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October 31, 2004
Horseback Riding Adventure
We finally got our horseback riding outing today, after many months of waiting!
I had always promised to take Brian horseback riding. I had sold my last horse only a couple of months before meeting Brian, so he never got to ride any of my horses. I told him that I'd take him riding after we got back from our honeymoon...but we were very busy in those first few months, and then I became pregnant. No riding for nine months!!! Then I had a c-section...no riding for six weeks! Then, we signed up for a trail ride...and I had to have gall bladder surgery! No riding for a couple more weeks! We rescheduled the trail ride, and showed up for the big day in September...and the heavens opened, and the rain came down! The stable cancelled our trail ride, and we had to reschedule once again!!!
Well, today was the day! We showed up, and the weather was crisp and chilly. We met cousin Mary and Amanda and Kim for the ride, but friends Ryan and Danielle missed out, due to traveling to the UP.
Brian was assigned a horse named "Babe," the name must have been inspired by Paul Bunyan's Babe the Blue Ox, as it was a huge draft horse! Not so much tall, just big boned. It was very Warhammer-ish looking.
My horse was a dun appaloosa mare named Dreamer. She was a kicker, so they put me last in line.
Finally, we were out on the trail. The state land is beautiful, and we traveled over a stream and through the woods, up hills and down gullies. It was an hour long ride, but it seemed to last only fifteen minutes. I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to worry about baby Derek, who was being watched by his Grandma (Brian's mom.) Thanks, Grandma!!!
Dreamer reminded me very much of my brother's old horse, Miss Carmel, who could occasionally be cantankerous, but had a basically good heart. She was a trusty steed, and followed my guidance well.
Brian looked like a pro, and his horse behaved well, too.
I cannot wait to go riding again! I miss my horses!
Posted by Jessica at 10:18 PM
October 29, 2004
Hippo Birdie Two Meeses
It was my birthday two days ago!
We had a splendid celebration. I made a cake and Brian's parents took us out to dinner. I received an ottoman and two DVDs, as well as two gift cards from local stores. But the best part was spending time with Brian, Derek, and Brian's parents!
My brother also gave me two wonderful gifts! He renewed my wasmi.net, so I can now continue to bring the world my revelations and make the universe a safer and more prosperous place! Thanks, Dewd!
He also gave me a gift certificate to a bookstore-yay!
And we get to visit with him tonight and go out to eat again, how much fun that will be!
I had baby Derek in a really cute little outfit this morning...but we all know what happens to really cute outfits! Yep, we have him in another cute outfit now.
I received his photos back from the portrait studio, and boy, is he really adorable! He could be the Gerber baby.
He wants my attention now, so off I go!
Posted by Jessica at 02:11 PM
October 22, 2004
Budget Julip!
This little chestnut HOTY Julip Arabian is coming to live at my stable! Hooray!
I found this Julip on eBay, it somehow ended up in the US and the seller didn't know what it was. I was therefore able to purchase it, as it was very reasonably priced. This is great, because I'm on a budget!!! We have had some rather severe car repair bills lately, and so this little horsie really cheered me up.
I don't normally collect the Horse of the Year Julips, but I have a soft spot for these odd-looking Arabs. I always wanted to buy one when they were current, but never got the money together (I was a starving art student in college at the time.)
I do have one of them already, a palomino, which I also found on eBay! I also have a Moondance, a Midnight and a Sundance. (I think I have their names correct-I hope so!) The Horse of the Year models do come with very nifty accessories, so they are very fun to play with! But I think I will always like the latex ones the best.
Posted by Jessica at 12:08 PM
October 13, 2004
Latest Baby Derek Pic
Here is a photo that my brother took with his cell phone!
Baby Derek and I visited Brian in Ann Arbor last week, and after we had lunch together, Derek and I decided to drop by the office to visit Don! Don took this amusing picture of very cute Derek with his new cell phone that came complete with built-in camera. Thanks for the photo, Dewd!
Posted by Jessica at 10:16 PM
October 04, 2004
Favorite movies
Okay, I don't have any nifty pictures this time, but I've been thinking a lot about some of my favorite movies. So how about if I write about some of them?
One of my favorite movies when I was younger was Windwalker. It's a Native American tale, and was filmed in a way that is very respectful towards their culture and traditions. I highly recommend it. It's about an old man who is moved by Spirit to finally discover what has become of one of his sons, who had been kidnapped at a young age.
I could still watch this movie and enjoy it as much as I did when young. I recently discovered that it was available on DVD, at a very cheap price, so I ordered it!
We just finished watching the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Of course, Brian had to have that one immediately! Now, we have three versions of the movies: the original theatrical releases on VHS, the revised versions that were re-released to the theaters in the 1990's, and the newly revised versions on DVD. (Yes, George Lucas tinkered with them AGAIN!) Most notably in the revision of the conversation between Vader and the Emperor in TESB, and in the scene at the end of Return of the Jedi when Anakin Skywalker appears in spirit to Luke Skywalker (alongside Ben Kenobi and Yoda.)
One of my other favorites from a long time ago is Willow. I don't know why this didn't do well at the box office, I enjoyed it so much I watch it at least once or twice a year. I like the characters and it's very well filmed.
Did anyone else out there notice a resemblance between the old woman who played the midwife at the beginning of Willow and one of the refugees in the caves at Helm's Deep in The Two Towers? I wonder if it's the same woman. According to the Willow DVD, some parts of Willow were filmed in New Zealand, which puts it in the realm of possibility.
Once again, I have to turn off the comments section. Sorry! The spam was way too annoying! (I did enjoy the comments from my friends, though, and I will miss them!)
Posted by Jessica at 06:27 PM