They ARE smarter than me!!!

Fifth day in a row! But I found out how Gideon's opening the gate. It seems the latch has come loose at the screw, and he pushes on it until it turns sideways and opens up the gate. And the sad thing is, he knows he can do it now...it wasn't just a fluke thing. Animals are SMART!!!

I've had to come up with some pretty clever ideas to best these two. And I've had to change everything around, so they could no longer cause mischief. For example...I have went through four different hay feeder ideas. Of course buying an actual hay feeder was the sensible thing to do, but I wanted a feeder that would have tiny holes where they couldn't grab huge mouthfuls. So here's what I went through...

1. Small holed wire mesh, that had squares cut out of it. Took them a while, but they began to unravel the mesh and make bigger holes. The food disappeared within an hour.

2. Soft Chicken wire. It was the perfect size, but they soon discovered that they could undo it at the screws and pull open the corners, dropping all the hay to the ground.

3. Metal around corners, to prevent them from undoing the wire at the screws. Worked for a while until they realized they could just eat through the wire. They'd start a hole and pull it until it revealed all the hay.

4. And finally...a real hay feeder I had to buy, and lace with wire, to make it so they couldn't get their faces in between the bars. It's lasted for 3 weeks and takes them several hours to eat their hay. :)


And then there's the water bucket thing. I have literally went through about 10 of these buckets in less than 2 years. They wait until the plastic is a few weeks old, then they break them apart.

Tired of replacing them all the time, I decided to pay $90 and buy this bad boy...

It sucks though because it keeps getting green moss in it. None of the smaller ones ever got slime in them.

They keep my head's wheels turning, that's for sure. ;)

Kinda creepy!

When I was a child, there was this building used as a mortuary in town. I guess it had been the town mortuary for YEARS. About 15 years ago, they switched the mortuary to another location (by the cemetary) and this buiding has been vacant off and on since. Whatever business goes in, does not stay there for long. I have heard stories that an outbuilding (to the side of this one) is haunted, but I can neither confirm or deny that.

Anyways, the business currently in there is a wedding chapel. Yes...a wedding chapel. Can you say gross!?! I remember seeing my great grandfather in a casket, at this place...and now people gather there to watch people say their vows? Geeze! Why the business couldn't pick a better building is beyond me. Anyways, since this wedding chapel has been there...whenever Mark and I drive by it, I always comment that people who get married there are crazy!

Open mouth, insert foot. I just found out that a couple in our family are renewing their wedding vows, and of all places, they chose this place to do it. Now, I have several problems with this. First off, they only got married a year ago, in a chapel in Vegas. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T THEY WAIT IF THEY WERE GOING TO GET REMARRIED A YEAR LATER????? Everyone was there, but they didn't wear a dress or tux, or have a best man/woman, and now they want to do the whole thing right. O...K... Again...why didn't they wait (or just do it all the first time)? A year is NOT that long to wait! Especially when they already failed to do it before a grandparent died. Anyways, as "Dear Abby" says...no one's obligated to give gifts for a second wedding, so whats the point in having it??? It's not like they can be any more married than they are, or have the "before wedding" parties. It's not even like they went from tacky Vegas wedding to a nice ol' place. An old mortuary?

I have a feeling that I won't be attending this wedding even though Mark was asked to be the best man. I love the couple getting married, but there is another family member that will probably be invited, and well, I refuse to be around her anymore than I have to be. It's hard to explain, but long story short, she murdered her child and tried killing her infant child, did 10 years in an institution and is out amongst us. I think it is fucking crazy that family members act as if she did nothing wrong, and even worse, they allow their children to be around her. Isn't that considered child endangerment? I lost a lot of respect for the parents who chose "her feeling involved" over "the well being of their children".

I swore when Mark and I got together that I would never have anything to do with her, and out of 9 years, I've seen her three times (once at the hospital when a family member was dying, at the funeral, and at this couple's wedding last year). I've already witnessed them getting married, and I don't think I should have to subject myself or my safety to being in the midst of a murderer. I even refused to attend another wedding because she was going to be there, and if that couple sees that I attend this couple's wedding for a second time? They may disown me. Oh well...

Mark's Birthday...

is in TWO days!!! Hard to believe that we've been together since he was 22, and now he's turning 32. Wow, where have the years gone? So anyways, I talked him into taking the day off of work. I think we're going to see the third Mummy movie coming out (I love the mummy movies and have probably seen both of them 20 times each). Then we're having a huge BBQ, and I'm making him a cake. I have never made a Black Cherry Forest cake before, so I'm kinda curious to how it will turn out, but that's what he wants, and that's what I'm gonna attempt. Lol. I made these little miniature cheesecakes a few nights ago for his job's picnic, and they were a HUGE success. One of the guys got ahold of one before the meal, and told Mark that he shouldn't even take them for everyone else to eat. Made me feel really good.

Anyways, I have no idea what I'm getting him yet. He wants these hinge things for the truck because we bought a bedliner, but I have to have him there to pick those out (call it a female's stupidity towards vehicles!). We're not going all out for any of our birthdays, because we plan on making a trip to Sea World in a couple of months, and that's basically a gift to us all. We deserve it, we seldom get out of the house anymore. But it's nice now that the horses can munch on hay during the day...there's less restrictions on us. :)

He thinks he's a "Smart Guy"

I have to section Gideon off at feeding time, because the little piggy wig gobbles down his food, then goes after Zoey's if not. So Gideon's feeding area is in the run-in, and Zoey gets the rest of the pen (and eats in the shed).

Well for the past four days, some how, Gideon has managed to undo the gate and he's in with Zoey when I go back out there. As soon as I turn the corner where he can see me, he sounds off like a trumpet, to let me know that he's already out. I personally think he's rubbing it in because he's usually quiet in the mornings when I go back out there.

I have no idea how he's opening the gate. I thought for sure today that I had taken care of the problem. Walk back there and nope...he's fooled me again. Ughhhh...why are these guys soo smart!?!

"The woman and the fork"

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.

'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply.

'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.

'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork, the best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

And here I thought he was getting fat...

I was getting ready to start Gideon on a diet because I've noticed that he seems like he's gained some weight. But then, I took this picture yesterday with my cell phone, and he actually looks ok to me (he was investigating some string).



I want him to be healthy and at a good weight. Whenever he looks bigger than a lot of the minis I see, I become worried that he's obese. But then I have to stop and think about the fact that he's a horse, not a beauty pageant contestant. He doesn't have to be on a special diet to look all slender, like these horses that look like greyhound dogs. That bothers me sometimes. While I do like the refined look in a horse, I hate when people take it overboard. A mini is supposed to be a big horse...miniaturized. That means, it should have a slope in it's back, where a saddle could sit, not a straight board of a topline. It should also have strong legs that could hold weight if applied. Some horses look like they'd break if a couple of pounds were put on their back. And the long giraff necks that some horses have? yikes! A long shapely neck is fine, but dang, if it has more neck than body...that's gross.

Some people go to extremes to make their horses look like champions. I know of several people who stall their horses all day, feed minimal horse food, and sweat their horses to look like they do. Come on people...do your horses enjoy showing "that much", and the fact that they no longer lead a "horse's life"? I think that's why I hate the idea of showing dogs, horses, etc. When you base every decision on how that animal will do at competition, to the point you alter that animal's right to be an animal, then something is definately wrong. People actually shave their horses so close to their skin, that they have to apply sunscreen to that horse, so it doesn't burn in the sun. Does anyone see a problem with this???

Rocking...and a...Rolling

Ok, so who all felt the earthquke we had??? I was sitting here IMing my friend in Long beach, and watching my brother fill his cereal bowl, when all of a sudden, everything started moving. The windchimes started to sing, and the stove started rocking back and forth (it's as tall as the fridge). My brother was standing right in the middle of the stove and fridge, and I told him to hurry and move. He didn't feel the ground shaking, so he just looked at me dumbfounded. I blurted out "we're having an earthquake". He didn't feel it. I could feel it from the time it started, clear until it stopped, and it seemed like it lasted a long time.

Turned on the news and it was a 5.8, about 90 miles from us. Thankfully we're in the desert, so even when we have a local large one, the sand seems to move easily, causing less damage. I can't imagine what it's like in Los Angeles with those huge buildings all around, and the whole city being on cement. Geeze, when the San Andreas fault goes, a whole lot of people are going to die. It will be like the ones they have in Japan, if not, worse. So anyways, I haven't felt an earthquake in quite some time. Guess the earth is just reminding us that it's still active. I think right now is a good time to start adding to our emergency kits. ;)

I'm just irritated

So yesterday I could tell something was wrong with Mark. I can always tell when he's mad or feeling guilty, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. It's just something I can hear in his voice or see in his manner. And it was there yesterday, although he kept telling me that nothing was bothering him.

So I sat down and asked him all about the night before. You know, like how the concert was, if he got hit (people were moshing), just simple things. He starts talking and then out comes the fact that he helped some girl up, so she could crowd-surf. Now I know this isn't that big of a deal, but it seriously bothers me. Just the fact that he had his hands on another woman, to help lift her. I know it's common at the kind of concert he went to, but still....If I was in an elevator and a guy infront of me had lint on his shoulder, Mark wouldn't want me touching him to get it off, or dusting dirt off some stranger's pant leg. And he sure as hell wouldn't want me to put my hands around the guy for whatever reason. Why can't he show the same respect, and realize that if I can't do it, neither can he?

I have to be honest...Mark and I have had some really bad times with jealousy. For the first few years we were together, he constantly checked other girls out. It made me have a really bad complex, and well, it truthfully made me want to better that complex by flirting with other guys. I mean damn, if he can show other girls attention, why can't I get attention from other guys? It took me flirting with guys to make him stop, and we've been doing really good since. Ok, I take that back...it took him giving his female co-worker a ride (in MY car) and lying to me about it, to make it stop...I was seriously going to leave him four months after we got married!

And now this. He didn't lie about it, and he says he didn't think anything of it (therefore he wasn't feeling guilty), but I could just tell something was there hidden. It's bothering me!!! Why can't he just keep his hands and eyes to himself??? :(

Vegas baby!

Yesterday was an interesting day. Ok, let me back up a little bit...Friday was a horrid day! Thursday night, our cooler started making squeeling noises, and I knew something was up. Friday morning when I turned off the cooler, it made a similar noise. Everything seemed fine until about 3:30, when it started squeeling again and the air stopped coming through so cooly. I was not happy...it was hot out! So then, I have my mom come over and she could smell something as soon as she walked in. We actually had a cooler catch fire about 15 years ago, and had the fire department come out to put out the smoking, so we're really careful where coolers are concerned. Around 5:00, I asked her to turn the cooler off, so her and Mark could hear the screeching. HAHAHA...the cooler went out!!! We had to sit in the house the rest of the day, in horrible hotness. It was about 112 outside and I only imagine it was hotter inside, because it was actually nicer outside! We had two fans going to help circulate air for our pets. Poor things. Friday night was even worse, trying to sleep in a warm house. Ick.

Luckily, our landlord came out to fix it around 9:00am yesterday morning. I can't tell you how nice it was!!! Our house cooled down just enough to make the couple of hours bareable before we left for Vegas. We ended up leaving a little after noon, and on the way there, we had a pretty good drive. You always hear of accidents because people drive insane on that freeway, and we had some assholes fly by us, but all in all, it was a good drive. We did run into rain though, which was a first for me. Once we got into Vegas, it was hot and humid. Ugh...couldn't even escape it by leaving home. We went to Mandalay Bay, then walked through to the Luxor, and ate at the buffet. Expensive, but yummy. I always feel bad because there's all that food, but I can't eat nearly half my money's worth. I don't understand why I'm so fat! Must be a very slow metabolism or something! We took our time, then headed back to the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. Mark and Marcus were going to see "Bleeding Through" and a couple of other bands perform, so we said goodbye to them, and then, my mom and I went to gamble.

Let me just say this...I am not a big gambler. I will sit down at the penny machines and pay like $20 tops. I get easily depressed wathcing the money disappear, so I usually can't bring myself to play for too long. It took a few hours to spend my mom's $20, and then I put $10 in of my own to kill some time. But that was it, and I watched her play the remainder of the time. I meant to take lots of pictures to post on my blog, but it turns out that I got a bit too tipsy. We ordered a couple of drinks while we played. My friends can vouch, I am NOT a big drinker! I have maybe alcohol 3 or 4 times a year tops, and it's usually just a smirnoff or something. I just don't understand the appeal of drinking...most alcohol tastes gross...and I don't understand the necessity to drink in order to have a "good time". Is it just a "appearance" thing, that makes you feel more cool? Or do people actually like that "buzz" to unwind?

Anyways, I LOVE strawberry daquaries! And I did order a couple. I should point out, I can NOT hold my liquior and I am NOT a social drinker. When I drink, I get tired. I've been drunk one time in my life, and I've made a habit of not repeating it. I got mad at Mark when we first started dating, and while he sat in the living room watching some stupid Howard Stern show, I went into the kitchen and began my long night of drinking straight Whiskey shots, chased with Jack daniels. By the time Mark realized what I was secretly doing (halfway through the bottle and several small wine cooler sized ones), he started yelling at me, and before I knew it, I had locked myself in the bathroom and was laying on the floor in front of it. I have no idea why I did it, but I do remember doing it. Mark ended up threatening to break the door down if I didn't unlock it, then he came in and started yelling at me some more. It's a good thing I was next to the toilet because I ended up getting sick. I felt fine the next morning though. That was 9 years ago, and I haven't thrown up since. I have a really strong stomach, so I know I was plastered, to end up hurling. But usually, I just get really mellow and don't want anything to do with anyone.

I did really well with the first two, when usually, I start feeling it during the first one. Maybe it was having a full belly that made it alright, because these things were STRONG! I'm pretty sure they used Vodka (not rum) in them, because that's my favorite hard liquior, and I definately tasted it. Well after we met back up with the guys after their concert, I made the mistake of going for a third, but this one was bigger than the others. Half way through, I could feel my legs turn to spaghetti. Mark took a couple of sips, but he was driving, so he couldn't help me drink it, and my mom had her own. My brother is only 19, so he wasn't any help either. I had to finish it myself. :(

I kept spacing out, and before I knew it, I fell asleep before we even made it out of Vegas. I think I fell asleep as SOON as I stopped eating, because I don't remember handing Mark the rest of his food. So unfortunately, I don't have a lot of good pictures from our trip to post. Maybe next time. I did realize something though...I hate skinny girls! I am soooo envious of them....they were wearing some cute clothes. :( Made me feel really fat! When my mom and I were walking through the machines, we did pass this guy who was talking on his phone. As we passed, he stopped, looked at us and said "hello ladies". We said hi and kept walking. But it made me feel good because he obviously didn't mind that we were "bigger" ladies, and there were a couple of other guys who casually tried to flirt, but since I'm married, I couldn't have any fun. :( Oh well...just knowing is good enough for me. :) But I have decided that I am definately sticking to my diet!!!

DRUM ROLL please....

Ok, so I promised to post pictures of a new and improved me.

Here's the before....

And here's the updated me (with my normal eye color, hazel)....

With blue eyes....

And with brown eyes....

Everyones' telling me that the black looks better on me than my normal brown. I personally love the red streaks. It took Mark 2 hours to do the black, and it will wash out within 5-40 washes, although since my hair isn't blonde underneath, it will probably wash out within 2-3 washes. But at least I can enjoy the temperary change. I used to be bleached blonde for about 4 years....

But I got tired of the burning pain I had to go through to touch up my roots...and I get bored with my appearance a lot, so I decided to let my hair grow back natural. It was horrible watching my roots as they grew and knowing I couldn't redo them. Because of it's length....

it's been 4 years since I last bleached it, and I only have about an inch and a half left of blonde at the tips. I know I could easily cut it out, but it's the last bit and I'm attached to it. :) But now that I've had the brown, I'm getting bored again, and I feel like I want to do something different with it. I can't decide if I want to go permanently black, or put a few blonde streaks back into it. But I know whatever I do, it will take 4 more years to grow out again, so maybe I'll stick to the temperary coloring for a while. :)

I AM A BAD FRIEND!!!!

I forgot Bridget's birthday!!! It was last Sunday, and she even mentioned it a few days before hand. Geeze...I feel like *&^%! Bridget....again, I am sooooooo sorry!

Beauty is not cheap!

I went to Walmart to see about getting some of that cream that makes scars less noticeable. Geeze, I found the stuff my doctor recommended (Mederma) and it was $15 for a SMALL (and I mean small) tube. I sure hope that it works as well as I've seen advertised! It's important to me, that my scar fade some, and now that it's fresh, is the time to treat it. But wow, I was expecting $7 or $8, but not $15! I guess time will tell...I took a picture today of my stomach, and I will apply the cream as directed, and every seven days, I will take another picture to document the progress. That way, I can tell if it's worth buying another tube or not.

On another note, I hope to post some new pictures tomorrow, of a very different me. I've decided to change my appearance a little, and well...I'm excited and hope that it's the right decision. So stay tuned....

Oh and one final thing - I updated all my songs, so all of them should play now. I don't do it as often as I should, and I guess that's why I had 22 songs to change out. :)

A truly wonderful day!

Yesterday was a looooong day and I think we were all tuckered out by the end of it. But even so, I couldn't help reminiscing before I drifted off to sleep.

The day started off with us waking up at 6:30 am, to get ready. We left the house around 8:15, and made the 1 hour and 45 minute drive to my doctor's in Burbank. They were busy! I had to wait in the waiting room for just over an hour, when normally, I'm out of there within 20-30 minutes after arriving. My doctor said that I look wonderful, and that I still need to take it easy for the next few weeks (to prevent a hernia) but he said that I can start putting cream on it, to make the scarring less noticable. I have to go back every 3 months for the next year, so that he can keep an eye on it. So...good news is always wonderful to hear.

Then we drove to the Santa Monica pier. My mom and brother had never been there before, so it was nice to show them around.

One of the first things we saw, was this....

We were stumped and had no idea what it was, just that a tractor used it to drag around the beach. So I took a picture of the "explanation"...

Apparently, it's a map of Los Angeles.

On the pier, we were able to see lots of interesting things like carnival rides and games, performers and artists, and even a miniature golf course (second picture).
The view was amazing!
If you take a closer look at the above picture, you can see that the boie had a couple of sunbathers...
We met some of the local inhabitants...
And caught some others going about their daily routines...
And this little guy stealing a drink from a sink (I guess water is scarce at the ocean)...
We had a wonderful time walking the pier...

Then we stopped to play some games...
And Mark won me a cute little kitty cat...
Then we went down to the beach, where Mark and Marcus played in the water...

It was pretty chilly out there, so my mom and I decided not to go in too deep...

Our feet on the sand...

Our feet covered with water...


We spent most of our time sitting in the sand with a fellow local...

Just watching the other locals fly by...
We only saw a couple of boats out in the distance, and they weren't much bigger than this one...

It started to get late, and the best part was still to come...so we got back onto the freeway and made our way to Torrance. We arrived at the book store around 5:30 and walked around looking at the books for about an hour. Torrance has a really nice Borders store! Around 6:30, I went and sat down at the guest speaker area. At this point, I was really really anxious! I was the youngest woman there, and I actually felt proud. I was a perfect example to the fact that Iris Johansen appeals to people of ALL ages! So I became a fan later in life? I was actually able to help a couple of the older ladies with a fact about one of her books, which made me feel even more proud!

Then came the moment when Iris, her son Roy and his wife Lisa came into view. They sat down and gave details about their book, and answered everyones questions. Mark kept trying to get me to ask something, but I just couldn't do it. You know how people get star struck? I've met several people who are famous, and I know first hand that celebrities are just like everyone else, but I was still scared I'd look stupid or something. They were soooo nice, they shared stories and made jokes. It was wonderful to see that she was everything I pictured her to be, and so much more. She's as beautiful and gracious as they come. I have her WHOLE paperback collection (including her books from back in the early 80's) and I can't quite bring myself to buy her new releases in hardcover. It was torture to see her newest harcover book and have to walk away from it, but I know I'll buy it when it's released on paperback, so I couldn't justify getting it last night. BUT I did get the book that her and her son collaberated on in hardcover, so that when they signed it, it would be that "special addition" book. It's killing me, but I think I might wait until it too is released on paperback to read it, because I want this one to stay in mint condition because it's really special to me. :)

Anyways...I did get them both to sign my book...


And I posed in a picture with them (my camera kept refusing to snap the picture...how embarrassing!!!)...

I thanked them and that was that. We walked around for a while more, then decided to leave. As we were walking through the door, my brother asked me if I wanted the display picture of them that was on the store door...

Of course I said yes, and he went up and asked an employee, which to our surprise said we could have it, and that if she had already finished signing, he would go into the back and ask her to sign it for me. As luck had it, they were still signing, so I went back up to them and asked if they could sign it too. We joked and talked a little bit, and sure enough, I got it signed too.


It was a wonderful experience, and a memory I will cherish forever. It's so much nicer when you find out that the person you admire, is really a person worthy of admiring.

It was about 8:30 when we left there, and we stopped to get something to eat. On our way home, we could see Disneyland's fireworks in the distance. It truly was a magical way to end the day. We got home a little before 11:30, fed the horses and then went to bed.

I hope...

tomorrow's a dream come true!!! With the storms we've been having lately, it's kind of hard to say. The plan is still to go to my post-op appointment tomorrow (hard to believe it's been 5 and a 1/2 weeks since my surgery already), and then go to the Santa Monica Pier for a while and play in the ocean. The last time we went to the pier, we saw a pair of seagull wings floating in the water. It was gross but kind of interesting at the same time. I wonder if a shark got the rest of it or ?

Then we'll go to the Iris Johansen signing. Hopefully the weather will be fine tomorrow and we'll be able to enjoy the day! I can't forget to take my camera. I'm getting sooooo excited!!!

Awe...just beautiful!

Yesterday I stepped outside to see the sun behind some big ole' clouds. It was breathtakingly beautiful. So of course I had to take some pictures.




The rays were spread out all over the sky, like in a circle. I wish I was far enough away to get the "Whole picture", but I still thought the "half pictures" were beautiful!