Enjoying Summer.....Seriously

Life feels like it is getting back to normal, which overall is probably a good thing. Not the new normal I was expecting, but our normal can be pretty great. All of us seem to thrive on routine, and staying busy continues to be the best therapy. I am so grateful it is summer right now. I really can't imagine how different my attitude and outlook would be if the storm had come mid-winter. Getting out and enjoying my favorite hobbies and great weather is such a blessing. For reals. Paige is at a seriously fun age and I wish I could record everything she says. She constantly brings a smile to my face. I feel like her personality is just blossoming. The things she says, thinks about, and stories she tells are just priceless. She maybe somewhat of a genius and she never ceases to amaze me, or scare me with what she catches and processes. Oh boy. What joy she brings! I was emailed this photo from her dancing performance at Relay for Life. Hilarious. Check out her face, so serious.

 

 

Lord of the Dance

 

 

The bed in all its finished glory. I need some more pillows once I convince Mark I need more pillows. I would also like a lovely coverlet and other accessories Mark finds completely unnecessary. I wish he shared in my Pottery Barn fantasies.

 

I feel like anyone that reads Beth's blog and mine gets a double dose of awesome. Or a good read at Beth's and then mine is all old news since I essentially tell the same stories a week later. At any rate, a gal I play soccer with informed me that they had some special visitors at her family's boarding stables. Being the horse freak I am, I was so excited and obviously needed my equally horse freaked friend to come with me. I knew Beth would join me in gawking. Yes, people made fun of us for our stupid questions and ridiculous amount of pictures. Little do they know I could have stayed and annoyed all day long.

 

This picture almost looks photo shopped. They are just huge. Amazingly huge and gorgeous.

 

Beautiful animals. Also, they may or may not have better hygiene and grooming habits than I do. Not a hair out of place. Anywhere. All their equipment is immaculate. I don't think I could convince them to ride in our trailer for all the grain in the world. Way beneath them.

 

There is a disorder I suffer from that I like to refer to as equinitis. Get around horses a little bit and it's just infectious. Always leaves me wanting more. It had been awhile since I had gone on a good ride, and I let Beth know that that needed to be remedied. For health reasons obviously. The only cure for equinitis is spending time with the ponies. Before the world thinks I am a fantastic cowgirl, I am a trailer wuss. I am way too scared to tackle that part of the horse world, which is quite limiting. So poor Beth has to come and pick me and my horse up. She's a pretty good sport to put up with me. To make matters worse, she tells me these great stories about blowing trailer tires and shattering the back window of her pick up with the 5th wheel hitch. On Friday, Beth trailered Tucker and I and took us on a great ride out on the desert. It was quite beautiful and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being out there. Definitely one my favorite rides we have been on. Tucker was a rock star and behaved better than he had all year. I am sure that had something to do with the enjoyment level.

 

Cute Beth and Rogue.

 

Tucker is pretty much MIA in this picture, but trust me when I tell you he was there. We usually have a few battles each ride, and this time he decided to just let me be the boss. It was pretty magical.

 

 

On Saturday, we went for a 4-wheeler ride up to the towers and Packsaddle Lake. Paige loved it! She kept telling me we were in the beautiful forest and on the mountain. She kept her eyes peeled for the big hungry bear who likes to eat strawberries (per her favorite book). It was a bit windy and chilly up top, but the views were great.

 

I am not sure who that old lady with braces and acne is in the corner, wow seriously not a good shot of me. But Paige and Mark are so stinking cute so I had to post. I loathe selfies!

 

The water is freezing. That's as daring as we got.

 

A much better picture. Sure love this little one. She makes everything a lot more fun. I love being reminded to enjoy the little things like butterflies, smells, pretty rocks, etc.

 

The rest of the week was spent contacting agencies and attorneys. I am ready to move on and put ourselves out there again. This week we finished updating our home study. I need to work on updating our profile, but that is a big old monster. Not sure which direction to take there. I do feel like I have narrowed down our attorney/agency list and they look promising. In my heart, I still believe that our friends, family, and word of mouth are still our best options. Please keep us in mind and share our story and our desire to adopt!