It's New Year's Eve... right?

I'm not sure, you see, because yesterday felt like 3 years.

When I first entered the barn I heaved a huge sigh of relief because it didn't look that bad.

Surely not much can fit into that... right?

The TV, washer/dryer and vacuum all neatly arrayed...

Oh crap... note to self: I haven't packed the TV or vacuum yet. DON'T FORGET!!

OK, now where was I? Oh yeah... I was heaving a premature sigh of relief because I figured there couldn't possibly be that much stuff in the camper. After all, it's not that big. Right?

Wrong... Holy crap. Where did all this stuff come from?

Farmer did generously donate some help... who, it turns out, weren't that helpful.

I am adorable to look at. That's helpful...

As I had suspected, I was on my own. So I began to pull out boxes and re-sort them. When I had packed stuff up in Idaho I didn't do a very good job of getting Ex-hub's crap into one box and mine into a separate one. So, I had to go through every box and re-sort them all...

At one point, I wasn't sure I was going to get out alive...

But eventually I started to make heads and tails of it and start to get stuff separated. And it only took 10+ hours... And it's not like I was just standing around. Every time I got in and out of the camper it was like a deep-knee bend... X 100. By the end, I was really starting to hate Ex-hub. So I did what any self-respecting person would do: I took all the good stuff and left the crap for him. 

OK, not really. But I really, really wanted to...

By this time it was late in the afternoon and Farmer had wandered back home to help out. His version of help:

This...

Plus this...

Equals washer & dryer loaded in about 5 minutes...

At one point throughout the day, I acquired a new hood ornament...

A very stylish Milo-shaped one...

And every time I went into the house to go pee I had to do a barn kitty head-count to make sure that someone didn't get locked in the camper...

Nope... no mice here either.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a move without me smashing 

some digit and bloodying it up...

I got things wrapped up just as the sun was setting...

Then it was time to go in and have some dinner. However, I made the mistake of sitting down. Once there, I couldn't get back up again. My quads were hurting so bad that I looked like a little old lady hobbling around the house.

I barely made it to the shower and only got out once the water turned cold. Then I feebly hobbled off to bed, where I now still currently reside...

I'm contemplating getting up, but every time I move all my muscles scream in horror. However, I do need to get things tarped up, tied down and begin my trek back to the Parental's. 

I'm scheduled to have a raging evening with the bff for New Year's Eve... and it should be a blast. If I can walk, that is...

I'm here, screeching belts and all...

So, part II of "the wettest move ever 2010" continued yesterday. Well, actually it began a few days ago when I finally decided I had open up the truck and see how bad it was. Keep in mind that I hadn't been in it since I got back from the Idaho move, which ended in September. Typically I will drive my truck at least once a week to haul down to the beach to ride. However, since returning from that hellacious trip I haven't had the money to fill up the truck again. So it has sat. And sat. And sat.

And molded... apparently.

When I first opened up the door, my nose was assaulted with the smell of decaying horse hair that had molded. Oh yum. What a crappy way to find out that the truck isn't all that watertight.

So I did what anyone in my position would do... I Fabreezed the crap out of it and then ran like hell. I wasn't sure what mixing those 2 smells would produce, but I didn't want to stick around to find out.

The next day, when I opened it back up again I was pleasantly surprised. Fabreeze lives up to it's billing. The truck actually smelled like sweaty horse again... with a hint of Mango. I packed up the truck and hit the road.

First I made a pit-stop at the Parental's to have a spa day with Flip-flop. For Christmas I had gotten a gift certificate to Kohl's, plus $10 in Kohl's cash so I wanted to do a little shopping. But before that El Dub, Flip-flop and I went to Chevy's for lunch... where I proceeded to eat them out of every fajita shell in the joint (dang those things are good) and then we went shopping. Of course nothing fit because I was hauling around an extra 10 pounds in fajita shells.

I was, however, able to model some of the latest fashions in eye-wear...

Flip-flop took one look at this very stylish fashion statement and promptly peed her pants laughing. Thanks, mom. 

After shopping, it was pedicure time. 

My toes are now dressed to party for New Year's Eve...

A close-up of the fine artistry that now graces my big toes...

After all that, it was time to head to Eastern Oregon and to Farmer's. All day it had been snowing on and off so I was a little worried about my late departure time (it was around 4pm by then) and the fact that I might get caught up in traffic or weather-related messes. 

However, the trip went smoothly except for one little thing... the belts on my truck. They screeched the whole way here. And I mean SCREEEEEEEEEECHED. I finally had to put on my headphones and crank up my iPod to drown out the noise. And then, towards the end, every time I engaged my clutch the "check engine" light would come on. Great... what the hell does that mean? 

I'm hoping Farmer can take a look at my sickly beast before I head back to the Coast. But for now, I don't need to go anywhere so it's fine. In fact, today will be devoted to sorting through the storage unit (otherwise known as my camper) and packing up the stuff that will be heading back home with me. Ex-hub already stopped by on Monday and grabbed what he could on his trek out to Colorado... now it's my turn. 

What I'm most excited about dragging home is the washer and dryer. I have been dragging my laundry around with me every time I visit anyone because I refuse to go to a laundry-mat. Call me crazy, but the people I usually see at those places remind me why I don't do random visits to the local jail...

So the order of the day is: breakfast, frappé, putting on every piece of clothing I brought with me (I think it's like 18º here) and then out to the camper to sort. Wish me luck...

I don't mean to be rude, but "kumquat"...

I am a mouthy person. I am told that I have been this way since I could talk. Flip flop assures me that the first words out of my mouth were "I know you are, but what am I?". Personally I was thinking it was the "I am rubber, you are glue" insult, but I was very little... my memory of this momentous event might not be the best. But that totally sounds more like me. Just sayin'...

And because I am in the era of new-found self-awareness, I figured it would be a good idea to give RR a "safe word" to use in case I got a little too argumentative... which is bound to happen sooner or later. After all, you can't overcome 38 years of instinct. Or is that stubbornness?

Anywho...

So, we bandied about a few ideas for appropriate safe words. It needed to be something that, when used properly, would most likely have nothing to do with the conversation at hand. There were a few words that made it to the final cut, however fruit seemed to be the predominate theme... and eventually it came down to two: pineapple or kumquat. Both are delicious and fun to say so it was a tough decision. But we decided to go with kumquat because who doesn't love to just throw that word out there? Plus, I can't think of a better word to break up fight-induced tension. It makes me giggle just typing it...

(insert maniacal giggling here)

The only problem is that RR is having a hard time grasping when to use the safe word. My intention was that it only be used in case of emergency. However, the other night RR and I were laying on the bed watching a movie when all of a sudden he looked over at me and mid-sentence said "I don't mean to be rude, but kumquat..."

I fell off the bed I was laughing so hard. For five solid minutes I was gasping for air and tears were running down my face. I guess as a trial run to see the effectiveness of tension-breaking it was a success.

I will never be able to look another kumquat in the eye without laughing...

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

The lion sleeps tonight...

 OK... he's not really a lion, but BooBoo shaves him up to look like one...

Duke decided that if his bed was going to be hijacked by Midas that he would just take over BooBoo's lap instead...

This is waaaaaay better than a stoopid dog bed...

He was so excited about all the lovin' that he wouldn't sit still for a good picture...

So, I went to the parental's for Christmas Eve and took RR (way easier to type out than Railroad) and Dizzy with me. We ate. We played. We laughed. We cried... OK, the losing team did anyway.

And these weren't just silly games. There were high stakes involved. We played a game called "Catch-phrase" which is a lot like Hot-potato. If you are the one left holding the device when the timer ran out you had to eat a jelly bean. I know, doesn't sound too ominous. However, these were no ordinary jelly beans. They had good flavors and bad flavors. You could get strawberry, blueberry, caramel corn and such... or you could get dog food, barf, moldy cheese or centipede. And let me tell you, El Dub got the centipede and he had to leave the room to go spit it out it was that foul... and really funny to watch.

Later my niece and nephews got to open one gift. The youngest, who is around 2, had a complete melt-down when the resulting pajamas were not Iron Man themed... After all, who wants to wear stoopid reindeer pajamas when you could be wearing Iron Man?

Then it was time for RR and Dizzy to head back to the coast and for all the other sibs not staying at the Parental's to go to their own abodes. And then the frantic wrapping began...

The wrapping war zone...

Thankfully the mess was contained to only one room. The rest of the house was spared...

Then it was time to sleep (my personal favorite) and wait for Santa to arrive. I pulled couch duty...

Flip flop waiting for the impending emotional and physical assault about to take place...

 

Let the festivities begin...

BooBoo, Cracker and T waiting for the crowds to arrive...

My sis-in-law who found out she's expecting a boy in June...

More present opening and mass chaos...

Flip flop watching the mass destruction of her house...

BooBoo and Cracker...

I've decided that toy designers have a great sense of humor...

 Look at the size of those hands!!

Flip flop sporting the second best gift of the day...

Then came the best part of the day. After the masses left it was just me, Flip flop and El Dub, BooBoo and her bf Cracker and my little bro T. We were opening a few more gifts and then we got to the end of that and then Cracker went to get one last gift for BooBoo...

Earlier this year, Cracker bought my sis a new Apple laptop for her birthday (which was in November) and Christmas. Ever since he bought it he has been wrapping it back up and giving it to her again and again. So, when Cracker ran upstairs to grab the last gift we all started laughing.

So, she opened the present and then preceded to hold up her "new" computer. She took it out of the case and was wondering out loud if it was used and laughing all the while. Then, Cracker told her to open up the laptop, which she did... And the look on her face was priceless. On the computer screen was a cartoon of Cracker holding a ring with a cartoon of BooBoo and then a big question mark after it. She was totally speechless. Then Cracker got down on one knee and brought out the ring and said "So, what do you think?". 

I, being the hopeless romantic that I am, cried. 

BooBoo, once getting over her shock, said yes.

And now my little sis is engaged to a pretty spectacular guy.

Just look at the size of that rock...

After all that excitement, it was time for me to head back to the coast and have a yummy turkey din-din with RR and his family. The food was awesome and I felt very welcome... 

And then we opened gifts. It was a lot of fun. RR got me a fabulous glass float blown especially for me with all these beautiful colors. I got him a nice Columbia jacket that he hasn't taken off since he got it.

So, the only thing missing from this Christmas was the kitchen sink...

Which I later found on the beach...

All in all, one of the best Christmases ever!!

Because criminals prefer unarmed citizens...

OK... Farmer posted this video to facebook and it was so funny (and right on) that I just had to share...

And happy "Friday" to you all. At least, it's my Friday :)

I want to strangle the everloving life out of...

My dog!!

Not the good dog (Daisy). She would never do such a thing.

I told you not to get another dog, mom. I am the best there ever was.

Although, I do love tackling the marshmallow...
I guess she can stay.

When I got home last night I was greeted with this:

Garbage strewn all over the house...

And this:

Please don't beat me. I can't help myself...

Look at how cute and adorable I am?

 Pllleeeeeeaaaaaaassssseeeeee don't murder me... I'll be a good dog. I swear...

Let me tell you, it was tempting to beat her to a pulp. Especially as I was picking up egg shells from all over the place. I had to do deep-breathing exercises and count to 10... many times. 

For a while it sounded like a lamaze class in my kitchen, and I almost hyperventilated once.

Damn mutt... 

I guess I will have to Noelle-proof my kitchen. Because next time I will beat her to death. In my mind...

Crazy, crazy, go away...

And don't come back. Ever.

You know, sometimes I get so frustrated by my reoccurring habits that I just want to kick something. Unfortunately I can't reach my own butt...

Maybe yoga would fix that?

Anywho...

Ex-hub was a great talker. He always knew just what to say. Unfortunately he did nothing to back it up. It was all just words. And when it really came right down to it, he couldn't tell me what the problem was. He just shut down and pretended everything was fine while withdrawing from our relationship until he was no longer present. Those actions were hurtful. In a pretty major way...

The Biologist was a good talker, sometimes. But occasionally he too would go off into some far-off place that I couldn't follow. It made it frustrating to try to figure out where I stood...

Farmer was never a talker. He was a doer. Which I kind of liked but still wanted to hear the spoken word as well. Now, whenever I tell him I love him (and I do... deeply) he just says ditto. Which always makes me laugh. I know how he feels because of how he acts... Good enough for me from one of my very best friends. And also, I know there is no way I'm changing it so there you have it.

Wulfe was also a great one for words. He said incredibly beautiful things to me (and about me to my friends). But there just wasn't enough there to sustain anything.

And now Railroad comes along and he is also a beautiful communicator. But I am a bit gun-shy. I want to believe... I do. And I also don't want to be that person that punishes the current relationship because of sins of the past ones.

I really, really, really don't want to be that person. But I seem to be doing this despite my best efforts. Damn my brain!! It's an old habit that I desperately want to break... but how? I'm told that the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have one.

OK, here goes...

Hi, my name is SweetPea and I am a jerk.

{hello SweetPea}

Oh yeah... I'm starting to feel better already. Maybe there is something to this 12 step thing. At least I hope so. I really want to be a good person to Railroad because he is being an amazing person to me...

After all, I woke up to find these...

Gerberas... my favorite.

And a sweet note to go with it. Those are the things that dreams are made of...

No body armor needed...

I did a mean thing yesterday... I dragged Railroad up to the parental's house to meet the whole fam.

I figured I had better get that over with before Christmas Eve just in case he wanted to ditch me after the traumatic event. But, he survived and didn't even feel the need to wear the coat of armor I so courteously provided...

The only thing I felt bad about was all the yummy food he couldn't have. Railroad has quite a few food stuffs that are off the menu for him... basically anything containing sugar and/or milk products.

I commend him for sticking to it because if it were me I'd have killed myself by now. I can't imagine a world where I couldn't have flip-flops delicious crescent rolls. Life just wouldn't be worth living...

Is ignorance bliss?

The age-old question. Would you rather know and then be able to assess and deal? Or not know and just merrily march on with your life in bliss?

I'm actually torn on this issue...

On one hand I would love to know everything. Every thought that goes through his head. Any misgivings. Any surprises. Any crazy...

On the other hand, I know what types of ridiculous, crazy thoughts roll through my head and there is no reason to give voice to all that goes on in there... ya know?

So, I guess I am somewhat agreeing with Dizzy on this issue... her opinion: Unless it affects her life directly she wants to take the army approach to policy. Don't ask... don't tell.

But one of the things I'm really enjoying with Railroad is the very open lines of communication. I'm hoping that is always the case.

So, in that light, I'm thinking it's on a case-by-case basis...

There are some things worse than death...

Like no DirecTV until Friday.

I just had the damn thing installed on Sunday and it's kaput already thanks to the big storm that rolled through here and ripped the roof off of a local motel.

I guess I should be thankful that I still have a roof. But mostly I just want my damn TV working again...

Hormones suck...

For many various reasons. But right now they are making my life very difficult...

As you know, I am now in a relationship. And I am wanting to take this relationship slow... no rush to the bedroom for me. I want to get to know Railroad and get a good foundation before I ever consider moving into the physical realm.

My hormones, however, are not only not with this program, they are making my life a living hell. I know I want to wait. They don't. And every time Railroad and I kiss, I have to beat them down with a very large stick...

I know there are worse problems I could have. But right now, this one is driving me nuts!!

So, hormones... I damn thee to hell. Oh, and take the monthly cramps with you...

Couldn't have been worse timing...

So, I moved this weekend. In a torrential down-pour. Of course. Oh, and my period started... which meant lots of cramps and not a very happy me. Poor Bff and Railroad. They had to put up with my sorry ass...

But, it all got done. And now I am in the new place and just loving it. Except for the fact that nothing has a home yet and I can't find anything... oh well.

I also heard from CPSL this weekend wondering if I was out. He indicated that he might have someone ready to move in before the 20th and would that be OK with me? Um, hell ya!! That's an extra $20 per day for every day ahead of the 20th. I'm hoping that if that's the case that I might actually get my deposit back. Railroad is convinced that CPSL is terrified of me. Good. That might make things in that department go smoothly... for once.

I also heard from Ex-hub this weekend. He interviewed for a job in Colorado for a Sports Director position with a radio station and he got the job. He's leaving Oregon on the 26th. I'm very happy for him and hope he enjoys it as much as I think he will... Which means, our things will finally be divided for once and all. Feels a little weird to have no more ties to him. But I'm sure he'll keep in touch. At least, I hope he does... does that make me crazy?

O Christmas tree...

In honor of my new place (and because I love Christmas), I got a Christmas tree this year. YAY!!

Now, over the years I have accumulated a vast array of Christmas ornaments and decorations. However, those are currently in Eastern Oregon with Farmer. So instead my cute little noble fir is now decked out in the most gaudy affair that $10 could buy from the $1 store. Oh well...

After all, if you can't be gaudy at Christmas

when can you?

However, at this time my Christmas tree is matching those god-awful curtains just brilliantly. And as soon as I find suitable replacements those things are coming down ASAP. *gag* I mean, who thinks those are attractive anyway? But, of course, I can't just throw them away. They come with the place (hope I'm not paying extra for those things) and therefore they will just have to reside in a corner somewhere until I move out.

But Daisy could care less about the curtains. She's in doggie heaven with the fireplace...

Just turn it on and then leave me be, woman...

So this weekend is the big move. I'm hoping we won't get rained on. But not looking promising, thus far...

Fencing, I damn thee to hell...

OK, I love it here at the coast up until the time I go to feed the equine. Then I hate it. With a passion. The wind, rain, salt and wind (wait, did I say that twice?) make it hard to keep stuff working and upright...

Last night when Railroad and I arrived at the pasture we were met with horsies on the wrong side of the fence. Again. Only this time it wasn't the hot tape fence that was the issue (yet). We had a huge windstorm yesterday which blew down the fence with the gate attached to it. When we finally got lights working again (because the fence had taken those out) we discovered that the fence posts were completely rotted out. Oh goody...

So railroad grabbed some tools and we ended up bracketing the fence to the barn itself. So, for now, problem fixed. Although, when Mower gets back from Vietnam those posts are going to have to be replaced. They are a total loss.

Then this morning I ended up getting up really late. I called Railroad to see if he could run up and feed for me since I had an 8:30am meeting and was just barely going to make it. When I got out of the meeting and called him, he informed me that Elmo was out again and that the fence charger was no longer among the living... But being the awesome bf that he is, he had hooked up the alternate charger and would look at the other one to see if it could be fixed. If I had been there I would have given him a big kiss.

But seriously, this is getting to the point where I just want to board. Too bad I don't have an extra $350 a month. *sigh*

I really miss having the horses on the same piece of property that I reside on. It was so much easier that way.

My goal is to be a land/home owner again someday. I'm just hoping that someday isn't like 40 years from now...

Love at first sight...

Or maybe it should be called "lust at first hormones"...

I know there are those of you out there that are sure love at first sight is possible. But, if my understanding of love is more advanced than that of a kindergartner, then I would say that love takes time and trust in order to be cultivated. But, I have been wrong before...

And Farmer's friend Baker is trying to prove me wrong. She was also an internet dater. She met a guy online who lived in Whyoming... (oops, I mean Wyoming). She lives in Boise (that's in Idaho, in case you were wondering). And they were a couple even before they met.

To me, this seems like a tragedy waiting to happen. After all, I have myself experienced the repercussions of having all kinds of chemistry by phone and text and then having it fall flat when the face-to-face meeting occurred. But, somehow for them, it seems to be working. And I have a theory on why...

You have heard me talk about the correct dynamic needed for good relationships to work, and that is: men like to chase... women like to be chased. In the successful relationships I see all around me that dynamic is alive and well.

In Baker's situation, he was the one pushing to be a couple before they had met. And women will overlook a lot of things if we think that you (the man) are in hot pursuit. However, if it had been her pushing for the relationship and then he hadn't felt "the spark" upon meeting we would be talking about a whole different outcome...

But it seems to be working out for her, and from what Farmer tells me he sounds like a decent guy. Of course, Farmer thinks they get a thumbs up if they are pro-gun and republican... so maybe he's not the best judge of such things.

Just sayin'...

She will be missed...

My good friend had to say goodbye to one of her dear equine friends today...

In honor of Tess... a great equine who has now crossed over the rainbow bridge...

Don't Cry For The Horses"
Brenda Riley-Seymore

Don't cry for the horses
That life has set free

A million white horses
Forever to be

Don't cry for the horses
Now in God's hands
As they dance and they prance
To a heavenly band

They were ours as a gift
But never to keep
As they close their eyes
Forever to sleep

Their spirits unbound
On silver wings they fly
A million white horses
Against the blue sky

Look up into heaven
You'll see them above
The horses we lost
The horses we loved

Manes and tails flowing
They gallop through time
They were never yours
They were never mine

Don't cry for the horses
They will be back someday
When our time has come
They will show us the way

On silver wings they will lift us
To the warmth of the sun
When our life is over
And eternity has begun

We will jump the sun
And dance over the moon
A ballet of horses and riders on the winds
Of a heavenly tune

Do you hear that soft nicker
Close to your ear
Don't cry for the horses
Love the ones that are here

Don't cry for the horses
Lift up your sad eyes
Can't you see them
As they fly by

A million white horses
Free from hunger and pain
Their spirits set free
Until we ride again

No tears. No drama. No fun...

Yesterday my parents decided to drive down to the coast to take me to lunch for my birthday. Yeah, I know. They are a few months late. But, better late than never I always say. Especially when it involves lunch at Kyllo's and I'm not buying...

Railroad also took the opportunity to celebrate my "birthday" by bringing me beautiful carnations (my 2nd favorite flower) in a very cool glass vase. He also gave me this very cool bubble gun that lights up and shoots bubbles everywhere. The dogs decided it was the devil and ran and hid from the floating objects emanating from the devil's machine. But I liked it. And, of course, will use it to torment the pups...

So, while the parentals were here I took that opportunity to introduce them to the the new SO. Always interesting and slightly awkward. But all seemed to go well... with no strange looks from either side of the table. Success!! However, later flip-flop was asking me all kinds of questions that I really didn't have the answers to. Hmmmm... time for some serious Q & A. I need to get to the bottom of such things... But, all in good time, I'm sure.

I also showed the parentals the new place... and they liked it. El Dub deemed it worthy of putting the computer in hock for.

Then it was time to head out to the beach again. After all, it was a decent day with very little wind blowing...

There were quite a few people out surfing.

They are crazy, if you ask me...

But I'm told that the water off the Oregon coast is actually warmer at this time of year. I won't be testing that theory any time soon...

Hey, mom... Do I have sand on my face?

Did I get it all off?

Will someone please throw the ball so I can tackle the marshmallow?

All in all, it was a lovely day with no hysterics or drama to speak of. However, in a few weeks the whole fam dam will be in town and it will be time for Railroad to run that gauntlet... hope he's ready. I'll make sure he has his flak jacket and helmet ready to go...