Last Spring Break

Friday after class and an appointment for Mitch and Winter, I loaded up the car with the little ones and drove down to Emmett Idaho to spend my spring break with my in-laws and Randy. When I arrived Randy and his parents were put up fencing for the horses. Once it was too dark to work we went into town to  a local drive in called Roe Ann's for burgers, fries, and ice cream.

Saturday we put up more fence, ran errands and bought shakes at a different local place. We were able to finish the fence for the pasture and the horses were able to get out and run and buck for the first time in 5 months. It was great to watch them enjoy themselves and the green grass. That evening, I made a bunch of cookies. 

Winter came outside to 'help'

PJ 'supervised' the installation of the fence

Sunday was church, lunch of pancakes and bacon. Sadly, Randy had to leave to go back to work. Mitch, Cindy, and I went on a walk around their fields. Mitch had such a great time that week running around outside. 

Monday, we put up more fence, this time for the dogs. Afterwards Cindy and I rode the horses, Tag and Sax down the canal. The brothers did so well for it being their first time out in a long while. That afternoon we went the Boise Zoo.

Tag

Sax

Tuesday morning we put up more fence for the dogs. Then it was time to ride again. We went along the canal and afterwards worked in the neighbors arena. Along the canal, we saw a bush full of blackbirds and the brothers thought they were terrifying. Eventually, with some hand walking, we got past that safely. In the arena, we loped and trotted around. The boys enjoyed getting to stretch their legs. Mr. Clumsy and out-of -shape Tag decided he was going to lope on his knees with his nose in the dirt. We did that for about 10-15 feet before he was able to pick him self up again and keep going.  That night we went the the Boise Temple. It was lovely as always. My in-laws had an interview with the temple presidency and are going to be ordinance workers every Saturday. 

Wednesday morning we went for another ride. Tag tried to get away with being naughty, but we worked through it. I finally am starting to understand this horse and am beginning to have a relationship with him. After lunch I was given the keys to the Chevy which was hooked up the flatbed trailer and told to go practice backing the trailer. I have only done this once before, but eventually I was able to park it just a few feet off of its designated spot and I didn't hit anything.

Later that day, Cindy and I set up a temporary enclosure for the goats to get out and graze while we trimmed their feet. After getting one goat done, we went into town for massages. This lady was awesome! It felt so good to have the knots worked out of my shoulders and neck. She even messaged my face and scalp. Ah it was heavenly! After getting nice and relaxed it was time to get back to work. We finished trimming the other 7 goats and dewormed them. When we were finishing up, Mitch found a little kitten who decided to join the family. I caught the kitten and put him in the barn. He is a nice little thing, didn't hiss or bite or scratch, just scared. 

Thursday after the morning chores my in-laws left to go to Spokane for a wedding. It was me and 24 animals! I spent the morning grooming my horse, working with him on the ground, and going for a bareback ride around the pasture. Oh man my legs were sore. I could hardly get my leg over the tall horse. That evening I was texting Randy and telling him he should come back for the next few days. Not 30 minutes later he pulled into the driveway. He lives about 3.5 hours away. Sneaky wonderful husband! 

Friday morning we spent some time with the horses. Each one got a good rub down. Afterwards we went into town for lunch at Firehouse Subs, did some shopping, and grabbed doughnuts from Krispy Cream- so good! That evening we let some of the dogs run around while we sat in the lawn chairs listening to the birds and watching them with binoculars.

Saturday morning came too soon. After morning chores it was time for me to get packed up and ready to drive back to Pullman. It was refreshing to exercise something other then my brain, to eat lots of ice cream, be surrounded by animals, and to spend time with family, and most of all being with my incredible husband.  

Winter being a goofball 

Mitch would rather go explore the barnyard...

Spring Break Visit to the Boise Zoo

Monday of Spring Break, my mother-in-law and I went to the Boise Zoo. It has been a while since I have been to a zoo and it was fun to see all the animals. A club from school put together a behind the scenes tour. We were able to meet the zoo veterinarian and get a tour of the zoo vet hospital. The doctor discussed with us interesting cases, we went through some radiographs, and talked about the importance of flexibility when working with zoo animals because equipment usually isn't designed with tigers or hornbills in mind. Oh and porcupines stink!

The Patas monkeys were hilarious to watch

This sloth bear female was making kissing faces

It was hard to tell how many lemurs were in this pile, but I think we counted 4

Family time

Wallabies! If you look close you can see a baby poking his head out of the mamma in front

Weekend Visit

Last Friday, Randy was able to come home for the weekend! While waiting for him to get home, I went to the U of I sheep center to ultrasound ewes for pregnancy diagnosis. I was able to find fetuses which was awesome! We tried a new restaurant for dinner- Gambinos. We ordered some garlic bread twist and holy moly they were huge (a foot and half long)!!

Saturday morning Mitch and Winter woke me up early because they wanted breakfast. I tried to let Randy sleep in as he was transitioning from nights to days. These two were not so inclined. They would not leave the door alone- Mitch kept on trying to open the door!

Later that morning we went on a short adventure with Mitch to the Wawawai County Park for the first time. It was a beautiful day and for the most part it was just us there. There is a little bay, a large covered picnic area, a big grassy hill, and a nice little trail around with signs explaining some of the history of Wawawai. Mitch had a blast running around and smelling EVERYTHING!

After church on Sunday, Bryan and Rebecca came over for games and snacks. We had a good time visiting, munching on goodies, and playing Smallworld and Dixit. 

Unfortunately Monday morning came. Randy dropped me off at school and then headed back south. It is always refreshing to my soul to spend time with this amazing man. I'm so glad he drove the 9 hours each way to come see me. Thankfully, I have been able to stay really busy and not have much time to think about Randy being gone. Spring Break is a week away and hopefully, I will be able to see Randy again.