Random July

Random snippets from July...

What a lovely surprise I had one July day.  My doorbell rang and when I opened the door I saw my best childhood friend, Lora, standing there.  She and her friend had come up to visit and ride horses in the area and she wanted to come say hi.  I am so glad she did!  It was wonderful to see her and get to visit a bit.  And boy, she does not look 51!!!  We sure had some great times growing up.  :)

Laura and Lora - together again!

Matt and Brenda came over to swim in the pool with us one afternoon.  It was super hot and the pool water was just perfect.  We had a good time and even Marvin got in the pool with us!!  :)  Brenda and I sent this photo to Susie because 'Mamma Mia' started playing and it made us think of her.  :)

Matt was able to take a nap held up only by his hat.  That is a talent!!!

Marvin IN the pool!!  I had to take a photo to prove it!  :) 

Dear Alaina called Marvin one day with some big news... her horse Gracie is pregnant!  It was quite a surprise (long story) but Gracie came to stay with us that day.  We have been on 'foal watch' ever since.  Still no baby, but think we are getting close.  We are unsure of the exact due date.  But this is an exciting time, for sure!

Rachel made an appearance at the local library when she came to visit in July.  I think all the kids (and adults) enjoyed getting to visit with 'Princess Leia'.  :)  You can find out more about what Rachel does at this page...  https://www.facebook.com/rebelhopecosplay/

We were happy to see Ethan arrive to cut and bale our hay near the end of July.  That is much later than normal, but this has not been a normal year.  The flooding rains of spring and early summer really set everything back.  Ethan does a great job for us.

I took this photo of Marvin on the tractor in front of Mama and Daddy's house one morning.  It was a peaceful scene and I just liked it.  :)

Jackson and Tyler have been practicing their bow shooting out here for awhile now.  But they finally built a special target area that works well for them.  They are getting good!

July had some pretty tough moments... this particular day was one of them.  But as we were driving into town in the midst of a big downpour, the sun shone brilliantly through one small break in the clouds.  I took it as a very hopeful sign.  And I believe it was.  :)

Excitement in the air!

So, I finally got our west trip from last June posted to the blog this week.  It only took me 11 months to get that done!  (I backdated all 15 daily entries to July 2-4, 2015 if you are looking for them.)  As you recall, last summer was crazily busy and some things just had to go by the wayside.  Blogging that trip was one of them.  Especially considering that we had a wedding out here at Willis Creek Ranch just 3 weeks after returning home from that very trip!  AND, we threw in a medical crisis and surgery for Marvin in that same 3 week period!  After the wedding we hosted the family reunion, then it was off to the state fair for 2 weeks.  I guess I can cut myself a little slack on being so slow to get the west trip blogged!  :)

But, I knew that I wanted to get that tidied up because I have another exciting June coming up.  Mama, Julie, and I are traveling to Scotland to visit dear Jennifer!  We will be gone from June 14-24 (actually arriving back home at Willis Creek Ranch on June 25).  It is a ladies only trip so the fellas will all be here at home taking care of things while we are gone.

stock photo of Edinburgh - I can't wait!!!

When Jennifer moved to Edinburgh last summer to attend the University of Edinburgh for her Master's degree program, we thought very strongly that we should take advantage of the opportunity to visit her there.  However, it seemed like an impossible dream for most of the year.  Finally, back in January, I realized that I just had to get myself over there to see Jennifer and visit the one country left on my 'must-visit' list.  It would be almost criminal to miss this chance.  When I announced my intention to Mama and Julie, they both agreed that they, too, would like to go with me.  We began making plans and now that we are just a little over a month away from our trip, we are truly getting excited!

Another stock photo of Edinburgh...  :)

As a side note - Jennifer's parents, Charlie & Tina, are in Edinburgh visiting Jennifer RIGHT NOW!  I am waiting with bated breath to hear all about their adventure and glean any tips and advice from them when they return home.  :)

Our plan is to spend several days in Edinburgh, but we will also be taking some side trips, including a day trip down the southeast coast of Scotland into northern England.  Additionally, we will take a 2 day trip up towards Cairngorms National Park then over to Glencoe where we will spend the night in a cute little B&B.  The next day we will wind our way back to Edinburgh through many little towns filled with family history.  My dear niece, Rachel, has put countless hours into tracing our Scottish heritage and has provided us with a wealth of information about ancestral homes, farms, and communities that trace back on my Daddy's side of the family. We can't wait to travel those same paths.

We also hope to attend the Scottish version of our state fair!  For real!  I was thrilled when I discovered that the annual 4 day Royal Highland Show will begin near the end of our time in Edinburgh.  The Royal Highland Show draws exhibitors, competitors, and attendees from throughout Great Britain and Ireland.  So we should be able to spend our last day in Scotland enjoying "the very best of Scottish food, farming, and rural life"!  Now you KNOW that I am excited about that!  :D




Links of Interest -

Visit Scotland - https://www.visitscotland.com

Edinburgh - https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/edinburgh/

University of Edinburgh - http://www.ed.ac.uk

Cairngorms National Park - http://cairngorms.co.uk

Glencoe area - http://www.glencoescotland.com

Camus House B&B - http://www.camushouse.co.uk

Royal Highland Show - http://www.royalhighlandshow.org

For International Visitors to the Royal Highland Show - http://www.royalhighlandshow.org/international-visitors

Celebrating Rachel

We were so glad to get to celebrate Rachel vicariously when Kerry sent these photos of their family birthday dinner in late April.

My dear niece, Rachel

a wonderful group celebrating dear Rachel

Throwback Thursday

It just seems appropriate to share these in a Throwback Thursday post.   :)

When cleaning out an old file cabinet I ran across these treasures.  :)  So sweet!  Dear Rachel drew this picture for Marvin many years ago.  Bronze Pride was no ordinary horse.  He was the Missouri Fox Trotter World Champion and the sire of our horse, Governor. 

And then imagine my surprise when Shonda texted me THIS photo one day!  She works at the high school and somehow ran across an old yearbook.  This was 1984; my Sophomore year in high school... the same age that Jonathan is now!  Oh my!  Makes me laugh and cringe all at the same time!  :D