On Friday, we are heading out on a business/vacation trip to Colorado. On the way up, we are going to stop by the American Quarter Horse Museum in Amarillo, TX. Then we'll continue through Denver, where we will meet up with my cousin Sarah and visit her new home. We'll then drive to Fort Collins and spend several days there hiking, touring houses, getting familiar with the area, and enjoying ourselves. After that, we are heading to Colorado Springs for a little fun and exploration. Daddy has planned a ride on the cog railroad up to Pike's Peak, and we are also going to visit a place called the Garden of the Gods. It should all be very interesting!
We have spent the past few days preparing for our trip. Ms. Rae and Ms. Carol will care for the animals as usual, with help from some other friends of ours. It is easier to set the horses up when there are only four of them. However, we do have two rather fragile critters this time. Rusty is really struggling with his heaves, and Abby has a brain tumor. We are trusting the Lord that all will go well while we are away.
The hotels in which we are planning to stay all have free wireless internet, so I am hoping to be able to post updates during our trip. Momma has promised to take an abundance of pictures.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Four Caterwauling Cats and Their Difficult Morning
Today Momma, Annie, and I took our four cats to the vet for their annual vaccines and checkup. We decided to take all of them at once to avoid the extra time spent on two trips, but we forgot one minor detail: we only have three cat carriers.
The time of departure arrived. I don't know about your cats, but ours know what a carrier means. "A trip to the vet!! Everykitty scatter and hide!" We knew that would be the case, so we had brought all our furry critters inside and closed all the bedrooms (the best cat hideouts) earlier in the morning. We hauled out the carriers and grabbed cats in one smooth move. Spunkabitty protested, but he found himself stuffed unceremoniously into his large carrier anyway. Resistance is futile on vet day.
Momma had decided that we should put Aaron, Flea, and Bitty in our three carriers and let Nancy Drew ride free in the car with us. The plan was to put Nancy in a cardboard box when we arrived at the vet's office. Nancy wasn't too concerned about her ride in the car. She kept looking out the window and climbing around among the seats. The chorus of distressed meows from the other three cats was loud and persistent.
When we made it to the vet's office, I located Nancy and placed her in her box. As I left the car, I realized this wasn't going to be an easy job. Nancy suddenly popped her little fuzzy grey head out of her conveyance and tried to hop out. No, you don't! I shoved her back inside and held the top of the box firmly, but I could hear her rattling around in there.
Once inside the waiting area, which we thankfully had to ourselves, I told Momma that our plan wasn't going to work. We made Nancy and Aaron trade places, and Momma actually held Aaron in her lap most of the time.
In the end, all the cats got their shots and checkups, and they were all pretty healthy. We are thankful for that and for the fact that they (and we) all survived and made it home. And they have forgiven us for what we did to them this morning, as well.
By the way, next time we go to Wal-mart, guess what we are purchasing? Another cat carrier. :)
The time of departure arrived. I don't know about your cats, but ours know what a carrier means. "A trip to the vet!! Everykitty scatter and hide!" We knew that would be the case, so we had brought all our furry critters inside and closed all the bedrooms (the best cat hideouts) earlier in the morning. We hauled out the carriers and grabbed cats in one smooth move. Spunkabitty protested, but he found himself stuffed unceremoniously into his large carrier anyway. Resistance is futile on vet day.
Momma had decided that we should put Aaron, Flea, and Bitty in our three carriers and let Nancy Drew ride free in the car with us. The plan was to put Nancy in a cardboard box when we arrived at the vet's office. Nancy wasn't too concerned about her ride in the car. She kept looking out the window and climbing around among the seats. The chorus of distressed meows from the other three cats was loud and persistent.
When we made it to the vet's office, I located Nancy and placed her in her box. As I left the car, I realized this wasn't going to be an easy job. Nancy suddenly popped her little fuzzy grey head out of her conveyance and tried to hop out. No, you don't! I shoved her back inside and held the top of the box firmly, but I could hear her rattling around in there.
Once inside the waiting area, which we thankfully had to ourselves, I told Momma that our plan wasn't going to work. We made Nancy and Aaron trade places, and Momma actually held Aaron in her lap most of the time.
In the end, all the cats got their shots and checkups, and they were all pretty healthy. We are thankful for that and for the fact that they (and we) all survived and made it home. And they have forgiven us for what we did to them this morning, as well.
By the way, next time we go to Wal-mart, guess what we are purchasing? Another cat carrier. :)
Friday, August 12, 2011
This Particular Adventure
Our family has some big news. God has prompted us through many circumstances to leave our little Southern home and move to Colorado! We are calling our endeavor "this particular adventure" (T.P.A.).How did this happen?
This particular idea started with us all dreaming out loud about where we would like to live if we could live anywhere in the U.S. We talked about Montana and Wyoming, but soon the conversation turned to Colorado. As the days went by after our discussion, the idea persisted. We began to realize that God had put this dream in our hearts and minds, and we started researching the area. Soon it became clear that we should head in that direction, so we took a trip to the city in which we will live.
In the meantime, I was feeling God's direction to continue to learn about horses so that I can use them for His glory. I found out that Colorado State University, located in "our" city, has the best equine science program in the country, and it offers courses in everything I want to learn. I am going to enroll there after we move.
Annie is not yet sure what she is going to pursue in Colorado. She is still praying, thinking, and researching her options. She is looking forward to taking her Pit Bull, Bunny, to Colorado and hiking/walking with her. Bunny is learning to have manners and be a civilised doggie in preparation for her new city lifestyle.
The city and surrounding area are lovely, and there are abundant biking, walking, and hiking opportunities. The city is just one hour from Rocky Mountain National Park! We love to hike and backpack, so we're rather excited about that.
We feel that it is important to be part of a solid, bible-believing church. On our exploratory trip, we visited a church that seems to be the type we will be looking for. The members were quite welcoming and friendly.
One of the sad and difficult parts of our move preparations is that we are in the process of selling our sweet horses. Since we'll be moving into the city, we'll have no place for them. The transition would be hard on them, anyway. God blessed us with a wonderful home for Buddy and Jack with an equine veterinarian, and some friends of ours are praying about taking one or more of our remaining four. Parting with our special pets is hard to do. I think we have all cried about it, and I know I'll cry more before the whole thing is over.
I am especially concerned about my old mare, Poco. She is going to be a challenge to re-home. She can no longer be ridden, and I don't know if she could be used for breeding. Poco really needs a quiet pasture and a person who has no expectations of being able to do something with her. That could be difficult to find, and I have to remind myself that nothing is impossible with God. Does anyone have any ideas?
Right now, we are getting everything lined up so that when it is time to move we will be ready. We are planning to put our house up for sale in January, and we want to have the horses and everything else we are selling gone by then. We have already had a garage sale, and I have put several items up on Craigslist. All these preparation are exciting!
I will try to do a better job keeping my blog updated from now on, but who knows? It is getting pretty crazy over here...
This particular idea started with us all dreaming out loud about where we would like to live if we could live anywhere in the U.S. We talked about Montana and Wyoming, but soon the conversation turned to Colorado. As the days went by after our discussion, the idea persisted. We began to realize that God had put this dream in our hearts and minds, and we started researching the area. Soon it became clear that we should head in that direction, so we took a trip to the city in which we will live.
In the meantime, I was feeling God's direction to continue to learn about horses so that I can use them for His glory. I found out that Colorado State University, located in "our" city, has the best equine science program in the country, and it offers courses in everything I want to learn. I am going to enroll there after we move.
Annie is not yet sure what she is going to pursue in Colorado. She is still praying, thinking, and researching her options. She is looking forward to taking her Pit Bull, Bunny, to Colorado and hiking/walking with her. Bunny is learning to have manners and be a civilised doggie in preparation for her new city lifestyle.
The city and surrounding area are lovely, and there are abundant biking, walking, and hiking opportunities. The city is just one hour from Rocky Mountain National Park! We love to hike and backpack, so we're rather excited about that.
We feel that it is important to be part of a solid, bible-believing church. On our exploratory trip, we visited a church that seems to be the type we will be looking for. The members were quite welcoming and friendly.
One of the sad and difficult parts of our move preparations is that we are in the process of selling our sweet horses. Since we'll be moving into the city, we'll have no place for them. The transition would be hard on them, anyway. God blessed us with a wonderful home for Buddy and Jack with an equine veterinarian, and some friends of ours are praying about taking one or more of our remaining four. Parting with our special pets is hard to do. I think we have all cried about it, and I know I'll cry more before the whole thing is over.
I am especially concerned about my old mare, Poco. She is going to be a challenge to re-home. She can no longer be ridden, and I don't know if she could be used for breeding. Poco really needs a quiet pasture and a person who has no expectations of being able to do something with her. That could be difficult to find, and I have to remind myself that nothing is impossible with God. Does anyone have any ideas?
Right now, we are getting everything lined up so that when it is time to move we will be ready. We are planning to put our house up for sale in January, and we want to have the horses and everything else we are selling gone by then. We have already had a garage sale, and I have put several items up on Craigslist. All these preparation are exciting!
I will try to do a better job keeping my blog updated from now on, but who knows? It is getting pretty crazy over here...
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