Back in the Saddle again...

When Raquel was 3 years old she wanted to ride horses...always. She nagged me to no end and just wouldn't let up on the subject. She nagged me so much, that I off offhandedly told her when she turns 11, she could take lessons, thinking that a little toddler wasn't gonna remember and that the "horsie" phase would take a huge flying leap outta her brain.....WRONG!

For 8 years she continued to remind me that the day was coming AND the fact that Auntie Brenda would have her come down to the stables and help out with her various horse chores didn't help. She would feed and groom the horses and schlep hay and manure all with such enthusiasm, that I had a feeling this was no phase. So when she turned 11 with the help of Auntie Brenda and this guy...

...she started her horse riding training. This is Tom...Tom is hot and yes, Tom was her very first riding instructor and a very good one to boot. I will never forget her first lesson...it was in October and the lesson started out in the sunshine and by the time she really got into it...it was raining. When Tom asked her if she wanted to stop she replied.."No Way". As the years continued, Raquel had moved to various stables and instructor due to what and where she wanted to learn. One or two lesson per week for 2 and a half years...but that's not the surprising part. I hardly saw any of them. You see, I was extremely nervous watching her. My anxiety levels would sky rocket and I would have to leave. I would go for walks or shopping or run errands because I just couldn't deal with it. And as she got better and better which included jumping, cantor and even a little gallop here and there, I was outta my mind to the point the Dr. gave me something to take at every lesson if I choose to stay and watch, but not once did I tell her that she couldn't ride. I would explain my feelings of stress, reinforce her love of riding and that's just how it was. We understood each other.

After over 2 years of riding English, Raquel decided to try Western and ended up loving that too and took lessons for about 3 more years. Unfortunately, school became to stressful and she had
her hands full of other obligations, she had to to take a break and I exhaled, all the time knowing that she would eventually go back.....and she has.

She has missed riding English and is now picking up where she left off and actually learning a few Dressage moves too. My anxiety level has gone down due to the fact that I don't have to take her to her lessons...she can take herself...plus I've been doing a lot reading and it's helped me tremendously.

So my little 3 year old is growing up right before my eyes and it's harder that I thought it would be but I'm so darn proud of her and the young lady she has become that just knowing that, helps me to grow up too.

The Latest

Well, I'm kinda winding down for the Summer and trying to wrap my brain around going back to work and Raquel going back to school for her last year. This Summer has been a very mild one...climate wise and a very fun and interesting one...life wise. Here's just a little snippet of whats been going on here for the last few weeks....


This use to be a mini corn field

now it's just good ol' corn. Most of it was good (so I hear...I don't eat corn) with a couple of not so good ears. Gave most of it to family and friends

The tomato plant is still goin' strong and they were and are wonderful

Had a huge BBQ with Eric's relatives from Austria....we all had a great time including the newest member of our family....Alex

Celebrated my BFF Brenda's B Day at Farrell's and made a pig outta ourselves and pretended we were 16 again...OK...we do that all the time but we had a good reason to this night

Connected with a friend from High School...shout out to Facebook, and REALLY(uhh ohh) acted 16 again...turns out he doesn't live too far from me...We'll surely see each other again

Had a minute of crafting. Bought these 3 plaques at a yard sale for $2...total. They were brownish and I just sprayed them my ever lovin' off white and placed them in the patio

and these two are still together and it's been quite interesting to watch. I'm looking forward to this new school year...(shaking my head no..wink, wink

I'm just sayin'

I'm waiting and waiting and waiting....

So last Tuesday I had a follow up appointment with my doctor. I call him my bum doctor because he's the one that gave me my Colonoscopy and sense we are on intimate terms...I thought it suited him. My friend Cathy who is a Intensive Care nurse told me, Oh we don't call them that, we call those doctors the Bootylicous Doctors. Somehow, that term of endearment just doenst roll off my tongue...Anyways, I go to my 4 O'clock appointment and I'm there about 10 minutes early. I walk in and every single chair is full, plus, 3 people are standing. The room is small and there are no windows to the outside. I sign in and find a corner. I am forced to watch "Health TV" again I am forced to hear about erectile dysfunction....Oh man, come on, where's the segment on cooking squash? That's way more interesting to me. I'm standing and standing and finally a chair opens up and I sit down. It is now 4:35 and I'm getting antsy. Finally they call me up to the window...it is now 4:55ish. I ask how much longer because there are 10 people ahead of me (i counted) and I don't think I can handle it...I'm a little claustrophobic. She peers her head out her little window to look at all the people like it's the first time she heard that,then looks back behind her at a clock then tells me I'm gonna guess about 30 to 40 minutes.

Well, that's all I needed to hear. There's no way I'm gonna sit there that long for a follow up that I already know the results to and listen to "Health TV' again. I tell her 'I'm sorry, I can't stay, when is your next appointment", she tells me Thursday at 2:20 and you'll be his first patient when he come back from the hospital. Great...let's do it I say and I'm otta here!

Again, I'm there on Thursday about 10 minutes early. I walk in and there are 4 people sitting there. Hey! I'm suppose to be first here! I sign in and ask the girl (it's a different girl) if I was his first appointment, she gives me a strange look and says "No, there are about 4 people ahead
of you...it won't be long. I sit and wait and wait...it is now 2:40 and she calls me up to the window to pay. They call me back pretty fast at that point and steer me into an exam room ....where I wait and I'm not kidding, 40 excruciating minutes. At 3:30ish the bum doctor moseys into the room, says hello, opens my file and tells me everything seems to be OK with a couple of minor issues, then asks me if I have any questions in which I reply sure and I proceeded to asks a few, but what I really wanted to know was since when did Bootylisious doctors become so popular?