Riding in the rain

The last few days have been pretty busy, but I have gotten out to ride almost every day this past week!  Saturday morning started early as John drove three hours to Norman to sell his RV.  The guy he met out there helped him get it running and after 5 hours of working, he bought the dang thing!  I think John is really relieved to get rid of it.  It has been sitting, not running, on his grandpa's land for over a year now.  Leaving it there after we leave the state just seemed rude.  So, we are glad it is gone!  I rode the horse while John was gone and we worked on cantering more and going over low cavaletti. My dad came in to town Saturday afternoon and once John got home we had meatloaf and a birthday party for Charley's 2nd birthday!     

Sunday was busy with driving the horse trailer to our house, loading up two couches, two tables, and a dining room set for my brother.  We got it all loaded and drove 3 hours to Edmond.  It actually wasn't a bad drive at all.  Having my dad following made it easier because he could 'block' so that I could change lanes easier.  One of my goals today is to get a plug put in the bed of the truck so that the power cord doesn't hand off the bumper any more.  We had to stop more than once to re hang the cord.  The vet wrap bungee cord I rigged had worked for shorter trips, but it wasn't cutting it on this longer drive.  One time was had to stop and I got off on a toll exit.  we only had 50 cents which was enough for a 2 axel vehicle.  So, we set off the alarm.  I'm not worried about it though, because Oklahoma doesn't require trailers to have tags!  So hopefully they just got a picture of the back of the trailer.  We unloaded the trailer at my grandparents, had dinner, and drove back just in time to unhitch as the sun was setting.  

John had Monday off and came out to watch me ride for the first time in a few weeks.  I showed him all of the things we had been working on and he was impressed at how much we had improved since last time!  The biggest improvement was the cantering, for sure.  Last time he saw us cantering, we were in the big pasture and could hardly tun to save our lives.  Now we can make circles of many different sizes!   I showed him how Boomer is stiffer on his right side and some of the exercises we do everyday to help loosen him up.  Stopping and backing has also improved.  I also showed him how we have been starting on spins.  I'm not sure Boomer quite understands that the pivot on that back leg is what I want, but he sure does try and he is better every time we try!  We also showed off our neck reining skills, which are pretty good!  It rained at the beginning of our ride, but it was a very light rain and the sun was still out, so it didn't bother any of us.  In Oklahoma, we say "the devil is beating his wife" when the sun is out and it is raining.  John got a couple of video clips of out warm up at the trot, then the camera died.  I hope to get a good video of us soon!  

On the moving front, John and I have decided to postpone our wedding party.  It was scheduled for July 4th at our house.  If we had known about this move, we would have never sent out invitations.  Luckily, I hadn't really planned anything yet, so I didn't have anything to do to cancel except send out apologies to everyone.  For some reason, I just have never pictured myself in a wedding dress, and due to my lack of religious views, I don't picture myself in a church.  I don't like planning big events, and I don't exactly relish the thought of having to entertain and be social with so many people.  Most of my family is divorced and remarried, so that is always awkward.  John wanted a big wedding so that his friends could be his groomsmen, so we were compromising by not having a wedding, and having a big reception that everyone was invited to.  Once we found out we were moving, John's sister offered that we could use their house instead.  Only problem, she will be 8 months pregnant and we just can't put that kind of stress on her.   So, we are postponing.  I think John suddenly appreciated the simplicity of my master plan when he realized how easy it was to reschedule something that didn't require any planning to begin with!  Plus, we were going to wait to get married until after we bought a home because I will qualify for the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit.  So, new plan- we will buy a home, then get married, then invite a few people up to Lawrence for a party at our new house.  

Right now, we are waiting to hear from the apartment people about the sub lease we will be renting for June and July.  We also need to rent a storage unit, as the apartment is only about 560sf.  The movers will come on Thursday at 9:30 to see what we have and give us a move date.  The last time we moved, they told us they needed a months notice.  I fully expect John to have a word with the relocation company if they tell us that!!!  

I am actually kind of excited about our tiny apartment!  It has a gym and a pool!  I know I will spend most of the time studying Chemistry and Genetics, but I better get some pool time in and have a nice tan before it is all over!  

Countdown- 15 days...    

I'm off to do some Genetics homework, take the truck to get a plug, and ride the horse!