Junk Drawer - April 2024.

Here it is...all that remains for April.  

Sid sent me this beautiful picture, while I was out of down on a dance trip.  The tulips in full bloom.  I LOVE springtime.

My mom helped out with Levi while I was out of town.  Mostly, she taught him how awesome butt scratches are.  I laugh that he backs up to her for scratches every time she comes out now.

During my work trip to Portland at the end of March, we had a trivia night with some amazing prizes.  I managed to score two prizes.  One was a coffee subscription for six months.  I received my first box and it was an amazing blend that I have been enjoying immensely.

I received a three month chocolate subscription as well.  I love these, as I get to try new chocolates.  The girls endure my chocolate tastings.

Sidney's National History Day essay advanced to state.  She received her first college scholarships, should she choose to attend College of Idaho.

I was brave enough to walk Levi back to the the East Barn arena on a super windy afternoon.  I put Pigeon in with him.  They spend most of the time taking turns rolling around.

I sat on the 'Kevin' bench and watched them from afar.

Levi exploring the wooden bridge in the front arena on a particularly spicy night after I had been traveling.  he is a funny guy.

Too Busy to Do Chores - What?!

I am not even sure what to say here, other than Sid is having the time of her life.  She has really spread her wings this year and has formed some amazing friendships on many fronts.  I am proud of her for putting herself out there.  At the same time, she is busy.  The other day she informed me that she did not have time to work or do chores.  Uh Hmmm.  Excuse me?  

Nerfed.

Playdays at Ten Mile Riding Club.

Yogurt with Sadie.

The Village on a Friday night with friends.  Living the teenage life.

Beautiful Lines.

Kendall just had her last local dance competition.  We only have Seattle to go.  She had a great time.  It has been both a challenging and rewarding year.  I am glad she has had Bentley to share this experience with.

She was so surprised when they called her out for a Judges Choice award for her solo.  She received the 'beautiful lines' award.  

Here is Kendall with Savannah, the choreographer of her solo.  Savannah worked so diligently with Kendall on this solo and pushed Kendall to become a better dancer with the challenging choreography.  Savannah is a fierce and fair coach.  I like her style. 

The group did a great job and received many accolades supporting their hard work.

Pinners 2024.

My mom and I went to the Pinners Conference again this year.  I love this conference.  My mom worked at the conference stuffing VIP bags on Thursday and worked the entrance on Friday.  By the time we showed up on Saturday, she was a celebrity and knew so many people.

We crashed the cookie decorating class.  This was unplanned, but we happened to be near the classroom when they announced it.  I am so glad we did, as we ran into my friend Kristin and her daughters.  

My mom and I attended this Idaho sign making class.  It was fun, but a bit stressful, as crafts can sometimes be.  In the end, or signs turned out amazing.  I wish I would have taken a picture of our table.  It was just the two of us, but my mom made the most giant mess.  I say this with laughter, because it was quite hilarious.  

We also crashed the wooden tissue box class.  We were waffling between this class and churro making.  When Kristin mentioned that they were signed up for it, our decision was made.  Thankfully they had a few extra kits, so we were able to join.

My mom caught on to my sneaky close up picture strategy and was not pleased.

It was a fun day.  I promised myself that I would not spend money this year, but I did.  I get so sucked into the small businesses peddling their unique wears.  I suppose I need to go into this expecting I will be making some frivolous purchases, so I will feel less guilty.  I am already looking forward to next year!

Mexican Food, Mustangs and the Beach.

 Sidney and I took a trip to the gorgeous central coast of California.  You see, I started watching this trainer.  His name is Warwick Schiller.  He is from Australia, but recently bought a beautiful 42 acre ranch in Paso Robles.  I found some inexpensive plane tickets for Sid and I to go watch one of his 2 day clinics at his ranch.  We flew in on Friday morning and drove to San Luis Obispo.  We hit up the campus store for some awesome swag and went to visit the horses.

The young herd came down to greet us.  Not sure how we timed that so perfectly.

They lined up for butt scratches from Sid.

Sid and I met up with some of my friends for dinner.  We were a bit early, so we took time for selfies and devoured a plate of chips and Salsa. 

 I am super sad that I failed to get a picture with Fran and Brian, but it was so good to see them!!!  It had been 20 years since we last caught up.  Fran and I ran my first half marathon together.  Well, I stole a picture off her facebook page for this blog. 

Here they are with their son, Jude.  Fran had just given birth to Jude when we first moved to San Luis Obispo and became friends.

When Sid and I got to the hotel that night, we laid out our swag.  I think we may have went overboard.

The next morning we woke up early and headed to the ranch for day one of the clinic.  

It was a chilly start to the morning, but the mist disappeared by the afternoon and we both walked away with a bit of sunburn.  Sidney encouraged my fangirl moment and encouraged me to get a picture with Warwick.  I am glad I did.  The clinic did not disappoint.

There were 10 horses and handlers.  He broke them down into group of 3ish and worked with each group for 2-3 hours.  The first two groups did all their work in hand.  The last group of the day did their work in the saddle. 

We skipped out of the clinic at 3:30 in order to get some beach time.  The first day we went to my favorite beach, which has turned out to be the girls favorite beach as well, Avila beach.  

Avila Beach did not disappoint.  We topped off the evening with ice cream for Sid and an amazing iced Chai tea for me.  

We woke up early for day two of the clinic.  It was even better than the first day. The participants actually spend three days in the clinic.  Friday they work with Warwick, but it is not open to spectators.  

We skipped out at 3:30 again, to ensure we had time for another beach evening.  We grabbed In n Out, mostly because Sid wanted to show her friends that she went to an In n Out that did not have a waiting line.

We went to Morro Bay the second evening.  It is equally iconic, but totally different from Avila Beach.  Morro Bay is a working beach, with active fishing boats.  It is always a treat to watch.

It was such a fun trip.  We learned so much and enjoyed every moment of every day.

Slayer of the 'Quarter'.

 While we were out of town on our Vegas trip, Kendall got word that she had received the Dutch Bros 'Slayer of the Quarter'.  It is clear that she loves her job.  

Kendall and her co-worker with the matching Stanley, both got Lego figurines for their Stanley's.  Unfortunately, Kendall's lost an arm almost immediately.  I told her that next time, she might consider gluing the pieces together.

Sierra commandeering the Dr. Pepper at the stand party.

Kendall contemplating life.