WOW!

What a summer this is turning out to be! Ok - in response to the MANY questions (again)!!!

We plan on being married in the Catholic Church back home (as in Michigan) on November 28th. We did seek an annulment and according to our deacon here - all is well with the time as the situation is pretty cut and dry (Heather - you might want to push your parish a little...). What can I say? I'm 31 and we want to start a family right away. Right now we are building a case of negligence against Nate's (*gasp* his name!) ex so we can get her to give up her daughter completely and then we can start adoption proceedings next year.

I'm sorry I don't have pics!!! Just kind of bad with the camera lately. We have decided to have some professional pics taken of us all soon (as in next week maybe if the schedules work out) so I should have those up before too long.

I am going to be in the Detroit area with Nate from the 12th - 17th! II figured my parents should meet the man I'm going to marry before the wedding. I would love to catch up with anyone who'd like to go out!

Quick run down of the last few weeks:

Working still, but partially part time so I can get things done. Found a new house to move us all into so we can look for building site opportunities. Been rafting, BBQing with friends, bearing flags for rodeo (and getting bucked off on pavement), watching rodeo and taking a little girl to the many parades and carnivals this valley has throughout the summer.

Concerns? Plenty. Namely Nate's ex is PISSED he's getting married again. Future MIL is making me crazy but I'm attempting to fix this and will let you all know. After all - it IS family (I just keep telling myself that....). Kids love me but I'm not sure how much my future step-daughter does. Bummer.

Horse-wise? Charlie bucked me off in front of a few hundred people when he decided the flag might eat his legs. Don't worry, I landed on the nice soft pavement. HE was stellar the rest of the week. Rebel is growing! Check out his pics! And my colt (still no name yet!) legs are looking great. Still watching, but things seem to keep improving. Maggie and Charlie brought me home some pot money and ribbons at the last show. I put them through trail, showmanship and horsemanship classes and was VERY impressed with their performances.

And juicy details? Perhaps I should give it to you in bits and pieces....later.

Quick Like

Of course nothing can run smoothly for me. I'm going to have a crazy mother-in-law based on, of all things, religion - and my man's ex-wife seems to think the world is going to end because, *gasp* he must not want her back afterall since he's getting remarried. Never mind she basically abandoned them and is remarried with a new child. Good God.

We're seeking an annulment, date for the wedding should be the 28th of November, (it will be small, but we will probably have an 'open house' type party so people can come and go as they please), I'm seeking to adopt his daughter but it seems we have to wait until mommy screws her up significantly before we can nail her for total neglect (she's supposed to get her for 2 weeks each summer but refuses to come and get her), and summer is going by way too fast.

Sorry for the quick post but the coffee house is going to close and I have to take care of a bank account that is way overdrawn. Don't ask. The money is there but in the wrong place. Per usual my life.

Alright, I'll Spill...

Never really thought I'd have one of these on my fingers! Please excuse the blur - it's so shiny I can't get the camera to focus!!! I got to pick - so it's the perfect size and setting for all the outdoor work I do. No prongs - it's bevel set - and not too large so it sticks up and catches on things (if nothing else I'm practical). However, he was warned I have simple but expensive taste!

Many of you want the details and I've been thinking ALL week how to explain this all! I'm sorry it takes me so long but I don't have Internet at home and actually have to schedule a day to get into a WiFi Hotspot. I'm at the coffee house right now.

I figure it might be easier just to list all the information and fill in the blanks as more questions are asked...so - in no particular order other than what my scattered brain can come up with...

1) Yes, it is my Working Man!

2) We started dating in early April and we just know, you know?

3) He is younger than me - 5 years...and nobody actually believes it (probably because he's so mature and I'm so immature).

4) He has a 4 year old daughter from a previous marriage. Mom ran out on them. We've already talked with a lawyer about formally adopting her. This is a challenge as the word 'spoiled' doesn't begin to explain it, but she does have some very good public manners and I spend as much time with her as possible to try and make the transition easy as she has been spending her days with grandma. There has been a gigantic improvement from last week alone so I know that it will all work out. She likes me by the way - but as things change she's well aware I'm the reason for the change.

5) We will be in MI the 3rd weekend of August for a long-ish visit. Would love to catch up and introduce him to you all still living there!

6) There are no dates set as of yet. We are meeting with the Deacon of the Catholic Church we would like to join here to get the ball rolling in MI. We want to be married as soon as possible and it will be in the Detroit area. We're going to keep things small as planning a wedding from 1500 miles away isn't something I want to do. I'm thinking more 'fun' than 'stress'!

7) He owns his own construction business and as you all have seen - he's handy!

8) He grew up here in the valley and his family is here.

9) His family is Mormon, however he is not. I have been very strong minded about how my children will be raised and he is 100% supportive of this and is looking into joining Is also has been explained to his family and they have not had any comments concerning it. Thats good in my mind because it means they respect my decisions.

Feel free to list all your questions!!!!

This is what we saw on our way back from Pueblo yesterday! We were getting the ring situation taken care of and took his daughter to the zoo.

Oh Boy....Wait Until You Get to the End...

Lots to update! Riding, showing and roping, working hard (though there may be a drastic change in that very soon) and my colts leg is looking great!

First, say hello to the new addition of the family - Luna. Izzy kitty (the manx I've had forever) disappeared a few months ago and I'm not quite over it. I have a horrible feeling my neighbors dog had something to do with it, but since I can't seem to catch him when he's loose I can't quite shoot him. I didn't want another cat, but my friend's had 16 kittens in one week and they needed homes (and the mommies went to be spayed).

Now for the leg....this is what it looked like when the cast came off...Better, but not out of the woods yet...

This is from today - two weeks later. It's getting there isn't it!!! Hopefully there won't be another surgery!!! I have 4 more weeks to watch it! There have been lots of good minerals and care involved! The vet says I can turn them out on pasture and keep watchingAnd finally - what they were doing in the field next to the horses this morning...At least the horses are now used to airplanes right over their heads!

There are a lot of changes going on in my life right now due to the fact that...(drumroll)...I'm getting married!

To be continued...

Things Fall Apart...

...as usual. I've been really busy with work but have managed to get in some team roping 2 to 3 times a week, riding Maggie and working on training Rebel on the weekends. My colt had his membranes stripped and a cast put on almost 2 weeks ago so it'll come off this weekend. It will be straighter, but I don't know how much yet. Hopefully everything works out alright. I've been really nervous and scared about it all. He's taking it like a champ - but I'm not.

So basically kiss my rear end good-bye for awhile. The loverly Forest Circus is basically kicking my butt with work for the next 4 to 8 weeks. I have to go camp out on the forest to mark a sale, and when I get back I'm going to guess fire season will be in full swing. I like the money, but right now I feel like work is my life. As soon as this is done school starts. The never-ending cycle...I feel like all I've worked towards with roping and training will go down the tubes since I won't be able to be consistent. I'm very depressed with this. I feel like I fall in this rut each year. I would just like to have some breathing room. Just a little.

I'll do my best to keep you all updated. I miss my blogging buddies.

Last Weekend...

...I finished the trailer with the help of WM. He finished my floor with Herkuliner (sp?) - a hard rubbery waterproofing that is used in truck beds. After that was set I loaded it up the next day with Rebel, Maggie, Charlie and the horse I'm working for a neighbor. That's because....

....I showed horses for the first time in years. Usually I just rodeo, but I entered Charlie in Horsemanship and Sorting and Maggie in Trails. We placed in all our classes. Not too bad for a roping horse and half-trained Mustang. I also had a good chance to work Maggie in an arena for the first time between shows. Don't mind the hat - it's not mine and was way huge, but it was required in order not to be DQ'd and I forgot one.

Also - some pics of JB's Smoked Chrome - my little colts daddy who is now deceased. Don't you just love that butt? He loved Rumba - she was such a good brood mare for him. I wish I could have gotten a few more foals out of him. My little guy is getting his knees done this weekend as well. Just too crooked on the right for my taste.

I Like Working Men

It's that time of year again...when I start to go MIA. I started at the Forest Service today with Forestry and Fire so I'm working long days and basically am all over the place. And no, I never did get a break and it isn't looking like I will either. I also don't have internet at home so I'm going to attempt to update the blog at least once a week through the summer as long as I'm not fighting fire anywhere...but it's going to be awfully hard for me to keep up with anyones blog since I don't have time to browse! As it is I'm writing this while I'm waiting for about 100 pictures from graduation to upload to the server I'm using for the yearbook. I need to get that bugger finished!!!

Last week was finals week at school, Friday was graduation and the weekend was full of parties I felt obligated to go to since I helped all these Seniors write their scholarship and college essays after we fired the other English teacher. I feel responsible for them somehow. I finally got to have a little fun on Memorial Day...but it was working fun.

I bought a horse trailer. I have a little two horse, but have decided I need to expand with all I do. I found a 4 horse stock bumper pull which was in my cheap price range. It's a bit of a beater, but dead solid with a new floor. On Saturday my guy and I picked it up and tore out the old floor. On Monday we drove to Pueblo to pick up the wood for the floor since all the mills were closed here for the holiday and we didn't want to lose another day. We made a day of it and went shopping and out to eat at Red Lobster. It's a relief to get out of the valley every now and then, and since Pueblo is a good 2 hours from home it's worth spending time there! It was fun as I got to spend a good hour in a bookstore and find some good sales on cute summer dresses!

After we got back into the valley we replaced the floor. Oh how I love a working man!!!

After tearing out the old floor

The finished bottom layer

Look how tight those boards are!

Oh, and the cute new Burkies that were bought for me (don't mind my horrid figure skater's feet)...

Cutting for the top layer

After laying the top wafer board we're going to tie it in with angle irons and I'm also pricing some nice rubber mats I can't afford yet. I'll keep you all posted...with everything eventually!

The Catch Up and The PBR!

Right....been crazy busy with school ending this week. That arch-nemesis called a yearbook may just kick my butt yet. I had a respite this weekend however starting with a Ranch Rodeo, BBQ and dance Friday night into the early morning hours. Way fun.

I helped put a roof on a house Saturday...kinda. I brought brunch and picked up all the trash from the roof and then doctored up a cut hand.

Sunday I went to the PBR Ford F-150 Invitational in Pueblo - but first I must catch up with my colt! He still doesn't have a name but I'm thinking Nike (see the little swoosh on his nose)! His legs are getting better. Still not sure if surgery is going to be an option or not yet, but I feel there is a large improvement, just not sure if it's enough to straighten out on it's own. He's got a little fire under his rear though and when I turn him out for exercise he's all over the place and has a nice little stop to him.

Nice butt huh? I think there's going to be some size to this little bugger...wide and tall...how I like 'em!

The crooked leg. Looking better, but still being watched closely.

"You lookin' at me?"

"Yeah...you..."
See the swoosh?

On to the PBR...

I love to watch Rodeo and Bullriding. It's just fun. Fun crowds, fun events, fun people, fun, fun, fun...and cute cowboys. We tried to look as cute as possible.

A few months ago my friends and I bought a bunch of tickets to the invitational in Pueblo where the top 40 riders compete against one another. We had awesome seats 'cause one of the gals is a member and gets 'benefits'! It was still a bit dark in there though and I couldn't bring in my professional lens so I had to make do with my little digital. I still caught some good action. PBR events are always flashy and fan oriented, so they kicked off with a little pyrotechnic show to introduce the riders:

We saw a lot of bull-riding:

That's Chicken on a Chain. I want to own him, but I don't think Larry the Cable Guy will want to share with any more people...

BUT... we saw a lot more of this:
And this...

And this too...gotta love those bull-fighters. They are the real athletes keeping those boys safe if you ask me.


And this is my future husband, Chris Shivers from Louisiana...in some world...Obviously he was bucked off but I love him anyway:

I also posed with my man Wiley Peterson, but the pic turned out blurry even though Tiff has a clear one. I also think I look fat in it so you can't see. I have his autograph too. Yeah! Maybe I'll marry him instead.

Hart, McBride and Moraes were also inducted into The Ring of Legends. These are like the best riders ever.



There also was some fun stuff going on between the second round and final round...like this team. I don't know what it is about huge horses and driving but I just love it!

Oh yeah - and I found my Halloween costume for this next year...

AND I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST! I entered in to win an autographed boot signed by almost every rider from Ariat. This is how the conversation went with three riders left in the finals down my row as they are announcing the winner...

Me: "Who won...wait...who...." (I was messing with my camera)
Tiff: "Danielle....wait...that's you!"
Me: "Huh? I won? Wait, who did they announce?"
Tiff: "You just won the boot!"
Cody Ray (bouncing 5 seats down - he's 13): "You won, Danielle, you won, you won the boot, you won!"
Me: "Me? I won? I won the boot? Me?"
Tiff: "I'm so retarded - they just announced YOUR name."
Me: "huh"

At this point everyone is looking at us. Basically because I did not recognize my name over the loudspeaker and Tiff didn't realize it was me. Yes, we were dead sober too. Two blonds walked into a candy store....nevermind....

Anywho - this is the boot and I've decided I need a pair of them to wear. Aren't they sharp lookin'?!

I want them. I love them. They are so shiny and pretty.



The End...for now...

Staying Busy

Lots and Lots to do before school gets out next Thursday and my grades are in Friday afternoon...

However I was hired as freelance graphic arts for a construction logo...it's taken up a good 2 days with finding and messing with fonts, transforming them into exactly the right color and size in Photoshop and then messing with different placements. I've done this before for smaller school things, local web businesses, etc... However - I would like to present the first logo I've ever designed that will be prominently placed on the sides of construction trucks and dumpsters for a business....


And I'd like to give a huge shout out to the person that made this possible. He has no idea what this means to me...

If you would like to see it in a bit more detail please visit This Here Site Y'all!!!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Ohhhh...vintage looking jewelry!lol

Random...With Pictures!

Fun date! I had Margarita's and watched Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins. I highly recommend the movie for you X-Men fans. Well done and did I mention Hugh Jackman's in it? I think I'll keep the guy for awhile too...get your heads out of the gutters because I don't kiss and tell.

I have some random branding pictures from a few weeks ago. I was at a colleagues' house one day and she managed to snap a few pics amongst the craziness. It was a bit chilly in the morning (we got started at 6:30 am) but by the afternoon it was hot and sunny!

Splitting the calves off from the cows - horseback and working the gates

I used Maggie for the day and she did awesome!

Waiting our turn at giving the calves their vaccinations (that's me with the ponytail and no hat if you aren't recognizing me...)

I know its a little blurry - but this is how the calves are caught and then held while they are being branded and given shots

And what comes afterwards! Good food and socializing! lol

It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend here so I'll be sure to try and get some good pictures of all events that may occur! Everything's greening up! Yeah for summer!