What's Been Happening...

I know it has been a while; I actually tried to blog a couple months ago but it wouldn't publish no matter what I did. So I hope this gets published!! A lot of things have happened since my last blog. I have taken up vlogging, my boss got married, and I will be going to Virginia for a job interview.

Vlogging, in case you haven't heard, is video logging. It's another good way for me to get creative and let my family and friends know what I am up to, which is normally no good, but I try. I'm getting a little better at it, but I still think they are boring. Oh well, it's not like a lot of people watch them.

Paige got married at Martha's Vineyard a couple weeks ago. Her husband is a wonderful, nice, hard-working man that cooks! He is a definite keeper. It seems like only yesterday they met! I farm-sat while they were gone and everything went smoothly. Now a couple of the younger horses are getting the sniffles as the temp drops. It is something that a lot of youngsters get, and it's basically a cold, and is really nothing serious when it is caught and treated early.

While Paige was away, I got a job offer in Virginia on an Arabian farm. It seems like a very good job with great benefits and I hope it works out. I fly out in a couple of days for a face-to-face interview and will be there for a couple days. If things don't work out, at least I got a vacation! I won't say what it is for sure yet until I know more details and take/get hired on.

I think that is about all for now. Otherwise, nothing else major is going on. I'll try to think of more things for next time!

Prom King

I had just gotten home from getting a few groceries when I got a text from my mom saying that my baby brother, Reed, just got Prom King!!! I am so proud and happy for him!

We have also had a few visitors at the farm in the form of Guinea Fowl hens these past few days. A couple of them are solid white, while the others are a dark gray. They usually come around at 7:30ish and are very verbal. They come around the house area and eat worms and bugs. Occasionally one will get left behind and then find their reflection in my big living room window and squawk at its reflection. The other day a duck accompanied them and it was by my window along with a couple of the hens. One of the hens started squawking and pecking at its reflection in the window and then left. It was so cute seeing the duck with them and the song "One of These Things is Not Like the Other" popped right in my head.

Madusa's owner has been coming around more and riding her so I have been riding Barney more. Lately he has been going a bit faster than normal, especially when Paige is around so I am trying to slow him down a bit.

That is about all that is happening lately.

He Is Risen!!

The prophecy has now come true. Jesus Christ destroyed the temple and, on the third day, rose it up again. This temple, as his persecuters failed to understand, refers to Jesus Christ himself.

Looking back, I didn't do such a great job with my nail-biting this year, but I did blog every day. The beautiful thing about that is, I got out a lot of feelings that would otherwise eat at me for days, thus causing me to lose sleep and be stressed out constantly. I can always go back and edit entries later, another beautiful thing about blogging!

Easter mass was very nice. I was able to remember most of what I was supposed to sing and I did it in a dress and heels!! I'm surprised my mother didn't whip out the camera to take pictures to capture this rare event. The family get together was a blast. I was able to see everyone, play with the dogs, eat homemade ice-cream, and play a couple games of Hands and Feet. I got back around 9 this evening and I'm surprised I'm not more worn out.

Back to the Roots

After the evening feed, I headed back to Britt. I stopped at Casey's along the way to get gas and get some supper, which was a slice of cheese pizza...exciting, I know. I made my first stop at Grandma's to see how she and Grandpa were doing since I don't get to see them that often and probably won't have many more chances. Then I went back to my parents'. Not much changed since I was there last. The upstairs has been repainted and looks very nice and modernized.

I helped Dad make taco dip and cuddled with my old dog, Riley, who is the smaller black dog in my profile picture. Man, he is getting old, too! He was curled up in the garage and shivering. I wish I could take him to Cedar Falls with me. I miss having a dog around all the time. Paige's dog is nice, but he lives upstairs. Oh, well. I always have my plant.

Tomorrow is Easter. I actually brought home a couple dresses to wear to church in the morning. Shocker!! I plan to sing in the choir instead of sitting in the congregation, since I do that all the time in Gilbertville. I haven't practiced the Easter mass with the choir, but I mainly go off the sopranos and tenors to find the alto notes anyway, so I shouldn't have a problem. I can't wait to see the rest of my family tomorrow. Easter dinner will be at my parents' place, so I will get to see everyone and go back to Cedar Falls from there. Hopefully we can get in a card game or two.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter tomorrow!!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. It went like any other day, I had to work, couldn't go to church. I went to mass for Holy Thursday. That was a very nice treat to get out and meditate for a while. Tomorrow evening I will be heading north to visit the family for a day. I am so excited, even if it is for a day. I haven't been up there in what seems like ages!! I hope I can remember everyone's names! Hahaha.

Tonight, I went out to ride Madusa. As I was brushing her, her owner came to ride. It was a nice surprise...but it was a little hard watching someone else ride Madusa. I have been working with her for a long time, so I have become a little attached to her.

New Sport? or New Hobby?

Well, it seems as though the horses have found a new game to play with us humans. Normally two horses play it, but it seems as though some other horses have heard of this. It is called Hide the Halter. This game consists of the horses somehow removing their halters from their heads, which they can have an assistant horse do or a good scratch behind the ears can do the trick. Following the removal, the halter than gets thrown on the ground far into the paddock or pasture, or stomped in the gooey mud so well that the human can barely see it. Running in circles around the humans can bring extra fun, but is not necessary.

We had two young horses play this game yesterday, in which the youngest had hers buried in the mud. They decided to run around us full blast for a couple minutes before they stopped to let us catch them. Today, another horse had caught wind of this game and removed her halter. Luckily for me, she didn't stomp it in the mud and was easy to catch. Otherwise, Barney and YoYo usually play the game at least once a month. However they are too lazy to run around in circles, so that makes it easier for us to catch them.

Looking Ahead

I am going to be going North to visit my family. I plan to leave after chores on Saturday evening and coming back on Sunday night. Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay until Tuesday. My cousin, Rachel, is coming to Iowa from Boston to visit for a few days and will be in Britt on Monday. My cousin and my mom have tried to get me to stay or go up to play cards, but I can't. It would be nice to have that little vacation, but other opportunities will probably come around.

Right now I am working on my 500-piece puzzle and listening to Eminem. The past couple nights I have been listening to music and working on the puzzle and I have quickly remembered why I love puzzles so much. They are relaxing and a way to unwind and not watch TV or be on the computer all the time.

Snow?!

This morning I woke up and it was snowing like crazy! Iowa weather never ceases to amaze us with its bipolar-ness. Haha.

Today was my day off, and I was feeling a little under the weather. I stayed in all day, napped, got little done, and am feeling better now. I finally closed my checking account at Farmer's Trust and that's about all I got done today. That's about all I have on my mind at the moment.

Well...

I have been given an opportunity to go somewhere in the near future. Julie said that she would be able to cover for me if I decide to go. With the current struggles, I don't know if I want to or not yet. I did talk to someone whom I haven't spoken to in a while and he gave me some words of encouragement. I trust his word as well, so I am going to do like he told me and take my time in my decision, stop stressing out so much about my conflictions, and get some sleep.

Otherwise I had a pretty good day. I put in another ride on Madusa today, got everything done in a timely manner, and even had some time to kill.

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. The stretch run; the start of Holy Week and, so far, it is off to a good start. The weather was a lot better, Father Huber told me that it was a great day to go for a horse ride after Mass, and I agreed. I put in another great ride on Madusa after Paige finished her lessons for the day. It is always nice having an empty arena to work in and a quiet atmosphere with the radio for background noise. Yesterday I went to get a few needed items and decided to splurge on a new 500-piece puzzle. It is a picture of a white horse galloping near the ocean shore and it's titled "Ocean Winds." I started on it tonight while listening to Boyce Avenue on YouTube. It was a great way to end the day.

It was relatively stress-free. Jan was pretty quiet, it was a nice change. I finally snapped at her yesterday after chores. She was trying to calm the horses down as she was sweeping the cobwebs off the stall bars, and I could hear her on the other side of the arena! I finally just told her to just keep going and stop talking to the horses so they could figure it out for themselves. It felt good to yell since I had been wanting to do it all week. Poor Jan. I did apologize this morning and I kept a somewhat straight face, since it wasn't really sincere because I meant what I said. She accepted it and Paige had her do stuff away from me since she understands my pain now as well. She decided to work alongside Jan for a few days the past few weeks and she admitted that Jan is really annoying. At least Jan only has a couple more weeks left of her internship.

Differences

Recognizing and accepting differences is one of the major issues in our society today. I grew up in a religious, old-fashioned family, in the same little town my parents grew up in. Before I left for college, I didn't really know what my true opinions of what was going on in the world were. My first job working at the grocery store didn't really give me a lot of cultural variety. All the employees were from the same area in general so we were all the same race and heterosexual.


Going to college and working at McDonald's was a whole other ball game. I came across homosexuals, African Americans, who outside of McD's were more of Chicago's hip hop culture, and rebellious teens who listened to hip hop, rap, heavy metal, and some of whom were into the party scene already. I found that a lot of these people are some of the most beautiful people I have met. I'm not just talking about the physical beauty, even though the lesbian I worked with was a gorgeous young woman; I'm talking about the mental and emotional beauty. They were also more sure of themselves as people.

These people taught me how to listen with an open mind and heart, blocking out our differences in race, or sexuality, or culture. They would actually listen to what I had to say and not question or judge or try to help. In turn, I also listened to what they had to say about their views on life. Through this, I have learned what beliefs I have set in stone. I still am not too keen on the whole gay marriage/homosexual lifestyle, it is not my lifestyle of choice; but if some of my friends want to choose the homosexual lifestyle, I can't stop them. It has been proven that sexuality is NOT a choice. It is the way a person IS. Thanks to those that I have met, I can now say that I can blend in with just about anyone or any crowd I happen to be a part of. But that doesn't mean that that is who I am. It means I know what they are saying, even if it isn't in proper English. I can say I don't judge others on their sexuality, culture differences, skin color, etc.

If we are all God's children, then won't He accept everyone despite those differences?

Back to Business

My grandparents and parents stopped by for a speedy visit today. It was very windy, rainy, and cold out, plus I had to feed the horses, so we only spoke about 10 minutes. Mom had to go use my restroom and get a drink for Dad so he wouldn't be parched the rest of the way to Cedar Rapids. Dad is attending a men's conference while Mom and my grandparents are going to be visiting my aunt in Swisher. Grandma is so funny. She kept trying to get me to say that I am having issues with my brother, which I was able to dodge. She started out with "How are things going? How are you? What is new?" then just came out and asked "How's Micah doing?" I had to roll my eyes since she just wanted me to admit that he and I are at odds. We have another situation like that going on in our family, and we don't need another.

Meh.

I have too many feelings racing through my mind right now. I just don't know what to post on here anymore. I don't know if I want to just throw in the towel, put my blinders on, and just focus on work and prayer, or continue to post, but just put stuff on for shits and giggles. These past few posts I thought would make me feel better by getting things off my chest that people otherwise wouldn't let me get out without analyzing, advicing, and assuming, but I was obviously wrong.

Meh.

Just Sayin...

When you are trying to repair a relationship, is it really a smart idea to expect that person, and that person only, to contact you? Is it a smart idea to post stuff about that person without getting the facts in order, instead putting in names that have had absolutely nothing to do with what has happened in your life? Is it a smart idea to publicly call out that person and say "here I am, wanna fight?" Apparently that is what is expected of me.

As I have stated in a previous blog about my brother wanting to fix our relationship as brother and sister. I only stated my views of why our relationship is how it is today. Well, I had apparently pissed him off and after the shock of seeing how he is still acting like a immature brat, I have decided to just let it go. According to him, I am the one who has to know his daily schedule, call him in his free time, and talk to him about my current events. Excuse me, but I am not the only one who knows how to work a cell phone, or drive a car, or send an email, or send a message on Facebook. Just sayin'. Speaking of Facebook, he also removed me from his friends list and didn't answer any of my phone calls. Ok, so if he wants to continue to act like an immature brat who is also bashing me online and giving "knee-jerk responses" then I'm just fine with that. I have more things to worry about in my life than people like him.

Just sayin'. G'night!

Day Off

Today was my day off. I got a lot accomplished such as deep cleaning the apartment, re-organizing my closet, and going to the bank. I had been looking for my savings bonds for a while, and while I was reorganizing this morning, I found them! It was such a relief. Now I hope that I don't forget where they are again. I vacuumed, washed dishes, dusted, mopped, cleaned windows on the inside and out, and swept the outside area around the apartment.

I also sorted through my pants to see if they would at least still stay up by themselves, and they did, so I won't have to worry about buying new capris or shorts yet. I have lost at least 25 pounds since working at the farm and becoming a vegetarian and I'm still getting used to this weight again. I haven't been this light since high school.

I went to the evening mass in Raymond and went to the final CCL talk. Tonight was about spiritual healing. Sister Therese told us how important it is to forgive others AND ourselves for any mistakes or mistreatments that may have come to us. She also suggested making a bad situation into a good one. For example, when a family member becomes ill with cancer and eventually dies, we shouldn't think we are being punished, but are given a new reason to be thankful for the time we had with them, how we can remember them, and how we can honor them by being alive and living our lives to the fullest.

I also got to see Mom and our friend, Brenda Smith after they were done with their Mass music clinic today. They came over to the farm and we visited and walked around a bit since they had been sitting all day. It was nice visiting and seeing them again.

CCL- Night 2

I went to Night 2 of the Creative Christian Living seminar. Tonight, Sister Therese gave tips on how to pray 1)verbally, 2)mentally, and 3)emotionally. Verbally, is actually saying a prayer that we either may have learned in school, such as the Lord's Prayer, or just saying a prayer out loud. Mental prayer is the silent prayers that we pray when we want to feel close to God or need to pray for guidance in a tough situation. Emotional prayer is the prayer that comes from the heart. We can pray to praise God, give thanks to God, ask for guidance in our daily lives, and to bless those around us in our daily lives.

Before she starts her talk, Sister Therese asks us to pray with her. She tells us to rest our hands in our lap, close our eyes, and take a few deep breaths. She had us do it again at the end for even longer. I have to say, after working all day, I had to fight to stay awake during those moments.

Tomorrow, Mom and our friend and her fellow musician, Brenda, are coming to Cedar Falls to attend a music clinic to learn new mass music. They might come to visit afterward, and I have the day off. I hope they have a safe and successful trip! I know that Father Huber is going to bug my mom while she is there. He knows that sometimes she can be forgetful of what she can and can't do...so I will help him in reminding her that you can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd!!! Love ya, Mom!!

Creative Christian Living

This morning, I went to church as usual. Before mass started, we were entertained by a small, young altar server who was not having much luck lighting the wick on one of the candles that was at least twice his size. The light he was using kept going out. A musician tried helping him, and when she thought he was going to get it lit, it snuffed out again. Finally, Father Huber came out and eventually, they got the darned candle lit.

After mass, Father said he would see me at the Creative Christian Living seminar tonignt, tomorrow, and Tuesday. I made it this time! I did not fall asleep again!! It was long, but interesting. Sister Therese had some good points and said that we shouldn't hold onto the bad that has already happened, to look back on our relationships and see how any bad ones can be fixed, to change what we can and accept what we can't, and to open our hearts to receive not only God's love, but others' love as well.

Relationships. I do look at my relationships with the people I see every day, and even if they don't like me a whole lot, they do show me respect and that is a good start. I try to greet everyone with a smile and ask them how their day is going. Moving on to my family, I do have a great relationship with my parents. I know that I can go to them for advice and support if and when I need it. They have their quirks, but who doesn't? My youngest brother, Reed, and I have a pretty good relationship. It may have had it's rocky periods, but we are pretty good now. Micah, well, he's the poor middle child. He and I, I think, are polar opposites. I know that he wants to fix our relationship as brother and sister, but I think he tries too hard at times. When Mom and Dad are away, we are good. Everything is calm, we can talk like normal people, have some good conversations, and he is okay. However, when the 'rents are around, things change. He acts like a little kid, which in turn, compels me to act like a bratty little girl, and I don't like that. In a nutshell, I don't know if we'll have the relationship that Micah wants to have between us. I'm going off bad experiences when it comes to being around him with the parents and being the blame for everything he does to make a scene when most of the time, I don't do anything unless it's to make him stop acting like he is in elementary school.

Anyway, I didn't see Father Huber tonight. Hmm, maybe he was there in spirit, or he sent one of his clowns to see if I made it or not. We shall see! G'night, readers.

Spring Storms

We are expecting our first batch of storms tonight and tomorrow. I am actually excited! I can't wait to watch the storm clouds come in. They always amaze me with their powerful looks and torrential downpours. So bring on the rain! Haha.

A vet came out to check to see if a young horse is ready to be castrated. The bad news is that he didn't have both testicles dropped yet, so the owner is going to have to show a yearling stallion for the first couple shows. The good news is that he is already easy-going and easy to handle. He is still a baby and is a little nippy and testy, but that should grow out of him as he learns. He is already like a different horse since he has been here.

Madusa went great. I asked her to use her back and collect even more, and she did amazing considering she is coming into heat. We even broke a sweat! It was really warm out today, I just love T-shirt weather. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be in the upper 70's.

One of the forums that I am on has had a discussion on religion going on the past day and a half (dangerous territory!), and some of the things that have been said I would love to show my dad and see what he has to say! The things that come out of some people's mouths can be quite odd. A couple of them are also Catholic, but I have to wonder just how they are really set. It seems to me that they built a lot of their houses on sand instead of stone. It's a good thing they are still young.

That is about everything I have for today. Happy storm-watching, readers!

Rain

We finally got rain last night! Only 3/10 inch, but I'll take it. We are supposed to get more rain this weekend and storms on Sunday. I can't wait!!

Everything got done as usual today. We have set up a new feeding schedule so that one person does the feeding instead of three. That actually makes it a lot simpler, because then we don't have to worry about missing someone or feeding someone twice. While one person feeds, though, someone follows with the broom. Today was the first day doing this and we got chores done in 20 minutes!

I will also start having Tuesdays off. I wish it were Sundays, but I'll take what I can get. At least I will still have Sunday mornings off so I can attend mass. I probably won't be able to go home for Easter, but Paige said that it depends on what happens so we'll see how things go in the next couple weeks. I was thinking I would go home after chores on Saturday evening, then come back Sunday evening or afternoon. I'll take whatever, but if I don't get it off, then I can go home on Tuesdays. At least then I will be able to see my family again. I'm really going to fight for Reed's graduation! Time seems to fly by, and soon my baby brother will be graduated. Gosh, I must be getting old!

I was reading my other brother, Micah's, blog earlier and, despite some big mistakes, he mentioned an event I had moved on from and forgotten: a phone call in high school that ended up being a prank call asking me to a dance. Oh, the things he remembers! I may not be able to remember half the events like he does, but once he mentions it, I can remember the facts. The phone call was NOT from Jake Mohr, nor was he my crush, like Micah mentioned. It was from someone else who liked to try and get a rise out of me. It's funny, but looking back, the only guys who treated me with respect from when Kanawha and Britt merged in Jr. High were my two crushes. All the other Kanawha boys gave me a hard time. Oh well, that is the past; this is the present; let's all just move on with our lives.

We get two new horses in tomorrow. They will be here for a couple weeks or so. It's scary how within the next month at least six horses will leave. I hope we get more to replace them!

Until tomorrow, readers!

Calmer Day

Today was more normal. All the daily duties that need done went by smoothly. The vet did come over to do a vaccination and check on a horse. He was supposed to come tomorrow morning, but had some things come up and had to do a last minute rescheduling. It was nice seeing him again, he is easy to talk to and is some pretty nice eye candy. It's too bad he's taken!!

Otherwise, nothing else really happened today. I had another headache, went in and, finally, cooked a meal, and it went away. Paige said that Barney missed being ridden, but one of the boarders that I dislike was working his horse, so I laid low tonight. He was pretty cool at first, but he thinks he's a big shot since he's from Chicago and everyone else is below him for that reason. I don't really like that kind of attitude. Tomorrow, Barney would be ridden so he will be happy. Until tomorrow, readers...