I am Going to Miss This...

I am going to miss my early morning rides with my baby girl to the barn.  I am going to miss the time we spent praying as the sun was just beginning to show it's face.  I am going to miss the quiet talks, the slow winding drive down the long dirt driveway where deer and pastures line the way.  I am going to miss opening up the door to the barn to be greeted by the smells of horses and hay uniting in a sweet aroma all it's own.  I am going to miss hearing the hungry calls of the horses waiting for the morning meal.  I am going to miss the huge hug and kiss I get as I walk away and leave my sweet girl in a dream land all her own.

I am going to miss that long drive back to the barn in the afternoon.  I am going to miss the driving back down that long driveway where the horses are now in their pastures, rolling, grazing, trotting around.  I am going to miss the several minutes it takes me to hunt down my Jilli.  I am going to miss being surprised that she is still in the saddle learning a new skill.  I am going to miss watching as my daughter commands a beast 10 times her size with grace and confidence.  I am going to miss hearing her excited story telling as we make our way home.  I am even going to miss the small hay pile we have going at the back door where she takes her dusty boots off.

It has been an amazing week.  We are both sad to see it end.  She is already planning for next year's camp and "all the lessons in between."  Later today is her horse show.  She will be riding her new favorite horse, Arnold.  Arnold is huge and makes Jilli look entirely too small to be riding.  Kevin is taking off of work early because no Daddy should miss his daughters first horse show.  I will be taking pictures like crazy and enjoying every minute.  And yes, I will probably get all teary eyed (I am just thinking about it).

This is Jilli walking Layla back to the barn after she was done riding her.  Layla is half the size of Arnold...

And because I believe it is worth noting... I will miss the feeling of community amongst diesel truck drivers.  I am often looked at funny when I drive my truck around the city, or hear comments "you drive that big truck??" No one looks at me funny out where the grass rolls and the corn grows tall.  No one minds the loud rumble as I pull up or the black smoke that I leave behind as I pull away.  My truck and I love the winding roads that speeds of 45 are considered slow.  My truck speaks to me, it purrs like a kitten as we become one rolling over the hills together.

I am going to miss this...

Happenings

We have had so much going on over here that I haven't been able to keep up on the blog.  I have a half dozen posts half written, but then I am pulled away from the computer and the posts never get done.  So, I am getting this one written and posted before anything stops me!

Three big things have happened over here....

1. Our house is back together!!  Yippee!!  I am finally back in my bathroom again.  I was officially kicked out of Kevin's bathroom Wednesday night.  I found all the remainders of my bathroom possessions sitting on my bathroom counter when I arrived home in the evening.  Haha!  Jilli and I are happily getting reacquainted with our own space again.

2. It was Jilli's Golden Birthday on Monday.  I will have a blog post all about it, but she said that it was the perfect party for the budget that we had.  Oh My.... Kev and I will have to start saving for her wedding yesterday!  She is quite the planner and little hostess.  Love that about my little blonde miracle!  It really was a special day, she had some very special guests... four different states were even represented at her party.  As a parent, it was very special to see all who showed up to celebrate the special day, it's a snapshot of love... love for a little girl who grows more special everyday.  (Did you count how many times I used special in the last two sentences? Haha!)  I Look forward to sharing the pictures from the special day!

3. Micah went into his Ortho appt on Wednesday with braces and came out with them off.  I had no idea that was going to happen.  He walks out and says "Mom, I picked clear this time!"  With his adjustments he got to pick the color rubber bands that go around the braces.  So at first I thought... Wow, those are really clear.... and then I realized he didn't have any on!!

My Grandma always said it was VERY important to have straight teeth.  As a matter of fact, my first date with Kevin my whole family was over at our house.  Before Kevin arrived my Grandma told me that if he didn't have straight teeth I couldn't date him and she would be checking.  Poor guy, he had no idea what he was walking into when he picked me up for that first date.  Thankfully his teeth passed the test :-) My Grandma said that the teeth was the first thing people saw and as such they needed to be straight.  People with crooked teeth are at a disadvantage, she said.  Funny the things I remember my Grandma saying... But I think she is absolutely right (she usually was).  Your smile says a lot about you, it is the first impression...

Well Micah is now giving a really good first impression!

What a handsome boy!!

That's it for now... I think my time is quickly running out before an interruption happens.  I am off to carry on with my most exciting day.  What a gorgeous morning it is!

Blessings!!