Mamma's Boys...

It's funny how my boys can be such Mamma's Boys at times. Tonight my arabian was so needy. It was so funny and so sweet at the same time. I went out to drop 3 round bales for them tonight. Usually I only drop 2 at a time but there's supposed to be another doozie of a snow storm tonight and I wanted to make sure they had enough to eat in case we couldn't get to them. So back to my first thought. Apache' was in a "NEED YOU" state tonight. This is always so cool to be able to share moments like these, because most people don't expect horses to be this way. He has always given me hugs but I have almost always asked for them. Tonight he asked for them and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So of course I stopped what I was doing to give him his hug before we dropped the first round bale. Then when we were getting ready to drop the second one he decided that he needed another hug. I suppose you are wondering exactly how a horse can give a hug. Well, Apache' gives them by placing his head over my shoulder and then bringing it down against my back. Once he has done this he pulls his head down and towards his chest which pulls me next to him. It is an amazing feeling, to know he cares enough to let me into his space. After that he was done and went on over to eat from one of the bales we had already dropped.

The picture on the top right was taken of Apache' in 2004. He is an amazing creature who has taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined. He has been with me since late June of 1993. Some times I think he knows me more than I know myself. What an excellent teacher he has been the entire time we have been together.

Now I wouldn't want to leave the other boys out of this post. They too are Mamma's Boys though they don't show it quite as well as Apache' does. The big Red and white one on the right is Jet. He's quite a big fella who is only willing to occasionally give you the chance to pet him. He is leary of strangers and men. I got him when he was 4 1/2 and he has made me use a different method for training him than I used with Apache'. I think this comes with how he was raised. He is such a good boy and you have to earn his trust as he does not give it out freely. If you were to ask him he would definately tell you that Velcro "EATS" horses. .....LOL...

The fellow in this picture getting his neck scratched by Apache' is Cheif. He is also Jet's son and I have had him since he was a foal at 3 months of age. He is my itchy boy as you can see in the photo. He loves to be scratched and brushed and just plain loves people all around. He's the calmest one of the three and not much bothers him. If you are willing to brush him he is willing to stand there and take it for as long as your arm will hold out.

Well, I have gone on quite a bit about the boys tonight. Seems they can affect me or is it infect me when their need arrises. They are one of my passions and I feel totally and completely at ease around them. Bad days seem to blow away with the wind when I am around them. Amazing the effect they can have on a soul.

Winter Headed Back In Full Force...

Looks like our past 3 days of mild to warm weather will be heading out in rapid order tonight. The weather men are calling for "Thunder Snow". Now I think this is the first time I have heard it called that but I suppose they didn't know what else to say. We are expecting heavy rain turning to ice and then finally over to snow. All of this along with up to 50 mileper hour winds and below zero windchills. What a huge change from the 50 degrees we have had today.

Hopefully it won't be so bad in the wee hours of the morning when we are supposed to head to work. We have decided though, that if it is we are staying home and not chancing the long drive. They are saying there could be black ice on the roads and I for one am not a fan of driving when the roads are like that.

I am currently working on another kit for the Digital Kit Shop at Kindred Creations. I am excited and nervous about these at the same time. I like how they are turning out but am nervous about everyone's reactions to them. Will they enjoy using them or do I need to do something different with how I am making a kit ? Only time will tell I suppose and hopefully I will get a bit better as I go. I really need to post a thread to see what everyone would like to have the kits contain. This would give me an idea of what I should put in my future kits.

This is my most recent kit that is in the store now. I love how it turned out and am hoping I put enough in there for everyone to play with. The word rings turned out better than I thought they would and I think are a cool addition to the kit. There are a lot of papers in this kit and not quite as many embellishments. Maybe I should do an add on pack for this kit.

Something New

I have just recently become a designer for digital scrap kits. I am excited about this and working on my third kit tonight. I thought I would start off with something for February along with some chipboard. You can purchase these kits at Kindred Creations in the Digital Kit Shop.

It finally warmed up here as well. I am glad because I am a bit tired of below zero temperatures. Good thing it had warmed up as I had a blown fuse for my heater in my truck and no fuses to replace it. Since it was fairly warm out it wasn't that bad of a ride to town for fuses...LOL

Off I go to work on something else for the store.

This is the last Post for Tonight

It was a job in itself to find him in the mass of green but we did. Once we found his flag we knew what section to look in. Then it wasn't long before he spotted us in our mass of family members that were there.

More Pictures From The Departure Ceremony At The RCA Dome

Some of my pictures didn't come out focused properly. I cried through the entire ceremony so steady wasn't my best attribute today. I managed to get off well over 150 shots though. I won't be posting them all but will add some to the photo gallery at Kindred Creations.

Here are a couple shots of the seating empty and then full and a couple signs:

Home From Indy

We arrived home from the departure ceremony around 7:20 pm. It's been a long trying day. The drive down was terrible and long as the roads were horrid. We too Interstate 69 and I thought for sure it would have been better than it actually was. Several people found themselves in the median or the ditches along the way. We took it slow 90% of the way, doing 50 mph in most places and even dropping down to 40 or 45 in some spots. That is slow considering the posted speed limit is 70. So I suppose it actually wasn't too bad if we could drive 50 mph.

I am going to share a few pictures from today. These are teary eyed photos so please be warned. This first set that I have resized are as follows:

The Drive To Indy, CJ & I, My DH Melvin & CJ, My DD & CJ

I will be posting more in a little bit but thought I would share a few to get you going. The Dome was packed by the way and we had to park 2 1/2 blocks away and walk in. When we left it took us 20 minutes to just get out of the parking garage.

A New Year...A New Prayer Needed...

Starting at 6:00 am Monday December 10, 2007 my youngest went on Active Duty. He will be shipping out to serve a year (or more) in Iraq. He will be guarding Convoys and that is all I know. I picked him up on the 22nd for the Holidays and he went with us on our trip to Kentucky.




January 2, 2008 there will be a ceremony for the troops in Indianapolis which I will be attending. Later they will depart from Georgia but I do not know when or where as of yet. He will be letting me know though, as I plan on driving down there to see him off. The news was saying 30 - 90 days of training but I still don't know anything exact.

My prayer request is not for me but for him. For a safe and speedy return. I am scared for him right now as I know he is risking his life for all of us and I know there is a chance, though I pray it will not be, that he will not return to us.

2008 has arrived and I am not sure that I was quite ready for it. None the less it is here. It's been snowing all of last night and into the new year. It's beautiful but I am not sure I am ready to drive in it in the morning.