From to Much Rain to Not Enough

What a weekend/week! Last weekend it finally quit raining (we had a tropical storm pass through that dumped about 10 INCHES of rain!) and Brian and I went to a barrel race on Sat. I took Candela and she did really well, I just didn't ride her well enough into the first barrel, *sigh*. Next time! We took it easy all weekend for the most part - saw a movie, had some FroYo, mowed some grass.
On Monday I took Gypsy to a new vet down in Thomasville, about an hour away. She's been lame on her back left since Jan. We did nerve blocks all the way up her leg, X-rays of two different joints, and I was there for 6 hours! The results were inconclusive - SO FRUSTRATING!!! We ended up injecting her stifle but are not to optimistic about that helping. If it doesn't work (I'll know in about a week) then I have two options - stem cell therapy or just leave it and turn her into a broodmare. Obviously the ideal situation would be for the injection we just did to work so prayers there please! She's so much fun to ride, I would love to just be able to ride her, doesn't even have to be barrel racing.
This week has been super busy! Tuesday was my Mom's 60th Birthday - Happy Birthday Mom!!! Us kids got her a few things and Dad took her up to Estes Park to stay at the Stanley for a night. I've had a successful week with my eating and working out and am continuing to drop weight - yay me! Brian is still waiting to hear if he'll be deploying next month... Should know more in about 2 weeks. 
Did I mention how HOT AND HUMID it is here? I'm sure I have.... but we hit the triple digits for the heat index this week - 102 yesterday and 103 today. I went to the barn real early this morning (still dark out) and it was 80 degrees and you could drink the air - ugh! Not helping Gypsy's rain rot that she developed a few days ago - yeah, it's so moist all the time that bacteria starts growing on a horses rump area that eats away at their skin. Not impressed with the South this week.
The real bad news of the week though is the terrible fires in Colorado - so, so sad! My in-laws are on the pre-evac list right now, again, for the second year in a row! Many prayers for rain for all of Colorado!!!
Lastly, in church this week the pastor talked about your purpose in life - are you on the path that God wants you on? Does your college degree line up with what God's intentions are or do you need to change everything, and in some cases start off on a completely new path? It was a point that has been good to contemplate through the week. Not a new idea, but something that warrants renewed thought from time to time. For myself, I'm pretty sure I'm on the wrong path and will be deviating from it soon. What the exact right path is, I'm not sure, but I have faith that God will show me when I get there :-)

Family and Fun

Oh my goodness.... in case you didn't know, time is still flying by! And here I thought I had pressed the "pause" button, haha. I have attempted to write this entry about four times now. Week before last we had a great visit from Cari and Jason (and Koa too). They made the drive down from Colorado and arrived here Monday evening. I will recap our adventures as briefly as possible. 

On Tuesday we saw the sights around the local area. I learned that "Shop and Dine" Valdosta leaves much to be desired. You would think there was something resembling Old Town in Ft Collins but there is not. We did go into the few little shops and galleries that were open and were greeted by the friendly Southern staff :-) We enjoyed lunch at the "Smokin Pig" which was pretty great and showed Cari and Jason around the base. Cari and I also made our menu for the week - it was so great to have someone to cook with that cooks with the same flavor and enthusiasm that I do!

Wednesday found us headed for Jekyll Island - an awesome place on Georgia's coast. They allow dogs on the beach which is 10 miles long and about 100 yards wide when the tide is out. Koa and Abby had the best time playing in the waves and digging in he sand. We took a cooler of snacks and then made some yummy shrimp scampi when we got home. Thursday we were on the road again, this time without the dogs and headed to Jacksonville, Florida. We had some more great food and got to walk through the outdoor mall, stopping in and looking at Lois Vuitton and Tiffany & Co - some pretty nice stuff (only slightly disappointed that our husbands didn't get us stuff there, haha). 

On Friday we kept it more local and split up - guys day and girls day! The guys went golfing, saw a movie, and who knows what else. Meanwhile, Cari and I got to tour an the old Cresent Mansion in town, ate lunch at "Two Friends" (fantastic food and good business!), got pedicures, and came home to watch chick flicks and do a little baking. All in all a very successful day. We made some smoked chicken (well Brian did) and tried to eat out on the patio until the gnats were to annoying. Saturday we road tripped it to Tifton where we learned that they don't have anything like they advertise either, haha. We did manage to get some pecans, frozen yogurt, and a stop off at Horse Creek Winery on our way back. I could drink their wine slushies all day! Sadly all good things must come to an end. We sent Cari and Jason back to Colorado Sunday morning. Abby was depressed for the next 3 days - wouldn't eat, wouldn't play, nothin' - just laid there looking pathetic. Koa suffered similar feelings we were told - poor puppies missing their cousin!




















This past week saw us back to work, ugh! Cari and Jason found out they're having a baby boy, yay!!! Brian and I checked out Saturday night church yesterday at CrossPoint - good sermon about the wrath of God and how important it is to tell people about that along with His mercy because you can't have one without realizing the other exists. 

There you have it, kind of brief and pretty accurate :-) Life in the South is continuing to heat up and I'm not a fan, haha. At least I'm in good company with Brian, Abby, and the horses. I think we're all already for fall to get here. However, it is currently blueberry season and Georgia is the 3rd largest blueberry producing state. And peach season is upon us as well which means lots and lots of yummy peaches and roadside peach ice cream stands! Ok, I guess I'll survive the summer here. To top it all off, my fitness and diet are going well too. I've lost about 5lbs in 3 weeks and am eager to go jean and short shopping here in another month or so! Brian is continuing to study hard for his Biology class which is coming along nicely; only 2 more classes to go after this one!

Settled At Last

My goodness how time flies!! Brian came home the weekend of the Derby and we watched that together - Orb was fantastic! Then he came home for good the following weekend and between work and finishing up our house it's just been crazy! It's great finally having Brian home :-) Our house is all set up (except the garage) and it feels so good! I spent quite some time on my hands and knees pulling weeds the other day and cleaning out our cute little cherub fountain. We filled 3 trash bags with weeds! Of note, Georgia has soft, loose soil that makes pulling weeds SO much easier than my previous experiences. We have our lounge chairs and shade set up on the back porch so we can officially enjoy our great backyard. We invested in a cool indoor/outdoor rug for the patio that makes it seem a little more relaxing. Abby also has her wading pool in the backyard that I'm sure she'll enjoy as these hot days continue to stick around. It was in the 90s today, ugh! We have a new futon mattress on order due to the last one being ruined and our second guest room is all set up, complete with curtains. Bottom line, we're up and running and ready for visitors so if you find yourselves in the area please let us know, we'd love to have you stop in!

Speaking of visitors - Cari and Jason will be here TOMORROW to stay 5 days with us!! I can't wait! We haven't seen them since Feb when we went to Colorado for a ski trip and here they are, making a giant cross-country trip to visit us! We're going to have a great time and I will hopefully remember to write about it next week. 

I have also been able to log another barrel race aboard Candela. Both of my horses have made a great comeback and put on a lot of weight. Gypsy is still struggling with a lameness issue so I'm only doing light riding from time to time with her. But Candela has been great and her barrel race this weekend was a clean run. Not bad for her second run in less than a month after having not raced for 2 1/2 years! 

I have also been able to make gains in the health and fitness department. I have a great diet plan going that is really liberating in that I don't have to think about it all the time. My weight training is also going well, just looking to add more regular running back in. More on the specifics later, I'm just happy to report that it's going well for now :-)

Most importantly, Brian and I have just been enjoying spending time together, going on dates, hanging out, staying up way to late talking, and just loving being married again :-) Not that there was ever a break in marriage but it makes a huge difference to actually live together! We hope you have a great week!

Barrels and Babies

What a busy week or two! In an effort to be productive at work I decided that I needed to start going in early with the thought that I would also leave early. Not so. Haha, guess I was more productive (or something) than I planned to try to be. But it's ok because we did get a lot done. I got to do my first real FOD walk, twice. The bus that was supposed to pick us up at the other end wasn't there so that flight line is super clean now! This past week we had some Army guys jumping out of planes onto our base. I was out running one night as they were coming in and I don't know how many guys jumped but there were a LOT of C-130s and C-17s flying low and slow right over our house (we're on the end of the flight line) which was pretty cool to see. Air Power! 

I was also able to get some good rides in on my horses. Gypsy saw the vet again for her sore hock/back/ribs/hip. It turned out that there wasn't anything out of place and we decided to inject her hock. For those of you who don't know, this is a pretty common practice in performance horses that use their back-end a lot as the joint can wear out. It was injected with steroids, antibiotics and hyaluronic acid. Her joint was dry hen he stuck the needle in so good call. She already seems to be feeling better as when I turned her lose the other night she galloped off for the first time since we've been here. I also barrel raced Candela Fri night for the first time in about 2 years. She did great! She was pretty excited and our first turn was a little wide, our second turn a little tight (I hit the barrel with my leg) but the third was perfect, haha. Our time was decent all things considered. I just need to do a better job of riding her and getting her around her two blind turns, that second barrel is always a problem for us but we'll get there. The best part is that I had a good time and got to chat with some friends while I waited to run. :-)

I left bright and early Sat to drive up to Charleston to spend the weekend with Michelle and Steve and see Dylan's (my nephew) baptism. It was a good trip, complete with Brian's parents making the trip from Colorado to be there too. We got to walk around Charleston a little on Sat and they have a very pretty church with a real nice pastor. Minus the long drive I'd call it a success, just wish Brian could have made it! He's been busy studying for Biology and SOS. Two more weeks till he's home! Dylan sure is getting big though! He's now 5 months old and is very interested in the world around him. He's also teething so he has his moments, haha.

I was able to catch up with my Mom and sister on my drive home today. Then I got back and saw Cari's Facebook status picture of how she's already showing her pregnancy - crazy! Can't wait for her and Jason to get down here and visit in 3 weeks. And I can't wait for my Mom and Dad to be back from Hawaii and to hopefully see them sometime soon! I'm tired of living by myself and so far from family! Like I said, at least Brian will be home soon though!! And next weekend is the Kentucky Derby!!! I thought I'd have a party but my house isn't ready so maybe for the Preakness... No matter, I'll still make yummy food and drinks and wear a floppy hat for the occasion :-)

Time Divided

So when I said "More to come soon..." on Facebook I think I should have considered what I was up against with my time! And by that I mean the seemingly constant LACK of time. Especially now that I'm back home in sunny (read humid and HOT) Georgia and Brian is still away in Alabama at SOS. My return trip was uneventful enough but as soon as I got home that night and my headlights hit the yard I knew what I'd be doing in the morning - mowing the grass! I didn't figure it would take me the 3 1/2 hours that it did (we have a very large yard and a push mower - makes for a good workout they say...) and I acquired a very nice sunburn on my shoulders. Lesson learned, haha. I then made my trip to the barn where I discovered that my two horses had dropped a lot of weight which in horse terms is never a good thing. On the bright side, I think that I've narrowed down their weight loss to not eating due to being to hot. The struggle will be what to do as the summer heat arrives and doesn't leave :-/ For now we've had a few cool days this past week and I'm feeding them extra so they are starting to look better. I was very happy to see my kids though, missed them! Hopefully I can get them back in shape and start barrel racing within the next month :-) Oh, and then there was the snake incident... I was riding Gypsy near some water and trying to get her to circle smoothly but she wasn't cooperating (abnormal for her). It sounded like she kicked some dirt into a clump of grass near the water but as we came around the circle I heard a rustling noise again and looked over to see a big fat black snake moving towards us out of the water!!! I think that my heart stopped and I was more freaked out than Gypsy! Needless to say, we made a safe escape and did not go back over there. I am now very leery of the water and any future encounters with water moccasins as there are some many stories of how aggressive they can be. Oh, and Abby's not allowed at the barn anymore because I'm pretty sure she would be in the water and investigating those snakes. Ugh... shivers...

Work was work but I have managed to make a habit out of staying up into the wee hours of the morning to work on organizing the house. When Brian's home he makes sure I go to bed on time, which is great, but it also means that we've lived here for about 7 weeks now and still don't have everything put away. My goal is the Kentucky Derby so I can maybe invite my office people over for the race. Brian built us a nice Aspen bookshelf that is now fully loaded, as well as two bookshelves of DVDs, another smaller bookshelf of books, and still more books to put in a closet someplace. Did I mention that we have 2-3 editions of Organic Chemistry, Biology, Anatomy, Physics, Genetics, and several other science type text books? Think that has something to do with the lack of book space.... haha... nerds! But we only keep the ones that we think we might need again. I'll spare you the details of our library but if you ever need a good read for you or your kids just let us know, we're happy to share! I have also managed to get both guest beds cleared off and made up with fresh sheets so we do actually have a place for company to sleep. So really the only thing that remains is organizing stuff in closets and hanging the remaining pictures. As soon as that's done I will post some pictures (May 3rd...?!)

[Birthday Breakfast]

I can't really update you on everything without talking about this past weekend when Brian came home for a few nights for my birthday! We had a great time. I surprised him by driving to Crestview, FL on Fri to pick up Abby; she'd been with her two yellow lab cousins in Louisiana, with Bert and Cindy, while we were away. She was totally spoiled with her own pool... I made us some gluten-free Mickey Mouse waffles Sat morning with berries for topping - so yummy and fun! We took care of the kids, did a little yard work and went to the store for patio stuff. I got an outdoor rug for our deck and we rigged up some shade for Abby and filled up her kitty pool which she seems to enjoy. Then for my birthday dinner we made our own sushi for the first time. It turned out fantasticly! We had leftovers and even have some more salmon in the freezer for take-two. Other than taking some time to prepare, it was really rather easy, and I might be biased but the flavor was on par with most sushi restaurants we've been to! 

[Sushi Chef]

[The China is Finally Used for Fancy Sushi!]

Sunday was complete with a church service from livingstoneskona.com which is a church my Mom has been to and had great reviews on. I've seen a few of the sermons now and really enjoy them. They are about 45 min (better than the regular 20 min sermon you often find in church) and they really dive into the meaning of the scripture. This weeks was about love and the different types of people God asks us to love in all types of relationships - co-workers, boss, politicians, spouse, siblings, etc. The pastor talked about how it isn't our job to change people, that God is the only one that can change people so we are just supposed to love them at the stage they are at (ie us Type-As shouldn't be trying to fix people). Anyway, it was a good sermon to hear, especially considering that we didn't wake up until we were supposed to be leaving for church, oops! Brian and I were also able to have our staff meeting which has been a great addition to our married life. We try to have this meeting once a week (when we're both at home that is) to discuss anything on our to-do lists such as finances, school, house stuff, vacations, big devotional topics that need more dedicated time, issues that we might be having, weekly menu, etc. It's just a great time to have set aside with no distractions to focus on topics that need covered. Brian has found that it works really well (and well for me in turn) because he doesn't like to be randomly bombarded with some of those topics. If he has a time set aside that he knows they will be discussed than he can come mentally prepared. Like I said, it's been a great feature for us so far. Now if we could just quit dividing our time between different locations.... 

The One Constant is Change

Time comes and goes so quickly, I'm constantly reminded too appreciate each and every moment as you never know what waits for you in the next. My 5 week adventure to Idaho has come to an end - already!! As usual, the one certain thing about the military is that it will change and you will likely meet some great people along the way... and then promptly have to say good bye (that's the crappy part in case you didn't know). I had a great time here, a great class, and great instructors. I never thought that I would come to the level of understanding and appreciation for this new job in just 5 short weeks but I have. I am headed home with a much better attitude about my job awaiting me there and even a hint of excitement for the job! Yet somehow I'm sad. My bags are packed, I said bye to my classmates, and am eager to be home and see my kids. But every new good bye also reminds me of previous ones. In particular, Casie (one of my classmates) and I were swapping deployment stories tonight and I find myself missing some of my downrange friends - Josh, Magoo, Milton, Professor, Fowler, Sacco, Nikki and many others. But those were the folks I saw most on a daily basis, ran races with, had off base adventures with, disagreed with, smoked sheesha with, etc. Everything that builds a relationship that can't be duplicated. It's unique to that place and time, just like so many other things in our lives. I believe that God is always with us, always teaching us, always giving us opportunities to rely on Him no matter the time in our life. So tonight I'm feeling blessed to have had so many opportunities to experience new places, meet new people, learn new things. 

[Pre-Air Force 10K while deployed]

In these past two weeks I've got to go wine tasting in Idaho (fantastic!), accomplish an end-of-course exercise, and go to the range one more time to work with/watch the A-10 in all its glory - wow! Pretty busy and super fast (S2S - my AF peeps get it). Let me just say, the Idaho vineyards did not disappoint  We visited 4 and they all had some pretty great wine along with some great views - rolling vineyard hills with snow capped mountains in the distance. Our first stop was Bitner, followed by Koenig, Fujishin and St Chapelle. Needless to say, a good time was had and a few bottles of wine were purchased to enjoy later. 

[View from Bitner Vineyards]

This week we had our exercise and I was pleased to see that we all knew enough to complete the course which is saying something since I had a steep learning curve, haha. All in all it was really good though. The instructors here have put together a pretty balanced course that really teaches and provides opportunity for confidence building throughout. It's been so great that I'm considering moving back here to help teach sometime. But we'll see where the winds blow Brian and me, just saying, I won't complain if it's Idaho :-) We finished up with a class/instructor dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I'm pleased to report that I had some shrimp tacos and NO cheesecake despite my cravings telling me otherwise! This is a first for me but I realized that I've been working hard to eat right and workout while I've been here, why blow it now? Tomorrow the only benefit I'd get from it would be an upset stomach and disappointment in myself at not resisting. So now I can go into my LONG travel day guilt free and stomach ache free (I hope, as it has been acting up this week, hehe). 

[On the Range with my Class]

I've had some great talks with God this week and some great reading. I can't wait to get home and discuss with Brian about how we will incorporate some of it into our lives and get his take on it. For example - love and respect. Yes, there's a book on it, but that's mostly because the whole idea of it was brought up in the Bible. That women need love and men need respect. It is clearly stated. But, my question is, what speaks the most respect to my husband so that he feels respected AND loved? And vise a versa for me... In the Amplified Bible it expands on Eph 5:33 as this - 

Let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [the she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly.] 

Furthermore, the study I'm doing says to make a list of things to do/say and to have Brian make one as well - then see where the lists merge and implement as much as possible. Wow! I mean it's not new knowledge to me but there's a lot in that verse to quantify/implement. So that is my project going home, I know that God will guide me/us in this and that we can only grow and learn to love Jesus and each other more out of it.
On that note, to bed with me! I have a plane to catch!

Fresh Air and A-10s

Over the last few days I have come up with some great things to blog about but then when it comes to sitting down at my computer to tell you all about, they seem to vanish, haha. I will attempt to remember the fun happenings that I wanted to share though. I did catch a mid-week movie, "Safe Haven," that I enjoyed. Most guys probably wouldn't like it but I did and it had a bonus, slightly unexpected ending. I also got mail from my Mom!! Some yummy mac nuts and buzz beans from Hawaii :-)

This week went by pretty fast. On Thursday my class took a trip out to the range and got to watch A-10s make some straffing runs, provide close air support, and drop some fake bombs, all pretty awesome. It was out in the middle of the Idaho BLM/grasslands/hills which was a nice break-away from the day-to-day classroom stuff we have to do. I do have a real appreciation for the JTACs on the ground calling in air support though. Depending on the situation I imagine it can be very stressful and they have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. 

A-10s with a Rainbow - They're Growing on Me

Today I went and explored some more of the local area. I swung by the Boise Creperie near my hotel by the Imax theater (excellent!) and then headed out. My friend and college roommate Amy suggested I check out the Camel Back Park - it was great! There are so many trails and hills of all different types - trees, sagebrush, running water, ponds... So nice! It was great to get some fresh air and wind and sun despite it being a little chilly. I could have easily hing out all day! I drove into the downtown area and stopped in at the "Flying M" coffee shop where you could also easily spend the better part of an afternoon. They roast their own coffee beans twice a week and have a tasty spiced chai (not to sweet). They also have some books, cards, nick-knacks, etc that are worth checking out. I wrapped up my week with a nice long Skype call to the hubby and a glass of wine from a local vineyard (wine tasting comes next weekend). 

I have felt God's presence more this week, a lot due to my daily devotions. I'm working through "Jesus Calling," which is short and sweet but exactly what I need at this time in my life. I can sit down for 5 minutes in the morning before I walk out the door to hear God's word. One particular day, 17 March, stood out to me as it talked about God's all knowingness, grace, and how He heals as his light shines into those places that no one else sees. How we are to rejoice in the One who understands us completely. As God's love fills us, it overflows so that we can love others with His love. At this point I feel that I'm still working on being filled up myself, but there are those times that I know I'm full and that the love is overflowing to others. I just need to try to seal up the cracks so that I can fill up faster, haha. As our life moves forward though into this new phase, I can already see the cracks narrowing :-)

And the biggest news to share that I've been waiting for several weeks to share - my sister Cari and her husband Jason are expecting a baby! We're all very excited for this new addition to the Comerford and extended families! This little one is going to be very lucky to have such great parents and the opportunity to experience life in so many ways that many kids don't get to; it's going to be a great adventure! We pray for their health and safety and that once the baby arrives, that we can all provide a positive, Godly influence as he/she grows up!