All The Things.

Here are my ramblings for the month.  Bella is growing up so quickly.  We have had her for nearly a year now.  She has taken to putting herself to bed most nights.

The hummingbirds are back in full force.  Unfortunately, we did not have another nest this year.

Beautiful flowers from my garden.

Hannah came over and made us a homemade cherry pie.  She has since brought us a peach and blackberry pie as well.  I have put in my fall order for a chocolate cream pie.  Fingers crossed!

The other day, I came out to find Sidney drinking out of this cup.  Oh the memories!  These of which I will keep to myself:).  

Lisa sent us these adorable pictures of Kami's little girl, Vaeda, snuggling with one of Kevin's shirts.  

Such a sweetie!  I love this.

Mission Accomplished - Go Kart 101.

Kendall, Abby and Sidney spent a day at Wahooz this week.  Sidney finally crossed the threshold of height for driving the go-karts.  This is a milestone in our family.  Kendall did the honors of taking her for her inaugural drive.  The girls had a blast and came home nine hours later.  I had to beg for a few pictures, so here they are.  Sidney has joined the ranks as a super fan of the slick track.

Snake River Stampede 2022.

We went to the Snake River Stampede this year.  I love this rodeo.  It is indoors and air conditioned and always fast paced.  It was a lot of fun, as Sidney and I knew a lot of the drill and flag riders this year.

I sent this picture to our Montana family, as this bareback bronc rider was from Dillon, MT.

We watched the Stampeders perform their new drill.  It was a bit scary as two of the horses and riders collided in the cross.  These riders are so top notch that things like this are incredibly rare.  It was eye opening for Sidney, as her Eh Capa coach is a Stampeder and always stresses timing during the cross.  Sidney now has first hand appreciation of the importance of this.  Thankfully the horses and riders were ultimately okay, though one of them needed to be helped out of the arena and had to sit out for the re-run of the drill.  It was also amazing how after an incident like that the rest of them team rallied and started the performance over and finished strong.  Here is a link to the video of one of their performances this year.

Snake River Stampeders

I really like this picture that I stole from Alyssa.  She is also one of the Stampeders.  This picture is taken from the horse and riders perspective, entering the dark arena.  This is a monumental feat for any horse and rider!

Beating the Heat.

It has been HOT in Boise.  Sidney and I, along with her friend Liza, took the kayaks and SUP's out for the day.  It was so much fun, especially with all the extra room in our new truck.  The girls were, once again, super helpful in loading everything up.  We stayed on the water pretty much the whole day, as it was too hot to do anything else.

We did stop long enough to eat and demolish a whole bag of chocolate chip cookies.  

Sidney decided to buy some carrots and apples and make Pigeon his own popsicles to beat the heat.

I would say he was definitely a fan and would like to have a few more of those!

Our Little Porcupine.

Just slipping this in here, so Sidney has a record of this.  She has been suffering from a condition that I will not go into here.  We have tried just about everything to no avail.  So, we decided to give acupuncture a try.  The verdict is still out, but I am super impressed with her bravery and open mindedness.  I am also super impressed with our doctor's office in there approach.  They have provided a very educational, no pressure approach.  We shall see....

Friends, Family and Swag.

I am forever grateful that there is only a bit of overlap between dance season and rodeo season or else I would be toast.  I am also forever grateful that horse is a family affair, even if you are not riding.  Kendall seems to really enjoy coming with us and hanging out.  For this, I am appreciative!

Upon return from Hailey was the Eh Capa Friends and Family performance.  My friend Wilson was there early helping with the Papa Pancake breakfast.  Our friend Paul and his wife came out to join us (I forgot to get a picture).  My Aunt Debbie and Uncle Steve were also here for the festivities.

This year a couple of the riders organized an amazing silent auction.  

My friend Tina made some amazing Eh Capa swag that I helped her sell as a fundraiser.  It was a huge hit!

The performance was so fun to watch, as the energy is always good at this annual event.

Pigeon and Sidney did an amazing job.  I was so proud of both of them.

It was Brandi's 25th year coaching the team, so there was a special presentation for her.  A number of past board members and riders came to say a few special words in her honor.

My parents bid on a gorgeous nose band, halter and bridal for Sidney as an early birthday present.  The silent auction bidding was fierce, but they managed to get the highest bid.  Sidney was absolutely shocked and thrilled!

Hailey or Bust.

Over the 4th of July weekend, we took our first overnight trip with the horse.  We headed up to Hailey, Idaho for the rodeo and parade.  It was a family affair, with plenty of checklists to make sure we did not forget anything.  Kendall and Sidney were both such a huge help!  There is a lot to remember when bringing a horse along.

Once we got everything loaded up, we were off! 

The team stayed on this beautiful property just outside of Hailey.  It was stunning.  We knew we were at the right place when we pulled off the road and saw this sign.

When we arrived,  much of the team was off at the pool taking showers:).  Some of Sid's friends that stayed behind came over to help us set up our temporary fencing.

Sidney went to the rodeo grounds to practice with the team.

Kendall and I found seats in the stands for the rodeo.  Little did I realize, this was Kendall's first rodeo.  She could not have picked a better one.  We were also very fortunate to sit next to an older gentleman that was a local and used to ride broncs and bulls on the pro circuit.  He gave Kendall and I all kinds of insights into the rules of the rodeo.  It was incredibly interesting.  Turns out he is a sports psychologist and an author.  He spent a lot of time working with the US Olympic Ski Team.  He signed a copy of one of his book for us.  You can see him in the black cowboy hat just to the right of us.

Sid had a great time both with her friends and riding.

The girls slept in the back of the horse trailer in hammocks, and I slept in the back of the truck in what I dubbed my 'coffin bed'.  At one point in the night my mind wandered to the craziness of it all, but then I heard the giggles coming from the horse trailer and smiled at the memories being made.

It was an early morning for all of us, as parade time was on the docket.  The views the entire weekend were breathtaking!

Kendall was such a big help and really enjoyed visiting with everyone and helping to get the horses ready for the parade.

The turnout for the parade was huge.  I should have expected this, as people lined the streets with the chairs the day before.  The riders had the opportunity to do their parade drill several times along the way.  the Eh Capa papa's said the crowd was a rowdy bunch!

So upon return from our first road trip, I decided my 2004 Ford F150 needed an upgrade.  I found this amazing Ford F250 with only 20,000 miles on it.  

Similarly, after trying to cram all our horse travel items into our little 2 horse straight load, we upgraded to this horse trailer with a walk in tack room.

We are all set for the next road trip!