Mother/Daughter Date

Guess where Hilary and I went Friday night?  We enjoyed a wonderful time at the Redding Rodeo.  

It was a great night and beautiful weather!  Felt sooooo nice to have to put on a sweatshirt.  We enjoyed every event.  The Mutton Bustin was so cute and fun to watch!

But the real reason we went to the Rodeo was to see the bull riding:

My Daddy LOVED to watch bull riding on TV.  When Hilary was 2 years old, she would grab Uncle Wesley's wooden rocking horse, sat as close as Gramz would let her to the television set, and pretend she was riding a bull.  Believe me, she was right up there with the best bull riders in the world!  :0)

Since that time, Hilary has LOVED bull riding (and me too!!).  

P.S.  Going to the Redding Rodeo was another thing to cross off my "Redding Bucket List"!!  HURRAY!

Mothers' Day 2013

My brother came up this last weekend, and we took my Mom for a walk ride down memory lane.  We started the day with breakfast at Vic's Branding Iron, located at the Shasta Livestock Auction Yard in Cottonwood.  My Mom had a nice visit with Vic himself and other people she knew.  She grew up in Cottonwood, so always sees someone she knows when we eat there.

After I stop at Holiday Market for sandwiches and chips, we headed out Bowman Road to hit Highway 36. My great-grandparents used to live out Highway 36 on a large cattle ranch.  My Mom has many happy memories of times spent on the ranch.  My grandparents also ran cattle out there, so my brother and I also have many fond memories of times spent working cattle, marking and branding the cattle, etc.

We drove very slow and stopped to look at deer, wild turkeys, wildflowers, cattle, and other things.  We stopped to take pictures of this old bridge that has been around all my Mom's life.  They are building a new one and going to tear this one down.  Kind of sad!

At lunch time, we pulled off the road and ate.  We don't have to have a picnic table or anything, but we have to drink our soda out of cups with ice.  We are "snobs" that way and always have been.

After lunch and more riding, we stopped at Wild R Ranch for an ice cream treat at the store.

We drove all the way to Platina and then came home on the Ditchgrade Road that runs through Igo/Ono.  My Mom loved her day, and it was nice to be together with her and my brother!

Mother's Day Is For The Birds

Now this I can relate to!!!!!!  Take a moment to read this article, Why Mother's Day Is For The Birds".

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/05/why-mothers-day-is-for-the-birds/

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my life!!!

Proof

Found this picture in the bottom of my cedar chest.  Proof that at one point in my life (yes many, many years ago) I was cute:

Seasons

The calendar says it is Spring (and the temperatures recently have been more like Summer), but I feel like it is still winter in my soul!  I am in desperate need of something to awaken it from its hibernation; something to help it thaw out and allow my soul to blossom again.

Tea For Two

Tea for Two...Well, not really!!!  More like, Diet Coke/Dr. Pepper for Three but Tea for Two sounded better for a post title!

I enjoyed a wonderful brunch Wednesday at my friend Donna's house and met a new friend, Sharon.  Donna made delicious food, we drank Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke in our fancy tea cups, and the table setting made you feel like you were royalty.  But I must say the fellowship was the best!  

Donna asked us to bring a list of our favorite books to share with each other.  Was nice to get some ideas for "a good read".

I must say that I am truly blessed to have a community of Christian women in my life!!!  It includes friends that share, trust and call on one another for emotional support and prayer no matter what is going on in life.  They are friends who won't gossip about me or make me feel like a failure.  Friends who are true and who love at all times, even when I'm not very lovable.

Each one of my friendships matter and has a particular and unique place of value in my heart!!!

A Big Owie!

A week ago Sunday, we got into a car accident on the way home from church.  We were sitting in the turn lane on Cypress Avenue, waiting to turn onto I-5 North, when a car hit us from behind.  I guess she didn't see us stopped at the red light.  Fortunately, none of us were hurt.  But...our car has a big owie!  It doesn't look like much, but it messed up the bumper in the back, the sides, and the trunk where it latches.  The estimate was over $3,000.

So, our car is at the "doctor" (Hild Collison Center) for five days.  On the bright side, this baby (our rental car) sure looks nice parked in my driveway...