I got up this morning and fed the barn since our barn folks are at a Greensboro show. Although I am really exhausted, I did get to sit on 4 (including 2 new-to-me ones) today. All were really well behaved. I had a really good time and it was an awesome way to end the weekend.

Blogging for history sakes. Worked on upper body being still, staying quieter, lead changes over the fence

Cook was good.  We were out in the ring for a long time and she was patient for the most part until the very end.  She’s in heat again and so she is really interested in pursuing Lincoln’s attention.
I’m going to sleep REALLY well tonight.

First I have to give a big shout out to Ma Baker and ask how proud she is of us that no one was arrested, threw up, left behind, or any bones broken! YES!

Friday afternoon - Went on a boat with ‘Captain Freddy’. Captain Freddy was cool. He was our age and genuinely seemed happy to take out 6 girls, instead of some old guys fishing.

Go figure.

Friday night - Went to Myrtle Beach’s Broadway at the Beach to bar hop. We stopped by a piano bar first and had some alcoholic beverages. (I think that between the 6 of us, we covered a pretty wide variety of what-you-can-legally-order-at-a-bar-in-SC).

Then we went to a dance club. That was comedy but no use blogging about it cause its one of those stories that doesn’t transcribe well in a blog. and even then….. I dont’ think that its’ as funny as if u were there.  There was an old, white dude that was taking dancing on a platform REALLY seriously.
Saturday - Went to the spa. I had a massage done and Cam had a half day of treatments.

I had a really fun and relaxed time. It was awesome to see everyone. :-)

Quotes of the weekend

“How many fries can I get with $9?!” - Apu to a completely uninterested Mickey D’s worker.

“Fries are a $1.59…. (Do the math.)” - Mickey D’s worker back to Apu

“Jackrabbit, jackrabbit!” - various

“I’m not drunk enough to do that” - Whit to Crys about singing a Goo Goo dolls song karakoke.

“I think his name is Nausea, but I just call him Naj” - Whit

“We’re a bachelor party too, u girls should come back to our hotel. We have a $1,000 worth of liquor” - Random Drunk Guy

“We’re not drunk enough to do that, we’re not even drunk enough to talk to u” - Whit to Random Drunk Guy.

I came home and missed the last dinner with Cam cause my Uncle Franchot passed and I went to see my mom and help make her travel arrangements. She’s going to fly to Tennessee. Since his death was not unexpected, and the funeral will be brief, I am going to stay here.

Mom is doing good.

I made it down to Rich’s last night.  I’m glad this morning that I came down cause I am really tired this AM, and grateful that I have to only drive another hour and a half instead of 3.  (For those that don’t know, I am going to Wlmington for Cam’s bachelorette party).

I slept -pretty-well-… when I could sleep.  I had all three dogs with me last night.  Birdie was good, she just stays right underneath me and doesn’t move until I get up and call her.  Caddie was ok too although she snored a lil.  But Bashiedo’s big arse…  80lbs is a lot to be in bed and he kept getting me up.  I don’t know if he was restless or what. 

I can’t complain cause Richie will have all 3 tonight  :-)  Payback! 

I saw Cook before I left.  She cried when I told her that I wouldn’t see her for 2 days. 

Actually she rolled her eyes and looked un-interested.

I wasn’t able to ride today cause everyone was done so I took the opportunity to do some beauty school on Cook. Like I told my 10 year sister about waxing her eyebrows… “Beauty is painful”.

So she trots up to the gate when I call. (I bet she won’t do THAT tomorrow!)

So I “pull” her mane (I hack at her mane under Mere’s guidance - another words she felt sorry for Cook and decided to have mercy on her so Cook didn’t end up with a roached mane). Then I clipped her. (again. she just got clipped like a week ago).

THEN Mere clipped her ears (while I twitched her with my hand). She was MAD. I mean MAD. She stomped her feet and was fussy! Too bad!! Then we cleaned her ears out. It was DIS-GUST-ING.

Anyway, she looks awesome! Her ears made all the difference cause they were wayyy fuzzy.

Here is a pic  of her ears afterwards.

How freaking cute!  Here is a pic of her mane after it was done.  Not too bad!  Pretty even.  (For non horsey people, hunters like the length to be pretty short.)

Here is another pic of Rachel holding Cook while I take pics of how fabulous she looks.

Very yay. Go ahead, Lauren and comment “ur obsessed”. No, in fact, I’m not. I just don’t like Cook to look like a homeless, hobo pony.
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Here is a quote that I absolutely, totally, completely adore. I got this from Ricky, my childhood friend. I faxed it to my favorite person / twin cause people never read this blog.
I LOVE THIS. Please take the time to read it.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamson

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I have to get serious about dropping weight (~10lbs) so I am running with Scott again. Wait, let me rephrase that. Scott is running and I’m dragging behind him, dying. He yelled at me from across the track.
I was huffing so bad, coughing, choking, dying.

C: “Scott…wait… dying… seriously. I think I’m gonna throw up.”

S: “Good.”

C: “I hope those bushes u put ur shirt on was poison ivy.”

I’m not a runner! I won’t ever be!! Must keep going tho.

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So does anyone have any suggestions on any decent places to have a birthday dinner?

Right now I’m thinking like JK’s in North Hills…. but I’m open to suggestions. I’m totally already planning this. It has to be more on the dressy side since I’m making all the boys wear ties. Cause we are taking pics. With them. In ties. I know. I’m pushing my luck here. I don’t care. It’s my birthday and I’m boss on that day. Ask everyone about my birthday last year …. I made everyone wear khaki pants and white shirts with collars. Oh yeah, a few boys tried to band together, buck the system and rebel… but they got the smack-down and had to make a run to the outlet mall 3 hours before hand in order not incurr the wrath of Hurricane Crystal.

“I thought u were kidding” - Richard at OBX on June 3rd

“Did I sound like I was kidding? Is there anything about my face that says I’m kidding now?” - Crystal, in response.

and of course, the end of the story is that everyone loved the pictures we took. :-)

Schooling pics from 4-23 of Alexis Joanna and Ashley are up.

Here is Cook. (This is during her fussy time)

Here is Cook investigating my jeep.  She is saying  “Clean ur jeep out, freak!”

Here is Lincoln investigating me.

I have absolutely nothing interesting to say. I’m tired, irritable and just waiting for Prison Break to come out so I can go to bed!
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U know………. I will complain on here that I called 3 (THREE) loved ones today… and none of them called me back. and YES… I was a stalker and called repeated times. :-)

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I briefly saw Cook in her stall. She was sleeping.

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My counter is up to 8200. I am looking for 10K. that will be exciting. (yes I lead a sad life). I wonder how long it will take before I hit 10K.

I also wonder if anyone will ever comment again, concerning I haven’t had 1 comment in 5 posts. I’m boring my public.

U ever have one of those days where nothing goes right?

That would be today.

I had no luck today at all.

This week has to be better.

New post secret.

I do this.   I don’t PUT pennies on the ground, but if I see a penny and its’ tails up (not good luck) then I flip it over and leave it for the next person to have good luck.

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Quotes I like (again, from Postsecret):

“I can’t remember to forget u”

“I hope that someday you will learn to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you”
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Today I got to sleep in.  very yay.  Had a good morning.  Then I went out and had a late breakfast with Mere, then headed to the barn.  I tacked up Cook and we headed down to the ring with Mere to work on getting the lead over the fence.  So a couple of environmental things  - Cook hadn’t been ridden in a number of days, there was no other horses down there or around, it was thundering / storm coming and she had been in all night.  I was fully prepared for Cook to act up.   Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst.  Cook was absolutely as good as she could be under the circumstances.  She was very UP, had ALOT of horse under me and she kept me on my toes.  She got a lil fussy at the end but she was extremely entitled to it…  I was asking her for alot, she was alone and the bottom was about to drop out of the clouds above us.  In fact, it started raining as we were walking back up to the barn.  I was really glad for the time I got to spend with Mere alone.  It helped alot.

Sooo, the thing we worked on today was specifically getting the lead over the fence.  Cook knows what to do… I’m trying to catch up to her intelligence and learn how to ask her for what I want.  We did end on good notes, she was getting it when I asked (hard).   I’m trying to ask quieter and still be quieter over the fences.  The right lead was worse than the left… but that’s our bad side and we need to work a lil harder on that side anyway.

I am trying to keep my fingers closed but I need to still really work on my hands.

Really happy with her effort today.  Really happy.

I wanna blog quick. 2 funnies today.

So u know Cook threw her shoe. Well Mere called me to tell me that Cook didn’t want to be caught today in the pasture when the farrier came out to put it on. :-) I couldn’t go out there cause I had a 9am meeting but Mere covered it and got her for me. Cook was being a butt.
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The second funny was that Mere was in Hillsborough and asked me to do the milk test on May. May is due to foal any day now. U milk the mare, add a solution, and then dip a test strip in and it will predict when the baby will be born. I have done it with Mere a dozen times so I thought it would be no problem. (for non-horse people, it’s not like milking a cow, it’s not easy!) My problem becomes that Mere always does the milking… so I start… and…

I can’t get a drop of milk to appear. NOTHING. Ninnies aren’t even wet.

Gooooood One!

So I try to call Mere. No answer. I give up.

I leave the barn, drive away and think who can I call about this? Kevin! Yay! He knows all the answers to horses. So I call him and ask him about milking a mare. So he gives instructions and I make a U-turn in the middle of the road to give this another try. I walk back into the barn, get Alexis to hold her again and don’t u know!….. milk comes right out. VERY YAY! I know he will be embarassed when I say this but I think he’s pretty frickin’ awesome. Who else can give milking instructions over the phone and they work?
I finished the test. No foal predicted for 48 hours. We got time. Thanks Alexis for holding May and feeding her treats so she didnt’ kick/kill me.
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Went out with Rocky and Scott. Had a good time. Hit the Glenwood sites.  It was sort of random…  Scott texted me to ask me what I was doing, and I happened to be on 55 next to his house.  So we decided to go out and we hooked up with Rocky.  I did well.  I was very sleepy tho cause it was past my 830 bedtime.  :-)