George Ranch & Wedding

To see more pictures, click on George Ranch to your right. I thought I'd share the pictures of the George Ranch.  Shelby and I went with some friends to tour it.  What  neat place!!!

Here's a link to some of Cody and Brooke's pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rockingrs2008/CodyBrookeSWedding#

Fun week

This week sure went fast! Having Ryan working everyday but Thursday (including today) has kept me busy. I am trying to get shopping and cleaning dine all while taking care of Shelby. It has been challenging but the extra time with Shelby had been fun.

I got up on Friday at 4:30 to do my Christmas shopping. I hit several stores and was home by 8 am so Ryan could go to work.

Shopping + little time = too much stuff

I probally got more than I needed and I am still not done. So Shelby and I are going to Sugar Land to hopefully finish up.

Ryan and I have a wedding tonight. The break for both of us will be nice. Shelby will be staying home with a babysitter.

It looks like we'll have a full house for Christmas! Ryan's parents, sister and her boyfriend will be here. My dad and Charlene are thinking about coming too. They are still working out the details. Hopefully they'll know soon.

The weather has been really nice here with a high in the 70s and a low in the 40s. I like going outside just to get out. I mowed the lawn the other day. It sure does help having urge zero turn lawn mower. We can mow our lawn in about an hr. It used to take a couple of hours assuming nothing broke! We still need a depenable push lawn mower though. In time...

Well more cleaning to do so I should go. Here's a few pics from the George Ranch where Ryan works. We went to see him on Wednesday.




Ryan on a ranch horse.


She was watching her daddy do a roping demonstration.


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Barrel Racing

Well all I can say is a bad day of barrel racing is better than a good day of work.

Badger is retired. He isnot running to his potential which means he is hurting again. :-(. I had one race left for NBHA and he's not hitting the 2D so there is no point to make him run. I am sure it is his hocks again and we don't have the extra money to get them injected so we'll leave him alone until we can get that done.

Shiner did great in his exhibitions but something spooked him when running in the open. He dodged to the left as we were running to the first barrel. I managed to get him corrected but we lost too much time. The other two barrels were decent. Overall no complaints. He trusted me over his instincts. That's big to me since I am dealing with an animal that has the instincts to run from danger.

I am happy to say Shiner is hunting the barrels and I think I'll just run him now w/o any exhibitions next time. It will be interesting to see what comes of him in 2010.

Shelby was being as cute as a button this morning. Her's a pic of her this morning.


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Fast week

Is it really Thursday night!?! This week flew by! With the shorter daylight hours it seems like the days fly by. Yuck! I always look forward to the shortest day of the year cause that means the long days are on their way back.

It is 6:30 PM and Shelby is in bed. Poor girl had a busy day! I am tired and not feeling well so the early bed time is a bit of a relief. Ryan is still working so I get some me time. I am watching House of Payne. The show makes me laugh!

Tomorrow I have an all day meeting. Then Saturday I have a barrel race in Wharton. Due to the short hours of daylight I can't ride. I did work shiner last night. I was going to pony Badger but he and Twister had other plans.

They are in the front pasture and so I have to open the gate so they can get into the barn. Well they decided they were going to keep walking right on out to the back pasture. I took the hint and let them stay out there.

I later introduced Cowgirl to them with the help of Romeo. Surprisingly the two meanest horses around didn't try to hurt her.

I had to laugh at Romeo cause he just sat back and watched. I think he was as surprised as me when all went well. He then joined the rest of the crew and they all hung out in the back.

In the meantime the neighbor's cows must've had the calves pulled off cause they were bellowing. Then I see them all running out to my horses. Next the horses run back up to the barn and the cows running and bellowing behind them. It was a site.

Well I guess that is it for me. Who would've thought I would type this much using my iPhone. I am getting pretty quick with this typing.

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Sunday

I am enjoying the peace and quiet of Sunday afternoon. Ryan had to go to work from 2-6 PM. Shelby is napping. I am cleaning. Fun fun! The quiet is nice though. My kitchen floor sure does appreciate the TLC. I like the pinesol clean smell. Next the continuation of laundry and the living room.

Yesterday was good. I ran Shiner and Badger. I had to run Badger two times cause the timer quit the 1st time. He did ok but not near as well as the 1st time. Oh well...Shiner is doing really well. He is figuring things out and picking up some speed. I also found the bit that works for him. That us so important!

7 more working days before Thanksgiving break. I am so ready for it. Well back to cleaning.

Here's a cute puck of Shelby.


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Shelby - 13 months

This weekend will be another busy weekend.  Saturday I'm going to run Badger and Shiner at the NBHA race.  It's time to get some runs under Shiner's belt before the new season starts in December.  I sure wish they would wait til January to get started!  Sunday we have church and I think Ryan is working at the George Ranch.  He's considering taking the full time position, but needs to talk to the boss about what that will entail.  I'll let you know once it's all worked out.

I guess that's it.  A busy day so I need to get to it. I just had to share our baby girl....She's growing SO fast.  These pictures make her look like a toddler!  :(

I love these two pictures!  I put more on her link for you to enjoy.  

Test

I got an app on my iPhone and trying it out. This is the coolest piece of technology ever!!!!


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Novice Saddle is Won!!!

Click on Texas Events (right) to see more pictures!!!

What a great weekend! We did it, we won our saddle…and buckle, and headstall, and breast collar, and bell boots, and stirrups. Life is good and so is God. I am so proud of Badger and so thankful for my family. They stuck with me and supported me all year long. What a thrill. Ryan is grinning from ear to ear. I am hoping that I get to put my butt in my new saddle on my wonderful horse!

This year has been a tough year for our country and, at times, for our family. We always manage to pay the bills, but not necessarily with any leftovers. I felt way before this year began that God had put it in my heart that we were to win this saddle. It started with a little feeling, but that little feeling never went away. In fact, that feeling grew and strengthened over time. I would go to church on Sunday after running on Saturday and I would feel my faith growing. I really struggled with this faith throughout the whole year. How could I desire something so deeply that was as little as winning a saddle when I had friends and family around me with illness, loss of jobs, and other life struggling issues. I kept feeling that it wasn’t right of me to desire something like a saddle when others were in so much need. But, I still heard that still, small voice telling me otherwise. God is so good. We really are His children and He really wants the desire of our hearts to be filled. No matter the desires.

I can still remember when I found out I was pregnant and was winning the Novice saddle back in early 2008. I wasn’t just winning, but I was beating everyone. It was AWESOME, but with Shelby on the way I knew I had to let it go. I also knew that I would come back in 2009 and win it! That’s when the still, small voice was first heard.

Fast forward 9 months and I now had a 2 month old, a fat horse and I was so out of shape. We didn’t come into 2009 very strong but we held steadfast and slowly, but surely we started to pick up speed. We had our downfalls and injuries but that voice from deep inside me would still be there telling me we would finish with a saddle in our hands. Slowly, but surely we started climbing up the rankings. Finally, in July we made it to first place, but we still had 4 months of barrel races. We never lost faith and we continued to tread forward. Barrel race after barrel race, run after run we continued to stay on top. However, there was one person who was creeping up and catching up to me. I knew I couldn’t outrun her, I just had to keep running on faith and continuing to believe that it was meant to be.

I think the hardest time I had holding my faith was when Ryan called me at work to let me know Badger pulled his hamstring and would require major rest 6 days before the 2nd to last race. I was devistated. I still had a couple of hours of work left and could do nothing but try to get through my day without balling my eyes out. It was a close call, but I, once again, heard God telling me I can fix this. Trust me, hold your faith, stand strong! I remember thinking…”Yea right! My horse is hurt and I’m told not to run him or we risk him being permantely damaged.” Then I realized I had to hold my faith. I had to believe this was yet another mountain for me to let God fix. It was His mountain. Fighting off tears…I believed that. It appeared impossible for me, but I knew, that I knew, that I knew that mountain was going to be moved.

Then I think of the bible verse “Oh Ye of little faith….” It’s the bible verse that talks about moving mountains with the faith of a mustard seed. I love that verse and held on to it. I never shared it with anyone…just hung on to it.

An hour or so later I get another call from Ryan. I had told him I wanted a second opinion…well he made a call and that 2nd opinion told him to run the horse. It wasn’t going to do any permanent damage. Once again, mountain was moved! We ran one of our best races that weekend! It was AWESOME!

That same day I shared with my Facebook friends my saddness and frustration of what had happened. I had a church friend reply that very same verse (Faith of a mustard seed.). AMAZING! Confirmation that what I was feeling was real.

I also had a friend pray for me at church. She grabbed my hands to pray with me and immediately said I had such strong faith. She was blown away by the faith she had felt. Again, reinforcement from God letting me know he was there with me. He felt my faith and my faithfulness. It was, again, the confirmation I needed to know what I was feeling was not just the desires of my heart, but of God’s heart too.

The saddle winner was not decided until today. I had to place top 4 in order to win the saddle. I knew I could place 3rd cause I knew I couldn’t outrun two of the girls. I was sooooo nervous! I just saw three big blue barrels staring at me…taunting me…reminding me of how important it was to keep them standing. So, of course, the way I ran reflected it. I was sooooo nervous! All I could think about was leaving the barrels up…which I did….but it sure wasn’t pretty doing it! HA!

So to finish this out, I placed 4th in the Novice, but, the good news is, the person who could’ve caught me placed 2nd. So, I beat her by one point! YES! The saddle was mine. I’m so glad this season is over. What a tough race….and what tough competition.

For my horse friends….I was competing against a Jud Little horse and a Bill Meyers (Frenchman’s Guy) horse. These horses are top notch and don’t come cheap. So, I’m very proud of my horse and of us for coming into this as the underdogs and winning!

Aaahhhh….the story of my life! It’s ok…I don’t mind. 

Now, off to try and win another saddle in the 2D with NBHA TX 34. As long as I don’t run like I ran today we will have a chance. I’ll be running Badger and Shiner. Shiner is going to be my new barrel horse next year so I need to get some runs with him before the new season begins.

I have included some pictures that we took, but I hope to purchase some professional pictures and share them too.

Well, back to reality, back to the job.  We also have a dresser we need to put together for Shelby. I’m not sure if I should start it now as it is 9 PM. (Roo Daddy, who is laying my lab, says “NO!”) Her baby changing table has officially fallen apart. It was used when we got it and did not last but a few months after we brought Shelby home. So, we decided to buy her something else that was safer for her to climb on and would store all of her clothes. Her Grandma Boudrie LOVES ebay and Shelby’s closet shows how much! HA!

Ryan got a new job

Ryan got the job at the George Ranch. (http://www.georgeranch.org/).  He starts today as a part time employees.  He will be doing demonstrations of working cattle for guests and school age kids.  He'll even get to demonstrate for one of my schools 3rd grade classes in December.  I can't remember all what he'll be doing, but he'll show how the ranchers push the cattle through a vat (to put a spray on the cattle to keep the insects, etc off of them), roping cattle to brand them as well as some other demonstrations.  He'll be able to take his own horses so our young horses will be getting a good work out with the cattle.  He is so lucky....to paid to ride horses and teach kids!!!  I so envy him!

I rode Cowgirl (2YO) last night.  WOW is all I can say about her!  She did AWESOME!  This was my 9th time (we had to count last night) riding her and she is already learning how to work on the barrel pattern at a walk and walked thorugh the Rodeo Sweethearts pattern with the girls.  I was so impressed!  I don't have the best handle, but I have a bad a$$ 'Whoa' on her.  So, we're good! LOL  I worked on teaching her to set at each barrel last night and she started to catch on.  As I shifted my weight into my saddle she started to slow down and stop on her hind end.  She also has a KILLER turn around the barrel. She is definately something special and I'm so blessed to get to train her.  I will piddle with her this next year so she can mature and get her legs right with the growth plates, etc and then I plan to start running her as a 4 YO in 2011.  I CANNOT WAIT!  Shelby will be older by then as well so we are going to have a lot of fun that year!  SHelby and her pony / Cowgirl and me!

This weekend is the big weekend!  Sunday is my last GCBRA race.  I worked Badger last night in the arena at a trot cause the ground was TERRBILE.  He did great as well. He's feeling really good and anxious to get in there and kick some butt.  So.....off to win a saddle we go!

My iPhone is busted at the time. It doesn't even work.  I try to sync it with my computer and now it's not working at all. I will take it to the Apple store Friday afternoon so hopefully they will be able to fix it.  If not, I'll have to figure out a plan B in regards to having a phone as I can't afford to buy one without getting a plan with it.  THey are like $500 or $600 w/o a plan.  OUCH.  I am praying it will work as I LOVE my phone and being able to access everything with it.

Tomorrow I'm using my leave early pass for work so I can go get Shelby and then run to get my iPhone fixed and then dinner with friends.  I'm looking forward to that.  I hope Shelby does to so we can both enjoy ourselves.

Let's hope for good barrel racing reporting on Monday!!!!  Send me your good luck wishes and prayers!  We gotta keep our head in the game and just make another run....no big deal....right??? :)

Busy Month, Busy Year

Halloween was fun, but Shelby pooped out way too early so we only go to go to a couple of houses.
 Oh well....at least we got some pictures of her. :)  Click Here to see more pictures.

We had a busy day as we went riding at the George Ranch first.  SHelby didn't get an afternoon nap, which proved to be the missing link.  We also got a late start trick or treating with all our friends and their kids.  We didn't leave Jesse and Rebecca's until 7:30.  Shelby is ready for bed by 8 pm.  I was hoping she'd make it for a little while, but we put her in her car seat and that was about the end of it.  Ryan pulled her out and went to a couple of houses but then she got really winey and tired so we put her in her jammies and took her home.

has been one busy school year and fall. Shelby is growing and requires a lot more one on one time when she plays. She is still crawling and exploring the world at her level. Because of this, so have I. You think you have a fairly clean house and then you start crawling around and seeing all those hidden hair balls and dust underneath the furniture! So I find myself sweeping a lot more.


Shelby is getting better about not sticking everything in her mouth. She is slowly becoming more selective but still loves to eat the dirt that Daddy’s boots have left behind. She once put a quarter in her mouth and luckily didn’t like it so took it back out! A favorite of hers (other than the dirt) is eating the little rubber bands that I use to put her in hair. I’m not sure why she likes them or how she finds them but she manages to do both.

Barrel racing has come to a slow the last few weeks. The break has been nice. You can grow tired and weary of the sport you love so much. I guess that’s why there are seasons for sports as well. I have found the few weeks off has been great, but I’m REALLY looking forward to my run next Sunday. It’s the last of the season. I’m in 1st place in the Novice. I’m ahead by 3 points. I’m also 3rd in the Open 2D and one point behind the 2nd place person. So, my plan is to make a smooth, clean run with the hopes of placing in the 2D to move me up to the 2nd place spot to win the buckle and to place 3rd or higher in the Novice to keep me in 1st place and win the saddle. I’ve been doing a lot of prayer and working on my faith. I look forward to reporting good news next week!

Ryan is doing well. His business has slowed a bit from the rain so he is going to interview with the George Ranch tomorrow to see if he can pick up some extra hours demonstrating the cowboy life to guests that come to the ranch. The extra money during the wet, winter months will help. So we sure hope he gets the job.

My job is going very well this year. I’m having a lot of fun with all the exciting projects the teachers are doing with their kids. It’s a lot of fun but leaves no down time for me. I’m thankful to have my iPhone so I can check my work email at home in the evenings after Shelby goes to bed.

Oh, us ITS also received laptops to replace our desktop. Being between two schools is difficult and having the laptop will be wonderful. They are going to give us VPN so we can access are work files from home. I won’t be able to use that as we only dial up, but it’s good to know I can go to my friend’s house and use her wireless if I really need something off of my network drive. I also got a 500 GB external hard drive. So I can put everything I need on there and bring it home each night if I need to. I guess work has been good to me this year. What a blessing to have these items to use. I know a lot of schools don’t have these luxuries!

I still plan to apply to LCISD (a district closer to home) as the jobs come up. It will be hard to get in, but I feel confident it will happen when the time is right. I’m in no hurry with the recession and downsizing as I feel secure in FBISD since I’ve been here for 11 years. But, if the position opens and I’m invited to join their team I’ll take it. I know that it will be the right choice as I have and will continue to pray for the right job for me to get closer to home without losing the pay we depend on as a family.

Our horses are doing great! I have been riding our 2 YO, Cowgirl, a few times a month and got to ride her this weekend at the George Ranch. She did really well. She was more nervous than normal and a little skiddish too, but she settled down once I started working her. I even worked her on the barrels a little while. She is going to have one REALLY nice turn as she learns more about it and what I’m asking of her. I would’ve loved to have her before Shelby and when I had a lot more time. But, this might be good since I can’t’ ride her that much. It will give her time to grow and her bones to do what they need to do so they can be strong and withstand the tough world of barrel racing.


Ryan is beginning to ride Rome (3 YO). I think the two of them are going to get along really well. I had hopes for him and me, but I think he and Ryan are a better fit. I enjoyed riding him and breaking him and now I look forward to him learning how to handle the cattle and how to rope.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful animals on our little ‘ranch’.

The other horses are doing great and are getting some trail riding time. I need to work Badger this week a few times. It’s going to be tough with the time change and it getting dark so early! It was dark at 6:30 last night. YUUUCCCKKKK….I hate that!