those around him due to his severe balance impairments. We could no longer take the risk that he would fall on someone, and didn't feel right keeping him in his padlocked stall 23 hours a day. He was loaded into the trailer and tranquilized. Once he was laying in the trailer, he was put to sleep. We hauled him to the university for a necropsy. After examining his corpse, they told us that, without a doubt, he had a severe case equine protozoal myeloencephalitis or EPM. It was one of the worst cases they had ever seen, with large holes having been eaten into his spinal column in multiple places, and live larvae discovered throughout his body. They also concluded from the extent of the damage, thathe had contracted the disease well before I bought him, and were surprised that he had even been alive and still walking (wobbling) at the end and not paralyzed.

EPM is a debilitating disease caused by a protozoal parasite that is carried by opossums. The parasites attacks the brain and spinal cord, causing severe damage to the central nervous system. Some horses will host the parasites for years before showing symptoms (if ever.) It is treatable, however, at considerable expense and with questionable chances of recovery.

The diagnosis was the cause of many flashing lightbulbs as my trainer and I looked back on the short time I had owned him. All of a sudden, many of the quirks and habits he had developed made sense. For instance: He had become hard to shoe, fighting the farrier to the point that our farrier once had to tranquilize him and lay him down to finish a set of shoes. We thought he was being naughty. As we looked at the behavior in light of his diagnosis, we realized that he was not being naughty, he was simply unable to stand on three legs for the extended periods of time required to reset his shoes. He didn't have the muscle control or the balance needed to cooperate. The intermittant lameness and occasional stiffness and weakness was also explained, along with the occasional head-tilting I'd struggled with while riding.

While we were having these "Aha!" moments, recollections of his performance came to mind, adding to the regret and disappointment. While afflicted with a serious neurological disease, we were scoring consistantly in the low-mid 70's at the lower levels. (That's extremely good.) He was progressing up the levels with ease, and taking to his new dressage career like he had been born to it. He was a sure bet for upper level work, and looked at to be a serious competitor when the time came. I still feel a strange sense of loss and grief when I think of what he might have been.

The worst part about putting Chinook down was the knowledge that if ever a horse could be a person's soul-mate, he was mine. (Don't tell my husband!) He was my perfect match. He had an unusual sensitivity, and was extremely accurate at ferreting out my moods, even when I tried to hide them. He wouldn't have anything to do with me if I was upset in any way and was trying to hide it. He couldn't stand people who were sending mixed signals, acting one way on the outside and feeling another on the inside. He didn't mind it if you were mad, or sad, or whatever, as long as you kept that integrity between the outside and the inside intact. Horses aren't capable of such maneuvering, and I suppose it confused him. He liked to know what to expect from a person. As long as he understood what you wanted, he tried his best to comply. He was comical and somewhat juvenile at times, but a serious, dedicated, honest worker when he needed to be. He had the "presence" that champions are made of...that inexplainable spark that makes them somehow better than the rest.

He was an incredible athlete, with an incredible spirit. He taught me just as much or more about myself than he did about dressage, and I will always miss him.

Garden Pics

Thursday Thirteen # 8

My sister-in-law's new home is just days away from completion, and it's breathtaking. It has inspired this week's T13:

Thirteen Things about my Dream House

1. It will have many flower gardens, and a vegetable garden.

2. It will have a large front porch, complete with hammock, rocking chair, and cats dozing in the sun.

3. It will have an oversized, unique front door, possibly a double door or one with a big arched transom or other interesting details.

4. It will have lots of big windows, especially on the west and south sides.

5. The interior will be painted in warm, bold, earthy colors like brown, tan, green, rust, etc.

6. It will have a hot tub on the back deck.

7. It will have a nice office/library whose walls will be lined with built-in bookcases.

8. It will have a large pantry off the kitchen.

9. The master bedroom will have a lovely four-poster bed, and master bath will have a sunken Jacuzzi tub.

10. There will be a quiet, serene, lovely meditation spot somewhere inside (possibly in the sunroom) and places throughout the garden to "sit a spell."

11. It will have 9'+ and vaulted ceilings.

12. The driveway will be lined with maple trees on both sides.

13. On a wall or above a door somewhere will be written, "There's no place like home."

*BONUS: It will be located on our farm, which will also contain my dream barn...but that's a topic for another post!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Apples 2006

My mother has several apple trees at her house. The horses find this to be a wonderful perk of living there. They especially enjoy leaning over the fence to pick them right off the tree. All of the culls go in the basement in boxes for them to enjoy over the winter.

We've harvested most of the "crisp, tart, whites" (we don't know what variety they are, so we made up a name) and I have about 200 smallish apples to peel and do something with. If you have any good recipes, please let me know. In the next two weeks or so, we should have another tree or two ready to go, and another 200-300 apples to use.

Tonight I made two caramel apple pies. Tomorrow I might make...

apple pie

apple cake

apple strudel

apple bread

apple muffins

apple sauce

apple juice

apple squares

apple tarts

apple brown betty

apple crisp

apple syrup

apple jelly

apple leather

apple spice

apple pudding

apple scones

apple dumplings

Centering Prayer

Last night I went to the first of four sessions that I signed up for on Centering Prayer. They are being taught at a Benedictine monastery near my home. I was very impressed. The sister who is teaching the sessions is very knowledgable and interesting. We had about an hour of classroom lecture, then we went to the prayer room to practice our Centering Prayer.

Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. says this about Centering Prayer:

Centering Prayer is a method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer. It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God’s presence and action within. It furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God’s presence.

Centering Prayer facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer — verbal, mental or affective prayer — into a receptive prayer of resting in God. It emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God. At the same time, it is a discipline to foster and serve this relationship by a regular, daily practice of prayer. It is Trinitarian in its source, Christ-centered in its focus, and ecclesial in its effects; that is, it builds communities of faith.

Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, Lectio Divina, (praying the scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila.. It was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at the Trappist Abbey, St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.

The guidelines that you are to follow in Centering Prayer are:

-Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.

-Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within.

-When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

-At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

During the twenty minutes of prayer, I had some interesting experiences.

-My body got very heavy, to the point where I felt as through someone were pushing down on me. I could hardly lift my head or my hands.

-My eyes stayed shut of their own accord, I was not tempted to open them and look around and am not sure I would have been able to.

-I had a curious sense of pains in my body. I tend to hold tension and stress in my shoulders and as I sat there I felt some sharp pains in my shoulders, that had not been there previously, and they gradually melted away. I also felt some vague aches in my hips and legs sharpen and gradually fade, and they have not returned. I'm certain that this was caused by the relaxation and tension leaving my body.

-Time passed in a blink, the twenty minutes was too quickly over. I did not have many intrusive thoughts, and found it easier than I thought it would be to return to my word.

-I had a hard time "coming to" after the prayer session was over. I didn't want to open my eyes and get out of my chair. It was such a quiet, peaceful experience, I didn't want it to end.

Like any form of meditation, it helps a person to relieve stress and let go of concerns. It brings you out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life and into a quiet place where you can rest in God. It's like clearing a place in your heart for God to stay, and then stopping for twenty minutes a day to visit him there.

I have the feeling that I will have a hard time incorporating this into my life, but I think that it's worth trying. The goal is to do 20 minutes or more twice a day, but I think I'll start with 15 minutes once a day, and see how that goes.

Read more about Centering Prayer here and here and here.

1. From jstar: Holiday in Europe or Asia?
How about a Mediterranean cruise? Either that or a dressage riding vacation in Portugal.

2. From sherle: How do you try to change a behavior pattern you don't like about yourself... whether it's chewing fingernails, overeating, smoking, or picking your nose?
Usually my husband nags me until I quit. He has cured me of many things, like scraping my teeth on my fork, leaving the lights on, etc. I don't have a lot of self discipline when it comes to things like that. If I am trying to change something though, it helps me if I write down my goal and put it somewhere where I will see it. It also helps to have a buddy to help you stick to it and hold you accountable.

3. From tricia: Have you ever successfully completed a Sudoku puzzle?
Nope. Never even started one! Numbers are not my thing.

4. From caylynn: What website do you visit the most often?
MSN.com, because it's my homepage. After that, probably Hotmail and Blogger!

5. From michael morgan: What was your favorite thing about high school or college
There aren't many things I liked about high school, but some of the teachers made it worth while. For college, I would have to say that just doing it was my favorite thing. After high school, I waited 7 years to go back, so it was fun to just finally be able to go!

Monday Madness

Wagon Rides - Always a Big Hit

This weekend we did wagon rides at the grand opening of my friend's new dressage barn. It was a fun time. The weather was cold and drizzly and dreary all day, but that didn't slow us down! We would just get the people off the wagon and more were climbing on!

About 300 people showed up for the event, and we did rides for about 5 hours. The girls were very good, and very popular! They tolerated lots of pictures and petting. It's kind of fun to be "those people with the awesome draft horses."

We also did some trail riding while we were there, which was fun. We even got a decent canter out of both of them out on the trail, which is no small feat. They are not allowed to canter in harness, so they aren't very good at it. Combine that with the fact that they aren't always very motivated, and it makes getting a canter out of them at all a difficult task, much less a nice one.

Jill got her back adjusted by their equine chiropractor, and she was mis-aligned in the lower back. After he adjustment, the problem with her hip catching went away, for which I am grateful. Unfortunately, he didn't have any suggestions for her itching!

It was a long, busy weekend, and I'm happy to be back at work so I can relax!

Of Gnomes And Army Men...

thi
The story about the roaming gnome made me laugh. We have a roaming army man at my mom's house. My mom has this little green army man that sits on the window sill above her sink. Well, he actually lays with his gun propped up on a rock, becuase he's a "prone sniper." She found him in the kitchen when she moved into the house a year or so ago, and he's been there ever since. My husband, my sister, and I find great joy in hiding it from her in unlikely places. The only rule is that he can't leave the kitchen on his "missions." Occasionally he has friends that come and visit, like the bottom half of another army man we found in the horse pasture, and a little lego man we found in a parking lot. I think tonight I'm going to put him in the milk jug. (After washing him, of course!) What fun!

Guess what my mom is getting in her Christmas stocking this year!!!

As I was looking for a picture of an army man, I found this website that has everything about army men that you'd ever want to know. It's almost scary, in a way!

Thursday Thirteen # 7

Sunday, September 17 was our second wedding anniversary so here's:

Thirteen Things about Our Wedding Day

1. I loved my dress, which was very sparkly.

2. WH was very handsome in black tails.

3. We drove away from the ceremony in a semi truck.

4. We had three flower girls.

5. Everything was swans: invites, programs, centerpieces, cake toppers, etc. (because swans mate for life)

6. I stressed out WAY too much about all the details.

7. The weather was perfect.

8. Our first dance song was "Can I Have This Dance" by Anne Murray.

9. Our priest was Irish, complete with accent. Very fun.

10. The bridesmaids wore plum dresses.

11. I had a slumber party with the bridesmaids the night before.

12. I finally got to say "I do" after six and a half long years of waiting.

13. The best part is I still do.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

MetroNaps - Welcome to the future of workforce productivity.

MetroNaps provides America with mid-day rest facilities: a clean, comfortable place to take a nap. MetroNaps was born from the realization that many employees spend significant amounts of their day dozing at their desk or catching powernaps in odd places. We seek to be the premier provider of professional nap centers in the United States.

Read more here and here.

I showed it to one of our "employee representatives" and suggested she request a pod for us at the next committee meeting. I think it's a wonderful idea! I love it!