Of soccer and sweatshirts

Ok, officially someone forgot to remember we need fall before winter. Crap-o weather in Michigan most of the time. I know I seem to always be mentioning weather here, but remember, I work outside. I should have titled "soccer and winter coats, hats and mittens." Oh well.

Soccer - what a blast we are all having!! I should have played soccer more than just the one year in high school - it's a lot of fun! Gabs and Ry are both on the same team (Rylee's playing up - it's just easier to keep track of one team and she was ready) and I'm assistant coaching. Mind you, I play soccer with the philosophy of a basketball player, just using feet instead of hands. The team is doing really well - we're like 4-1-1 I think. Both girls are playing great on all ends of the field - I admit my pride in them swells every week.


What else is new? Not much exciting - Steve has gotten one doe thusfar. House still not sold - we're considering taking it off the market, selling property, and remodeling current home. I've taken on a "boarder" horse - I'll have to post a pic for you to get the true picture of how badly he was injurred.

I will post pics when I can find the correct camera. I swear that thing is always lost!

Proud Blogger

So I must admit...looking at all your amazing blogs with great pics and interesting and/or witty stories made me feel bad about being an absent blogger lately. So instead of proudly letting you know what I'm up to, I'll post a picture that about sums it up. In case you need explaining, this is my freezer.

Q: "What is the blue/red/other colored stuff?"

A: Mostly blue moon ice cream, but it has some other fantastic freezer items melted into the goo.

Q: "Wow, what happened, did you lose power lately?"

A: Nope. We lost power about 3 months ago and about 6 months ago before that. Yep, it's been there that long.

Q: "I bet that took some effort to clean up."

A: I wouldn't know. It's still there:)

Full Circle

So I've now come full circle I guess.

Some were surprised when I announced that I was going to become a vet - "We've never heard you say you want to be a vet before." - and this was true. It never dawned on me that this would be the career path I would choose. My mother should have known, though, for way back in my early childhood days one of my favorite things to do was dissect any dead animal I could get my hands on - in her garage!! Early anatomy lessons.

So yesterday when my mom found my on my hands and knees in her garage with bloody towels all over, it was only natural. I finally got to fix one of my own, in her garage of all places:) My dumb dog once again figured out a way to injure herself out in the pasture. I swear she was out less than 10 minutes and somehow got a 4-5 inch laceration on her front leg. Thankfully only skin deep and no tendons, muscles, etc. damaged. 18 stitches later and she's good to chase horses once again.

Thanks mom for a nice clean garage floor to perform my life's calling on! You really are a trooper about all the guts and gore and smells! Love you!

She looks a little guilty, no? Maybe this time she'll think twice, but I doubt it. Speaking of guilty faces - this one definately is!! This is what happens when you give a boy a chocolate pudding to eat on his own. Usually his sisters referee this type of outlandish behavior, but since they were busy elsewhere, he took full advantage of my back being turned while making salsa. I obviously wasn't too surprised - I did take his shirt off before letting him go at it.

Day Off

So excited to go pick blueberries this afternoon!!! YUMMY!!! I have several recipes rolling around in my noggin and I'm psyched to try them out. We have new neighbors recently, and my good friend and prior babysitter, Hannah, just moved in down the road, so I have some home-welcoming to do! I'll try to post some pics of the event - no promises because my small camera took a crap and my good camera needs batteries (I think I can handle that one).

Happy Beautiful Day!

Liberty

(Disclaimer: I have refrained for the most part from political discussions on this blog, but I've finally had it, and I don't know what better venue to vent my frustrations than this since I'm better at writing than speaking.)

Webster Dictionary Definition of LIBERTY: 1. the quality or state of being free 2. the power to do as one pleases 3. freedom from arbitrary or despotic control 4. the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges 5. the power of choice



Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.



I am truly alarmed and horrified at the erosion of liberty in our lives. I'll site some things that are really irking me later, but what's even worse is that it seems like we're just sitting on our haunches and watching our freedoms vanish one after another. Everyone is so content to just let our "nanny," the government, just make all our decisions. Is this a generational thing - that we're too lazy to make our own minds up? Too comfortable in our recliners? Unlike our founding fathers who weren't content with having arbitrary control forced upon them from the British church and government. Are we so caught up in the rat-race that we can't even see what is going on around us?



So what is it that's got me all fired up? Well, it will seem stupid at first, because it is rather trivial. It's more the additive effect of stealing freedom and choice over and over. I reached my tipping point on Sunday. We were out boating on a gorgeous afternoon, minding our own business and following all the rules of the lake...or so we thought. Until the rent-a-cop boat police decided to pull us over. "What's wrong sir?" "How old are the kids in the boat?" "Six, five-and-a half, eighteen months, and the one in the tube is eight." "Well, they don't have the right kind of life jackets on." "Excuse us, they're all wearing coast-guard approved vests, sir."

"Well, they need to have type 1 PFD's until they're six in a boat, and until 12 on a jet ski. The rule changed this spring."

If you're not a boating sort, this seems stupid and irrelevant, but have you worn one of these Type 1 PFD's for any length of time? Back when I was a kid, this was the only option and they were a monstrosity. (Luckily we had a really worn-out version that was tolerable, but probably wouldn't have held up my leg). Until the modern boating era designed the type 3 PFD that is more like a jacket. The most recent life-jackets are actually really nice and made out of materials that aren't too bad. Even C.J. doesn't fuss to put his on. Also back when I was a kid (hey, that's really not that long ago despite you wanting to tease me about being old), there were no age rules on when you had to wear a PFD, it was up to your parent's judgement. So now, we not only have an age restriction (that came a few years back), we have to revert to the proverbial stone-age of life-jackets. The claim is "they hold up your head better," but I seriously wonder what manufacturers lobbied for this change after the new, comfortable versions came on scene and the type 1 sales plummeted? Why must the government infringe on our liberty? Am I unable of making a decision (for some reason my parents were able to make that decision and many others over the years without massive death and destruction on the planet).

Here are some other instances that take away our liberty/choice:

• I can't decide which tpye, or how long my child will be restrained in vehicles
• You must ride a helmet on a motorcycle
• You can't smoke almost everywhere (even in your own home in San Francisco)
• You can't lead prayer in public school

I'll go on...but wait, we can let a 15 year old choose to terminate a pregnancy? That seems really ironic.

• Everyone in a car must wear a seatbelt
• We buy cars that have to meet a certain cafe standard
• Trans fat is bad, restaurants had to take it out
• Sugar is bad - lets tax it
• Many states don't allow private citizens to have certain types of guns
• We can't use normal light bulbs. We have to use ones with mercury in them - nice...isn't that one of the leading causes of autism.
• They tell third graders, if your parents spank you, report it because that's child abuse
• ...and now, my kid must wear a type 1 or 2 PFD at all times in a boat until he's 6

Some of you are reading this post thinking I'm nuts, these are all good rules, made to protect us. Maybe so. I'm not at all saying that there shouldn't be a rule of law and we can just have anarchy, but why, in a country founded on the principle of liberty, can't I choose for myself as long as the effects don't imfringe on someone else?

I just hate where I see this country going. We are willingly being led in the name of "protection"; and as we walk the leash is getting tighter and tighter. I'm scared that by the time we realize it's choking us, we'll be asphyxiated and unable to reverse the damage. Generation X, we are adults now. It really is ok to make your own choice without mommy, daddy, and the nanny. We don't need to be forced to take on government health care. We shouldn't have to drive a match-box car. It should be my choice if I choose to be so dumb as to get on a motorcycle without a helmet. If I want to eat french fries cooked with trans fat and die of a heart attack, the responsibility is on me, no one else. If I want to be able to boat with my child, in peace, without clammoring and fussing because he can't turn his head or even sit down, it's a risk I'll take (for pete's sake, he's still wearing a life jacket). Some kids need a good hard spanking (maybe that's half the problem, not enough of generation x got spanked?:)). I hate smoking, it's gross. But if someone wants to smoke and they are in my space, have at it. It's your lungs and don't blame the tobacco company.

This country is too great!! Our founders were too wise!! The Constitution is amazing!! People have brains - make them use them!! Why can't we rest on these factors and quit with all the trivial rules and regulations.

Now that I've irked off everyone. I'll quit and go to bed. I feel much better. I'll sleep much sounder. Hopefully you can grant me the liberty of this vent without holding it agains me.

Yeah, July Is Here!

I think I've said this before in this same forum, but I love July!!!
Independence Day has always been my favorite holiday. I think this may have begun when I was an adolescent and a particular co-ed that I forever had a crush on was always in the neighborhood on the 4th of July. Besides that, what's not to love! I love our little home-town parade, even if it is rinky-dink. I feel a little bit of nostalgia because I doubt it's much different than it was 50 years ago besides the tractors being bigger. It's nice to think that some things don't have to change (no need for change Mr. President, I love our country the way it has been). By the 4th of July, the water at the lake is just the right temperature - warm enough to swim, but not cold enough to take your breath away. Then there's friends and family. Sitting around eating apps and BBQ I can't think of anything better. It's so fun to watch my kids relish in the same frivolities I did 25 years ago (whoa, that's a quarter century!). This year we even added a friendly game of whiffle ball with the neighbors. I actually did hit the ball to the roof, and then promptly wiped out in a big way as I rounded second towards third. My feet came right out from under me and I landed flat on my a@@. Oh so graceful! My parents have been so lucky to always have great neighbors. It's pretty incredible that they've lived in the same house for 30 years and never really had someone next door that was a creep or majorly annoying. Although I did accidentally meet the lady that lives behind them - she was three sheets to the wind and in rare form - she may break the streak, but I don't consider her a neighbor exactly.
I love July - the weather has been PERFECT!! Today was in the 70's and breezy, a few puffy clouds floated by. We have only had to run our A/C like 4 days this whole summer!! That will be nice on the electric bill and wonderful that we can sleep with the windows open.
Hope you all are having as wonderful of a July!

I'm Back

Wow, can't believe it's been over two months since my last flimsy post. I actually wrote this post a month ago, then our internet crashed for 4 weeks. Honestly, I have many reasons for not posting, not just excuses. So I'll try to catch up on everything without being too long winded. And yes, if you scroll to the end and skip my babbling, there are pics of our trip to Disney. I tried not to put too many of the same ones that are on Facebook, but the really cute ones were repeated:)

So, a 2 months ago, my Spartans were defeated in the NCAA finals. Flat out outplayed by the Tarheels, I can admit that. It was fun to have a good run, though.

At the same time, for work we were putting on a large scale conference for dairy producers, veterinarians, industry personel, etc. I honestly felt like I was planning a wedding again - guest list, catering, meeting spaces, hotel accomodations, sponsors, speakers, just to begin the enormity of it all. In the end we had over 200 attendees and an incredibly successful event. It was actually amazing how well everything came together - not even a computer crash! It was a great meeting! The remainder of that week I spent escorting one of the keynote speakers around to many of our client's farms for walk-throughs of the calf facilities.

Naturally, the next week was spent recovering from the previous. There was a bunch of horse work that I had to get caught up on after neglecting the poor creatures for a week. Plus we were leaving the following week for Disney, so I really had to cram 'em in. I've been impressed that the horse business hasn't fallen off all that much. Considering our great economy here in Michigan (and everywhere else for that matter), and the fact that you hear stories of people just abandoning their horses, I figured things would be pretty quiet. It honestly hasn't been much different than any other year up to this point. We'll see how the remainder of the "shot season" plays out.

So that brings us to our exciting family vaccation to Walt Disney World in Orlando. We had been so looking forward to this trip. It was our first vaccation as a whole family (since C.J.) and our first "big" Disney trip - we went for 1 day 4 years ago. I had planned and planned to get this one just right for all involved. We went with my parents, which was really nice - the adults outnumbered the kids which is very important. So I'll use the multitude of pictures to give you the scoop. They aren't in any particular order. Sorry for the long length. That's what happens when you only post once a month I guess.

Here is the Motley Crew in front of Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom. As a 30-year old, I'm still enchanted by Disney. They do such a fantastic job of creating atmosphere that you truly feel like a kid again. It sure was fun living in fantasyland for a time. There are times you really feel like Tinker Bell and Mickey aren't just imaginary.

We were very fortunate in the timing of our trip. It was after the Spring Break rush and before the summer vaccations, so the parks weren't all that crowded. Most of the time we were able to get on rides at our leisure. TinkerBell, however, was our longest wait 45 minutes! I was feeling annoyed because the sign said 15 minutes, but then later when chatting with someone they said that they had waited 2 1/2 hours to see her and then got rushed through! All this for a fairy!

You may not realize the significance of Gabby's presence in many of the character pictures. What child doesn't love the characters? Gabby. Until day two of our trip that is. I don't know what came over her or if there was a child swap that I was unaware of, but my daughter is normally terrified of anything dressed up - characters, mascots, halloween, you name it - and on day one she hid behind any pole or person she could to avoid these fuzzy friends. Then it all changed. Not only was she unafraid, she became a woman on a mission to find every possible character she could. Forget rides and shows - lets go find Pluto!
I had to include this picture because I think it is the only one of just Steve and I. This is at Animal Kingdom. None of us had ever been to that park, but we really enjoyed it. They have a great roller coaster and several other good rides, as well as zoo-like attractions.

While at Animal Kingdom, we ate breakfast with Donald and Mickey. This was a big hit! And good food, too! C.J. adores Donald Duck. I had some really cute pictures of him with Donald on our first day. Unfortunately, Rylee got ahold of my camera the next morning and promptly erased ALL of the pictures on it. I was sad about the Disney day one being gone, but heartbroken that probably about a year's worth of pictures were also on that chip and not saved on my computer. I seriously almost cried. I still might.

So back to C.J. and Donald Duck. The boy loved the duck! He got this crazy grin on his face, laughed his belly laugh, and ran straight to him. He was kissing his beak (I know, germs, swine-flu, etc. Get over it.), cuddling him, and loving every minute of it too. The great thing was, it seemed like every Donald we ran into was great! They'd get right down on his level and give him all sorts of attention and affection. It was really cute! There were moments I second-guessed our decision to have an 18 month old with us, but not when characters where involved. C.J. was definately into them.

Gabby and Poppy at our pool. The girls were great for most of the trip. They did have their moments, though. Especially the first couple days when they were getting in the groove or whatever. The whining was intense at times. But we made it through. One of the more annoying things they did was constantly whine about when are we going back to the hotel so we can swim (Just imagine that said about 20 times in a high-pitched whiney tone). Not that I don't love a little pool time, but come on, we're at Disney. We can swim all summer long. But Steve and I had to come to the realization that their reality isn't the same as ours and we spent time at the pool almost every day.

Rylee lived up to expectations of being a dare-devil and enjoying every thrill ride available to someone under 48" tall. Her favorite was the Tower of Terror at MGM/Hollywood Studios. This ride involves several stories of freefall. She also ate up every roller coaster she could go on (there was 1 or 2 that she was still to small for). Gabby did pretty well with the coasters, too, but didn't care for rides that spent any length of time in the dark.

Steve and Rylee at Epcot. The girls saw all the different fireworks/nighttime shows (we missed the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom). They were pretty much troopers about being on the go constantly. I thought they'd hit a wall and just fall asleep, but they never did.

C.J. however, was the opposite. He was one tired kid. He only got one nap each day because it was too time consuming to take the transportation back to the hotel multiple times. So the adults rotated who would go back in the afternoon. Actually, my parents did it most often because they enjoyed the chance to rest up a little, too. He's been teething for a while - molars - which makes him tired as well. He did really, really well, though for the most part. Considering all the bus rides, stroller in-and-outs, strange sights, being woken up every morning, he wasn't too bad. This picture was at night when he could barely keep his eyes open. He was playing at a water fountain, but just layed down.

We did the Disney Dining Plan which was awesome. I swear we ate enough for an army! It was also great to be able to go to a wide variety of really cool restaurants. In Disney style, they are all themed one way or another. Below we are at the Princess dinner in Norway at Epcot. We also enjoyed a Japanese steakhouse, an African Boma, the Whispering Canyon, and a couple others I can't think of.

Wow, they actually look like they love each other:) They do. It's great to have kids who enjoy (most of the time) playing together. They both have wild imaginations and have a blast. They were the perfect age for Disney.

This is a picture of our hotel, Coranado Springs, at sunset. It was a great hotel - beautiful settings, excellent food court, fun pools with water slides, adequate rooms, and white sand beaches with hammocks. We did also spot a 3 foot alligator swimming in the "lake" but convinced Gabby that they are more scared of us than we are of them.