Job & Horses

After today I will only have 3 1/2 days with the students and 5 days of work! YES! I'm looking forward to the time off!

I can't remember if I said anything about applying to a different district. It has several schools closer to home and so I finally decided to apply. That was back in January. Just recently, a position opened up similar to what I do now. There are not that many in the district so I was pleased to have the opportunity to apply.

I went to the interview and I believe it went well. From what I understand there are quite a few applicants as they told me they were interviewing 2 days all afternoon. I felt I did a good job and now I just have to wait and see. I really like their program and how they utilize technology in the district. My job would be more like a helping teacher for other teachers as well as some administration type of work.

There were 8 people in the room with me and so I had a lot of eyes staring at me. I worked really hard to talk at a normal pace and make eye contact with everyone. Anyhow, we'll see what happens. Either way, I will be happy. I have a lot of friends in my current district and I work in two great schools. I also have a lot planned for my schools next year. So, it is in God's hands. If the door opens, I will walk through it. If it doesn't, then I'll stay where I am at.

I took some pictures of Cowgirl and I thought I'd share with you. I also worked her last night. She has not been touched in months. I pulled her out and she was a little skiddish, but she was fine. So, I worked her in the round pen to make sure she wasn't going to do anything stupid. I then saddled her and worked her again. She did nothing! Never even showed signs of bucking. I was so impressed with this mare. I'd love to see her go as we need the money, but boy do I like how smart she is. If I didn't like Romeo so much I would sell him and keep her. But, I like Romeo for other reasons so, for now, he stays. :)

After I worked her with the saddle on I worked with her flexing. Horses have to be taught how to bend their heads around and to be soft in the face and neck. So, that's what we are working on. I then worked on teaching her to back with a bit. She did ok with that too.

My plan is to do that for another two weeks and then I'll work on sitting on her and breaking her. I believe it will be as easy if not easier than it was with Romeo. I'm very anxious to get started, especially after last night.

After that, I rode Badger. I took Ringo, Ryan's pup, with me so he could learn how to follow the horse. He did pretty well and listened for the most part. We are still working on that, but he's learning. If he doesn't listen then we put a leash on him for the rest of the evening. He's super smart so he'll catch on. It's so nice having a dog with brains!

Puuuuuussssshhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The guys trying to push one of the mules up the embankment Memorial Day Weekend. You can click on Texas to see more pictures from that weekend. I have added the ones Rebeccca sent me.

It’s Thursday, wow! Where did the week go? On Wednesday I finally got to ride Badger. I hadn’t ridden him in over a week. He had definitely put on some weight which is not good since he was already on the heavy side. We loped a 2 ½ times each way around the big pasture and he got pretty sweated up. So, I’m going to ride him today and Friday. Hopefully that will help with this weekend’s runs. I have one on Saturday and Sunday. This is a busy weekend. I have a barrel race in Rosenberg. It’s an NBHA. Then, on Sunday I have a GCBRA in Alvin and the Rodeo Sweethearts in Rosenberg. So, we’re going to get signed up early for the GCBRA and get there to run at 2 pm. Then, after I run, we’re going to load up and head over the Rodeo Sweethearts. I don’t plan to run as that is too much for Badger, but I have to help out since I’m part of that association.

I’m anxious to make my run as the last two runs we have made he was sore in the hocks and hit a barrel. (My leg still has the healing mark to prove it.) I know this weekend is going to be a lot of fun as he is on top of his game and ready to make some money.

I’m so ready for the summer break. We have two horses that have GOT to be sold! I need to work one on the barrels more and work on some basic riding skills to make him more desirable to buy. I also need to get our mare broke. We didn’t think she’d be able to be broke until the fall, but she had a little growth spurt and is big enough to break. That will, hopefully, make her more tangible to sell. Darn this market! I took some new pics of her this evening and will upload them tomorrow. She looks so much better than she did in January.

Shelby is also going through a growth spurt. She has been eating VERY well and looks like she is growing each day. She is such a ham too. Today, I laid her down for her evening nap because she was getting sassy. So, then I shut her door and turn on her video monitor so I can keep an eye on her. As I’m watching her I see her trying to sit up. Keep in mind, she’s laying in her bed. It was pretty awesome to watch her. She wasn’t crying or fussing. She was just trying to sit up. She did pretty well. Enough for me to watch her to make sure she didn’t get herself in a bind. Needless to say, she wasn’t ready for her nap yet so I had to go and get her out of bed. I took her back outside and fed her while we waited for Ryan to get home. It wasn’t long after he got home that I went riding and Shelby (after seeing me again) started to cry. Ryan told me she continued to fuss and cry so he hauled back to her room for a nap.

Memorial Day Weekend Pictures

Click on the Texas and Shelby's link to see more pictures.

Shelby eating strawberries. Celsey is a friend's daughter.


Shelby getting ready for the pool.


Shelby's famous "Scrunchy" face.


Shelby hanging out in the shade next to the mule.



I was swinging Shelby in the water. She was having so much fun and was laughing.

Shelby sleeping on the mule after playing in the water.

This is something new she is doing. "What's up?"

Memorial Day Weekend

This is long, so be sure to scroll down to the bottom to see the all the cute pictures of Shelby and the horses.

On Saturday we headed to a friend’s place in Eagle Lake to spend some time by the water. We had a good time and took tons of pictures of Shelby playing in the water. There wasn’t really a beach front since it was on the river, so we had her play in a little pool that was there. She had never been in water that deep or the cold before so it took some getting used to. If you click on her link you’ll see all the funny faces she made while getting used to the water. Once she got used to it she had a lot of fun playing and splashing in the water.

We did take her to the end of the boat ramp on the Colorado river for a little while. It was really muddy and so we didn’t stay that long since she started sinking in the mud.

We had so much fun we decided to come back today (Sunday) with the horse trailer so we could stay the night. It makes it a lot easier because it gives us a ‘home’ for Shelby to go and take a nap or watch a video for down time. As I type I’m putting her down for a nap. She was screaming, but has settled down and is now ready to sleep. Hopefully Ryan won’t come in and wake her up.

We were going to go to the beach but a line of thunderstorms was coming through so we decided to wait. It was good for Shelby so she could take a nap. Unfortunately, the thunderstorms are passing so I’m not sure if we’ll be able to go to the area where the beach is at cause we have to get a ride in the mule to get to the nice area. Oh well…I’m sure they will come and get us after a while.

Shelby normally lays down with no problems, but because she’s in a strange bed (her play pen) and a strange area (the horse trailer) it takes a little more for her to settle down. I’m glad to see she’s adjusting and didn’t cry more than a few minutes. It will make the trip to MI easier, I hope.

I only have 9 more days of school. This week is a 4 day week and then next week is a 4 day week for the kids but a 5 day week for us. I’m really looking forward to the summer and enjoying more time with Shelby and riding the horses. My true loves…oh, and of course Ryan! J

Well, I guess that’s about it for now. I’m sure I’ll have more to say after we go to the sandbar on the river. Even though the water is dirty, it is still nice not to have to deal with the salt water. The ocean looks so pretty on TV or in the pictures, but it sure does taste bad! HA!

It is now Monday evening and what an adventure the last 24 hours have been! We did head down to the river to enjoy some time by the water. What made it interesting is how we go there and how we left. I learned to get to the Colorado River can be tricky. We took the mules down the road, through a HUGE pasture and eventually to a thicket of trees with a drop off of 100+ feet. So, the tricky part was finding a way to get down to the river where the sandbar was. Jesse, one of our friends, took off on foot to scope out the thick wooded area that had grapevines everywhere. After about 10 min he came back and told us he found a spot to go down.

As I tell you this, keep in mind I have my 7 month old daughter with me throughout this adventure. We started towards what looks like a rainforest when I realize we are going to go through this thick brush. I took a thick beach towel and covered Shelby with it to help protect her from any strange brush, etc. She didn’t like that too much cause, like her Mom, she is adventurous and didn’t want to miss a moment. We started going through the brush and grapevines which led us to the steep drop.

That’s when the “feeling” came to my stomach. You know that “feeling” you get as you reach the top of the first hill of the biggest roller coaster? Yes, so I felt a little exhilaration, but panic as I realized I’m going down this “roller coaster” with my most prized gift…Shelby. Jesse warned me not to panic as we might slip, but he assured me we were not going to roll over. So, off we went, down the steep incline and sure enough the last ¼ of the way we started to slip. We slid the rest of the way to safety. Phew…deep breath…breathe….It was a lot of fun, but scary too since I had Shelby in my arms trying to peak through the blanket with the big, excited eyes of an adventurous child.

So, then we drive off down the sandbar a little way to find a good place that had shade to park the mules. I changed Shelby into her swimsuit, which is tooooooo cute and took her off into the river. She had sooooo much fun. She laughed and giggled while splashing in the water. Ryan took tons of pictures so we could save those memories for us and share them with you.

After a few hours the thought that had been sitting in the back of mind was starting to become a reality. We had to go UP that STEEP hill we slid down. Jesse kept reassuring us it would be no problem, but I have to admit I was feeling very doubtful. By the time we packed up it was around 7:30 PM. Shelby’s bed time is usually around 8 pm. That’s when she begins to rub her eyes and start fussing. So, I was a bit concerned with how I was going to deal with that if we were delayed for a long time as the men determined how we were going to get back up that hill, which looked like a mountain to me!

Long story short, Jesse put his mule in 4 wheel drive and took off up the hill. I chose to walk up the steep bank with the fear of him flipping. Good choice since he got stuck in the slick mud about ½ the way up. Ugh…Then, the guys decided to have LeeJ, who had the other mule, which was not 4 wheel drive, up the same bank. He got stuck about 20 or so feet before the first mule. Great, two stuck mules, 5-6 kids, and 8 adults all looking up at these stuck mules and wondering how we were going to get back. We were several miles away from where we were staying and in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, look at the pics if you don’t believe me.

As I’m looking at this situation and wondering what on earth were they going to do someone (Ryan said it was his idea) came up with the GENIOUS idea to take a rope, put it on the 1st mule, put it around the tree above it, and then tie it to the 2nd mule. Then, the 2nd mule would go in reverse, which would then pull the 1st mule up towards the tree! A simple machine…sorda…as a teacher, I can really appreciate this simple, but very effective way of solving a really difficult problem. So, then, the 1st mule was up out of the mud enough so that it was able to pull the 2nd mule up the bank. We all then climbed up the bank and got back on the mules. All we had to do is go through the thick brush and grapevines and were back in the pastures and heading back to the camp. Phew!

The rest of the evening was, thankfully, uneventful. Shelby went to bed around 9 pm after giving her a shower. Well, that was kinda interesting since I’ve only given her baths in her safe, non-slip, bathtub. Hahaha…babies are VERY slippery when they are wet and covered in soap. Ryan and I had to team up. I held her and he hosed her.

Anyhow, around 11 pm I went with some friends on a pontoon down the river while Ryan stayed behind to take care of Shelby. It was very relaxing to drive down the river. So relaxing it made me very sleepy. We got back around midnight and it wasn’t long after that when I went to bed. Everyone stayed up and partied til late in the night. I woke up at 2 am and heard them, went back to sleep, woke up at 3 am when Ryan stumbled back into the trailer then again at 4 am when Shelby woke up. I brought her to bed with us and she slept til 6:20 am. Ugh…I was so tired and she was so not tired! So, we hung out til 8 am when she got tired again and slept THREE HOURS. That was wonderful! I even woke up before she did.

We were all going to go back down to the river again. Yes, we were going to take the mules down that embankment again! The guys had a plan though…leave one mule behind so it could pull the other one up when we wanted to leave. Anyhow, at that time Jesse and Rebecca’s son, Colton, went to check on the dogs. (They had dogs there cause they would go hog hunting in the morning.) Anyhow, one of the dogs had gotten poked by a tusk of a hog right next to his private parts. The poor dog had some fat seep out of the hole. Jesse thought it was guts. Anyhow, we all decided to pack up and Ryan offered to take the dog to the vet. He figured the injured dog would be more comfortable in the back of our enclosed trailer and not bothered by the other dogs.

So, we take the dog with us and stop by the Wharton vet. I hadn’t been to this facility and was anxious to see it. The facility is VERY nice and has a wonderful set up for large animals. I was happy to know I have to wonderful vets so close to where we lived. A back up is always really nice to have incase of an emergency.

Ryan has his way with vets. He has been in surgeries with vets and seen lots of interesting surgeries. Anyhow, this vet was alone and asked Ryan to help out with getting the dog put out so he could cut him open and find out whether it was fat that had fallen out or his guts. We were REALLY hoping it was fat. Next thing I know they are cutting the dog open and digging around his guts. Very cool to see! However, Shelby started fussing and I didn’t think the vet needed us in there with Shelby squealing…yes…squealing…it’s something she learned this weekend. So, I took her out to the horse trailer and we waited for Ryan to return. The good news was it was fat that had fallen out and I believe the dog will be in the vet’s clinic for a couple of days, but he should be fine.

So, after that we came home. We were so tired from the adventurous 24 hours we just laid around the rest of the afternoon and took a nap when Shelby did. It is now going on 11 pm and I ‘m awake writing this cause I took my nap and wasn’t sleepy at my normal bed time. I can see this is VERY long so, I better close here. Enjoy the pictures of Shelby. My friend, Rebecca, is going to email me the pictures of the mules going up the embankment so I hope to add them soon. I’ll let you know when I do.

PS: Happy Memorial Day – God bless all my friends and family who have or are serving in the military!

PSS: Happy Birthday to my sister Michelle! I’m so sorry I didn’t call today! It was 11 pm your time before I realized today was the 25th and I hadn’t called. L I hope you had a great weekend and I look forward to hearing about it! Love ya!

Shelby & Horses

I thought this was cute picture of Shelby peaking over Daddy's shoulder. She was getting ready to drive up the house with him.

Shelby giving Twister some kisses.

Oh my, what big eyes you have!

Shelby petting Romeo's face.

The flag we hung up on Friday. I had the flag for a very long time. I just never had a pole. I finally bought one! Now, I need a TX flag to go on the other side of our driveway!

Mom Boudrie's New Horse

We got the news last night that Nancy found another horse! YEA! If you remember, she brought Shiner to us because he was not working out for her. Hopefully this new horse will be the perfect fit!

Here are some pictures of her and her new steed.

This weekend we plan to go to the beach with Shelby. It will be her first time, so I'm pretty excited to take her and see how she reacts. She has more bathing suits than me and she's only 7 months old! HA! They were all gifts from those who love her. I bought her sunscreen a week or so ago, so we just need to get those swimmer diapers and she's ready to go! It will be fun to do something without the horses!!

Here is a picture of a rocking horse Grandma Nancy bought for Shelby. We are going their in August for Gavin and Wendy's wedding. I'm sure Shelby will enjoy it!

These are Iris' from Nancy's front yard. They were so pretty I thought I'd share. I put the rest of the pictures she sent me under the "New Mexico" link.

Romeo, My Romeo...

We went Rossy's last night to ride and show a horse to Kelsey, Rossy's daughter. I rode Badger for the first time since we had his hock injected. I long trotted him a while then loped him in the arena before taking him around the barrrels. He felt normal...which was great! I decided to trot him around the barrels first to see if he was going to limp. No problems...so I loped him around the barrels and he did GREAT! He got down and really turned the barrels hard, which is hard to do at a lope cause there is minimal momentum. I was so thrilled to have my boy feeling better again! I loped a couple of more times and called it a night. He wasn't dropping his shoulder and he was working really nice. I'm learning him and learning to read him. I now know, if he drops his shoulder he's starting to hurt.

After that, I rode Romeo. This was his first time outside of a fenced in area. (Rossy's arena is not fenced off.) He was a little more squirrely, but worked VERY nicely. I am working on working in a nice circle and going in a straight line. (Young horses tend to do the 'drunk' swagger until they learn what they are supposed to do it!) He still needs to work on that, but he did great! He even loped nice circles, which is something I struggled with in the fenced in arena. I trotted him around the barrels several times. The second time around he decided the dirt was going to jump up and nibble on his legs, so we had to work through that. Anyhow, he has no clue why he was turning around this round objects, but he's doing it very nicely for a beginner. I love the way his body follows his head! It's exactly how I like him to turn. I'm anxious for the light to come on above his ears so we can learn how to set and turn. Right now we are just doing the pattern.

I was on one of my last trips around the barrels when he decided to attempt to start bucking. I had to pull him around and get after him. All the training we did to get him to this point...to prepare for the 'he might want to buck' had paid off! We got out of the buck in no time and was back to work. I took him one more trip around the barrels and he did it the best that last time so I stopped.

Shelby News:
Shelby tried an Avocado a couple of nights ago. LOL I have to feed her avocado again so you can see the face she makes. She is not sure if she likes it, but she kept eating it anyhow. She is so anxious to eat our food I believe she'll eat anything we give to her off of our plate. Anyhow, we are starting to introduce her to a few bites of easy to chew foods. She knows how to gum it until it turns to mush, which is good. She also eats and likes marshmallows. Ms. Brenda, her babysitter, introduced her to them. I went to pick her up earlier this week and it was funny to watch her eat the little pieces of marshmallow.

She has been eating a lot more lately, so I'm pretty sure she's fixin' to grow! I'm sure we'll be changing out her clothes again. It seems like I'm doing that every few weeks. Out with the old, in with the new. I'm sometimes sad to see some of her cute little outfits packed up and put away.