Good Ol' Boys

It warms my heart beyond belief to post this blog. Being the OC housewife that I am, I was able to visit Danny today out at Endar in Temecula. I was on my own today with Kyla by my side as I grabbed Danny's halter and a handful of carrots and set out for his pasture. When we walked up, Danny and his pasture-mate, Guyus, were along the far fence grazing. I entered the pasture and whistled and called his name. Danny didn't quite hear me at that distance but Guyus sure did. Guyus is a 7-year-old Quarter-Thoroughbred with a wonderful personality and happy expression. Guyus followed me in the pasture as I got closer to Danny. I said to Guyus, "Hey. Go get Danny for me." Right before my eyes, Guyus trotted off towards Danny and poked him. I was left laughing out loud as Danny AND Guyus came up to me.

I pulled Danny out of the pasture and he looked great! No bite marks. No weight loss. Happy and calm. And whenever I pull him out, Guyus goes crazy, calling for his best friend to come back. It's such a happy feeling knowing that Danny is finally happy with his retired life. I talked with Guyus' owner today and she was just as happy that her horse found a friend. I laughed when I found out Guyus was only 7. It's like the young boy and the old man. But really, when you watch them together, it's like the Good Ol' Boys.

My Observations

It is through my recent observations and experiences that I have no hope for dog owners in Laguna Niguel. Do people not watch The Dog Whisperer?!? Do they think it's OK for their aggressive dog to attack me or Kyla.

By far, my worst experience was this past Monday. Nick and I took advantage of the warm weather and gave Kyla a bath in the bathtub. I decided to walk her around our apartment complex to help her dry. I was on the other side of the complex when we came face-to-face with a large blue-grey pit bull, with a collar, but no leash or owner in sight. Luckily, I scrambled fast enough to pick Kyla up in my arms as the pit bull rushed us. Now, pits are illegal in our complex and should NOT have been there. I started screaming in fear as this dog jumped on my back trying to get to Kyla. I thank God that he didn't bite me or Kyla's feet that dangled as high as I could get them. After the dog scratched my back and my panicked screams, the pit's owner came strolling around the corner in no hurry and without a care. I screamed at him to get his dog off me and he did but with little urgency. After I got out of there, I was left balling my eyes out and hyperventilating. It was by far the scariest moment of my life.

To add to my issues, each and every time I go running with Kyla, we inevitable come across a dog with their owner. On each run, I experience an aggressive dog. I'm getting better at picking them out too as we approach. The owner NEVER reels the dog's leash in but only gives them more room (and don't get me started on those stupid retractable leashes). The owner braces the ground and watches as their dog lunges, growls, and snaps at Kyla as she does her job jogging along. Of course after this happens, she gets snagged up in my feet and almost trip me. I've experienced Cockers, Rat Terriers, Chihuahuas, and any other dog.

I'm waiting for the day when dog owners need to be certified and trained before they get a dog. Come on people! Aggressive dogs are not normal!!!

Life with our little furball...

Life with the Henry's is no doubt life with Kyla. After a funny little experience with "our little girl" yesterday, I thought I'd share some of our fun antics with the Mini Aussie we consider our child.

Yesterday, while working out to the kick-butt Jillian Michaels' workout video, I heard a sound coming from the living room. I came around the corner to discover Kyla, standing on the coffee table, smelling the candles, and playing with the sea shells in our candleholder. The look on her face was the classic, "Oh! I'm so busted!" All I could do was laugh...and laugh...and laugh.

Kyla is trained to ring a bell if she needs to go outside to go potty. The funny thing is that she has US so trained that she rings the bell just to lay in front of the slider and get some fresh air...in the middle of winter!

Watching Kyla play with our ferret, Bailey, is amazing. She noses the 2-pound ferret to the point that Bailey latches onto Kyla's neck, chin, or ear with the jaws of life. Kyla then turns into a reining horse, spinning 360, until Bailey goes flying off. And then Kyla goes back for more in this endless game of dog and ferret.

Being an Aussie, she's smarter than some people. Simply from the vibrations in the road, she knows if she's driving through the neighborhood of my parents' or Nick's parents' house.

While at Nick's parents house, Kyla decided to see how well the springs on her feet work.

Without being provoked in any way, shape, or form, she jumped from a stand-still onto the pool table...and completely cleared it. It surprised us but I think it really surprised her.

We NEVER feed her table scraps but she has become the ultimate sashimi connoisseur. If you're filleting fish, she's inches from your feet.

She might be a herding dog by instinct but she's a bit of a bird dog by heart.

For whatever reason, "Hello" and "Chocolate Pretzels" get her attention from a dead sleep (and no, we've never thought of offering her chocolate pretzels).

I don't know the appeal but she thinks it's funny to take my chonies and deposit them throughout the apartment. This includes the bedroom, living room, second bedroom, AND THE PATIO. Great entertainment for the neighbors walking by!!!

Needless to say, we are never without a laugh, a lick, or a wiggling nub from "our little girl!"

Retired Show Jumper or Cow Horse?

With all this rain, no work to go to, and a slight case of cabin fever, I decided to download a few pictures taken on New Years day when Nick and I took Ron and Jori to visit Danny in his retirement home. Danny has been out at Endar for almost 7 months now and has seen his ups and downs. He has lost and gained over a hundred pounds, proudly displayed his battle scars, and become quite the furry, dirty pasture horse. But the bottom line is that he loves this life and deserves every minute of it.

I've recently started turning him out in the small arena to let him kick up his heals and role in the soft dirt. When I turned him out before, he always followed me, sometimes playing tag and sometimes wandering off to explore on his own. I thought once I moved him out to a retirement facility, he might slow down and act his age. Well, not exactly...

After he was done kicking up his heals, we played a game of tag. Is he a retired show jumper or cow horse...

I love my horse!!!

Happy 2010!

Life has been busy with the Henry's as we step foot into 2010. Nick is going strong at work mentoring employees and reaching new goals. I have been busy with 24 first graders (enough said!). The holidays were wonderful as we spent them with family and friends. Here are a few pictures to show what our life has been like the last few months...

Jori, Katie, and I getting ready for Dan and Jenelle's wedding.

Nick and I at Dan and Jenelle's wonderful wedding on October 24th.

Kyla decked out as a bumble bee for Halloween!

Nick and I on Halloween dressed as baseball coach and baseball player.

Danny enjoying retirement (and chasing me down in the turnout during a game of Tag.)

Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 2009 besting our time from the past 2 years. Kyla was our cheerleader with Patti and Jeremy.

Our first Thanksgiving turkey!

Big Bear Lake on the day after Thanksgiving with Kyla (Ron, Jori, and Zoey too).

Me, Katie, and Jenelle at the Mission Inn.

Nick, Dan, and AJ at the Mission Inn.

Christmas with the Pattersons!

Christmas with the Henrys!

Happy New Year 2010!!!

Kyla's 1st Birthday!

More to come.... =)

Life is busy...

If you find yourself asking, "Where have the Henry's gone?" I can shed some light on that question. It really doesn't have one answer but an intricate web of circumstances and events.

On September 8th, I officially started student teaching in a 4th grade classroom at de Portola Elementary School. Now, I'm used to the hustle and bustle of handling work, marriage, family, friends, horse, animals, and homework, but toss student teaching in there (removing work) and life gets turned upside down! I now have 29 9- and 10-year-olds to answer questions, tell them they can't sharpen their pencils when I'm teaching, inform them that it's inappropriate to hit their friends on the playground, remind them to not lay on the carpet like it's their living room, and educate them about the world/nation/state/etc around us. AND I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!! Did I mention that TPAs (Teacher Performance Assessments) have reared their ugly heads and expect to be written by, well, me in my abundance of spare time? Life is busy...

Nick has had his share of busy days, nights, and everything in between. To relieve our financial state while I'm not getting paid and to get back into the game, Nick has taken on being an assistant coach to a travel baseball team. This means two nights a week and one or two days on the weekends are dedicated to 12-year-old baseball players. To add to the mix, WaMu is having their "official" conversion to Chase during the month of October. Might I add that the major day of conversion is October 24th; the same day as Nick's brother, Dan, and our future sister-in-law, Jenelle, are getting married. Life is busy...

After a tear-filled phone call, Danny has been moved to his own private pen at Endar and has taken well to his current job of eating. He gets free-fed all day and is slowly packing the pounds back on. He has a nice view of the putting greens, pond, waterfall, and Spanish Ranch House on-site. Not too shabby! His furry coat has already arrived and is here to stay for the winter. I'm hoping and praying his brittle feet hold up in the wet winter months but that is a wait and see scenario. Can't El Nino skip the area of Temecula? I visit him weekly (with the exception of one weekend when my wonderful parents took the responsibility) and still make him a priority. Life is busy...

A few weeks ago, I celebrated Jenelle's Bachelorette Party in Santa Barbara while Nick celebrated Dan's Bachelor Party in San Diego. Girl's did girly movies, puffy-painting tank tops, wine tasting, and a night out on State Street. Boys did paintballing, a night out in Downtown San Diego, and breakfast the following morning. Both parties had a great time with lots of pictures and memories to remember forever. Their wedding is only a few weeks away and will be absolutely wonderful! Life is busy...

Nick and I celebrated our One Year Anniversary with a trip to San Diego. We saw Shamu at Sea World and enjoyed a stay at the fabulous Paradise Point Resort. Nick surprised me with wonderful dinner at Roy's and if I would have thought it possible, I would have eaten the plate that our chocolate souffle came on. Year One under our belt and feeling pretty darn good! Life is busy...

So with all that said, I hope I have thoroughly answered the question, "Where have the Henry's gone?" We loved every minute of Year One and we're excited for Year Two, even though life is keeping us pretty busy.

Hard to Look At

Yesterday I made my weekly drive out to Endar to visit Danny with my mom and Kyla in tow. My mom hadn't seen him in about a month due to her Alaska trip but I had just seen him last week. When we walked up to the pasture to pull him out for his weekly bath and carrot fest, I instantly had tears in my eyes. In just a week, he's dropped several more pounds and his ribs and hips have become much more prevalent. Meanwhile, the bully horse in is pasture looks fat as ever.

I pulled him out, curried the mud and dead hair off his dull coat, and gave him a bubble bath in hopes that he might look a little better. Even after the mud was gone, he still looked terribly skinny and emaciated. I always offer him a bucket of pellets to munch on while he gets groomed and he hoovered up the pellets like he was starving.

But he was generous enough to share his carrots with Kyla.

Not to mention he dove for any spare scrap of food on the ground that had fallen off the feed truck. With the increased number of bite marks all over his body, it's clear that he's just getting run off his food and not allowed to eat enough.

So I've sent an email to the lady that runs Endar requesting (and somewhat demanding) a change. Either a change of pasture or something needs to happen or I'm going to have to make make some decisions soon.