Horsing Around

As the holidays quickly approach, my "To Do" list seems to be getting longer and longer, while my available time to accomplish the list becomes less and less. At this point, I have calculated that we have a minimum of four holiday parties to attend within a two week period in December, all which require some level of preparation, like outfit selection or gift purchasing. Is that normal? I guess I'm used to one, MAYBE two parties a year . . . but four? I guess the "kid factor" always adds to the mix. Anyway, I'm trying to prepare myself for the weeks to come, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated. Anyone else having this problem?

So, to avoid the things I would rather not be doing, we've been doing fun stuff instead. Of course we've been doing the usual meeting the friends at the park in the afternoons, going for walks, and shopping . . . but this weekend, while Brian went to Starbucks to work on homework, I went to a craft show at Hickam Air Force Base with my friend Kathy and her two girls. Now, as most of you know, crafts are not normally my thing. I am the furthest thing from "crafty" that a woman can get. But, I had heard great things about this craft show, so I decided to check it out. And besides, anything with Kathy is fun, right Kathy? ;)

When we arrived at the show, we noticed that they were doing horse and pony rides, so we decided to jump in line so the kids could go. Charley went first, and in the beginning she really wanted a "small" horse, but of course the only horse available on her turn was the biggest one, so she bravely hopped up there. I know this picture is kind of dark, but if you could see the look on her face, you would know that she was feeling very nervous and ambivalent.

However, the cowboy leading the horse was very kind, and assured Charley that the horse would go slow. So, she bravely headed off into the sunset with the horse and cowboy, and by the end she was grinning ear to ear. She told me she's all ready to ride Grammy Charlotte's horses when we go to Montana in January.

Zander was up next, and I knew there was NO WAY we were going to get him on a large horse. Fortunately, the also had a tiny pony, so I thought I would try that. I had to peel Zander off my body and force him onto the horse, all while he was whining and crying, and I just prayed he wouldn't kick or scare the horse. You can see he wasn't too happy.

But after assuring him that I would hold his hand the whole time, and after the cowgirl promised him that we would go slow, he calmed down and started to really enjoy himself. He too was pretty excited by the end of the ride.

After the horse adventure, we hit up the craft stands, which proved to be way more fun that I thought (who knew crafts could be so fun??). If you've never been around a bunch of military spouses who have the time and talent to create some of these crafty items, you are missing out. I swear, I don't know how some of these women find the energy or the creativity to create what they do, but it was pretty amazing. I ended up ordering a custom-made purse that I should be receiving in the next couple days, and I got it for a steal, so I will post a picture of it when I get it.

After the craft show, I brought the kids home, handed them off to Brian, and then hit the road to Charley's preschool for the annual fundraising auction. Several of my friends also attended, so we made a ladies' night out of it and had lots of fun. I was pretty cheap and ended up only buying a little monkey belt for Zander at the cost of $2.50 (I still owe you Marian), but I WAS one of the top two contenders in the highest priced item of the night, a two-night stay on the North Shore (a few of us were going to all go in on it). Just as I was about to throw up my auction paddle for a bid of $1400, they called it for the other bidder at a price of $1350. Bummer. But in the end, it may have worked out for the better . . . I can't divulge anything right now, but stay tuned . . . .

Today we invited over a new Coast Guard family who moved to the island a few months ago, and we really enjoyed getting to know them a bit. She and I have almost identical stories, both having gone to law school, working for a couple years, having kids along the way, and then moving here and transitioning to being stay-at-home moms. It's definitely good to talk to someone who has shared this experience, as it's challenging and rewarding at the same time.

So, that was our weekend. Nothing too exciting, but fun nonetheless. Now, how else can avoid that growing list?