Our Barn Gift

The gift we are giving to all 30 of our barn friends this year: Snowman Microwave Popcorn Packages!!

I thank you, Pinterest.

Sunday Saying

L and Her Horse

My riding friend at the barn wanted some pictures taken with her special horse and I was happy to spend some time with them. Shannon tagged along and was the Horse-Attention-Getter, a very important job I assure you.

My friend, "L", has a horse named Aria. Aria has been at the barn longer than we have. She's been through several owners, teaching her little girl riders to be fantastic at the lower jumps until they were ready for something bigger. Aria is a Quarter Horse, and we don't see many of those in our show jumping world. She is 23 years old and she is pregnant for the first time- due in February. I know, it's like a lady in her 60's having a baby for the first time. We try not to worry. Due to arthritis, Aria's jumping career is over, so L decided to try adding a baby to their horsey family.

Lucky for us, it wasn't too cold for our shoot of the Grand Dame of the barn. (The horse, not the lady!)

I think we caught some nice moments. The barn is in an older part of Layton where there are what seems like miles of overhead wires when you're trying to Photoshop them all out!

The 6th Man

At Utah State basketball games in Logan, where some of my kids go to school, where some of my kids are diehard Aggie fans, there is a phenomenon called The 6th Man. Besides the 5 players on the court, the student section is considered the 6th man on the team. Those kids are organized with chants, actions and dare I say insults for the opposing team. (Especially BYU!) As a group they can be so loud and intimidating that they've been featured on national TV for the influence they have at games. Bruce and I were lucky enough to go to a game last night where we were able to see Brian and Lindsey in action. (Peter would have been there too, but he was busy hosting an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party at his apartment.)

My kids plan ahead so that they get front row seats- no obstructions for them!

The games start with the school song- complete with actions:

 Then when the opposing team is introduced, the whole student body turns their backs to the court!

 Big Blue, the Aggie mascot made his way up through the crowd,

 And Santa came to show his Aggie Pride.

 On this particular night, the school honored this player who is wearing the letter jacket.

 5 days before this game, his heart stopped during a practice. Quick action, a defibrillator, and good medical attention saved his life. He was given a pacemaker and might be ready to play again in 6 weeks!

The cheerleaders put on a good show:

But back to that 6th Man. In the past there was a student named Wild Bill who lead the cheers, jeers and chants. He graduated last year, so this is the new leader of the bunch:

 Attractive.

Here's sampling of what my kids did during the game:

 I had a great time watching Brian and Lindsey having so much fun. Oh- there was a basketball game, too.

 The game was a blowout- Utah State won by 30 points, which brought on the chant of:
WINNERS!

 LOSERS!

 Way to go, 6th Man!

I Had A Feeling...

Well, I wasn't the only one with the feeling that this year's Christmas tree might be a bit much for Gus to handle. The whole family has witnessed his backyard tree climbing prowess. When Peter and I were on the roof putting up the outside lights it took about 3 seconds for Gus to climb 25 feet up the snow crab tree to our level. When he started looking for a branch that would bring him close enough to try to jump to the roof,
Peter climbed the tree, wrestled Gus down and shut him inside for his own safety. 

This is what happened when I started decorating the tree yesterday:

Have you ever seen a happier cat?

 Yes, he is chewing on a light- that's why his mouth is lit from the inside.

Today I shut him away and put all of the non-breakable ornaments on the tree. Bruce put weights over the stand to keep the whole thing upright. Then I armed myself with a water bottle. Gus was drenched within 10 minutes. It must be hard for him to understand why he can't climb this tree, with all it's shiny playthings and pretty lights.

I will persevere and we'll see how long this battle rages.

Sunday Saying

No Snow In Snow Canyon

It was a good thing there was no snow in Snow Canyon when I went adventuring there last week. In fact, it was probably in the 60's, which was nice! Bruce had some meetings to go to in St. George, so while he was being bored there, I went off to find a good backdrop for a family picture. We are all going back to St. George for a few days before Christmas, and I want to use the timer feature on my camera to try to get a picture of us all. I'll be happy if the weather holds...

Anyway, I explore a bit in Snow Canyon. Most of the trails looked like this and my shoes were pink by the time I was done.

There were lava fields,

A neat little lava grotto,

And a slot canyon.

In the slot canyon there were eerie rock formations where the water and wind had worn the sandstone away. I thought these rocks looked a bit like skulls.

Plants and flowers were still hanging on in the cooler temperatures.

The petrified sand dunes were neat too.

I found a few arches and some holes worn through the rocks.

Besides all that, there was enough red rock to make anyone happy.

 I found a few places that would make really great photo backdrops. Check back after Christmas to see if I can get it all to work!