So much for keeping a good "diary"!!

Wow ... how time flies!! So much has happened since I last wrote. I got to go horseback riding twice, Scott put in for a job in IL @ the Marathon oil refinery, he got his hard copy orders for the reserve fleet (no turning back from retirement now!!), and only 3 weeks until I am no longer employed!!

First off, horseback riding ... oh my gosh I really want a horse now!! LOL Bev, a friend and co-worker, has two horses that she so nicely allowed me to ride one of them. She says it is hard for her to find someone that wants to ride her horse. I looked at her in mock surprise and was like "You are kidding me right?!?!". She said nope, not too many people volunteer to do it. I told her it didn't matter what time of day it was, call me and I would scamper over and ride!!! LOL Our first ride we went to a nursery and rode. It was a gorgeous day and for my first ride, it was AWESOME!! The terrain was smooth and the trails through the nursery were nice. And it was just wonderful getting out in nature. And talking with Bev, we have a lot in common. She is a christian, she has a lot of the same political viewpoints that I have and the love of animals. So between all that, we always manage to have something to talk about. And since we both love to talk, it is a non-stop conversation-a-thon. I want to definitely keep in touch with her!! The second time we went to the state park in Petersburg and rode the trails. Now that was pure heaven!! There were many different terrains, including a little hill terrain, some water, flat and open, nice and wooded. It was just a nice ride. And it was about 3 hours or so of riding. I thot for sure I would be stiff from yesterday but I am not. I got down off the saddle and was like, oh!! I am going to hurt tomorrow!! LOL But actually I don't. But I told Bev that I was claiming Bubba as my own until April. And I told her that come time to move to IL, he just might disappear from his stall!! LOL But it truly is indescribable how it feels to be on the back of a horse and enjoying the outdoors. It relaxes me right up. Scott and I were laying there and giving one another back rubs and I didn't feel tight anywhere on my back. I was totally relaxed. It is just the best thing to physical therapy.

Scott decided to try and get a job at the Marathon oil refinery in Robinson. He put in a resume for a oil refinery operator. He feels good about it. He talked to his brother who thot they were looking to fill the position in April or May. He retires in June but goes on terminal leave mid April just about the time the position needs filled. Todd, his brother already works there, his uncle gary does contract work for them, his other uncle (that they don't claim, lol) retired from there and his grandpa retired from there. So we are hoping that nepotism counts for something!! LOL Plus with all his submarine experience, it would work quite well with the position experience. I just think it would be perfect for him. But I guess time will tell. God has taken good care of us quite well this far.

Scott got his hard copy orders giving him his time to retire. No turning back now!! LOL He was so tickled, he called me at work to tell me!! Then last night he danced around and was reading parts to me (of course he was on the light toast side .. aka 3 sheets to the wind!!). So he is excited that it is official. I am happy for him. The military has been real good for us but I know he is ready for a different phase of his life and so am I. It will good to have him home on a regular routine. We haven't really experienced that much in our 15.5 years together (1 dating - 14.5 married). It will be a nice change.

Only three more weeks and I am out of there. I am so happy!! Wahoo! I mean if I have to work, I love working where I do. But I am sort of looking forward to spending time at home and getting my house in order. I am tired of it being messy the way it is. It kind of gets lost in the shuffle of life. So although I love Acredale, I will love being home and caring for my own brood the way they should be.

Well, since starting this, we ran to Barnes and Nobles and bought a couple of horse books and a horse magazine so I want to take a look at those. So I am going to close this out for now!!

Toodles!!

Wow ... has been awhile!

It has been awhile since I have blogged here! Sorry .. it has been busy around here. Hubby came home so I have been keeping busy. It has been nice having him back. He is my best friend and I have missed him. I only have 7.5 weeks left to work! Ahhhhhh! Kind of nerve wracking to think about but we will make it. God has provided well for us thus far. Even though we don't deserve it most of the time. I look forward to being home though so I can make it cleaner than it is. Working full time and trying to keep the house clean as I would really like to see it is next to impossible with all the critters. And since they are a big part of my life, it isn't something I can ignore. So I will be glad to have a clean house again!! I get to cook again ... I have decided to start cooking with spices to decide what spices we want to grow to keep around the house. I made some really good chicken last night for Scott and I. I crushed up some ritz crackers, added some rosemary and basil to it then pounded out the chicken and spread some olive oil on it then rolled it in the cracker mixture and baked it. It was pretty good. I like the combination of those two spices. It would have been perfect with salt and pepper. I kinda forgot those two in my excitement of trying something new. I am really like a cat when it comes to routine. I know it seems pretty flaky that I am excited about cooking with spices. But it really is out of my routine. I mean in the near future, my whole life is going to be changed and turned upside down. So I am trying to go with a positive mind set to make things easier ... going outside of my comfort zone so to speak!! But actually I think I am rather excited about going outside my comfort zone. So maybe I am not so much about the same thing as I thot I was. But of course, as I get older, a lot of my normal likes and dislikes have been changing. Ahhh ... life. I did get to have some awesome fun tonight though. A co-worker and friend of mine owns two horses and she invited me to come and spend some time tonight in the barn. I was in heaven!! If Sunday's weather is good, we are going to go riding. I am so excited!! I will be able to learn somethings about horses and how to care for them. It will be good to know this for that one day I hope to have my own!! Anyway, that is about it. I mean there is a lot more than that since the last time I wrote on here but it doesn't come to my mind at this time. I will try to post a little more often now!!