some recent photos!

So wow... I haven't blogged in FOREVER! I guess I have been keeping myself too busy! Work has been good. I have been working on this large project for a while now, and I am happy to say it is almost done! Since my last post I have gone to a number of horse shows, and actually placed well in a few. I got a 3rd place at the Inavale HT in Oregon, and got 1st at the Aspen Farm HT in Washington.... I guess I just do better out of state! HAHAHA. I am getting ready to move up a level this next weekend, and so I figured I would post some photos of the past few months.

stadium round at Inavale. On my way to 3rd place!

cross country in the rain at Inavale!

Stadium round -- first training unrecognized show. Look at her overjumping it, such a good girl!

And then the not so pretty last jump.... takes some mad skills to be able to do this and still keep all the rails in the cups!

Hiskens -- training XC

Inavale dressage -- so fancy!

Aspen dressage

Aspen setup. The stalls were so HUGE! And this was the first show I took Kumo to. He was really well behaved and loved rulling along next to Danielles bike.

Kumo passed out at Aspen in the trailer after a long day....

We arrived home from Aspen at 7am. This is what Kumo did the WHOLE day

Zalsa with her new at home GIRLIE browband!

HOT paso robles and my first Horse Trials

So I have been schooling and showing Zalsa like crazy for the past two months. We have both been mentally and physically preparing for the Twin Rivers Horse Trials. This will be my first time doing a full horse trails. I did the combined test in January, but that did not include cross country. Zalsa had her first try out with Danielle in February and made it around the Novice course. Zalsa of course was not on her best behavior since she was pissed I was nowhere in sight. Anyhow so Thursday morning Kaiti, Danielle and I loaded up the horses and headed to Paso Robles. We got there and the heat was already moving into the valley. Kaiti and I both got to ride some dressage and get the horses settled into the facility. Friday was dressage day. Kaiti went first and got an impressive 34. Canada was a bit amped, but Kaiti handled it with ease. Then it was my turn… I was nervous…. Upset stomach nervous…. Not sure why since I have been doing dressage schooling show, but I will blame it on the heat… Zalsa was an angel. The heat was really getting to her and she wasn’t her usual “hot and spicy” self, which made for a very quite dressage ride. I had two minor errors in my test, but the judge must have loved Zalsa, and I got a 25.7. (for those non-horsey people, the lower your score, the better.) That put me in 2nd place for my division and boy was I excited! Saturday was stadium. Kaiti again went first, and only had one rail. Canada was looking awesome and Kaiti was all smiles. My warmup was great, my round was going amazing, and I made it over what I thought was the only scary fence on course…. And I let me guard down and didn’t really ride her to the one stride combo… and I got a rail and refusal. Bummer…. I was no longer in 2nd, I was not sitting in 10th place. As I was walking back to barn kicking myself in the butt, Bryan walks out from under the tent in front of our stalls. TOTALLY surprised me by driving 5 hours just to watch me at my first horse trials. He then promptly had to put up with my grumpy butt since I wasn’t very happy with my stadium performace

Sunday was cross country day. Cross country is what most eventers live for, and I was ampted. Really nervous but ampted! There were three things on course I was worried about. 1- the ditch 2-the water 3-cutout table on the way home. Kaiti, Danielle and I walked the course twice and both Kaiti and I got lots of instruction on what lines to take and how to ride to each fence, so I felt sufficiently prepared. Kaiti went first and finished with no jumping penalties, but came is a bit too fast. The show wasn’t very good about letting us know what the “real” time fault time was…. There were two times floating around the barns and warmup, we checked before going on course, but were told the wrong time…. so Kaiti ended up getting some time faults for coming in a bit early. She was bummed, but Kaiti still got a 7th place ribbon, out of a 20+ person division. So then it was my turn. Warmup was a bit rocky. Zalsa was jumping good but I was nervous, and just about every oncoming horse spooked Zalsa and sent her side stepping. Anyhow our number was called and Danielle walked us over to the start box. Zalsa still doesn’t know what it is, so we had no issues with her getting overly excited. The countdown started and before I knew it we were off. The first fence was a bit of an awkward jump since Zalsa really wanted to just go back to the barns and wasn’t sure why I was leading her away from everyone…but we made it over and afterwards she realized what we were doing, and moved along nicely….Jump 6 was the first question… I schooled the beginner novice ditch before heading over my ditch, and she made it over nicely. We galloped along up the hill made it over everything, and then on to number 11, the water. I kept my eyes up and legs on, and she hoped right on into the water. Her exit out over the log was a bit funky but we made it. Then down the hill to fence number 14, the scary cutout table. I rode her left of center, since she likes to run out to the right, and she popped right on over. The last remaining obstacles and water were easy and she was excited to be heading for home. Finished right under optimum time with a double clear round!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!! Bryan got to run around with Danielle while I was on course, and my parents got to hang out at the water complex and cheer me on. I finished the weekend with an overall total score of 37.7 which placed me 8th in my division. I had told myself at the beginning of the weekend I wanted to be in the top 10, and that is where I ended up.

The whole experience taught me a lot, and I loved every moment of it. Kaiti and I have officially caught show fever and can’t wait to get into the full swing of show season!

Some photos from the weekend:

Kaiti in Stadium

 Zalsa over the first fence

 Second fence

 Great shot by my Dad in between the wine bottle standards

 Out of the combo that I screwed up..

 wine jump

Videos from the weekend:

Zalsa Cross Country part1 - double clear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2IxaXIqo5Q

Zalsa Cross Country part 2 - double clear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZu-d9xk2JQ

Zalsa Dressage - score 25.7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU19qPpKxeg

Twin Rivers Combined Test

So this past weekend my barn traveled down to Paso Robles for the Twin Rivers Combined Test. For you non-horsey people a combined test is Dressage (kind of choreographed dancing?) and Stadium Jumping (jumping in an arena over jumps that can be knocked down).

Anyhow it was such a fun weekend. This is Zalsa’s first time doing a combined test and mine as well. Anyhow we ended up leaving at 5am on Saturday and arrived around 11am. We unpacked got the horses settled in and then went out for some Cross Country schooling. Cross country is jumping out in natural footing over immovable jumps. Zalsa is turning into a cross country machine. She was really good and only refused two fences, a scary coop and then a ditch. She is such a good girl.

Sunday was the show day and we started with Dressage. I lunged her some, so she wouldn’t be as hyper and we warmed up and went in for our test. She was SO good for her first time. I was a little worried about my position since I tend to lean forward, and a little worried about her head being a bit high…. But it all worked out, I got a bit tense towards the end which then translated to Zalsa being a bit tense, but we ended with a REALLY good score of 33!!!! Low thirties can carry you to a win in three-day so I was very happy with her. Just think of the scores she can get if I get her stretching down and me sitting more upright! Yay!

So then to stadium. She was pretty pooped by this point since she had done dressage only an hour before and had schooled cross country for two hours the day before. She did excellent in the warm-up with the non-scary jumps that were brown…. Then in the arena the scary jumps got the best of her and we had a rail and a refusal… but worst of all I got a bit frazzled and ended up jumping the wrong fence, oops! So we got eliminated for that… But then a couple hours later we got to try it again. This time with the fences at a bigger height. We ended up with one rail and one refusal, but I was happy about it. She was such a good sport for all of it and I learned a WHOLE lot this weekend.

I absolutely am loving watching Zalsa’s progress. Dani has been such an amazing trainer and I love all the girls at the barn. I can definitely say I lucked out with the horse, the trainer, and the barn! Yay for me!

stadium warm up

Cross Country schooling

Cross country schooling

What a cute face!

Does everyone like the lightening bolt I left on her butt??

Little miss Kiley

So Kiley got to get experience something pretty awesome on Monday night. She got to sing in from of 21 thousand people with David Archuleta! She currently rehearses with David’s voice coach and was asked to sign in the David Archuleta concert this last Monday. Bryan and I weren’t able to make it out but got a chance to talk with her last night. She said it still hasn’t kicked in that she got to sign on stage with him…. I guess she was pretty nervous, but when we asked her if her voice was shaky….she said no… so I am guessing she did awesome! She is such a talented little girl…. Her singing voice is just so spectacular!!! Anyhow I just had to get a shot of her with her Christmas present from us on…. and of course her new glasses! Carla also sent me some photos of the concert…. Enjoy!

so tuckered out at the end of the night, but still in her David sweater! hahaha

Christmas time!

So the holidays are almost here! Too many things to get done, not enough time….. Well Bryan and I have been keeping busy this holiday season with some decorating, traveling, holiday parties, soccer, and of course some horseback riding.

My Mom and I decorated most of the house this year while Bryan was in Vegas in November. We put up the Christmas village which normally goes up at my parents house….but my Mom insisted that it go up at our house…. Guess she just doesn’t want to have to deal with all the taking it down… it really is fun to put it up and such a pain to take it down… Anyhow the place is officially decorated. Bryan and I went and got the tree a few weeks back and he decorated it all himself!

We were able to make it out to Utah for Thanksgiving and it was so nice to spend some time with Bryans family. Time with the Todd’s is always a blast, but the time always goes too fast. We got to spend about a week there and it only seemed like a few days. Hopefully we can make it out there again soon!

Zalsa and I

Christmas picture of the barn
Turkeys in the side lot....there were 33 this day.... Bryan and I caroling....hahah Kumo enjoying the new Christmas decorations that are sort of invading his perch

And the decorating begins

Slight remodel

So ever since Bryan and I bought the house we have been full of remodeling, upgrading the house. We fell in love with the crown molding in the house, but never really understood why the builder didn’t put in all over the house. The room that really stood out for being strange was the formal dining room…. No crown molding?!?!? That’s just crazy! Anyhow we were missing molding in the entry way and hallway as well…. So we found a remodeling company in the area and got an estimate and decided which items to tackle. We choose to do the painting the family and dining rooms, molding in the entry, hallway and dining room and we opted for wainscoting in the dining room. I have always LOVED wainscoting and wanted it in at least one room in the house. Anyhow here are the before and after pictures…. Both rooms turned out amazing and the crown molding matched seamlessly with the original molding in the rest of the rooms!

So... we bought a horse!?!?!?!

So in July I was anticipating my transition to my new team at Intel. I moved laterally in the company and as a result got back my free time in the evenings and on the weekends. I was wondering what I was going to do with all this new found time, and decided I might just take some riding lessons. Well I took some lessons at a facility in Granite Bay, and eventually got in contact with a girl I had ridden with in Pony Club growing up. Well I totally lucked out! I immediately clicked with Dani and started riding at her facility in Granite Bay about 5 times a week. I helped her out by exercising some of her horses and got a chance to ride one of her horses she had for sale. I immediately fell in love with this horse. Her name is Zalsa and she is a 7 year old Dutch Warmblood. She had a foal last year and got a late start under saddle. Dani got her in June and she had very little time under saddle. So when I started riding her, she was still very green (inexperienced). She had some initial trust issues, but she is such a sweet girl…. Very willing to try her hardest. Well we have decided to start training her for Three Day Eventing. We started jumping her at the end of August and she has been loving it ever since. I have been able to take her cross country schooling a few times and she is turning out to be a brave little mare! Anyhow this last weekend I went out to Star Vaughn with Dani and three other students of Dani’s. It was a great day… got Zalsa over all the fences, which is a HUGE accomplishment for such a green horse, especially since we only really started jumping her a little over a month ago! So here are the pictures from this past weekend:

check out the lightening bolt on her butt! yeah!

Visiting Samantha

So I was able to visit Samantha at the beginning of September. I met Samantha while attending ASU and instantly became friends. I have many fond memories at her parents’ house in Scottsdale and love spending time with her family. After leaving ASU we have maintained our friendship with *almost* yearly visits. Last time I saw her was March 19, 2010 when she got married to Jonathan! Since then she has been living in England since that is where Jonathan is from. Anyhow so I got to visit her and got to know her husband a little more. It was a wonderful weekend of relaxing and catching up. Just wish it was a little longer L I miss you already Samantha!

Summer update!

So Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Things have been super busy lately with Summer in full swing! Here are some recent happenings:

Bryans stuff:

So Bryan has been super busy with Softball, Soccer and Golf. He has been in these three leagues all summer and since I have officially moved teams at Intel, I am now able to attend some of these games. Bryan is really improving in his soccer skills! He has been playing goalie lately in the league games and even his touch is improving! I need to get some pictures at the next game!!!

Bryans good friends got a puppy yesterday.... here is a picture Bryan just sent me... they went home and played with the pup during lunch!

Golfing:

So my parents have been in town for most of the summer and have been golfing like crazy. Bryan and I have been able to golf with them on a few weekends and are loving it! We are gearing up for this coming weekend since we will be going to Pebble beach with my parents for their wedding anniversary. We are so excited!

Stuff around the house:

So shortly after we moved in we bought a nice dining room table. No chairs, just the table. Well it’s been about a year and we still didn’t have any chairs. Bryan and I are very picky about chairs and the print and we just could never find one that both of us liked, until we saw this one below. We totally love them and can’t wait to paint the dining room one of the shades of color on the chairs! Yay!

Kumo:

So Kumo has had a pretty posh summer. He has been chasing turkeys in the backyard, whining at bunnies during Bryan’s softball games, and being a lazy bum at my parents house while we are at work…..

Kumo staring at the turkey in the tree
this is what he looked like after my Dad has just finished petting him...what a wierdo!
Do you see the bunnies?

Horses:

So as some of you know I grew up riding horses. I had a pony growing up and got a Morgan horse when I was about 9. I loved it! However high school came around and between school, soccer and boys I ended up dropping the riding all together. I always knew I would eventually come back to it. So now that I am done moving around for college and am planning on being in one place for a while, I decided to pick it back up! So I have been riding a bunch lately! Seems like I picked right back up where I left off! I am riding at a friend’s place. Her name is Danielle and I rode with her in Pony Club when I was younger. She is just great! I am so lucky that she is letting me exercise some of her horses and am loving all the lessons I am taking. I have decided I LOVE jumping and really want to get back into Three-Day Eventing!

Photo of Zalsa and I...i love her!
Photo of Dani jumping!!!!

My friend Nikki:

So I am totally missing my friend Nikki…. I want to go to Tanner and go walking with the dogs! Hopefully we can nail out a trip to Utah soon and I can get to see her! So I just couldn’t resist posting just one little photo of her cute little pup pup. She breed her female a while back and has been hoping to sell the puppy. Well just this week he got an owner. They are naming the cute little red guy “Kuma”, which means bear in Japanese…. So sweet…