The Hohman Homestead

A New Chapter

2011-10-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hello folks, how y'all doing??

Once again, I've been MIA, but I'm sure y'all are used to it by now. Honestly, half the time I tell myself I should can this whole blogging thing. But alas, I love it too much and therefore have started ANOTHER blog. Yes, you read correctly. Miss Once-Every-Two-Months-Blogger has started a second blog.

Don't be alarmed, The Hohman Homestead is not getting canned and hopefully will one day (soon!) be running at full-tilt again. But, I had this little (ok, maybe not so little) squishable, kissable, loveable baby about 5 months ago and well, people are demanding photo updates. So I'm here today to announce:

Russell-Mania

The posting style there will be much different than here at the Homestead, hence why I started a whole new she-bang. Each post will consist of a date, Baby H's age at that time, and a slew of photos. But NO WORDS. Making it much easier for me to get some posting done. :)

And now, on to the real new chapter. Cowboy H and I (and well, the whole entire herd) are packing up and moving out. Yup, after all the sweat and dirt (literally) and tears (not really) and hours of improvement we've poured into this home, we're moving on.

While things are going to be a little complicated at first (think 2 adults, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 horses and 1 baby moving into my parents' house) eventually we will be moving onto a 2 acre piece of property, complete with horse pens, a chicken coop, a pump house, a brick patio and a GIANT avocado tree just to name a few amenities. (Wow, that was a really long sentence.) The home is a 150+ year old farm house that my family has owned for many, many years. It was originally bought by my grandmother's parents (yep, my great-grandparents). My parents actually lived here when they first got married and so did I until I was about 5 years old.

The first phase of the move has already been completed; Crow and Maria have already been relocated to the back pasture of my parents house, where I'm sure they're getting even fatter. And just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, the rest of the Homestead will be snuggled closely (and tightly) into my parents' house as well.

Wish us (lots and lots and lots) of luck!

A Few Things

2011-08-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

1. Baby H is 3 months old now! (Yes, its been 3 months and I've only blogged about him once. Shut your mouth.) He is growing at an exponential rate; he weighs 19 pounds already! All of his clothes are 6 or 9 months and the 6 months I should probably rotate out since they look like little muscle shirts on him. He talks and laughs up a storm, especially when you stick your tongue out at him, or show him a mirror. He is almost sitting up on his own, but still kinda dumps over forward or sideways. He's very close to rolling over, but hasn't quite figured it out yet. He loves water and bathtime and lounging in the backyard naked. He's grabbing anything that gets near him and of course, everything goes in his mouth now. It's all so amazing!

2. My laptop is dead. RIP Macbook Pro. You were only 2 years old. Yep, my precious, beloved computer is dead. It was sitting on the backyard grass after a naked baby session when the sprinklers accidentally came on and soaked it. For a minute solid. Fortunately, all my data (and baby photos!) is undamaged and safe, but the circuit board of the laptop was fried. So, blogging may (still) be slow while I get used to using Cowboy H's computer and get all my data/programs transferred over to it.

3. This mama is now a stay-at-home mama! That's right folks. Cowboy H and I saved and scraped together anything we could from my disability/maternity leave pay to make it possible. I am trying to get something going with my photography, but its slow-going at this point. You would think that would leave me more time for blogging, but no, that just means I get to spend more time with this guy:

All of these photos are OLD; from when he was 6 weeks or younger. He is so much bigger now!! I'm working on getting the more recent photos processed and uploaded now that I have the data from my computer back. (Sniff, sniff)

4. Speaking of my photography, I donated a few photographs to a fundraiser for the ranch where we keep our horses. The facility does a lot of equine rescue and holds fundraisers every so often. They always put my photos in the silent auction and they are always a big hit. This time, Cowboy H made some killer frames for the photos, but I didn't take pictures of the finished products. Here, however, are the photos:

The first four I had printed in 8" x 12" size and framed them with Cowboy H's old wood frames. The last two I had printed as 4" x 6" and put them together in a double frame. They all turned out awesome. If you would like any of the above photos, shoot me an email or drop a comment!

Until next time (whenever that might be)!!

The Nursery

2011-06-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

For the past several months, Cowboy H and I have been undertaking a major home improvement project. Okay, who am I kidding, Cowboy H has been doing all the work, since a) I am more trouble than help when I paint, and b) I was pretty pregnant for most of the time. For the most part, we are simply replacing all the flooring and painting all the walls in the entire house. However, there was one extra special room.

WE GOT TO MAKE A NURSERY!!!

Hee hee. Although I haven't taken many pictures of the entire project, I will eventually show you the new and improved Homestead. But for now, my new favorite room in the house…

The idea for the nursery was inspired by this shelf:

which was given to us by the ever generous Desert Rose, as well as a certain red vintage cowboy fabric crib set owned by the same lady. (Hint, hint.)

The combination of the two led me to the idea of a vintage desert cowboy "theme". I wanted muted, calming colors that reminded me of the desert.

We purchased the crib and dresser/changing table set used from one of the veterinarians I work with. The quality of the furniture is amazing; its already been through three kids and hardly has a scratch on it. The rocking chair was used by my mom when my brother and I were babies; my dad and brother refinished/painted it for me. The border was hand painted by me, using stencils that I made after wasting too many hours searching online for just the right stencils to match the image in my head. The wall artwork are Will James (of Smokey the Cow Horse fame) pencil sketch reproductions. The crib set was made for me by an extremely talented aunt after I was unable to sequester the above mentioned set. This crazy (in a good way) aunt of mine made everything: sheets, crib skirt, bumper pad, quilt changing pad covers, towels, washcloths, pillows, window valence using fabric I purchased online.

Bumper pad

Crib pillow

Window valence

And yes, those were baby chinks you saw:

Don't worry, he already has the Wranglers to go with them.

First Father's Day

2011-06-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance to those of you who want to be updated on Homestead projects (which there are PLENTY, including one happening right now), or the doggies, or our equine children, or the rest of the wedding, or the honeymoon we took last year, or anything else I've alluded to but never posted about. We kinda have baby fever over here, and well, its gonna spill over into this blog.

But at least I'm blogging!

For the first time, Cowboy H celebrated Father's Day with a fur-less, two-legged being this year. And it just kills me dead.

Too bad Baby H has such a sad face in this photo

And lest you think Hank has been kicked to the curb…

Hope y'all had a wonderful Father's Day as well!

Look Who's Here!!

2011-06-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

That's right, the newest member of our family has arrived!

Born May 23, 2011 at 3:04 am, Baby H weighed in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 21 inches. And that was after passing his first poops while still in my belly. Just a small fry, ya know.

I promise that I will update y'all with more baby pics, labor/delivery details (or not), the finished nursery and just life in general with a newborn. It may take a while however, since I am resigned to typing with one hand while the other holds Baby H who, after 3 weeks, will no longer sleep unless held.

Until then, here's a few more photos to hold you over.

Two Cities, Two Trails

2011-02-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

Since most of us are either under 2 feet of snow or 8 inches of rain, I have some trail eye-candy to share with you. (Nevermind that these photos were taken last month…)

First up, Cowboy H and I rode out from our ranch into the local State Park with a few other residents boarders. It was a gorgeous day!

From January 16:

Love the snow-capped mountains nearby!

Here I am on my mount (Maria was lame). Isn't he handsome? I am five and a half months pregnant here.

A week or so later, Cowboy H and I headed out to the desert for a little ride with the Desert Rose. We lucked out and landed another gorgeous day!

From January 25:

Cheers! Of course.

Isn't she fabulous!

Cowboy H and I borrowed horses instead of hauling ours all the way out there. I am nearly six months pregnant here. Photo courtesy of the Desert Rose.

There was water everywhere; it was so refreshing!

Hope y'all enjoyed a glimpse of what all this stormy weather will give way to in a few months. Stay safe and warm!

The Deets On Baby H

2011-02-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Due: Middle Of May. May 21 if you're one of those specific dates people. However, I am the Maid of Honor in a wedding on that exact day, so I'm (wishfully) going with "middle of May".

Gestational Age: (So you don't have to calculate it yourselves.) 6 months, 1 week. Or 25 weeks.

Gender: Yes, Baby H is a confirmed boy. My use of "he" in my previous post was not accidental.

The Day We Found Out: Sept. 14. In fact, it was the day before the photo of us in the previous post was taken.

First Time I Felt The Punk Kick: Dec. 11. I was 17 weeks exactly.

Yes, I was very very sick. The nausea (and vomiting) lasted well past my first trimester. I lost 5 pounds before I bottomed out.

Yes, I'm still wearing normal jeans (unbuttoned of course). The only maternity clothes I have purchased so far are a few tops. (We're cheap-asses.)

Yes, I am still working. I hopefully will be able to work until about the week before Baby H debuts. And yes, I will go back to work shortly after his birth, as much as I will hate it.

Yes, I am still working out, although I had to take an extended break when I was sick. At this point, I'm back to 3 times a week. I treadmill one day, strength-train (weights) another day and swim the last day. Although, I need to upgrade from my high school water polo swimsuit soon…

And lastly, yes, I am still riding. In fact, Cowboy H and I went on two longish rides (4-5 hours) in the last few weeks, and I have photos! I'll share them with you soon; the rides were just beautiful.

I can share all the gory (and precious) details with you if you want. Ask away!

Tap Tap… Is This Thing On?

2011-01-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

The most recent photo I have of Cowboy H and I, taken in September of last year.

Hello? Anybody out there?

Anybody?

As I begin to write my first post in, oh, seven months, I wonder if I will even show up on anybody's feed anymore. Heh heh, that's okay, we'll all gotta start (over) somewhere.

This is seriously the first time I have even logged into my blogger account in about 6 months. It took me approximately 7 tries to get my user name and password combination correct. Then I couldn't remember how to navigate my account once logged in. Lastly, I can't remember how to write html format anymore!!!

I'm surprised my account is still active…

I never, ever intended to stop blogging, but once I had been MIA for so long, I felt weird coming back. I didn't know where to start, what to say.

Then, I lost all motivation. My schedule calmed down and I actually had some time to blog, but I just couldn't talk myself into logging in. I didn't feel like a blogger anymore.

Not sure if I even can call myself a blogger anymore…

Moving on. I miss y'all!! (Seriously, is anyone still there?)

I'm not sure if I'm back for good, but I really really really want to be back. So much has happened that I haven't documented (you know, its been almost a year) that I'm starting to forget it all. And really, while establishing wonderful connections with all my readers/commenters has been a big plus, the main reason I started this blog was to record and remember the story and adventures of The Homestead.

Speaking of The Homestead…

Its still standing. It didn't get washed away or flooded out during the Southern California Christmas-time Downpours.

But that's about all that's stayed the same.

Well, the number of family members has stayed the same.

But, that too will be changing soon.

Oh yes, we are doing it again.

Only this time, the newest member won't be here till May.

And he'll have 2 legs instead of 4.

And (hopefully) he won't be covered in fur.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: All The Little Details

2010-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm finally getting back to the wedding posts. I was hoping to finish before our anniversary, but Hawaii commandeered my brain in the weeks before (and after) the trip.

Also, the yard project will soon be hitting stands, as the pictures have finally been processed and uploaded.

You all still with me?? Anyone black out for a minute there??

Goodness knows I almost did when I typed those words.

~~~

Now, onto the good stuff!

When planning weddings, brides/planners seem to OBSESS over the details. Details are a double-edged sword (in my opinion). They can make or break the event, but they can also make or break the bride/planner. Like every other aspect of our wedding, there were some details that were very important to me and others I couldn't have cared less about.

I'll start with the flowers. A family friend designed/arranged all the flower pieces for me. She did a flippin AMAZING job. The flowers came out EXACTLY like I wanted them to, but hadn't been able to clearly articulate. I had a very specific vision for the flowers; I wanted a very particular feel. However, I didn't care at all what actual flowers were used. Here's what she came up with:

My bouquet, which you've all seen before.

Maid of Honor's bouquet, same as mine only smaller, also tied with raffia.

Cowboy H's bout, with a bit of raffia to tie in with my bouquet.

Reception table centerpieces, again raffia.

This metal "basket" already hung on this gate at the reception location. The gate marks the way to the barn. My florists filled it with this killer arrangement.

This old butter churn was found in my mother's kitchen; we didn't know exactly what we were going to do with it, but knew it needed to be part of an arrangement!
Photo by my cousin, Joelle.

I was very fortunate that my venue came with tons of cool details that completely added to the feel of our wedding. Here are a few of them:

Wagon wheel chandeliers.

An old door turned into a mirror hanging behind the bar displaying our names on playing cards.

Non-alchoholic drinks in glass servers stationed on an old dresser with white string lights hanging behind.

A handmade sign nailed to a piece of old farm equipment pointing the way.

There were also a few other details that I had my mind set on.

The baby photo boards:

Photo by my friend, Katie.

The handmade (by me!) signs:

My beloved Menu board (also made by me). This is going in our backyard once we get our BBQ pit made.

Photo by my friend, Lauren.

My "Mr & Mrs" chair signs:

And last but not least, my FAVORITE detail of all:

Our horseshoe wedding favors. Did you read the tag? Yes, they all really were from Smoke Tree Stables, and yes, they all really were used. We had to hammer the nails out of and straighten every single one.

So worth it. People loved them. I loved them. Cowboy H loved them… because they were free!

Up Next: One last photo shoot! (The end is finally here!)

If you missed anything, catch up here.

Unless otherwise noted, all photography credit goes to the always rockin' Applemoon Photography!

Tears In My Eyes

2010-06-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight, as a parent I experienced one of the proudest moments of my life. Seriously, my heart swelled in my chest and something became lodged in my throat.

You may or may not remember, but a little over a year ago, when we rescued The Hankster, he required a major orthopedic surgery.

Poor little guy was only 12 weeks old and he came home like this:

In the months (heck, the whole year) that followed, Cowboy H and I often questioned whether the surgery did any good. Occasionally, we considered having the entire leg amputated. For the longest time it seemed, Hank didn't even use the leg. It was just there, even in the way sometimes.

Eventually we realized that the leg was shorter than the other one. In the few weeks between his injury and the surgery, the blood supply to his femur had been compromised. For that period of time, Hank's right femur did not grow at the same rate as the other, making the leg a little stumpy. We're still not sure if he'll ever use the leg normally, despite the fact that he gets quite a bit of use out of it now.

In addition to having leg surgery, Hank was also neutered the same day. The combination of not using the leg and not having the male hormones made us wonder if he would ever stop squatting to pee.

Until tonight. Tonight, while running around at the park, Hank stood on his bad leg and lifted his good leg to pee on a pole.

I have never been prouder.

Never, ever in my life.

In other news, the winner of the "Name That Photo" contest has been decided.

The Desert Rose: "Redneck woman vacuums up two dogs..."

I seriously laughed out loud, because well, I wouldn't be surprised if I actually did vacuum up a dog someday.

Congrats Desert Rose! Take your pick of one of the following:

Redneck Woman

2010-05-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Although, I suppose the fact that I am vacuuming disqualifies me from the redneck category.

What do you think?

Or better yet, what would you title this photo?

Most creative (i.e. the one that makes ME laugh the hardest) gets an original black and white 8x10!

ALOHA!!!! (Or My, Oh My, How I've Missed Y'all!)

2010-05-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I'm back!

Of course, no one knew I was gone since I never bother to tell anyone anything anymore.

But, I'm back. I'm back online. I'm back to blogging (I promise). And I'm back from a whole entire week in Hawaii (with Cowboy H of course)!

I've written post after post in my head over the last several weeks and am finally going to get them published. I've got the yard project to update you on, I've got more pictures of Crow, I've got a plethora of prints from my photography class to share (and give away!), I've got the wedding recaps to wrap up, and most importantly, I've got our overdue Honeymoon to share now!

For now, enjoy this sneak-peek of the vacation and stay tuned for anything and everything else!

Tag, I'm It!

2010-04-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so about three weeks ago now, I was "tagged" by both 'City Girl Turned Country Girl' at A&MD Ranch and 'Growing up a Country Girl' at Livin' It Up Country. The deal is this:

Post your tenth photo that you downloaded into photo folder or picaso and blog about it. Then tag 5 others to do the same.

Well, since I don't use picaso, and I have oh, about 50 photo folders, I had to improvise a little bit. So, I selected the very first photo folder on my desktop and picked the 10th photo out of it. Here ya go:

My handsome cowboy and his equally handsome new horse. This is the first trail ride Cowboy H took Crow out on since having him at our boarding ranch. You may remember that Cowboy H had ridden Crow several times elsewhere before we actually owned him. The evening was just beautiful. The blue of the sky and green of the grass were amazingly vibrant. The photo is completely untouched; the colors really were that bright. It ended up being a pretty nice "first" ride.

And so, I have to tag a few of you now, most of you whom have probably already been tagged by others I'm sure. I pick:

Choleesa at Choleesa's World
The Desert Rose at JessesDesertRose
Stephanie at Momma's Soapbox
Cousin B at She Who Rides Many Ponies

I'm only tagging four, because I really want to tag Pony Girl, who apparently QUIT this blogging thing. So, in mourning, I'm leaving an empty spot for her and Pony Girl Rides Again.

P.S. Maria decidedly approves of Crow, if judged by her, ahem, forward behavior towards him on our ride. Seriously, she was rubbing herself all over the poor guy. Yes, I have a hussy of a horse.

P.P.S. Sorry for not linking to all the blogs I mentioned, but its midnight, I have to get up at 6 am and I think you all know who each other is. If not, all the blogs can be found on my side bar.

MIA No More

2010-04-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

HOLY MOLY! How long have I been MIA? Long enough for a few of you to actually worry about me! (BTW, thanks, that makes me feel so special and loved!)

Right now, I'm sitting in the treatment area of my vet clinic, having FINALLY logged onto my computer (and the internet) for the first time in over a week. Yes, over a week! I had 150 new messages in my email box. That, I swear, is not an exaggeration.

(Of course, I'm on my lunch break. No time for internet during work hours here!)

Phewy, things have been busy. First of all, I started my "new" full-time job last Monday. Secondly, we completed the yard project. Third, I have been hitting the gym four or five times a week instead of the usual three. Fourth, I'm still in my photography class, which takes up my Tuesday and Thursday nights. Lastly, I caught a major case of Spring Fever (its going around you know, have you caught it yet?) and was spending every free minute (yes, there are a few!) cleaning out closets and drawers, washing all the bedding and blankets and scrubbing showers and tubs. It just might be an understatement to say we're a little busy at The Homestead.

But, we're still alive!

My appearance in blog-land will most likely continue to be sporadic for the next week or so; I'm still trying to find a new weekly routine. But I assure you I'm still here. Obviously, I've got a lot to share!

Oh yeah, those of you who tagged me regarding some photos, can you please send me an email with the details? Yes! I want to participate, but I've been out of the loop for so long now I missed your original posts that you tagged me in! And, I'm so flattered to have been tagged. Thanks!

Again.

2010-03-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

At approximately 8:03 this morning, this is what my driveway looked like:

I promise I'll connect the dots soon!

One Week To Go...

2010-03-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have so much blogging material floating around in my head, I can't keep it all straight. Things have been busy, busy, busy around The Homestead.

First, and foremost, and most importantly, I am quitting my job. Or rather, I already have, but my last day is next Friday. That's right, folks, one week to go.

It's very difficult for me to write about this, because, well, I really do love my job. In theory. But in reality, in execution, I hate it. My boss has worn my thin and I am about to my breaking point. And I don't want a job to break me, so I'm moving on.

I was offered a full-time position at the animal hospital I work (as a vet tech) and have decided to pursue that route. I've have been "teching" for 5 years, on and off, and the more time I spend away from it, or the less time I spend actually doing it, the more I miss it. The more I realize how much I LOVE it. That's it, I love teching.

I also recently learned that I can apply to take my Registered Veterinary Technicians licensing test, without having to go back to school. Since I have a bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Pre-Vet (my original plan was to go to Vet School) and I have loads of hours experience actually teching, all I have to do is turn in my application, get approved, and pass the test. IF all that pans out, and I do pass, I will be a RVT, basically a registered nurse for animals. I never, ever considered going the tech route because they don't make a whole lot for how hard they work, but if you love it, that's all that matters. This I have figured out.

So, starting April 5, I will have a different full-time job, and will be taking a significant pay cut. Which sucks, but its not the end of the world. We may not be able to put as much money into savings each month, and we may not be able to work on the house anymore, but the bills will still get paid. The upside is, if I do get licensed, I will get a significant pay increase, which will put me almost back to where I am now, and I will actually be enjoying my job!

The impending pay cut brings me to our in-progress yard project. Before our extra money runs out, Cowboy H wants to overhaul the yard. So, last weekend we started. We haven't finished yet, but hey, its a work in progress. I have taken lots of photos, I have fallen on my butt, and I have killed my lawn. You will be updated as soon as possible.

Another thing buzzing around in my head is my Photography Class. Our assignment for this week (given out last week) was to take Self-Portraits. But not any old self-portraits; these were self-portraits of WHAT WE ARE NOT. My fabulous friend Choleesa who has her own crazy world, upon hearing the assignment, turned to me and said, "Well, if there's one thing I'm NOT, its a cowgirl". So, last weekend we made her a cowgirl. And My Maria modeled along with her.

Since we are still in the film half of this class, I don't have immediate images of our little "photo shoot" but we did develop our film last night and ohmygoshtheyrockoutofthisworld!!!! Since they are Choleesa's photos (I just directed the shoot and took them) you will have to go to her world to check them out, once we get them developed, but DON'T MISS THEM. The butt shots are exceptional. And Maria looks pretty good, too. My self-portraits were not as exciting, but fun anyways. I was a "professional career woman", you know, pant suit, black pumps and briefcase. When we get them printed, I'll give you a peek.

Okay, I think that's enough words and not enough photos, but I haven't had time. I've taken them, just not processed and uploaded them yet. I promise they will be coming. Please don't stop loving me over this one long-winded post.

Oh, and lastly, the dogs dug their way out of their run last night. These two, I swear. The funny thing is once they got out, they couldn't get back in, so they were without food and water for who knows how long. Serves the little suckers right. All I can say is at least we're tearing out the backyard right now anyway! I guess they were just doing their fair share of the manual labor.

Yeah, that's it. They're such good little doggies they were just trying to help!

See ya on the other side (if you're still around)!

A Text Message I Sent Cowboy H

2010-03-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

Let me give you a little back-story first. As y'all probably know by now Hank loves Cowboy H. I mean loves him. When I let the dogs back in the house after their morning potty-break, if Cowboy H is not awake and walking around, Hank runs around the bed, looking to see if he's still there. Then, if he sees or hears him still in bed, he runs around the bed even more, trying his hardest with his three little good legs to get in bed with Cowboy H.

This morning, Cowboy H left early this morning right after putting the dogs out. When I let them in later in the morning, I had pulled the covers up on the bed, so it really looked like someone was still in bed. Hank came running in and started jumping up on the bed, crying and well, looking for his dad. It killed me!

So I sent Cowboy H this text message:

"Dad please come home. i miss you. i looked for you in bed and you weren't there"

Ahahaha, I crack myself up. Seriously, who does this crap?

Please, if you are guilty of sending text messages on behalf of your pet, 'fess up. We may need to seek help together.

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 3 Vol III

2010-03-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, Huey swiped an ENTIRE piece of pizza off Cowboy H's plate AND snarfed the WHOLE thing before either of us even knew it was gone.

Seriously. Nobody even saw it happen.

It was hilarious. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

The funniest part was, Cowboy H trying to blame me for stealing his pizza because I had no idea what he was talking about.

HEY! Where'd my? Did you? I had four pieces!

For probably the first time ever, Hank was sitting innocently at my feet.

And Huey? He was hiding behind the couch, licking his chops, all evidence properly destroyed by the time we figured out what happened.

Second Shooter

2010-03-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

During our big ride with the Desert Rose a few weeks ago, I did hand off the camera for a little while. In case you didn't know, Cowboy H is a budding photographer himself, and if I were to ever start a wedding photography business (I won't) he would be my second shooter.

Seriously. There is just something about his images. He has an instinctual ability to capture the true essence of his subjects, to really bring out their best.

That day, he managed to capture a side of me rarely seen:

My grace.

My beauty.

My class.

My elegance.

*Sigh* They're all so beautiful, I just can't decide which one to blow up and put on the wall.

Oh My.

2010-03-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is what my front yard looked like at approximately 2:00 pm Saturday afternoon:

And this is what my backyard looked like at approximately 3:30 pm on Sunday afternoon:

All I can say is, no tornadoes were involved in the making of this post.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Dance! Dance! Dance!

2010-03-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

There were three (or four) very important factors to Cowboy H and I in regards to our wedding. One was that the food be amazing. Check. Another was that everything have meaning to us, i.e. not doing something just because its "tradition". Check. Third, we really wanted that down-home, casual, relaxed, spontaneous atmosphere. Check.

And, lastly, we wanted a rockin' dance party!

Our swing dance pretty much set the tone, and pretty soon the dance floor was hopping.

Cowboy H and I danced and danced. I actually was able to two-step around the entire dance floor without screwing up. It was amazing. The two-step is not my strong suit.

Pretty soon my dad sidled up to me and stated, "Everyone says we need to dance together."

So, you're all thinking, Wha?! No father-daughter dance?! Well, I actually had a song all picked out, and I asked my dad, "Do you want to do a father-daughter dance?" And he replied, "No, I don't think we need to. I mean, you're already married, its not like this is the real thing." So, father-daughter dance was scratched. Or so we thought.

I don't even remember what song the band played, but I know it was a good one. For your information, I had picked out "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland since Wizard of Oz is my dad's favorite movie.

No matter, I'm really glad we danced together after all, even if my dad is a horrible dancer.

Photo by my Nina

It was a pretty sweet moment. And pretty soon a bunch of sets of 'father-daughers' joined us. I loved it.

At some point, Cowboy H was caught dancing with his mom, even though we didn't do an "official" mother-son dance.

Photo by my Nina

Even though they weren't planned, I'm glad we got all these special moments captured.

Because, pretty soon, we were back to tearing up the dance floor.

Up Next: All The Details

(I swear, I'm almost done, but if you missed anything, check it all out here.)

All images by Applemoon Photography unless otherwise noted!

And We Said Goodbye

2010-03-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Its been two weeks since we said goodbye to Bella, and well, I kinda miss her.

I'll be honest with y'all, I never really bonded with her, but by the time she left us I had really come to appreciate what a nice little horse she was.

She became probably one of the best trail horses I've ever come across. Nothing, and I mean nothing fazed her. You could always depend on her to cross the water, or the bridge, or the ravine, or the whatever when no other horse wanted to.

Saying goodbye to her was bittersweet, to say the least. I know without a doubt, without the slightest bit of doubt, that she has an even better home than Cowboy H and I were giving her.

But still, I can't say that there weren't a few choked up throats when we loaded her into the trailer.

I mean, its not like we were crying or anything. Geez, cum'on guys.

I swear! I didn't shed a single tear.

Okay, okay. I may have sniffled a little bit.

Especially when Cowboy H gave his final goodbye.

Feel The Love

2010-03-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last night Cowboy H asked me to email him two photos.

One of him and Crow.

The other of him and Hank.

I obliged and asked if he needed full res images or if I could send him smaller, email-friendly versions.

He responded, "Um, I don't know. I want to use them as the background for my desktop, so whatever you think."

At first, my heart melted. Awww, how sweet, he wants photos of his horse and his dog at work, I thought.

Then, something clicked inside my head.

"HEY! You want photos of your dog and your horse, but what about YOUR WIFE!?!?"

And the punk that he is, just smirked and laughed at me.

Talk about feeling the love.

Spring Is Here!

2010-03-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

At least that's what the cats are saying!

The birds have been chirping up a storm outside. Before the sun is even fully risen from its slumber, the choir is belting in full force outside. The cats are just loving it. And someone finally did something about it.

My little Indy-Monster (pictured above) caught his very first bird this morning. At least, I think it's his first. It's the first bird I've ever seen him with. I really don't like them catching birds, but seeing as how the neighborhood has pretty much been eradicated of its rodent population already, birds are really the only option. And as sick as it may be, my heart swells up with pride when I see my babies catch something. I want to go run and tell Cowboy H, "Indy caught a bird!" but he is sleeping.

Instead, I let the dogs out and Hank promptly steals the catch of the day from Indy.

It was a glorious triumph for but a fleeting moment.

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 3 Vol II

2010-03-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was woken up by the sound of a dog gagging and heaving, attempting to puke in my bedroom. It was still dark, very dark, and I flung myself out of bed and stumbled and fumbled around the room in a pathetic attempt to get the dog out of the house before the vomit actually came out.

By the time I got my bearings and turned on a light it was too late. Little Hanky-Panky deposited a solid chunk of bone the size of a large marble right on the carpet. Still staggering around, I shuffled him outside since he was still heaving.

First thing I thought: "Thank goodness that came back up, because there was no way it was going to come out the other end."

Second thing I thought (after glancing at my clock; remember its pitch black outside): "Phew, at least I have another hour to sleep before my alarm goes off."

And, before the thought was even completed, the alarm went off.

Stupid dog.

Stupid time change.

Stupid Monday.

Portrait of a Cowboy and His Dog

2010-03-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

I snapped this a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure this one's going on the wall (someday).

And for those of you who haven't witnessed Cowboy H smile and laugh like I have, this one's for you. Notice even Hank is sticking his tongue out at me!

This man loves his dog so much it makes my heart want to burst.

I'm working on so many other photos and posts; I swear I haven't gone anywhere! Enjoy these for now!

Trail Riding On Our Turf

2010-03-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Finally. I know, this post is pretty much two weeks overdue. But, I'm trying. So, hold on to your hats, this is going to be a long one.

Can you guess who's who?

After days and nights of rain, our planned ride day dawned bright, beautiful and clear. Cowboy H and I got out to our ranch fairly early and brought our ponies in from pasture, gave them each a bucket of grain, tacked up and waited. The girls waited patiently too. It was a sight we'll never see again. Lastly, Cowboy H put the finishing touches on his outfit.

By now, those of you who follow Jesses Desert Rose should know that EVERY ride is an excuse to get dressed to the nines, with matching tack as well. Well, a handful of years ago, the DR bought this pink striped shirt for Cowboy H. Every time we ride with DR, Cowboy H tries to remember to wear this shirt.

However, this time around, we added the tie. Yes, its pink and yes, its paisley. I don't know about anyone else, but I love a man in pink. Mmmmmm...

Anyway.

Soon, we heard the diesel truck rumbling down the drive. Once parked, there was much commotion as the handsome Crow was unloaded and fawned over, mimosas were handed out, magazines were presented and horses settled. Before too long, the mimosas were gone and we were in our saddles.

We rode out from our ranch, into the cow pastures and up the hill I broke my arm on. Just before dropping down into the state park, we stopped for the first photo op.

Wow, we were a colorful group! Also, I would like to mention that this photo is SOOC. I swear! I still can't believe how vibrant the colors are!

We rode into the state park on a trail that Cowboy H, the ranch girls, and I had made ourselves. It was a muddy, mucky, sloshy mess. The entire time, our ponies were ankle deep in mud or over-saturated soil. The ground sunk about four inches with every step. We crossed water about five times, none of them easy ones. Honestly, we should not have gone out that day, the ground was so bad, but that wasn't discovered until about 30 minutes into the ride. The first 40 minutes really were not that fun.

We finally made it to the actual state park trails and had to make our first pit stop. And yes, the DR was caught on her own two feet again.

Look at that strut!

I'm sorry guys. I just can't help myself.

Poor Cowboy H got stuck holding three horses!

Of course, we also took this opportunity to top off our glasses. Thanks Bossman!

And, we were off again.

Yes, the Bossman provides us with REAL glasses out on the trail!

The day was so beautiful we had to stop to take lots of photos.

Or, just take in the view.

We continued up a long hill, and were able to divert our attentions from the ground since the footing was a lot better. Much story-telling ensued.

Once we got to the top, we filled up our glasses, err I mean, let our horses blow a bit.

Please forgive me. Just look at him!

The ponies also got their fair share of trail treats. It was a lot of work just to keep their heads above their knees!

But can you blame them?

Eventually we worked our way down into the main area of the camp, the same place we started out when we gathered cows last time. We got stopped by a park ranger, because well, those dang cows were out again, and she wanted to make sure we knew where those dang cows were (apparently she was tracking them). Uh, cows? Lady, we're just here to ride. Then we were informed that the state park was actually closed to the public, but since we were "here for the cows" she'd let us slide. Aww, thanks. So, we pretended to look for cows. (None were spotted.)

Before long, we were at our lunch spot! The state park has a horse camping ground complete with pipe stalls, porta-potties and picnic tables.

And lunch was served!

Side Note: The Bossman supplies everyone with NEW wine glasses for lunch, because serving wine in the same glasses your champagne was in is just not acceptable.

We definitely took our time during lunch, telling more stories and finishing off two bottles of wine between the five of us. We also decided to head back home through the front entrance of the park and along the city streets. We really didn't want to slop through all the mud we had come in through.

If this doesn't show how small Bella was, I don't know what would.

Riding through the streets was not ideal, but also pretty uneventful with our group. If nothing else, it was a good experience for all the horses.

From there we were back at the ranch. All in all we were out on trail for about six hours, including the one hour lunch break. It was a really great ride, minus all the mud. Maybe in a couple months time, we can do it again?!?!

Anyone else want to join??

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Face-Stuffing and Rug-Cutting

2010-03-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Now, at most normal weddings, right after the guests have been served and given a chance to eat a bit, a slew of toasts and speeches ensues. Cowboy H and I really wanted no part of this. Actually, we avoided most all wedding formalities and time-lines like the plague. However, we did want to thank a whole bunch of people, so I composed a sort-of speech in my head and dragged Cowboy H to mic with me. (This was after spending about 10 minutes trying to locate him, whereas he was found hiding at the Desert Rose's table wedged over in the corner. Of course.)

Notice Cowboy H has changed into tennis shoes!
Photo by my cousin, Joelle

First, we thanked our guests for coming to our sort-of wedding. We had guests come from New Mexico, Oregon, Missouri and even Washington D.C. just for us. We were floored. We also had to thank the Pit Crew who volunteered their entire day to cook the most perfect meat ever. (I mean, standing around a BBQ pit, drinking beer was extremely difficult for them.) We also had to thank the band, who again volunteered their killer talent, time and awesomeness for us. Lastly, we had to thank my parents. My dad funded the bar and also purchased the meat for us. And then my mom. I don't know what more to say about her except that she got a standing ovation and a bunch of hoots and hollers when I mentioned her, and the fact that she cooked/made all the food and baked the strawberry cupcakes.

Then.

Then, I was about to announce to everyone that the cupcakes were there to be eaten and everyone could help themselves once they were done with their dinner. Part of the reason I chose cupcakes is I wanted to avoid the whole cake-cutting ordeal. You can't really cut cupcakes, right? Wrong.

Cowboy H grabed my arm and sharply whispered, "The Desert Rose will kill us if we don't eat a cupcake" or something along those lines.

I groaned, rolled my eyes and said, "OK, fine." So, we shared a cupcake.

Photo by my cousin, Sarah

Photo by Sarah

While all of this business was happening up here, down under there was a whole other party happening.

Photo by Joelle

Photo by Joelle

Photo by my Nina

We had no idea until after the fact, but my cousin's baby was hiding out under the cupcake table! Apparently he stole the show from us!

Immediately after the cupcake chow-down, we were prompted into a first dance. Now, the first dance was something that I wanted to be special, and Cowboy H picked Garth Brook's song "Cowboys and Angels" for our dance. The song was perfect, except it had a slow beat, which meant a waltz was in order. Cowboy H worked very hard at choreographing a dance and we tried really hard to practice. But, I suck at dancing. Literally, before dinner was served I dragged Cowboy H away so we could practice, cause I was so nervous about it. The problem, for me, was that it was so slow. At the last minute, I chickened out and the band played some slow song that I don't even remember and we jr high danced to it.

Before long, everyone else joined us on the dance floor.

However, immediately after that slow song, the band broke into a song that you could swing too. And let me tell you, Cowboy H and I can swing. This actually became our true first dance, because once we got going, everyone cleared the dance floor and let us cut it up.

At some point my bandanna came undone and my hair clip went flying, but we kept on dancing.

And then, we were done.

If you missed anything, all wedding posts can be found here.

Up Next: The Party Rocks On!

Give praise to Applemoon Photography for all photographs unless other wise noted!

This One's For Pony Girl

2010-03-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

When I introduced Crow last week, Pony Girl had the audacity to leave a comment along the lines of "I don't believe Cowboy H's feet DON'T hang below his horse's belly!" Can you believe her? I know, huh? Seriously.

So, PG, this one's for you.

I'll try to get some more photos of Cowboy H and Crow up in the next few days. In the meantime, I'm also working on the photos (and post) from the ride with DR, as well as a post on how I ride with my Big Girl Camera.

Photo Lab 2 (Or "Panic In The Darkroom")

2010-03-05T01:11:00.000-08:00

Last night in photo lab we developed our first rolls of film. While it was nowhere close to MY first roll of film, it was still just as exciting as the first.

Unless you've experienced it, there really is no way it can be explained. I'm gonna try though.

You load a roll of film into a camera, (hopefully) take some pictures, rewind the roll and pop it out.

You walk into a COMPLETELY black room, pop the film can open, load the film into a reel, and cut the end of the negative off without cutting off your finger. Then you load the reel into a tank which will protect the film from light while its being developed, turn on the light and have a minor heart attack thinking that your tank wasn't completely closed. (It was.)

You pour a diluted chemical (developer) into the tank, let it work for a set number of minutes, rinse the tank with water (stop bath) then fill your tank with fixer.

After 10 minutes, you pour out your fixer and open up your tanks to see your film for the first time. Without touching the film, you try as hard as you can to see any image on the film, then panic when you can't.

So, you cross your fingers, pray under your breath, and drop your reel into a "wash" for 15 minutes. You nervously comment on how some of the film, including yours, look purple instead of gray like everyone else's.

Finally, you retrieve your reel (hopefully yours and not some stranger's) and drop it into the Photo Flo (a bubble bath for film) for a minute and a half, then RUN out to the other room, pop your film out of the reel and squeal when you see your images for the first time.

Seriously, no matter how many rolls of film I develop, I will ALWAYS squeal the first time I see pictures on my negatives. Always.

Unfortunately, you can't get a good look yet because wet negatives are very delicate and prone to scratching, so you carefully hang the long strip of negatives in the dryer, squeegee the excess Photo Flo off the film and tap your fingers anxiously on the counter waiting for them to dry.

After what seems like an eternity, your film is dry and you can gently pry it from the dryer, place it on the backlit counters and squeal again when you see how COOL some of your photos came out.

You cut your negatives into smaller strips and attempt to slide them into negative protectors, then sit down because you are absolutely exhausted from the anxiety, trauma, stress and panic you just endured developing that precious roll of film.

If you guys want to see what the reels loaded with the film look like, check out Choleesa's World. She was a good blogger and took a picture.

Next week we are actually printing photos from this roll of film. Hopefully I'll have time to scan some of the images in and share with you. I'm also working on getting my prints from last week scanned for you guys too. I want you all to share this journey with me!

Hooked

2010-03-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Cowboy H this morning: "Do we have any carrots?"

"Yeah, they're in the fridge. But they need to be either washed or peeled for human consumption.

"Oh, that's okay. I just want to take one to Crow when I go see him today.

I know, huh. I know.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Grub

2010-03-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

Photo by Lauren

Despite all the fun, games and dancing going on, the people had to be fed. Well, I had to be fed! I hadn't eaten hardly anything all day, and not because I was nervous or worried about fitting in my dress, I was saving myself for all the GOOD food I knew was coming!

All the food you are about to see was picked specifically by me or Cowboy H and made in my mother's kitchen. Ok, except for the beans, which have their own funny story and the salsa, and oh yeah, the meat. Everything else (potato salad, macaroni salad, rice pilaf, you name it) was made by my mom, pictured here with her apron, which stayed on the rest of the night. I thought it was really cute.

Photo by Sarah

What you can't see is her tennis shoes. Also, notice her poor bout is hanging upside down. I love you, Mom.

Anyways, back to the food. I don't think I've ever eaten such good wedding food.

Photo by Sarah

Down on the far end of the buffet table, the ribeye hot off the pit was being sliced to order.

After piling our plates high, Cowboy H and I took our seats and were treated to a little champagne from The Desert Rose. Not sure why I'm making this face here, but notice that I made sure to wear my bib. I'm kinda a mess. (That's my bouquet stuck in a giant mason jar serving as our centerpiece.)

And everyone else feasted happily too.

Now. About the beans.

Photo by Sarah

See these guys here? They are two of my backpacking buddies. They live down in the San Diego area, but have friends that go to school and live in San Luis Obispo. Somehow, these two finagled a ride to the ceremony out of one of their friends. However, they had no ride to the reception and were just gonna walk. Well, my dad saw them and said "Hey, ride with me, I need someone to hold the beans anyways".

So, they got out of walking, but in exchange had to work. The beans (and salsa) were being picked up at Jocko's, which is my hometown's local steak house. (Best ever steak if you want my unbiased opinion.) My dad provided the kitchen with a pot and they proceeded to fill that pot so full the lid wouldn't fit on it. So, the two guys pictured above were sitting in the back seat of my dad's car, overflowing pot of beans at their feet, attempting to keep the lid on the beans, and the beans off them. Apparently, the car ended up with beans all over it, so I can't exactly say they did a stellar job. But, most of the beans made it.

And that is the story of the beans.

The end.

But not the end of the wedding!

To catch up on ALL of the wedding posts, from the very beginning until now, please go to this page, where I have compiled links to every wedding-related post. You're welcome.

Up Next: All that traditional wedding stuff like cake cutting and first dances. Yuck!

All photography unless otherwise mentioned credited to Applemoon Photography!

New Kid On The Block

2010-03-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

He's here! He's here! The new guy has arrived!

On Sunday, The Desert Rose and two other friends hauled out from the desert to ride with us. They also made a special delivery.

This would be the outlaw, Crow, or better yet, Dirty Chicken, as he is registered. Those of you who follow The Desert Rose may have heard of him. Born and broke in South Dakota, AQHA registered and heavily foundation-bred, he is one heck of a horse. If you can ride him.

While continually bucking people off during his training, it was discovered that he could work and track a cow like no other. In an effort to wear the horse down enough to be ridden, they roped 60-70 head off him a day. He still holds a little grudge towards humans for that.

Cowboy H even dressed up for the occasion.

He was eventually brought to California, and became the top roping horse for Cowboy H's old boss. Occasionally he was used as a guide horse for the stables' trail rides, which is how Cowboy H got to know him. Cowboy H actually rode him quite a bit, and has always loved him. Even after the ankle-breaking incident, he still loves him.

But, Cowboy H also knows that he can never be fully trusted. As he puts it, "Crow is a rattlesnake." Everyone who has ridden him (except me!) has not only been bucked off, but had a bone broken in the process. (In everyone else's defense, I only rode him once, and the trail we rode was so rough that there was never an opportunity to screw around. So, I kinda cheated. ;))

After much fussing and picture taking, Cowboy H led Crow out to the big pasture where he will be living.

We had a big ride to get going on, otherwise we would have spent a little more time with him before turning him out.

Plus the poor guy was a little freaked out by all the commotion. For as wicked as this horse can be to a rider, he is really just a big wienie. While leading him to the pasture, Cowboy H mentioned "I have a feeling poor old Crow's going to be at the bottom of the food chain".

Sure enough, when we returned from our ride, there he was all alone, crying out for Cowboy H.

Now, you may (or should) be asking yourself, "Why would you want such a horse?". First, he was free. Secondly, sometimes the pull a horse has on a man cannot be explained. Third, Cowboy H's feet will no longer hang below his horse's belly.

Cowboy H put his first ride (in 4 years) on him yesterday. I will have the pictures up in the next few days.

So, what do you think of our new guy? Would you have taken him??

Back to School

2010-02-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

As if my life wasn't busy enough already, I've gone and added yet another item.

But this one's good, baby.

I'm taking a Photography Class!

And it gets even better.

I'm taking a Photography Class with my crazy (in the best way possible) friend Choleesa!

It's just an introductory class, but covers both film and digital photography. I've actually taken this class once before, but this time I have a different instructor, so it will be a whole new experience. Also, the class syllabus is way different (studio portraits, anyone?).

And now, I have a confession.

I have an obsession with Black and White Film Photography.

When I took this class the first time, I shot 10 rolls of film. It's only a 16 week class. I have a binder with 15 sleeves of negatives.

And none of you have ever seen any of these images.

Sucks for you.

See, some of my film images are my favorite shots EVER. And they're all beautiful, moody, dramatic Black and White. And they've all been developed and printed, one by one, by my very own hands.

I hope to remedy this situation in the near future, but I can't promise anything. I can promise that I will be hosting more giveaways (not necessarily in the near future), this time for some of my film prints. And the great thing about those is they truly are one of a kind. No two film prints are the same, especially when they are developed and printed by hand.

Anyway, what I was really trying to say is I'm a college student again! And its oh-so fun! Plus, that student ID really helps out at the movies.

We've already had our first two classes, and developed our first prints. Next week we'll actually be shooting some film, then developing it and printing the images. I'll try to post projects as they are completed, but can't guarantee anything. In the mean time, I'm going to do a Happy Dance.

A Giddy Happy Oh-My-Gosh-I-Love-Film-Photography Dance!

P.S. As I write this, it is POURING down rain. Again. I'm pretty sure we haven't had this much rain since 2005. Everyone, please cross your fingers, cross your toes, hold your breathe, close your eyes, pray out loud, do a dance, do whatever it takes to ensure that the rain stops before tomorrow. We've got a big date planned with the Desert Rose and the rain would just ruin my hair. Maria's too.

On Bella

2010-02-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been officially decided. Bella will be heading to greener (actually drier, heh heh heh) pastures this weekend.

Cowboy H and I have actually been discussing "re-homing" Bella for a while now. At first, the owner of our ranch was very interested in her as a cutting prospect. We hemmed and hawed about that. Then, a high school girl needed a horse for high school rodeo (cutting) and we tried to work that out. We considered leasing her, putting her on DreamHorse.com, making flyers and posting them at cutting/cow horse events.

But, we always balked when it came down to actually trying to sell or lease Bella. The problem was, we liked her too much. As Cowboy H kept saying, "She's just such a nice horse". So we decided that we wouldn't actively pursue selling her, but we keep our eyes and ears open for any opportunities that arose. We weren't opposed to selling her, we just weren't in a big rush to do it.

Our reasons for getting rid of Bella have nothing to do with Bella herself really, but mostly with us. Cowboy H doesn't ride as much as he wishes, sometimes he can only make it out there once a month. I already have my own horse, who I barely have enough time to work, let alone another horse. Basically, Bella deserves a better home than we are giving her. She is a great little work-horse, she really likes to work, and was just going to waste in our hands. I mean, when we first got her, she really needed time to decompress and we were the perfect people to let her do that, but now that she is ready to go again, we're not so perfect. Fortunately, we've been able to keep her out on pasture, so she's not cooped up in a stall and she has some buddies to hang out with.

On top of that, the news that we had another horse waiting for us was revealed. And when Cowboy H and I learned who (or rather, what) was being given to us, we started rethinking a new home for Bella. First of all, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Maria was given to us (by the same person as the new horse) and I wouldn't trade her for the world. Secondly, we can't afford board for 3 horses. But we still wouldn't give Bella to just anyone in a desperate attempt to get rid of her. It had to be a good-fitting, good-loving home, otherwise she would stay with us.

Then, out of the blue (but maybe with a little help from the Desert Rose) the most wonderful couple sprung an interest in Bella. I'm talking good horse people. Real good horse people. A day later, they decided that, yes, most definitely, they wanted Bella (they're thinking about breeding her!). So, Cowboy H had to decide if he wanted to trade out his dependable, reliable, hard-working, trust-worthy, sweet little (tiny) mare for, well, his newly-gifted horse. And let me tell you he thunk on it. He thunk on it hard, for about 2 days, because like I said before "Bella is just such a nice horse" and he really likes her. And I suppose you can guess what his decision finally was.

As much as I don't have a bond with Bella, I will be sad to see her go. She is such a sweet little mare, gentle, giving (oh so giving), quiet. However, knowing where she's going, and who she'll be with makes me happy too. She deserves it.

As for the new guy, well, I'll just wait to introduce him until I get some proper pictures this Sunday. Because, let me tell you, he deserves a proper introduction.

Bad Hair Day

2010-02-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

This weather is killing my hair.

Seriously, what's a girl gotta do?

Just look at this frizz.

I swear, I straightened it this morning.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: PHOTO BOOTH!

2010-02-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

What you have been waiting so patiently for.

Cowboy H and I snuck into our reception without the big announcement or entrance and that was just the way we wanted it. I went straight for the appetizer table and Cowboy H went straight to the Desert Rose's table! After mingling around, listening to the band and soaking it all in, we visited our own photo booth. We weren't the first.

All photos unless otherwise noted were taken by my cousin Sarah, using my Canon DSLR.

I think some of you know them!

It was hilarious to see everyone wearing bandanas, hats and even the chaps! Of course, some of them weren't quite sure how to put them on...

Cowboy H and I showed them how it was done.

Photo by Applemoon Photography

Photo by Applemoon Photography

Photo by Applemoon Photography

And that last one is definitely going on the wall someday.

You may notice that Cowboy H has a ribbon tied around his ring finger. If you haven't been following since the beginning, you don't know that Cowboy H broke his wedding band the week before the wedding, then I lost the loaner ring the jewelry store had given us the day before the wedding. So, except for the time during the ceremony when we borrowed a friend's ring, Cowboy H didn't have a wedding band to wear! The Desert Rose decided that just wouldn't do on his wedding day and tied a ribbon on his finger. Twenty years from now, when I look at those photos, I will remember that the ring is just a symbol, and you can get married without one! Thanks, DR!

Up Next: The Feast!

The Kinda Weekend I Like

2010-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

God smiled on us here in Southern California this weekend, and kept the predicted 1-2" of rain at bay. At least during the day. Okay, well not completely, I think we got 5 drops Sunday morning, but we handled it.

Both Saturday and Sunday were beautiful, crisp sunny days, with big puffy clouds drifting in and out of the sun's way.

Saturday, I trucked out to the ranch with the pupparoos and bathed Bella with her medicated shampoo while Maria burned a hole in my back with her angry stare. She was very very very upset that Bella was getting attention from me and not her. This horse kills me, I swear. She sees my truck pull up at the ranch, and stands pressed against the pasture gate fixated on me with radar until I catch her. Or more appropriately, open the gate so she can finally come out. There's really no "catching" involved with this horse.

Once Bella was scraped and wrapped up in a cooler, I rode Maria. Yes, I actually rode my horse. I'm paying for it today, but that's okay. I gotta get back in shape somehow.

After playing with the ponies, and wearing the dogs out, I trucked back home and got down and dirty cleaning the house.

Oh yeah, and sorted 8 piles of laundry. Somehow, don't ask me how, I ended up with 4 sets of sheets in the hamper. We only have 2 beds. I said, don't ask me.

On Sunday, Cowboy H was home (yay!) and after a yummy breakfast of homemade waffles, fresh strawberries (yes, they are in season here already, I know you're jealous) and just whipped cream, we headed out to the ranch again with the doggies.

Oh my, it was beautiful out there. So nice, that when the sun wasn't hidden behind the clouds you had to take your sweatshirt off.

Yep, those are our pooches in the bottom right-hand corner.

There wasn't much time to play around today; we had business to take care of. First up, Bella needed a mani-pedi. Now, I haven't directly mentioned it, but Bella just might be on her way to a new home. No, don't think anything bad, we love Bella. She is the most fabulous trail horse, has never even questioned Cowboy H on anything he's asked of her. She'll work cows, and you can rope off her, heck, you can leave her in pasture for 3 months, then drag her out and jump on her bareback. You can't really ask for much more than that. However, if you haven't noticed yet, she's a little on the small side.

And Cowboy H and I, well, we're a little on the giant side.

Plus, Cowboy H has been given another (more appropriately sized) horse from his previous boss, get this, as a wedding gift. Yes, we got a horse as a wedding gift. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is we can't afford board for 3 horses and the newly-gifted horse is a little better fit for Cowboy H. And the other point is Bella needed her feets prettied up for her potential new owners (and our big ride next weekend with The Desert Rose).

Yes, we keep our horses barefoot. One, because we're lazy; two, because we can.

The greatest dog treat ever.

While Cowboy H worked on Bella's feet, I tortured Maria by moving her around the in arena. This is the attitude I get:

That would be my halter, which I was swinging at her, in the corner.

However, as soon as I so much as drop the hand with the halter, I get this:

Mom, this is really stupid, I already know how to play these games. Why do you always make me do this?

Ahhh, she is so fun to play with. Mostly because she takes about 3 strides, and wants to fold in and come to me. When I push her out again, she gets mad, and takes off bucking, for about 1 second, then immediately folds in again. She loves me.

After currying her up, and tying her in the sun to marinate, I checked on Cowboy H and Bella. A blogger I follow (I don't remember who it was so if it was you, please say so!) recently said she would like to get up the nerve to ask her farrier is she can take photos of him working on her horses sometime. One bonus to having your husband as your farrier is you can take all the photos you want.

And, you can get up close and personal.

And, sometimes you get a kiss.

And, you can make him put his chinks back on so you can get really cool pictures.

"Nice job, Dad. Looks great. Now can you hurry up and nip so I can have the trimmings?"

I agree. Nice job, Cowboy H.

The trimmings proved very popular (as always) with the dogs.

Pretty soon the other ranch dogs gathered round.

Bella does not like dogs.

Anyway, once the pampering was over, we gave the horses a bucket of grain each and Cowboy H took a well deserved break. Hank joined him, of course.

With that, our trip to the ranch ended. We ran a few errands then headed home. Once back at the house, Cowboy H changed the oil in my truck and rotated my tires while I dug up the last 3 rose bushes I wanted to get rid of. We ended the day 5 loads of laundry down, sitting on the couch with a fire blazing, watching a movie and eating banana splits.

Just as we were falling asleep, we heard the rain start coming down.

That put the final touches on just the kinda weekend I like.

Macro Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

2010-02-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! (This Monday is happy, okay? Deal with it.) Took these images on Saturday morning, when the expected rainy day ended up being a sunny (albeit cloudy) day. This bush grows in my backyard; have no idea what it is. If you look closely enough at the first photo, you can a few dew drops still hanging in there.

You can check out the rest of the Macro Monday participants at the Sunday Stills blog.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Hamming It Up

2010-02-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hello folks! Despite the forecasts calling for rain all day today, I woke up to bright blue skies, the sun shining and birds chirping! I also woke up with a clear head, thankyouverymuch. There's so much I could get done today! Ah, I love that feeling.

First off, I'm going to run out to the ranch with the dogs and mess around with the horses a bit. They both need baths badly! Then, I might actually clean house and do some laundry. Oh my!

Anyone else have big weekend plans?

~~~

In the last of the wedding saga, things were getting started at the barn during cocktail hour. But Cowboy H and I weren't there yet! We had whisked away to some special locations for our couple's portraits.

We started at this mustard yellow barn, which is kind of a landmark in my small hometown. In elementary/jr. high, my school bus used to stop here to pick up kids! And, my great-grandfather actually built this barn! How cool is that?

I've shown you this one before, but its one of my absolute favorites, so its worth sharing again. Eventually, this one's going on the wall!

From the yellow barn, we moved down the road a little ways into the orange groves. In this location, we were actually directly across the road from the reception!

From here, we actually went to the reception location, but snuck around a bit taking pictures before joining the party. All the "props" you see in the following photos are permanent residents of the barn and its surrounding areas!

By now, we had been spotted and some of our guests gathered round to watch the behind the scenes.

Photo by Katie

Photo by Katie

Please note that Cowboy H is actually trying to drive the mini John Deere.

And with that, I headed straight for the appetizer table!

Photo by Lauren

Up Next: Photobooth or Bust!

All photography unless otherwise noted is credited to the rockin' Applemoon Photography!

Head Spinning and Other Matters

2010-02-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't much been in the mood to blog. I wouldn't say it's Writer's Block, cause goodness knows I've got plenty of potential posts swimming around in my head, and with the new internet at home (yay!) I've been able to upload hundreds of photos. I just really haven't been in the mood to write anything. I'm sure part of this is due to my head being out of sorts.

I mentioned the other day that yes, I suffer from vertigo and supposedly migraines too. I'm not so convinced on the migraines, but the vertigo is hard to miss. I experienced my first episode in fall of 2007, when I tried to sit up out of bed and just fell back over. That time, it was a full blown spinning mess, which left me so nauseous I eventually did have to puke. I have an episode every now and then, usually not full blown, but just an "out of sorts" feeling. My physician seems to think that I get migraines, and the migraine and the vertigo feed of each other. He also seemed totally fine with the fact that I get vertigo. Me, on the other hand, wants to know the cause. Because really, there has got to be a cause. I have been fighting it off all week, and everyday after work have come home and just hid out, because I feel normal when I'm not moving, but once I move at all, my head just spins around. Yesterday, I finally stayed home sick, because I had not even cooked dinner once this week, and was hoping I could sleep it off. By the evening I felt much better, and actually cooked dinner and did the dishes, but today I'm still feeling "off" for lack of a better word.

In the meantime, the dogs keep trying to kill my precious rose bushes, which by the way are doing very well in their new locations. Bella has fungus growing all over her and needs a medicated bath very badly. Maria has decided that the itchies are back (have I ever told you about her allergies?) and needs her oatmeal bath. My floors need to be cleaned before things start growing and more rain is coming tomorrow. Which means nothing will get done.

Well, this turned into a pretty much pointless post, but oh well, I took the effort to write it, so I'll just click "Publish Post" now...

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Barn Party Begins

2010-02-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

While games and festivities were to be had outside, inside the barn, the real party was starting.

Photo by Cassie

All the tables had been set with their mason jar centerpieces and horseshoe favors (more on them later!).

Our sweetheart table was ready, including the last minute chair signs I made and the champagne glasses gifted by my mother-in-law (love them!).

Photo by Lauren

The bar was open and drinks, including beer in mason jars, were flowing!

Photo by my cousin, Sarah

Photo by Sarah

The cupcakes were out and ready to be eaten!

Yes, those are the strawberry cupcakes my mom made!

To top it all off, the band, fronted by my uncle, was already rocking out!

Photo by my Nina (my aunt)
Sadly, this is the ONLY photo of the entire 3-man band together.

Photo by Sarah

This is my Uncle Frank, one of my mom's brothers. His band is called Downshift and they offered to play at the reception for us. Yes, it was awesome. And they were awesome. Apparently my uncle is a local legend, due to his guitar talent, and actually recorded a few records in the 60's and 70's. One of the bands he was in was 'Tripsichord Music Box' and if you google them, it's quite a trip (literally).

Anyway, the band started playing during cocktail hour which was surreal, and the dance floor was hopping.

Even I was getting into the action!

Up Next: Before arriving at the reception, Cowboy H and I get mugged!

Unless otherwise noted, all photography credited to Applemoon Photography!

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 3, Vol I

2010-02-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

Last night, I left work with a beginning-stage migraine and a little vertigo, so I went straight home and dove under the covers in my dark bedroom.

Cowboy H offered to just order pizza for dinner (thank you, sweetie) and picked out a movie with his grandma to stream from NetFlicks while I was hiding out.

When the pizza arrived, he woke me and I staggered out to the living room to join them, feeling much much better.

"What are you guys watching?" I asked since the movie was paused.

"Oh, 40 Days and 40 Nights", Cowboy H responded.

Don't ask me who picked it; I was not involved. I mean, maybe it was an innocent mistake. All I know is we were sitting there, eating dinner and watching a movie completely and utterly about nothing but SEX, with his grandma.

Talk about AWKWARD.

Ain't (Married) Love Grand?

2010-02-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day this year, I was gifted a flushing toilet from my husband.

No, really.

I came home from work yesterday afternoon and he said, Hey, Sweetie, guess what I got you for Valentine's Day?

A working toilet!

I laughed out loud. Then I smiled.

This means I no longer have to fish around in the tank of the toilet with the wire hanger to hook the little flap that I have to pull up to flush the toilet. All I have to do is push down the handle to flush the toilet and that makes me very happy.

Who says romance is dead?

Did any of you get a Valentine's gift that pales in comparison to mine?

Macro Monday, Feb. 15, 2010

2010-02-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

Gee, Mom, get that camera out of my face. Didn't you see that I was napping?

This is Indy, the baby of the cats. Although I can't really call him a baby anymore since he's a year and a half old. While the sun has come back out around here, the nights have been unusually cold, which means all the cats sleep on the bed with us each night, usually between my legs. Sometimes, they'll even stay in bed all day long.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Love, Sweet Love

2010-02-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

I was going to take y'all inside the barn to where the party was getting started, but have changed my mind. In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm going to share a few wedding photos of just Cowboy H and I.

Have the trash can handy, cause it's gonna be lovey-dovey gooshy-mooshy pukey-wookey overload.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

All photographs taken by Applemoon Photography!

Bringing Home The Bacon

2010-02-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

Err, I mean hamburger.

Err, I mean the ribeye.

Err, I mean the cute and fuzzy cowsies.

A few weekends ago, Cowboy H and I were wrangled to help the owner of our boarding ranch gather some cows that had gotten into the state park next door (or next pasture? field? fence?). This was not the first time we've gathered cows out of the state park, but this was an entirely different ride.

The cows were much farther inside the park than last time (in the camping grounds, actually, whoops!) so we hauled into the park and were dropped off. The park has been closed for a while now, since the footing and trails are unreliable due to all the rain, but the rangers wanted the cows out so bad they opened the park up just for us.

We started in the main area of the park since that is where the cows had last been seen. Immediately we spotted a small herd to the north of us, but there was still about 16 missing. So we headed up to the campgrounds to see if any were there.

There were no cows there, but lots of evidence of cows. We had sent one other guy across the other side of the road, so we hung around and waited for him to get back.

Hank contemplates what the heck we're doing.

Bella enjoys the sun finally breaking through the fog.

Libby wonders what all the fuss is about.

{Insert name} spies something way up on that hill over yonder.

The other rider, Joe, had made it all the way to the top of this ridge. He was checking to see if the other cows were over that way at all. Since it was obvious it would be a little while before he made it back down, Cowboy H decided to ride over another smaller ridge and check that draw for the cows. Annee decided to ride east of us, through the campgrounds to make sure they weren't there.

Hank considered an early morning nap while we were waiting, but surprising Cowboy H and Joe came riding up.

And unfortunately no other cows had been spotted. So we decided to just take what we had, since most of us didn't have all day to search every nook and cranny of the state park for 16 cows.

While the cows had been bedded down when we first started out, by now they were up and moving. The guys headed up toward the left since we wanted to drive the cows down onto the road towards the right. As soon as we moved on them, those little suckers took off running! I decided that it was time to put my camera away and get to work. Seconds later my damn rein broke.

Just great. My horse likes to work cows, and she knows that when they move, she's supposed to move after them. So there I am spinning in circles trying to one-rein stop my horse as all the cows and other horses are taking off. Oh yeah, and trying to hang on to my camera. Luckily, Maria does one-rein stop and I was able to get off to rig my gear. Cowboy H came back to help me and thankfully we had some baling twine on our saddles that we tied my rein with.

By the time we caught up with the rest of the group, the cows were gone. The other riders had gotten the cows down to the road, which they ran along for a little while, then those buggers just dove off to the left, into the mustard abyss. In the spring, mustard plants in the state park grow to over 6' tall. Then, in the summer it all dies, but the dead brown-gray stalks remain. You literally cannot see through it.

This photo gives you an idea of how hard it was to see through the mustard, although the mustard we were searching for the cows in was much thicker than this. You literally could not see the cows until you practically touched them.

So, we took off through the mustard, trying to figure out where the heck the cows went, since we couldn't see anything more than a foot in front of us. On top of that, the mustard branches made so much noise as you ran through them you couldn't hear anything either! Someone finally located the herd, which had stopped moving and a few stragglers were found a little ways from there. Those stragglers sure gave us trouble though, especially a buck-wild little brindle! After about 30 minutes, we managed to get everyone back onto the road, and turned down the trail we needed to take.

I moved to ride point (out in front) since I knew the trails we needed to take really well. However, with so much rain, some parts had been washed out which made it tricky, especially since we had to consider the cows. At one point, my horse literally had to go down a straight-up-and-down drop off. I have never gone down something so steep before and I'm pretty sure I closed my eyes. I said (seriously, outloud) "Maria, please please please pay attention and don't fall" then I shut my eyes and forced my stomach back into place. And she went. Good golly, I love that horse.

From there the ride was pretty uneventful. There were several water crossing at the bottom of little ravines, and several drop offs that you didn't know about until you fell into them, but otherwise it was great. Once on the trail and flanked by riders, the cows just moseyed along and I was able to get my camera out again.

See that hill just to the right of center in the background? The one with the wash out on the left side. We are taking the cows up the draw to the right of it, and then straight up that hill in the even further background.

Right after this, we had to take the cows through a small gate in the barb wire fence. From the fence, we needed to push the cows up a little hill and to the left. Since the only passage through the fence was the small gate opening, we had to push the cows through first, and pray they didn't split and run. Well, they didn't split, but run they did, down and to the right, away from the direction we needed them to go. They were cut off by a fence running perpendicular to the one we had passed through, but they just ran down that fence line since no one was up ahead to stop them.

I was one of the first horse/rider combos through the gate, and big fancy camera in hand, bolted up and over the hill to head off the herd. As I was pushing my horse down the hill, I realized OMG, my camera is just flapping around in my hand. Unconsciously, I had raised that hand up above my head, I don't know, I guess to protect my camera. I have to admit, if it was between staying on my horse and dropping the camera, or falling off and saving the camera, I would have totally fallen off. But I didn't need to worry. I rode Maria straight into the fence and stopped the cows in their tracks. Thankfully, they didn't try to go through the fence like cows are known to do and we got them going up the hill towards home.

Just one more hill guys!

Well, we were almost home free, and my other rein broke. This time I didn't even bother with the baling twine, I just tied the thing directly to my snaffle ring. We really didn't have too much farther to go.

Sorry, blurry.

That would be home, just on the other side of that fence.

Phew, we can all take a breather now!

{Pony Girl asked in a comment on the Desert Rose's blog how I carry my Big Girl Camera on my rides. I'm trying to put together a little how-to post, explaining the gear I use and how I manage it, so if you have any specific questions regarding taking pictures while riding, etc, ask away! I will (try to) answer them all in an upcoming post.}

A Number Of Things

2010-02-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

First. It's finally Friday. And I have tomorrow, a Saturday, off for a change. I don't talk about it much, but I work one full time job (Monday-Friday) and two part time jobs. One of the part time jobs requires working 2-3 Saturdays a month. So, Fridays usually don't mean much to me, but today it does. Cause I don't have to work tomorrow and my Saturday is actually a Saturday. But I do have to work Sunday. At the other part time job. Boo.

Second. Cowboy H's grandmother is visiting us from Missouri. For 11 days. God bless the woman, she pretty much raised my husband, but 11 days is a long time to hang out around someone's house, especially when those someones have to work. Poor lady is sitting around the house all day today by herself. But, she did fold my laundry the other day (thankyouthankyouthankyou). Even if she did spread the clean folded stuff out all over my bed where my cats sleep all day long. Oh, but we love her.

Third. There is daylight when I get off work. Daylight, people, daylight. And I'm talking good daylight, the kind almost lasts a full hour after I get off work. So, tonight after work, I'm picking up grandma and going to visit my horses finally. And maybe I'll get some pictures. Which reminds me...

Fourth. I have not used my camera in a week. I'm going to put my face in the corner now.

Fifth. It's supposed to reach almost 80 degrees here this weekend. Neiner neiner. Yep, that's right. I don't even feel bad about it right now. I cannot wait to feel that warm sun on my shoulders. And my rose bushes really need a little pick me up.

Sixth. Speaking of my rose bushes, I transplanted six of them last Monday. Yes, six. I moved them from one side of the backyard to the other. Please everyone, pray hard that they live. They've already got the odds stacked against them since they share a home with Hank. This was the text message I got from Cowboy H "I think Hank just killed a rose bush. My fault... Sorry". That little punk dug a hole completely under my poor unassuming bush. This one doesn't even have thorns!

Seventh. I spent yesterday morning cleaning up dog poop and puke in the house. Just so you know.

Eighth. The End.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Welcome To The Barn!

2010-02-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Cowboy H and I whisked off in our truck to a secret photo location and the guests began to trickle down the road to the reception location.

They were greeted at the entrance to the drive and directed to "The Barn".

The Dana-Powers Barn is seeped in history. In 1837, Rancho Nipomo was granted to Captain William Dana as a wedding gift. This became the town of Nipomo, my hometown. In 1882 the (now) Dana-Powers House was built by Captain Dana's son Frank. The Barn sits behind the Dana-Powers House and is one of the original buildings from when the place was a working ranch. Both the house and the barn have been fixed up for special occasions. In fact, one of my aunt's was married at the House and we celebrated my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary there too. Once again, it was more than just a pretty place to us.

Photo by Lauren

Our reception was very different from traditional. I mean, it had all the tradition elements, just with a slight twist.

Photo by Katie

Here are the baby photo boards Cowboy H and I were working on the night before the wedding. I originally wanted to have a display of framed baby photos since most of the guests didn't know Cowboy H very well, but the frames were getting expensive, even at thrift stores. So I came up with these boards instead and hung them on the side of the barn behind the "guest book" table. Everyone got a kick out of them.

Instead of having everyone sign a book, and because we didn't have "engagement" photos to make a cool signing photo album or matted print from, we came up with the "guest scrapbook".

Photo by Lauren

I printed a sign and framed it, prompting everyone to fill out a card.

I formatted and printed the "guest book cards" on my home computer.

Reading back through the cards after the wedding was hilarious, and a sweet walk down memory lane.

Photo by my cousin, Sarah

As part of the guest scrapbook, we set up a photo booth. Along with the directions for the cards, we instructed our guests to visit the photo booth. I'm going to combine the cards and photos and create a scrapbook of our wedding guests.

The photo booth was really just a station, but it was complete with props and everything.

Photo by Cassie

And that's why Cowboy H had that dirty old hat around earlier in the day. As gross as it was, I think I saw everyone wearing that hat!

The photo booth was a big hit with the guests that actually participated. People were donning the props just to hang out!

I'm going to save the pictures from the booth for their own post, but they're great!

For all the gifts, we had a wagon, instead of a table.

Photo by Lauren

We also had Bocci Ball set up on the lawn where they hold ceremonies if you get married there.

Round the other side of the barn was a horseshoe pit. Only appropriate considering our horseshoe theme!

Up Next: The Party's Getting Started Inside!

All photographs by Applemoon Photography unless otherwise noted!

Weekend Getaway: A Desert Ride

2010-02-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

Let me preface by saying that this particular ride has been in progress for over a year and a half! While Cowboy H and the Desert Rose have ridden many many trails together over the years, I had only gone on maybe two very short rides with DR. In November of 2008, we had scheduled a ride in the desert with DR and the two girls who work at our ranch. That was canceled when we had to evacuate our ranch because of a major wild fire. Cue a few months later, when we had the horses tacked and loaded up, and they closed the Indian Canyons due to excessive wind! About a month after that, the girls from the ranch and I hauled our horses out to the desert to ride with DR, but her daughter went into labor early! In short, this ride was way overdue.

After 3 days of rain in the desert, the horses were a little fresh, so the camera didn't come out until we had already climbed a bit.

Cowboy H and I had been in that snow just the day before!

On this particular ride, we hauled into the Indian Canyons, and started out on the Fern Canyon Trail. That sandy piece between the two hills is what we had taken to get where we were.

There she is, the infamous Desert Rose. We made her stay in the back. We weren't taking any chances this day.

You can really see the trail we had just ridden up in the above picture, and below is the trail we will be continuing to take up.

Of course, an early refreshment break was in order and the lemonade was busted out.

Yes, that's how I roll, camera in one hand, reins (maybe) and beverage in the other. What?

The Desert Rose and Cowboy H know how to roll too. Drinking and riding is the only way to go.

Cheers!

And now, I would like to take a moment to honor all the cowboy horses of the world. As evidenced by Redley's face here, its a cruel, cruel world.

Man, it ain't easy being an outlaw.

After a pretty good climb, the trail flattened out and we were back in a little wash, this one full of palm trees.

Hence the name Fern Canyon.

We did come across a down tree, which Cowboy H's and my long-legged horses were able to step over. Little Lady had to think about it for a bit, but ended up pretty much stepping over too.

Sorry that's so blown out. Remember, drink, horse, camera??

Before too long, we were back out in an open wash. Here, we let DR almost be in front.

It was neck and neck for a little while.

But alas, the Desert Rose was not to be trail boss this day, especially after I noticed this:

Yes, at one of our pit stops, DR had managed to get both her reins on one side of LL's neck.

Good thing we were there to save the day! Haha, actually, good thing Little Lady knows what this trail riding thing is all about.

Its alright, DR, I won't tell anyone. And I won't hold it against you. And maybe, just maybe, I'll let you be trail boss again.

Pretty soon, we were ready to go back down!

My mount, Sarge, is not so convinced.

He wants to think about it for a little bit. That's okay buddy. We'll wait.

In fact, we'll take one more beverage break with ya.

But, we came up, so we must go down.

Okay, the following pictures were most definitely the most difficult ones to take on this ride. I really wanted to capture exactly how steep the trail we were riding was, and I'm just grateful my horse stayed on trail.

Yes, Sarge, we're almost to the bottom. And a big ole watering hole awaits you!

Here we are in Palm Canyon, which we had taken the Vandeventer Trail from the Fern Canyon Trail to get to (if anyone cares).

There was a lot of water for it being the desert.

After drinking up, us humans needed a pit stop ourselves. And Sarge needed his professional portraits taken.

It was something we had worked out before hand. He agreed to keep me on trail and in the saddle, and offered to start his portfolio for him.

I'm so glad we were both able to hold up our ends of the deal.

Over at the other hitching rail, LL and DR were playing games.

Do you spy a Desert Rose?

At this point, we were just a short ride from the staging area, where the trailers were waiting for us. But first we had to get across this:

Oh how would we ever make it??

Hee hee. The fun way of course!

Thank goodness no one drowned!

I'd say, this ride was well worth the wait!

Macro Monday, Feb. 8, 2010

2010-02-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

This image is from a trip to the snow my husband and I took 3 weekends ago. I had a very difficult time getting many macro shots in since there was so much snow everywhere. Luckily these leaves were hanging over the snow bank and I could get to them fairly easily.

Here is the original, color image. Both of these have had minimal processing, i.e. contrast or color boosting but that's it.

Not sure which one I like better. What about you?

Weekend Getaway: Winter Wonderland

2010-02-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago, Cowboy H and I made a trip to our favorite little mountain town for the day. We make a point of visiting this place every winter. Sometimes, we have stayed the weekend, or a night, other times we've trekked up for the day. We always schedule the trip for whenever we can, not really paying attention to the weather.

Well, except for the one time I decided on a Sunday night after watching the weather report that I was calling in sick the next day so we could go to the snow. Calling in sick was probably not the best choice. We almost couldn't get back down the mountain since so much snow dropped that day. I should have just said we went to the mountains for the weekend and got snowed in! That would have been much more appropriate.

Anyways, that was not the case this trip. We were fortunate that after a solid week of rain (and snow in the mountains), Saturday dawned bright and clear. And the road all the way into town was clear as well.

We rolled into town pretty early, and were almost the only ones there. Hardly any of the shops had opened yet so we got coffee and started to walk the The Loop.

Let me tell you about The Loop. The Loop is beautiful. It meanders up away from the center of town, passes some lodges, inns and cabins, works its way through some privately owned homes, crosses a creek a few times and slowly winds back into the town center.

Cowboy H loves The Loop. Mama H loves The Loop too, until about 1/3 of the way into it, when she remembers how long The Loop is. Then things get ugly.

A recap:

Mama H: Look at all the snow! Oh, its so beautiful! (Click click with the camera)

(Sidenote: I find it oddly humorous that The Rustic Theater is playing Avatar, the most technically involved movie ever. Moving on.)

Mama H: Oh the icicles! Look at the icicles! Here, love, hold my coffee for me so I can get a good picture. I love you.

Mama H: Ah, look how much snow is on this old truck!

Mama H: And look at that van! Its completely covered! (Click click)

Mama H: Oh dang! Their deck caved. That sucks!

Mama H: There is so much snow! I can't believe how beautiful it is!

Mama H slips, and almost falls on her ass.

Mama H: Ugh! I can't get the framing I want cause there's this stupid sign in my way. And I can't get the positioning I want cause of all the snow.

She glares at Cowboy H.

Cowboy H: Come on, Sweetie. We've still got a ways to go.

Mama H slips and actually does fall on her ass. She curses under her breath to Cowboy H. Cowboy H chuckles under his breath at her. Mama H glares at him, then slides around on the road trying to stand up.

Mama H: No, you have to hold onto me. I'm going to fall again. No, just hold my arm. Steady me. Seriously, I'm trying to take a picture.

Mama H: What the?! Ugh, the snow is melting off the trees and getting my camera all wet. I forgot how much I hate the snow. Seriously, I hate this.

Mama H turns too fast and falls again.

Mama H: Hey Sweetie, what kind of tracks are those?

Cowboy H: (Leans over to look them) Rabbit.

Mama H leans over to get a closer picture and almost falls again. This time Cowboy H catches her.

They walk along in silence for a while. Mama H will not lift her feet off the ground, but instead shuffles them. Cowboy H is sliding down the road like he is on skis. Mama H doesn't dare take a picture for fear of falling again. The glare is now permanent.

Cowboy H slides back to her.

Cowboy H: What's wrong sweetie?

Mama H: I hate the snow. I hate wearing layers. My jeans are too tight to fit over my thermals, and my thermals are pulling my pants down, and every time I try to pull my pants back up I fall. And the waist of my thermals comes up to my boobs and my vest is too short. And I think that my Uggs have a leak. Look, look at them, that waterproof stuff didn't work. How much farther? Are we even close yet?

Cowboy H tries not to laugh and takes Mama H's arm. Mama H almost falls again.

Ok. Ok. I wasn't really that bad, but I did get pretty grouchy about halfway into the walk. I'm really really bad in the snow. I don't know how to walk in it since I didn't grow up in it, plus I get distracted with taking photos so I fall a lot. And then I feel like an idiot so I get all cranky. And then I embarrass Cowboy H by acting like a big baby. But, as long as I get some good pictures and some good hot food, all will be right again.

We, I mean I, finally stumbled back into town, but not before Cowboy H partook in his charitable act of the day. An older lady was trying to dig her car out of a snowbank so she could go to work and Cowboy H offered to help. He told me I could keep going and he would catch up, but I didn't dare walk without him. So I took some pictures.

As much as I hated him right about then, I love that man. He makes my heart swell up with pride.

We finished up our day with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants anywhere, Cafe Aroma.

Seriously, if you're ever in the area, you have to eat there. Sometimes we consider driving to Idyllwild just to eat here. But you have to watch out, Big Foot's been sighted around these parts.

Ok, ok, this post has turned into a novel. I'll leave you alone now, with a few extra shots from the day. Its funny, but photography has made me appreciate the elements more. I would actually get up early for a great sunrise now, not just a horse show. I'll take moody, cloudy skies over blue ones now since they make for more expressive pictures. And I'll even suffer frostbite for some snowy photos.

I almost forgot, we passed this idiot on our way back down. Don't think he'll be enjoying the fresh snow anytime soon.

Or maybe he was enjoying it too much.

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 2, Vol III

2010-02-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

At 2 am this morning, the smoke alarm went off.

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

Then, silence.

Cowboy H: What the?!?!

Mama H: (mumbling) It's the smoke alarm.

Cowboy H: But why did it go off? Has it done that before?

Mama H: (mumbles something)

Cowboy H gets out of bed to investigate. Mama H's eyes roll back in her head and all she can think is Do NOT make me get out of bed.

Cowboy H returns from investigating and gets back in bed.

Mama H: (mumbling) What was it?

Cowboy H: I don't know. That's weird that it just went off for no reason. Maybe its a ghost.

Mama H: (a little more coherently) Maybe the fire got so hot it set it off. Maybe it has a temperature sensor.

Cowboy H: No, that wouldn't be it.

Both roll back over and start to fall back asleep.

Cowboy H: (mumbling now) You set it off. You're so smoking hot you set off the smoke alarm.

Mama H: (smiles and snuggles in)

Good golly, I love my man.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Ceremony Aftermath

2010-02-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

I could hear the chuckles as we left the church to the sounds of "Forever and Ever, Amen". People couldn't believe we were playing that song for our church wedding. But it fit us perfect, and had the vibe that I wanted. I could barely contain myself from skipping and jumping down the aisle.

Behind us, the rest of the group trickled out, smiling and breathing sighs of relief I'm sure.

A cool thing about this photo: Just to the left of Jenna's face are her mom and dad.

An impromptu receiving line was formed just outside the church doors, and I proceeded to display my finest faces.

If nothing else, I wear my heart on my sleeve. Its written all over my face.

I'm pretty sure we hugged and spoke with every one of our guests (at least the ones who went to the ceremony, ahem). There was so much joy and love and happiness going around.

I made sure to snag one photo with my three ushers before Cowboy H and I whisked off for our own private photo shoot.

In the meantime, the guests slowly made their way to the reception site (a pretty rough 3 minutes down the road) and got ready to party.

Up Next: The Down-Home Barn Party Begins

Of course, I can't forget Applemoon Photography. Thank you for the beautiful pictures!

Broken Dreams

2010-02-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Well, okay, maybe that's being a little dramatic.

I finally received a call from the vet's office yesterday, and sadly, they are taking back a previous tech of theirs.

Bum.Mer.

Oh well, life goes on. I'll keep searching for other options and will keep my heart open to any opportunity.

In the meantime, at least I still have a job. As much as I hate it, I have it, which is a lot more than some people have right now.

And I've also got this guy.

Which is more than I could ever ask for.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Ceremony

2010-02-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Or, we seal the deal for the second time.

Since I am Catholic (not a very good one lately) we had a Catholic wedding ceremony inside a Catholic church. But not just any Catholic church. This church is the only Catholic church in my hometown and is dear to my heart. It is the place where I was baptized and the place where I used to altar-serve. Like I've mentioned before, I wanted everything to have as much meaning as possible, so even though its not the most gorgeous church in the area, it was the only one considered because it holds so much meaning to me (and now Cowboy H).

Sidenote: I did not add any decorations to the church because I was too cheap, and thought it would be a waste of money, i.e. it was not that important to me. The church already had flower arrangements in it, which were bright red and white. I hate red. During the rehearsal, I made a note to myself "Have the coordinator remove the flowers before the ceremony" which I completely forgot about. Halfway through the ceremony I looked up and say those dagum red flowers, and thought to myself "Aw, man. I forgot to have those taken down. Oh well". Good thing for black and white, you can't tell what color the flowers are!

The ceremony began with a welcome from the priest. This priest has a long history with my family, as he was the principal for the school my mom taught at when I was born. He also remembers my parents from when they were in high school. Like I said, everything and everyone had very special meaning.

Photo by Katie

Then a series of readings from the Bible were read. My girl Cassie read the first reading, which comes from the Old Testament. I tried to find the booklet with all our readings marked in it because I was going to torture y'all with each and every word stated during the ceremony, but I think I forgot to get it back from our priest. That's how sentimental I am. Whoops.

Then comes a responsorial psalm, which is taken from the Book of Psalms. A line is read, then the entire congregation chimes in with the response. My friend Juan did the honors here.

Cowboy H's sister read the second reading, which comes from the New Testament. It was a huge deal for her to read for us. She used to be painfully shy, but willingly offered to stand up in front of 150 people she didn't know and speak into a microphone. It really meant a lot to us.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the red drapes. There was just red, red, red everywhere. Any other color but red...

The priest then read the gospel, which comes from one of the four books of gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

I believe the priest then addressed the couple (us) but honestly, I don't really remember. I'm going to go hang my head in shame now.

And then, it was time to say our vows (again). I was just a little giddy. We opted for the traditional vows, and repeated after our priest.

Ha ha, I forgot to mention, that I became sick in the last few days before the wedding. In the middle of the ceremony I had a major coughing attack, which I refused to let out. During all the readings I had my head buried in Cowboy H's armpit trying to muffle the sound of my hacking. Needless to say, my vows were less than heart-stopping. I could barely get any sound out of my mouth. At least I made the people laugh.

And then it was time for the rings. You may remember we had a little, ahem, ring trouble. So we borrowed a ring from a family friend, who, ironically was married by this exact priest a year and a half before us. The same ring was blessed with Holy Water a second time by the same priest. It goes unstated that their marriage had better not fail, being doubly blessed and all.

Cowboy H slid mine on my finger nice and easy first. Please note my bouquet on the altar behind the priest. The night before, our coordinator managed to forget to tell us when the bouquet should be handed back to me, so Jenna jumped the gun and gave it to me right before the ring exchange. I didn't know what to do with it, so our priest grabbed it from me and set it there. Just another one of those moments.

Then, I was my turn to return the favor.

So far, so good.

And then it got stuck. Right at his knuckle. But he told me before the ceremony that it would fit, so I tried to jam it onto his finger. By golly, that ring was going on if he said it would. And Cowboy H grimaced. And then I cracked up. And so the ring was left were it was, halfway up his finger. Sigh.

The Prayers of the Faithful were then read by my dear friend Lauren, who has a couple of blogs of her own: The Next Adventure and Lauren's Next Adventure.

The priest then gave us our final blessing.

Finally, we got to face our guests and were pronounced officially married by the priest! I promise you, Cowboy H is excited too.

And THEN, we got to kiss! Hahahaha.

I realized, at this moment, that I hadn't really kissed him all day, and just grabbed him! Everyone started laughing.

Cowboy H was a little confused. But he survived.

Just as we were supposed to be walking back down the aisle together, we had a music glitch and there was an almost awkward silence. However, my baby cousin Amelia ran out of her seat to me and gave me a cough drop. Yes, she handed it to be because I was coughing so badly during the ceremony.

It was easily one of my favorite moments of the whole ceremony. It was so pure and sweet.

Then, the music started up and down the aisle we went to the chords of Randy Travis's "Forever and Ever, Amen"!

And then, we rode off into the sunset!

Up Next: The Reception Kicks Off

All photography credit goes to Applemoon Photography, unless otherwise noted. You guys rock!

Macro Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

2010-02-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

After prompting from a few others bloggers, and finally getting myself set up, I am going to attempt to participate in Sunday Stills and Macro Monday. I say attempt because I will probably forget about it more than I will remember. But, I'll try.

Since its February (what?! when?!) I thought I'd show y'all what it looks right about now in our neck of the woods. This photograph was actually taken a year ago, with my then brand-new camera, one morning between doing dishes and getting dressed for work.

Yep, that's pretty typical in February. The roses are starting to bud again, hence the red, new leaves and each morning the yard is covered with a heavy layer of dew. But the sun's coming up, and there are few clouds in the sky. Makes a great setting for photography, granted I actually got out of bed early enough to spare some time.

I can't guarantee anything, but I think I'll enjoy these weekly assignments and will try my hardest. Hope you enjoy them too!

Oh Monday.

2010-02-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Hello, hello. Sorry I've been missing for a while. Right now, we are in between internet service at home. Ok, that's a lie. We are actually getting wireless set-up at home, so that I don't have to steal from some unknown, unassuming neighbor. Lately, said neighbor has not been logging on, so I have been left out of the internet realm. I've considered going to Borders, but there is so much to do at home I can't afford to sit at a bookstore and leisurely read some magazines while 500 pictures upload. And I can't do any of my upcoming posts (not counting the wedding ones) without all these said pictures.

ANYway, I hope everyone had a great weekend. Cowboy H and I spent about 3 hours in the saddle yesterday, gathering and driving cattle from the state park back into our ranch. Pictures (once uploaded) will be forthcoming. In the afternoon, we did some major yardwork, since the storms wreaked a little havoc on our small yard. And I finally pruned my rosebushes (please, Lord, don't let them die). I did not take pictures of my pruned rosebushes. Sorry to disappoint you, but their lifeless limbs were less than inspiring.

I'll have another wedding post up tomorrow (the ceremony!). In the meantime, here's a sneak of our weekend getaway from TWO weekends ago.

Hope you all survive the Monday alright!

A Photography Challenge... And Some Cool Horse Pics!

2010-01-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago I was invited to tag along to a Reining show at the LA Equestrian Center with a few others boarders from my ranch. I (gasp! blasphemy!) had never been to the LAEC before. I was like a little kid in a candy store when we drove in: "Oh! Look at the horses! Look at the lights! Look at the barns! Look at the arenas! Look at the poop!"

Unfortunately (or maybe for the better) it was also the day it started raining for a week solid so I couldn't wander around the grounds for hours taking pictures of everything and annoying my company. As soon as we arrived, we had to hunker down in the stands of the (GIANT) arena. Heaven forbid my precious camera get wet!

Fortunately for me there was plenty of action in the arena! However, the combination of poor arena lighting, using my zoom lens, not using my tri-pod, and the lack of additional natural lighting made for a very tough time taking decent photographs.

A lot of my images came out like above before I finally got the hang of. I have to admit, this was a challenge I was really looking forward to. After taking all the pictures of the ranch sorting, I kind of have a hankering to photograph Equine Events. In fact, I would LOVE to do that. This day was great practice. I learned quite a few things, including that light horses are easier to photograph!

The classes we watched were Non-Pros and Amateurs, so the reining itself wasn't spectacular, but it was a heck of a lot better than we could have done! Of course, the slides were my favorite thing to photograph!

The spins weren't too bad either, although not too many people were gettin' em as well as the slides. So the photographs didn't come out so hot.

I also tried to focus on taking some not-so-traditional reining photos. Every is used to seeing the sliding and spinning, but I wanted to capture the other dimensions of reining, which include collection and extension and speed! Some of these images are my favorites.

Let me tell you, just getting my images to look that bad was tough.

As I mentioned, most of the riding/reining was beginning level, except for this fella. This boy could move, and his girl could ride. The crowd (of 10) "ooooohhh"d when they started their routine. Here, let me show you:

He could spin

Both ways.

His transactions actually were transactions.

He went from this,

And this,

To this without an ounce of (visible) effort.

And his slides.

To top it all off, he walked out of the arena like this:

I tried to get some closer-ups of his face while he was working and surprisingly they came out alright.

This one directly above is one of my favorites of the day, even if it is not 100% in focus.

I took an (embarrassing) 415 photos of the day. Obviously, I haven't shared them all here. If you are interested in browsing through the rest you can click on any of the above photos and it will take you to my Flickr account where all the others have been uploaded.

It was a great day for my camera and I. Even though I had to crank my ISO way up (1600 if you care) and all the images are full of noise (camera noise), it was a great experience. I'm amazed that I managed to capture the images that I did.

Has anybody tested their limits recently and been pleasantly surprised? (I know there are a few of you out there...)

P.S. All of the reining images are straight-out-of-camera (SOOC), i.e. they have not been edited at all.

Peek-A-Boo Tuesday: Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-01-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

Today, I am opening the door to my soul and sharing a little secret that just recently came to be.

Typically, I do not talk about my job on this blog. I have introduced you to what it is I do, but I haven't really spoken about it since then. Thing is, my job is taking its toll on me and I am ready for a change.

So, I put a resume in with an equine vet who is looking for a tech. And I crossed my fingers.

I'm still crossing my fingers, but I haven't given up hope.

I am so ready for a change.

I'll let you know the outcome, whatever it may be.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Struttin' Our Stuff

2010-01-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hello! After being MIA for (quite) a few days, I'm back with so much to tell you about. Hopefully I'll be able to get my ducks in a row and actually post about it all in a reasonable amount of time.

The rain finally stopped sometime late in the day on Friday. Saturday morning when we got up we saw blue skies for the first time in a solid week. We could finally see our local mountains, and what a sight! The snow level had dropped nearly to the valley floor overnight.

Cowboy H and I already had a little weekend getaway planned, which involved a snow day on Saturday and a desert ride with the Desert Rose on Sunday. I know, I know, it was pretty brave of us to venture out with her after the "incident", but we survived! Pictures will be coming. Eventually.

When I last left you, the ushers had seated everyone and the doors shut were shut behind us.

The ushers from left to right: Brett (younger brother of Mel who was passing out programs), my bro and Stephen (who was named after my dad). These boys have known each other since before birth. The infamous naked pictures exist of these three (together) also, but I won't be sharing them.

Leann Rimes' acoustic version of "Amazing Grace" began playing and we lined ourselves up for our aisle-walks.

Cowboy H and his grandma were the first to go,

Followed by my brother and my grandma.

Photo by my cousin, Joelle.

Next Trent escorted his (and Cowboy H's) mom,

With Tiffany and their dad not too far behind.

You would think at this point, everything was going along just swimmingly, but no, not really. If you haven't noticed yet, I wanted this wedding to be as personal as possible, so I recycled two aisle-walker. My brother and Cowboy H's brother both had to circle back and escort a second person down the aisle. During the rehearsal, we had gotten the timing down pretty good, but of course that changed during the real deal, when everyone was staring. If you look in the picture above, you can see two boys in the background stretching their necks to watch something at the back of the church. What you don't see if my brother running down the side aisle-way of the church to get to my mom in time. Looking back, I should have used those to boys to escort the two additional women, but oh well. It made for a funny moment.

Fortunately, Joe made it back in time and walked my mom down the aisle. You can see the smirk on his face after that stunt.

The lady in the beige shirt in the background is my "horse trainer". I have known her since I was in second grade. My brother and her oldest son went to kindergarten together. Her and my mom are still very close. I love the look of pure affection she is giving my mom and brother.

Then it was Trent's turn to get back to the back of the church.

He had to run too, which cracked Jenna up as she was waiting for him. In the background, my dad is lecturing me on the fact that I should have used more people.

And off they went.

I hate this picture, but its the only one I've got.

And now, what you've all been waiting for. Okay, what I was waiting for.

My turn.

I'm pretty sure, this is my all-time favorite picture of my dad. EVER.

My dad and I waited (im)patiently for the music to change to Chris LeDoux's "Look At You Girl". After the first few beats, it was time to go.

I tried so hard to walk slowly, soak it all in, but I was ecstatic. Beaming. Overjoyed.

You know, just a little excited.

Photo by my cousin, Joelle.

And shiny.

I know you're supposed to look at your groom, whose patiently (and excitedly?) waiting for you at the end of the aisle, but I couldn't believe all the people that had come. It was surreal. I wanted to look at each and every one of them, burn them into brain, bask in the joy that these people had come to watch Cowboy H and I get hitched. Seriously, I tried to make eye contact with everyone.

Look! Its a Desert Rose on the left. And please note my dad is wearing two different blacks. Thanks, Dad. I still love you.

Unfortunately, no one took a picture of Cowboy H's face as I was coming down the aisle. I'm pretty bummed about that (come on professional photogs!) but I'm pretty sure he was looking at his shoes like he was during rehearsal.

All too soon we were at the end of the aisle, and my dad hugged me off.

Then, he shook Cowboy H's hand, while I gripped his arm (for dear life?), bulging bicep and all.

Up Next: Let The Ceremony Begin!

Question: Do you all want to know what was said at the ceremony? I mean, I can dig up and type out the readings, vows, etc. Or, I can just show you the pictures and tell you what was happening then.

All photography credit goes to Applemoon Photography, unless otherwise noted!

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 2, Vol II

2010-01-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

The other night, Cowboy H and I were trying to get cozy on the couch, enjoy a fire and watch a movie. I was doing something (can't remember what) and I looked over to see Cowboy H tearing the pillows and covers off the couches, mumbling.

Where the heck is the remote?

So we start looking together. Under couches, under beds, under pillows, under cushions. Cowboy H even lifted the recliner completely off the ground to check under there.

Oh well, it'll turn up eventually.

My brain was turning, however, since I really hate when I can't find what I'm looking for. I will continue looking until I find it. Even if it makes me late to something.

How funny would it be if my dog had dragged it into the backyard. Actually, that wouldn't be that funny. Do you have a flashlight?

Sure enough, there it was, sitting right smack in the middle of the backyard grass.

Welcome to my life. You should visit regularly.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Arrivals

2010-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

*Still* raining. Yesterday brought blizzard conditions, thunderstorms, flash floods and even a tornado to our area. Be careful what you wish for.

We arrived at the church about 30 minutes before the ceremony start time and my brother-in-law delivered me directly in front of the doors. A bunch of guests were already there, milling around outside since the church's wedding coordinator wasn't there yet to open the doors. I was so excited to see everyone there, I couldn't wait to get out of the car.

Once I did, the hug-fest began.

My friend Juan, on the right with his girlfriend. We went to high school, and ran track, together. We were both hurdlers. Funny enough, we both ended up at the jr. college in town together; I playing volleyball, he on the athletic training team. Then we both moved to the LA area, but at different times. I think we're stuck with each other. And oh yea, I went to his Sr. Prom with him.

This is Cassie's mom. While I have not spent a lot of time total with this lady, I feel at home with her. Really, she feels like my mom to me. She actually really reminds me of my mom, too. Maybe that's why Cassie and I always felt like old friends from the day we met. Strangely, even though Cassie and I have known each other since before 6th grade, and Cassie had visited me almost every summer, our moms had never met each other! They met for the first time at the wedding.

This is my baby cousin, Amelia. My mom has eight brothers and sisters; my mom is the youngest. Most of my cousins are old than me, and their kids (my second cousins) are closer to my age. But Amelia is actually our generation, and she's the baby! She LOVES me, to put it mildly. I should have hired her to be my personal assistant for the day.

At some point, we figured out a side door was open, so we sneaked in the church and opened the front doors, so all the guests could take a seat. Plus, it was freezing!

My girl Mel (of the chaotic morning prep) and her husband passed out the homemade programs.

Remember when I said I misspelled a word on the program? See "Amazing Grace"? It used to say "Amazing Graze". I guess sometimes our brains are elsewhere, like the pasture with my horse.

This is one of the other two girls I would have had stand up with me had we actually had a wedding party (how many 'had's can you fit in one sentence?). Once we cut it down, I still wanted her to be involved so I asked her to be a reader. School teacher that she is and all, she responded "Greeter? You want me to be a greeter? Why, I'd love to." So, passing out the programs it was. And she did a fabulous job.

Just before the ceremony, my sister-in-law decided her dress was too low cut for her duties as a reader, and asked me to pin it.

Photo by my cousin, Joelle.

I'm so glad someone caught this moment of me getting fresh with Tiff!

Then, suddenly we were shuffled inside and the doors closed behind us! Our priest gathered all the participants at the back of the church and gave us a little blessing.

Photo by my cousin, Joelle.

I bowed my head, and attempted to put on a serious face.

Up next: Let's Get This Show Started!

Once again, hat's off to Applemoon Photography!

We Put Something On The Walls!

2010-01-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Oddly enough, the Sunday before this appeared on A Cowgirl's Grace, I took the following pictures of some things I had finally gotten up on our walls. As you know, we've lived in the house for over a year now, and the only thing that had made its way onto a wall was a calender. Sad, sad.

New Year's Day my parents were visiting The Homestead, and while my mom and I shopped, Cowboy H and my dad hung these items on the walls.

So, let's take a peek inside the door!

When you open the front door and walk directly in, straight in front of you is the living room and fireplace. This painting now hangs directly above the fireplace.

Please ignore the white balance in all of these photos; The Homestead is extremely difficult to take pictures inside of.

I know its a little small for the space, but don't worry, I will have more on that at a later date.

One of my aunts and uncles gave us this as a wedding gift. It is just perfect for us. I love it.

If you walk into the living room and turn to your right, you will see our big picture window. If you continue turning to your right, you will see this hanging on the wall behind the couch.

My friend Cassie (you have met her in the wedding posts) painted this in college. It was one of her class projects. She is majorly talented.

It's an abstract, but can you tell what it is?

From here, if you look to the right of the front doors, you will see this (pencil/watercolor?) artwork.

No, the matting is not two different colors; there was a shadow from the wall behind me.

My grandma gave us this over Christmas-time. It was the very first piece of artwork she got as a married lady. My great-grandfather (her father-in-law) knew the artist.

Unfortunately, my grandma couldn't remember the artist's name, and there is paper covering the signature on the back, so we will never know...

From here, if you turn back to your left, so the front doors are on your right, you'll see this beauty.

Ahhh, camera distortion!!

Every cowboy's house should have one of these.

Don't ever sell your saddle.
Honest to goodness, there is not a sum in this world that would get Cowboy H to part with his saddle.

This was another Cowboy Christmas purchase. The writing is burned into hair-on cowhide. I love the big copper studs in the corners.

'Round the bend from here, in the kitchen/dining area is another painting from Cassie.

Cassie painted this when she was twelve.

Yes, twelve. It is an oil-painting. Crazy kid.

Behind your back from this standing point, is our kitchen. We have this chalkboard hanging there.

This was purchased in Idyllwild, one of our favorite little places to visit. We have important phone numbers for house sitters listed on the bottom half, so no peeking!

Thanks for joining me on an arts touring through The Homestead!

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Pit Crew

2010-01-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

I must have spoke too soon, because we are completely socked in now. The rain started yesterday afternoon and is supposed to continue through the entire week, with some sources even reporting it will last until early next week.

This is our Pit Crew hard at work, 4 hours before dinner was even supposed to be served. The Pit Crew was comprised of what I consider my uncles (and maybe a real uncle or two), men who have been very close friends with my parents since their high school days or before. When my family has parties, these are the people that come. When, growing up, we would go camping, these are the people we would go with.

This guy was sorta kinda the head of the Pit Crew. He was my dad's Best Man at his wedding. My dad was also his Best Man. They are still best friends, and cannot go a day without seeing each other. His oldest son is my age, and we graduated high school together. Unfortunately, our parents also have pictures of us in diapers together.

Speaking of which, here's the son. He was a last minute addition to the Pit Crew so he did not get a custom-made apron. However, he played a crucial role in the ring saga, as he got married about 6 months before us and let us borrow his wedding band for the ceremony. Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect fit. More on that later.

This is my Uncle Jimmy. He is my dad's youngest brother and my God-father. He is a surfer-dude and a beach bum. Really, he lives right on the beach. I love my Uncle Jimmy. And, there you see the custom aprons I made for the crew the day before the wedding. Not only did I want them to protect their clothes since they also were invited guests, I wanted to give them a "Thank You" of some sort. Plus, they looked really cool.

This is my Uncle Joe (or one of them I should say, there are two on my mom's side). He is married to my God-mother, one of my mom's older sisters. This guy is part of a Roadster Club and has a 1920's Ford Roadster, painted bright orange. When my brother and I were younger, we thought he was the coolest guy ever (okay, we still do). He was on the Pit Crew primarily to make is Famous Garlic Bread. Trust me, if you love garlic, you will LOVE this bread. If you don't like garlic, STAY AWAY.

There on the left in the burgundy shirt, is my "Uncle Paul". There really are no words to describe him, but I love this guy. He's the one that you want all your boyfriends to meet, cause he will scare off the weenies. He can also weed out the good ones. His ties to my family also go back to before high school. He now teaches English at my (Catholic private) high school, which is unbelievably hysterical if you know him.

Over on the right, is my "Uncle Marc". Unfortunately you can only see his back. Marc is one of the guys that goes on our annual summer backpacking trip. Again, my parents have known him since high school or earlier.

I know a lot of people could not imagine asking their guests to work at their wedding, but I couldn't image any other people doing it. First off, there isn't a better BBQ crew in the area (my completely unbiased opinion, of course). Secondly, I really wanted the wedding to be as personal as possible. In fact, the only people involved in the wedding who I didn't know before I started the planning where the photographers. And even they felt like old friends. Honestly, having these men cooking up our main course made me so excited.

See? Okay, well maybe the food on the grill contributed a little bit.

Or wait, it was time to head to the church!

Let's get these blue boots moving!

Up next: People are actually coming!

All photographs in this post (as well as all wedding posts so far) are credited to Applemoon Photography.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Best Friends and Brothers

2010-01-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

This was our bridal party.

Unfortunately, that's the only photo I got back with all four of us, and the only one not making a funny face is Trent.

Originally, we weren't going to have a "bridal party" since Cowboy H didn't know who to have and I had three girls that I KNEW I wanted with me. I didn't want any of this lop-sided business so we decided to forgo the whole thing. Then, our officiant told us we needed two witnesses at the ceremony, so we decided to just have one person each, who would also serve as our witnesses. Fortunately Cowboy H's brother was able to make it out, otherwise he wasn't sure who to ask.

This crazy lady has out-grown the best friend title and pretty much moved to sister.

We met each other in FIRST grade. Actually, we met before first grade, in Albertson's grocery store after taking our entrance tests for first grade (private school). In second grade we wore the same dress to school on picture day.

We went to school together all the way until the end of high school. While we are almost complete opposites, we always fit together, complimented each other. I made Jenna tone down and relax; she made me act more like a girl and brush my hair. During high school we were almost inseparable.

Please note the creeper in the background is actually smiling.

While we have grown apart somewhat, we always come back to each other. I mean, after 20 years together, it just doesn't go away. That's why I call her my sister now.

Okay, let's put our serious faces on now.

Naw, don't let them fool you! While these two are several years apart in age, and haven't lived together for quite a while, they don't miss a beat. I was so so SO happy Trent made it out (from Missouri); it wouldn't have been the same without him standing next to Cowboy H. He seriously lived up to his Best Man duties too. He escorted me around, ran errands, and made sure to supply my favorite (and only) alcohol to the bar. Thanks bro!

While we were busy taking additional pictures such as these

Butt pincher!

and these

our photogs were also busy capturing some candid moments.

Talking to his beer can since I wouldn't allow it in the picture.

Pinning on a bout.

I like your skirt, Granny.

In the background, the BBQ pit was fired up.

Can you see us in the background? We love BBQ!

You know what, I'm going to save my BBQ crew for a whole new post! They deserve their own after all the rib-eye and chicken they cooked for us! Plus, I want to tell you about each of them, since they were not a hired crew. They were specially selected vounteers!

Stay tuned!

Next time: The Pit Crew and we finally head to the church

Chain Reaction

2010-01-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else every notice how certain things in life are the result of a chain reaction?

Think of that couple who starts dating, gets serious, moves in together, gets engaged then suddenly, all is called off and one is moving out. You ask, "What happened? Everything was going so well."

I don't know. I don't think we were right for each other. It just felt like the next move to make.

Chain Reaction.

Or that family that starts with two cats, buys a house, gets another cat, then a dog, then another dog and suddenly the wife looks up and makes an observation.

We have more than twice as animals as people in this house. How did this happen?

Chain Reaction.

I finally coaxed myself into going back to the gym for my spinning classes. That in turn made me really want to eat better, because, if I'm working this hard and sweating this much to get back into shape I should probably help myself out and eat foods that are better for me.

Speed things up, ya know?

Chain Reaction.

What's unexpected however, is how much better I feel about myself overall since making these small changes. I may not look better yet, but I feel better, partly because I'm proud that I am taking care of myself, party because the exercise and healthful food will do that for you. That feeling better part makes me think I actually look better, so I start carrying myself differently.

Which, in turn, really does make me look better.

Chain Reaction.

Has anyone else experienced a chain reaction set off by something small? Is anyone caught up in a chain reaction right now?

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Say Cheese!

2010-01-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Ohhhh, everyone hates the family pictures. But truth is, if it wasn't for all of these people, the two getting married wouldn't exist, or wouldn't be exactly who they are. So, we take family pictures. And hopefully get them hung on our walls (hangs head).

We took family photos before the ceremony for a few reasons.

My mom was the head chef. There was absolutely no way she could be posing for pictures during cocktail hour. She had to finish prepping dinner!
We wanted our family/friends to be able to go directly to cocktail hour and enjoy themselves before dinner was served.
We wanted cocktail hour to actually be an hour. This stemmed from a wedding we went to a year ago, where we sat around in the bar of the reception site for over TWO hours waiting for the bridal party/family to take all their pictures. Let's just say there was not much to do besides drink. Uh-uh, no way that was happening at our wedding.

So, onto the photographs. I'll try to keep them brief.

Cowboy H's sibs: Trenton and Tiffany.

My younger brother, Joe. Please remember that I am nearly 6 feet tall.

Cowboy H's mom and her husband.

Cowboy H's dad.

My dad and mom (and brother again).

Cowboy H's grandma.

Ready for another goof on my behalf? I had forgotten to tell my grandma that we were meeting before the ceremony to take pictures. After scrambling around, we sent Cassie and Katie to pick her up. Then, halfway to the barn, my grandma realized she forgot something at home. So they had to go back to her house.

At this point, we were all standing around waiting for my grandma. Around the barn, tables were being decorated, napkins folded and all that other jazz set-up. (Let me tell you, even my ushers were helping fold napkins!) Suddenly, Cowboy H came out of the barn wearing THIS:

THIS, is the hat he was wearing when I met him.

Some of your may already be familiar with this hat. I got, just maybe, a little excited.

And then, finally, my grandma was there so we could take the last pics.

Next Time: The "Bridal Party" and Outtakes!

Almost A Rainy Day

2010-01-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was almost a rainy day. I say that because it tried really hard, I mean it really tried to rain, but ultimately the sun came out.

I know that people in other states, heck in the majority of the United States right now, would pay a hefty sum to say the words "the sun came out" right now.

And I know that there is a very good possibility someone might come out and lynch me, but I'm going to say it anyways, I was pretty upset with the sun.

Really. When I woke up yesterday and saw the cloudy skies and that it had rained (ever so lightly) overnight, I was really excited at the possibility of a rainy day. I even made sure to wear my "rain" boots to work.

I love rainy days. I love using my windshield wipers and wearing my Uggs. I love the gray skies and the way the world smells so fresh. I love cozying up to a fire and drinking hot cider. I even love coming home to wet and muddy puppies.

I think though, part of the reason I love them so much is that they're such a rarity around here. Rainy days to us are like sunny days to Seattle-ites. They only come around every so often. Right now, I honestly cannot remember the last time it rained at my house.

But, folks, we need rain. That right there is the single biggest reason I want it to rain so badly. Our crops need to grow, our reservoirs need to fill back up and our livestock need something to eat. Lastly, we need to protect ourselves against those infamous Southern California wildfires.

In 2008, three wildfires started in November. November, people. The Montecito Tea Fire started on the 13 and ended up destroying 210 homes and burning 1,940 acres. The Sayre Fire flared up on the 14, and destroyed over 600 buildings including 500 homes. This fire burnt 11,262 acres before it was contained. Then, on the 15 the Freeway Complex Fire started. This is the one that forced us to evacuate our horses and burnt up the ranch. By the end, it destroyed 187 homes and 30,305 acres. And those were only the major Southern California fires. There were smaller ones, and northern ones too.

In 2009, over 300,000 acres in California were destroyed by wildfires. In Southern California, the La Brea Fire was responsible for 89,489 of those acres and the Station Fire took care of 160,577 acres and 209 structures.

Plus, I have rancher friends and they are starting to go bankrupt, what with all this having to feed hay to their cattle out on pasture. That and having to pay skyrocketing prices for said hay because the farmers who grow the hay are having to continually water their fields.

Anyone know a good rain dance? Anyone??

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Spit Shinin' the Bride

2010-01-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

And so, the wedding it is! From here on out, all wedding photographs are credited to Applemoon Photography, unless otherwise noted.

We prepped and preened at my parents' house, starting in my parents' bathroom because it was the largest. While my morning started off quietly and calmly (hot shower, fresh coffee and fingernail painting all by myself) the chaos quickly ensued. You have been paying attention, you'll know this is just the way I like it!

I had enlisted a handful of my best, longest and closest friends to clean me up good. My Sassy Cassie and her roommate Katie had spent the night in my parent's living room so they were armed and ready first. At about 9 am, my best-best-friend-since-before-we-were-born Mel-Bel arrived, and the four of us started pulling the curlers from my head. About 9:30 am, my pretty-much-sister-best-friend Jenna arrived, with a fresh Starbucks in hand for me. Together, the five of us attempted to get my hair to look like the picture in my hand. It was a little dicey for a while.

About 10 am, Mel's older sister Jen, who I'm pretty sure was actually in the delivery room when I was born, arrived with yet another Starbucks for me. You'd better believe I drained those suckers. Coffee was my life-blood that morning.

Jen took over the hair project and Cassassy and Katie moved to another bathroom to shower and dress. Jenna relocated to the last bathroom to get herself primped.

This is about when my (younger) brother remarked, "Mooooom, there are girls EVERYwhere! I need to take a shower. Come on!" If you were counting, there were 6 girls occupying 3 bathrooms. After reshuffling, the primping and preening continued.

At about 11:30, Cowboy H and his brother arrived with fresh haircuts and new shoes, and donned their suits. It was decided that Trent would take me over to the reception location, where family pictures were occurring before the ceremony. Cowboy H was leaving earlier to help with last minute set-up. I yelled at him "Don't forget the rings!" to which he replied "You have my ring" to which I replied (under my breath) "Oh shit, where did I put the ring?".

I jumped from the stool, with half a face of make-up and frantically began searching for the ring (mine were safely stowed in my make-up bag). I mean, clothes, bags, shoes, pillows were flying. I called Cowboy H who had already left and made him strip-search my truck. Trent did the same to the car. No luck. You may remember that this ring was on loan to us from our jewelry store. I finally quit panicking and got back on the make-up stool. Oh well, ring or no ring, we'll still be married. Yeah, but that ring belongs to the jewelry store.

We finally made it to the reception site, all in one piece I might add, and this beauty was just waiting to be donned.

Oh little pearl buttons, I love you.

And this is when I finally started looking like a non-spastic bride.

Please note the hair tie I forgot to remove from my wrist. At least you know I was nothing but myself on my wedding day. And ultra prepared.

Yes, I did allow someone to help me. I helped her back, too.

Awww, I look so calm and peaceful.

And then, it was time for THESE:

Cowboy H cleaned them for me; aren't they pretty?

Lastly, they made me hold this

and sit down, look pretty and act like a lady. Even if only for 3 minutes.

Ta-da! A bride!

Style Notes (from me?!?!): My hair clip was originally a brooch purchased at an antique store near our home. I hot-glued it onto a plastic hair comb from Michael's. The earrings are true antiques, purchased at the same store. Screw-backs! The boots were borrowed from the lady who operates the ranch where we board our horses. They were exactly what I wanted. Sometimes, you get lucky.

Up next: Those awful annoying posed family photos and Cowboy H takes me back.

Horsin' Around

2010-01-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

More and more these days, if I haven't visited my horse in a while, I feel guilty just yanking her off pasture, slapping a saddle on her back and going to work. We do have a relationship afterall, and that's just rude. On top of that, while the days are getting longer, I still have limited time before the sun goes down. So lately, I find myself running out to the ranch, just to check on the horses, say hello and offer an apple or carrot (if I dare, the pasture can get ruthless) with camera in tow of course. This was one of those times.

The sun was in that magical spot, just before it hits the horizon.

As I searched for my two (there are about 6 bays out there right now) I was immediately greeted by this one.

Meet Maggie. Or Hell Bitch as Cowboy H calls her. Watch out for this one; she's a pistol. The first time Cowboy H brought Hank out with him to catch a horse, this one stepped right on the poor little guy. And it wasn't no accident. I mean, she stomped on him, with purpose. He yelped all the way back to the tack room. One of these days she'll make a real nice ride, but first she needs to be taught some manners.

I love how the backlighting highlights how fuzzy her ears are. And the long hairs on her jaw bone. Sometimes, you just get lucky.

This little face also wanted to say hi.

This is Doce. She is a rescue. She was taken from a hoarder (you've all heard the stories) and my ranch was able to bring her on thanks to donations. She has gained about 200 lbs since being rescued and isn't fat yet! If you're interested in the rescue efforts of the place I board, please visit Heaven's Ranch.

While I was visiting with these two, another looked on.

This is Promise. I do believe she is for sale, as her mama recently purchased one good-lookin' gelding.

Isn't she pretty. She's a bit of an attention hog also.

Funny, I didn't take any photos of my own horses! I did eventually find them though, even if they were at opposite ends of the pasture. Both are doing very well, thanks for asking. Nice and hairy and fat.

And, before the light became unusable, I snapped one more.

Monday Motivation... From YOU!

2010-01-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

While I have plenty of small tasks to complete on my own this week, I need your help with something.

I have a full queue of past events to tell you about (and show you pictures of) but, at this point, I just don't know where to start.

So, I'm asking you to tell me, what do you want to hear about first? Or not at all? Or do you want me to mix it all up and make you go crazy? Some of these events will require a series of posts so keep that in mind.

There's this:

which I started talking about, but bailed on before I got to the good stuff.

Some of you may also remember this trip:

which I went on only 2 weeks after breaking my arm.

For Labor Day Weekend, Cowboy H and I went camping here:

which I have done every year since I was an infant. Wood cutting, sunsets, cows and the Hankster were involved.

And at some point at 5K Walk/Run was participated in,

which really wasn't all that exciting, but it raises awareness for a good cause.

It would be really great if y'all could get together and come to a consensus, that way I won't have to decide who to please first. However, I won't push it. Y'all have busy lives, I understand. Can't wait to see what I'm writing about next (or if I'm writing anything at all)!

In the meantime, I went on a RIDE yesterday!

Oh, it was fantastic. And about 80 degrees. My condolences to those of you who are snowed or rained in right now.

Hope everyone is ready for a great week!

Every. Day.

2010-01-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!!

The Tack Room Project

2010-01-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

On a very wet, drizzly, misty, cold day last week, Cowboy H and I tackled the Tack Room Project.

I had been informed a few days prior we were getting a "roommate"; a new boarder had been assigned to our tack room. Oh crap, we'd better get our crap organized. And we'd better clean out all the crap on the floor. Honestly, our tack room was a mess. Embarrassingly messing.

I was even more embarrassed when we opened the door and saw this:

Eeek! The roommate had landed! And poor girl could barely fit her one tack trunk in the door.

We got started right away. After all, we had this to deal with:

And this:

And last but not least, this:

Yes, we had a mouse infestation. Eeek! I think we had 3 extended families living in there, nestled all cozy up in my saddles and pads.

Really.

We caught them. Wanna see?

Sure you do.

Actually, this was only about 1/4 of them. We gave them to Hank.

He "played" with them, while Huey looked on.

Please note how ridiculously wet and muddy my dog is compared to Cowboy H's. That's cuz Hank's a sissy.

Ok, moving on. Hopefully Cowboy H won't read that.

We removed everything from the tack room, piled it onto the back of my truck and swept the whole thing out.

The mice families had literally shredded the user guide for my point-n-shoot. Good thing that camera's broken and I have this nice fancy one!

We also set a few of the sticky traps in the corner. Hopefully new girl won't walk in and find one staring at her with his dead little eyes.

Yes, that is a big ole pile of grain on the floor. That is what came out of the hole the mice had made when I picked up the bag.

When it was nice and purty and clean, we put everything back in. And it looked like this:

Yes, I have an English saddle. Whadda ya gonna do about it?

As a final touch, we hung these by the door.

Oh, you want a closer look you say?

An even closer one?

Well, okay, I suppose.

And with that, the Tack Room Project was completed.

And I felt much better about my life.

And then I returned home.

And that feeling quickly escaped me.

A Sunday Drive

2010-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

The Sunday after Christmas, Cowboy H forced me to shower, put on real clothes, get in the car and go somewhere.

I was pretty reluctant about it; I was having a fine ole time in my flannel pajama pants and baggy t-shirt, with my greasy hair and jr. high glasses since I had left my current pair at The Homestead.

But, I obliged and boy was I glad I did.

We drove up to Montana de Oro, which is a State Park not too far from my parents' house. We used to camp here when I was little and I have some crazy fun memories of this place. They also have a horse campground, which I never got to test out, but I'm pretty sure it would be an amazing place to trail ride.

You could see clear across to Morro Bay and Morro Rock, which is rare because it is very often foggy up there.

It was such a beautiful day, I couldn't believe it. We walked along this beach for a few minutes while I snapped some pictures. It was great because no one else was out there.

He just can't help himself.

We drove a little further into the park and along the coast and discovered this.

This is a section of the coast that hardly ever breaks, and when it does, it breaks BIG. You can't see it (I left my zoom lens at home) but they were towing the surfers into the waves with jetskis!

After watching these guys for a little while with several other spectators, we headed back to the main beach of the camp grounds.

This little cove is really rocky and craggy, but unfortunately it was also very crowded.

The waves were HUGE in here also. I remember coming to this beach when I was little. I also remember having to tow a friend out of this beach once in high school after he got stuck. Good times.

Luckily I have Cowboy H now, so I won't have to be doing anymore towing. He can do it!

The sun was getting closer to the horizon, so we hopped back in the car and drove over to Morro Bay, since we wanted to be at Morro Rock for the sunset. Morro Rock is a landmark up here and is pretty cool.

In school, I remember a story about a bear cub who fell asleep on a small rock, and when he woke up the rock had grown to be as big as it is now, and he was stranded up top! The area was inhabited by Native Americans years ago, and this was one of their stories. In reality, the "rock" is a volcanic plug.

You used to be able to go all the way to the top, but throughout the years access has become more and more limited. Today, no climbing or hiking of any kind is allowed. Cowboy H was pretty bummed, especially when my dad told him that evening stories of climbing/hiking the rock when he was a kid.

Instead, we hung out at the base of the rock, and watched the sun set.

Look, more surfers!

And the jetskiers.

And now, I'll shut up and just let you enjoy this sunset the same way Cowboy H and I did.

At least I didn't change out of my jammies for nothin'.

This Year I Will

2010-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

The word around the streets these days is "resolution". What's your new year's resolution? Do you have a new year's resolution? Are you making a new year's resolution?

I'm not making a resolution this year. I don't think I've made one in the last few years. However, there are a few things that I want to accomplish this year, or at least make habit again.

Here is the list of things I WILL do this year:

Eat more salads
Drink 3 cups of green tea a day
Go to spinning class twice a week
Visit (maybe not ride) my horses more often
Blog consistently (i.e. at least 5x a week)
Comment more on everyone else's killer blogs
Print and frame some of my photos for my own walls
Approach the family budget with less of a negative attitude
Set up a photography website

It's a brand new decade, I have a brand new name (finally) and I feel the nagging pull of change growing stronger. I feel like I've been on the edge, just waiting to leap and I'm finally ready to leap without anyone having to push me!

Anyone else have high hopes for 2010?

The Hohman Homestead

A New Chapter

A Few Things

The Nursery

First Father's Day

Look Who's Here!!

Two Cities, Two Trails

The Deets On Baby H

Tap Tap… Is This Thing On?

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: All The Little Details

Tears In My Eyes

Redneck Woman

ALOHA!!!! (Or My, Oh My, How I've Missed Y'all!)

Tag, I'm It!

MIA No More

Again.

One Week To Go...

A Text Message I Sent Cowboy H

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 3 Vol III

Second Shooter

Oh My.

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Dance! Dance! Dance!

And We Said Goodbye

Feel The Love

Spring Is Here!

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 3 Vol II

Portrait of a Cowboy and His Dog

Trail Riding On Our Turf

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Face-Stuffing and Rug-Cutting

This One's For Pony Girl

Photo Lab 2 (Or "Panic In The Darkroom")

Hooked

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Grub

New Kid On The Block

Back to School

On Bella

Bad Hair Day

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: PHOTO BOOTH!

The Kinda Weekend I Like

Macro Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Hamming It Up

Head Spinning and Other Matters

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Barn Party Begins

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 3, Vol I

Ain't (Married) Love Grand?

Macro Monday, Feb. 15, 2010

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Love, Sweet Love

Bringing Home The Bacon

A Number Of Things

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Welcome To The Barn!

Weekend Getaway: A Desert Ride

Macro Monday, Feb. 8, 2010

Weekend Getaway: Winter Wonderland

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 2, Vol III

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Ceremony Aftermath

Broken Dreams

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Ceremony

Macro Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

Oh Monday.

A Photography Challenge... And Some Cool Horse Pics!

Peek-A-Boo Tuesday: Ch-ch-ch-changes

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Struttin' Our Stuff

Welcome To My Life, Ed. 2, Vol II

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Arrivals

We Put Something On The Walls!

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: The Pit Crew

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Best Friends and Brothers

Chain Reaction

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Say Cheese!

*Almost* A Rainy Day

A Homemade Wedding Homestead-Style: Spit Shinin' the Bride

Horsin' Around

Monday Motivation... From YOU!

Every. Day.

The Tack Room Project

A Sunday Drive

This Year I Will

Almost A Rainy Day