Happy Birthday to My sister Koo-Koo in Houston!!

Happy Birthday Koo Koo!! Here's Ash at the SIlver Buckle Horse Show today! It was a HUGE show!! She did so amazing! SHe won the Pleasure High Point Trophy for her age group!! She won both of her English classes and did awesome in her western and halter! Pic of the crystal trophy to come later!! Hope your day was great Kari!! We miss you and love you!!

Happy Birthday Mike!!

It is Mike's birthday today and he has had the royal treatment!! A big beautiful breakfast to start the day and a good day at his company and then home where I made him one of his fave meals and Greman chocolate cake, and then he and Alex spent hours in the MCC-aka Men's Crisis Center, which is his winter golf haven!! I hope this next year brings McCain-Palin into office, a better vibrant economy, and a year filled with fun memories to be made by Mike and our family!! Here's the crisis center pics!! Happy Birthday to my awesome husband!!




Mike putting on his green-it has a bunch of holes to putt to!!

Mike and Al setting up the screen!!

Alex golfing in to the screen, which catches the ball, I guess this is supposed to hep your golf game!!

Mike & Alex!!

The putting green!! This looks like alot of fun for the guys!!

Ashlee did great at the QUarter Horse Futurity!!

We are back from lovely Windom, MN where Ashlee participated in her first Quarter Horse Show!! My sister Kari flew up from houston, where my mom did not get power for 7 days from the hurricane, but she has it now!! I have attached pics and I will also post a video!! Ashlee was the youngest in the class and rode in the Amateur 2 yr old (Henry's age) Western pleasure class!! She received a Top 10 standing placing 7th overall in the class!! We were so excited for her!! We had a wonderful time admiring everyone's horses, tack and show clothing!!! We also were able to attend a very fun BBQ thrown by the gentleman who sold us Henry!! Lots of horse people and horses!! We loved it!! We came back home Sat and had a BBQ and then we celebrated Mike and kari's birthdays with a big family party!! Kari went home this morning and I miss her so much!! I hope she and my mom move back!!

Koo-Koo with her first hot water shower since the hurricane hit Houston!!

Ash practicing on henry before her class!

Me & Ash with henry-he's wearing a "slinkie" to protect his mane bands!!

Ashlee on Henry-she got a "Top 10" pic taken with her trainer Rick Klaus, his wife Nanck & Don Wagoner who helped us and sold us Henry!!

Beautiful Ashlee in her show outfit and Henry!!

Kari, me & Ash in front of the Klaus' beautiful horse trailer/truck rig!!

Ashlee lined up in 7th place in her class!!! Way to go Ashlee!!

Here's Ashlee & Mike with Henry!! Ash was so excited her dad made the trip to Hastings to see our new horse and watch her ride!!

Ashlee's MINDFREAK!!!

For those of you who know Ashlee, she is a HUGE CRiss Angel fan, and she is practicing some of his tricks!! HAHAHA

Here's number two!!

Here is a new video of Ashlee on ride 4 on Henry!! She and Henry are really becoming a team! We brought Mike and ALex out to meet Henry and the Klaus family, Rick and Nancy. They got to meet a few other barn members and trainers and see Henry's famous dad and some of his other off spring including, Rita, who was just weaned and is about 5 months old!! Ashlee will ride one more time this Tuesday before her big show and then Thursday she will practice on Henry and warm up on Thursday and show on Friday!! My sister Kari is flying in on Wed and she will go with Ash and I on Thursday so we are all excited for her arrival and the fun we will have!!

I'm Back...

Ash and Henry

Me and Ashlee with Henry!!

Ashlee's 2nd Ride on Henry!

Ashlee's 1st ride on Henry

Ash and Alex on their first day of school-Ash is a JR and Alex is a Freshman

I'm Back!!

I had a hard time even thinking about blogging or sharing anything on here after Susie passed away. But day by day, bit by bit I am healing. I will just never be the same, nor will life have the same joy it once held when my wonderful best friend and sister was alive to share it with me, life's joys and sorrows. I must think of her a million times a day, I cry alittle still each day for her, but it hurts a little less inside. I guess my Susie shaped gaping wound is beginning to heal, it won't be bleeding and red and raw, it will eventually be a scarred wound in exactly her shape I carry in my heart. No one and nothing can replace her and the love we shared.

So, in that vein, Mike purchased me a new Quarter Horse for Ashlee & I to share as a project! His name is Review Hot Chocolate, or "Henry" as he's known as! He is beautiful dark bay, with two back white socks like his dad, One Hot Chocolate, who we saw at the QH World Show in Oklahoma City with Sue in 2004! He is only two, and we bought from a wonderful gentleman who asked Ashlee to ride him in a very large show, the MN Quarter Horse FUturity which is on Sept 19-21, Kari is flying here from houston to go with us and Ashlee is working with Henry's trainer Rick Klaus in Hastings where Henry currently is in training. His previous owner paid for his Sept training and for Ash to show in the futurity so we have all Sept to work with the trainer and for Henry to get that much better! I am trying to download a video of him so you can see him!! He is so CUTE!! Ash is doing great riding him, he is super quiet and slow and willing.

I also will upload a 1st day of school pic of Ash and AL here, I cannot believe Alex is in High School and I am old enough to have a JR in HS and a freshman!! They drove off together in Ashlee's car and cried!! :) I have driven them for 11 years to school and this is the first year I won't be driving. It's strange! But we are back on a schedule and doing good. School started off great for both Ash and AL, they share the same lunch hour and sit together with their friends also! I thought it was so cool that they wanted to sit together! Alex is still golfing and taking guitar lessons and practicing to be the next big rock phenom!! He and Mike are building a golf simulator in half of our shop...they have been busy with alot of help putting up walls and ordering stuff for it...I guess they are going to have a men's golf league night once a week this winter in Mike's "Men's Crisis Center" as he so aptly calls it!

I have tried twice to upload the video, I am going to publish this and then try again!!

XOXOXO

Kaylee