Working with the horses again!

With the rain yesterday I was sooo happy to get back out to the barn today and work with the horses. Just a quick little video of Sammi and one of me working the horses. I am super impressed with Samantha, she is very good with Lady and really gets into what she's doing. She's confident and able and I can't wait to get her even more involved. She's going to be able to say that Lady is the horse she is because of the work she did with her.

Ellie needs some ground work because she gets a little stubborn so I thought it wouldn't hurt her to get some today while it was nice enough to be out. It was a good day with Samantha, just her and I. We don't get to do that often enough!

Horsin' Around

One of John's favorite things is to work with the horses. Obviously he will not be able to do that for a very long time. That doesn't mean, though, that the girls and I can't go out and play with our equine family members! Today we went out to the barn to meet up with a friend who is going to help train Lady so she's ready to hit the trails when John gets back. She is also going to help get Charlie chilled out and help me fine tune Ellie. I'm looking forward to throwing myself into horses this summer while I am out of school!! Here are some pics of the day. It's funny because when Cili rides Ellie, she can be a bit stubborn and won't do what she's asked. If I stand in the middle of the round pen, though, she will do what she's told. I have a whip handy to remind her that I'm serious but it's just to keep her alert.


Meanwhile, Samantha learned how to ground drive Lady today. Our friend and trainer, Tiffany, worked very well with her and showed her what to do so Sammi can work on her own this week. I'm excited to watch her really bond with and teach Lady to do what she wants her to do. Lady is a good girl, she just forgets she's a horse and we are people...she needs some manners! We've had her since she was 9 months old, so it's to be expected. We are her family!
Here's a little video of Cili making a course in the round pen.

He's gone...

Well, John left yesterday for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan. This is the worst time, when he first leaves. I think about all that will happen that he will miss, all that I will want or need help with that he won't be here for. He won't be around for conversations at the end of the day, or to wake up to in the morning.

A year is a long time, but I suppose as I get older they go by much more quickly. I think about how it was just a minute ago we were coloring eggs and then we did it again! He'll be home just after we color them again next year.

My eyes are burning from moments of crying. It's not a continual flow, just moments when I hurt and wish it wasn't really happening. I know he misses us when he's away, too, and that may hurt me more than anything. I can't stand to know that he is hurting. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We need him to come home safely.

Love you, babe, hurry back!

John's OIF III Video

This is Operation Shoe Shine and other clips from John's work during OIF III. Our family group was able to collect 1,300 pairs of shoes and about $1,400 for the postage to get them all to Iraq. John made a little size board and sorted the shoes out by size. The kids and adults would come and have their feet sized and he'd give them shoes. It was an incredible experience for everyone. Meanwhile, while serving as a Medic he was able to make a big impact on those that he came in contact with. I am very proud of him!

John built the aid station that you see in this video, by hand (no power tools!). He put a red cross on the door and even built a little bird house! This aid station was about 20 miles from the city or Ur, where Abraham was born. This was during the last 6 months of his deployment with the Georgia National Guard's 48th Brigade Combat Team. That group just returned home from a year-long deployment from Afghanistan. My heart was with those families, as we knew so many that were serving again and even some whose soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice.

As deployment to Afghanistan looms in the all-to-near future, I know that the people John meets will be better for it. Hurry back, babe! Love you so much!

Family Portraits 4-12-10, by alesia o'keefe

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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Welcome, Spring!!

Yes, it's been awhile...I recognize this. I know my weaknesses, let's not rub them in, shall we??

We've had a lot going on in the past few months so I'll get right to the point. I had my surgery on December 9th, 2009. It's been almost 4 full months and I have lost about 56 pounds! As you see from the top photo, I've changed a bit!

John's getting ready to leave...again...this time to Afghanistan. He'll be gone for a year or so and we are very blah about the whole thing...ok, I am very blah, I don't want to see him go and quite frankly, Afghanistan scares the hell out of me. There. I said it.

Here he is with two of his sisters who came to visit for his birthday (which also happened to be Easter Sunday!).

His nephew, Josh, is happy to be in the background!

We had family up for the holiday weekend and it was really fabulous. John's sister Kathy came. Her son, Brian, came with his wife, Lori and their son, Aidan. John's sister Maggie and her hubby Steve, their grandson, Sklyar, and their son Josh and his girlfriend, Angie all came to visit for a long weekend. I have missed having family around and enjoyed their visit more than I can tell you.

We had a fun Easter egg hunt with Aidan and our Cecilia...the two that qualified as young enough to hunt eggs. Sammi and Lori helped color the boiled eggs and loved getting their fingers blue, purple, pink...a serious rainbow!

We had a great big Easter feast that was absolutely fabulous. I loved having family around and seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter and conversation. This is what I miss about having family around. I miss my family and I miss his. Sniffle...

We also celebrated John's birthday. He turned 47 on Easter. We got him a horsey cake that he seemed to enjoy!

John also enjoyed spending the days out with the horses and showing his family his world there. It was fun for everyone to get to hang with our critters!

You can see more pictures Family Visit April, 2010'>here!

Oh my what a slacker!!!

Ok, so I apologize for not posting in such a long time!! I didn't realize it had been since school started in August! We have a lot to catch up on!

I started Grad school and have been very busy taking classes in order to get my Masters of Arts in Teaching. I go to school twice a week for 5 hours each day. I have also been teaching in a 2nd grade classroom full time up to this point as a long-term substitute. It has been VERRRRY crazy for me!

The kids are great. Everyone is doing well in school and John has been getting ready for another deployment. We don't look forward to another year without him, but that's his job and we support him in it.

I had a gastric bypass on December 9th. Most of my life right now is centered on watching weight fall off of my body. Everyone has been super supportive! I am still on a liquid diet and am moving to soft foods for a month, but it is so worth the end result. The pictures that show up on this blog will hopefully show a transformation.

Today John and I went riding at Kyle Lake. We have never been out together with the horses because he usually takes the girls, well Cecilia really, when he goes and when I go it's with one of my friends. So it was a nice fun date today to go riding. We wanted to be careful since my surgery was less than two weeks ago, but it was such a beautiful day (60 degrees!) that I couldn't resist going. I haven't ridden in quite awhile because I have been so self-conscious of my weight. I felt bad getting on my horse as big as I was. Well, I have lost 20 pounds so I decided to go ahead and get back in the saddle. I love riding Ellie, she's a good girl and isn't spooky at all. John and Charlie ride flawlessly, too, so it was a nice ride. John took us into some brush off the trail and we picked our way through, but Ellie got tired of the bramble, trees, and thorny bushes and finally just turned around and headed out! She wasn't responding to me so I told John we were headed out to the open and he and Charlie reluctantly followed!

It was a beautiful day and a wonderful date with my hubby! I had minimal discomfort and I know it will only get better from here on out! Here are some photos of recent activities, including the Nashville Zoo trip in November (Keegan, Sammi, and Cili went with me), and today's horseback riding adventure.