Happy Birthday Aunt Maxine!

80 years and going strong. In the last 10 years she has jumped out of a plane, gotten married, opened an antique shop and ran for and won a position on city council. (And I thought I had a lot going on:)

Big News:


Ralph was at Rocking Horse last weekend coaching the lady that has his horses. Everyone that saw him said he looked great and was planning to return to the area and get back to business. He is gradually getting back into riding and his memory is returning more easily now. He admits that he remembers the horses first but that was always the case. Weplan to see him next weekend when he returns to Florida for the Winter II Trials.

Last time we saw him he was being airlifted out of the Georgia Mts. We thought we had lost him.

Photo is Ralph and Indy on the day before his accident.

The stars are aligned and the angels flying.



In a recent blog I shamelessly lamented the drowning of my iphone and how my camera was limping it's way toward digital dinosaur status. Well I dedicate this photo of Darren Chiacchia, a top level U.S. rider from New York, to Amy. This is the first photo taken with the beautiful camera she gave me this weekend. She has upgraded and needed a loving home for her Canon 20D. Thank you Amy. Also thanks to Apple for replacing my phone. I am looking for little swimmy wings for this one. So you see the stars are aligned and my angels are flying.

We all know that he is amazing but now the rest of the world is catching on. Hats off to New York State's ... Engineer of the Year!

Tornado!
Yesterday we traveled to Citra Fl for her first lesson at Kyle Carters winter farm, Five Ring Stable. She enjoys working with Kyle so expect to see news of these two in the coming months. While walking back to the trailer we encountered some weather similiar to something you would see in the Wizard of Oz. Dark, crazy wind, downpour, feeling of dread, ...you get the picture. Anyway the only casualty was my iphone. (Let's all share a moment of silence. ) Amy will understand my sense of loss. I guess I am a little surprised at my attachment to something technical. I still have my beloved camera though it too seems to be dying from natural causes. Time to read some pages in the Tao Te Ching I suppose. It may help me to deal with my loss.

P.S. If anyone needs to call me, try the house phone:(

Katie qualifies for sectionals:

You know you love this photo. I took it with my phone while riding my bike. Extreme Photography, thats my new thing. For those of you that aren't impressed, you have to see me ride a bike then you will understand.

A night of science and friends:

He did it again! Austin leads Lake Mary scoring with 12 pts in game against Seminole HS. Good Job Austin!

Andrew paints solo! I tried to give him some suggestions but he focused on the canvas and said "Sorry Mom, but this is my world". Kind of a joke at painting class but honestly I think he has a beautiful world.

Homeschool news: we stopped off to play with sound waves and center some mass on our way to see "The Alps" at the cinedome. We had the entire cinedome to ourselves. How cool is that?

Congratulations to Austin for being high scorer with 12 pts. and leading Lake Mary to victory against Tavares last night.

Friday Night:

ICE!
A little bit of the 'Cold North' seeps south to Gaylord Palms and Austin was there with friends to check it out.

Boys in the Hoodies:

The Badge

Switched out slide show because it was annoying me. Just one of my resolutions to change things that dont sit well with me.

These photos represent to me the "Badge of Courage" I give to my daughter. Not because she leaps off of walls with a 1300 lb animal but because she has come through a time in her life where she put disappointment aside and did what needed to be done. For 9 months her dreams have dangled in front of her. She was patient and diligent and it payed off. Now 9 months later she has a strong horse, an excellent trainer and a better understanding of what it takes to get where you want to go. I think she will be an incredible trainer and a successful eventer, but more then that she has the patience and perseverance that it takes to be successful in life. I am so proud of you.