I was only able to get a couple of pictures of the Super Moon last weekend because there was too much cloud cover. What do you think?
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
Furry Friday (or snakey... you've been warned)
Yay I have pictures to participate in Furry Friday. They aren't furry this time though!! Anyone who is afraid of snakes has hopefully been warned by the title to not read this lol.
My husband went outside around dusk the other day with Jackal. My crazy dog started running circles, barking and growling like he was possessed. Hubby found this guy.
Isn't he beautiful??
He's very venomous so I'm glad Jackal knows to keep his distance. Hubby made him go inside, let me get pictures and then disposed of the snake. We let the non venomous King snakes, Rat snakes, etc. live on our property, but we can't risk having these beautiful guys living here. After hubby got rid of him my friends told me they travel in breeding pairs........ umm.... so yeah I'm keeping a close watch on the ground. This snake was a foot and a half long, but I never would have seen him if Jackal hadn't alerted us. He was even in open, short grass!
Since my camera is working I'll try to start taking pictures and posting more often. We should finish our base cabinets in the kitchen this weekend and then the counter people will come measure, then it will be a month or more before our counters are installed. I'm glad we don't have to do that though. Hanging wall cabinets has about done hubby's back in! We have to wait for a replacement cabinet for one the delivery truck messed up so we haven't even finished all of them. I'm getting very excited about having a real kitchen again! I'll take pictures when it's done, but it will be a couple of months because I want the counters in before I share. :)
Sunday, August 10, 2014
30 Before 30 List Updated!
Sorry I haven't posted in so long. We have been soooo busy putting our cabinets in our kitchen (will get pictures when done). With my recent birthday and only a year to go before I'm thirty I was thinking long and hard about my thirty before thirty list. Most people will make a list and if by the end of the deadline they haven't completed something they consider it a failure (the item, not the list).... not me! The point of my thirty before thirty list is not to be competitive with myself or to succeed/fail, the point is to get out and experience new things. When I made the list two and a half years ago my life was completely different from what it is right now. I never would have guessed things would have turned out the way they have! There is no way to guess how things will go in life. I also only gave myself three and a half years (that's when I first heard of a 30 before 30 list) to complete a list of thirty things that you're supposed to have ten years to complete! So I think I've done fairly well given the time and circumstances.
I've already changed my list once because originally it included things like think more positively (which I'm doing really well with!) and I wanted it to be things that were more easily recorded on the blog. Trying new things, learning new skills, etc. So I figured I would go ahead and change it again since I have one year left. Some of the goals are just completely unrealistic given the changed circumstances and financial situation. So here is the old list and check below for the revisions. :D
Original 30 Before 30 List
1. Take Chrome on an overnight camping trip.
2. Stand in two places at once (state lines). COMPLETED 1-3-13
3. Go to a live horse race. COMPLETED 1-16-2012
4. Participate in a cattle drive on my horse or one of their horses.
5. Ride a/my horse on a beach.
6. Take a trip on an actual train.
7. Ride/drive a horse drawn carriage/wagon/sleigh.
8. Go out on a sailboat.
9. See/Pet/Swim with trained or wild dolphins.
10. Print out a coffee table book of my photos. COMPLETED 11-14-2012
11. Learn more about photography. COMPLETE
12. Learn American Sign Language.
13. Do something special for my fifth wedding anniversary. COMPLETED 4-26-14
14. Learn some sort of dancing (belly dancing, ballroom dancing, etc.)
15. Learn to play the piano.... again.
16. Learn to paint (oil, watercolor, etc.) and paint a mural in my new house.
17. See cross country in person, like WEG.
18. Train a horse from weaning to basics under saddle.
19. Take dressage lessons on Chrome.
20. Teach Chrome to pull a wagon/carriage/buggy/etc.
21. Take Chrome to an SCA event!
22. Take Chrome to a Competitive Trail Ride and finish safely.
23. Take the class and get my concealed carry license.
24. Ride a purebred Friesian! COMPLETED 2-17-14
25. Conquer my stage fright and show Chrome in a local dressage schooling show.
26. Learn archery (bonus if I can do it on horseback!)
27. Have my own adorable little Papillon puppy!
28. Learn to swim. COMPLETED 7-4-13
29. Finish building my new house.
30. Go kayaking! COMPLETED 7-10-13
Here are the things I'm removing or editing...
8. Go out on a sailboat. I don't know anyone with one and don't have anyplace local that has them for rent (which I probably couldn't afford anyway) so it goes on the back burner.
9. Swim with or pet a dolphin. Again I live nowhere near the ocean and don't have the money to travel to the ocean right now so this will probably not happen soon.
15. Learn to play the piano again. I still love the piano and I still want to learn how to play it again, but right now I'm just more interested in other things. My piano is not going anywhere and I can always pick this back up later.
16. Learn to paint and paint a mural in my house. This one I am not taking off the list because a friend is teaching me watercolor, but I'm editing it. I'm going to change it to experiment in different mediums. I'm LOVING charcoal right now as well as graphite. I will probably do more drawing than painting so there is no way I'll become proficient in a year at the watercolor (she's very busy) especially since I don't have my own supplies. However I'm really enjoying branching out and learning new types of drawing and painting. :) On the mural I decided not to do it because although I've always wanted one I don't have the money or knowledge at the moment to do it. I've decided to do a photo/art wall instead (when I have the money for frames - I'll post pictures when it's done obviously).
20. Teach Chrome to pull a wagon. I just don't have the money right now!
21. Take Chrome to an SCA event. Again it's the lack of money and I really need a new horse trailer before I'm comfortable taking him to this kind of event.
22. Take Chrome to a CTR. Same as the others. When I made this list originally I thought we would be further along by now, but I did not foresee the moving, building a house, no money and no lessons lol.
23. Get my concealed carry. I still think it would be cool to have my concealed carry license, but it's REALLY expensive considering I would probably not carry one anyway. I'll just continue to target practice and go to the shooting range for fun. :)
26. Learn archery. I don't have the money to buy the equipment and I have so much else on my plate right now that I just don't have time so this one gets pushed out of the running for now.
27. Own a Papillon. This has been on my mind a lot. It's been six months since Storm died and I still dream about her and wake up crying. I'm still heart broken. I'm enjoying spending time with Jackal and I'm just not ready and I don't think I'll be ready for a new puppy any time soon. I still want a Papillon someday, but just not right now.
These items are not being removed from my bucket list! I still want to do them, but just not in the next year. :)
So now here is the NEW list!
Updated 30 Before 30 List
1. Take Chrome on an overnight camping trip.
2. Stand in two places at once (state lines). COMPLETED 1-3-13
3. Go to a live horse race. COMPLETED 1-16-2012
4. Participate in a cattle drive on my horse or one of their horses.
5. Ride a/my horse on a beach.
6. Take a trip on an actual train.
7. Ride/drive a horse drawn carriage/wagon/sleigh.
8. Own and learn to fly a kite.
9. Go to the Kentucky Horse Park.
10. Print out a coffee table book of my photos. COMPLETED 11-14-2012
11. Learn more about photography. COMPLETE
12. Learn American Sign Language.
13. Do something special for my fifth wedding anniversary. COMPLETED 4-26-14
14. Learn some sort of dancing (belly dancing, ballroom dancing, etc.)
15. Do a photo shoot with Jackal.
16. Experiment in different mediums (graphite, charcoal, watercolor, etc.)
17. See cross country in person, like WEG.
18. Train a horse from weaning to basics under saddle.
19. Take dressage lessons on Chrome.
20. Eat gluten free for a year.
21. See a polo match in person.
22. Gallop Chrome across an open field.
23. Go on a trail ride off property in the snow.
24. Ride a purebred Friesian! COMPLETED 2-17-14
25. Conquer my stage fright and show Chrome in a local dressage schooling show.
26. Grow a garden at my new home (and WATER IT!)
27. Go on a trail ride with Chrome and his sire or dam.
28. Learn to swim. COMPLETED 7-4-13
29. Finish building my new house.
30. Go kayaking! COMPLETED 7-10-13
Here are more details on the additions to the list.
8. Own and learn to fly a kite. I've flown a kite once in my life and that moment when the wind finally caught it and it soared into the sky was so amazing!! I was a little kid teaching myself how to do it so I wasn't very good but I'll always remember that moment. Ever since then I haven't ever tried it again. My husband likes flying kites so I'm thinking it's something fun we can start doing together (we need more shared hobbies besides fishing and the shooting range). Now I have to find one I can afford (they are so expensive!! Do they make ones with horses??).
9. Go to the Kentucky Horse Park. As with all of the best laid plans they can fall apart, but my tentative plans are to go to Rolex next year (I'm currently saving money to buy tickets waaaaay in advance) so this would go along with seeing cross country in person. Fingers crossed. I will keep all of my horse blogging buddies up to date and let you know when it gets closer if it's looking like it might be possible. :)
15. Do a photo shoot with Jackal. Storm's death made me realize how few pictures there are of me with the dogs because I was always the one taking the pictures, so my hubby said he will take pictures of me with Jackal. One idea I saw online is a photo shoot in a leaf pile LOL! He would blend right in. :D We get TONS and TONS of leaves in the fall so it's definitely an idea. Do you guys have any other ideas? Snow could be fun if we get any this winter.
20. Eat gluten free for a year. I've been eating gluten free for several weeks now and I love it! I feel so much better and I've even lost weight without doing anything else. I'm learning to cook and learning to enjoy it. I'm trying new recipes and I'm having fun. I plan to stay gluten free for the rest of my life just for health reasons (celiac), but this is a goal to keep me motivated for those days when I really just want a doughnut.
21. See a polo match in person. I've been wanting to keep this one a secret, but I can't! They are finally holding a polo match locally (okay it's not that close, but it's in my state) and we bought tickets. I'm so excited!!!!!!! It's in September. If anyone has been to one, I'll take all the hints I can get on what to wear since I've never been and they have a best dressed award.
22. Gallop Chrome across an open field. This may sound lame (that's what hubby said LOL), but for someone with confidence issues and a green horse it would be a huge accomplishment. I was terrified to canter him and it went well, so here's hoping our first gallop goes well too!
23. Take a trail ride in the snow! This will obviously be weather dependent since we don't always get snow around here, but if it does snow for once I am leaving the property! I have never ridden off of my property in snow.
26. Grow a garden at my new home. Since I'm eating gluten free now I'm eating a lot more fruits and veggies than I used to so I really want to grow a garden. We did some gardening at our old place, but were very limited in our space. With a five acre yard we have plenty of space here now. So I want to grow a garden and remember to water it LOL!
27. Go on a trail ride with Chrome and either his sire or dam. Because that would just be awesome. :D
So that's my revised list. Some of them still might not happen, but they are more attainable and realistic than the ones I had before. When it gets down to the finish line next year I might change it again hehe, but it's my list, my life, my goals and I can do what I want with it! There are no rules to follow. It's all an adventure and I've done a lot of things I never thought I would and probably never would have "gotten around to" if it weren't for making these goals. Let me know what you guys think! Ideas for a photo shoot with Jackal and what to wear to a polo match are greatly appreciated!
P.S. On the learn American Sign Language, that one is sort of done, I just haven't made a video yet. I decided to pick a number of signs to know before I could call this one complete (since I could obviously spend years learning the entire language) and I chose 100 signs. To my surprise when I added them up I knew around 150 signs!!! So I'm going to make a video of 100 and check that one off the list. I'll still be practicing and learning new signs all the time even after I check it off though. I'll try to get the video done as soon as possible! On the ones like learn to dance, learn ASL, etc. I should have said "start" learning because it will take a long time to become proficient at them and I'll never be an expert. So I'm trying to set goals (like the 100 signs in ASL) to achieve instead of leaving it so open ended. I'm not cheating I promise hehe. Also the house is getting close to done. We are making huge progress on the kitchen then it will be little things in the rest of the house. Once it's done (will be a few months because countertop hasn't even been ordered) I'll post pictures. I can't wait!
I've already changed my list once because originally it included things like think more positively (which I'm doing really well with!) and I wanted it to be things that were more easily recorded on the blog. Trying new things, learning new skills, etc. So I figured I would go ahead and change it again since I have one year left. Some of the goals are just completely unrealistic given the changed circumstances and financial situation. So here is the old list and check below for the revisions. :D
Original 30 Before 30 List
1. Take Chrome on an overnight camping trip.
2. Stand in two places at once (state lines). COMPLETED 1-3-13
3. Go to a live horse race. COMPLETED 1-16-2012
4. Participate in a cattle drive on my horse or one of their horses.
5. Ride a/my horse on a beach.
6. Take a trip on an actual train.
7. Ride/drive a horse drawn carriage/wagon/sleigh.
8. Go out on a sailboat.
9. See/Pet/Swim with trained or wild dolphins.
10. Print out a coffee table book of my photos. COMPLETED 11-14-2012
11. Learn more about photography. COMPLETE
12. Learn American Sign Language.
13. Do something special for my fifth wedding anniversary. COMPLETED 4-26-14
14. Learn some sort of dancing (belly dancing, ballroom dancing, etc.)
15. Learn to play the piano.... again.
16. Learn to paint (oil, watercolor, etc.) and paint a mural in my new house.
17. See cross country in person, like WEG.
18. Train a horse from weaning to basics under saddle.
19. Take dressage lessons on Chrome.
20. Teach Chrome to pull a wagon/carriage/buggy/etc.
21. Take Chrome to an SCA event!
22. Take Chrome to a Competitive Trail Ride and finish safely.
23. Take the class and get my concealed carry license.
24. Ride a purebred Friesian! COMPLETED 2-17-14
25. Conquer my stage fright and show Chrome in a local dressage schooling show.
26. Learn archery (bonus if I can do it on horseback!)
27. Have my own adorable little Papillon puppy!
28. Learn to swim. COMPLETED 7-4-13
29. Finish building my new house.
30. Go kayaking! COMPLETED 7-10-13
Here are the things I'm removing or editing...
8. Go out on a sailboat. I don't know anyone with one and don't have anyplace local that has them for rent (which I probably couldn't afford anyway) so it goes on the back burner.
9. Swim with or pet a dolphin. Again I live nowhere near the ocean and don't have the money to travel to the ocean right now so this will probably not happen soon.
15. Learn to play the piano again. I still love the piano and I still want to learn how to play it again, but right now I'm just more interested in other things. My piano is not going anywhere and I can always pick this back up later.
16. Learn to paint and paint a mural in my house. This one I am not taking off the list because a friend is teaching me watercolor, but I'm editing it. I'm going to change it to experiment in different mediums. I'm LOVING charcoal right now as well as graphite. I will probably do more drawing than painting so there is no way I'll become proficient in a year at the watercolor (she's very busy) especially since I don't have my own supplies. However I'm really enjoying branching out and learning new types of drawing and painting. :) On the mural I decided not to do it because although I've always wanted one I don't have the money or knowledge at the moment to do it. I've decided to do a photo/art wall instead (when I have the money for frames - I'll post pictures when it's done obviously).
20. Teach Chrome to pull a wagon. I just don't have the money right now!
21. Take Chrome to an SCA event. Again it's the lack of money and I really need a new horse trailer before I'm comfortable taking him to this kind of event.
22. Take Chrome to a CTR. Same as the others. When I made this list originally I thought we would be further along by now, but I did not foresee the moving, building a house, no money and no lessons lol.
23. Get my concealed carry. I still think it would be cool to have my concealed carry license, but it's REALLY expensive considering I would probably not carry one anyway. I'll just continue to target practice and go to the shooting range for fun. :)
26. Learn archery. I don't have the money to buy the equipment and I have so much else on my plate right now that I just don't have time so this one gets pushed out of the running for now.
27. Own a Papillon. This has been on my mind a lot. It's been six months since Storm died and I still dream about her and wake up crying. I'm still heart broken. I'm enjoying spending time with Jackal and I'm just not ready and I don't think I'll be ready for a new puppy any time soon. I still want a Papillon someday, but just not right now.
These items are not being removed from my bucket list! I still want to do them, but just not in the next year. :)
So now here is the NEW list!
Updated 30 Before 30 List
1. Take Chrome on an overnight camping trip.
2. Stand in two places at once (state lines). COMPLETED 1-3-13
3. Go to a live horse race. COMPLETED 1-16-2012
4. Participate in a cattle drive on my horse or one of their horses.
5. Ride a/my horse on a beach.
6. Take a trip on an actual train.
7. Ride/drive a horse drawn carriage/wagon/sleigh.
8. Own and learn to fly a kite.
9. Go to the Kentucky Horse Park.
10. Print out a coffee table book of my photos. COMPLETED 11-14-2012
11. Learn more about photography. COMPLETE
12. Learn American Sign Language.
13. Do something special for my fifth wedding anniversary. COMPLETED 4-26-14
14. Learn some sort of dancing (belly dancing, ballroom dancing, etc.)
15. Do a photo shoot with Jackal.
16. Experiment in different mediums (graphite, charcoal, watercolor, etc.)
17. See cross country in person, like WEG.
18. Train a horse from weaning to basics under saddle.
19. Take dressage lessons on Chrome.
20. Eat gluten free for a year.
21. See a polo match in person.
22. Gallop Chrome across an open field.
23. Go on a trail ride off property in the snow.
24. Ride a purebred Friesian! COMPLETED 2-17-14
25. Conquer my stage fright and show Chrome in a local dressage schooling show.
26. Grow a garden at my new home (and WATER IT!)
27. Go on a trail ride with Chrome and his sire or dam.
28. Learn to swim. COMPLETED 7-4-13
29. Finish building my new house.
30. Go kayaking! COMPLETED 7-10-13
Here are more details on the additions to the list.
8. Own and learn to fly a kite. I've flown a kite once in my life and that moment when the wind finally caught it and it soared into the sky was so amazing!! I was a little kid teaching myself how to do it so I wasn't very good but I'll always remember that moment. Ever since then I haven't ever tried it again. My husband likes flying kites so I'm thinking it's something fun we can start doing together (we need more shared hobbies besides fishing and the shooting range). Now I have to find one I can afford (they are so expensive!! Do they make ones with horses??).
9. Go to the Kentucky Horse Park. As with all of the best laid plans they can fall apart, but my tentative plans are to go to Rolex next year (I'm currently saving money to buy tickets waaaaay in advance) so this would go along with seeing cross country in person. Fingers crossed. I will keep all of my horse blogging buddies up to date and let you know when it gets closer if it's looking like it might be possible. :)
15. Do a photo shoot with Jackal. Storm's death made me realize how few pictures there are of me with the dogs because I was always the one taking the pictures, so my hubby said he will take pictures of me with Jackal. One idea I saw online is a photo shoot in a leaf pile LOL! He would blend right in. :D We get TONS and TONS of leaves in the fall so it's definitely an idea. Do you guys have any other ideas? Snow could be fun if we get any this winter.
20. Eat gluten free for a year. I've been eating gluten free for several weeks now and I love it! I feel so much better and I've even lost weight without doing anything else. I'm learning to cook and learning to enjoy it. I'm trying new recipes and I'm having fun. I plan to stay gluten free for the rest of my life just for health reasons (celiac), but this is a goal to keep me motivated for those days when I really just want a doughnut.
21. See a polo match in person. I've been wanting to keep this one a secret, but I can't! They are finally holding a polo match locally (okay it's not that close, but it's in my state) and we bought tickets. I'm so excited!!!!!!! It's in September. If anyone has been to one, I'll take all the hints I can get on what to wear since I've never been and they have a best dressed award.
22. Gallop Chrome across an open field. This may sound lame (that's what hubby said LOL), but for someone with confidence issues and a green horse it would be a huge accomplishment. I was terrified to canter him and it went well, so here's hoping our first gallop goes well too!
23. Take a trail ride in the snow! This will obviously be weather dependent since we don't always get snow around here, but if it does snow for once I am leaving the property! I have never ridden off of my property in snow.
26. Grow a garden at my new home. Since I'm eating gluten free now I'm eating a lot more fruits and veggies than I used to so I really want to grow a garden. We did some gardening at our old place, but were very limited in our space. With a five acre yard we have plenty of space here now. So I want to grow a garden and remember to water it LOL!
27. Go on a trail ride with Chrome and either his sire or dam. Because that would just be awesome. :D
So that's my revised list. Some of them still might not happen, but they are more attainable and realistic than the ones I had before. When it gets down to the finish line next year I might change it again hehe, but it's my list, my life, my goals and I can do what I want with it! There are no rules to follow. It's all an adventure and I've done a lot of things I never thought I would and probably never would have "gotten around to" if it weren't for making these goals. Let me know what you guys think! Ideas for a photo shoot with Jackal and what to wear to a polo match are greatly appreciated!
P.S. On the learn American Sign Language, that one is sort of done, I just haven't made a video yet. I decided to pick a number of signs to know before I could call this one complete (since I could obviously spend years learning the entire language) and I chose 100 signs. To my surprise when I added them up I knew around 150 signs!!! So I'm going to make a video of 100 and check that one off the list. I'll still be practicing and learning new signs all the time even after I check it off though. I'll try to get the video done as soon as possible! On the ones like learn to dance, learn ASL, etc. I should have said "start" learning because it will take a long time to become proficient at them and I'll never be an expert. So I'm trying to set goals (like the 100 signs in ASL) to achieve instead of leaving it so open ended. I'm not cheating I promise hehe. Also the house is getting close to done. We are making huge progress on the kitchen then it will be little things in the rest of the house. Once it's done (will be a few months because countertop hasn't even been ordered) I'll post pictures. I can't wait!
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