'LED' UP TO THIS...

A HUGE LEAP of faith was required to leave Shelby for the 10 days I did and go off to Virginia to follow an instinct. After much research, I found the program that I felt was the most applause worthy. Happy to have finished my bio's (Gen, Micro, A&P, etc.), the acceptance and leap felt really good. 20 years ago Mary Schreiber founded and pioneered (muscular) Sports Therapy for high performance horses (and dogs). The program and preparation for real world work was intense and insanely methodical. I LOVED EVERY SECOND of this (which was a releif).
The small class size ensured careful scepticism as we each took on our own chosen horse in the stable. We all got to know each other really well after spending 9 hours a day everyday together. MALLORY, I can not say (or type) her name without cracking up at her NC southern accent rattling around in my brain saying things like "douche bag" and "ellllll bless"! Thank God for her...literally and truly. We became instant friends and remained joined at the hip until the last second of this trip. We were made fun of by the class for this a dozen times a day. Now certified, we are all ready to get to work, so spread the word!

LET ME START FROM THE BEGINNING...

Have any of you ever flown jetBlue? Well, I now have this love/hate relationship with this particular airline. So many things happened and went wrong it wasn't even funny but boy was it fun. PLANE#1 (PHX to JFK) - flickering lights, and im talkin poltergeist flicker accompanied by a piercing buzz sound. Also on board with an entire college baseball team whose feet smelled like TOTAL CRAP, but way cool flight attendants. PLANE#2 (JFK to Washington Dulles) - plane was being towed across the tarmac when the tow bar breaks off, we run over it in the plane coming to a serious hault lodging the tow bar into the wheel aparatis of the plane. After listening to the Captain get on the intercom saying things like "I have never seen anything like this" and "Im not sure what the proceedure for this is folks" we finally got jacked up into the air to get the bar out while we are on the plane, we get deboarded and reboarded onto PLANE#3 - another plane ...THAT HAS NEVER FLOWN PASSENGERS BEFORE!! Luckily Rachel, the flight attendant from my first flight was sitting right next to me on her way home and explained a lot to me. Besides making JetBlue history it was all SUPER FUN!

After making it to D.C. alive, Liz who just moved there from Tempe (mentioned in the previous Lion King post), picked me up then picked up her wonderful mother who took us all around D.C. and into the Smithsonian where she volunteers. I didn't think I would get the chance to see it at all let alone a personal guided tour. Thank you guys soooo much and thank you to Liz and Brian and the girls for the cozy stay in your home. We all miss you here so much and Shelby misses Claire xoxo.


ARLINGTON

THE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON MONUMENT

VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL

LINCOLN MEMORIAL

A PICTURE OF a man taking a picture of a stuffed bear propped up in front of the Capital. Im assuming for his kid...so cute!

T-REX AT THE Smithsonian. Shelby is OBSESSED with dinosaurs; I had to see this exibit and was so excited to show her when I got home.

THE HOPE DIAMOND


After leaving D.C., I picked up my rental car and headed to class the next morning, keep in mind my flight the night before was overnight and I got less than 1 hour sleep, then this next morning I got up for class it was 4:30 am AZ time. I was beat but ran on adrenaline the rest of the day. On my way to class in my REDICULOUS bright yellow Chevy Cobalt I came upon what I very quickly ended up hating with a passion...the Toll Booth! Not only do I loathe the fact that I had to pay 2+ times per day on top of gas just to drive down the road but all the cool locals have Smart Tags that is prepaid and gets them right through; I pulled up to these foreign things not knowing jack about them into the EZ pass terminal which was the wrong spot. I needed to be in the credit card spot WAAAAAAY to the right all the way across the freeway. No one around to get me through I had to reverse going the opposite direction down the middle of the highway then drive straight across to the other end. I was lucky it was the butt crack of dawn leaving me a fairly empty road (rush hour going the other direction). On top of all of that my service air bag lights kept dinging and flashing periodically; I was convinced the thing was going to burst out randomly as I drove down the road...it would have been my luck at that point.


Sad story (I promise the trip gets better) - Some road kill on the way out to Round Hill where the program was, a momma deer and her baby both got hit. BROKE my heart right in two. On a lighter note, Virginia is beautiful; lots of 'live' deer and Canadian Geese around every corner, beautiful homes and of course the cherry blossoms famous to the area. Typical of east coasters (not all of course), the people were not very warm, although I did get offered some coke (not the drink) by a random guy at the gas station. That was sweet of him but NO THANK YOU!
The stable was lovely and legit; registered with registered in it. A few pictures from the program:

THE GROUP, MARY Schreiber is to my right.

ME AND NOBLE JD, a retired thoroughbred who broke his leg at two years old his second time out of the gate. My baby boy...

MALLORY AND MO

PINKEY A.K.A. "throw up", Mal and I studied at night with her.

THE CANINE CERT part, this is Heidi im working on...

SATURDAY NIGHT FOR some fun/research Mallory, her boyfriend Brandon and I drove to West Virginia to the Charles town races. Unable to decide whether or not we hated the sport due to the lasix and other drugs pumped into these incredible athletes or loved it seeing them up close and personal in complete awe of their perfect forms and spirited nature along with the stomach flip as they 'thunder' right past you. I did love it and want to continue to advocate their good health and bring contrary tenderness to the idea that they are "just money makers".

THE PADDOCK

WINNER OF THE first handicap race

OHHHH THE MUD

I PLACED A $4 bet as the race moved up in furlongs, chose the chalk horse with 3-1 odds but lost. Serves me right!


COLD AND WET in the Blue Ridge Mountains

MALLORY AND BRANDON

LAST DAY ON the farm


A "BEAVER"

"TIM, THATS NOT good"

THE BEST I could do in AZ Mal!