SO BLESSED

I count myself blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends.  Last night while playing cards after dinner with some longtime, notice I didn't say old, friends another incredible friend called.  Let me next say that everything is fine but this friend needed help giving a blessing.  Superstar R immediately stood up and ran out the door, another blessing I'm grateful for is an awesome hubby, the rest of us worried about my friend.  I didn't mention anything to the kids but apparently when R left he said something in explanation to them because this morning my friend called to reassure me that all was well and to thank me for my sweet Caleb calling her to tell her that we were praying for her.  I had no idea he called and started to cry to think what a sweet boy he is.  I am so grateful for all of my boys, they are all so caring and I am so grateful to have them in my life to teach me everyday, sometimes it's to remind me how inadequate I am but never the less, I'm thankful for the love they exude and the sweet spirit they bring into our family.  I can't imagine how empty my life would be without any one of them and am grateful to fall into bed exhausted every night because of them.

WILDLIFE WORLD ZOO

Yesterday was scout day at the zoo and my awesome friend Zoila called to tell me and forward me the flier that you had to have to get in free.  Scouts in their uniform got in free, R and I thought about wearing ours but opted out since neither of us is currently  serving and that wouldn't be honest.   We hadn't been since they added the aquarium and it was cool, and that could have a double meaning since we started out later than we planned and we looked at the outside animals first, it was getting a tad warm so the air conditioned aquarium was awesome!  We got to pet starfish which didn't feel like I thought it would, not hard but not soft or squishy either, somewhere in between, also got to pet horseshoe crab and a sea urchin and some stingray.  Very cool!

The thing I love most about this zoo is that you are so close to the animals.    you could literally reach out and pet so many of them like the jaguars sleeping over our heads or the zebra eating RIGHT there.  The ostrich that I thought for sure R was going to be pecked by because he was so close and the Rhea's he was taking pics of that kept fluffing his feathers.

You can't leave before you go into the petting zoo!  This little fellow wouldn't stop climbing all over R.  They had lots of babies this year.  The white tigers have been moved outside, they had a baby llama in the petting zoo, some baby mountain lions, baby zebra, the baby giraffes weren't so little anymore but looked little next to their parents, and many more!

I love going to this zoo, it's ridiculously expensive so we only go anymore on coupons or free days but it's always worth it!

BACK IN THE NEW OLD GROOVE

Well since we've moved back lots has happened and I haven't had time to blog about it, so here is a quick update that probably won't be so quick.  I think it was the week after we got here that was Easter.  Just like old times we went to Mary's for Easter dinner.  As always great food and great times with family and just like usual Mary sent us home with leftovers.  Then she called us to invite us for dinner the following Sunday since Kimberly and Rob et. al were in CA for Easter so that we could reunite with more family.  Again great conversation, great food, tired kids and delish leftovers.  In between dinners we've had lots of riding,  shopping for and buying a commuter car for R, dinner with a great friend from ID, more riding, job hunting and interviews for me. An adventure with a couch, long story, yard sale finds and So that gets us quickly up to yesterday.  We got up early to ride but didn't.  Sold our truck and met some nice people, went to the wildlife zoo which never gets old and constitutes a whole different post, went to a benefit bbq for officer's Tirado and Paz who were ambushed in Phoenix last week and finally capped the day with a stake bbq in Tartesso.  What a great day.  Today is Mother's day and we were served breakfast, a real breakfast, duing Sunday School, had a great lesson in RS, got some great gifts from the kids and this after tulips from the Superstar hubby.  So all in all, an awesome weekend and a great reminder of just how blessed I am.

UPDATE ON THE NEW DOG

Note the new pic on the right, R gets to keep his pup we found, maybe it's better to say she found us, either way, she stays.  Long story short... the last owner finally called me on her but not until she had run off w/ Jazz and gotten lost at the Lake in the canyon, a short walk from our house.  We couldn't find her and thought for sure she was cougar dinner but on Sat. the  pound called me about an ad R had put on Craigslist for our lost found dog; they were wondering if we had come there to look for her.  I had called and given them a lost dog report but when she was brought in they hadn't checked the reports.  Again long story short, I tried to contact the owner who had finally contacted me but they never called me again and we get to keep her and she is now legally ours, even have the license to prove it thankfully since she has proven to be a partner in crime w/ Jazz and the 2 of them frequently take off chasing rock chucks and playing in the lake and the tags have gotten her returned to us already.  Anyway, she is very happy with us, loves R who loves her too and she sleeps w/ AJ EVERYNIGHT!  She definitely fits right in w/ the rest of us.

BIG CHANGES COMING OUR WAY!

So last year, almost 8 months ago we moved up to Idaho thinking it would be a good thing for our family.  Of course we prayed about it first, alot, and we felt good about it so we jumped in and went for it.  It was hard at first and got a little easier but we always felt like Buckeye was home.  So the readers digest version, R's old boss called him a bit ago and offered him a M-F 1-9:30 pm job, the answer to many prayers to get him off the night shift, something we could never afford here and to be able to go to church every Sunday.  We prayed about it and decided it was a good thing so we are moving back.  Since then things have fallen into place so smoothly it's been amazing from moving trucks to schools and a house and place for our horses, literally everything.  We leave in 6 days.  We have alot to do and more that has to fall into place just right but I have faith that we are going where the Lord wants us to go and just like he has been, he will keep paving the way for us to get there, remember the Lord giveth no commandment save he shall prepare a way that you might accomplish the thing which he commanded.  I'm working at not being overwhelmed at all that has to be done this week and remembering that he will help me and looking forward to it all being finished with.  I wish that we could have stayed until September and enjoyed the summer after the miserable freezing winter but if we do the boys can't go back to Odyssey so we'll suffer through the summer there and it'll be ok and not only that but worth it.  We still don't know why we were supposed to come here and we may never know but I'm glad we did.  It's been a growing experience for all of us and not only that but has helped to settle us down so that now when we go back to AZ it's because that is where we want to live not because we have to  be there and now we know that.  I'm grateful for that.

ANOTHER DOG!

So we are sitting at the boys lessons on Thursday night at Stargazer ranch, they have an indoor arena, anyhow we are sitting there and this sweet lab pup comes in and adopts us.  I've never seen a lab pup so calm.  She played with the boys, everytime they fell down, or slid down a mud hill or pile of horse poop (which they seem think is great fun) she was there instantly to lick their faces.  I asked around there  but noone knew where she came from, they all said she appeared at the same time we did and they thought she was ours.  She has a collar but no tags She is clean, smells like she came straight from the groomers, and well cared for so I'm certain someone is missing her but since Stargazer is on a very busy road and she is already limping we, mostly R, thought we'd take her and find her owner, to be honest I thought for sure I'd post the ad as soon as we got home on Thurs night and she'd be gone by the time I got home from work on Friday.  Today is Sunday and she is still here, despite posting her a couple of times.  She is super sweet and mellow, hasn't chewed anything yet but isn't housebroken either, but she is catching on quickly.  She loves the boys and I usually find her asleep somewhere near R.  R named her Star.  I'm worried, the longer we keep her the more attached everyone gets which will make it that much harder when her owner comes for her.  For now we'll just enjoy her and teach her some manners and then we'll see.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Soo... We bought Jake's horse for Christmas and she is pretty good but for a few things.  Anyhow when I bought her the guy told me she was 20, exactly what I was looking for, for Jake.  Long story short she is older than that.  Longer story, she and Caleb's mare DO NOT get along AT ALL.  So we talked it over w/ Jake and promised to replace her and he agreed that it is unsafe to have them both in the trailer for any given period of time, one or both of them would get hurt, let alone having any other horses in there, recipe for disaster so we decided to sell  her and get him a gelding.  I posted an ad on CL stating the pertinent info and since I'm not going to lie I named him by name as having sold her to me and the age discrepancy.  He is mad to say the least.  He called me wanting to buy her back saying I was slamming him on CL and why?  I said you lied plain and simple and I backed it up.  He immediately calmed down after I caught him in another lie, many actually. But I agreed to remove the ad if he makes it right and buys her back.  So, what would you do?  Was I wrong to call him out by name?  It is a small town and I've had lots of hits on the ad.  Would you sell her back to him or to someone else figuring that he will possibly do the same thing to someone else, which by the way is why I posted the ad that way, to prevent anyone else from getting taken... R says I should forgive, which I don't feel angry, I just don't necessarily trust him.  Is that unforgiving?  R says I should just sell her back to  him and he'll be responsible for his own actions.  ARGHHH!!! R says I worry too much.