A little more Christmas in July

My sister, Carrie, makes the most amazing cookies.  There was one more sunshine on this plate but OG ate it before I got the picture. Aren't these awesome?  

Carrie also brought these fun "props" for some family pictures.  EG, Scott and O.

Brother and sister.

Even Grandma and Grandpa got in the act with David photo-bombing in the background!

Christmas in July - 2013

We've been having Christmas in July for a long time now.  I'm guessing it's been at least 11 years or so...since the kids were pretty little.  It's always fun to get presents in the middle of the year!  Especially for me, EG and Scott - we all have winter birthdays.

Dad is missing in this picture as the photographer.

EG and O got lei's from her neighbor.  They looked so pretty!

Motocross Boy/Man got this little fan thing...but isn't he looking handsome these days?

Mom & Dad were happy with their gold pass movie tickets.

And the kids were looking ever so cool in their new shades.

O was thrilled with her new phone and EG loved her purple blouse.

Aww!  So cute!

It was crazy face picture - I think I might have won being smack dab in the middle and looking more than a bit contorted!

Catching Fish

Well I thought he had gone up to Midland racing but apparently there's a river and catfish nearby and Motocross Boy/Man caught one!

Trailer for sale?

Our horse trailer has served us well for about 5 years now...its never been much to look at (we call it the rolling battle ship) but its sturdy, safe, and gets the job done.  Stanley is comfortable riding in it and we love our cozy living quarters and really appreciate having our own bathroom!

Alas, all things change and its time to sell our old horse trailer since we won't be doing any more overnight horse shows.

Had to replace that top door...long story there but the new door is better than the old one by a long shot.  And stays closed without a tie-down or bungee cord.

This rear tack has toted our saddles to many shows.

And the three stalls have seen lots of horses besides Stanley as we've hauled friend's horses to shows or between barns.

The side tack room leads to the bathroom and has also served as an "mudroom" on occasion.

EG and I have spent many nights cuddled up in that bed...usually quite cozy but a few times with no heat when it was 32 degrees outside!  We slept with our clothes under the covers with us so we didn't have to climb out to get dressed in the morning!

And I've slept on that couch too.  Once with Austin on the floor next to me while EG and Scott slept in the bed.  Our friend Sheri has slept on it a few times too....

Lots of pots of coffee made in that Mr. Coffee...and never once did I remount it even though you have to use a funnel to get the water in the reservoir. 

And that little closet has held so many different show clothes...worth thousands of dollars at times.

And our great little bathroom!  Our horse show luxury.  

The shower served as a laundry room more often than as a shower but it was awesome having it just the same.  A longer shower curtain might have helped keep the bathroom floor drier...

Yes, many good times had in the old battle ship...she will be missed.

Rolling, rolling, rolling....

Horses like to roll for lots of reason but their very favorite time to roll is right after a bath.  I think they know they are wet and the dirt and sand will stick to them better...

Unfortunately for Stanley, he usually gets a bath the night before a show and getting dirty again just isn't an option.  He's usually put in his stall with a fresh batch of hay to keep him enticed until he is dry.  And then he gets his pajamas on so if he rolls in his stall, he stays clean.

But last week it was super hot outside and after an early morning ride, he was pretty sweaty so he got a quick hose down before he went outside to the pasture.  As soon as he got past the water trough (you can see the wet spot from where it overflowed earlier in the day), he started sniffing the ground for a good spot.

And this was it.

Ahhh!  Gotta get that spot in the middle!

Ohh and that shoulder too.

Gotta keep the momentum going so getting up is easier...

And done!  A good roll in the dirt always feels so good.  To a horse.

Traverse City Trip - 2013

Once again this year I had to do a work meeting in Traverse City.  This time it was on a Friday morning but I couldn't spend the weekend...so we left on Wednesday!  And this year we took my mom for a fun "girls weekend" during the week.

The cousins hit the beach the minute we got there on Wednesday.

It was just as beautiful as it was last year in June.

The water was a bit warmer though.

The sunset still spectacular.

And the ducks still come up to the hotel at sunset looking for handouts.

Only difference is that I have a panorama feature on my phone to take cool pics like this one.

On Wednesday evening we drove out to Mission Point...you have water on both sides for much of the drive out on the tiny peninsula. 

The lighthouse on the point.  It was rather chilly with the cold air coming across the water so we didn't stick around long.

The girls walked out to the water here but Mom and I stuck close to the woods and then went back to the car.  It was chilly!

 Panorama of the sunset Thursday night.

We also took a trip out to the Sleeping Bear Dunes where the cousins had a blast running up and down the sand dunes.  It made us tired watching them! But it was a brilliantly beautiful day just made for sitting in the sun.

Almost to the top!

Later after the dunes, we dressed up a little bit and went out to dinner.  We had the wonderful staff at the Cherry Tree Inn take this for us.  (side note - this has to be one of THE best hotels in TC - LOVE this place).

 We went to Scalawags for dinner.  And then stopped at Culvers on the way back to the hotel for ice cream where EG found a very cute counter boy willing to wait on her and make her giggle and smile.  Kept Mom and I amused for quite a while!

Oops -  a little out of order.  Here's the Scalawags truck in the parking garage where we had parked.

 The girls then took a sunset swim in the lake.  About the 4th time in for the day!

Friday morning I did my meeting and then we headed out to Bellaire where I had some business at the courthouse to take care of quickly.  While I did that, Mom and the girls did a bit of shopping in downtown Bellaire (don't blink!) and then we had lunch at a little cafe.  From there...a long drive home but with lots of great memories going with us.