Theresa, thanks so much for always listening to me complain. I really appreciate it.

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I went out and held Cook for Spring shots with Fernando. She was good (of course!). Cook is a pro. I like Fernando. He knows my horse which is quite a feat concerning he deals with billions. He’s very nice in asking about her (remembering the details about her flexions and hocks), and making sure I don’t have any concerns (how sad even our vet knows I’m a paranoid freak about Cook). I should have gone out after work and cleaned her up but I was just too tired. The lack of sleep is catching up with me. My mind refuses to shut down.
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I wanted to post my favorite pics from Ariana’s b day party.

Here is Rich and I before going over to my mom’s.

This is a cute pic of Birdie sleeping with Rich. She will nap with anyone. What I like tho about this pic is that Rich and I sleep exactly the same way.  On ur sides, legs drawn up…. and Birdie at my butt. 

Here is a pic of Rich and I….

My brother is so damn cute!

BTW, my brothers’ shirt says “TRASH” cause he’s a member of the Carolina Trashers which is a running team.

ask me why I’m on the computer.  1 guess!!

I woke up and can’t sleep so I gave up and got on.

My mind can’t stop thinking.  It really can’t.  I relentlessly spin.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d

Too tired to blog but I will post my absolute favorite picture from today.

One of my barn-mates and friend, Kathy is having a difficult time right now.  Her father is in ill health and she has gone home to Texas to be with them.  I just wanted to blog that we are thinking about her and have her in our thoughts and prayers. 

bad news.  I feel gross. and my face is horribly broken out just in time for pictures tomorrow~!!  yay!!  I assume this means photoshop will be my next best friend.

good news.  I’m at richie’s.  I just raided his cabinets.  He’s such a single guy.  I found frozen tacquitos and some uh’oh’s.  He did have Midol tho so that was pretty funny.. and sad all at the same time. 

Cook was happy to see me today.  I like however she sees me she walks over to her stall window or door or pasture gate, acknowledging my presence (or perhaps hoping out hope I have something for her - she’s not a treat hog but usually if she’s in her stall, she wants out and if she’s out, she wants in.  U know that is… we always want what we can’t have.)  I didn’t ride.  She will prolly be off due to inclement weather until Tues. 

nite.  pray for me tomorrow.

Had a good day!  Seems like I laughed all day.

I worked thru lunch to order to make it to the ring when mere was giving a leadline lesson.  I was working and my computer froze, spluttered and died.  Our sys admin goes “I fixed this yesterday and it took like 3 hours!”  LOL  Score!  I went and rode.

Cook is pasture mates with Elvis now and seems to be calmed by him.  Duly is a young gelding that has also been added to the mix.  Makes things easier when Elvis is being ridden so Cook won’t be pacing the pasture.

Pat: “Aw.  Does Cookie like Duly”?

Crystal:  “Not really.  She pretends he doesn’t exist but if he came over to her and made her acknowledge him, she would prolly kick his arse”

So anyway, I won’t bore any faithful blog readers (all 3 of u …  not including my mom who has stopped reading this, apparently I’m boring to even the woman who gave birth to me) with a play by play of what we did.

Cook was awesome.  She has the best canter.  We were gonna jump around but we only went over a couple.   I was just having fun cantering around, circling around Mere’s lesson and Pat in the ring.  Cook is ultra-sensitive… she responds on a DIME.  the bestest ever.

I went back to work and my computer was still locked but it came back up.  :-)  Perhaps it should freeze every Fri afternoon when it’s 67 out.

nothing much tonight.  Went to BB for my sis’s b-day present.  Her birthday party/sleepover/zillion kids running around is this weekend.   I’m tired so I turned in at 845pm

**im an extremely early riser … posting this now since I’m up at 530am.  Upton knows this cause in the summer we have to negotiate riding times.  I want to ride at like some “un-Godly” hour like 8am and College student Upton shoots for like 11am.  Usually we meet somewhere in the middle after I repeatedly call her to wake up.

Kathy waited for me to get to the barn to ride Early Bird (thanks kat). The wash stalls and cross ties were full so I pretty much just threw a saddle and bridle on (w/ Alexis help - thanks, A) and raced down to the ring to order to catch the remaining sunlight.

Cook was awesome. I can’t describe how awesome. She was strong and frisky and just COOK. She was just listening to me so well. We jumped around… not too much since it’s only her 2nd day back but she just wanted to. We were just warming up, trotting and were in the path of a jump and she perked her ears forward like she does.  So I was like alright, let’s go over it if u want to.  She was very very forward (but not charging) to the jump. It was like she missed it and wanted to know why we had taken time off. She was very very happy. I think the time off helped her back alot as well cause she was in top form. She took a lot of long spots (cook is notorious for the long…) but that was just cool as hell. We were randomly cantering jumps and I was making it up as I went along so our spacing was a lil off.

The one that made me smile was the first time at the Ducks. I jumped it as a single and I was off (stride..not off the horse). Cook added an extra stride and I was on her neck jumping ahead. Cook… thanks so much for going over. Cause u saved me, baby cakes. I would have been eating ducks had u hesitated.

I am estatically happy that she is well. Alot of people give me a hard time about her. They say things like “ur obsessed”, “aw, it’s cause she’s ur first (horse)” or “there will be others..” and things like that. No matter how much people *think* they know…. no one really understand MY love for THIS mare. She’s picky and prissy, likes perfectly clean water, hates the rain, grass rings, ponies and is short… bucks me every now and then, doesn’t like other riders on her and it has been *said* she has bug eyes. OH! and “moves like a deer”! But I love this mare like no other. She is the most special thing to me ever in this life. No one can ever replace her. I can ride all the other horses in the world but there is nothing like being with her.

And when she is ok, I am ok.

rode cook this evening. she was soooooooooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooooooood.

17 days off and not even a hop at the canter. just beautiful.

I can go back to scrapbooking now. I gave it up while she was off. It was hard to keep looking at pictures.

YAY!

-riding the next 3 days while the warm weather lasts.

PS…. :Look for Videos on the right. Video from 2-14-06 Fadels

So I am up early cause I went to bed so early. My back aches a lil bit but I’m sure I won’t feel the full force until tomorrow. Have to make sure I ride Cook today to try and ward some of it off.

Pictures are in the gallery under Schooling at the Fadels.

Yesterday I rode 3 horses.

Ellen Z’s horse Pikant. I really really like this horse. Solid. Tall, athletic, talented. canter is very Gymnast-rocking horse. The Fadels have newly adopted 2 goats. Yesterday was their first day. All the horses were a bit mystified by the goats. So everyone was a bit on the spooky side… except Pikant. He didn’t care AT ALL. Goats? what goats? Pikant figured as long as the goats weren’t chasing him, he didn’t have anything to worry about. Mere jumped him around and holy crap! that horse can jump!!! (See pics)

Ellen Z’s Savannah. Aw. I rode her last time. she’s so nice. She was a bit worried about the numerous distractions outside the ring (i.e. goats, someone target shooting?, wind) but she never spooked. (Cook would have jumped out of her skin in the same scenerio).

Gymnast. Nothing to say about him. Everyone knows Gymnast. I love Gymnast.

Gymnast - solid citizen. lover of orange clay. not a fan of goats.

He didn’t do anything stupid, but just riding along the fence line, he was just preoccupied whether perhaps we would be attacked by the goats. I didn’t do much on him, because he was the last one I rode and my back was already aching. I felt like I was really heavy in the saddle at 1 point due to fatigue.  Mere was working with the girls over pony jumps so I hopped over a few.

So I have lots of video that I need to work on getting out. That will be for this week.

Quote:  “Happy Single Awareness Day….” - who else?

I am so tired. going to bed. fun tho. rode 3 today. I like these two pics of me and one of them, Pikant. He’s awesome.

one more of Pikant

Before I go tho I have to post this. Cook, ur still my heart.

I will work on the video and other pics later.
love. cgl.