Abbie and Kaylah's Baby Lambs

Nathan's brother, Chris, and his wife, Katee lived in Arizona when we were out west.  We had fun visiting different places there and even went to the Grand Canyon together.  They have moved back to Virginia since then and now live in the house that the three brothers lived in while growing up.  We knew they had added animals to their space, but I have not been up there to see all that is going on until this visit.

I hit the jackpot when I did go up, because two babies were born that day.  One of them was born minutes before Mom and I arrived and was still all sticky and wet.  What a beautiful thing to be a part of! 

They are all active in 4-H, and shared some of what they are doing there.  Abbie showed us her skills with bracing.

Katee showed off some of the beauties that live here.  It was clear to me that she spends a lot of time bonding with the animals and really loves it.

We can't forget about the chickens.  Well, you really can't forget about chickens because they won't let you if you are anywhere near them.

Every farm needs a great dog and this was one great dog.  I wanted to bring Zoe home with me.

It was so heartwarming to see life and love filling the place that had sat empty for far too long.  Do you think I could fit one of these in the RV?  It could sleep right next to the horse I am wanting to bring along when we start to travel again!  That will be one downside to our lifestyle, no space for the cool animals that the other family members get to own.  I guess I will just have to be content to soak up the goodness of their animals when I visit and be the aunt to both the children and the pets.

 Living the life in VA!

The Snow is Melting...Already!

 One thing that fascinated me when we lived in Virginia was how quickly snow melts here.

 I lived much of my life in Michigan and snows melts at the end of spring.  If it is a warm year.

 Otherwise, snow falls on the ground.  More snow falls on the ground on top of that snow and the cycle continues all winter long.  At some point the ground is covered with dirty snow.  Not real appealing at all to look at and it gets slick to walk on.

Here it stays nice and clean until it melts and then it is just a memory.  I can handle snow like that!  It will probably be all melted by tomorrow at this rate!

Living the life in fickle VA!

Snow in March!

 We woke up this morning and saw that it snowed more while we were asleep.  I went outside to snap some shots of the snow before anyone else was outside.

 I'd forgot how quiet the world is when there is fresh snow on the ground.  It seems like it's nature's way of saying, "hush".

The only other creature I saw stirring was Russ.  Russ was moving around in the snow, but even he was quiet beyond that.

It is such a strange thing to have weather like this in March!  Luckily Mom has a fireplace where we could stay snuggled up next to and see the beauty of the snow while staying cozy and warm.  I think Russ is a bit jealous of that.

 

Sorry Russ!  Living the life in snowy VA!

Trip to Virginia Complete With a Surprise Once We Arrived!

Nathan and I took our first no children with us trip since...well, ever!  We went to Virginia to stay with his Mom.  We headed out on Friday and ended up getting stuck in traffic on Saturday but still made it there in decent time.

On Sunday, we headed down to Daryl and Diana's where we saw their new barn.

We also met Dustin, Lauren's new horse, who was largely the reason behind the barn.  I actually met Dustin once before, but got to spend more time really getting to know him this visit. 

While we were talking horses, Josh came out to see what we were doing.  And he brought some of the white stuff with him.

I'm not a fan of the white stuff.  It cracks me up when people ask if we miss snow.  I can't figure out what on earth there would be to miss.  It is pretty to look at.  If you are looking at it in a picture.  While sitting in Florida!  Beyond that, nope, we don't miss snow.

 

The chickens seemed to agree with me.  They had ruffled feathers over the snow.

 

By the time we drove back to Mom's house, this is what it looked like:

 I think it's time to hunker down and stay inside until the sun comes out and melts it all away again!

Living the life in cold VA!

Lions, Tigers and Bears Tour

Today we went on a tour to a rescue named Lions, Tigers and Bears.  It is located in Arcadia, so about 17 miles from here.  We had a good sized group and everyone seemed to enjoy their time there.

From their website, the mission of this refuge is: Lions, Tigers, and Bears is a 501(c)3 Tax Exempt Refuge for animals. We have 40 acres of prime Florida upland oak habitat and pastured land just north of Arcadia, Florida. Our mission is to provide a permanent loving home to unwanted exotic pets, non-releaseable wildlife, and endangered species. We are also a rehab facility for injured and orphaned native wildlife. Lions, Tigers and Bears Inc. believes that education about animals and their connection to the environment are the keys to conservation and the future of the world.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have been down with strep throat for the past week, so I missed the dinner at the park.  Luckily, Ambir invited us all down to her place the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I was able to celebrate still.  All the kids, minus Ashleigh, were there.  My Mom and my niece and nephew were there.  Austin brought Brittany, so the family was able to meet her.

We did our traditional dinner, cooked by my Mom, the first day.  The second day we celebrated as true Floridians do.  We spent time in the water by spending the day jet skiing.

  I was still recovering, so I opted out.  Which meant I got to take pictures all day long.

I was very happy with this arrangement!

 

Ava was not so happy with not being able to jet ski.

 Still, she seemed to enjoy being able to watch the action.  It kept her and I entertained all day long!

Hoping everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving also!  We had much to be thankful for this year, most of which was with us this weekend: our family!

Winter is Finally Here!

Since about April of last year, Nathan and I have counted down the days together of when "winter" was back again.  Not that we cared so much about winter, but we did care about our pickleball friends making their way back to us and not having an empty park.

So when I see the first Happy Hours taking place, I had to high five Nathan that "we did it" meaning we lasted here through the summer until the park was back in full swing again.  I did not make it to this Happy Hour, so the pictures are all courtesy of Donna.

 

I did manage to snap these shots, which shows again how lovely the weather has been here!

 

Living the life in lovely FL!

Gearing Up for the Holidays

Every year when it hits November, I kind of hold my breath a bit, bracing myself for the coming holidays.  I love the holidays.  I am really geeky about holidays in fact.  But they are also tiring because of all of the "extra" they add to life.

Adding to the holiday busy-ness is the reality that work is going to get much busier.  It will get downright crazy in fact.  We will also have more people around us that we want to spend time with.  Pickleball will be in full force.  And I will love it all.  And I will be ready to crash when it ends because it really is exhausting to juggle so much in such a short time.  So on days like today, where I spent most of the day at Sixteen Hands...I soak up the peace and quiet while I can.

I enjoy the pace of the horses.  I pay attention to the small details, like Dancer's jingle bells.

I laugh at the silly faces Patriot makes while he camera hogs my view.

I marvel at Gracie, who is one of the wild mustangs here.  I appreciate her patient and gentle spirit with us as we try to attend to so many horses needs.

And I spend as much time as necessary to see that Cherokee gets as much food into him as he can handle today.

I get down to the basics when I am here.  All the things that nourish living souls.  Nothing more.  And it is exactly what I need to keep me grounded.

Living the life in FL!

Weekend Trip with Friends

This weekend we took a trip to the Orlando area so we could visit Capone's.  We visited this place once before with a group of pickleball friends.  The time Nick and Tonyia organized the trip, and they did a great job.  We got a package deal with dinner, the show, a hotel and a shuttle bus there and back.

We were able to ride up with one of our favorite couples, Art and Hedy.  We got up there in plenty of time to sit and visit some beforehand.  Here we all are waiting for the shuttle bus.

At Capone's, we ordered drinks and visited for a bit and then headed down to eat.  They offer a buffet of Italian foods and the food is very good.

Here's Art and Hedy with "Fingers"!

The best part of this place is definitely the show.  The show is a lot of dancing and singing and some improv and audience participation.  For example, Nick was able to participate by lending a seat to one of the actresses.

My favorite part was when Todd was persuaded to participate.  He was a bit reluctant to begin with.  I think he was taught that women are like animals, if you don't make eye contact then they'll leave you alone.

He was such a trooper though.  He not only went on stage, he danced the Charleston for us!

We had so much fun laughing and talking with our friends and enjoying the show together!

I am hoping we have more trips like this during the winter months here together!