Happy, happy day!

Jack and I met 8 years ago today. How time flies...He also found Romeo, my gelding, by Lady's side the same day. So, it's a day to celebrate...or lay in bed and snuggle with your daughter and watch movies...Jack and Dan are working on the other side of stalls in the barn today. It's cold, but it's not raining and the sun is out a bit. It's a good day.

Jack took a little break this morning and met his brother to handle some family business for his Mom and his brother gave him this letter from their grandmother's belongings that he had run across recently. As you'll read, the love of horses goes way back in his family...I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did...the man from Dickinson, Battistoni, is Jack's mom's dad's dad (Jack's great-grandfather) and Johnnie is Jack's grandfather. Enjoy!

(just click on each page to enlarge it)

Can you say GREEN?

Not much going on in these dreary days of winter (at least anything that doesn't involve lots of mud and horse poop), but I've mustered up some tidbits...

a) Gracie had her 100th day of school Wednesday and they had a big celebration in the gym this morning, I hear - they bounced balls 100 times, tried for 100 hula hoop twirls, etc. We also spent last weekend scavenging the house for 100 things...nuts, bolts, nickels, dog food, cat toys, and lip balm all made the baggie of goodies. :) This is her necklace of 100 fruit loops...

b) This is Grace in her sleeping bag that she received for Christmas from some of our friends...she's camping out in the kitchen while I make dinner...

c) Jack's friend, Dan, came over a couple of weekends ago to help Jack repair our front gate openers and he brought his daughter, Jacqueline, with him. She and Gracie played and played while the boys worked....on the computer, with the XBox 360, lite brite, barbies...you name it, they did it!

d) Jack is having his '69 Shelby Mustang GT 500 painted...this is in the painter's garage with just the base coat...he swears it's gonna be "turquiose" out in the sunshine...just looks neon green to me...
...and speaking of green...this weather is depressing - my entire yard and pasture is one variation or another of BROWN...I need some GREEN (maybe a slightly less neon shade than that of Jack's car...). I'm seriously thinking of pitching all my plants and going artificial - they don't turn brown! Yuck...

Even my cows think this is yuck...this was actually taken about a week ago and then we had some nice sunshine for a few days in a row and things were just about to dry up a bit and then...last night, the wind and rain were blinding...now, it looks just like this all over again...fun, fun, fun!

Stay warm...happy weekend!

Cocoons

Gracie got a butterfly kit from Santa and she has watched with great anticipation the caterpillars spin their silk, change into chrysalids and now reveal as adult butterflies. They are pretty Painted Lady butterflies and she is thrilled...although a little concerned they may be cold without their "cocoon"...

She breathes with her tummy, tastes with her feet and has 10,000 eyes...cool! I would love to crawl into a cocoon about now (been cleaning house all day), but instead, I'm off to muck stalls... happy flying, Painted Ladys!

Jacqueline Grace is 6!

Dan's (the same guy that helped Jack and Daddy build our barn stalls) daughter had her 6th birthday party at The Main Event. They had pizza and cake and she opened her presents...

Grace's cousin, Brooke, came too...

They had a tickle fest!

...and then the party was on...Gracie bowled for the first time ever...

So did Brooke...Gracie is testing her out, making sure she can pick up the ball...

Even the Dads gave it a try...not really Jack's thing, but Uncle Justin got three strikes...

Dan found just the right (goof)ball to throw down the lane! :)

Brooke tossed that ball and was ready to move on to something else...

Then, there were the games...most were a little old for our age group, but they seemed to have a good time...

A glance at our girl in action...

Hope you all are having a good weekend!

Tooth #2...see ya!

A self-portrait...January 13th...and another one bites the dust!

Krewe of Victoria Mardi Gras Ball 2010

Dress: $200
Gas/Food: $100
Visit to new Paul Michael store in Lafayette: No comment
Going to the Ball: Priceless!

To make a long story short, Mom worked for Programs for Human Services, a nonprofit in Orange, for almost 25 years and her bosses back then (also the owners) were Don & Tish. They moved to Lafayette in the late 90s and Tish has become a member of the Krewe of Victoria since then. Their Mardi Gras Ball was January 8th and given that Daddy isn't too in to that kind of thing, I was Mom's date! We arrived in Lafayette at their home in time for a visit, a ride to pick up Tish's dress, and then getting Tish dressed (a lace-up in the back isn't a one-girl job!)...and Don was elected Prince Albert this year, so he was busy getting himself all dressed!
It was so cold that the fountain froze their plants!

We had just enough time to check in to the hotel and hurriedly get dressed, but we made it! More info is here, but here are my pics...This is the Prince's table...

It was a pirate-themed soiree...Mom and I are standing in front of the "ship"...

To my daughter's delight...lots of beads were to be had!

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Don greeting Tish after his processional...

Greeting their Queen & Prince...

Don makes quite a festive Prince Albert -

...and this year's Queen Victoria...

They began serving breakfast at 11 - maybe they're discussing how they will manage that in their full regalia? :) The royal dance...

Then, the real deal - ditch the wig, where's my wife?

Mom and I trying on the crown...

...and more scenery posing...

...and the saints come marching in...

By this time, everyone was feeling quite good...this is Don's grandson, Stephen, dancing with a (battery-operated) candle on his head...

The next morning, back at their home for breakfast, feeling like royalty again...

We made a detour through Broussard so that I could take pics of where my maternal great-grandparents grew up and attended school...their school...

My great grandfather's childhood home...

...and my great-grandmother's...they had a two-story previously, but there was a fire and this is where they moved afterwards...

There you go...fun memories!