2 People.....1 Horse.....miles to go!

Here's my theory on how this sport got started. 2 guys had to get somewhere, but they only had one horse between them. They both wanted to ride, not walk, but they didn't want to be the jerk that made the other guy walk, so they came up with an idea. "I'll ride for a while, leave the horse tied up, then you catch up, take the horse, pass me, tie up, walk, I'll get the horse.... and so on. I am betting they liked it so much, they told their friends, and pretty soon the sport of Ride & Tie was born. Ira has been helping me get into horsemanship over the last couple of years, and I have to say it has been a GREAT ride! This most recent adventure rivals the mountain rides. Ride & Tie is an addicting and exciting sport! Thanks to my partner Shelly who flew in from Idaho ONLY to partner with me (just kidding) for this spectacular event hosted at Sunrise Canyon. I was glad she came, however, because her knowledge of horses and running were just the ticket! We did 11 miles on a horse we'd never ridden before (thanks Ben for loaning us Tia!) and had a complete blast. After 11 miles of trail, including one killer hill, we were both smiles and ready to sign up for the next one!

for more information visit www.rideandtie.org and see for yourself how much fun this can be. By the way, we won the 11 mile race (came in 2nd to Ira and Ben who technically were doing the 22 mile race. Good Job Partner!

wow, the blog isn't dead!

It's been WAY too long since I've posted. Shelli keeps everyone up to date, so my blog has kind of withered away, but I too have a voice, and shall be heard! As this new year has begun, it's been with mixed emotions. There have been some exciting new beginnings, and some sad endings. I will surely miss the people who have passed on, and they will be dearly missed by their families.

In this new year I would like to get closer to my teenagers, get in even better shape by running/swimming/biking more, and will continue to play tennis and ride horses with Ira. I am convinced that our quality of life is more dependent on our health and diet than any other factors. I plan to work on the quality of my relationships with others, and stop trying to spread myself so thin.



And on a totally different subject, how about that movie AVATAR?! We went with Justin and Joanna yesterday, and got there late. Not many seats. We were working our way up the rows, trying to find 4 seats together (good luck) and happened upon Jeff and Kim, who moved over one seat and then we had our 4! You guys are great! How did you know we'd be coming?? . AVATAR 3D. All I can say is WOW! What an exciting movie, and worth the cost to see it in the theater! If you have any other movie suggestions, I am open to them.

Welcome 2010; Good, bad, or otherwise it is here. LET'S MAKE THE MOST OF IT!

A busy Tennis weekend for my sweetie

Ok, so this isn't Shelli, and she didn't win a big fat trophy, but in my mind she IS a tennis champ! Her team had 2 injured players, so they put her at the #1 singles position (her most feared place to be) for the USTA tennis tournament this weekend. She plays some singles with me and with a couple of friends, but by far most of her tennis practice is doubles. She was soooo nervous!

Friday I couldn't be there to watch, but she won both her singles matches! I was so proud of her. The tournament "nerves" can be tough to overcome, especially during the first match. Saturday we drove to Yakima and I got to watch her at her first "away" matches. She was so nervous again that she gave away her first set 0-6! she came back and won the second set 6-3, then the ti-breaker 10-4! She won her next match 6-3, 6-3! 4 singles matches in one weekend, undefeated! Go Shelli! Henin may have retired, but you're on a roll! Love u!

It's nice being tight with the tooth fairy!

Dear Sweet Skylar lost a tooth at school this week. She came home SO EXCITED and was just pumped to put it under her pillow. I got home from Tennis and Shelli told me about this. I went to check on her, and found this note under her pillow. What a sweet girl! In the morning she came in very excited! There was a small but ornate blue box with a $5 bill folded in an origami shape for her. She was very happy and quite relieved the tooth fairy didn't ignore her. Tanner was a little upset, though, because he never got that much, even though his teeth would always split into 2 halves right before he put them under the pillow (very strange, actually) and maybe he thought the tooth fairy would pay him double! Good job Skylar! The tooth fairy felt your pain!

Pepper.... It's not just a spice

What happens when you get a nurturing mother, 4 kids; the youngest of which is 5 years old (gettin' too old to cuddle), and a dog that loves the dad and oldest daughter the best? You get Pepper. Pepper was given to us by a woman I work with. She breeds miniature Schnauzers, and had a little girl that was a runt and couldn't sell. Enter Shelli and the Larsons! So, without further introduction, I bring you Pepper, the runt that we all love!

A house of sick people

This has been a rough week! Skylar started out with a fever on Sunday, turned into a cough. Gracie got the cough. Shelli and I had been fighting of a persistent cold that we keep passing back and forth (she can't help kissing me all the time), then Saturday Rachel said "I feel like I'm going to throw up". The sensitive dad in me said "Rachel, you say you feel like throwing up EVERY DAY!" It's no exaggeration. She says that every time she gets nervous, upset, happy, whatever. "I feel like I'm going to throw up". It started a small argument which I firmly ended with a convincing "whatever Rachel". I know, I'm very articulate. Anyway, I was on my way to a tennis practice and got a call from Shelli. "Guess what... Rachel just threw up in her room". I could hear the faint "I told you so... retch... dad. thanks.....retch....for listening.

We have run out of motrin for kids, running low on other cold/cough/sinus/stomach remedies. I remember when Gary Coleman was younger he said he took so many pills he thought he should rattle when he walks. This picture reminded me of that, and the kind of week we are having. Now more than ever I am READY for warmer "open up all the windows for an entire day" weather to decontaminate this house.

Anybody want to come over for dinner tonight?

Backyard camping...who's ready for spring

Last year I asked the kids "who wants to sleep in the backyard tonight?" Gracie was the ONLY one who wanted to. So Gracie, Cotton, and I all piled into the little tent, built a fire, and fell asleep under the stars listening to the crackling of the fire, the sound of the owl that roams the neighborhood, and the occasional coyote howl. It kind of felt like the 3 amigos campout!

Well, I for one want that time back! I want to be able to camp in my yard, smell the fresh cut grass (thanks to the kids this time) and roast mallows, swing in my hammock, and spend some time on the river!


I got Shelli out in the kayak last year one time, and I got Cotton out there too! He swam from Rachel's kayak out to me so he could ride with me. What a fun day that was with the Jensens at Loon lake! Looking forward to that again, too. Can you tell I am ready for summer????

What do you miss most or look forward to most about summer?