Tired and Stuffed like a Turkey !!!!!

Well here I am back, stuffed like a turkey and tired.....
Had a great vacation riding horses, watching football and eating.
We cooked on Thursday, fried 2 turkeys, had dressing, every kind of casserole you can think of, and pies, cakes, fudge, and some awesome banana nut bread.
We were all stuffed, stuffed, stuffed. It is a wonder we were able to get on the horses on Friday.


We set up 4 tents and actually even made a little movie theatre, or really a place to watch Alabama and Auburn (our state rivals) play each other. We did that on Saturday. And my team (Auburn) did not win.....boo-hoo !! That is okay I guess, we have won the past 6 years, and Alabama has been undefeated this year....so I will survive. This is the only game I watch - I am not really a big football fan.
I only fell off my horse once......LOL......I say this because I do usually have a tumble every trail ride....I mean the name of this blog is "Seatbelt for my Saddle"......
Sometimes I just have a tumble and I did, but no big deal - not hurt at all.
Rio was going up a pretty steep hill, and got her foot in a small culvert, and stumbled, and I just rolled off, so she could get up.
Here is our movie theatre below.....
Pretty cool....huh? We even had rope lights all around the inside...
This is also where we ate and cooked. It rained a little on Friday and Saturday night, which made the riding a little muddy on Saturday, and we ended up just packing up and coming on home on Sunday morning, instead of riding before we left.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. I sure did !!!
Now it is shop mode........I have not even put my tree up, or bought one gift. Gotta get my butt in gear !!!

I was tagged with a meme by Callie at MidWestHorse to tell 6 things about me that none of you know. I have done this recently, but surely I did not tell all....LOL
So going to try again.

1. I, too, had a child with natural childbirth. My oldest daugher was 7lbs, 6oz, and 19 inches long, and I had a 27 hour labor with nothing for pain. They even did an episiotomy during a contraction.....OUCH !!! It was worth it when it was over and I had that gorgeous baby girl.....and can you believe I got prego 6 months later....obviously I did have pain meds that next time....

2. I love lobster. It is my favorite food. I do not get to eat it much, cause down here in the South....it is expensive.

3. I have anxiety sometimes while riding. I have had a couple of very bad accidents, even one where I lost 6 months of memory. So, sometimes (not everytime) when I ride - I get so crazy that I cry and absolutely freak out......BUT - I never quit.....just usually drink a beer and try to get over it quickly. My riding buddy's understand and really help me through this. I love my horses and will never quit riding.

4. I want to go to another country and do some kind of volunteer work. It is a calling I have had for a very long time and hope to do it someday.

5. I hate to dress up. I would rather wear jeans, t-shirts and boots every day of my life. I have been this way since I was a small child. (Ask my mom). When I was in school, I had to wear a uniform and I HATED it...... I just do not think I look good all dressed up - it is not me !! Luckily I can wear jeans, and nice shirt and my boots to work almost every day.

6. I do my Christmas shopping in less than 2 days. I hate to shop - I mean it - I really hate to shop (another one to ask my mom - because she is a shop-a-holic - maybe that is why). I wait until about a week before Christmas and go in one maybe two (but no more than that) and get all my shopping done. It might take me all day, but I get it done - I hate to shop !!!! Don't get me wrong, I love to give the gifts and really try to buy the right one for the right person, but I just hate the hustle and bustle of the shopping thing, especially at Christmas.

See I knew I could tell you guys some more things about myself that you did not know and I am sure I have more in there to dig up....
Rules:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
I now tag:
Pony Girl Rides Again
The Horseshoeing Housewife
Trail Riding Cowgirl
Nuzzling Muzzles
Laughing Orca Ranch
TrailBoss

I love you guys !!!!!

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Have not been around much....just been working so darn hard....at work and at home. Getting ready for the holidays and trips.

We are leaving on Wed to go on a 5 day camping / horse riding trip at KC Ranch in Double Springs, Alabama.....my favorite place.

Then when I get home Bear and I are house / horse sitting for 10 days for our trainer. They have 3 studs and about 14 horses that have to be fed, stalls cleaned etc. They are going to California for a Vet conference (she is a vet tech also as well as my trainer).

Then the next weekend we have our friend / client Christmas party, then the next weekend is my family Christmas at my house.

Then we are leaving the day after Christmas for a 6 day camping / horse riding trip to Winchester, Tennessee at Circle E.....

Soooooo.......just been getting my house and camper ready !!!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving.

Love you all !!

Those gorgeous TN Mountains

Just after we got started on the trail....it was kinda chilly, but as soon as the horses started heating up - we got steam.

This is a place for hikers to stay during the night, so the bears (yes I said bears) will not get them. There is a place for you to hang your food up really high on a highwire also.
There are signs everywhere up here that tell you that there is active bear activity, and not to approach them. Not sure if the horses understand that -
Have you ever been on a horse that even smells a bear????
They start snorting and dancing around.....even sometimes start to bolt.....just say - they FREAK out !!!
The bears up in TN are pretty much protected, so they really do not fear humans, and they pretty much stay hidden.
Although in Cades Cove (where they have a drive around road to look at the animals), they just walk around - through cars and such. I have some pictures of our honeymoon where my Bear is about 4 feet from a real Bear.....oh scary !!!!

Gorgeous shot of the mountain we were riding on.

Ooooo.....So Steamy !!! LOL

Look at Rio biting at my foot.....she is crazy and does this alot while we are standing still. (not in the show ring), but on trail rides....I think it calms her nerves....LOL

She really just teethes on my stirrup or my boot.

Getting a drink from one of the many, many streams

I love this picture of Chance and Bear....

Creek running beside the trail.

Gorgeous waterfall we went by on the trail. There are lots of these, especially after the snowfall. The melted snow has to have somewhere to go.

We went up during the drought last year and there was almost no water.

Thanks for letting me share - I still have some other pics to get, so hopefully I will have some more.

Jamie

Whew ! Am I seeing daylight yet?

Well after being off work for 3 days, I have spent the last few days catching up, or trying to. I am almost seeing daylight.
Had a wonderful trip, and will be posting more photos as soon as my friend Kat, gets me the disc of everyone pics.....those have more of me....LOL
This is on top of one of the mountains at Spence Field which is a gorgeous place. Just a few of us, when I get all the pics there is one of all of us that a hiker took.
Hope to get them this week. Here is Bear and I near the trail head coming out of Cades Cove (we have to walk through the picnic area off our horses and then mount when we get to the trail head). Some people acted like they had never seen a horse before - and some did not care if they ran over us with their car.
But after we got on the trail, it was worth it.
Rio did exceptionally well for her first LONG ride. We rode about 7 hours on Saturday at Tremont - or Smokey Mountain Institute which is a gorgeous ride. Have some great pics of the water coming off the mountain that I will share later...(come on Kat - need those photo !!)
Then Sunday we rode in Cades Cove and rode about 6-7 hours
I believe we rode a total of 16 miles on Saturday and about 15 or so on Sunday. It rained on Friday so we did not get to ride.

Gonna get those other pictures and share them with you.....they are really really pretty.

But in the meantime, I wanted to share my cute little boxer - Sugar - with you.

I am always checking out those cute boxers on Trail Boss's site and then last week Train Wreck showed us her doggy and made us guess what kind it was. I did not do very well at that - but heck I had never heard of an Argentine Dogo. But it sure is cute !!

Well this is Sugar, she is my sweet little boxer. Some say she does not look complete boxer, but I have her papers, and met both her mom and dad when I bought her, so......

I really don't care one way or the other - I had her fixed so there is no breeding in her forecast.

Here she is with Bear in the pool right after we got her.....notice how white she is with just that little black eye and a little bit of black on her ear. She was so pink on her belly.....oh she just made my toes curl.

Here is Sugar at about 3 months old

Notice the little freckles she is getting on her belly?

She is now covered in them all over her underside and even on her topside a little too. However, they are only on her skin.....not on her fur.

We did not have her ears clipped, she does have a docked tail, as they did that when she was first born....(oh I don't want to think about that).

She is my buddy - she goes everywhere with me (except work), she camps with us, she trail rides with us (when she can - most places say "No Dogs on the Trails"). She is a gem and I love my cutie pie.

She gets along pretty good with other dogs, as long as they don't try to love on her momma ! She is very jealous of me.

You like her Auburn collar? She has an orange one now and it looks too cute on her. Also got her a flea collar (they have been horrible this year) and it is baby blue.

She is a hoot - and thinks she is a tiny puppy.....she gets in the chair with me and wants everyone to pick her up and hold her, funny thing, most of my friends do....

We all love Sugar !! Hope you will too now.

I will get those pics from Kat asap.....we are trail riding again this weekend, just an overnighter, and it is also mine and Bear's 11 year anniversary.

See ya all soon !!