Freezing My Ass Off

So we've gotten our first "cold snap". Apparently November was mild (average high in the 50's) and December has certainly made up for it. It's only the 6th but we've already had ~8" of snow and it has not gotten above 30. Last night the low was -8. I brought TJ dinner in it. Best girlfriend ever? I think so.

So my truck does NOT appreciate this weather. It's been taking me 15 minutes to get it started when it's below 10 degrees. I took it in this morning to get a plug installed for my block heater. Simple enough, right? Apparently not. The dealer insisted upon doing 2 hours of diagnostics (at $140 per hour) that I did NOT need and guess what, they found a $700 part that needs to be replaced and takes 4 hours (again, at $140 an hour). SMH. Do they think I'm stupid??

So my plan is to get the part replaced, but request them to give me the old part, just to make sure they're not ripping me off. TJ will take the old part to work and let his mechanics double check...

Ugh. There goes all of my Christmas money :(

Here's proof of the cold. This was 11:30 last night 

Make me feel Christmassy, dammit!!

So I am not at ALL in the Christmas spirit this year. I'm actually finding myself quite scroogy. So while I'm waiting for the snow to arrive (maybe that'll help?) I am going to compose an unrealistic Christmas list, because window shopping is fun, right?

1. Dubarry boots. They're wonderful and I could find 90128312 uses but they're 500 freakin' dollars. No way. But please, feel free to behold their glory as I often do while wiping the drool out of the corner of my mouth.

2. A Newmarket Fleece for Maggie. Now, this could be practical, except last week TJ bought her a Rider's International fleece from Dover (Navy with hunter trim) for $9. The Newmarket is $50. However, I'm only slightly obsessed with Newmarket Fleeces. Plus, she'd look adorable in it.

3. Rugby shirts. They're warm, they're classy, and they're extremely useful. They're also extremely expensive and unfortunately for me, Target doesn't sell them. I mean, it looks so comfy!!

Ok so those were all *kind* of realistic. Now it's time for some SERIOUS unrealistic window shopping ;)

1. Him. His name is Orgueil Fontaine and his sire is a 1/2 bother to Reverdy. And he's just plain badass for jumping that course.

2. And maybe her too while we're at it, just because I'd like a little project pony.

Pretty Mare  - It won't let me embed. Boo :(

3. And just one more for good measure, especially since I'd need a hunter as well. Will you be my Derby horse?

That's it for now. I've probably already spent a virtual million (literally) on these horses. Now going to stare out the window and wait for snowwwwwwwww

Thanks?giving

I'm trying to be thankful today, I really am. However, it's super duper hard when home is ~2000 miles away and I'm sitting here alone on Thanksgiving evening because TJ is at work. Therefore, I am FORCING myself to make a list of things I am thankful for.

- My Dad. Even though he isn't here now, he will be for Christmas. He's supported me 110% throughout my whole life, even though I know he doesn't always agree with me. He's helped me out more financially than he even needed to (or that I should have let him) and I will be eternally grateful for that because I know I would've never been able to make the move without his help.

- TJ. He's my everything. My rock, my better half, and the only one who has my heart. He's the one who helped me through the worst of Mom's illness and her passing. He's the one who gave me the final push to leave and failing situation in NC and make a new life for myself out here. Even though our relationship isn't perfect (does perfect exist?) I think that we are the real deal.

- Maggie. She's always happy to see me, no matter what. Everything she does puts a smile on my face. She is the most perfect dog I could ever have asked for. Her life went through a HUGE upheaval, yet she just took everything in stride. She's my cuddle buddy, my workout buddy, and my best friend.

- Reverdy. Even though we're apart right now, there is nothing that will break the bond that we have. He will be 19 in February and in May it will be 12 years together. He's gotten me through some of the darkest times in my life. I miss him so much it hurts. I am literally counting down the days until he gets here.

- My friends. While they may be an eclectic group of weirdos, I cannot deny them the respect they deserve for putting up with my impossible self. I know I haven't always been the best friend, but they've stuck with me regardless and I can't thank them enough for that.

The Move Itself

TJ flew in the morning before we left. I had not seen him for over 2 months so it was obviously an exciting reunion. Of course, while we were packing the trailer to leave, rain bands from Hurricane Irene were coming ashore. Good times.

The first day we drove 11 hours and almost 600 miles to Lexington, KY, our first stop. Since we were there anyway, we (obviously) had to go to the KY Horse Park. Here are some of the cooler of the pictures I took there. We got to meet Funny Cide, Cigar, and Go For Gin, and TJ and I both got to hug/scratch Cigar. Pretty damn cool

Funny Cide

Cigar

Go For Gin

After we spent the morning in KY, we rolled on to St. Louis, our 2nd stop. The original plan was to spend the night in Kansas City but that long drive was a bit much for TJ, Mags, and I. Here are some of the pics from Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. 

St. Louis Arch

Day 3 was St. Louis to Selina, KS. It was boring and there really was nothing. I'll just show some pics of KS, which looked exactly the same for all 500 miles of it.

The FINAL stretch was from Selina, KS to Denver. It was about a 6 hour drive. East Colorado looks a lot like KS and you can't really se the mountains at all until you're about 20 miles out of Denver.

All in all the trip was almost 4 days, 9 states, and 1,800 miles. I will be happy if I never have to be in a vehicle for that long again. If you want to see all of the photos from the trip, here in a link to the album

Facebook Album

How did I end up here?!

I suppose all of this started in August of 2010 when my mom passed away. We were very close and because of her sickness I felt tied to being within a few hours of her at all times. I never felt comfortable moving long distance, which is why I turned down a dream job in Holland in April of 2010. Once Mom passed, I no longer felt tied to the Carolinas, even though Dad still lives in SC.

For Christmas last year, my Dad and I decided it would be too painful to spend Christmas at home. Instead, we decided to visit Mom's oldest friend Shauna in Colorado. It was both of our first time out here. I instantly fell in love. After spending a wonderful week here, I told my Dad that at some point in my life I would live here. Little did I know, that would be 8 months later.

Christmas 2010:

Dad and I

Shauna and I, obviously freezing out asses off

Shortly after New Years, my boss in NC began divorce proceedings. Due to this, the future of my job there was uncertain. We knew I had through the summer, but after that things were unknown. In April, TJ (my boyfriend of now 1 1/2 years) got a job in the oil fields of North Dakota and left North Carolina. While I knew that I was NOT moving to ND, this was the beginning of me thinking that a move may be in my future. One month later, he got a job in the oil fields in Colorado and I began to seriously consider moving. I gave notice to my boss on June 1 that I would be leaving at the end of August. While it was a BIG and SCARY change, I felt like it was necessary. Things weren't going great in NC and once TJ left I almost felt like I lost my connection there. 

I left my job in NC in the beginning of August. I went down to my Dad's house in SC for about 3 weeks. Then came THE DAY. I left SC for my new life on August 23, 2011. This will be the subject of my next post.

Why am I doing this??

I am a Carolina girl through and through. Although not born there, I moved to Hilton Head Island, SC when I was a wee one and spent all of my time there until I was 21 when I moved to Thomasville, NC. I lived there for 2.5 years until extenuating circumstances landed me in Greeley, Colorado, an 1,800 mile move.

I suppose the point of this blog is to chronicle my adjustment to west and add any other sort of anecdotal type posts I may have. My life pretty much revolves around horses so there will be plenty of equine related material.

I suppose that's all for a basic background. I'll of course get into more details as I go along.