Super Stylish Blog...If You Say So!

First thing's first...thank you to Denali's Mom and JJ (and now Gabriella, Ruffles and Laz's Mom!)for this:

Thank you, ladies. Apparently, I am to thank those that awarded me, post 7 things about myself, and award 15(!) other people.

I'm going to bend the rules a bit. First of all, everyone on my "Favorite Blogs" list to the right are deserving of this, and a lot more folks I follow are too...so I'm not going to list just 15-I don't like to ruffle feathers, and I really can't choose-I love y'all:)

Also, instead of listing 7 random things about me, I'm going to list things that I've been up to lately.

1) Not riding. Ugghhhhhhh....I hate it. It has either been super cold or super snowy or both, OR my husband and I have been taking little mini vacays (see #2). It's not like it's been forever-maybe a week and a half, but I still feel awful. I have been going out to the barn to see Miles and feed him his beet pulp/alfalfa stew, and lunge him sometimes, but I haven't ridden in waaay too long. The good thing? That this is a rarity. This time last year I would go weeks without riding and it would be no biggie. Still, I don't want to go back to that. I would like to remedy this tomorrow, though of course another cold snap is on it's way, grrr.

2) Kyle and I went to Traverse City this weekend to take advantage of a free night at Great Wolf Lodge, free massage (see #3) and shop. It was a great time, even though it was just over a weekend. I discovered a wonderful little tack shop called Red Hare Tack and Togs (I couldn't find a website but this is their Facebook page). Miles got a beautiful, padded white show saddle pad (which is taunting me b/c I can't use it!!!). It's super well made and gorgeous, with piping around the edges, for 20 buck. Are you kidding me?? It's the best pad I've ever gotten for that price! So nice. Never you mind that I already have way too many saddle pads.
Also, while in the city, a certain kind and generous and awesome Ms. Wendy who writes From Racehorse To Showhorse donated some really nice, very lightly used stacker standards for our quest to conquer the cross rail jumping world! Thank you, thank you Wendy!!

3) Oh, my sweet massage. So, something I haven't written about yet on this blog is that I have been having lower back pain...some days nothing, other days it really, really hurts. I knew it was something muscular/skeletal, because it felt fine when sitting or laying down, but if I started to power walk (as I do when I walk the dogs) oy, the pain would almost knock me down some days, and it's definitely gotten worse. So, Kyle and I went to Living Light Massage on Saturday, and my masseuse told me it was my sciatic nerve. This tiny bird of a girl who can't have weighed more than 110 lbs proceeded to pound that damn nerve into submission for an hour. It hurt like hell at some moments (though of course the massage was wonderful overall), and afterward she told me what stretches I should be doing. Today? It feels like a million bucks, no joke. I was sore as hell immediately after she was done but my back didn't hurt like it has been. I hope it lasts, but she did recommend regular massages for that area. Hmmm, I could live with that:)

4) My barn has scheduled twilight shows for June. I never did get Miles and I out to any of them last summer (I had good reasons, I swear! Although I can't remember them now...). Still, I'm excited to get him out there and show off our mad skillz. Or at least, our pretty white show saddle pad:) There also may be a clinic coming up by one of the judges in the area that I would LOOOOVE to go to. Actual instruction?!? Sign me up!

Ok, 4 items, 7 items, what's the difference? ;) This is what I've been up to. Yeah, the winter, mid-January doldrums are in full effect, there's no avoiding them. Still, this time of year, I find if I can focus on the next day, and the things I'm looking forward to, that helps me get through whatever present muck I have to trudge through. Happy winter, y'all.