Overload

"It is hard to take action when you don't know which direction to aim at, dear Aquarius. Do your best to muddle through the foggy haze that seems to be prevailing. Don't try to escape from your feelings, nurture them. You will find that deep down you know which way to go. All you need to do is just have faith in yourself and whatever road you decide to take."

There and back again

Neil and I just got back to Colorado last night after 24 hours (plus a little) on the road.
Last Thursday afternoon we drove up to Port Angeles, WA, and spent a wonderful week up there. I took some work and homework with me, but I made sure there was plenty of time for play, too. Running on the trails in the woods, going to the beach, going hiking to the lakes and the natural hotsprings. Neil got out in the canoe with Dad and then with Scott - he and Scott even got up close to a bald eagle - and Mom and I got in a few rides with the girls (also known as Snickerz and Hazelnut). The weather was SO nice - only rained once, so we used that opportunity to see Star Trek.

Overall, so wonderful that I really started to get the itch - the hurry-up-and-finish-with-school itch so we can go job hunting in the Northwest. I miss home.
Here are some of the highlights of the trip...

The beach out at Kalaloch en route to P.A. (that speck out there is me - it was FREEZING, but that didn't stop me - there is no ocean in Colorado, so I had to take advantage)

Tidepools at Salt Creek ... followed by swimming (well, I swam. Neil, Mom, and Scott watched)

Neil using the bridge at Lake Crescent as a balance beam. Again, it was freezing water, but there was still definitely swimming!

The still-frozen Lake Angeles. Definitely NO swimming.

The natural hotspring pool we relaxed in. Smells like rotten eggs, but feels very nice.

And, finally, the bald eagle on Lake Aldwell that Scott and Neil spotted from the canoe.

I LOVE the Northwest! :)

Amazing

Loving and being loved in return. Being told you are worthy and deserving of that love. Being held and reassured "it's okay" while you cry because no one has ever said that to you before. Loving him back with an intensity there are no words for. For who I am. For who he is. The most amazing feeling ever.

working hard part two...

PLUS, I just realized that my left elbow hurts because I formed a blister and tore it open from the way I had my arm resting on my desk while I've been typing ALL DAY.

Sad...

you know you've been working hard when...

You know you've been working long and hard (and maybe not sleeping enough) when you try to pass off "variated" instead of "varied" in the report you're typing, and in your head you pronounce "cook" with the long o's (like in "kooky").

WTF?

Why is it that my laptop has to have issues right on the brink of finals week? WHY????

I love my laptop, I do. And I am very, very appreciative to have it.
But seriously, the actual hardware and wiring have been a pain in my ass since I got it. And now, just as I lowered the screen to grab something and then opened it, again, the hinge on the left side breaks.
Fortunately, the computer still works, which is the important part. But I have to leave the screen either opened or closed, so I'm not going to be taking it anywhere anytime soon, and I REALLY need it to do some traveling this summer :(
Not to mention that I don't know if it's going to be a "laptop" so much as a "desktop" since it's rather precariously balanced on the remaining hinge - and the left side (i.e. the broken side) is the side with the cable connecting computer and screen. I'd like that to continue functioning.

Seriously, though - I know Scott and I recently talked about looking into a newer computer. Hopefully, he might be able to fix this (since my warrantly is expired), but, otherwise, I think this might be my sign.
Just when I was close to paying off my credit card, too :P

I think I'm going for a run, now.
Grrrrr.

Checking in...

I saddled Tommy with my saddle while he was tied today (i.e. he was tied to one of the hitching posts while I groomed and saddled him). I've cinched up the bareback pad and saddled him with the english saddle while tied, but today was the first time in over a year (approaching two years, in fact) that I've saddled him with my western saddle while tied. Typically, I take him to the round pen, do ground work to really get his brain checked in, and THEN saddle him (and do more ground work).

Why? Because when he realizes that back cinch is attacking him, he can really buck (which means he can jump pretty well, too, so the bucking isn't all bad!). But it's not even so much that he bucks - it's that his brain totally checks out. Gone. Way outa' left field.

However, as mentioned in previous posts, he hasn't been bucking when I saddle him lately. So I decided to up the ante. No round pen, no ground work. I took him out of pasture, tied him, groomed him, saddled him, and then I untied him and asked him to follow me to the arena. I took my time, I let him relax. I left the cinches pretty loose - snug enough to keep the saddle on, but still loose.

Previously, this would be a good set-up for another round of mindless bucking.

And he did buck...sort of. Almost.

But this time, he THOUGHT ABOUT IT. He took a few steps and humped up and hopped. I backed him up and he hopped again. Then he stopped and looked at me. Took a few hesitant steps with that, "Mom, I dunno' about this. I'm uncomfortable" look. But he came, and he made it without the full-on buck-fest. His brain stayed in tact.

There was another moment in the arena - I did some ground work and then snugged up the cinches and asked him to move out again. He made it to the canter, and decided he was being attacked. But instead of launching into a round of bucking, he again stopped and looked at me, and we worked through it.

As mentioned last time, there will undoubtedly still be some "moments," but I am really proud of him. He kept his brain and checked in. Good boy. Extra cookies and scritches.