Time to gab...

I have not felt very funny lately so I havent been posting!  I dont like my blogs to be boring, so when I go long periods of not writing, its because I cant find a way to spin anything funny into what's been going on around us.. :)

Just to clear the air, still no baby news/change..  Darn it..  I did go to my Dr and if I dont get pregnant this cycle, then I'll go in for a blood test to help determine my likely-hood of getting pregnant.  I tell you its not cuz we are being lazy about this whole process.  My friend said to wear this ring, it brings fertility..  well after 3 months and no go, the ring is back in the drawer.  She gave me a cross to place by my bed for good blessings.  I was told to buy the baby blanket we intend to bring little one home from the hospital in, well that's not working.  The blanket is hanging on my bed.. sigh.  I pee daily on sticks to determine when I might be ovulating, 3 months into that and no luck.  I now am taking my temperature, as that is supposed to tell me when I ovulate.. so we'll see.  I'm starting to finally get over the anxiety of it all and be a bit more relaxed about this process.  I had this imaginary clock looming over my head and was putting soooo much pressure on myself to hurry up and get it done already.. partially from depression of all that we went through and I actually really enjoyed the brief time I was pregnant.. not that I loved feeling crappy, but I loved that I was making a baby and my relationship with Derek took a new turn.

I have decided for now though, I'm going to start riding again.. when/if I ever find the time!  I had put it off, thinking I would get pregnant right away, plus to help relieve the financial burden we were full-leasing my horse to the neighbors.. but I need to ride as that helps me find peace and makes me happy.  So for now, I'll just ride and when things do move along, we'll decide from there how long I will ride for.  Must be happy!!

Derek was asked to judge a hunt test a few weeks ago over in Quilcene.  It was somewhat of a disaster of a weekend as far as the hunt test goes.. But we had a nice time camping with friends over there.  We only took Cooper, tented it, the weather was awesome and we had a fun time getting to know our Canadian hunt test friends and other hunt test peeps better.  Because the turn-out was low, we decided to run Cooper in a Seasoned test on Saturday.  Probably shouldnt have, but it was good practice I guess and gave us a better feel for exactly where he is at.  He failed of course!  lol  But he did much better than we thought.  His biggest issue is the birds still..  doesnt like to pick them up and refuses to deliver to hand.  Which means he drops them at your feet and will not pick it up..  Basically telling Derek "Hey I brought it back, reluctantly, what else you want from me??"  :)  At the Seasoned level, the dog has to deliver the bird to your hand, not the ground..  Oh well.    Derek's been taking him to the trainer Pat for weekly sessions.  And Pat has confirmed that the problem is not a discipline one with Cooper, it's still a major bird aversion/bad memory issue.  And it could take a year of working with birds to help him get over it..  Cooper will pick up Chukkar and Pheasant no problem, heck he wont let go of those birds, but Ducks are a big problem for him.

Not to dwell on the past, but we have heard from 2 sources in the past couple months, a story about our dog!  A very disturbing one at that...  We've learned that while Cooper was in training for the 3 months (which is the same training that darn near ruined our dog), apparently Cooper was so upset, that he bolted and disappeared for more than 24 hours!  And according to rumor, this happened twice!!  People have successfully kept this story from us for 3 years, but it has finally surfaced and although that is in the past, it still bothers me a great deal and at times, makes me pretty angry.  We paid this trainer $2000 for 3 months and we have a dog that 3 years later, still will not pick up a duck willingly.. and now find out our dog ran away...  phew that is a lot to process and accept!  So the solution, we now are spending min $30/week on birds, to help Cooper move forward.  We wont be able to afford that for long, so for now while we can, we are putting in as much training time as possible.   Because of all the work Derek has put in for Pat over the past 4 months, he is helping us out a great deal with Cooper and providing a lot of support.  Derek certainly didnt put in the work to get anything in return, he just enjoys being out on the property, farming with Pat and also working next to him and watching him train dogs, picking up on techniques etc.

Well Derek's unemployment ended exactly 4 weeks ago.. I was going into silent panic mode.. but that same day we got his last unemployment check, his previous employer called and wanted to hire him back.  They will only be open for another month (July 31st closing date), but for now, he has steady work with a pay increase to come back!  It helps, even if it only lasts for 2 months.  He did not get on with the Electrical Union, he was 29th out of 107.  Scored 98.8 however they only took in the top 18 and he is only down the list so far because the other guys have experience whereas he has none.  They will be re-interviewing the end of July, so there is still a chance he could get accepted then, but since he still will have no experience, chances seem slim.  He's been offered a position with Snohomish Electric, the company I used to work for LONG ago...  but the pay with them is only $10-$11/hr and I'm not sure we can swing that w/o loosing our house.

He keeps applying with Boeing, patience is the key I guess..  But not banking on them either.  He had an interview yesterday for a metal fabricator shop in Marysville.  I think they are looking for a working manager type position, he has a good chance of getting that job and with hopefully a decent pay offer.  It will be something for now and just play it by ear with the electrical.  I think neither of us anticipated this career change to be quite so challenging.  Every company out there wants experience, and those that will take him w/o, want to pay so low, it's just not feasible to make the transition.  So not sure what career path he will end up on, I just remind myself, either way.. we will be fine!!  Derek is not one to sit idly by, he works hard to ensure he's moving forward.

Edgar is off to his new home!  Since it didnt work out with Amber, I had to find a new home for him..  I think I found the perfect place.  He's over in Port Orchard with a gal named Sami.  She has 2 little girls and a husband.  She wanted a nice safe horse her kids could be around and her husband to ride occasionally.  She's a vet tech, so he has great care and a loving him.  I'm really happy about it and she seems to really love Edgar too..  I've even seen pictures of her husband riding him bareback with a halter.. perfect!!

I also spent a few weeks working on our garage.. It's been a thorn in my side for quite some time, years actually.  A project I've put off because I didnt know where to start.  Well one day I just started.  We had a path from the outside to the door into the house, everything else was covered with "stuff".  About 10 hours later I finished and can now park my car in the garage!!

 Oh and while I was at it, I cleaned/organized the shed too!!

This past weekend (Sunday) was our 18yr anniversary!  Woohoo..  2 more year until Hawaii..  right??  Not sure that we can make it happen, but in our "wealthy" life, the plan is to celebrate 20 years with a vacation to Hawaii.  :)  We didnt do anything special this year, we went to lunch, our friends came over to visit, we went to dinner, just another day..  exactly how we planned it.

On Friday night and Saturday day, I went with my friend Kim to watch a colt starting clinic out in Granite Falls.  4 horse trainers each are assigned one horse, a 2-5yr old, that has not previously been saddled or bridled.  They have (2) 1 hour sessions on Friday night.  Then (2) 45 minute sessions Saturday.  They then ride their horse through a minor obstacle course in the arena..  ground poles, ride over a tarp, weave through poles, rope a barrel, drag a log and then walk/trot/lope the arena and of course stop. 

There were 3 Quarter Horses and 1 Mustang.   The mustang was being worked with by a 70yr old man named Larry, who was working at a much slower pace than the other trainers.  His method was more along the lines of a "horse whisperer" type method, concentrating on trying to "connect" to his horse and bond with his horse, vs getting on, desensitizing and riding!  He actually had the horse that seemed to be the most care free about desensitizing.. his horse was fairly care-free about the obstacles in his round pen, the mare was moving everything she could with her mouth, she peed on the tarp!  lol  By the end of Friday, I thought although he was not quite as progressed with riding as the others, his horse might be the most level headed. 

He was in last place by end of night, so I was curious to see how Saturday was going to go.  As the sessions progressed on Saturday, Larry clearly was not progressing with riding his horse.  He spent very minimal time allowing his horse to get the kinks out and did not allow his horse to buck while saddled..  Good theory, poor execution. When he did finally get on, his horse walked calmly for a few minutes, then spooked and bucked him off.  He did eventually get back on and rode at the walk only, with no further incident.  But Larry had no control of his horse, you could see he had no brakes!  

The other 3 trainers by this time, were trotting and loping their horses no problem.  They could easily stop their horse and get control quick.  The old man, clearly was way behind and by the time it was time for the finale, I was quite concerned for him.  I knew he was going to get bucked off during the finale, his horse had not even trotted under saddle.  And for the finale, they utilize the entire arena, not just a small round pen.  That is a whole new story for a horse.  Larry was the first to go..  he got on his little mustang mare with no incident.  He started to walk her down the arena.  We were sitting up above the arena in the hay loft, with a very clear view of the entire arena.  He gets maybe 10 steps and this mare decides to let loose and took off at a buck down the arena wall.  At this point, she's not bucking super hard, but her head is down, he has both hands on the horn/saddle, not even trying to stop her and is hanging on for dear life.  I just saw a blank stare on his face as he passed by us.  And as he's headed down the wall, I'm thinking "bail, bail... come on dude, bail or its gonna be bad!!"

And bad it was.  His horse gets to the end of the arena, she realizes there is a wall there, takes a sharp 90 degree turn to avoid hitting it and Larry gets slammed against the wall, a very loud crash sound, he hits his head incredibly hard against the wall, falls to the ground and is not moving.  One of the guys sitting next to us, was on the ground in seconds, he jumped down to rush over and help.  Larry did not regain consciousness until the paramedics had him on a stretcher and I'm not sure he was even that conscious at that point.  He was out cold for probably a good 20 minutes or more.  The guy who jumped down, told us he had a very bad gash on his head.  

It was aweful....  I was shaking and upset, I started to tear up a bit when the paramedics showed up..  It was a bit of dejavu for me.. although they didnt ever have to make efforts to revive him, he was breathing on his own, but it was pretty traumatic.  After he was driven off by ambulance, they finished with the rest of the afternoon.  The trainers all placed in the order I thought they should have.

Kim and I drove home and texted a little later with each other.  She had to pull over driving home as she started crying.. and when I got home and was telling the story to Derek, I started crying.  It affected both of us more than we had fully realized and now realize just how terrible that felt to be there and witness that.  I feel bad for Larry, but I'm also angry at him.  I'm mad that he put himself in that position.  His horse was NOT ready to ride and he should have been a bigger person and realized the horses and his own limitations and opted out of the finale.  So either he is so naive that he didnt realize this was going to happen, or he was too proud to quit or he lacks the skills/knowledge to understand basic horsemanship.  Which he has a website, he seems to be a fairly respected trainer with his methods, he speaks and does clinics about his methods..  But the problem he neglected to see, is that his methods are geared towards long-term fixes.. not 3.5 hr horse-breaking fixes!!  I sincerely hope he is OK, it was quite possibly a career ending accident.. but I dont know.. maybe he'll walk out of the hospital and be just fine.  Either way, I really hope he learned something and will take a minute to look back and reflect on where he went wrong.  This truly was his fault, not the horses.. He did not prepare that horse for what was about to happen and had no way to control worst case scenario.  

Will I go back and watch something like this again?  Sure thing!  It was $15/day and I learned some things.  I dont think ANY horse is ready for the riding world after only 3.5hrs of training, they have a LONG ways to go from there.. but it is interesting and fun and worth the time and $.

Rollercoaster Ride

Its been a very up-down type of month+ around the Fecht Farm!  In April our club had our Inaugural Hunt Test.. couldnt have been a better weekend!  We missed the rain somehow and put on a very good weekend.  B*U*S*Y though, whew was I glad when it was over...  exhausted!  Derek was grandfathered in to our club as a Started Judge, so he judged Saturday and Sunday, he had a great time and really enjoyed it.  He has now been asked to judge for Olympic Rainshadow in a few weeks, so that is awesome..  It's not a paid job, but it shows the respect from the other clubs that think he is skilled and knowledgeable enough to judge since passing/failing dogs is a big deal..  When a dog passes, its a National Points system, so it matters!!

The weekend after our Hunt Test, we spent it out helping Whistling Wings with their test..  they were not so lucky on the weather though and it was pretty miserable at times!  And then the weekend after that, we had a training day..  I was ready for a break after a solid month of nothing but dogs!!  Cooper is progressing pretty well, we are ready to start asking more of him, although we did learn that if we work too hard and too many days, he will possibly go into shut-down mode..  I think we got a bit excited about moving forward with him and although our training sessions were short, we got a bit ahead of ourselves and Cooper proceeded to show us where we went wrong!  lol  But it's really great to have friends who see whats going on and are able to talk to us about it and help us work through this.

We have yet to get pregnant... booooo  and its not for lack of trying!  ;)  Definately that is not the problem..  Maybe trying too hard, maybe too stressed, maybe to anxious, maybe some depression, maybe timing just not quite right...  I am trying to stay positive that things will fall into place as they are meant to, but sometimes it's really hard, hence the minor depression issue!  Stress is probably the biggest factor, I need to stop and I cant figure out how..  Boeing is still the biggest issue I think because we both want it so bad for Derek and so far, nothing until now has progressed with that, except frustration.

They posted the same job he was already hired for, again in Everett.. but it appears he has to hold tight for the process and hope the computer sets him aside for an interview.. Incredibly frustrating, especially when they seem to take about 45-60 days to get to that point from date of job posting.  JUST today, he was notified that he has an interview for a Grade 5 position in Everett.  The previous job was a Grade 8.  So a big let-down as far as not getting an interview yet for the job he wants, but a big + in that he will take any job to get in the door and hope to do a transfer into the Grade 8 position.  We hear its pretty easy once you are in and they are currently hiring for Grade 8.....  So my fingers are crossed that the interview in 5 days goes well and a job is offered.  Unemployment runs out in 2 weeks..  But I will be Thankful and think positive that this is going to happen and shortly after, we will get pregnant..  cuz if we dont get pregnant this month, then I have an appointment with my Dr to discuss our options moving forward and if we need any "help" of some sort to make this happen.

Derek finally finished his dog trailer!  A lot of time and work went into it and we get many comments and questions about it when we take it to the hunt tests and practices..  Its pretty awesome.  Ellie has decided though, that when Cooper gets to go places, she should get to go too and a few times she has refused to get back in the gate when we're getting ready to leave with Cooper.. so she's been a bit of a tagalong lately, but the trailer works great for that!

Edgar came back home to us..  Didnt work out with Amber.. He was actually great, but she was riding 2-4hr trail rides 3-4times a week and he just was not staying sound at all from that..  too much!  :)  So I'm now in search of a new home for him, hoping to find the right situation.  He is such an awesome horse, I really do hate to let him go, but I cant afford to keep him year round and I'd rather see him used than sitting doing nothing.

I'm still swimming 3 days a week, well when its not "shark week".. that's what Derek calls it, that week where women should stay out of swimming pools!  :)  I think I'm finally starting to get a grasp on getting back into Weight Watchers, mentally..  I've been back in since November and have not progressed.. Oh I've gained some, then lost some.. but still within 2 pounds of where I started back then..  :(  But I think my depression is subsiding and my motivation to continue on the right track is gaining, therefore I think I'm starting to head towards loosing again.. weight that is!  Still have this hurdle of getting to the 60lb loss to conquer, but I'm closer than ever before.  I think once I cross over that, I'll be on my way.

Consumed by the news

These days I spend my days waiting for news conferences (every day at 9 and 6) since the landslide that happened up in Oso.  I first received notice of the slide via my phone, as it warned me of a flood watch for that area due to a slide.  I couldnt comprehend how a little bit of dirt could clog the entire river.. surely the river was strong enough to quickly wash it away.

It wasnt until we got home and turned on the news that we discovered it was a mile-long clog of the river, in an area where 30+ buildings and homes existed.  There are no more homes, no more structures.  This slide was amazing.  I am intrigued by mother nature and the power and destruction it can cause.  I certainly feel pain and sadness for ALL the lives that have been lost and the family and friends and community surrounding this tragedy.  I feel compelled to watch any updates I can, to learn more, see more, hear more...  If I could go up and help and volunteers were needed, I honestly think I would strongly consider it.  But they have plenty of help.  I think it will take months to recover the bodies, 6 days later and I feel it is pretty hopeless that any survivors will be found, although miracles can happen.  There are 16 reported deaths confirmed, 25 bodies recovered (waiting to officially identify those 9 before reporting) and potentially 125 cases of people missing!  This landslide has the potential to be the deadliest natural disaster in WA State history (worst was in 1910 when the town of Wellington WA was caught up in a major avalanche killing 96 people.  There had been a terrible snow storm for days, 2 trains were held up in this town waiting for it to pass, when this avalanche happened just below the current Stevens Pass Resort).  And this landslide also is working its way to becoming one of the deadliest in the United States.

Before and After..  although the yellow line on the far right I believe is incorrect as the slide appears to have take away a lot more of that hillside than indicated in the drawing.  And whats hard to comprehend too is that this is a mile long blockage.. pictures make it seem much smaller than reality.

Should be an interesting time over the next few months as bodies are recovered.  My only hope is that they can find/recover them all.  In a weird kind of way, I look forward to going up to this area when this is all settled and time has moved on, to see first hand the devastation so close to home.  This is in reality only about 45 minutes from our home.  No where near danger and I am thankful to live on a flat piece of property..  Derek has family up in that area, about 2 miles or so down river from this, but not in any real danger.

When I lay down at night, or sit and watch tv, I try to think about and appreciate all that I have and how quickly it could go away.  I've tried to imagine the feeling of that moment when the mountain came down upon those helpless people..  I choke up a lot when watching the reports, more so as the days go on and you can see the strain this is taking on all those involved in getting a handle on the situation.  As their voices crack on the tv, my eyes shed small tears.  The fire chief of Arlington is a friend.. not a current friend, but someone I met when I was about 18, someone Derek grew up, I spent weekends chatting and hanging out with him (back in my cruising Marysville days) and even spent an evening with Derek & him at his family cabin out of Granite Falls.  Its inspiring to see someone so young as the chief who appears to be handling this situation very well, but it is sad too as I have a personal connection to him and seem to feel more sadness when I watch him dealing with this.

Not sure when/if the novelty of the situation will wear off on me..  I just feel compelled to take it all in.  When 911 happened, Derek & I lived in Marysville and did not have TV.  It was a luxury we thought we didnt need and yeah, 90% of the time we probably dont need it.  But after that tragedy happened, it took a week to get TV hooked up and I told myself I would do what I could to never go w/o again..  because of situations like this.  That need to stay involved by getting educated by the news and reports.  In times like this, I am glad to be able to afford the tv to stay informed and then have the senseless shows to take me out of reality and just spend some time laughing and letting go for even just an hour.

I'm feeling free..

Finally feeling the weight of responsibilities rolling off...  over this past weekend our dog club had our annual meeting so I was finally set free from my secretary responsibilities for that club and our new horse club treasurer seems to have a good grasp on the job, so other than a little consulting here/there for the treasurer and helping out in other areas with the dog club, I now am no longer holding any club positions!!  Yeah!!  Feels pretty darn good too...  Its been a very long time.

I did finally start swimming in the mornings at the new pool... and never went back for afternoons!  Felt bad for ditching my friend who had got me started, but the pool is just WAY too crowded in the afternoons and I'm not able to get in a good workout/swim trying to dodge 200 teenagers.  So I swim M/W/F mornings for almost an hour, am able to get in laps and walking the river, and I LOVE LOVE it!!  I dont mind getting up in the mornings an hour early to do so, I just do it.. I've been going in the mornings for almost a month now, my body is still getting used to it but I can feel my sore muscles throughout the day..  I'm pushing myself and not just lazily swimming along.  Dont get me wrong, I do take breaks as I can only do about 2-3 laps at a time and then I rest for about 30 seconds then do a different type of stroke..  But before I could only barely do 2 before my arms were too tired to finish that lap.

I've also now started walking on the days I dont swim.  I've gotten Derek motivated to get out with me, so we walk T/Th evenings.  Even walked in the rain this past Sunday morning and yesterday we went for a 90 minute hike at Lords Hill with a friend.  Really enjoying it and for the first time ever, really wanting to get out and do this and not allowing my lazy brain to take over.  If I eat poorly, I want to walk it off and feel bad when I dont have the opportunity to do so.  I was on a 3 week loosing streak at WW and finally got back down to the weight I was back in Nov....  But then last week I gained a little..  frustrating, but I'm fairly certain I will loose this week.. I've been active 9 of the last 10 days, pushing myself, eating pretty good (not perfect), but I feel it in my waist, so although I may not be pounds down from November, I've definately lost another inch or more in my waistline..

So I'm staying positive and continuing to work hard.  I'm relieved a little that I'm leasing Hula out right now and not focused on riding as it is allowing me the time I need to focus on myself.  I really need a guilt free mindset to work hard at this, so not feeling responsible for riding and grooming her is kinda nice.  Poor girl though, I had to tell Suzi to start coming over daily and brushing her because she is shedding really badly so she's been itching on anything she can get her big butt on!  Unfortunately it was a t-post yesterday.. she bent the t-post over and then proceeded to back into it and tried to scratch.. She failed and instead drove the tip of the t-post into her buttcheek pretty badly.  I called Suzi over to the house to help deal with it and proceeded to make her aware of the fact that she had just spent time brushing Hula a short while earlier and completely missed seeing it!  Hopefully Suzi learned a lesson and realizes she needs to do a better job of looking over the horse and ensuring she's not got injuries.. It was a pretty big cut for her to miss.. Yes it was on her buttcheek under her tail, however there was blood running down her leg, and she has white legs!  I cleaned it up really well and will do so daily until it starts to heal...  I didnt feel a vet call was necessary, as they would probably just add a few stitches and its not in an area that matters if it scars..  She is definitely sore, but I'm pretty confident we can keep this vet-free.

Still working hard on the baby-making process... still no news.

And no change on the jobs status for Derek.  Boeing has not called back; however, he is set up to take an academical test for the electrical union in about 2 weeks.  Once he passes that, then he should get called in for an interview and then hopefully job placement...  Fingers crossed as his unemployment runs out the end of April and there are no extensions...  things will work out... things will work out... things will work out...  :)

Edgar's New Home

A couple days ago, we moved Edgar up to his new home, with one of my best friend's Amber!  It took some convincing to talk Amber into taking him, I really felt he was the perfect horse for what she needed right now, but she was concerned about his Age and his Soundness issues..  I didnt want to be the pushy friend trying to "dump" my horse on her, as that is NOT what I was doing, I wanted her to really know I was thinking of her and her family.

She decided to give it a go, but wanted a pre-purchase vet check.  No problem..  She paid to have one done, and he passed pretty well.  Vet said he was a little under weight (I HATE when that happens) and not in working condition (which I knew obviously) but that his heart seemed good, he was a little wormy, he passed the lameness/stress test better than I expected him to and he only showed minor lameness in his rear right hock.  I didnt expect that, so that was good.  Vet actually said with the type of arthritis that he seemed to show, keeping him in working condition is far better for him than just sitting.  Music to Amber's ears!

After the vet visit, we hauled him to her place and he seemed content and happy in his new surroundings, even managed to get a nice roll in the soft dirt!

This is his new human best friend Natalie!  She was very excited and I see many happy days for those 2.

 This is his new pasture mate best friend June Bug!  She's a little doll, a mini mare I helped find for Amber I think about 18 months ago or more...  Super sweet little thing

And cute as a button!!

I'm excited for Edgar, Amber & her girls (Natalie & Serena).  He will be worked often, loved on daily, well fed (unlike the last gal I tried giving him to) and overall a happy awesome life ahead for him.  Its been a bit of a drama filled few weeks with Suzi (who was leasing him at our house) as she's struggled with letting go of Edgar and to her, its like her world was shattered into pieces.. I have to remind myself she is a kid and although I'm happy about this change, she is devastated.  But she did make this choice and it was the right choice as he was no longer suitable for her needs and Amber's family is a much better fit at this time in his life.  :)  

Crazy Train

Feels like we've been on a crazy ride the past few weeks...  Just when you think you are track A, life moves you to track B!

Derek was working hard on his math class.  He took a week-long break to help out at the Sportsman Show a few weeks ago and was nearing completion just a week ago.  He finally finished his last chapter (20 total) and after a few days, took the test..   83.6% I think it was..  AWESOME POSSUM!  I was really proud of him for finishing the class within a 5 week window basically.

We've been working hard at the whole baby-making process too..  Derek caught a cold and often was feeling crappy, he was tired from studying, stressed about life, but I had him on a 36hr schedule, whether either of us wanted to or not..  LOL    Not sure if it has paid off yet, the hard work that is, but it's possible!  We have mixed feelings about being too excited, we want to..  just a little unsure since we really are not going to be ready to spread the good news until we have confirmation of a healthy viable pregnancy..  So that's still a few months out from now.  We talk about it daily though, hoping that I am and even wishing for twins!

I have started swimming at the new pool in Snohomish.  My friend Angela has invited me to go with her on Mon and/or Wed nights.. It is BUSY, packed, crowded, full of teenagers, but its been nice and a great workout that is low-stress on my body but really good for me as well.  I hope to continue to swim, might even go in the mornings 3-4 days a week before work.  They have this really cool river that you can walk against the current on, good times!  My WW has been very up/down.  I was looking back and since I re-started in Oct, I've only lost 5 pounds in 4 months..  :(  But I had a lot of stress, depression and holidays to get through in this 4 months so I'm trying to not feel too disappointed about it.  I feel like I'm getting back on track and making better decisions, so I hope that continues.  I need to keep loosing and get out of this rut.

Over the past few months, Derek had been gearing up to start his new career as an electrician.  He purchased supplies, tools, took the math class, research and more to prepare himself.  He had every intention of leaving painting in the dust and moving on...  UNTIL....  Boeing had to go and finally consider him for a job as a Finish Painter..  He got the call 2 weeks ago that they wanted him to come in for an interview last week.  The interview was at 6:45am in Everett, it lasted exactly 30 minutes and Derek left there more stressed and anxious about how it had gone, than ever before!  In the past he was always fairly confident he had gotten the job if not had it already been offered to him on the spot.  And he did ALWAYS get the job in the past.  But this interview was different, the formality of it all, the lack of ability for Derek to connect with the interviewer or to sell himself on his abilities and skills, cut and dry - to the point.. that was his experience.  So we spent the next 24 hours stressed I guess you could say because he realized just how badly he wanted this job!  It would mean stability, steady work, a GREAT company to work for, great benefits, close to home and good pay migrating into great pay down the road.  The drawbacks:  It would mean we would be tied to the area for his career and he would likely be on Swing shift.

We worked it out in our heads though that moving is always something we can still consider down the road.  And if Derek is making better $ then it would be easier to afford to go do the things we had wanted to move closer to.  Also swing shift was another obstacle..  but we can find a way to make it work..  All contingent on getting offered the job of course.  We spent 24 hours worried and stressed about it and sure enough, the streak continues..  Derek is incapable of going for an interview and not getting the job!!!  :)  Yippy...  They did make an offer!!

I was excited, I was shaking.  I am so excited and happy for Derek.  I know he planned to get away from painting, BUT I also know a BIG part of that decision was due to the industry in our area and the employers.. not necessarily the job.  The companies in our area have all banned together to hire asshole bosses, dipshit foremen and dumbass supervisors..  lol   Boeing is not like these other shops in the area, so this should be a really great career move and decision for Derek.  There is a light at the end of this track, and it will be a 5 year process to get all the way to the light, but its worth it.

And then 24 hours later the kick to the gut came when Boeing called to say that they did not have authorization to make the hires for the job, so they had to withdraw their offer!  Happy F*ing Valentines to him (yep that was Valentine's day that they called).  Which made for a very somber evening filled with depression, disbelief, frustration...  There was no indication that they would be hiring anytime soon.  The good news:  He had already submitted his drug test earlier in the day, so his drug-free clearance will stay on record for 6 months and we found out today, that they are continuing with the background check as we have to verify employment for one of his previous employers.   What that means.. who knows!  What we hope that means...  that he will be at the top of the list when they do get authorization and will still re-offer him the job in the NEAR future..  but not holding our breath.

Either way.. I'm So Proud of my husband!!

Again, my apologies..

I feel pretty busy and seems like a lot is going on, but whenever someone asks me about life these days, I have no idea what we've been up to!  lol

The first Sunday in January, we spent the day in Vancouver BC.  Well not quite the entire day!  My 40th Birthday present (from back in Oct), the day had finally arrived!!  We were headed up to see the Cavalia production of Odysseo.  Since it was for a special occassion and we both needed something fun, special, amazing and relaxing to do, to bring in the new year, we spent the money for the good seats!  I wanted front row, center stage seats and the only way to do that is to go VIP.  It was a great experience!!  We were served a delicious brunch 1.5hrs before the show started with all you can eat and drink.  During intermission, we also were treated to all you can eat dessert buffet.. we did not leave there hungry!  And the show..  well it was nothing less than amazing and beautiful!  As a VIP, we also were allowed to tour the barn/stables, which was not too exciting for us, we see horses in their stalls every day.. but we did walk through and enjoyed the whole experience..  Would love to be able to afford VIP every time they come to town!

Pictures are not allowed during the show, but here are a few from their website and a glimpse of what we experienced.

 

 

 

 

Our Hunting Retriever Club has been getting more active as the new year starts, so that's taken up some of our time.  A couple meetings and then a day of sewing!  We had to work on building some holding/winger blinds so we spent 8 hours last weekend working on them.. We had 16 blinds to finish, we got probably 75% of it done!  

I've handed over about 90% of the Cascade Horse Club treasurer responsibilities now, planning to hand over the rest of it tonight!  Whoohoo..  really glad to be done with that for a while.  Although I will still advise when I am needed.  

We had decided a while back that we didnt want to have any horse expenses this year, with the career change and baby-making plans, so we gave Suzi the option to pick which horse she'd like to lease for the year.  She decided Hula was the better option for her moving forward, which I feel is best as well.  Suzi now wants to lope a lot and really push the horses more and herself more, Edgar just will not hold up for that.  So we are giving him to my friend Amber.  He is the perfect safe family horse for her and her girls.  Natalie is 7 and Serena is 3 and he will take care of them!  Hula will be more challenge for Suzi as she is not quite as laid back as Edgar, but shes still an awesome horse and will force Suzi to learn how to ride even better.  Ive ridden Hula twice in the past week and I sure am enjoying it!  She could use a major refresher and I'd like to do it, but not sure that is feasible right now.  I may try to haul her out to ride a few times a week to get her going and back on track..  we will see.

Derek's been busy working on his math class every day and working in the shop.  He's converting the paint booth over to a wood shop and he is really enjoying his time out there building new things!  He did this window wrapping for our living room and will eventually do all the windows & doors.

Slowly we work on getting things done around the house.. slowly.  But its coming along.  Derek hopes to get this math class squared away by about mid Feb I think it is..  Then he'll be able to move forward into finding a job as an apprentice..  

He also built this awning over the shop door, since we lost our gutters a few years ago to a heavy snow, he was tired of getting soaked as he unlocked the shop!

This week he's been down at the Sportsman Show in Puyallup all week.  Pat Murphy manages the property where we hold our training days and he got a double booth down there, so Derek is there to help Pat out and promote Pat's business's, as well as educate people about our club too.  He took Cooper yesterday for the day and felt a little bad, because no one was paying attention to Pat's lab dogs he had down there, that are champion hunting dogs..  everyone wanted to know about Cooper!!  LOL

Derek has met quite a few people, starting to make some connections and even helped confirm for 2 different people that the Boykin was the breed for them.  One guy from MT has been researching them; he and his family had determined they wanted a Boykin, but they had never seen one in person, so after a few minutes with Cooper, they were sold and are now even more excited to find a dog!!   Cooper came home exhausted..  long day.  He'll be staying home the rest of the week/weekend so Derek can focus more on helping Pat and less on showing off our awesome Coopey Dog!  :)

Baby-Making Status:  It has now been 3 months and my 3rd cycle is currently in progress, which means my body should be good to go.  It has been a loooong 3 month wait...  I am fairly certain I suffered from some depression during that time as I felt on the verge of tears on many occasions and was irritable..  finally one day I just realized I was most likely depressed.  I didnt call my doctor as I had a feeling that I just needed to get through this month and get myself pregnant again!  So we'll be working on that and hope to be sooner than later and I'm back to normal as I'm only crying when I watch movies with emotional scenes!  lol