Huh? Us?

I told you so! I knew you’d get us in trouble!

Sigh. It’s a day in a life don’t cha know? But they’re cute . . . it’s a good thing.

There was a lot going on this weekend…so much competition. Newt Gingrich wins the South Carolina primary, Giants win the NFC, Patriots win the AFC, our very won Oakcrest team loses to another farm in the horsey meet. There were some tears all around some of joy, some not.

These horses were out in the cold this weekend – along with all the girls and their support. I spent a lot of time in the car with the engine running but I saw these horses in the field and decided to brave the cold. I hope horses fare better in the cold than people do…

The meet was inside, the lighting was awful and I had to climb some hay bales to get a good vantage point of the girls. We shared hay bales so to speak.

The man had a camera as well.

I asked him if he was the official photographer.

He said no, “My wife rides and I take photos. How about you?”

I said, “My daughter rides and I take photos.”

“I hear ya,” he said.

“I”m running out of light,” he said, as he lowered his camera.

“I hear ya,” I said.

The collection above is the result of lighting and staging challenges but – it’s the stuff photography that I love. Not perfect, but captured and documented just the same. These girls make me so proud.

And they scare me too.

She’s alright, she recovered without falling off. And I thought that what I was doing was challenging! Yikes!

From left to right – Mona, Gertie, Jazzie and Cado at center.

How about now?

From left to right, the dog, Tuk Tuk, the cat and Willow at center.

Contrary to what the idiom implies, I like it when my life has gone to the literal dogs. I love the unpredictability and the chaos.

Except for when I have to clean up the vomit . . .

I – I will stay safely behind my lens.

She never brags about her equestrian accomplishments – she leaves that to me – so when I read the text (at a red light), I knew exactly what she meant.

She fell in love with another animal that she wants to bring home.

I had an hour to reminisce about what animal I was going to say no to. Was it another donkey? Or perhaps a cat with only one eye?

When I got there, I saw this beautiful dog.

And I knew… he was a young dog and had a really sweet and gentle nature, you just wanted to hug him. He’s up for adoption and needed a new home – but not our home.

He was introduced to big horses for the first time that day and this is how he reacted.

“Hmmm…I wonder what that big animal is?”

“Yawn…boooorring…”

“Wait – is she going to fall off?”

“Oh well…how long is this meet going to last anyway?”

We’ve asked that question quite a few times ourselves! What a lovely dog – and no we didn’t bring him home.

My resolution? To be more centered in His will. To be more spiritual. And to eat less.

In that order…Happy 2012!

Many people have lost loved ones very close to them and this time of year can be particularly painful for those left behind. We know – we miss our brother Dennis. He died far too young. We think of the friends we lost in the line of duty – flying their airplanes and doing what they love, but dying far too soon. I miss my Grammie and my sweet Uncle Jack who I adored as a child because I knew he loved me. He would show it by asking every single detail of my life. When I came home from overseas, he would ask about my work, my travels, my boyfriend. I would tell him and I never felt like he was nosy. His interest in me made me feel special. He would have loved my blog by the way.

I think of my friend Frank, who just passed away last August. He was found in his home, on the floor of his bathroom after he suffered a massive heart attack. We were a photography team and he had serving heart that inspired me to serve more and work harder. His photos fill my hard drive and I miss his presence every Sunday.

As much as we know it’s a part of life, it doesn’t mean it hurts less. So I try to shield the kids from the pain as much as I can while at the same time, letting them live through the experience. It’s a balance and the husband and I deal with our pain while attempting to stay strong for the kids.

But then the cat got sick and the kids are feeling the full pain of caring for a dying loved one. We know the kitty is old but somehow his sickness seemed sudden. We took him to the kitty hospital two weeks ago and there he stayed for three days. We didn’t think he would come home. He laid in one place for two days, his fur matted with his vomit. It was a horrible sight. The kids asked about him every day. I could see them struggling with his diagnosis of a cancerous tumor.

He’s home now and I force feed him his medicine twice a day. We keep a good eye on his food intake, his bowel movements and eye him as he slowly makes his way around the house. Every movement is watched carefully. The first thing I do when I wake is look for him. I don’t want him to crawl into a space and not ever find him again. And we never let him outside.

I admit, it’s been a great source of worry and distraction for me. Life has to continue on and Christmas had to come, in spite of our 24 hour vigil. I’m not going to state the obvious so right now, we’re just grateful for the little time our kitty has with us. And we’ll take care of him as best as we can.

It’s the craziness of the Christmas season. It’s getting to him too!

Don’t let it get to you! It’s Friday but Christmas Eve is tomorrow night. Everything is still and bright. And it will be alright.

Madness is a relative term. Say Merry Christmas to someone today!

A wonderful artist, musician and friend, Daniel C Palmer painted this watercolor piece of art for the girl. It was a year ago that he offered to do it. And four days before Christmas, he delivered.

It’s beautiful! It’s the girl and jumping Joker and he captured the movement and power of Joker perfectly. I will frame it and hang it above her bed. The girl is thrilled.

Daniel also sings, and plays the guitar – and the piano – and the bagpipes.

And he’s also quite handsome. Here’s his website – http://danielcpalmer.com/.

Merry Christmas everyone!