Denise

A Year In Reflection

2010-12-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? I have not posted on this thing forever! I find myself sitting alone this Christmas Eve taking time to reflect on my life. This evening I drove myself to the cemetery to wish my Dad Merry Christmas. I like to go and sit at his graveside and sing songs to him. Tonight it was my new favorite song, Innocent, by Taylor Swift.

After the cemetery I stopped at the Smith's in Farmington. I spent countless hours there as a child. Every Saturday Brooke Jensen, Steph and I would ride our bikes or walk to Burger King for lunch and then go to the Smith's and shop for makeup and candy. I found myself strolling up and down the isles looking for familiar faces and searching for memories.

My truck continued to drive down memory lane. I drove the same streets I drove for 15 years of my life. Up the hill I went to that beautiful brown brick house at 983 North Oakridge Drive. I drove slowly up the hill and took each and every house in. Each home bringing a different memory to my brain. As I came to the top of the hill and saw my home my heart felt like it missed a beat. I pulled to the curb across the street from the home that I built countless memories in. When I came to a stop a middle aged man in his pajamas emerged from the house and flipped a switch on the porch lighting up some kind of holiday arrangement. I was so jealous of him. I longed to go to the door and just ask for one look around. Through the glass I could see company sitting down by a well lit Christmas Tree. A large Confederate Flag hung from the banister of the loft in the front room. Several times I nearly drove my car in to the driveway wanting to knock on the door. In the end I drove slowly through the neighborhood that I remember as a child. I wondered if the same people still lived in all those houses. My heart broke as I passed our next door neighbors home and thought of how their lives had changed. A broken marriage several years before and now a son who took his own life after serving our Country for many years. I remembered a time when there were no houses at the end of our street. I remember watching those houses go up and fill the area. And I remember one of the last walks I took with my father as a young girl through the new part of the neighborhood. I remember him telling me more or less that the world was mine and I could do and be anything I wanted to be.

I had so many hard times in that home, but all I can think of are the good times. I am saddened that I will never create more memories in that home. The house on 983 Oakridge will be a part of me for the rest of my life. I must go forward now and create new memories in a new time and place.

Tonight I am missing my family and wishing All a Merry Christmas!

All That Jazz

2009-12-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Our 2009 UHJA Horse of the Year. Owned and ridden by Megan Spencer. Trained by Denise Tilley.

2009 UHJA Banquet

2009-11-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

Me doing what I do best
Cassie, Jessica, Amy and Cali
Greg and Sherri
Bob taking a picture of me taking a picture and Mary.
Cody, Amy, Tori, Megan , Denise, Brian and Butch. And Butch put himself there we did not ask him to be in the picture lol.
Amy, Tori, Megan, Denise and Butch's rear end.

Last night was our annual UHJA Awards banquet. It is so fun to get to dress up and enjoy a night with everyone and share our accomplishments.

It was held downtown at the Hilton. The awards ended at about nine thirty and then it was dancing until midnight. We got a couple rooms there and a few of us spent the night.

I am so proud of my team and all their hard work. I can not wait for next year!

2009 Horse of the Year - All That Jazz with Megan Spencer and Denise Tilley
2009 Pre Green Hunter Reserve Champion - All That Jazz with Megan Spencer and Denise Tilley
2009 Open Working Hunter Champion - All That Jazz with Megan Spencer and Denise Tilley
2009 Long Stirrup Hunter 4th Place - All That Jazz with Megan Spencer
2009 Large Pony Hunter Champion - Showtime with Tori Hansen
2009 Pony Equitation Champion - Tori Hansen
2009 Pony Equitation Medal 3rd Place - Tori Hansen
2009 Medium Stirrup Hunter Reserve Champion - My Black Knight with Laura Hartle owner Denise Tilley
2009 Medium Stirrup Equitation Reserve Champion - Elynne Gaffney
2009 Medium Stirrup Equitation 3rd Place - Laura Hartle
2009 Novice Jumper 3rd Place - Showtime with Tori Hansen
2009 Novice Jumper 4th Place - Second In Command with Jessica Caton

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

Goat jumps!

2009-11-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

So I haven't figured out how to put youtube videos on here yet. So go to this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb9CsB7i_5Y&feature=sub. Cindy is jumping and is freaking hilarious!!!!

Keepsake

2009-11-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Ok go to youtube.com/user/gratexpectations and check out the two new videos on my favorites list of me and Keepsake. It is the $1000 Derby and the $1500 Jumper Classic. That mare is freaking amazing. I love her!!!

Animal horror!

2009-10-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

This is Anne's puppy that we are watching. Unfortunately, her sister's baby passed away so she had to go to California for a few days.

This is the new family portrait.

This is the girls looking hot for a night out on the town.

This is me looking smoking hot and my boyfriend :)

And then..... today did not go so well. The goat was kicked in the head by one of Patty's belligerent horses. I thought she was okay originally. I thought she was kicked in the side, but then Marge informed me it was right in the head. Slowly her eye started to swell up.

Then....she started getting more and more listless. And then the nose started to bleed. So now I am sure that her brain is swelling and she is dying. It took me at least an hour to locate a vet that did goats. We made our way to Ogden with the goat on my lap in the front seat. I swore she was going to die in my arms. She was breathing weird and coughing and snorting weird.

No this is not a death picture of her empty house. She survived! The doc said she was very lucky not to have fractured her skull. It did break some blood vessels and cartilage in her nose which is why the nose was bleeding. Her eye will be ok it will not be lost. She had a hell of a concussion.
The vet gave her pain meds and antibiotics and then informed me she had lice LOL. So we were treated for lice.
Then the dog. Look closely and you can see the gash on his leg. I noticed a lump on his leg a while back and finally took him in yesterday to get checked out. Erik wanted to remove it today so he went in first thing.
It was not a fatty tumor so the fluid and the flesh will be sent in for a biopsy. I think it will be fine. It has not grown and it was just on the surface of his skin. But we will know for sure in a few days.

To top the day off we had a regular vet check for all the horses at the barn to have shots and worming. If I total the days vet costs I am in the five hundreds LOL. Could have been a lot worse and thank God for Erik giving the half off family discount.

Cindy Lou Kingston

2009-08-17T19:57:00.001-07:00

Cindy Lou Kingston is the newest addition to the Hugoe/Tilley household. Sean wanted a goat for the garden and JoLyn and I wanted a pet. We went to the fair and picked a beautiful runt pygmy goat out but the dude wanted 300 dollars. Brian said we could get it but we waited until the next morning. While we were at the barn I asked Jeremy Kingston, our stall cleaner, if they had goats. They did so we went over to the Kingston compound and picked one out.

This is Cindy Lou. She kept her last name cause we liked it better than ours with her name LOL. She has been so good. She doesn't like to stay in the garden, she escapes, but she is secure in the backyard. She rides in the truck good and spent today at the barn. She was so mellow! Just followed me around all day and slept under the picnic table. Never wandered off or anything! She is very precious. She is a Lamancha goat and as you can see she has very small ears :)

She i so beauty. She got a bath and a brand new collar with her own name tag.

She doesn't like it in here! But apparently she found a way out so she doesn't have to be in there anymore.

Colorado

2009-07-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a week since we got back from a horse show in Parker, CO. I took Megan and Tori and their horses Jade and Jazz. It was an awesome week. There were amazing horses and riders there. Our horses managed to place in several classes with 20-30 horses in them! But above everything else we just had a great time.

Brian and his son came for the weekend while we were there and Tori's parents were there so we had good company. Of course I brought my camera but forgot the battery. Here are a few pictures I took from my phone and video. Megan will be making a youtube video of the weekend and I will post that when she finishes.

My dog was the highlight of our trip. We decided we will have really made it if we ever have a horse as well trained and as beautiful as the dog! His show name is now Beaverwood's Hillcrest. And he is a very fancy jumper. Just take a look! You will also see that he has a monkey on his back that rides him.

These are the kind of setups that the barns put up for the weeks that they are at these horse shows. Very fancy and very expensive.

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well first and foremost Happy Father's Day to my Dad all all the men who had a hand in raising me. I just want to give a shout out to Nate for being a great dad to his girls and me :) And I want to give Richard an honerable mention for being the step dad to all five of us hoodlums. I miss my dad a lot today.

This is me and Jo with my friend Anne last night. We had a little girls night out....well Sean and a friend tagged along.

This is my dingo in our pond out back of our house. JoLyn brought some fish and frogs over that Colton caught and butch is fishing for them.......

Erie Vacation

2009-06-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Angie summed the Erie trip up fabulous for me, but I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures from the trip. We had such a good time and it was so good to see the Barnes Family and their new home! Thanks to Brian and the Barnesesesses family for making my weekend perfect :)

The Maid of the Mist and beautiful Niagra Falls

Brian, Me, Lex and Liv on the Erie Lake trail.

Me, Liv, And and Lex at Erie Beach

Me, Brian, Nate and Ang at a Pizzs joint enjoying a drink.

Me and Ang at Niagra Falls

Brian, Me, Nate and Ang at Niagra Falls

Ang and Nate at Niagra Falls

Me and Brian at Niagra Falls

Finally a blog!

2009-05-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time for a little update. I have been waiting to get some better pictures of my new trailer, but I never have so I just decided to post what I have.

Show season is keeping me very busy. Today was my first day off in about 5 weeks. I get to go to Erie next weekend which I am sooo excited for and then I have one more week off before I don't get another one probably the rest of the summer. I am leaving Friday for Erie and Brian is picking me up in Cleveland and we are going to the Barnez family's house.

I have decided not to keep my horse Chili. She is a little too fast for my liking. She is so fast I can't win the jump offs because I can't do the tighter turns. Strange, but slow is fast sometimes when it comes to jump offs. You have to be able to turn on a dime and get to your next fence. I am usually being taken off with and making an arena tour. My horse Missy is on trial at another hunter/jumper barn here in Salt Lake. I guess the people really like her, but we are waiting on a clean bill of health from the vet.

JoLyn says hello ha ha! She and I did a little shopping today and made a stop at the cemetery. I am trying to get her to take Brian's ticket to go to Erie since he is driving. Cross your fingers that someone will work for her.

The Dingo is doing really great. He is enjoying the warm weather. He spends a lot of time cooling off in the canal at the barn.

This is a not very good picture of the new trailer. You are looking at just the living quarters on it.

Butch has found a new spot now that the weather is warm. He digs to cool dirt and relaxes in the shade.

This is the dingo's new toy. We believe he goes into the canal and plays with the Loch Ness Monster and so we got him a baby Nessi

This is me and Chili in the Training Jumper class.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom. I have 2.5 hours until midnight and then it won't be Mother's Day, but better late than never right?

I just wanted to share one of my favorite past times with my mom. My mom used to come to every riding lesson I ever had. She never wanted to ride my horse, but she would come and help brush Ben and watch me. She never missed a horse show and she was the best 'show mom' around. She painted my horses feet before I went into the arena and made sure my boots were shiney. I remember going to Lake Powell and my mom even went to the barn to look after Ben and soak his feet when he was sore.

I just wanted to say thank you mom for everything you have done for me and continue to do. I hope you know you are loved and appreciated. I hope your day was as special as you are.

Wedding

2009-04-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures that I thought were fun to post.

Deep in conversation.

The lovely Thompson Family.

Me and Brian

Me and my lovely sisters and little Ava snuck in.

You can hurt me later for this :)

I got lucky and caught this on camera.

The Tilley, Thompson, Barnes, Johnson, Mcelhaney Family.

The Early Show

2009-04-20T19:13:00.001-07:00

The Early Show was a complete success. The first day I rode Jazzy for Megan and won two out of three classes with a fifth in the third. Tori rode Jade and got two firsts and three seconds. The second day I rode Jeremy for Elynne and won three of three classes. Jazzy didn't have quite as good of a day and was third in one class. Tori rode again and got one first and two seconds. Saturday Holly rode Bingley. It was her first show and she took a first, second, and two thirds!!! Megan rode Jazzy for her first time in the three foot division and placed fourth and fifth against some of the best horses in our organization. Elynne rode Jeremey and he started out a little tough but she came out with two seconds. Laura rode Jake for her first show ever and ended up Reserve Champion! Tori also earned Reserve Champion. I couldn't have asked for a better show. And of course my team is so amazing. They all pitch in and support each other. It makes my life so easy :)

Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Its Saturday night baby! JoLyn is childless for the weekend, Brian is in town and it sounds like a great night to go hit the town. The three of us and some friends headed up to the Outlaw in Ogden to do some drinking and dancing. JoLyn was slightly worried about the venue, but she soon realized country music is only played until about 11:30 and then it goes to dance music. It was all request night anyways, so there was plenty of 80's music and what not. I did manage to get JoLyn into a pair of boots though! And she looked adorable by the way. We had an excellent time. I ran into a lot of people I knew and we just got to enjoy good company and have a great night.

I have the cutest, nicest boyfriend on earth. How lucky am I?

JoLyn stayed the night since we were in no condition to drive. So Easter morning we woke up and went to breakfast and then came home and slept until 2:00. Then we got a wild hair to go jump on the tramp......the rest is sort of history lol. I tried to get more on camera but the battery was dead.

Jo headed home and Brian and I went to the Gateway only to discover that apparently they are shut down on Easter. We did find a restaurant and got to have dinner before I took him to the airport. So now I am back to work for the week just me and the dingo.

Zephyr Horse Show

2009-04-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome shot of Lauren and Chili

Lauren and Chili jumping 3'3"

Lauren and Chili jumping 3'

Me and Choices jumping 2'9"

Me and Choices jumping 3'

Amy and Poco jumping 2'3"

Well we made it through the first horse show. It happened to be thirty something degrees outside and snowing all day, but the show was inside. We got there at 7:30 AM and did not leave until 8:30 PM!! Long day to say the least.

Amy took her horse Poco and did divisions up to three foot. She is riding so well and I was so proud of her. She had a rail down in her important division which was unfortunate, but did place in other classes.

Lauren rode Chili in divisions up to 3'6". She also rode very well. The poor girl had to do a flat phase for the medal she rides in. This is where you don't jump you just to stuff without jumping and Chili is sooo strong! She did so good. The object is to look pretty while you perform tests and Chili is so hard. I was quite amazed how well she did ha ha!

I rode a few of Patty's horses. One that I was just schooling and not showing and the other I showed. She was a little nervous and knocked rails down in all her classes. She was a little distracted at the jumps and not lifting her legs up all the way. I also rode Chili up to 3'9". I had planned on doing the 4' division also, but it was late and we were tired. She did really good minus stopping at one fence in each round....grrrr! This is a little problem she has. She has all the power and speed in the world, but randomly decides not to jump. Often I blame myself for this, but I was on high alert and riding my guts out. I watched my videos and she has no excuses!!

All in all it was a good first show. We got our jitters out and all ended up placing. Our first Hunter show is in two weeks and I may take the girls to a fun show on Saturday for practice.

Update

2009-03-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be time for a little update. I haven't done it because I have no pictures, but I decided you will be S.O.L. and just get the update anyways.

Brian was in town for about a week a week ago. It was lots of fun. I couldn't take time off work so it was just bring your boyfriend to work week. He was so helpful and everyone just loved him. He got to meet some of my friends and some of my not friends lol. JoLyn came and hung out with us quite a bit on the weekend and such. We had a little barbecue at JoLyn's house and Jen came over and got to meet him as well. We got to make some awesome smores with Reese's peanut butter cups....yum.

This weekend he got to come back, because he was driving from Louisiana to Washington for a job. He stayed Saturday night and left this morning. Sunday we went to the mall with JoLyn and Steph and her Brian met up with us. We didn't get to hang out with them for long, but they atleast got to meet him.

So I have been lucky to get to see a lot of him lately. He is working in Washington now and I guess doesn't have to work weekends so he said he would fly down soon. Other than that I have just been working and preparing for our first show which is Saturday. I will be taking a few students and also riding Chili and a few of Patty's horses. It is a jumper show so it is just one day. Jumpers are the classes that are timed. They usually just last one day and the Hunter shows, which are judged, last 4-5 days. I will definitely take photos this weekend and get everyone filled in on how it goes.

Nashville

2009-03-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just returned home from a great trip in Nashville. I got into Knoxville about 10:30 on Friday and we drove 3 hours to Nashville. There was a one hour time difference so we got to go out at about 12:30 and hit the bars. We walked into the Cadillac Ranch with no cover charge and it just so happened Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were singing! I was like 5 feet from them! Miranda Lambert was in a baseball cap just looking like a normal person. It was so cool I love them!

The next day we walked through downtown Nashville and went into all the shops and things. We also went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. That night we tried to get tickets to the Grand Ole Opery but they were sold out. So we went on a three hour boat ride on the Cumberland River. They served us a great dinner and had entertainment. The table we sat at had a great group of people. The one gentleman was George Jones and Tammy Wynette's guitar player! His wife was there and his two friends. One who makes guitars and the other's father invented that machine that munches the totaled cars into nothing. The other couple was a really nice couple from Kentucky. We had a great time.

Sunday we drove back to Knoxville and just hung out. And I flew back today. My travel day was somewhat hectic. I had two connections both that I had to run through the airport to catch. The final one to Salt Lake had to kick six people off because we were over the weight limit due to the fact we had to carry extra fuel in case Salt Lake's weather was too bad to land. That was comforting! I made it home safely and had a wonderful time!

This is me in the Wild Horse Saloon.

Me and Brian on the General Jackson boat ride.

Getting ready to board the General Jackson.

This is Elvis' 24kt gold plated limo.

Me and Brian with Elvis

What is going on?

2009-02-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

I figured it was time for a little update. For starters, my grey horse is completely fine. They can't find a thing wrong with her after I pretty much pronounced her dead ha ha!! The blood work was completely normal. He ultra sounded to see if there were tumors on her ovaries, nothing. We did find some arthritic changes in her stifles so I went ahead and injected them. This explains the soreness she was having back there. I am gonna ride her for 1-2 months and try to sell her cheap. If I can't my vet offered his pasture for her to go chill in until I need her.

I made my first sell on ebay today! I couldn't believe how easy it was. I sold an old english saddle that I was doing nothing with. It cost me $2.66 to list it. I put a starting bid and a buy it now price and someone bought it in the first hour!! So I am kind of excited and might make a habit out of it.

Next weekend I will be headed to Knoxville, TN to visit a friend. And don't get mad Angela, I would have come to see you first, but I didn't pay for this ticket ha ha! So I will be leaving Friday and returning Monday. I am excited since I have never been there before. I think we are going to spend Friday night in Nashville which sounds way fun! My kind of town for sure.

Other than that I am just enjoying the nice weather we have had. It makes working horses way funner!

Valentine's Birthday Weekend

2009-02-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

I got to spend the weekend in Jackson Hole for

my birthday. I went up with my friend Jessica on Friday and we met up with a bunch of our friends. I was quite scared driving up there. We went through Soda Springs because Jess lives in

Plain City and the pass was snow covered. I was quite sure I would die, but we made it safe.

We spent Saturday watching the chariot races and shopping. We had dinner at Sidewinders and hit the Cowboy Bar Saturday night. We came home Sunday morning. The weekend went fairly well and we had lots of fun except one of our friends brought his ghetto girlfriend from Las Vegas and she was creating all kinds of problems. Her problem with me happened to be that I am single and she is insecure. So she started all kinds of fights and her boyfriend is a total douche bag and it would have been lots more fun without the two of them but oh well.

Coming home I went through Evanston. The roads were terrible that way too, but I made it one piece.

What's Shakin

2009-02-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

I figured it was time to post something. I have just been doing the same old thing. I did go out with some friends to the desert on a horse ride today. My horse only fell on me once. I was sure I would be life flighted out by the end, but I survived. He went to go up a ledge and didn't quite make it so he started falling backwards and I jumped off and landed in the mud and he almost rolled on me. But that sort of thing is standard on our trail rides. The first ten minutes we only made it about 300 yards because everyone was about to get bucked off and no one could sacrifice their beer. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures to document the ride. Butch had a blast. There were free range cattle that he rounded up. We saw wild horses and shot a few jack rabbits. I am planning to get a pistol soon. It is awfully fun to shoot stuff ha ha!

The same group of friends are going to Jackson Hole next weekend so I might join them. Or I may go see a rodeo in San Antonio. I am also planning a trip to Erie so let me know if you are in!

Just live your life

2009-01-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

I finally got a new truck! After a long fight with the dealership they traded the lemon they sold me for a truck they found at a different dealership. I love it. It is super nice and clean! It is a 2004 Dodge 2500 Ram. It looks brand new. Whoever owned it took extremely good care of it. There is not a scratch on the entire truck.

My dog is becoming more human on a daily basis. He no longer sits on the floor at the barn or at the house. He finds a seat at the bar just like a human. He kicks people out of their chairs too. He is running my life and I let him ha ha!

The latest bad news is that I believe my horse Missy has lymphoma. The vet will be coming Tuesday to take a look, but she has all the signs. It is very rare for a horse to get lymphoma, but it can happen and generally between the ages of 4-10. She is six. If she has this she will have to be put down.

JoLyn and I listen to the Rhianna song and I say, "just live your life JoLyn!" And she will say, "I am trying Denise!" So that is what I am trying to do is live my life, but I keep nearly being killed or getting screwed or killing other things so there you go.

Wow I have done lots of things!

2009-01-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a Solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught your self an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (tv dinner at Rigby's)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (does that one in Spokane count when I was 6)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (the tuna boat baby)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught your self a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (twice in like two weeks!)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been on television
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (Once as a baby and later jumping my horse.)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (too many, RIP Dad)
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (ANGELA!!)
100. Totally copied a post from someone elses blog to your own

Jesus Take the Wheel

2009-01-11T17:01:00.001-08:00

Please play the song to the left while you read this post.

So I have yet again been involved in a crisis. I think I am a cat and I am exercising my right to nine lives. I was driving down Morgan canyon this morning after a light snow had fallen. The right lane was the only one plowed. I had just slowed down to make my way into the canyon when I could feel myself lose the back end of my truck. I started correcting, but after several corrections I started getting more out of control. I finally spun around and hit the snow embankment on the shoulder and my car flipped and started rolling. Just as I felt myself going in the air I let the steering wheel go and put my hands over my head. I kept thinking how will I survive this? It seemed so fast. But I remember I didn't feel much jarring or anything hitting the side of me. In fact it felt like I didn't move at all. Horror struck as my truck came to a stop upside down and the entire cab filled with snow. It was like an avalanche. At the same moment I went to take a breath but my airways were blocked by a wall of snow. I suddenly felt disoriented, but I knew I had to get out. I started clawing the snow from my face and grabbing to release my seat belt. I barely remember what seemed to be a very narrow opening out the passenger side. I started clawing as fast as I could through the snow. As I was doing this I could hear the engine still running. A second wave of panic went through as I thought about the truck igniting in flames. I crawled through the opening and got to my feet and started running up the hill. As I approached the top a couple hauling a semi had stopped and were out of the truck to greet me. There was a woman there who ran to me and immediately embraced me in her arms. I was hyper ventilating out of fear and started to sob. By that time more cars were pulling to the shoulder. Everyone was so helpful. They got me into their vehicles and kept me warm while we waited for highway patrol.

I felt right away that I was not hurt. The only thing that concerned me was loosening my recent head injury. The paramedics came and I took another ambulance ride into Ogden Regional Hospital. I was able to get a hold of my trauma team, Jolyn and Jen, who showed up shortly. After a series of cat scans and x-rays I was released.

Now it was time to go to the Tow Yard. I said to Jolyn that I felt like I would see the truck and think it wasn't so bad. To the contrary, when we arrived my stomach sank and I was moved to tears. The roof of the truck was almost all level with the hood of my truck. There was no room in the cab at all! The tow truck driver was amazed that I was up and walking. He said the entire cab was filled with snow from the embankment my truck ended up on. He sent pictures to our phones of the truck before it was put up right. He said the only thing that got me out of that truck alive and without injury was pure adrenaline.

The pictures don't do it much justice. Surprisingly the hood and tailgate were basically unharmed. But the sides of the truck were dented and scratched. There was not a window left in the truck. The back seat was still completely compact with snow. When we started digging through my items we realized the only thing holding the roof from collapsing to the seats was my center console that I had upright. Had it been folded down I would have been stuck on the driver side and unable to claw out of the snow embankment.

It seems so surreal. I almost feel like I have forgotten about it already. I am starting to feel some soreness, but I can't forget the feeling like someone or something was holding me so still in that car. I estimated it rolled about six times, but the people who witnessed thought it was more than that. You will see in the pictures that the vehicle is quite a ways from the road. I kept looking at the truck and thinking, "How am I alive? Why am I alive?" I am very humble and I feel so lucky to be alive. I literally walked away from the accident. Please wear your seat belts if you don't already! They have saved my life on more than one occasion now.

More injuries

2009-01-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

Butchie has a cut above his lip.

He is drugged on the chair he doesn't normally sit in.

Little Butchie has had another incident. Although it has been several years since an incident....he got kicked in the face yet again by a four legged hoofed animal. He was being naughty and bugging them so I don't feel sorry for him. However, the horse happened to be the same one that dumped me on my head. I would never want him to be hurt seriously, but he does not listen or learn from the kicks. Heeler's are very stubborn about this because that is what they are bred to do. They are supposed to to it with cattle though because they are harder to move. A horse moves if you wave your hand at it. He gets so intense!!!

I text Steph and she gave me Erik's cell. I text him to see if I could give pain meds. I was grateful he was so nice to text me back on a Sunday. He said I could so Butch and I will be doped up on drugs the rest of the night.

I got in a bath to try and relax my neck and back and when I got out I about blacked out and fell down. One of those things where you stand to fast, but worse. Now I have a little headache. Grrr I am hoping to start riding some easier horses by Wednesday, but not if I am still like this!

Long story short....Butch and I are on the injured list. We are benching it.

It happened like this...

2008-12-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

Tuesday before Christmas I took a little spill. I was on a horse standing still and reaching over to get a riding crop. The horse started to walk off before I was ready and got caught in a hose thawing on the ground. I tried to sit up and pull myself to the center, but it was too late. I just fell splat on my head. I don't believe I was unconscious, but I don't remember a lot that happened before or after that. I knew I was in trouble when Megan and Amy brought horses in I had asked them to ride and I looked at Megan and said, "Why does Amy have that horse out? Who said she could ride her?" Megan also knew I was in trouble and had phoned her parents to come deal with me. I guess I had her phone some of my sisters too.

Megan's parents took me to Lakeview hospital where I guess I had a cat scan that I don't remember. I was puking and my head was about to explode. They determined my brain was bleeding and I had a small fracture above my right eye. They treated me as a trauma patient and sent me to the University Hospital by ambulance. That night I had two more cat scans that I slept thru mostly in a drug induced coma. I spent the night in Intensive Care. I do remember having wonderful nurses. One was named Brad and he checked on my every hour or so. He was so nice to me. He would say, "How are you doing sweetheart?" I think I always replied wanting more pain medicine and he always brought it for me! He also brought me warm blankets and petted my head. I slept thru a lot of people asking questions every few hours to see if I knew who and where I was. I slept thru my blood being drawn over and over too. In the morning I slept thru another cat scan. They determined my brain had stopped bleeding and I could go to a regular room.

I slept thru the whole day. My mom and Rick and Jen were there I guess entertaining themselves. And my mom was wonderful enough to spend the night with me. That was a more painful night. They were trying to take me off morphine and put me on oral pain meds. I threw up and my head was pounding. But by the next morning I was feeling much better. They said if I could walk around and take a shower I could go home.

I spent a night a Jen's house and have since been in my own bed. I am feeling better each day, but my memory is not up to par. It is a bit frustrating. I walk around feeling really dumb and like I can't create sentences. I am hoping that does not last forever! I forget how to do simple daily tasks. I have made Shepherds pie a million times, but I had to ask my mom what went in it while I was at the store.

I feel like a lucky girl tho. It could be a lot worse! I am recovering and looking forward to a new year. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Enjoy Las Vegas With Black Mamba and Copperhead

2008-12-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

It is finally time to blog Las Vegas! I would have liked to have done it sooner, but before we left Jolyn passed the flu to me which only lasted 24 hours. It lasted her 4 days. So when I got back I got it again and have not left my bed for 3 days.

JoLyn and I go into the vacation as Black Mamba (me) and Copperhead (Jo). We watched Kill Bill so we took those names on.

JoLyn and I leave for the airport.

Enjoy your shuttle ride JoLyn. Hope you are not too cramped.

Get your gamble on! Too bad we were only playing the pennies, but Jo wins big.

JoLyn enjoying a meal.

Enjoying the Rodeo on the big screen at the Brew Pub with our new friends.

We are headed to the Mirage to lose some money.

Mother gets to join us.

You can't take pictures at the Roulette table by the way.

JoLyn and I get to have a picture with American Idol contestant Kristy Lee Cook.

Who's shoes are whos??

This is only a picture, we won nothing.

We are at the rodeo.

This picture is out of place. During our 5 hour delay going TO Las Vegas we see Alec Baldwin. Well you never know!!

JoLyn has a big balloon coming out of her head.

Self portrait of JoLyn and I.

Please no comments from Rick on this picture.

Lloyd and Harry going home from Las Vegas. Yep, we look just like the Dumb and Dumber characters.

Please enjoy our videos.

John Pearce Clinic

2008-12-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity this week to ride with John Pearce. He is a two time World Champion in Show Jumping and member of the 2000 Olympic team. It was a little nerve racking! He was very no nonsense. He didn't really want you to tell him anything he just wanted to tell you. But I guess when you have the status he has you get to be like that!

Tori came out with me the first day and we forgot to video. My horse was very hyper on day one. I think John thought I would ask her to go faster at times and he wasn't really listening to me telling him that she just grabs the bit and runs off with me. I definitely don't encourage speed on this horse, she has plenty! So I was a little frustrated that day and didn't feel like it helped me.

Tori and Megan came with me on day two. We got video and pictures. John still thought at a few points that I was making her gallop, but whatever LOL. Day two was much more educational. My horse tends to slow down and speed up and everything in between on her own. So I was always trying to make her slower all the time. Instead we just made her speed up when she wanted to slow down, which is much easier! That helped even her pace out. I also galloped her around the arena for ten minutes when she tried to take off with me. That helped wear her out. So basically after two hours my horse became quite nice and rideable. This is how much energy she has so I definitely have to keep her worked down. I also realized that I am quite strong, but not strong enough. I need to lift some serious weights and strengthen my back and abs for this horse. I was exhausted the day after the clinic and very sore.

The good news is I will be relaxing in Vegas with JoLyn for the weekend! Maybe not relaxing, but doing some heavy gambling ha ha!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T08:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful job doing what I love. I have the best clients in the world. I get to work at a wonderful facility and be a part of the Kingsbury family. I have an awesome place to live. I have an amazing family where each person continues to inspire me each day. I have the best little friend ever.....Butch. I am currently blessed with a great boyfriend. And the list goes on!!!

I will miss my Pennsylvania family terribly this holiday season. I hope you guys are cooking a feast and enjoying Thanksgiving on the East Coast! You lucky ducks!

Awards night

2008-11-24T10:19:00.001-08:00

The horse show season officially ends with our awards night. We all get to dress up and head to the Raddisson Hotel in downtown. It is a big night for everyone and it is fun to dress up! Last year everyone said I was the best dressed so I had a lot to live up to. I managed it though! I chose an above the knee length cocktail dress from Bebe. You can't see the full effect in these pictures, but Pro Photo took pics that I will post later.

Almost my whole crew received awards. I was showered with gifts from my students and gift certificates for being on the board this year. Lauren received the Championship for the Children's Jumper Division. Amy took home two Reserve Champions for her Medium Stirrup Hunter and Equitation divisions. However, they are doing a re-count because they messed up and I think she is Champion of both. Tori received awards for her Long Stirrup Divisions and my horse and Megan's horse got awards in the Baby Green Division. Megan was also nominated for the Sportsmanship Award. A very prestigious award that I was so proud of her for being nominated. She got beat out, but that's ok. It is always an honor to be nominated. And in the end only members can vote so it comes down to the barn with the most members if you know what I mean. She is a winner in my eyes!!!

The kids left to right: Andrew, Jessica, Amy, Megan, Tori, Lauren, Ian.

The parents who I love and pay the bills! Left to right: Bob, Mary, Kathy, Greg, Julie.

Me and my cute boyfriend! This is Henry. He has been around for about a month. This is me introducing you ha ha!

Me and my beautiful bunch of talented pupils.

Change

2008-11-05T06:15:00.001-08:00

My apologies for the blurr, but my dog is hilarious trying to keep warm. He would not leave my coats side all day. Marge is in the background. She laid a blanket down for him on the right, but he just wanted my coat.

He needs a heavier coat. He was still shivering in this one.

Well there are a lot of changes going on around here! Winter is here for one. Butch was freezing cold yesterday. He wore his coat all day and tried to lay on my coat and blankets around the barn to stay warm. I will be investing in a heavier coat for him.

I spoke with the gal that owns Chili, the horse I just got, and I have secured a year with her and then I will try to buy her or sell her. I will need close to $50k so please start funds at your local bank for me ha ha!

I met a nice guy..... I think ;). Friend of a friend. We have been spending a lot of time together so hopefully he is not sick of me.

Oh and.......America has voted and Barack Obama is our next President! I was half tempted not to even go to the polls as I knew my vote would not count in Utah. And then I snapped out of it and realized what a great opportunity it was to go have a voice. And you can't complain if you don't vote! I am thrilled with the outcome of the election. I have heard people around here say that Obama will turn us to socialism or communism. I heard them say he will be assassinated before he ever gets to the white house. I heard them say he will ban ALL guns. But I believe those are ignorant comments. He wants to 'share' the wealth. He is not going to take the rich peoples money, he is just not going to give them all the tax breaks. Which they don't need!!! He wants us all to have health care! YES! That is so exciting for me, because I do not have benefits as I am self employed. It was very expensive and hard for me to find coverage. I hope he changes that. I think we hear comments about assassination with every new President. "If he wins I hope someone kills him" that sort of thing. It is a possibility for sure, but it is with every President. That is why they are protected the way they are. And I believe he will make a competent decision on guns. I don't think you are not going to be able to go hunting anymore...lol. I just think that he will make an effort to not make them so readily available. But you have to be ignorant to not want some kind of change from President Bush. He has the whole country in the 'shitter'. It is always a bit scary when we elect a new President. We never know what will happen, but we survive. So let us not be afraid. Embrace change!! And what an amazing time for Americans. We had an African American and a woman on the ballot this year!!

Legacy Parkway

2008-10-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

Let me just start with the rats that were swimming in the canal at my barn. I was teaching a lesson and we went on an 'adventure' out back by the canal. Suddenly the horses were frightened by a noise in the canal. There happened to be two fairly large wakes in the water. We could not see what it was, but I decided the canal was really 500 feet deep and Nessy was living in there. Well we got back to the arena and Tori said she saw two rats swimming in the canal! So I figure that must have been what we saw, but how disgusting?

So the girls and I have been utilizing the Legacy Parkway trail. The trail itself is not too scenic, but we are able to ride to Bountiful Pond which is kind of fun. I also want to make note that I drove the Legacy today and counted 10 roadkill from 5th South in Bountiful to Farmington. Yes, we built a road thru the wetlands.

Megan, Tori and Butch in the field by Bountiful Pond.

The girls on the 'trail'.

Nice view of the Bountiful Pond.

I figure the canal runs into Bountiful Pond and this was a large area by the Pond where something had bedded down......Nessy.

Happy Birthday to Craig!

2008-10-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

"To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die." ~ Thomas Campbell

I wanted to give a shout out to my Dad on his birthday. Lets see he is 56 today? Is that all? Wow life really is short. However, I have to say in the 52 years he survived he really did it well. He definitely lived life to its fullest.

I was lucky enough to receive a visit from the old man Sunday night. It had been a very long and stressful week. They say that you will get visits from the other side only when you truly need them. This was one of those times. I came out of a house...not sure who's house...and there he was sitting on the porch in a chair. He had a lot of facial hair....must be on an adventure where he can't shave. I of course ran over and hugged him and told him how much I miss him and how glad I was to see him.

Dad I hope wherever you are you are really enjoying the resort! Take a load off for your birthday. Spend it with good friends and family. And as long as you are doing some traveling stop by and see your daughter Angela. She is requesting a visit ;)

The Show

2008-10-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Being on the Horse Show Committee does not build character....it only REVEALS it. I loved sitting on the board this year and I think it did good things for my business, but alas I have resigned. This show reminded me what I knew years ago. Our club does not want to promote growth, it's very clickish, you get used to get an idea out there and then no one backs you up, and everyone acts like children. So I made a decision that it was no longer for me. It pretty much ruined the last two days of my horse show.

But at any rate, Lauren won the Bill Adam's Memorial the first day. She got a giant trophy statue thing and some money. I rode my horse and had the second fastest time going into the jump off and then my horse stopped at a jump!!! I ended up seventh out of like 25. It was my fault. The horse is amazing and I am so lucky to have her. Megan had a rough start Saturday, but managed a fifth out of 15 in her first show doing a higher height. She rode awesome and I was so proud of her. I rode Lauren's horse in the Derby Saturday night, which Grandma Joann came to watch. There were 23 horses in it and I got called back in the top eight. I had a great second round and ended up sixth. Tori ended up second in her Classic which I sponsored and she got an embroidered saddle pad. I rode Megan's horse in the trainer cup and had a little trouble in our flat phase, but was still called back in third place. The jumping round was a nightmare! The horse was spooking at EVERYTHING! I barely made it around and came in seventh or something. The judge told Luann that she was mad my horse acted that way and she wanted me in the top, but the horse spooked and trotted in the middle of the course and she had no choice but to give me a low score for that.

So it was a mediocre weekend, but I am really proud of all my kids and it was a great year. I will post pictures when I can.

Medal Finals

2008-10-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ok everyone our final show is this weekend Oct. 10-12. I will be riding all three days. Friday I am riding Chili and Saturday and Sunday I will be riding Megan's horse Jazzy. It is at the South Jordan Equestrian Center on about 114 S and just west of Redwood Rd. Feel free to join me! I won't get to chat much since I am running the show, but you are welcome to be an exhibitor!!!

The Eighth World Wonder

2008-10-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

I think I fell in love with the eighth world wonder!!! This is my new mare. She is the bomb. All I want to do is ride her and brush her. I took her to our show on Saturday and did some little jumping classes to see how she would go. She was great. She absolutely knows her job. She is hot like a chili pepper just like her name! Next weekend I will show her in some bigger jumping classes. And if I continue to get along with her I would like to go to Tucson in November.

Background on Chili....she is 16.2hh. For horses each 'hand' is 4 inches, so she is 66 inches tall at her back. She is a Selle Francais which in a French Warmblood. This is the breed of the horse. Warmbloods were bred in Europe for jumping and dressage. She was born and trained in France and imported here a few years ago. I hope that her owner forgets that I have her and lets me keep her forever ha ha.

Another one down

2008-09-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was at a horse show all weekend. We only have two more! I can't believe how summer has flown by. It was a really busy week for me. Our stall cleaner quit so I was pitching in so that poor Marge didn't have to do it all by herself. Plus I was doing all my regular lessons and training and we had the show. It was very successful. I think all the kids took blue ribbons home. My horses were awesome. And my new mare is coming Wednesday!!!! I can't believe it. She should get to me in the evening sometime.

Of course Sunday Jolyn and I had projects to do. This week it was about 30 stalls. We did get a new guy that started today thank God. But JoLyn, Colton, Jacob and I busted all of those out in about 2 hours. After the stalls they helped me feed and bring horses in. It was so cute and I really appreciated the help.

He is angry, but he is super dirty and needs a bath!

These guys are definately hired.

Jacob is struggling a little bit. He is being led not leading.

Good luck Chu....Denise?

2008-09-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

So does everyone remember the movie "Good Luck Chuck?" Well apparently they should have titled it "Good Luck Denise" and put me in as the star. Because what I can do for people is date them and have them tell me that they really don't want a relationship and make up all these excuses not to be my boyfriend and then as soon as we part ways they find their true love. So I am putting this out there for all you single men looking for a good woman. Come date me! Not because I am the good woman, but because you will find the good one when you are done torturing me!

I don't think I need to list any examples. It applies to EVERYONE I have been with. Including the most recent idiot...Morgan (JoLyn lol). I mean the idiot FROM Morgan. He declared to me today that he is seeing someone and she is the most amazing person he ever met. Funny....I thought I was the most amazing person anyone ever met! Ha ha. I mean if you saw this kid you would shit down both legs thinking I stooped to that level. Lets face it I am hot (not), smart, you can take me camping or dress me up and I will bend over backwards for you if you treat me half decent. This kid is square headed, open mouthed breathing, messed up teeth, no personality and a 'B' list rodeo star. Do you hear me people!!! I can't even tie an ugly dude down! Oh and the chick is like nineteen and she works at the feed store. That is how they met. Way to go big idiot. Lets see hot chick has her own business doesn't live with the parents fun and smart ORRRR chick that graduated last year is hot because she is a child and hasn't got hips yet lives with her parents and makes six dollars an hour. However, the kid is a total backwoods hick and they probably are perfect for each other. He couldn't handle me if he tried lol.

Now if you all know me as well as I think you do you will know that I am just teasing. I don't really think that highly of myself. And after all the swearing and tantrum throwing I did today let God forgive me for I am only human. I did manage to tell the moron how insignificant he was and I realize that was juvenile but I had a purpose for it. My purpose was to be so mean to the kid that he would not call me ever again when this whole deal goes south. He is not a positive energy in my life and I needed to make sure he would not be back. So I think I was mean enough that he will never speak to me again. Yes people this is my justification.

Ok that is my rant for the week. Now I promise to spend the rest of the week being an angel and being nice. Love you all thanks for listening.

We get things done

2008-09-21T18:20:00.001-07:00

JoLyn and I are 'doers'. We get things done. Yes, we took a shopping trip first and I used the laser, but then we installed the gate.

When you get done looking at how ugly my face is look at what JoLyn is using as a 'spacer' while the post sets in the cement.

Just say no to crack....and my goal was to put the ugliest pictures of me I could find on here.

This is the beautiful work we have done.

And this is just my beautiful sister setting the post.

Everyone pay attention to JoLyn's eyes. I did her make up with my Mac collection. It looks awesome!!!

WTF is this guy doing? He is getting crazy up in here. Any minute Ashton Kutcher is going to come out and tell him he has been punked and he is not really at 'da club' he is on main street in Layton.

Good things happen to good people

2008-09-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

What goes around comes around right? Well I have spent the last several years of my life trying to better myself and be a good person and change my perspective and all that good stuff. Well it is finally paying off I think! My clientele is getting huge and the lady in California called and is sending the lovely French mare to me for free!!!! I am surrounded with lovely people and I feel so blessed. I think things are really falling into place for me.

JoLyn, Colton, Jacob and I spent Sunday afternoon doing some service for the poor old lady that owns my barn. Her name is Marge and she is 82 years old. She is the hardest working lady I know! She put in a new stall barn for her daughters horses and the stalls needed dirt to level them and mats put in. No one would do it and Marge was near tears and under a lot of stress thinking she would have to do it all so I gathered the troops and off to work we went! It was hell I won't lie, but it was worth it. JoLyn and I worked our guts out and the boys took lots of breaks ha ha.

Another cool thing was when I got to the barn and there was a giant living quarters trailer parked in the driveway and a group of people I hadn't seen before. Well it happened to be Jill Moody and her traveling crew. Jill is ranked third in the world in barrel racing and has this awesome horse named Dolly that she has been to the National Finals Rodeo with. Apparently her aunt knows Marge and they needed a place to rest the horses on their way to New Mexico. I got to meet her and her horses and got a signed picture of her at last years finals.

Godfrey this is the final stall and JoLyn is going to pass out!

We lost the 100lb mats out of the wheel barrow and I might kill myself.

It took Colton about thirty minutes to bring this one mat ha ha! Notice JoLyn is sweating to death and Colton still looks fresh and clean!

The weekend

2008-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

The show was pretty successful. The judging was not quite how I would have done it, but that's the joy of doing a judged event! The girls were awesome. They rode better than I have seen any of them ride. They have worked so hard and I am so proud of them! I was too lazy to take my horse, but I rode Megan and Jessica's horses.

Saturday I went to my friend's cabin. It was just the two of us and we cooked steaks and hung out. Well I should say HE cooked steaks ha ha. I did nothing I just got to sit back and relax. It was so pretty! It is up Farmington Canyon and although I absolutely HATE the drive up there, once you are there it is beautiful. We just stayed the night and came home in the morning.

Hanging out at JoLyn's has become a Sunday ritual for me. I go over use her laser watch Lifetime and eat her food. I wanted to cry using the laser, I am a total wuss with it! But one day I hope for only hair on my head....and eyebrows.

Jessica and Andrew waiting for the class to start.

Tori and Megan also waiting for the class to start.

The mess at the trailer where we all get ready.

And don't forget the Dingo! He is hiding under the table.

Working hard

2008-09-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to go to a show tomorrow. I just have a two days this time. That will be a nice break from the five dayers. Tomorrow will be a long day and then a short day on Saturday. I will try to remember to take pictures. It is out at Lynnleigh Farms which is a beautiful venue.

I went on a real live date on Monday with one of my ex boyfriends from High School. We went to Market Street and had drinks and dinner and dessert yum! I won a gift certificate there so the fifty dollar crab I had was ok to get. It was so nice to go out with someone who actually respects you and can carry a conversation. I forgot that you could be treated decent. I have had such a run of losers I forgot that dating can be enjoyable ha ha! We are going to go to his cabin Saturday night so that will be fun.

Other than that nothing too interesting. Just riding tons of horses and teaching like crazy! Soon I will be posting a blog about my barn. We have some pretty hilarious stuff that goes on. And I love the owner like she was family. Cutest lady! She is 82 years old and still works her ass off! I pray to God I am in that good of health at that age.

What JoLyn is doing...

2008-08-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

I just want to inform everyone that JoLyn got her 'laser' yesterday and she will be spending the weekend drinking beer doing the laser and sleeping.

I worked all day today and I am going to take tomorrow off, but most likely will work Monday...no wait I WILL be working Monday. I keep getting horses in training and we have a show next weekend.
Ava at the mall with an Okapi toy I bought her and a new Cheetah purse her mom got her.

My boy swimming in the canal at our barn. He do be a good swummer!!!

C.A.L.I.F.O.R.N.I.A.

2008-08-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

First things first lets ride the horse. One of the most talented horses I have ever rode. I need some sponsers...asap.

This is our continental breakfast. I hope you get enough to eat.

This is on our hotel....does this alarm you?

Looking like a couple babes!

Look ma! We can build sand castles.....very poorly ha ha!!

The darling girls that made me miss my Lex and Liv!! Same ages, this is Bailey and Oakley.

How cool is this? I think I was happier than any of the small children with us!

From left to right: Kim, Oakley, Bailey, Lauren, Taylor, Me, Cory.

Here I am on my favorite animal from the Wild Animal Park, the Okapi.

This was my one of my favorite exhibits. How cool to get to see them so close up! And these are totally creepy!

I think I could live here. Good temperature, pretty landscape, sign me up! And after a great trip we got in some juvenile spat on the way home and pretty much didn't speak for nine hours. Cool huh? It wasn't uncomfortable at all ha ha! Love those gals with all my heart...hope we patch that up soon :)

Taking a trip

2008-08-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

I will be in Oceanside, CA if anyone needs me :) Lauren, Kim and I are going to sit at the beach and try a few horses. I am trying a grand prix mare that one of the judges said they would lease to me. I have to get rid of my mare first, but might as well try her while we are there. Be back Saturday!

Healing

2008-08-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

I find myself intrigued with the healing process. As you know I have been going through a rough time. Nothing major caused my upset. Just some inner struggles with change.

I have the most amazing friend. Her name is Roxanne Hunt. She is, for lack of a better term, psychic. I won't go into detail on her but her website is roxannehunt.com if you want to find out about her. She has blown me away time and time again with her readings on my animals and my clients animals. She was at our show this weekend and talked to Butch. She said she had a recent image of me in tears and holding my dog. Butch told her this because he wanted her to know he thought he really helped me during this time. Good job Butch of course you did!

I have gone to Roxanne before for myself and had pondered calling her about my recent problems. After she talked to Butch she said I should call her and she would talk to me no charge because she knew there were some things I would like to talk about. I felt relieved and told her I was struggling. I said I have been in a funk I can't get out of. She said, "You will break out of it when you are ready." There was a lot of truth in this. As bad as I want to come out of it I can feel that I am not quite done grieving the issues. Such a simple statement held so much truth. She assured me that I would break out soon and that I would be fine.

I am fascinated at how our bodies heal. You get a cut and if you take care of it you can heal it in a week or so depending on the severity. But all wounds heal from the inside out. Unfortunately if you are not careful you can re-open the wound. The same goes for wounds on your heart and soul. In time we heal, but when you are hurt the following days are critical and the wound can continue to 'bleed'. You have to let it take it's course and you have to be aware that all wounds need time to heal. You will not just wake up one morning whole again. No matter how soon you want to be better you can not rush healing. But you can help it if you take care of it an nurture the wound. Neosporin and bandaids work good for matters of our body. And surrounding yourself with people who love you and want you to be happy help with matters of your soul.

Time truly heals all wounds. But they can leave scars. The scars on our body remind us of the time you fell down or cut yourself. The scars on our souls are there to help us grow as people. They remind us of the pain and they teach us lessons to carry thru life. Hopefully each time we learn a lesson. Sometimes we learn not to make the same mistake or sometimes the lesson is a coping skill we may need for later in life.

Our lives serve a purpose. We are here to teach each other and develop our souls. I truly believe that people come and go in our lives for different reasons.

A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person. When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically,emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON . . .Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Author Unknown

Thank you all for being a part of my life. And I am glad to know y'all are related to me and so you have to put up with me :)

Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

Can't get out of this funk!

2008-08-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

No one is gonna read my posts anymore cause I am to depressing! I just can't seem to break out of this funk. I keep thinking that something really cool is gonna come along and free me, but it ain't happening.

I started the day irritated in general. The barn owner asked me the same freaking question she asks me everyday when I ride this particular horse, "How high are you gonna show him this weekend." And every day I tell her, "Marge this one doesn't show." And she says, "Oh I thought for sure you would be showing him he is doing so good for you." Ok I try and let this go because the woman is eighty two years old, but for God's sake!

Next, I had to have a coming to Jesus with Jessica's horse during her lesson because he has not been putting his head down. That irritated me....ha ha.

Then my friend Dave didn't say or do what I wanted and that irritated me.

So I drive to the post office in Farmington to get my mail and decide I will stop at the Chevron for a Coke. I thought that might help my mood. I walked in and the Farmington cop that makes a habit of harassing me starts laughing at me and says, "Look who it is." I make a point to look right past him and beeline for the drink station. He continues to mock me and make nasty remarks about me to everyone in Chevron. Oh yes this happened. My face was beet red and I wanted to say something like, "Did you get made fun of a lot when you were young so this makes you feel better now?" But I held my tongue and ignored him.

For my final stop I decided to go to Kohl's to see if I could find a dress for a wedding this weekend. The girl at the cash register was mean to me and I thought to myself.......this is why people snap and go on killing sprees! Ha ha cause it just never freaking ends!

Yes, I realize that most of this is not as bad as I make it. But when you are in a funk everything seems worse than it is. I will be at a show this weekend so say a prayer that it is super successful for me so that I don't SNAP!

Feeling Down

2008-08-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little depressed today. The day hadn't gone too bad until JoLyn called and asked why I had court papers trying to be delivered to her house. Ya....beats the hell out of me. The only people that have her address for me are Proactiv, Victoria's Secret and (drum roll) the barn in Kaysville I was boarding at. Ya I am betting on the later. He is a scum bag and threatened when we left to sue me for the five dollar water barrels he said we stole.....oh wait those were my clients and mine. Even though I know he has nothing on me I still know that I will get screwed and somehow end up owing him something. Because this is how this works for me. I am not positive that is what it is about but I suppose I will find out this week since I called the dude and gave him my address. I figure that it was better just to figure out what the hell it was and get it over with.

That just started the downward spiral for me. Then I decided I had no purpose in life and that I was never going to get ahead. The last few months have been a bit of a struggle though. As I have said before I believe it is all due to feeling lonely. I am not sure where the loneliness comes from, because I am certainly surrounded by company most of the time. I just feel like something is missing. And I feel a little homesick or something I guess.

On a different note, I finished Twighlight and I went and bought the other three books since I am obsessed. I am now reading New Moon. I like this excerpt from it, "Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. Even for me." I like it...it matches my mood.

But no matter what your mood is, when your room mate puts on a Werewolf head that looks like Chewbacca and chases your dog.....it's funny! I wish I could have gotten it earlier because Butch was growling with his hair up and almost attacked him. HAHA!

Current Obsessions

2008-08-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

This book is called 'Twighlight'. I am obsessed. I think it was meant more for teenagers, but all of my students are reading the series and talk about it all the time. Curiosity got the best of me and the day book four came out I went and got the first one in the series. WOW! I am in love. It is actually about a vampire family that lives among humans and does not feed on them. One of the vampires falls in love with a human....sounds weird and I was skeptical but I can NOT put it down. I am so excited to have three more books in line when I finish this one.

I keep talking about how funny Sean's dog Vienna is and look how cute! She sleeps like this all night and never moves. After I took this picture she started growling at me and bit my hand ha ha. Sean says she used to bite his x-wife if she tried to cuddle with Sean and stuff. I love it!

Left to right....Shea, me and Ginger. We went out Friday because Shea's fiance was having his bachelor party. We did hers last weekend but needed something to do while he was having strippers grope him. We went to the Outlaw in Ogden and needless to say we all managed to get three sheets to the wind even though I had to be up to teach lessons and go to a show. Yes...I wanted to kill myself in the morning. I did make it to work though and got feeling decent about four o'clock.

In other news, my vet check did not go great. I suppose it could have been worse. My horse does have changes to her navicular bone. Navicular disease is changes in the bone that is in the heel of the horses foot. It is basically arthritic changes. My horse has very slight changes and the vet diagnosed her pre-navicular. There is not really any treatment for it. When it gets bad years down the road you can de-nerve them. This takes the feeling away so they are not in pain. The down side is that they don't feel their front feet and may not know where they are stepping. The good news is that I bought her because she is a mare in case anything went wrong she would still be worth something as a broodmare. I am hoping to still sell her to someone wanting a riding horse, but the price is gonna be disgustingly low.

Good news is that the computer is up and running. I bought a wireless adapter and router which of course didn't work. So one of Sean's friends came over to work on it and called the router company which walked us through getting it to work.

The bad news is that I still can't figure out how to work my Zune. I downloaded the software and it did not download properly so I have to start over....grrr!

Well I plan to spend the day reading and watching Lifetime in my pajamas. XOXO to all!

What doesn't kill us......

2008-08-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

The good thing is that in the jumping world I have mastered a lovely position.

Notice the lower leg right behind the girth....eyes and chin are up and looking forward. I have released my arms in the middle of his neck. My back is arched and my seat is slightly out of the saddle but not ahead of it. My heels are pointed down...could be a little more but that is being picky :)

That is the only good thing currently! The rest is me just trying not to drown. I can't get my damn internet to work on my computer despite several hours and hundreds of dollars. Which means I really can't use my new Zune cause Sean doesn't really download music on his computer. My horses vet check went to hell in a hand basket so I will be taking her in to the vet tomorrow to figure out what the problem is. I was riding a two year old that I have in training and it got frustrated and just reared over on top of me. My arm is only slightly a mess but I am still in one piece. The idiot cowboy freaked out last week and told me he never wants to talk to me again. It was his way of assuring me that he is not good enough for me. He is mental I can't even go into the whole story.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right?

And for everyone that thinks I am now an idiot and can't seperate my paragraphs....it's not my fault the computer God's hate me and it no longer does what I ask.

Have you seen this man?

2008-08-05T16:10:00.001-07:00

This man lives in my yard. Sean and I were enjoying some shish-kabobs when I started to analyze the man. He totally freaks me out and I told Sean I am pissed that he painted him with white gloves, mouth and eyes. I said that me and him will be found in a bloody mess and that guy will be gone from the yard. So if I am murdered you will know who did it. We put the axe up after I had this thought. The woman was out front in the wagon and we moved her out last night too.

I thought it was funny....everyone thinks Sean and I have something going so when Sean's friends call he always makes a comment. Last night Troy called and asked what he was doing. Sean replied that he was just watching his room mate jump on the tramp in some daisy dukes. Ha ha! It was true but not like that! Troy said, "Man one day I am gonna get me one of those deals." Anyway, nothing going on with Sean and I. He has a very nice girlfriend.

Showed last weekend. Went ok. My mare is at Saltaire Farm on trial until Thursday when she has her vet check. Cross your fingers. She was Reserve Champion again at the show. There is one horse that is amazing that I can't quite beat for Champion. The girls were good. Amy got Champion on my horse Jake that she leases.

Everything is going pretty good. I finally joined the 21st century and got a Zune. For those who aren't aware it is the microsoft version of Ipod. We will see if I can actually use it.

Four Freaks and a Freighliner

2008-07-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

I tried to post this once before and the computer froze and it all erased! So I am going to be brief.

Long story short the moving company I hired (we will not mention for legal purposes) were a bunch of IDIOTS!!!! It took them way too long and they were a bunch of weaklings.

JoLyn slept over Friday night partly because Jen didn't offer her a ride home ha ha and partly because I didn't think she would ever get up in time to be at my house by 8 AM. We had to go to Ross and get her some pajamas....we picked out some really classy ones. Not to mention the granny panties we picked out :) JoLyn threw her back out and was not much help in the dance to our new song....

Mom was a big help in getting my apartment cleaned and well we all know at this point what happened to Jennifer! Bless JoLyn for staying with me until 8 PM and helping me move the garage full of horse stuff and get my new house cleaned and set up. We were totally delirious and retarded through it all. We went to Costco and I got a flat screen TV which happens to be the best purchase I have ever made!

I tried to get some footage of the movers at the storage unit. When I pulled up there after rescueing Jennifer, JoLyn was bailing things out of the moving truck at thrice the speed of the movers. I started busting a gut ha ha!

I am about all settled into the new place. Thanks for everyone's help. I am headed to a show for 5 days. Kari Swainston has my horse right now and has a little girl trying her. And I have another buyer lined up to look at her Thursday. So I am pretty sure she won't be coming back home....good and bad cause I really like the horse and she is worth way more than I am asking for her.

Moving....again

2008-07-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Who knows.....

Cuz we are cool like that!

Get out JoLYN!

Guess what? I am moving! And once again Two Chicks and a Trailer are at it again!! We got a little carried away and did another rendition of our 'glamorous' dance.....

Jolyn also had this great idea about getting some of the garbage out of the apartment......

So incidentally...the movers are coming at 8am Saturday. Be there or be square!!! Jolyn started putting 'packaged by Jolyn' on all of her boxes and signing her name. She had this stupid idea to bring small boxes to put heavy stuff in.....ppssshhh! I said no way Jolyn we are packing the biggest box again with all the heavy stuff and YOU are going to carry it out! She then threatened that she would only be moving boxes packaged by herself. Gosh JoLYN!!

Where I Stood

2008-07-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on 'So You Think You Can Dance' tonight and it was so beautiful. I have not heard this gal before but she sounds like an angel.

"Where I Stood"

I don't know what I've done

Or if I like what I've begun

But something told me to run

And honey you know me it's all or none

There were sounds in my head

LIttle voices whispering

That I should go and this should end

Oh and I found myself listening

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you

All I know is that I should

And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you

All I know is that I should

'Cos she will love you more than I could

She who dares to stand where I stood

See I thought love was black and white

That it was wrong or it was right

But you ain't leaving without a fight

And I think I am just as torn inside

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you

All I know is that I should

And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you

All I know is that I should

'Cos she will love you more than I could

She who dares to stand where I stood

And I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call

You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all

But you taught me how to trust myself and so I say to you

This is what I have to do

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you

All I know is that I should

And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you

All I know is that I should

'Cos she will love you more than I could

She who dares to stand where I stood

Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood

Her name is Missy Higgins. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_9H-NmqxY

If I hurry I can still make Cheyenne

2008-07-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Oh ya! I wore boots and shorts....it was hilarious.
Going out on the town

We rode this back to our hotel....well we got dropped off in a parking lot and had to walk another mile to the hotel.

Bestest friends!!!!

Well I made it back from Cheyenne! I had a great time and it was lovely to see Anne. She is doing well just working on a ranch back home.

They call the rodeo there 'The Daddy of 'em All'. It is the largest outdoor rodeo in the country. I couldn't believe how big the arena and grandstands are. Here is a video that just shows the size of things. It doesn't do it much justice....

They have a few more events than other rodeos. One being the wild horse races. They literally take a bunch of wild horses drag them out to a team of three guys who have to saddle them and get on and ride them around the track! It is hilarious. Horses are running everywhere....guys get drug all over. In the end the horses that broke free and the hand full of guys that survive come racing to the finish line. Watch this a few times because there is so much going on you will miss it the first time!

The contestants were some of the best in the country and that was fun to watch. We don't always get that at our local rodeos. The love of my life was NOT there....disappointing but I survived. Here is a good bull ride.

There is a huge bar called the Outlaw that everyone goes to after the rodeo. It was a bowling alley they tore out and made a bar. There is outside patios with a mechanical bull and margarita stands and different things. It was a lot of fun and I spent the first two nights as a drunken mess ha ha! I drank so much I just had to be a sober driver the third night. The third night turned out to be the funnest because we hooked up with a bunch of the rodeo personnel and cowboys. I went after to one of their houses where the rodeo announcer proceeded to tell me he loved me ha ha! He was like three sheets to the wind or more. I also got offered a job as a Copenhagen model....I seriously considered this for a moment. They just stand outside the booth in these little outfits and look cute. However, it would be a complete 180 from the trainer/child mentor I currently am!!!

It was a great trip and I was not ready to come back home I have to say. My Butchie needed me though!!

Funny video

2008-07-16T18:42:00.001-07:00

My client made a cute new video. It's called On your mark get ready show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RrG6ShiTPo Go check it out.

Meanwhile....I will be meeting Anne in Cheyenne on Friday for a long overdue vacation. I can't wait. I definately need a break in my routine.....starting to feel like Groundhog Day!! I will have a billion pictures when I get back so I don't want to hear crap about not having any on here.

I promised Butch I would do my best to find him a father in Cheyenne...ha ha ha. I do what I can :)

Horse show pics...

2008-07-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Over two days Tori earns the Championship for Long Stirrup. She was ecstatic!!!

The girls winnings for Long Stirrup.

Tori and Nikki in the Long Stirrup Division.

Megan riding Jazzy in the Long Stirrup Division.

Me riding Megan's horse Jazzy in the Baby Green Division.

Me riding Jessica's horse Bosco before he is hurt.

Jessica's horse gets hurt so she rides my girl in the Long Stirrup Division.

Lauren rides my baby in the Modified Children's Hunters.

Lauren's win in the $500 Schooling Jumper class.

Lauren and Nikki in the Bill Adams Memorial Classic.....this is a timed event.

The fruits of my labor!!!

Missy is an amazing mover......truly beautiful

Missy and me in the baby green division....so cute!!!

He is hilarious!!

2008-07-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry but I have the funniest dog alive! He thinks he is a people. And his skinny little butt does not fit on that chair!

I survived!!!

2008-07-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

I made it through the five day show hurray! I was very pleased with the judge I picked out. She was very consistent with her judging and very patient with us. She had a lot of compliments about the quality of horses and riders we have here in Utah. She said she just judged a show in Boston where she expected them to be really good and have nice horses and she said it was ten times better here. I thought that was really exciting.

To see videos of me and my students showing go to http://www.youtube.com/user/1gardenmom it is my clients site and she made one of the show this weekend. I believe it is titled 'Dedication Just Breathe'.

The kids all did great again and I have two people battling it out to buy my horse. We had a few problems where Lauren's horse got sick and Jessica's got hurt. Lauren's didn't miss any classes and is doing fine. Jessica's missed the last day so she rode my horse instead.

I am off for three weeks unless I can get into the show in Parker, Colorado. Last I heard the stalls were sold out, but one of the other trainers here in town might have some extra. I will keep you posted. Also, I talked to the judge at this show and she has a grand prix jumper that she would lease to me!!! I am excited. Perhaps I can start doing some bigger fences and making some money at it.

Getting ready....

2008-06-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well I am just preparing for a long week of horse showing. This is the annual UHJA show which I am in charge of. I will pick the judge up Tuesday night and we will start showing Wednesday morning. My student, Lauren, is sixteen now so she will be helping me haul horses and be my right hand gal at the barn while I am dealing with the show.

I still have not taken any pictures ha ha! But I dug some up from last year that will give you an idea of what we do.

For those who knew my room mate......

2008-06-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the room mate that moved to Florida to have her ex take care of her....this is the text she sent me......

Ike and I got in a fight. I am coming back to Utah. I'm not going to have my part of rent. I'm sorry. Also I got married.

Yes, this really happened. I text her back and said Congrats! You're nuts! Ha ha! Apparently she met Ike's room mate's friend and it was love at first sight and they are coming back here to be wed July 3rd. Go figure this chick is nuts. I give it two weeks at best.

Another week of summer gone

2008-06-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here you go my coolest brother in law Nate :)

Well another show has gone by and that means it is Sunday. I rode my horse and Jessi's horse in the Baby Greens on Thursday and Friday. My horse was fabulous the first day and so-so the second day. Bosco was not good the first day and redeemed himself on day two. My horse, Missy, ended up Reserve Champion of the show. Finally and hurray!!!!! She is such a beautiful horse we just always have hang ups it seems. Megan's horse did not show this weekend due to the fact she had such a long show the weekend before she was a little sore.

Saturday was Tori's day to show. She has been riding really good and I have high hopes for her this year. We didn't have to leave until about eleven, but she didn't show until about six which made it a long day. The venue was Rose Ranch which is notoriously dusty, windy, hot, dry, etc... Not the funnest place to go. After waiting all day things didn't quite go as planned. Tori struggled a little and ended up with some third and fourth places.

Today Lauren and Tori both showed. Lauren rode in the morning and was second in both her equitation rounds. It is a really hard division this year and I am very pleased with her. She had a horrible Equitation on the Flat round and trotted for almost an entire revolution when they were supposed to canter....I almost killed her ha ha! Tori was a little better today, but still struggling over fences. She did pull herself together for her flat classes finally and got seconds, thirds and fourths today.

The show was not quite as successful as last weekend, but still good. I have decided all men I date are total idiots and had to cut a few off this weekend ha ha. This week should be a little for mellow I only have a show on Saturday. I will be preparing for the weekend of the 4th of July show. I am on our hunter/jumper board this year and I am in charge of that show. So I will be busy the next two weeks tying up loose ends. Wish me luck on that!

Horse Show

2008-06-17T19:29:00.001-07:00

I just spent five days at a horse show in South Jordan, UT. The first two days I rode my horse and my clients horses in the Baby Green division. They were all very good. Missy, my horse, took a few thirds and seconds. Jasmine, Megan's horse, took a few seconds also. She would have done even better, but I had a tree blow down while I was going thru a line and she spooked at it and I didn't make it to my second jump. Then on my second trip she trotted down by the gate thinking she was done. Grrrr! That's ok though. Bosco, Jessica's horse, has come leaps and bounds in the last few months. He finally went around and did all of his flying lead changes without going psychotic. Much improvement!

Tori, Megan, Amy and Jessi all rode Friday and Saturday. Jessi's horse got a cut and was sore so she ended up riding my horse Jake. They were all wonderful. Jessi and Amy both took home Reserve Championships in their divisions. Tori won several of her classes the first day, but wasn't quite as brilliant the second day. Megan is doing fantastic on her horse. We have only had her about six weeks, but they are starting to figure each other out. She got a bunch of second places. It was very successful.

Lauren rode on Saturday and Sunday in the timed events. She was brilliant on her horse Nikki. They won all of their rated jumper divisions at the show and took a third in a non rated class. She also had her equitation classes on Sunday and was second on the flat and third in the hunter medal. It was a great show for her.

I was exhausted by Sunday. We stabled the horses on the show grounds and I was getting up at 5:30am and not getting home until about 11:30pm.

Monday I had to drive a horse to Boulder, UT for a client. I was exhausted and didn't leave until about 10:00am. Lauren came with me to learn how to drive the trailer and to keep me company. We were off to a pretty good start until we got to Boulder Mountain and the truck started overheating. We had to stop a few times and let it cool down and when we were driving we could only go about 10 mph. So the Mountain took an hour and a half to get over when normally it takes about 30 minutes. I thought the truck would have time to cool down before the ride back, but no such luck. We started up the Mountain and I could not get it to cool back down. We had to drive back down into Boulder and leave the trailer. I had to gut the tack room and put everything in the back of the truck. Needless to say, we did not get home until about 10pm Monday night. It was quite an adventure and now I have to go back to get the stupid trailer!!! Oh well.....all is well that ends well right?

We are headed to another show on Thursday. It won't be quite as eventful. I don't have as many horses going since some of them are very tired as well as their owners. Hopefully this one is as successful as last weekend. Wish us luck!!

Trying it out

2008-06-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Alright Angela....I will also try to be a blogger! It's a little bit lonely here in Utah at the moment. Ang and the fam have moved to Pennsylvania, Jolyn and Jennifer are in Mexico, Mom is in Phoenix, so it is me and Steph holding it down here.

I spent the weekend with my favorite rodeo cowboy. We went to Price on Friday night and then Moab Saturday night. It was a fun little rode trip and Ty and Levi keep me quite entertained. I have to say I could definately get used to traveling with them. Butch stayed at one of my students houses for the weekend and he was so relieved when I picked him up today! He has been exhausted all day. I don't think he slept all weekend wondering if I would return or not. Needless to say I don't leave him very often.

Today I showed my horse Missy to a woman interested in buying her. She showed lovely and the woman liked her, but she is not quite what she is looking for. I completely understand, but it would be nice to sell the princess! I spent the remainder of the day in self pitty feeling lonely and watching depressing movies.....nice huh? Well I am all cried out for the day. We have a five day show coming up on Wednesday so I have plenty to do tomorrow. I will keep you posted on show results!!!