No, dad’s not learning to ride, but it was great to watch the girls do their thing. We talked with Ms. Debbie, sat in the sun, and just generally enjoyed a beautiful day. We met the dogs, Bandit (who lived up to his name by sneaking off with both my 15-pound backpack and Ms. Debbie’s brush, taking them to his “stash”), Lacy, and Sky, who just had puppies. She was very sweet and very proud as we approached the puppies, but once she hunkered down on top of them to feed, the smile vanished and it was time to give her some space. :> She had plenty of reason to be proud, the little whelps were bundles of cuteness.

Missy, the horse that Reiley usually rides, was sold to a girl who’s been in horse shows with her. The horse was still boarded at the stable, so she could still say hello, but it was time for her to ride a new horse. She ended up riding Brandy, the horse that Wren usually rides, so Wren got to try a new horse, too. Reiley found Brandy to be very cooperative, while Wrenny got to help Ms. Debbie get Dandy more used to being ridden for lessons. Way to stick with it Wrenny! And Reiley had a nice gallop up the last hill on Brandy. I almost missed it, she went up the hill so fast. Thanks for inviting me along, girls!

Nearby downtown Apex does a really nice job during Christmas – they blocked off the roads and set up sleigh rides! With no snow on the ground, we had to opt for rubber wheels, but we did have horses – lots of them! And the girls’ horse instructor, Miss Deb, ran the show, so the girls got extra rides up in the front – thanks Miss Deb!

The downtown is decked out in splendor, and the many many fun shops, full of artsy trinkets and holiday smells, all throw their doors open for the night. Fun!

I won tickets through ABB to the ‘Monet in Normandy’ exhibit that made it to Raleigh, so the whole family made an adventure of it. More than 40 public and private collections were pooled together for this amazing show. Continue reading “Monet in Normandy” →

Seems impossible. I eat as low on the food chain as you can get. I exercise and try to take care of myself. But about three weeks ago I lost my appetite and started having pain in my abdomen…

UPDATE: I’ve moved the cancer story here.

Wren and Reiley really amazed us (and their trainer!) with how quickly they picked up horseback riding. With only four lessons under their belts, they entered an all-day horse show on Saturday. They were awesome!! The event was great too – about a half an hour straight into the country, we entered another dimension full of cowboys, country music, horse trailers, and really really nice people. We sat in our folding chairs under a canopy someone else shared with us (it was a bit cold, a bit rainy, a bit windy all day, but still really nice – especially when you wrapped up in our super-warm Scotland gear for a quick afternoon nap). The girls did cloverleaf patterns and potato drops and barrel racing and pole runs and all kinds of stuff for which I am sure I am getting the names wrong. Andrea even had a Dr. Pepper, for old time’s sake (her regular drink at the stables when she was but a wee bairn).

I took a ton of video, as soon as I get some skillz I will drop them here. I promise. Way to go girls!