Christmas Day, 2008

Wow! We had such a nice day. It was just the girls and Tosh and I, but there were many gifts and everyone really enjoyed each other. It was fun seeing the girls playing games and having a good time together. I got a Mossberg .410 Shotgun with a home defense package, a box of clay pigeons and some ammo! I'm thrilled with it and can't wait to play with it:) I could never shoot anything living unless it was for defense, but I'm really looking forward to killing some skeet!
McKenna got her first .22 rifle and Tosh got a nice little derringer. (Well, okay, he got a barrel and a holster because the derringer is actually on backorder!) The girls got new comforters for their beds and new MP3 players, so they were pretty happy.
I thought a lot about my extended family today too. My mom just recently had knee sugery, so her Christmas wasn't much fun...and my dad was alone this year. I wish I could make their lives easier:( I feel a little guilty having such a great day wth my own family when they're suffering.
I guess that's normal and to be expected. My mom did have a nice lunch today with her mother and brother and his family, and of course my wonderful step-dad, so it wasn't a total loss!
Well, it's after 1:30am and I'm just beat, so I'm going to say goodnight for now.
I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people that I love so dearly.

L

The Past Year

So, over the past year there have been some changes around here, but nothing too major.
We have added a couple of horses and placed a couple into new homes.
We now have Belle, who is McKenna's big Mustang mare that is a wonderful trail horse.
Sweet Rocco has a new home and is loved and spoiled. We miss him very much, but this was the right place for him. Right now, we have a big rescued gelding named Jay here too. He was thin and sickly when I brought him home, but is now starting to look like a real horse! He's wonderful, sweet and needs a great home. He's super well-trained and would be good for anyone!
We have 4 horses in all, 4 dogs, (Bosco the Newf, Captain the Boxer, Fozzie the Border Collie & Shooter the Toy Aussie). We also have 2 cats, 2 stupid roosters and one Peahen.

The girls are all doing pretty well. Cheyenne is currently not working due to layoffs, but she's plugging along and seems happy. She has adopted a puppy and a kitten. We adore the puppy and he has spent a bit of time with us while Cheyenne traveled. His name is Harlen and he's Husky/Malamute mix.
Savannah is a typical, brooding teenager. We are constantly looking for ways to wake her up so she becomes a human again! Middle School really sucks.
McKenna is delightful and fun to be around. I'm so glad that I had her...she's truly a blessing!
I don't think there's a day that she doesn't make me laugh.
Tosh is just working every day and puttering in his shop. He's putting Christmas gifts together for the girls, and as always, working on vehicles for everyone!
We will soon be adding another child to our home. Tosh and I have taken foster-parenting classes and are now ready and certified to have our first child. We will be looking at our first profile on Monday to decide whether this kid will fit into our home. He's an 8 year old boy
This should be VERY interesting!
I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.

A Very Cool Moment!

Okay, so at 11pm, I decided to go down to the pasture and check on the horses and give them some extra hay for the evening for warmth. I bundled up and grabbed my flashlight and headed for the barn. As I was heading down, this huge black head came at me from around the corner! Somehow, Roxie had pushed the gate open and escaped and had found me. Now, this is a horse who just one year ago when Linda and I first found her, wouldn't walk up on her own to ANY human and wasn't about to let anyone catch her without a LOT of exercise! Tonight, she nickered and nuzzled me and actually FOLLOWED me back into her pasture! It was a moment of bliss where I realized just how far she and I have come together in a short time. This horse really TRUSTS me now...and that is the coolest feeling ever!

I wonder if others have "heart horses"? I know that I had my "heart dog", who will never be replaced in my heart and I still miss more than I can describe. I'm really feeling that sort of closeness with Roxie now too. Am I just crazy???
(Okay, for those of you who really know me, don't answer that!)

Lisanne

Life Update!

Well, it's December of 2008 now and snowing again!
While I still hate the snow, I have tried to make it a little better this time!
The kids and I built a snowman today that was VERY cute!
We are becoming foster parents and will be getting our first child in the next couple of weeks:)
We have plenty of room now, we're financially okay and our relationship is great, so this is perfect for us!I'll keep you posted as it all unfolds!