On the Road to New Mexico... the Land of Aliens..

Yes, we are still on the road to NM. We would have arrived yesterday or maybe even Wednesday but we had a 3 day delay in Redding, CA. We maximized our time in Redding by running, riding and hiking. I was even able to get quite a bit of work accomplished. :-)


Our delay was due to a few issues with Atta, our truck. She was having problems with her break system and a few of the main seals on the vital parts of her systems. She is running great now and actually seems happier than before she visited ICU at the Dodge Dealer in Redding.


We loved our temporary horse home, a nice little horse motel facility called A & B Horse Hostelry. Garrett and I would highly recommend it to travelers with ponies. :-) There was a nice arena for riding and electric/water hook-ups for Millie, our trailer.


The horses are really getting keen on traveling. They hop in trailer and even try to load themselves now. It is amazing how far they have come, especially Lightning, the little Mustang. Murphy, my Appaloosa in AQHA clothing, has always been pretty good. However, he is getting even more "vocal" about his needs or should I say 'wants'.


We stayed at the fairgrounds in Turlock, CA, Thurs. night and will make it to Blythe, CA tonight. There is a horse hotel there called Choat Equestrian Center. It is just over the AZ border. That means a long push tomorrow and an early morning. Yikes!


Our plan is to be in Bent, NM before nightfall tomorrow. We are really looking forward to seeing our new place, meeting our new friends, and figuring out our newest job description. I think that we will fit right in. It sounds like the apartment where we can/will live has all the comforts of home.

More than anything, I think that Garrett is excited that we will have satellite TV, which means SportsCenter for him. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to meeting our newest animals. There are 15 dogs, 20 cats, 4 snakes, and a bird that are expecting our attention and care.


We already have a few job leads for Garrett and there are several clubs that I want to check out in the area. Garrett and I both want to get involved in a club sport and I am going to join the Chamber in Alamogordo and Ruidoso. These are exciting times!


Lots of changes are coming our way. We are planning to be in NM for at least a year and are actually looking forward to that. We have heard really great things about the area and it sounds like there are 4 seasons, beautiful forests and also lots of desert canyons to explore.


We may even make a journey down to TX near Christmas! We thought that a visit to the Parrie Haynes Ranch and to our good friends Ari and Tom Burden might be in store.


I have 2 trips planned to Phoenix in the next few months also. They are both business trips for Reliv. One is a MAT school over the 3rd and 4th of December. The other is the National Conference which in the 4th-6th of Febuary. :-) Good Stuff! I am glad that I am so close to the action this year. Phoenix is just a days drive from Bent.


I will get some new pictures posted after I find my camera/computer adaptor. Yeah, that causes just a little problem, huh? You guys will just have to use your imaginations about our awesome trip to HI and our time on the road.


Our next entry will be about the details of our HI trip. It was great. We want to thank the Sepersky family once again for the airline tickets. Also a big THANKS to Eric and Shelly Batha for putting us up for a week at their place on the big Island!


We were able to hit 3 islands and mostly camped and backpacked our way around the Island State... To be continued...


Love and joy to all of you!!!


And Remember, "Life's a Garden, Dig it." ~Joe Dirt


In Love and Joy~ Heather & Garrett

Montana looks like winter...

And that is what we are running from. So we loaded up the two horses, the Roy and set our Dodge on runnin' down the line. (We have been listening to a lot of Johney Cash! :-))

Garrett and I both agreed that 6 months went by pretty fast, even though there were days that seemed long. Garrett got to spend most of his time in a hotel room in Billings and I kept myself busy with caretaker duties and Reliv.

I know that both of us are ready for a new adventure, a new location and to have a much anticipated vacation in HI. We will be flying out on Friday at 830pm PST! Yay!

We left Ennis, MT at 6:34am on Sat. morning, drove to Spokane, WA, and stayed with Anna Ackerman and her family. Her maiden name is Anderson and we have been friends for well over 20 yrs. It had been 15 years since we had hung out and it was so amazing to see her, meet her family and see how our lives have changed. I feel so blessed for the times we've shared and the friendship that has sustained through all these years. Love it!

We should be back in Portland by 3 or 4 today and then it will be the mad rush to see the family, get some Reliv work done, make it down to Myrtle Point to see my family, a little detour through Glide and then back to Portland for a haircut and an airport run. Whew! It will be a busy one.

HI will be amazing! We will fly into Honolulu, cruise around Oahu for a day or two, travel to the Big Island to see Eric and Shelly Batha, and then to Kaui to get back to our earth muffin type roots. I plan on a lot of ocean time, fun in the sun, and camping out under the stars. :-)

We will be back from HI on the 25th. That day we will be watching our nephew, Mason, be baptised and seeing some family on my side as well. Garrett and I just want to make sure that we have enough to do. :-) It seems like time just flies when we are home.

Bend is a destination as well, that will be on the 26th. We will have 3 nights with friends, having fun and seeing my sister. I have a few appts set up to share Reliv with people and that is also where my friend Michelle Frank will fly in to. She gets into Bend on Wed. at 1pm. It will be a lot of fun. She has not been to OR before and she will get to see a good portion of it. :-)

We have a few appts set with Michelle and our Special Event in Roseburg on the 29th. It will be awesome! I am so excited to open up southern OR and share the hope that I have seen with this company and using the nutrition. It is exciting to think about all the lives that will be touched.

As for our next step... Well, we know that Michelle is flying out of PDX at 8am on Sat. the 31st. After that we will be packing up and getting ready to go south. At this point, it looks like it is going to be NM for the winter. :-) Seems like we are both really drawn to that state and we have been wanting to check it out for quite sometime. :-)

We just talked to a nice couple yesterday that have a 40 acre place in between Riudoso and Alamogordo. It is called Bent, and it is about 20 miles from each of the listed towns. The husband was a former psycology prof in SC and they have an animal rescue. It would work out to about 20 hrs. per week and I would have a flexible schedule for feeding and cleaning. Garrett and I would also have an appt and a place for the horses. The couple travels a lot and there is actually another caretaker couple there that we will share duties with. :-)

It would definelty be one more very unique situation. The property borders hundreds of thousands of acres of BLM and is about 20 minutes from a good fishing lake. As most of you know, water is a rarity in NM. We are also near Lincoln County, home of Billy the Kid, and location of the Lincoln cattle wars. Shot down in the Blaze of Glory, we are talking about Young Guns here guys! Lots of history here.

The area seems pretty neat. There are horse racing tracks, cultural events and many things to do. It is a chance to explore a state that we know little about and we will be right near the center.

So, that is all for now. We will get lots of great pictures in HI and post them when we get back to the states. I know that our trip will be wonderful. Garrett has never seen the islands and it will be super fun to show hime around. :-) HI and the west are beautiful places. :-)

Hope to hear from all of you soon. Love and joy~Heather & Garrett

Labor Day Weekend...

...marks the last big camping weekend in Montana. It is a time when the woods become full of family campers and bow hunter hopefuls. September is in full swing and we are just a month out from heading back to Oregon for our October visit.



We are really excited about our trip home and know that we will not have nearly as much time as we want to get around and see everyone. I am not even sure that we will make it over to Bend. Much of the time that we have in October will actually be spent driving and also vacationing in HI. :-)


We plan to get around to friends and family in the time between the 4th to 9th and then again from the 25th to the 28th. After that we will hopefully be headed South for the winter months.

We continue to look at all different options that are available to us. We both believe that we are at an advantage being mobile and on the road. I am really feeling the spirit of opportunity and I feel that our future is getting brighter and brighter. Garrett and I were talking today about how lucky we are that we are able to travel around the country and go to where the work is.


It is working well with Garrett and his line of work and I am learning a new way to walk through my life and my journey. I am starting to understand that I need the horse bit even if it is PT and that I am really gaining ownership over being apart of Reliv.


It truly is an amazing company and we do so much to Nourish our World. We have 270 feeding stations around the world and feed nearly 43,000 people Every Single Day our nutrition. We even have stations in the US and more are be created all the time. :-) It really is a company with a mission and an organization that I am proud to be apart of. :-)


Garrett and I both know that the right situation will find us at the right time. I believe that it will be by the end of the month and that it will be in the SW. We are looking at one position in Skull Valley, outside of Prescott. We will see if we bear any fruit from that inquiry.

We had a great weekend. We camping with our friends, Michelle and Wes at Michelle's parents ranch in southern MT/Northern ID. It was awesome. Fished in creeks, saw some elk while hiking around and had great conversation and good food. It is a 6,000 acre hunting ranch and the only structure is a cabin that runs off a generator. :-) Pretty sweet!

We rode Sat. and had a great time. We checked out a few new areas and made it back just in time since Lightning threw a shoe about 10 minutes from home on our way in. :-) Saturday evening we went into Ennis to check out the Madison River Fly fishing festival. Had a drink, watched some people, walked around town and did not win the boat raffle. :-( Oh well... I guess that we just have bigger things in store.


This week is a busy one and over the weekend we have a special visitor, Terry, GG's Mom. We will have fun taking her riding, fishing and to a special Reliv event on Friday here in Bozeman. I have a training on Sat., but Sunday we will get to ride and have a fun time showing her around. :-) It is always a great time when family comes to visit.


Well... It is time to get some things done outside. I am so excited to tell you guys where we are going once we find out. Winter seems to be right around the corner and we are still wanting at least one more endless summer.


Hope that you had a great Labor Day!

In love and appreciation~HB & GG

Dirty August(firefighters know what I am talking about)!

Yes, it is a current picture. We were hiking 2 weeks ago and got caught in a thunder/hail/snow storm, In AUGUST, crazy!

Hi fellow humans! Hope that all of you are having a fabulous August. I have no idea what we have done in the past several weeks. Well, except for work, play and appreciate that we are here on this beautiful earth.

I want to share my gratitude for all of you. I have such a deep love for my friends and family. Emily, I appreciate your last comment. Can't wait to see you and Josh. And yes, we may end up a lot closer than we planned. That would be great.

I also want to let you guys know that we lost a great young man a few weeks ago. Ben Symmes, a friend of mine that I worked with on the Prineville Hotshots was lost as sea a few weeks ago in AK. He was fishing, fell over board and after 4 days the search was called off. He was a MT native, a great person and an inspiration. I suppose that he will continue to be an inspiration to me. He will be missed.

On a brighter note, GG and I have been able to get out hike, ride and we even have done a little air time. Last weekend, we were in St. Louis, MO for Reliv's International Conference. It was Awesome! I am so proud to be apart of what Reliv is doing for people and we just published our 3rd clinical study regarding the effectiveness of this great nutrition. :-)

This weekend we plan on going camping on Saturday night. We are going to be out in the wilds of Barb Anderson's (Lamere) mom's yard down on Twin Falls, ID. She is visiting from the east coast and I am so excited to meet Sydney, her little girl. :-0 Then on Sunday evening, after we get home, we are going to a pre-wedding reception for some friends, Mel and Garl, who live out here in McAllister.

As for the next step in our journey??? We really have no idea. We are keeping our options open and are just knowing that we will be presented with the right situation at the appropriate time. I will let you guys know when we get something in writing. You may even know before that. :-)

Our MT departure date will be the 28th or 29th. We shall see...things are always subject to change. :-) We are heading back to OR and are going to try to see my folks in MP, GG's family in P-town, the Youngs in Glide, and the Bend folks, all in less than 2 weeks. Man, we might be a little busy. Super Fun though!

Then it is off to HI for 2 weeks and that will be a blast. 3 different islands and lots of fun in the sun. :-) We are super excited to see Shelly and Eric. I am pretty sure that we will come back, at least for Roy. :-)

Again, I am so sorry that it has been so long. We have sooooo many photos to upload. I did have to get a new laptop and that put me out for a week, other than that, I have no other excuses except the pleasures of life!

I look forward to talking with all of you and I hope to see you if time allows when we are back in OR. Otherwise, no matter where GG and I are, our single wide always has an open door. Oh, come on, It ain't trashy liv'n in a trailer. :-) Love to all and to all a Rainbow Day! XOXO~HB&GG

Three Weeks! What? Zamm, half of July in Gone...

Check us out! First day on Ennis Lake. At 80 deg., summer feels like it is finally here. Even Roy likes to go for a paddle and fish. We didn't have any fish luck but we did catch a sunburn. :-)

I can't believe that it has almost been three weeks since I have updated our life journal. :-) It is about time. I will only share about 1/2 of our past weeks events but it will at least give you guys an idea as to what we have been up to.

Besides fishing and touring around on our days off, we have gotten a fair amount of riding in too! The pics are from our 16 mile ride a few Sundays ago into Twin Lakes. Pretty isn't it? It is great that we have all this right out our back door. No trailering! It was a fun little adventure and we even got chased out by a pretty intense thunder storm. The horses were great other than the fact that they are herd bound and barn sour right now. It isn't their faults though. They aren't getting out nearly as much as we would like them to. Soon though...

We also went to the Ennis Rodeo and Parade over the 4th. My friends Michelle, Lacey, and I even tried our luck in rodeo competition. I guess that since I am not competing as a barrel racer yet, Calf-dressing will have to do. It was awesome and we won 2nd place and $150. We had to hang onto this crazy calf and put a t-shirt on him, and then drag him another 200 ft. It was truly the highlight of my rodeo experience (Garrett's too). :-)

We took an awesome drive up at 9-10,000 ft. too. We were checking out a road system in the Gravelly mountain range. It was incredible and we have decided that we have to take people up there who come to visit us. We didn't watch the town fireworks but I was able to see the fireworks that people were setting off over Ennis Lake from our front porch.

Speaking of Ennis Lake... That is where we spent Sunday last weekend. The three of us started in the kayak with all of our gear in the U-tube. However, it didn't take long before Garrett was re-arranging and moving himself into the U-tube so that he could fish and I could drag him. He decided that I am a pretty great Tugboat. :-)

We had an awesome time just hanging out and enjoying the sun. It was incredible and we both needed a day just to chill and turn the brains off. :-) We are hoping to have another Sat. like that this weekend.

Garrett is looking forward to his weekend since they are working a ton and had to work last Sat. We are amazed that we only have 10 weeks left in MT. It is amazing how fast summer goes. Oh wait, we will have more summer, won't we? That is obvious since we are totally planning to move South again for the winter. We have been talking to a few people in AZ and NM. We shall see where we end up. :-)

I also wanted to share that we are getting a few guests this month as well. My really good friend, Jess Saxton, will be coming to see us sometime before the end of the month. I worked with him on Prineville Hotshots and I haven't seen him in 3 years. He just finished up training as a Green Beret. Awesome huh! So he and his little brother are going to spend a few days with us to break up their drive from NC to WA.

Randy and Tracy, Garrett's dad and other mom are planning a trip too. They are looking at the end of July for a Montana trip. Lots of fun stuff! Well, it is time for me to get outside and do more caretaker duties. I think that I have some deep cleaning on the new cabin on the agenda as well. That is definitely my least favorite thing to do in the world. Maybe I'll go groom some horses instead. :-)

This weekend is going to be filled with the Gallatin County Fair, fishing and river time, and a Montana Microbrew festival in Virgina City. :-) Could be way too much fun. I might go for a ride too but our horses are due to be shod and they will be more comfortable and back in business by next Wednesday. :-)

Oh, one more thing! On Tuesday I have a radio interview with a couple who live over on the Big Island, HI. They wanted to interview a person(s) who are care taking and living an alternative lifestyle. They mainly target young adults going through the transition of college to the "real world". There names are Beth and Jim, should be fun. Their website is http://www.wheresthemap.com/ if you want to check it out.

Love all of you guys and can't wait to hear how all of your summers are going. In just 10 weeks we will be headed back for Oregon. We are also totally looking forward to our trip to HI in October. Then south again for the winter...

Have a sunny weekend and I promise that I will write again soon....In love and joy~HB & GG

Aloha Mr. Hand... Our years of Frequent Travels...

I had to get a picture up of little Mason, this is Josh and Sara's little one. Josh, Garrett's brother, is here with his son. :-) Mason was born the day after Mother's Day. YAY!

Only one place says Aloha like Aloha, and that is our 50th state, Hawaii. Which is exactly where Garrett and I are going in October! It is a very special trip since the flight over is a wedding gift from our good friends, the Sepersky family. Thanks so much Kyle and Rob, we love you guys.

We are flying out of PDX on the 9th and back to OR on the night of the 25th. We are planning to be on Oahu for a few days and then to the Big Island for 5-6 days to see our friends Eric and Shelly Batha. Our last five or six days will be spent on Kauai doing some camping and backpacking. I need to get Garrett onto the Nepali coast line. It is so gorgeous! :-)We have been looking forward to seeing the Batha Clan since last October when we left OR and they moved to the Big Island. :-)

Another plane ticket was purchased this weekend. It is a ticket for Garrett to accompany me to St. Louis, MO in Aug. for the Reliv International Conference. He is going to spend Thurs. night with me at the conference and then the next two days he is planning to go to Louisville and visit his Aunt and Uncle. :-) We will only be out there from Thurs. afternoon until Sat. night but I know that it will be a fun trip all the same. :-)

Now, I know that we don't like to plan too far in advance but we have another ticket we need to use by the fall of 2010, so it looks like we are starting to conjure up a trip to the East Coast. We are thinking that Portland, OR to Portland, ME would be awesome! We are going to rent a car and head north into ME. We have to visit the area where lived and see some friends there. Then it is down to Boston, over to Cooperstown, NY, to NYC, D.C., and on down to the Smokeys and the Carolinas. We are stoked for the trip and will probably try to do 3 weeks or more? :-) We shall see!

We may make one or two more trips to Oregon this summer for weddings, but other than that we will be in MT until October 1st-ish. :-) We had such a great time in Oregon during this 24 hr. trip and I am glad that we made the overnight push. We were able to see my sisters, mom and dad and also most of Garrett's family and some of his friends. A very productive visit indeed!

I also wanted to mention again that my parents, Ted and Rhonda Fischer, just celebrated their 25th wedding Anniversary! I think that is such an accomplishment. Not only have they put up with us for all these years, they also continue to tolerate each other. :-) Love you guys!

I hope that you guys enjoy the new pics! We have been seeing some great wildlife. This coming weekend will be filled with Hometown Parades, 4th of July BBQs and the Famous Ennis Rodeo. We are also going to get some fishing and riding in I am sure. It seems like our time in Montana is going by a lot faster than our time in Texas did. The energy, growth and expansion has really been picking up lately. Garrett and I are happily looking forward to our next living/working situation while enjoying the bountiful days that are abundant NOW!

Reliv health and business and health is awesome too. I know that I seem pretty healthy but I guess that I have always been an optimist and never shared the negative changes that I was aware of in my body. I continue to feel healthier and stronger. I still have some health concerns but I know that I am now giving my body what it needs to address these issues. Garrett continues to see new changes also and his immune system seems much stronger than before. It is nice to be growing younger. At the same time I am getting to help and see others feel more wellness and hope for their future. :-)

Love to all of you and looking forward to your company! Best~HB & GG

Spring is here...(Sure doesn't feel like summer yet!)

This baby Bambi signifies Spring to Garrett and I. We were fortunate to see this little fella when we were headed home from fishing on Friday evening. He/She was so scared! It was separated from its mama and was trying to hide on the gravel road that leads back to the dam were we like to fish. The little guy was gone the next day but that doesn't mean that I didn't want to take him and raise him just like 'The Yearling'. (Not the killing part though)

It has been a while since I have blogged but last week was a whirlwind. Monday and Tuesday were super full with Reliv appointments and other personal business. Wednesday through Friday I was up at the Big Sky properties 'yardening'. That is my new favorite term, I picked it up from my friend Michelle. :-)

Last weekend Garrett and I had a great four hour ride and a few fishing ventures. There was also a special event with Reliv on Friday that Garrett attended with me. We ended up going out to dinner in Bozeman, checked out some art that was displayed downtown. The paintings were actually done by one of our neighbors! We had another full day training on Saturday with Reliv, which was great! Besides that we got some rest and some hiking in. :-) It is hard to fit the play dates in at times, but important indeed!

One of the pics that I posted to the right was taken of some folks moving their cattle on Hwy. 287 this Saturday morning while we were headed to Bozeman. At 8am, on a foggy morning, it was a little surprising to make a corner and crest hill at about 70mph, only to find 150 head of cattle using the highway as well. :-)

Garrett and I both ended up with new gifts this weekend. I finally got a new pair of New Balance running shoes. (Sorry Tracy, I had to go back to the 'Ol faithfuls.) I tried them out on Sat. and I plan to go again tomorrow. Good fit! Garrett is super excited because he bought himself his first Fly Rod. He took it out on Sat. afternoon and caught his first 2 trout on a fly rod. So exciting! We went fishing again this am and each hooked a few small ones. This afternoon while I was riding, Garrett went back to the River and hooked 2 more! Unfortunately the second one snapped his line and he lost a fly and his lieder. Dang it!!!

We have another busy week ahead and another special weekend planned. We are headed back to Oregon after Garrett gets off work on Friday for a quick visit Sat. We are going to be heading back to MT on Sunday by 5am. We wish that we could stay longer but we will have a good visit with everyone in Sept/Oct.

I am pretty excited about Wednesday as well. Robert(President, CEO, Co-founder) and Sandy Montgomery, the top executives from Reliv, are coming to Bozeman that evening for a special event. I know that it will be awesome! :-) Reliv is such an amazing company and that has life changing products. It will be great to meet the people who started it all 21 years ago. Fun!!!

We are finding that the weekends are pretty short these days and we are looking forward to the time when Garrett works in town again and I am FT, self-employed. :-) We have applied to a few new caretaker positions that are down in the South Western part of the states. We are starting to put energy towards our winter plans and the fact that we want to be on the road by October 3rd at the latest. :-)

Well, that is all for now but I will give you guys an update on Sunday while we are on the road. That is a good time for me to write since I held captive in the truck while we are driving. Garrett has definitely adjusted to the fact that vehicles are a moving office space.

Lots of love to all of you! Have an awesome week and Happy Summer! Best~HB&GG

Snowy June days bring hungry fish and the resident truth...

If you will look above, you will see the two things that I caught today. We stopped at another hole on the Madison before Garrett caught a few as well (not fish though). It was only a high of 38 today with snow on the ground. Regardless of our Spring like weather, Garrett was super excited to show me the great fishing hole where he caught 2 last weekend.

Sure enough, as soon as I switched lures (spinners) after we had been out about 20 minutes I caught a 12 or 13 " Brown Trout on my second cast. After we sent that one back to his watery home, I cast two more times and BOOM, another. This one was a 16" Brown Trout. Amazing! The bigger one is in the top photo. We were both super excited. Man, it has been a while since I've caught a nice fishy. Beautiful! Don't worry, the second one went back to his cold home as well. We only eat them if we are camping and don't have other food. The want to live too!

We spent another 20 min. there and then headed to the little town of Jeffers. Then it was on to Ennis Lake and the north end of the Madison River, near the dam. This is where Garrett's fun really began. Always an adventure! Yeah, it is a long story. Garrett didn't really get in too much trouble.

This is what really happened. The fishing licenses that were issued to us were actually for residents vs. non-residents. Dang it! So even though it was an honest mistake, we still had our signatures on the license. Fortunately, I was not on the river when Game Warden, Ryan, asked to see Garrett's license. Garrett received a small fine and a warning. We just need to go in and get the proper ID. A day in the life and the pictures to prove it!

Besides all this fun today, we have had an eventful time around the place and taking care of our frozen children. The ponies are wearing there blankets again and we had to cover all the outdoor hanging flowers. From what we hear, it is not uncommon for this area to get a late snow storm around the 4th of July. Crazy! We think that MT is beautiful, beautiful for a nice short summer.

We just heard that Garrett gets a 3-day weekend and doesn't go back to Billings until Tues. He will probably work Sat. now and won't get to join me for the Reliv special event at MSU this Friday. We are lucky enough to have on of the top distributors here this weekend for an event on Friday and to run our MAT school on Saturday.

MAT stands for Master Affiliate Training, a training that I am excited to attend. Even more exciting is that the President and CEO will be here in 2 more weeks along with his wife the Co-Founder. Bob and Sandy Montgomery are coming to Bozeman because of all the growth in this area with Reliv. I am truly in the right place at the right time once again!!! Fabulous!

A wonderful week in south central Montana and just the beginning of an eventful summer. This week we plan to enjoy the warmer temps, get some new fishing permits and move some cows with one of our neighbors, Pokey. I talked with him last week and he asked if I needed an excuse to ride? I like that kind of excuse, it is always more fun to ride with an outside purpose. :-)

Have a great week everyone and stay tuned for next week. I have some news to share but Garrett and I aren't spilling the beans until we know for sure. :-) NO, I am not pregnant. And we are stil looking into our next living venture, it is not that either. Love and hugs to all of you!!! XOXO~HB & GG

Happy Birthday Jennie! My cousin Jennie turns 28 on the 9th! You go double mama! XOXOX

June, the month of changes...

Greetings. to all of you out there! I wanted to give you guys a few inside shots of our new pad referred to as the "Grizzly Cabin". One view is from the living room looking towards the kitchen and the other is from the utility room looking at the living room. It is very spacious and we are enjoying the open floor plan and the creek just 5ft. off our porch.

It feels like it has been a long time since I've written. Glad that I can be back at it. I can definitely tell you that already, in just 3 days, June is going to be a very exciting month. Don't get me wrong, May was full of new perspectives and experiences as well, especially the last few days of the month. But there is something special about this month, can't quite put my finger on it, but it will be good!!!

I had a great trip to CA on Friday and the drive back to MT went very smooth. Sip, the other driver, is a good friend of the Johnson's and this was his 8th time hauling their horses to MT. He hauled 4 and I hauled 2. I totally traveled in style, driving a 09 Yukon Denali and rolling with the sunroof open. We stayed in St. George, UT the first night and north of Ogden the 2nd night. We each had a dog in our 2 vehicles. Jackson was my co-pilot and he belongs to Patti's daughter, Tammy. Pretty funny little dog. :-)

We arrived back in MT on Monday afternoon, got the horses settled in, and then I settled myself in by taking Roy for a run. It felt so great to be back up in the mountain air. The last few days I have been doing odds and ends around the place and taking after the horses and Bear, the other dog. He is a Golden Doodle. I haven't been around those before but this one has an anal gland infection. Fun huh? He and I went to the vet yesterday to get some new antibiotics. It is always something, isn't it. :-)

Garrett had a great weekend home alone. He went to some car races in Bozeman on Friday night with some guys from work, got some rest, and went fishing. He checked out a new creek and lake and actually caught a couple rainbows. He said that one was 16" and the other was 18". Pretty Awesome!

We are both excited about this weekend. Sounds like he gets Sat. off too and we plan to go fish and also explore some more behind our house. I went on an awesome ride today with Murphy, Lightning and Roy. We climbed quite a ways and found some amazing trails and vistas. Incredible! Garrett will just love it and we have only scratched the surface. :-)

Ooh! Sounds like we are going to be getting some visitors in July as well. Terry, Garrett's mama, is coming to visit over the 4th. Then his dad, Randy and Tracy, over the last weekend of July. Also a good friend of mine, Jess, somewhere in between. Yay! I think that a college roomy, Chris, and his wife might come out in September. I am so excited to have visitors. It will be fun to show people around. :-)

Things really are fabulous and we are so excited about our future and our next adventures, not only in MT but beyond. I know that life just keeps getting better and we are both feeling better than ever. I am so happy that our bodies are getting healthier since that makes everything more rich and fullfilling. Getting older doesn't have to mean aging and I feel 10 years younger in just the last month. Seriously!

So, as far as our Reliv updates go... Garrett and I continue to see health improvements and I have more energy and focus now than I have for longer than I care to remember. My hands continue to heal and I am regulating my body temperature so much better. I can not say enough about the products and how they are helping some of my customers already too! One of my friends has lost nearly 15 lbs. in a month on the Slimplicity program. :-0 Yay!

I know that I am on the right track and really love sharing the products, the business opportunity and the hope that these formulas give to people. What a rewarding way to spend my time. :-) Can't wait to see where we are next week.

Well, I must bring this to a close. I have a few more phone calls to make tonight. That is my favorite thing about what I am doing with Reliv, the fact that it is putting me in contact with all the people that I care about on a more regular basis. I love all of you and am so happy that you guys check in on us. We really appreciate that. Have an awesome weekend!

Oh, Happy Birthday Randy!!! XOXO~HB&GG

Finishing up a busy weekend...

Phew! It is amazing how exhausting a 3-day weekend can be. It is about 5pm on Monday and I thought I'd start in on our blog before it was time to BBQ up some steak and corn on the cob, my favorite, the corn that is. I think that it is time to break in that beautiful BBQ that Patti and Robert have. :-)

We have had a great weekend. We ran around in Bozeman on Sat. and then headed to Pony to check out the Duck Races. Pony is about a 45 min. drive from us on developed roads. Unfortunately we were a little too late to buy ducks (I guess that we needed to be there more than an hour before it started) so we decided to go exploring outside of Pony instead. I am sure that the rest of the races were fun but not being able to compete took a lot of the intrigue out of it. :-)

We drove outside of Pony onto the USFS land to see if the road was open between there and our place on North Meadow Creek. By the looks of it on the map, we were within about a mile of connecting, the roads were just too snowy still. Soon!

So we headed home, made a great dinner and watched an old movie, a Bette Davis flick called Dark Victory. I had never seen a Bette Davis movie and was curious as to the feel and look of her on film. Not bad. I have to mention that we are now staying in the Grizzly Cabin, which is the new home that Patti and Robert are still in the process of finishing. We love it more than the other home and don't mind living in a construction zone for a few more months.

Sunday we headed out before 10am with the intent of fishing some of the High Lakes behind our house. Sure shot Lakes were our destination. We loaded up the horses, Murphy mainly, with water, lunch, fishing poles and first aid gear. Roy carried the fishing tackle in his pack and Garrett was in charge of the media equipment and personal protection. Fun! I ended up walking about 7 of our 12 mile journey since I like to walk and also felt bad for Murphy. The ponies are out of shape and the lakes are at 7500 ft. or more...

We got into the first lake around 12 and it was still pretty frozen. So out to the road and on to the second. The horses both had a major freak out moment when we came across some horse-eating backpackers and their gear. However, both ponies managed to survive the encounter.

We arrived at the second lake, had some lunch, tried to fish and realized that the rain seemed to be getting heavier. At this point we decided to head for the barn. By 2 pm it was coming down pretty good and we picked up the pace. We arrived back at the house at 3pm, soaking wet and pretty cold. But, it was a fun excursion, none the less. :-)

A town trip and a movie rental finished up the night with a great salad and a cold beer! Yum! I should mention, if you are a dog lover and haven't watched "Marley and Me" I encourage you to. Garrett and I were both totally in tears by the end. (Don't tell him I said that.) Loved it!

Today was started off by baking cookies for GG's work week, then a few Reliv appointments with family, an awesome run, some lunch and more exploring. We headed to South Meadow Creek today and were not surprised to see that the lake we were trying to hike to was under more snow. Hmmm, I am sensing a theme here. I guess that we are a little eager to get out and explore the Montana forests.

Anyhow, last week was great, busy and filled with great experiences. I had a friend, Jon DeGroot, visit me on Tuesday. We went to school together in Glide, OR and have known each other for about 20 years. Pretty cool! He lives in Jackson Hole, WY and is a musician by profession. GG and I are planning to get down to see him play and also romp around that area.

As far as next week goes, I am flying out on Friday for my horse hauling adventure from CA to MT. I will be home on Monday and Garrett will be here over the weekend to take after the kiddos. Patti and Robert should also be here by Friday at the latest, so all bases are covered. I will take my laptop to be in touch and work on the road.

Garrett and I continue to see great things happening with our health as our Reliv journey continues. I am so thrilled that I have the opportunity to share this with other interested people. I have decided that helping people attain better health and/or finances, is a pretty great profession. I have decided to specialize in it. :-)

Make sure to check out our new photos. There are several. We are starting to plot our next location come fall time, so stay tuned for that. Warmer winter weather is in the forecast. :-)

Love and joy to all of you and I can't wait to catch up... Remember, our hearts will always be in Oregon! Look out, here we come! XOXO~HB & GG

Happy Memorial Weekend!

Hi Everyone! I hope that all of you are making big plans for the weekend and getting that extra day off! Garrett gets a 3-day weekend and I do too!!!

We have a plethora of plans including; horseback riding, fishing, hiking, and checking out the Duck Races in Pony, MT. I am sure that we will eat, sleep and be married as well.....

The time is just flying by and I am going to try to do one more blog this next week before I take off for CA on Friday the 29th. If not, I will do an update after the 1st of June. Garrett will be here over that weekend to hold the fort down while I am driving 2 of the Johnson's 6 horses from CA to MT. There is another gentleman pulling the other 4. We will also be traveling with the Johnson's 2 dogs and possibly both of Patti's daughters, Tammy and Amy. We should be back in MT by Monday afternoon. After that my job duties and responsibilities will start to morph. :-)

Things are great with all of the kiddos and I have been starting to get our horses tuned up and in shape. Roy and I have been running or hiking daily. Roy really loves his new home and spends most of his time outside in the yard. He doesn't know it yet but he is on the look out for bears. I think that I mentioned that Murphy and Lightning are wearing new shoes and I really like Chad, our new farrier.:-)

I can't express enough how thankful I am that Garrett and I get to spend the summer here. I have met some great people in the area and continue to meet more daily. I have 3 good friends from home that live around here too and that is exciting. We have lots of plans to get out and play now that the weather is shaping up. :-)

As for other aspects of my day to day~ I am having just a remarkable experience sharing the Reliv food science formulas and growing my business. I haven't sponsored anyone yet in the business but I have a feeling that I may just meet that person tomorrow. It is all about others have better futures, either in their health, finances or both. :-) Michelle and I are hosting an opportunity presentation here in Ennis on Thursday evening and then I will have my weekly Saturday training also.

Garrett and I are continuing to see astonishing results in energy and healing. Both of us have noticed increased hair and nail growth, clearer skin, and I seem to be regulating my body temperature much better. :-) I am still impressed that my arthritis is clearing up so rapidly and Garrett continues to wake up with little to no joint pain, in just weeks. I am so excited that I am able to share these formulas and the other opportunities that Reliv offers. Splendid!

Oh, and I have decided to go to the Reliv International Conference in St. Louis, MO in August. Garrett is considering going as well. I feel that it is necessary for me to go an experience this event in order to forward my growth not only as a distributor but as a person. :-) A transformational experience, indeed!

Oh poppycock, looks like I better be moving on. Lots to do tomorrow and I am trying to finish up a horsemanship book tonight. Tomorrow I will continue to move us into the new cabin, follow-up with customers, ride horses and enjoy the springtime! Thanks for tuning in... Until next time!

Happy Trails~HB & GG

Montana Horses Horse Drive...

Hi everyone! So, I am sure that you guys remember me writing about the Montana Horses Horse Drive through the streets of Three Forks, MT a few entries ago. Well, it turns out that a friend of ours from Klamath Falls, OR was riding in it!!! Nadine just emailed me with a few photos of her 3-day adventure! Such a small world! Luv~HB&GG

Spring Snow Showers...

A view of our drive home from Norris Hot Springs, the drive over Warm Springs...

Yes, I do believe that spring snow showers are a common thing in southern Montana. I suppose that it is not too different from Central Oregon in many ways... However, the skies are blue now and I am hoping for nice weather tomorrow since the boys are getting new shoes on tomorrow. I am so excited about that. I am looking forward to longer rides and some serious exploration now that the trails are starting to clear! I might even be lucky enough to get Garrett out on a horse this weekend. It is typically a whole lot easier to get him on the river. :-)

Now, before I bore all of you with our weeks happenings, I have to share all the baby news! On Friday the 8th, the second Great-Grandbaby was born on the Heather side of the family. My cousins, Jennie and Jeff, had their second kiddo. Charlie Guerin Ruh was born early that morning and was a healthy 7.11 lb. baby boy. More importantly, the first boy to be born on that branch of the family for FOUR or is it FIVE generations. Incredible! Lucky kid, right. Just think about how spoiled that lil' sucker is going to be. :-) Congratulations guys! We luv u!

Just as amazing, on the Garrett side of the family, only 3 days later, another little one joined us. Josh and Sara Gregory had their first on Monday the 11th at 1:52 in the afternoon(I think that is the right time). Mason Randall Gregory was 8 lbs. and named after his Grandpa Randy. Congratulations to you both as well. Garrett is extra excited since this makes him an official UNCLE. (Me an Aunt, well I guess that I was technically already an Aunt with Jennie and Jeff's kiddos) We are planning to make it home for a whirlwind weekend at the end of June to see the new ones, celebrate graduations, birthdays and see several different family members and friends. Always an adventure!

Speaking of friends, we had our first Oregonians visit last week. Yay! The Wolfensons and Telfers from Central Oregon dropped in last Wednesday for a visit. Garrett was working but I met then for a soak in the Norris Hot Springs. We met for a few hours and had a great time enjoying the sun break that we had while we visited in the thermal pools. The pools are just 15 minutes from our place. They were all in MT for Kelly's graduation from nursing school. It was a brilliant time and I am so thankful for their friendship and the visit. It was perfect!

Another thing that we are realizing is that springtime in MT means lots of wildlife. Besides all of the birds that have been blessing us with their presence, we are seeing some pretty large 4-legged creatures as well. Garrett saw a young Moose on Friday night on his way home about a mile form our house. I know that I mentioned last week that I have been seeing Elk. In fact, last Thursday, I was south of Ennis towards the Park (Yellowstone) and I saw a herd of at least 1,000 Elk. Incredible! They are such noble, amazing animals.

Around the home front, I am working on the honey-dos and keeping up with our caretaker duties. Tomorrow I am off to get more hay and grain in Ennis after the horses are shod. I also have a few more minor things to do on the Grizzly cabin, our new place. I plan to start moving our belonging in there next week and then we will start staying in the new cabin, the Grizzly, the week after. Robert and Patti will arrive on the 27th and then I will be flying down to CA on the 29th to haul 1/2 the horses back over that weekend. I will be pulling 2 of them and they have another friend hauling the other 4. Garrett will be home to do stuff around here and get ready for another work week that Monday. I will miss him completely that weekend since I fly out on a Friday morning and arrive home on a Monday. :-( I guess that that is what happens when one is in high demand.

Garrett is staying busy with work and typically gets a 10-12 hr. day in all week. They have worked one Sat. and will continue to do that occasionally. He is pretty beat on the weekends but I still drag him out to play at least one day. :-) Mainly we have been fishing and hiking around a bit. I think that we will do a little more exploring south of Ennis this weekend since that stretch of the Madison opens up this weekend. One of my buddies, Ben, told us about a super sweet dirt road to check out as well.

As for my new venture, Reliv, it is going great. I have many customers starting to see some desired results with weight loss and energy. I know that it is early on but I am noticing even more happy changes in me and Garrett is noticing a substantial reduction in joint soreness. I love sharing these nutritional formulas with people and I am happy that they are starting to make positive differences in people's lives. I love that and that is my 'why' for taking a chance with the products and the company! It is great that both the products and the business opportunity have a $$ back guarantee. Reliv really does have something special going for them. (Besides me) :-)

Well you guessed it... It is time for me to sign off and get some work done before bed. Tomorrow is another day and another discovery. We send our best to all of you out there in Cyber-space! Lots of love and joy to all of you~~~HB&GG

Busy times in the Treasure State...

Garrett and I have been busy kiddos... From here on out, I'll be updating our blog once a week because of work schedules and play time. :-) Thanks for checking in on us and for cheering us on through our travels and new endeavours.

Before I get into the daily life kind of updates, I have to tell you guys about all the great animals I have seen this week. First of all, I saw a herd of about 50 Elk on the way home from Bozeman after dropping Garrett off on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, as I was driving down our dirt road towards town, and saw a herd of about 200 Elk. The photo at the top of the page was of some of the 200. Amazing! Oh and our neighbor, Larry, had a Black Bear in his garage on Monday night and it came back to his porch on Tuesday. :-)

I also see lots of Herons, Sandhill Cranes and Eagles everyday. I am just loving the wildlife. Garrett and I went fishing for a few hours today on the Madison, it was beautiful but we didn't catch anything. Oh well, it is always great to be on the River, listening to the eternal passing of time...

Tomorrow will start our work weeks out. For me, that means a week of adventure and new discovery. I love the people that I am meeting and all of the events that I have been attending through Reliv. :-) To say the least, I am very proud to be a part of our organization and share our wonderful products with others.

As most of you know, Garrett is working for Walker Excavation and they are putting in 11-12 hour days. He stays out of town during the week and I pick him up for the weekends. The first few days he is gone each week is hard on little Roy dog, but we try to go for lots of runs. Garrett loves the fact that he is working hard again and is learning new things. He is able to operate all different kinds of equipment and is enjoying the guys that he works around. It seems like at least 1-2X per week his boss goes over to Billings and buys all the guys dinner. Pretty Sweet company for him to work for.

I have been a Master Affiliate with Reliv International for a week now and I love their science based food nutrition. All our products a triple tested for potency and pureness and are taken in liquid form for optimal absorption. I am feeling amazing and my skin, joints, and digestion are all seeing improvement, even in just a weeks time. Garrett started his basic 3 nutritional products yesterday and no complaints yet. I can't wait to see what happens for us regarding our health improvements.

I also have 10 customers (friends & family) starting on the basic 3 next week. It is exciting to know that I can help people that I care about in gaining better health. :-) I love my new job and I am my own boss! Yay! I plan to work my Reliv business PT until October and then pick it up FT. It is great that I can take it with me wherever we go, even if we were to move to OZ or NZ. :-) I know, wishful thinking...

Anyhow, enough on that. I will write again soon and appreciate the never-ending support and love. Best to all of you and Happy Cinco De Mayo! Salute!~ HB & GG XOXOXO

Happy Birthday Mom!!! We love you!!!

Today I woke up to snow and temps in the 20's. I am glad that we got out and about yesterday and that I was able to go for a run. Before I forget to mention it, I have to give you some background on the pigs above. (you guys must think that we are nuts, almost all of our pictures are of animals, we love them. :-))

These pigs live about 2 miles down the road from us towards town. About 2 weeks ago the people who own them were building this pen and Garrett and I were making bets on what it would house in the future. He did guess Pigs. I had to disagree, naturally, so I said sheep. :-)

Well, to my surprise, last Monday on my way home from dropping Garrett off in Belgrade for his work week, I saw! Yep, 2 cute little pigs, probably 4-H projects. GG was so excited to meet them when he made it home from Billings on Friday. :-)

As for the pictures that I added to the right, they were taken in Three Forks. It is a town that is about 45 min. NW of us. It is named that because it is where the Madison, The Gallatin and the Jefferson Rivers merge together to form the Missouri. Pretty Neat! It is also the town where Stephanie, my sister, and I are going to meet to hang out in a few weeks when she comes to visit. There are lots of State Parks and things to see around there. I guess that they also host some pretty great 3-day country and rock concerts as well. Probably similar to the Sweet Home Jamboree in Oregon.

Yesterday in Three Forks there were hundreds of people lining the streets awaiting the Annual Montana Horses Horse Drive. Montana horses is a leasing operation out of a ranch just north of Three Forks. They lease horses to pack strings, dude ranches and to individual recreational riders. They have been doing this drive annually from their winter pasture up Willow Creek to the summer pasture at the home ranch. I think that they have about 150 head and they also breed ranch/cow horses. It is a 3-day drive and the second night the riders stay in 3 Forks. There are craft and food vendors, music stages and other activities going on all day. Fun Stuff!

Sorry that I don't have any pictures of the horses actually going through town. We showed up about 2 hrs. before the horses were going to make it there and after walking around for an hr. we decided that we would rather go fishing vs. wait around for another hour. :-) Figures!

Anyhow, in other news, Garrett is liking his job and will leave again for Billings on Monday morning bright and early. :-) I am adjusting to him being out of town and am meeting more people in the area and getting out into the community. I have contacted a few local 4-H clubs to volunteer with through the summer and I also am starting up a new home-business. :-)

I have been doing a lot of thinking and have decided that besides the horse ranching industry and similar endeavours, there are really only two other topics that interest me, Nutrition and Helping people. As most of you know as well, I like to do my own thing and have wanted to be in business for myself for quite some time. I had been focusing on the horse aspect of business but have realized that until we own our own operation, I'd rather just have the time and money to spend with my horses.

I was fortunate to meet a gal last week that has a daughter my age who is also into horses. She is also helping people every day in her home-based business and making an awesome income to boot. I was a little curious about this. So I met with Michelle on Tues. and we chatted for about 3 hours regarding horses, life for her as a mother and her PT job. For 6 years she has been an Independent Distributor for an International Company called Reliv. It is a network marketing company that actually is backed by some of the best credentials I have seen for any type of Small Business in the US. It is publicly traded on NASDAQ, is a Fortune 100 small business, holds 5 US patents for nutritional supplements and still has the same management that started it in 1988.

After talking with Michelle, hearing several health recovery stories and testimonials, and attending a training seminar yesterday morning with Garrett, I have decided to give it a go.

I am wanting to reach out and help people achieve better lives on a daily basis through their health and their finances if that is their choice. This isn't a sales pitch guys, I am speaking from my heart and just sharing what I am learning. I have dissected the http://www.reliv.com/ website, have watched different DVD's on the products and read Success from Home magazine cover to cover. Incredible.

Garrett and I are going to start taking the basic nutritional 3 products that are recommended and also a patented item called Arthaffect. The basic three are the Classic, a synergistic blend of 72 vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Innergize, the vehicle to help ones body more readily absorb the classic nutrition and then the FiberStart for basic cleansing and detox. The Arthaffect is the best of its kind, for Arthritis and other joint reconstruction.

The products are clinically tested and proven and there are thousands of placebo tests and testimonials to prove it. There are about 13 products total that range from Simplicity, an amazing weight loss system to Cardiosentials, proven to help reconstruct heart scar tissue, lower cholesterol, and help with circulation. There is another amazing product called Glucaffect that has helped thousands with regulating and lower blood sugar levels, blood pressure and I am amazed at the results that it is giving to customers and distributors.

Another product that is highly recommended for people who suffer from MS, Fibromyalsia, and any other sort of chronic fatigue type symptoms is Pro-vantage. These products are giving people their lives back and I have already talked with dozens of people who have shared their amazing stories of recovery on a multitude of health challenges.

Wow, I could go on and on, but I won't. I think that I'll let the products do the talking. I am excited to have an improved quality of life and I am hoping that Garrett will regain perfect health as well. Of course I encourage any of you to call of email me if you are interested in improving your health or starting up a new way of living. I am so excited to share what I am learning and to make a positive change in the lives of others in a new way.... I know that these nutritional supplements can improve any ones life and they are reasonably priced, made easy for anyone to purchase in any walk of life. In love and appreciation~HB & GG

Reliv Independent Distributor

541.771.4244

heatherbarklow@gmail.com

Montana in the springtime...

Is completely unpredictable. Seriously! We had a foot of snow last Wed. and today it is going to be a high of 72 degrees. Sounds a lot like Bend, OR huh? These are pretty common weather patterns from what I hear, and what else should one expect at 6,000 ft.

For those who didn't hear, last week was very eventful indeed! Garrett went in Monday for his first week of work and by Tuesday night I received a call that they were coming home. Luckily for me, Patti and Robert brought the extra work truck over from Big Sky and Garrett drove that home from Belgrade Tuesday night. He had a little trouble getting into our place around 9pm since by that point we had about 6 inches of new snow. We are a 2nd or 3rd priority as far as county road plowing goes. But hey, we are a little ways out.

By Wednesday morning when Garrett left for work at 630am there was about 10 inches and no sight of a plow job. He headed off in Blue and about 15min. later I was driving down the road to go and pull him out of the ditch. He made it about 2 miles down our single lane dirt road before the road disappeared on him. There was really nothing that he could do with the slickness of the snow/ice and the pitch of the road.

So we tried for about 34 minutes to pull him out when Todd, one of the contractors, came along. We managed to hook his truck to my truck and I was still still hooked to Blue and the three of us yarded that Blue Beastie out of the ditch. We now lovingly refer to that particular area as Garrett's Gulch. Fun stuff. The rest of that day consisted of shoveling and plowing snow before finally retiring to the house and a fire around 430pm. :-)

It was more of the same on Thursday, with an added trip to town for Todd. I also took care of my office work load and the horses. Garrett got in lots of TV time and a few well-deserved naps. Friday and Saturday Garrett layed low with a cold and I got lots of playing and tack cleaning in. There is always something to do! :-) ( I also love to be busy.)

Sunday was a fabulous day! We hit up the Madison River for our first time and played with the fishes. :-) We had our two poles with spinners and my fly rod. They weren't really biting but I think that we were getting more hits than anyone else. That day I came to a realization also. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to fly fish and I'll bait fish too! But as I said on Sunday, " Fly fishing is really just glorified bait fishing." It might not be live bait, but it is still bait. :-) Funny, the things we think of when the fish are snubbing us.

As for the rest of the week, it has been great. Lots of projects and I have gotten 2 reservation confirmed. Very exciting! Tomorrow I am going to meet with a gal that rides and is from the area. Her name is Michelle and she is my age. It is nice to start meeting some people. Seems like it always takes a month or so to get settled in. :-)

I have some more pics to post in the next few days. I am loving all the wildlife but fortunately I haven't come face to face with any bears yet. I think that I am going to see how far up the Forest Service road I can get the 4-wheeler tomorrow. We discovered by map that there are about 15 named lakes in the National Forest just behind our house. Plus, they are all stocked with fish. I also plan to check out a BLM short cut to Bozeman, via Norris on Friday! Good Stuff! That reminds me, I have to get extra fuel for the 4-wheeler tomorrow while I'm in town. :-)

Well, it is off to bed with me. Lots to do tomorrow and I am really no good after 9pm. I sure missed all of these early bed times when I was living in TX. I have always been early to bed and early to rise, it makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise. Ok, that was Benjamin Franklin who said that I think. Love and hugs to all of you wonderful readers out there.

Oh and stay tuned... My first book is about to get underway... "Tails from a Dude Horse, A Horses Journey Through the Heart of a Wrangler... by HB. We'll see... I plan on getting something going to that effect. The book has been in the works for a few years now, just not recorded on paper. :-) Love and joy to all~HB & GG

Wakee,Wakee...Eggs & left over Spaghetti.

Do I have news for you guys! Garrett and I woke up at 3:45am on Monday. We were out on the road by 4:15. Why you ask? After just 4 days in MT, Garrett has a new job. :-) He started with Walker Excavation, a company out of Belgrade. Belgrade is about 5 miles west of Bozeman and almost an hour commute for us. From his report last night, things are going great. Oh, and then he did call this morning and he said that his roommate is a snorer.:-) Ear plugs and a fan...that is all I have to say.

They are a pretty large company and have 3 jobs going right now with Sam's Club. Yep, GG is a Wal-mart employee too! :-) Two of the job sites are out of town in Billings and Great Falls. With that said, Garrett will be working in Billings for his first week. I dropped him off on Monday morning and pick him up again on Friday afternoon. They put the guys up in hotels and feed them, so that is pretty nice. :-) At least he gets to eat. I am happy that he has weekends at home and that I'll get to see him a few days a week. All in all, it should work out pretty well and we are thankful that he has a good position and doesn't have to make the commute everyday.

Other than that, we are loving our new place and getting to know our surroundings. We both have MT driver's licenses and fishing licenses also. I am getting more familiar with my position and the reservations/booking duties. I think that I am going to have more than enough on my plate. :-) On Saturday we met with The Johnson Family up at Big sky to check out the other properties.

We started with Moose Landing, toured over to Elk Crossing, drove up to Big Sky resort for a look, and then down to Livingston to check out The Centennial. All of the rentals are charming, unique and classy. Each has great river access and The Centennial boasts some of the best fishing in all of MT. 1000 ft. on the Yellowstone river is truly a treasure. :-)

In other news, we have been getting the horses out although they are in need of new shoes shortly. Roy is still just enamored with the snow and we have been enjoying the comforts of a fire each night.

Oh yes, I wanted to tell you also that I had another first on Sat. We headed into Ennis around 930am and after dropping off the recycling and garbage, we headed to Shedhorn Sports, It is a great local sporting goods store that carries a little bit of everything. We were after two purchases that were both firsts for me. One, was a can of Bear Spray. It is a precaution that most never hit the woods without. Especially this time of the year around here. We have black bears and some Grizzlies too. The next was a holster.

Lets back track, two days before we left Oregon, Garrett and I went to look at hand guns with yours truly in mind. It was a topic that had come up a few times in the week prior because of my adventurous spirit and the abundant wildlife in MT. I feel totally comfortable with the idea of carrying a weapon as a last resort, I just never have. The intent is to never use it, but at least I'll have the access to it. First I'll bust out the bear spray if the event occurred. :-) I am sure that the creatures of the forest and I will get along just fine. Heathers are friends, not food. :-)

As for the first few days of my work week, they have been good. I have made some email contacts with prospective rental people, ran some errands for the builders, and had time to get things organized before the snow melts. Oh yeah, but it is snowing right now and we are supposed to get 1-2 feet up here at 6,000 ft. We'll see! I think that I am going to have some shoveling to do tomorrow. I have to admit, not sure if I really would want to spend a winter here. Brrr!!!

Well I better go, I have a few things to finish up before I meet with Robert and Patti this afternoon or evening. :-) Enjoy the new pictures. The ones of GG and me were taken by Tammy, one of Patti's daughters. Cheers! With love and joy~HB&GG

Day three! The explorations begin...

After a morning filled with snow shoveling and visiting with contractors, Garrett & I set off to walk around our 42 acre property. We know that 42 acres isn't huge, but when trudging through knee deep snow and leaping streams, it feels pretty good sized. :-)

I wanted to share a candid moment for Garrett leaping over one of the streams that winds through our property. At the top of the Lost Bear Ranch a stream splits and flows around the 2 homes. This is the same one that we show Lightning drinking out of in the picture to the right. Charming!

We made it to the Lost Bear Ranch around 3pm Sunday after a nerve wracking 9 mile drive in from Hwy. 287. North Meadow Creek, our road, is a dirt road that dead ends in the Beaverhead National Forest. We have traveled over 6,000 miles with our horses and trailer in the past 7 months and the closest call we've had was Sunday pulling into the driveway.

The road in was clear but still pretty soupy since everything is melting around here. We started to hit a little snow about 300 yards from the driveway and it was during the turn in that we got stuck. Up to this point, Garrett performed like a Rock Star by not jack-knifing the trailer when it started to slide off the road around a sharp corner to the left. He almost had the turn into the driveway but Blue just couldn't get his 15,000lb. appendage, Millie, around the corner quick enough.

We finally did get the trailer into the driveway and then we waited for Pokey, our neighbor, to come down. He had to finish clearing the drive and the bridge that we needed to cross to get to our parking spot. FYI, we did unload the horses and put them away as soon as the trailer got stuck, just so you know. :-)

In other news, we love our location. The 42 acres that we are on is about a 5 minute walk to 1 million acres of public land, the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. There are several fishing lakes in hiking distance from our place that we can't wait to explore. We are at 6,000 feet elevation and have a lot of cool neighbors. We have met some of the folks around us and some other people during our visit to Ennis on Monday. We picked hay up yesterday from some neighbors down the road and tomorrow we are headed south to Cameron to meet with the Head Wrangler at the Sun Ranch Lodge.

Thursday we are planning to drive into Bozeman to scope it out, grocery shop and drop our recycling off. A few days later we are supposed to spend the day with Patti and Robert, picking out our computer and getting familiar with the other rental properties. They have been staying in Big Sky with Patti's daughters. We are having dinner with the four of them this weekend. I think that they are here for another week and will be staying with is one or two nights. We are staying in the upstairs of their place until our house is finished up.

We have started some of our caretaker duties like clearing snow around the property and checking the reservation inquiries for the rentals. We are preparing to stain decks and furniture as soon as things melt off a bit more. I did send out a mass email with the website of the rentals today, check out www.BigSkyFishingandSkiing.com or email me at bigsky@bigskyfishandski.com for more information or a reservation.

I know that Garrett and I have only been here for 3 days but we are happy that we get to spend the summer here. By the end of the summer we will decide along with our employers if we will extend the contract. It is a little cold in the mornings, but I am so happy to be back in the mountains and living an active lifestyle. It feels good to work using my body and mind. I missed the high elevation fresh air and the crispness of the high desert.

Enjoy the new pics and we will keep you guys posted on our trip to the rentals and beyond. Oh, we are also planning to head into town (Ennis) on Easter for the community parade and Easter egg hunt. We thought about letting Roy do the Easter egg hunt. He could fetch eggs and we could carry his basket. :-) Hey, the rules are children under the age of 12 and he is!

Best of life to all of you~~~ HB && GG

Entering the Treasure State...

Here we go! We have entered Montana and we are transitioning into our next adventure. It is interesting to me all of the emotions that one can go through while under times of increased change. As we drive through the Western part of MT on I-90 I am feeling more and more at ease with our decision and the path that we are embarking on.

It finally hit me this morning when I checked the weather in Ennis that this is now the place that we will be until at least October. At 5am this morning when weather.com said it was 4deg. with a high of 47deg. I was a bit hesitant but I reminded myself that spring is on the way. :-)

This is a beautiful state and it is nice to be back in it after 2 & 1/2 years. The last time that Garrett and I were in MT was on our first date. It was on that 9 day road trip that we realized that we were pretty good together and we were just at the beginning of our journeys together. :-) I know, sappy isn't it.

We spoke with Patty and Robert this morning and they are expecting us around 234pm. For the next few days we will be settling in and getting the lay of the land. We are going to drive to Cameron on Tues. to meet Ryan Bell at the Sun Ranch Lodge about a position for Garrett. We will also check out the town of Ennis and the Post Office in Mc Allister. Fun stuff! You know, all the great things that you do when you are exploring a new area.

We know that we will also be checking into fishing licenses right away. However, we may want to get some new drivers licenses before that. We are in the process of investigating how things work in MT.

Alright, that is all for now. I feel compelled to get back to sight seeing and absorbing the changing scenery as we travel southeast to Missoula and beyond....

Until I blog again, Happy Trails! Dream Big~HB & GG

Montana Bound...

Happy Saturday!

We hit the road at 634am this fine April morning. We had a stop on the Columbia River Gorge, but other than that, smooth sailing. We are so excited for our new living situation and life out in MT. I can't wait to get there and explore the surrounding forests, rivers, and mountains.

We will be stopping today at a Les Schwab for trailer chains and then staying in Coeur d' Alene for the night at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. Fun!!! The boys all seem happy to be back on the road and the sun is shining bright.

They are expecting mid-high 40's in both northern ID and southern MT over the weekend. Not bad at all. :-) We will check in again tomorrow and later this week as we get settled in to our new home.

ps... Thank you Shelly and Eric Batha for our Satellite radio. We love it!! Cheers~ HB & GG

Oh, the preparations...

The photo to the left is up in the Molalla Hills, above the River. We were trying to go for a hike in the Table Rock Wilderness area when we hit the snow line and decided that Blue was a little difficult to turn around in tight places. Worse case scenario was that we had about a 20-mile walk out to a main road. :-) This was a trip down memory lane for Garrett. He and his friends/family have spent a lot of time in these hills and fishing the river.

Garrett and I have been in OR for over three weeks now. It has been a wonderful visit, full of family and friend reunions. We were planning to pull out this morning but Blue had other things in mind. (I think that he just wanted us to wait for nicer weather.:-))

We were running around yesterday and on 3 different occasions we heard a clucking noise.You know, the kind that you know you should get checked out before hooking up to a 15,000lb. trailer and driving 1,000+ miles kind of noise. So we did just that at Mallar's in Canby. Sure enough, after hoisting him up on the truck stand, we discovered that he has a left ball-joint going out. Phew! We are happy that it isn't worse and better yet, they are getting us in today for a fix.

In retro-spec, it is better this way. The weather through Northern Idaho and into Ennis is suppose to be better this weekend for travel. It also gives us an extra day to double/triple check that we have everything squared away. I am going to take this opportunity to go out for another run this morning and get in one more acupuncture apt. while still in Oregon(better insurance benefits).

We still can't believe that we left TX a month ago and we have managed to stay busy this entire time. Garrett and I have decided that our life is a FT job. :-) We do feel prepared for this move though and I know that we are in great hands. We heard from Patti and Robert yesterday(our new employers) and they are headed out to Ennis. They are probably there right now actually. They already have 3 dozen bales of hay waiting for our horses and we should be able to move in to our new place by Easter weekend. :-) Until then, we will make good use of Millie. She has been a great home for us.

The horses are doing great and Roy is loving the fact that he gets to play with his brother Sparky. :-) We appreciate all of our friends and especially our families who have helped us out along the way. Thanks to my folks in MP, the Youngs in Glide and Garrett's family up in Donald for putting us up and feeding our kids. This entire visit back to our homeland is what makes us appreciate where we came from and who we have in our lives.

I will give an update in a few days and let you know how life is on the road. I am sure that we will have smoothe sailing and sunny weather to protect us on our way. Lots of love and hugs to all of you who believe in the power of Team Gether!!! XOXOX~HB & GG

ps...No news on the Amazing Race but we still have hope. I did see that they have 2 more open casting calls towards the end of April. If we haven't heard anything by the 30th of April, I might start to wonder???

pss... I did finally watch it. Garrett and I caught 2 episodes at his mom's place in the past week. At least I have more of an idea of what to expect and the kind of competition we would be up against. Fascinating and very 'interesting' to say the least... TTNF!

Brutus goes Bye-Bye...

It is true. We sold Brutus on Sunday to a great guy in SE Portland. We decided that in our new situation he wasn't completely needed and that we will get bikes again in the future...

For now we will be riding 4-wheelers and snowmobiles when needed. Otherwise we still have our four-legged friends and my bicycle. We also have access to a work vehicle in our new caretakers position.

Here is a photo to remember our friend... Thanks Brutus! We love you!! HB & GG

Finishing up with our Central Oregon visit...

Sometimes a Garrett just gets Dog Tired. :-) That is Sparky on Garrett's belly, taking advantage of a warm place to sleep. Aren't they sweet?

We are nearly back to Donald/Canby from our 6 day trip over to Bend, OR. We had a wonderful time seeing friends, family(my sister), and friends that are like family. We thank Tim and Pam Phillips for the comfy place to stay our first night and Stephanie, my sis, for putting us up the reminder of the time. :-)

We had great weather, were able to see almost everyone we wanted to see, and I was able to share some of my favorite running spots with Garrett. He loved it! ;-) It felt great to visit and drive by Rock Springs to see the changes that are occurring. Bend is going through a bit of a transitional period and the real estate market has a fair amount to do with that. It is nice that our mortgage is on wheels!

We have a busy week ahead of us now that we are back on this side of the hill. I know of 4 family/friend engagements and other preparations that are taking place. We have decided to sell Brutus, our motorcycle, so spread the word on that. He is a sweet KLR650 Dual-sport. Love him!

We are still looking at a April 3rd departure date and an arrival in MT on the 4th. We know that we are once again moving into the unknown and that is exciting and unsettling all the same. We did hear from the Sun Ranch Lodge, the 27,000 acre ranch south of Ennis. Garrett and I are going to be driving down to meet with the Head Wrangler there on the 6th to see about the commute and the position. They only have one position available and we are still mulling through our options. We will keep you posted there as well.

But for now, we are off to unload our truck and clean Brutus up for his next owner. Best to all of you! Many new beginnings are just around the corner. "Life's a Dance..." ~~~ HB & GG

Montana revealed....

Flash back to September of 2006. So there we were(Garrett and I) driving through Montana on our way south from Glacier National Park, heading towards Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. This was the middle phase of a 9 day road trip. We now refer to this drive as our first date. As we traveled south we passed through the Madison Valley and a small town by the name of Ennis. We were both mystified by the area and Garrett proclaimed that he would live there someday...

It is now 2009, the 23rd of March. Garrett and I are anxiously awaiting our new caretaker/property management position in Montana. As most of you know we are going to be in Mc Allister, which is about 5 miles north of Ennis on Hwy 287. It seems to be the perfect location for us since it is an hour south of Bozeman and an hour north of West Yellowstone. The very location that we had been pursuing all along for our summer sanctuary.


The 42 acre ranch where we will be living is called the Lost Bear Ranch. We were wondering if Patti and Robert named it after their dog, Bear. The property backs up to the Beaverhead NF and the Madison River runs along its boundary as well. There are 2 houses on the place, one of which we will reside in. It is a 2200 sq.ft. log cabin. A newly built rental that boasts two master suites with king size beds and all the comforts of home. The other home is the original house and that is where Patti and Robert reside for part of the year.


Our new employers are a wonderful couple from Southern CA. They bought the property about 7 yrs. ago and they spend 1/2 the yr. there and 1/2 their time in CA. We will be there to feed their horses, check on the other 3 rentals and preform other tasks on their land. Besides this, they have asked me to take over the reservations for their 4 rental properties. Two are at the base of Big Sky Ski Resort and sleep 10-12. The 4th is outside of Livingston with 1000 ft. of river front on the Gallitin River. The houses are typically used for skiing or fishing lodging but would be great for any sort of gathering or celebration. I will be posting their site and other rental information soon.


After the middle of April I will be helping them set up a blog site and handling the reservations on a commission basis. We are going into the situation with open minds and hearts. We feel very fortunate for the opportunity and are looking forward to getting integrated into the community. After living in TX and being outside such a large city, we are thrilled to get back to a town of 1,000 ppl.


Another neat thing is that Patti and Robert are friends with the owners of the Sun Ranch Lodge. It is the 27,000 acre eco-ranch that I have blogged about. Garrett and I aren't sure if we will both need outside FT jobs. I think that I may handle the property stuff and our caretaker position and he may get an outside position in the area. I also plan to network and see if I can generate some horse related clients. :-) Only time will tell....


If any of you are interested in the rentals, let me know. They are all beautiful and contain any sort of household item that you might need while staying somewhere for a week or more. I will get more specific information out soon.

As for our current location, we are in sunny Central Oregon. Our first stop on Sat. was Lapine to visit with our friends Hud, Ona, and their new baby girl, Hazel. We are now on day 3 and we are staying with my sister, Stephanie. It has been a busy two weeks of family and friend visits and we have about 10 more days in Oregon. It is great to be home and at the same time both Garrett and I know that we aren't quite ready to be back for good. Until I write again...

Love and joy to you~HB & GG

A trip to the Coast, the Oregon Coast!

Upon arriving in Oregon, Garrett and I agreed that we'd have to make a trip to the coast. Below are lots of photos that we wanted to share of us scaling rocks, Roy fetching sticks in the surf, and Roy chasing seaweed on the sand.

This is one of many public beaches and state parks in Bandon, OR. This particular spot is only 25 min. from my parents in Myrtle Point on the southern Oregon Coast. Enjoy! XO~HB & GG

South to North...

Murphy and Dr. Downie, at Bailey Veterinary clinic is Roseburg, OR. Murphy was starting to get a few sharp points on his teeth so we decided to have this taken care of while we were in Oregon with vets that we know. I do think that Garrett enjoyed watching Murphy get drugged and violated. :-)

Today marks the day that we head from the southern part of Oregon, up to the North. We are Donald/Canby bound. It will be the next place that we set up camp and get the horses comfortable. They will be there until we leave for Montana. Garrett's dad and Tracy are our next gracious hosts. We will be based out of their place except for the time we spend in Bend and Seattle.:-)

We left Glide just before 10am this morning with our possessions, animals, and 4 cow tongues. Don't worry, we are actually delivering these organs to a customer of Seven Springs Natural Beef. The gentleman lives in Portland and we were heading that way.

We were sad and excited all the same as we pulled out of the Young's driveway this morning. We had a great time in Glide and on our trip over to Myrtle Point and the coast. We did have a slight variation in travel plans on Friday morning while on our way from Glide to Myrtle Point. Blue, our truck, decided that he needed some TLC and we ended up leaving him in Roseburg at Lithia Ford.

We had been having some, what we thought were electrical or computer, issues with him for a few months. He started shutting himself down as we made it the 20 miles from Glide to Roseburg before finally dieing in the dealership parking lot. Believe me, we were so thankful that he waited instead of doing this during a wind storm in western AZ. Timing really is everything.:-) No worries, he is on the road again with a new alternator and a pride lift. Lets just say that he feels super charged.

We made it over to Myrtle Point by Friday afternoon after borrowing Betsy, another ford truck, from the Youngs. She is a bit older than Blue, but ran like a champ for the 3 days we used her.

Our stay in Myrtle Point was perfect. We were able to spend time with my mom, dad, sister, and the grandparents. Most of the time that we spent with my immediate family was at a huge Open Rabbit Show. Yes, I am serious, and we have the pictures to prove it. :-) My parents and little sister raise show and meat rabbits. Their herd did quiet well at this show. There were people there from all over the NW, judges from all over the country, and over 700 scared little bunnies. Quite a sight to see!

I have to admit that bunnies are cute but I am a horse person. Garrett and I have decided that there are 2 kinds of people in the world, there are Horse people and there are Bunny people. You choose! :-) LOL

I do have some more tales to tell in the next day or so. I will have more on MT shortly. I did find out that we are closer to Mc Allister, which is just north of Ennis. We are near Ennis Lake and about 9 miles out of Mc Allister on a gravel road. Sounds Fabulous! We plan to head that way the 1st or 2nd of April. :-)

Ta Ta for now... Luvs~HB&GG

We've landed...

Mt. Shasta through a ducks eye view. :-) These little traveling buddies were a gift from the Hildebrandt family. They have been on our dash since last August. Thanks Jamie, Kelly, and Jasmine. We love you!!! Jamie you are my hero.:-)

Yay! It is official! We have made it to OR. We pulled into the Flying L Ranch yesterday at 430pm. We had just enough time to unload the horses, get settled and unhook before we drove into Ashland.

Yesterday was definitely our longest mileage day. We went from Bakersfield to Ashland. We left at 430am and arrived at 430pm. Sweet! We did pull the horses out around Red Bluff and gave them a grazing/H2O break. All in all, it was a great safe trip. Smooth sailing for Millie, Blue, and their 5 passengers.

We had a great evening with family in Ashland. We met at the Standing Stone Brewery with Garrett's Grandma Archien, my Aunt Kat, Aunt Jeri and Uncle Kip. It was a wonderful dinner coupled with great beer and inspiring conversation. It sure feels good to be back in the NW. We just love it.

We stopped in Grants Pass this morning for fuel, breakfast, and to get some hot cocoa. It was about 25deg. and that is about the coldest temp that we saw all winter. :-) I sure am glad that we are back in March, we need some time to acclimate to winter. :-)

We are almost to Roseburg/Glide where we will be staying for a few days with our great family friends, the Young's. It will be awesome to take an indoor/hot shower and get some laundry done. :-) We know that the horses will appreciate green grass and freedom to roam. We have a dinner date with family Thurs. night and a dental appt. for Murphy on Thurs. afternoon.

Friday we will head over to Myrtle Point to visit my folks and grandparents for a few days. Then back to Glide and up to Portland by Sun./Mon. :-) We will have family/friend time for a few days there before we head to Bend. We plan to be in Portland again by the 27th and then it is out to MT by the end of the month. :-)

I will check in a few times in the coming weeks with MT updates and details. I know that great things are coming! We are so excited about our future plans and the next chapter of our time on the Road.

We appreciate all of you that are a part of our lives and for the great comments, emails, and thoughts that you are sending. Oh.. and don't you worry. We have not forgotten about the Amazing Race. Interviews start the 20th in Seattle and we are still hopeful....

Proud to be Oregonians~HB & GG

Warning! Strong Wind Area...

They weren't joking! As we drove on I-10 from Palm Springs towards San Bernardino, we experienced some crazy winds. Some of it was generated naturally but we also think that the huge wind turbine garden may have had something to do with it. WOW!

And believe us, the buck didn't stop there. On Hwy. 58, heading west, going through the Mojave desert and into the town of Mojave, we experienced gusts up around 70mpg. Intense!

Needless to say, our horses and doggy were happy to be through all of that. I think that Garrett finally started to breath normally and his knuckles began to show color again by the time we were just east of Bakersfield. It was a stressful day of driving. :-)

After a few pit stops we finally got into Bakersfield to the Sioux City Ranch by 7pm. We were greeted by the owners son, a long haired little cowboy on a 4-wheeler. Loved him!

We settled the animals in and made a few salads before climbing into bed by 830pm.

However, at about 3:44 this am I was up and Garrett followed about 10 minutes later. We wanted to get up and out of SO CAL before everyone else was rushing to work. We are making great time and are actually only about 125 miles from Sacramento and might try to get up to Ashland for the night. We have lots of family there and we found a few horse hotels and also the Jackson County fairgrounds is in Central Point. Good Stuff!

OK! So before I sign off, I have to share the big news! It looks like Garrett's wish has come true and we are moving to Ennis, MT. Our interview in San Bernardino was perfect and we are heading out to our new pad :-) around the end of March. The time line can't be beat. We will have a few weeks in OR to make the rounds and take care of business before we commit to a 6 month contract out there. In my next blog I will get into more detail about our position and the properties. Let me just say that we have found ourselves a great fit.

Until I blog again....

Love and joy~~HB&GG

CA is full of horses, beer and gold!

Garrett and a drive by shooting of Picacho Peak in Southern AZ, just south of Phoenix. :-)

It is about that time again! Time for our morning update. We are about 20 miles from the CA border, just enjoying the beauty of the AZ landscape. I just love early morning in the desert.

We stayed just outside of Tonopah last night at Stewart & Betsy's Horse Hotel & RV. It was a quiet place full of winter-time team ropers and other people living temporarily in the area. I think that we were the only overnight guests and we headed out about 0534 this morning. There isn't anything like beating the AM rush.

We are headed to the San Bernardino/Bakersfield area for the night. We have a reservation at the Sioux City Ranch in Bakersfield but may stay at the Orange Show Fairgrounds near Redlands, CA.

We are stopping in at the Fairgrounds by 1-2pm to get the horses out and meet with some folks that we found online. :-) It turns out that it was a perfect thing that Garrett and I are taking our time and going on the southern route for more reasons than one.

We called a few days ago about a caretaker position that was listed in San Juan Capistrano and it turns out that these folks have another property in MT. It is perfect how they needed to be in San Bernardino today and that we would be passing right through there. We shall see what transpires. :-)

That is about it for this mornings update. Horses are happily eating, the doggy is uncomfortably sleeping, and we are just wearing our shades since our future is so BRIGHT!

Live your Dream! XOXO~HB&GG

Entering Hidalgo County, NM...

Good Morning! I am not sure what time it actually is with spring forward and time changes. I do know that we have been driving for an hr. or 2 and the horses are happily eating their breakfast. They love to eat in the trailer! Murphy still has his blanket on, it got down in the 20's last night in Deming. I have decided that I need to start treating him like the senior pony that he is. :-)

Roy tried riding inside our LQ area for a while this morning but he decided that he would rather wear a sweatshirt and freeze in the back on the truck. :-)

We got into Deming by noon yesterday. It was nice to give the horses some feed and a break before we took them out for a ride around 1pm. We rode out on the BLM behind the Broken Arrow ranch. It was fun to get the horses out and Garrett had Lightning chasing jack rabbits.

It was a great thing that I was hand walking Murphy since Roy needed assistance pulling thistles out of his pads about every 3.4 minutes. He did find a great bone that he can be seen with in a picture to the right.

We also saw lots of hawks and lizards, as we explored the land in 30 mile an hour winds. The wind finally died down at about 7pm. The big boys were happy that it stopped, as eating hay is much easier when you aren't chasing it down.

We are planning to stop for a water and walk break in Tucson, then it is onto Tonopah, AZ for the night. We are staying at the SB Horse Motel, a new place. I know that they have pretty big pens and an arena so that the boys can get out and play. :-)

I have to boast a little and this is also a shout out to Erik and Stan Young. In the evening, Garrett and I have been playing a cribbage game. We always bet on something(my idea) and lately it has been dish duty. Well, lets just say that Garrett has had really clean hands for the past few mornings. :-) Thanks to Erik and Stan for teaching me that one.

Have a great day and I will post again tomorrow. :-) Love and hugs to all those out in cyberspace! XOXO~HB&GG
ps. Pam~ I was being totally sarcastic! LOL

pss. Thanks for all the comments Grandma Shirley and Tracy! We love you both!

First Night, Ft.Stockton, TX

Isn't West Texas beautiful?

Garrett and I had a nice time at our first stop along our journey North. There was plenty of space and the folks at the fairgrounds were real nice.

We both got some rest, but I am not so sure that the big boys slept all that well. They were in rodeo pens at the Coliseum in Ft. Stockton and there were some great flood lights for security. :)

We were up and at 'em early this morning, at least I was. :-) I have been wide awake at 4am the past several mornings and Garrett is wondering what that will mean when we are back at PST.

We hit the road at 6am and are about 100 miles South of El Paso. We are stopping in Deming, NM for the night at the Diamond Arrow Ranch. We should get in mid afternoon and we are planning to take the boys out for a little ride.

We generally get them out about every 3-4 hrs. for a walk and water break. They appreciate the stretch and so do we. :-)

It was a little chilly in the back of the truck this morning so Roy is sporting one of Garrett's cozy sweatshirts. :-) He is so EXCITED!

I will check in again tomorrow morning and let you know of our next destination. :-) Love, Love, Love....HB&GG

Head West young man/woman/horse/dog, etc. ...

( I am sure that most of you recognize this great photo taken by Tom Browning of Bend in 2007)

Yep, you are correct! We left the Parrie Haynes Ranch in Central Texas at 7am this fine Friday morning! We had a little bit of nostalgia yesterday as we said our final goodbyes to our friends at the Parrie Haynes, however, it is never goodbye, just until we meet again. :-)

We are happy for our horses and doggy too, they are good travelers. We went to Salado yesterday and got health certs. for the horses. We are ready for anything. We are actually about 750 lbs lighter and have a lot more space. We have taken 2 back seat loads of stuff to Goodwill since we've been here and we left the BBQ behind with our friend Ari. :-)

FYI, we did hear back from the Sun Ranch Lodge in MT and they will be in touch with us through the hiring process. This sounds promising. I am guessing that it means interviews and such.. We also have heard a few things from other situations here and there but no thing that is a perfect fit as of yet. I know that the timing of all the pieces will be perfect.

Our travel plans are ever changing, meaning that we might make it to El Paso, TX(El Paso Rancho Brio) tonight or even to Deming, NM(Diamond Arrow Ranch). We are going to stop mid-day in Ft. Stockton to let the horses out for H2O and a romp at the Civic center and then onward.

We are looking at a place with access to the Rio Grande, near El Paso. From there it would be a short 100 miler to Deming tomorrow. We'll see. Like I said, Garrett would love to ride in the BLM mts. near Deming and I'd like to see the Rio Grande. :-)By Sunday we should make it to Tonopah, AZ for the night. We'll keep you guys up to speed. LOL

Better go for now, my battery doesn't last long on the computer while we are driving. :-) I sure love having our Internet through US Cellular and a laptop. I definitely embrace technology. It really is making this adventure just that much greater...

Ta Ta for now! In love and joy~HB&GG

In like a Lion...

..Out like a Lamb! Isn't that the saying for March? :-)

Before we get into the body of this blog, I have to point out the photo of Lightning to the right. He is modeling the new set of reins that Chief made for him. Chief is a man that Garrett works with and he likes to use parachute chord to braid just about anything. Lightning is sporting a classy new pair of white and green parachute chord reins. Garrett loves that feel and Lightning digs the fact that his dad is happy. :-) LOL

I know it has been a week since I have written and for that, I apologize. We have been in the thick of applying for positions, catching up on hours around the ranch, and having last minute dinner dates with some of the friends that we have made in Central Texas. Yes, we do have friends.

We had a great dinner with some friends that I work with last Wednesday. Christi makes the best lasagna that we have ever had. :-) We have plans to go to dinner with Ari and Rick on Monday. They are taking us to their favorite place in Killeen, Henderson's. Then a last dinner with our friends from the ranch on Tues. With them we are going to a fun little Taqueria in Killeen that I have been wanting to try. :-)

We are still planning to head NORTH on the 6th. I am guessing that we will be pulling out at O-dark-thirty. Not sure it will be 4 am, like in OR, but who knows. We are planning on heading through west Texas again and we'd like to stay at one of our favorite horse hotels in NM. They back up to BLM and are about 30 miles from the MX border. Garrett is dieing to check it out. :-)

Other than that, we may try to hit up our friends in Napa for a day or 2. I'd love to show Garrett the valley and see the Grigsby's. We are going to take a bit more time this trip, maybe just 4-500 miles tops per day.

As for job leads, we have a few, but nothing worth mentioning at this time. We have not heard from TAR(the amazing race) yet, probably next week. :-) I would think that they would have updates within a week after the deadline. SO EXCITING!!!

My last day at work is tomorrow and Garrett's is the 4th. We have a few more hours to make up at the Parrie Haynes and then it is a matter of packing and driving. It sure is a good thing that Garrett and I are ready for a road trip again! ON THE ROAD AGAIN....

Not to worry, I will keep you guys posted and thanks for the good thoughts and positive encouragement. Love and Joy to all of you~HB & GG

A wonderful visit from a Spectacular Woman...

Yes Terry, I am talking about an Oregonian visit from you! It was so great to see you! Garrett and I both thoroughly enjoyed our time with you. Enjoy the great photos and we were thrilled to show a family member our first stop on the road. :-)

We also want to give everyone an update on our plans or lack there of at this point. We are patiently waiting for the stars to line up and for the right opportunity to line up for us.

We have sent out a few more applications and inquiries in the past week and we are still interested in the Sun Ranch Lodge in MT. There is also a ranch job in AZ that Garrett just responded to today. It is on a 50,000 acre ranch and it entails taking care of longhorn cattle and other caretaker duties.

One of the most interesting things that was brought to our attention lately was a position that Karl, the director here at the ranch, suggested. He will soon be traveling full-time this summer with 2 clinicians, Dennis and Deborah Reis. They are going to be doing 4 different 2-3 month nationwide tours and Karl recommended that we apply for a few open positions. We are checking it out and have emailed our information to them. We really would be living the Gypsy life then. :-) SUPER FUN!

In the meantime, we are enjoying the beautiful weather here and our last few weeks in Central Texas. We are heading to Ari's Sunday night after I get off work to watch the Amazing Race for the first time. We found out that they extended the deadline for Season 15 until Feb., 24th. I am sure that we will here something shortly there after. Everyone keep your fingers crossed!

Well, it is time to turn in. I am so excited about our next employment venture. We know that it will be better than we could ever expect. We will let you know as soon as we find out. Lots of love to all of you and keep on keepin on.... XOXOX~HB&GG

Turkey's represent the Give-away in some American Indians' belief systems.

With that said, it seems somewhat perfect that I saw them yesterday and am now prepared to 'give away' a little secret that Garrett and I have.

It just so happens that the 9th of February has put forth many changes for us in the near future. I am thinking that these are only the beginning .:-) YES! FINALLY!

So, here it is...

Garrett and I are applying for the Amazing Race, season 15. We have to send our video and application package out Thursday. We are recording tomorrow. We just heard that there will be a season 15 yesterday and we are so excited. We will definitely keep you all posted to what transpires. We should hear back by early March if we have made it to the semi-finalist interviews.

Garrett and I both want to thank our friend Ari Burden for going out and buying a video camera and for making this whole deal happen. She has truly been our inspiration and the driving force behind our decision to apply for the Amazing Race. Thank you Ari! We love you. XO

With that, this means that we had to commit to being close to a major city. We decided that out of the 10 that they listed, we would rather be close to Seattle verses Dallas. That is right, we are planning to be back in the NW by mid-March. :-) YAY!!!

So, it may seems a little crazy that we are quitting our jobs and putting it all on the line but we just know that we are going to make it. In the meantime, we have been actively applying for jobs in the Western states. We have a strong feeling that we are going to be starting new jobs in the near future anyways (which I am sooo ready for).

We are sending in our second round of applications to the Sun Ranch Lodge in MT on Friday. This is the ranch that is in the Madison Valley, near Ennis, Garrett's favorite place in all of Montana. It is a 27,000 acre eco-ranch that is about an hour from West Yellowstone. Outstanding! We have also been corresponding with a gal in Northern CA, outside of Tahoe, about her 250 acre hunting ranch. Who knows where we will end up in another few months.

My last day at the Vineyard is the 1st of March and Garrett's last day will be shortly there after. Once back in Oregon, we plan to travel around to visit family and friends, before we leave on our next adventure. I know that we won't have a hard time finding some temporary work and keeping ourselves busy. I just love how quickly things change. :-)

With that said, don't be surprised if our course changes a bit more in the next month or so. There are just so many options that are presenting themselves to us. :-)

Oh, I wanted to let you all know that we are going to be using Garrett's dad's address as our temporary residence until we know our next destination. Now, before any of you get worried(Mom) that we won't be spending equal time with all of you, I want to say that we will. :-) This will just be a great base to get some temporary work and travel from. We also plan to get over to Bend for a few days, to MP, and to visit Glide as well. We will do our best, but we also have to meet our obligations and take care of our kiddos.

Thanks to Randy and Tracy for letting us do this. :-) We hope that it is OK. It is just so great to have our house with us. :-)

We are also each going to apply to a position in Australia to be a travel writer for the Australian tourism industry. It is a long story but it would start this summer and would pay $100K in a 5 month time period. Sweet! Well, I better get off of here and get to filling out some applications.

All that we can ask is for lots of loving thoughts and good energy to help us reach our goals! Garrett and I can't wait to travel on somebody else's dime and WIN! We are going to be able to get the most amazing ranch ever!!!!

Love, Love and have a great week! XOXOXO~HB & GG

The New Year is Finally Here...

I am serious, I feel an incredible feeling of renewal in my life and within myself. It may have something to do with the fact that Garrett and I are starting to look at the next leg of our glorious adventure. I think that I can speak for both of us, or at least I will speak for both of us,(just like a wife) when I say that we are really starting to feel the flow of this expansive lifestyle.

I want to take a quick moment to elaborate on this thought... I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I am having more faith that our path truly is mapped out and that we just have to act on inspiration when the feeling arises. We just need to follow the urge to send out the resume, or make the phone call, or send the email. There is really no rush about any of this because things, all things, are being set up for us and are ready on the receiving end when, and only when, the time is right. :-) OK, enough philosophy this morning.:-)

We did send out about five inquiries/resumes for situations in central WA, eastern OR, and 3 in MT. One of the places in MT looks incredible. It is called the Sun Ranch, just outside of Ennis, MT. This particular area is one of Garrett's all-time favorites from our road trip/first date about 2 and 1/2 years ago. It is in Madison Valley, near Cameron and West Yellowstone. It is a 26,000 acre eco-ranch that has a luxury lodge, cattle operation, horses, and recreational activities. Incredible! We are pulling for that one! We are not sure if they even have any positions open but they did say to send in our resumes???:-)

Besides that, we are tying up loose ends down here, finishing our taxes, getting ready for Terry to visit(Garrett's Mom), and enjoying our time here. Things are fine in our jobs and we are just relishing our time off together more and more. We are both anxious to get out on a ranch and in a more remote area. I know that all of this will happen soon enough. :-)

I was offered a position outside at the vineyard, like I mentioned. However, I have decided that because of our situation and our animals, that it would be best for our little family to leave things 'AS IS' for the remainder of our time here. That could be mid-March or sooner or later. Who knows, but I feel the next situation coming by the end of Feb. Garrett and I were joking that we would probably be heading out of here just after Terry flies home on the 2oth. Who knows? We are open, open, open, open!!!

I have added a few photos from Garrett's fishing trip over on the Gulf. He was just outside of Houston in a small town called ? They weren't able to get out on the water since the tide was extremely low, however, they did get a lot of fishing and crabbing in.

The photos on the right are of the jetty where they fished and the local bait shop/bar/store. Sweet huh? Garrett said that it was a real biker hang out! :-) Perfect! The photo at the top is of the homes that survived Ike. What you can't see is the other block of homes that was in front of these on the beach. They have put down a new flood line, which does not include that first row of homes still there. Nature really does get the last word, doesn't she. Incredible!

Well, I am going to get to making Garrett some yummy wheat and dairy free brownies and then to some laundry. Fun! After that, it is bike and horse back rides. More fun! Then tonight we are going to dinner over at Ari's. We are all bringing a favorite food of ours. I am making Beets. Love them. Garrett is doing yummy potatoes and red beer. Ari is picking up some fresh crab and Rick, her brother, is making Texas potato salad. Sounds like a feast! Sweet!

Lots of love to all of you and I know that the next time I do an update, you guys will get another hint on the stop of the H & G adventure. HB&GG

The Mystery Man has been revealed......

Thank you Erik Douglas Young for so eloquently unveiling your secret identity. You really had us going but Garrett knew that it must be an initial acquaintance of mine. :-) Lots of love to you and your family! I still can't wait to meet Aiden and introduce you to my husband and him to you and yours.... In love and appreciation of you~~~HB

A Real Head Scratcher

We love it when our readers leave us comments, but we are just dieing to know, "WHO THE HELL IS CRAB BAIT". Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.

Great News!!!

I get to work outside! I am going to be helping out in the vines/plants for the next month or so at the Vineyard. :-) Isn't that great! I am so happy that I am getting the opportunity to learn about the care and harvesting of the plants. It will also be refreshing to be Mon.-Fri. 8-5. Yay! No more evenings until 930pm. :-)

Besides that, things are great. Garrett and I are still updating our info and looking into fun job/living situations. :-) I am so happy that we will be moving on soon and checking out other parts of the country.

I am going to miss certain things about Central Texas, mainly the people. I am convinced that the best thing about living here are the people, of course. I am so thankful for Ari! She is an amazing friend and person. She is an inspiration and I am so happy that she is married to an Oregonian. That way I knwo that I'll get to see her in the future!!! :-)

I also love Christi and April, the gals that I am able to spend time with at the vineyard. They are great friends, mothers, and partners in their own right. And last but not least, we have an amazing family of friends here at the Parrie Haynes. We are so happy to have spent these past few months here.

Well, I am off to write cover letters!! :-) Lots of love and healing to all of your hearts~HB

ps... Get well soon DAD!!!

A great day to celebrate...

It is the time for change and for many new beginnings..

Garrett and I enjoyed a day of liesure and riding on MLK, Jr. day!



What a glorious day it was, 70 deg. and a ride to the river. We rode the horse trail that Garrett and I built and named the "Gether trail". Gether is a nickname that Bruce Bradford gave Garrett and I since for the first month we where here at the ranch, we where attached at the hip. :-)



Back to our ride... Roy came along of course and was very happy to get a bath once we got to the Lampasas River. It is a lot more fun to get a bath in the river by chasing sticks rather than in a bathtub. Life is supposed to be "FUN" and our 4-legged friends remind us of that.



Speaking of fun, tomorrow, the 22nd is the Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Darius Rucker concert. Finally! I am so excited and I think that Garrett is too! He will pick me up a few hours early and that is almost as exciting as the concert. :-) (It was wonderful! We went 3 days ago.)



I know that I haven't mentioned much about how long we will be here in Texas. It is because we still aren't completely sure; however, I am thinking that we are looking at a March departure??? But it could be a week before or a week after??? When our next situation finds us, we will let all of you know. I have a feeling that something will turn up at the beginning of Feb.



We are sorting through a few options, ranch type jobs mainly. Garrett and I are wanting to be on a working ranch. Both of us are missing the feeling of working with a purpose. We are also checking out "The Amazing Race", a reality show that finds couples traveling around the world in a scavenger hunt for 1 Million $$$. I have never seen the show but it sure sounds like a fun time. Garrett and I are both ready to apply. We are just waiting to hear if there will be 15th season.

I actually talked to a gal today who has a lot of info on the reality shows and how to get on them. We shall see where life takes us. :-)

Garrett was able to enjoy a great weekend of salt water fishing and crabbing on the coast outside of Houston. he stayed at a friend of Bruce Bradford's place and they did lots of fishing. We feasted on coastal trout and blue crab tonight. Amazing!!! It was perfect. :-)

I had a weekend of slinging wine and taking care of our kiddos. I can't wait for Tues. and Wed.! Days off! Well I am off to bed. I love all of you. Happy January! I can't believe that we are already through the first month of 2009. It is truly flying by.

XOXOXO~~HB & GG

We've Moved!!!!

Yep! We have moved from one campsite to another. :-) No, we are still at the Parrie Haynes and will be for at least another few months. We are starting to look at other options, and realistically, that could be anywhere in the world.

We were asked to shift to another site because we have some new camp hosts coming in to share our duties. Their names are Jay and Fay. They have stayed here before and actually cleared out the site where we were parked. They are a retired couple in their early 70s, maybe late 60s. Fay still rides and has a horse. Should be a good time and I am sure that they are exceptional people.

There is always something happening at the Parrie Haynes. This weekend we have the Copperas Cove trail riders again and last weekend we had a huge Trail Horse Competition. Garrett helped out by riding drag after the competitors and I worked a few hours in the office before going to work at the Vineyard on Sat.

I was able to hang out with a great guy, Ben, from Australia. He is a newly wed to a Texan just 6 days ago. He actually grew up just 3o minutes from one of my favorite surf/camp spots north of Sydney. Pretty Neat stuff! Garrett had a fair amount of excitement of his own and was the superstar of the event. He deemed the nickname, "Cougar Bait", from several of the ladies competing and many where asking his 'story'. They really just wanted to know whether or not he is/was married. :-) Crazy ladies!!!


The bottom line is that we are doing great and are enjoying another sunny day. We spent the day relaxing and riding and hanging out with each other on Garrett's 25th birthday. Yes, we both even had the day off together. Outstanding!

It is my usual day off but Garrett had a special day off because of his birthday. What a lucky guy! They gave him a paid day to hang out and celebrate being alive. :-) When does that happen??? Well, I guess that it happens in Killeen, Tx. ;-)

In other news, Murphy has a new friend. Ali, a friend and the daughter of a gal I work with, has started coming out once a week to help around the horses and learn more about our 4-legged, hay-burning friends. She is a senior at Florence High School and great around the animals. It is a neat thing that she is able to come hang out. Her mom, Christi, and I exchange my time with Ali for me catching rides to work w/Christi.

Things at the vineyard are going great in the sense that I am meeting some great people and it is a good working environment. I am learning new ways to entertain and appreciate "chill time". I have become the ultimate B.S.er! I think that Larry Davis, a friend of mine, would be proud. That is a story in itself. Larry is a now 80 yr. old horseshoer that I met through Rock Springs. :-) Amazing Man!

Backtracking to Garrett's birthday.. he is 25 today and all sorts of great things have come into play because of that. For starters, car insurance will drop. Next, he is officially an adult, 24 is the last year of adolescence. Another perk is that he is one year closer to dodging the draft. :-) (I do want to thank our troops.)

Well, I better cut this short. It is tax time, I am on a mission to finish those in the next 2 weeks. I guess that I better get on it. :-) Oh, also, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Darius Rucker are in concert, in Austin, next Thursday. Even better...we are going!!! Fabulous!!! It is going to ROCK and I even get a birthday t-shirt out of the deal.

Lots of love to all of you. Thank you for all the cards, love and support in 2008.
2009 is going to be the best year yet. Garrett and I know that we are beginning many great adventures. Who knows where we will end up.... XOXOX~~~HB & GG

Happy New Year!!!

Isn't this a great photo? It was taken in September of 2008 at Rock Springs Guest Ranch during the last Old West Ventures Annual Photo shoot. Left to Right~~~ Hud Crites on Honey, Heather Barklow on Murphy, Eric Batha on Chico, and Garrett Gregory on Hollywood. The 4 of us were fortunate enough to ride together for the past few photo shoots. Hud has ridden in about 18 and headed the deal up. I was able to ride in the last 7 and was always there to choose horses and orchestrate things behind the scenes. Eric has ridden in for the past 12 years every Sept. and Garrett is the newest, but of course, a superstar anyways! This photo and the many others to the right are by Georgia Martin Baker. Thank you for your love and support Georgia!!

Can you believe it? 2009?? Really? How exciting is that? I am thrilled, really, and Garrett and I actually stayed awake until well after midnight. Yep, we met our first goal for 2009, to stay awake over the threshold.

We had a great evening of good food, great drink, and exceptional friends. We spent the time leading up to the ball dropping with a few gals that I work with at the Vineyard and their families. We didn't get to finish our game of Cranium, but Garrett and I are still convinced that it is the greatest game EVER.. and we are the best team to EVER play it. :-)

It has been such an amazing year for me, and I'll speak for Garrett on this one, him too!! His highlight was spending it with me, of course. What a fabulous way to spend 365 days. I can think of nothing better and that is a good thing since I do spend 365 days a year with me. Garrett and I are enjoying our adventure in Millie, our Sundowner trailer. I decided that her name is Millie, I am not sure why, but it just feels right. :-)

The last week of 2008 was the best week ever. What a time of change and growth that we are under. It seems that everyday poses new challenges and a different perspective. We are fortunate to have each other and it is a great thing that we both accept each other as exactly that. :-)


Besides our normal jobs, we have been working around the Parrie Haynes Ranch on trails. We cleaned up a couple of the blue trails and then we improved and finished a white trail. It was so much fun. I really miss being outdoors and getting to use my body on a daily basis. But I am thankful for the experience I am having at the Vineyard. It is really solidifying many things about my future.

The trails, on the other hand, are perfect. Garrett has had the pleasure of riding them and I plan to get on our white trail on Monday or Tuesday. Murphy and Lightning are getting new shoes either Mon. or Tues. and that will be so great. Murphy has spent the last 7-8 weeks either lame or barefoot. He is finally starting to feel better. I have been riding him bareback, in his halter, and ponying Lightning along. Garrett and I did get to take one ride together over Christmas.


In other news, Garrett's mom, Terry, is coming for a week or so in February. Garrett and I have different days off so we will be able to keep her busy. He also gets Presidents day off so we will be able to all be together that Monday.


Garrett's dad, Randy, is also trying to come down at some point with Josh, Garrett's older brother. We are not sure yet when that will be but I know that we will have a great time together. :-)


Another thing that I wanted to share are the amazing pictures that I have attached. They are from a friend and photographer that we know, Georgia Martin. She sent us 6 different prints and 2 CDs with pictures on one and a slide show on the other. They are wonderful and I encourage you to check out her website. It is http://photocrafter.deviantart.com/ Georgia is very talented and was a photographer at 6 of the Old West Ventures Photo shoots that we held in the fall at Rock Springs Guest Ranch. Enjoy!!!

Well, I probably should get off to bed. I am back in the blog routine. Now that the holidays are over, I will do posts more regularly again. Oh, one more thing, in 10 days Garrett will be 1/4 of a century. Yep, January 14th is his 25th birthday! We are planning a little fishing trip the following Monday and who knows what on his special day...... ;-)

In love and never ending joy~~~HB & GG

Boxing day is called that for many reasons...

Actually, I am not really sure what all the reasons are but I think that the mainly it is the day that you try to recycle all of your Christmas boxes..? Maybe it is the day that people return a lot of their gifts to the stores in their original boxes..? Maybe it is the day that you just sit around and eat leftovers in your boxers...? Who really knows for sure! But, for us, it was a day of relaxation and trail work and horse rides and lots of good food. I ate so much Christmas ham that I felt like a pot-bellied pig. :-)


Garrett and I both want to thank all of you for the wonderful cards, family pictures, phone calls, emails, and gifts. We are both so blessed to have such amazing friends and families. I can't remember another holiday season where I have felt more loved, supported and cherished. I know that Garrett and I feel closer in some ways to our family now that we are 2500 miles away. In some ways it is refreshing and we are understanding the importance and value of all of you. I am wanting to express and emphasize our appreciation and love for each and everyone of you!!!


I will add a few more pics this week. I did want to share the photo above of Garrett and me with our new cowhide. Ari heard Garrett say one day how he wanted to find a nice cowhide while we were in Texas. Low and behold, it seems that there really is a Santa because on Christmas we ended up with a genuine bovine hide. :-) Beautiful, isn't it! We love it and I have a feeling that it will spend time on our bed on cold nights. However, at 80 degrees today, I am not sure when that will happen. :-)


We had a wonderful Christmas Eve, birthday and today was fabulous too! I will be working through the weekend but then another 3 days off and another holiday celebration. :-) How fabulous is that. :-)


With that, I'd like to wish you a warm, safe and fabulous New Years! I know that 2009 will be more spectacular than our last! Sending lots of love and hugs to you through cyberspace for this holiday season! XOXOXO~HB&GG

Twas 2 nights before Christmas and all through our camp...

Not a critter was stirring, not even an Armadillo?

And the stockings were hung on the trailer with care, in hopes that St. Nick soon would be there....





That's right! Roy and I wrote letters to Santa to let him know that we have traveled south for the winter. I think that he found out because we have been getting random things at our P.O. Box. :-) Thanks to everyone that has been sending cards, gifts and love to us. Garrett and I have all of the pics, cards, and letters hung around our home. We love feeling so close to all of you during the holidays.:-)





I am hoping that you guys enjoy our new pics. We had a great time on our anniversary and a good time at the Robert Earl Keen concert on Sat. We go into Helotes(San Antonio) around 630pm and made it over to Floores Country Store by 7pm. We watched an opening band and then got to see the headliner. We had a few hours to kill between arriving and the show starting so we had a tailgate party with Roy. It was the highlight of the evening.

The second best thing, especially for Garrett, was laying in bed and on the floor while watching Sports center. :-) Garrett and I both miss floor space. My favorite things about staying at the hotel on Sat. was getting to shower with no flip-flops on and using as much hot water as I possibly could handle without completely pruning up. It was incredible.





On our anniversary, yes, a whole year of being happily married, we toured around the Hill Country some more. First we drove through the cowboy capital of Texas, Bandera. Next, it was Kerrville, where Garrett's grandma Archien lived for a time. We took a little detour out of Johnson City to Pedernales Falls State Park, where Roy went for a swim. It really was a great little getaway for us. We finished our evening with a wonderful dinner and some great wine back at the ranch.





So now here we are, just a few days before Christmas and my birthday. We have more plans to hike and ride and run and play outside during our 3 days off. We are suppose to have days in the upper 60's and low 70's, which are welcome after a high of about 38 on Monday. Thank goodness that we aren't in Oregon right now. Brrrrrr!





So to all of you guys out there, we wish you a very Merry Christmas. :-) I will be writing again soon, probably just after my b-day! I love and miss you. And don't worry, Garrett always takes great care of the boys and me... XOXOXOX~~~HB & GG

SUPER EXCITING NEWS FLASH!!!

Oh, aren't we soooo cute!

Holy Moly!!! I had to share the great news with you guys! Not only are we going to Robert Earl Keen this weekend....

Garrett informed me yesterday that he was getting me tickets to another concert on the 22nd of January in Austin!! It is with 2 of my most favorite singer/songwriters ever! Yep, you guessed it~~~ Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley!!! Together with special guest Darius Rucker(Hootie and the Blow fish lead singer). SWEET!!!!

It is Thurs. the 22nd and UofT in Austin. Fun stuff!!!

As most of you know, I really wanted Brad to play at our reception but I guess that this is alright too! There you have it. Love to all and to all a good beer!!! XOXO~HB

It was 10 days 'til Christmas and the birthday girl said to me...

"A Horse trailer lit up in the trees." Pretty Huh??? Look how cute she is with her little doggy, Roy.


"So there I was, it was just 10 days until Christmas and my birthday. It also just so happened to be less than a week until our 1 yr. anniversary." Alright, back to reality. But really, How Exciting! We are getting ready to take off for a concert this Sat. with a night in the outskirts of San Antonio.

Neither of us have seen Robert Earl Keen in concert but we have a CD that we are both pretty 'keen' on. :-) We have some folks looking after our place and our horses, but Roy is a traveling dog. Garrett and I are both excited to check out a new part of Texas and meet some more interesting people.


Before I forget, Garrett and I want to thank Aunt Sid and Uncle Mitch for the goodies and our gift cards!!! They are wonderful. We have sampled each kind of treat and the cards will be the perfect companion to our weekend. :-) Thanks and much love to both of you!!! Merry Holidays!

I bet that those of you in the NW are pretty cold today. I heard from Garrett's Mum that it was about 20 deg. with sun and snow on the ground in Portland. Brrr! Well, I think that our high is meant to be about 34 today and then back up to the mid-50's tomorrow. It looks like mid-60's for Christmas here with sun, but we shall see.

I am sure that you guys have checked out the 4 new pictures on the side of our post. :-) The top one of Garrett is awesome! He really does wear all of those clothes to work on the mornings that he rides Brutus(Our Kawasaki 650 dual-sport). Lets just say that he is hard-core. Seriously! All of the guys at work are calling him Madmax and a work mule. They just haven't seen anything like Garrett before. You should hear the things that they are saying about me. :-)(All good of course)

I also wanted to show off our new Driver's licenses and Garrett's work ID. See, I promise, we really are in Texas. :-) I am happy that we were able to keep our motorcycle endorsements and I still have my class B CDL. Garrett actually just got his permit yesterday and will be taking his test shortly. I think that he might go for a Class A. See, Hard-Core!

I have been checking out the caretaker.org website again to get some energy moving toward a spring situation. There are a few interesting positions in CO and MT. I will keep you guys posted on that and what transpires as we enter 2009. I think that a team ranch management position might be just the ticket. :-)

I will give you guys a full run-down of our weekend and another set of pics before Christmas. It is so nice to be able to reach the masses through this beautiful thing that we call the internet.

Oh, by the way, don't you guys just love our Christmas lights? I even hung our stocking on the trailer. Totally Red-neckish! I know, I love it. Best to you and yours and keep on liv'n the dream. :-) XOXO~~~HNB * GAG

A toast to HB & GG, 1 year in the making...

Hi Everyone! Yep, I know that it isn't the 21st quite yet but I had to get ya'll prepped for the fact the Garrett & I will be married for a year in less than 2 weeks! Can you believe it? I sure can't. ;-)

I had to share a few of our favorite photos but I have a few more that I will post. I also have a couple that have to do with us getting into the Christmas spirit this year but you will have to wait on those. :-) I am pretty sure that you have not seen anything like them before.

Well, first off I want to wish all of you a happy December and a Merry Holiday season. It is a little weird to be getting ready for Christmas when it is still green and was 70 deg. today. Although, there are a lot of little indicators that Christmas time is approaching. There are a plethora of Christmas lights up and the stores have been playing Christmas music since the day after Thanksgiving. The music thing always amazes me.

I love this time of the year, people seem more cheerful and folks are out with their families and friends. We had the Vineyard Christmas party last Wed. and Garrett has his today. Next Monday the gals at work are doing a cookie exchange and we have a few other dinner dates planned prior to Christmas.

Side note~ I have to tall you guys a bit about the gifts that we chose in the white elephant gift exchange last week. Garrett just had to choose the biggest box there which happened to contain 'Bofus' which is short for 'both of us'. (It is a long story) Anyways, it is a mounted whitetail spike deer head. Garrett and I have since donated it to the Hunters Cabin at the PHR. A perfect wall decorations for the youth of PHR to aspire to. :-)

The other totally great gift way a kids toy, which happened to be a security club. We had the great idea that we could sabotage the director at the PHR, Karl, by putting it on his Mule. No, not the kind of mules that breathe, the mechanical sort. :-)

I am not sure if it got there. It is the thought that counts right?

We do have plans to celebrate our 1 yr. of marriage. We are super excited to get the 21st off together and to get out of town for that Sat. evening and Sun. We also get the 24th-26th off. Exciting Right?

Activities for the 20th include a concert outside of San Antonio, Robert Earl Keen. The show is at Floores Dance hall and Grill. It is in an old historical site in Helotes. We are planning to get there around 7pm, watch the show at 9 and stay in the area that night. On Sun., "our day", we plan to get a great meal and tour around the Hill Country some more.

We want to go through Kerrville and see the place where Garrett's grandma Archien use to live. We have heard a lot of great things about the town and the area.

In other news, last night did drop into the 20's and we got the tail end of a 'Blue Northern', we think. Lots of wind and hail. We were also surprised to see that half the city of Killeen was out of power this morning while dropping Garrett at work. Crazy! Total blackout! (Not brownout, Uncle Kip) Garrett and I still laugh about that term and we will have you all know that we touched chopsticks before Thanksgiving dinner and said, "Good night", as much as possible. :-)

Alright, time to get off of here, just wanted to say hi and I will write again soon. I have lots planned today with work around the ranch and a horse lesson(in a sense) this afternoon. Garrett and I also have a dinner date tonight at April & JT's house. I work with April at the Vineyard and they are making pasta, which Garrett loves and has been craving lately.

Happy December and enjoy the Full Moon on the 12th. In love and joy~~~HB & GG

Finally... The Thanksgiving weekend Re-captured!!!

This is us! This is the best time in OUR lives... Really! We are figuring so many things out for ourselves and our life together.

I am THANKFUL for all of you loving people out there who are reading this and supporting Garrett and me. :-)

This is the holiday season and this is the time to show our love and tell others how we feel. :-) Thanks so much!!! Much love to you and yours.. DREAM BIG!!!

Alright, let's get down to the nitty gritty! Garrett killed a rattlesnake! It was a pretty massive one and it was in the horse camp where we live. It was in between a rock and a hard place( a cedar tree). :-)

Anyhow, it was apparently a threat to the people and horses at the horse camp and we were instructed to dispose of it for safety sake. We are happy to say that we gave it to some campers who used it for nourishment and kept the skin. I am sure that the snake would have wanted that too! (well, maybe??)

I think that the snake encounter was around 7pm, just before dinner on Thanksgiving day. We had been home for a while when it was brought to our attention.

OK, let us backtrack a bit... So there we were... on the road and headed home after a great day at Enchanted Rock. We drove through some great towns in the Hill Country, one of which is the infamous, Luckenbach, Texas. :-) It was pretty neat to drive through the sleepy town that Waylon and Willie and the boys put on the map. There was all sorts of excitement going on.

We saw longhorn steers, covered wagons being pulled by mules and chili cook-offs underway at the local dance hall/town square. Fun stuff!!

It seems that I always have a great deal to share with all of you and I still have some more pictures that I will post from our hiking trip. Garrett loves to climb rocks and wanted to do a progressive photo opportunity. Enjoy!!

1) Garrett's Rock...

2) Garrett on his Rock...

3) Garrett below his rock. He says,"See how high I was." :-)

Thanks for tuning in to yet another great day trip. I will have more adventures for you guys shortly. :-)

As for the rest of life and work and day in day out stuff... Things are great. I am getting more and more comfortable in my work and in the progression of my place at the vineyard. I am so excited about what the future holds for me there and in our new space.

Garrett is getting into his job a bit more and I think that he will be running the place in no time!

It is great to be out meeting people and making a difference. :-) Well! Happy weekend and lots of love to all of you. Happy 20 days until Christmas and my 31st birthday!!! Yay! XOXOX~HB

Wildflife of Texas.. Rare Thanksgiving encounters!

As most of you know, Garrett and I had a journey through the Hill Country of Texas on Thanksgiving day.

We may have only been on the edge of the hill country but we did get to see some of its rare and sought after wildlife.

The first photo is of the endangered stripped deer? maybe Horse? probably Zorse? Nope, I actually think it IS a Zebra. :-) Yep, down here in TX, there is a lot of trophy hunting parks and exotics and these are a few unsuspecting targets. Good Luck Fellas!





The next photo displays the ferocious red squirrel, a distant relative of the gray bushy tailed squirrel. This one was spotted eating a small coyote in the Enchanted Rock State Natural area. *Disclaimer, "they are harmless critters"




Our third picture is of the climbing Roy. Yep, he is truly one of a kind and we love him dearly. He can leap into a tree in a single bound. The beauty, the grace, OH, we are talking about Roy, not his handler. :-)

A special friend of Heather's decided to show itself towards the end of our hike on Turkey day, and it was no Gobble, Gobble. Nope, a scalely friend coming out to warm up a bit. I know the feeling, I love to come out and warm up, just like our lizard friend here. He even dropped and gave us a set of 20! Lizards love to show off and do push-ups. I know, I know, he is actually trying to please the ladies...

Finally, what you have been waiting for. The extremely daring and desperate for a Florence football sweatshirt...drum roll#@%&, HeatHer. :-)

That's right! I was really hoping that the sweatshirt that I was bravely rescuing from traffic was a Florence High School athletic sweatshirt. Much to my disappointment, it was a sweatshirt that was torn and from some bar in Harker Heights. Drats!!!

And for our finale...A bewildered and confused husband. Not sure about what has just happened, Garrett displays his best confused look. What a handsome man, even when he is in a state of utter disarray.

Thanks for playing.. An Enchanted Rock State Natural area report is underway. :-) Love and joy ~~~HB

A "CORNY" Thanksgiving Feast!

OK! I've got to say that this was one of the best Thanksgiving dinners ever!!!

To start with...

Garrett and I were celebrating our first Thanksgiving under the title of newly weds.

Next, we experienced our first holiday in Texas.

Lastly, we both had our warmest Turkey day! A balmy 80 degrees. :-)

The key ingredients were a great BBQ, good food and incredible company.

Here is to our Kingsford grill, 2 little Cornish hens that gave their little lives, and a whole lot of potato & onion stuffing. :-)

A view on HB's side of the table. Yummmm.. Corn on the Cob and Acorn Squash with Honey and Spices.

We also had corn chips and corn salsa. Yeah!





A View of our Thanksgiving Feast.
(Thanks to the Batha's for our awesome bowls, we still use them everyday. Love you!)

The table and food will soon be devoured. See Below....

A mouth of "Corny destruction".








(NICE TEETH)

"Complete Carnage"

A Thanksgiving feast to remember. We enjoyed this feast on Thanksgiving eve.

Our next blog entry will share a few things that we experienced on Turkey Day! Cheers!!!

Turkey Day Eve update...

The H.E.B~ This is our grocery in Killeen. "Here Everything is Better" is a store that was started by a man in the early 1900's, I think it is much the same story as how Fred Meyer got its' start. :-) It is a kinda funky place but we dig it. They have just about everything we use and even some organics.

Score!

So any how~~~ Happy Turkey Day Eve! We are doing our dinner tonight and then we are spending our Turkey day on an excursion since we both have the day off. I work Fri.-Sun and Garrett has worked Mon.-today this week. :-)

As I mentioned before.. Our Turkey Day dinner is as follows;

BBQ Cornish Game Hens (w/ stuffed little butts of potato, onion, and seasonings), BBQed Corn on the Cob, and baked aCorn squash. We might even have Corn chips and corn salsa for appetizers. Is Whiskey made from corn? I'll have to find a corn beer? :-) Delima, Delima! Yep, it is a very corny Thanksgiving dinner.

Can you believe it, Garrett, a employee of the City of Killeen??? Crazy! He had classroom training on Monday and then his first day in the field yesterday. Let's just say that Garrett and I both have strong work ethics and we are learning a lot about our new surroundings.

Not to say that people are lazy down here, not that at all. Things just move at a different pace and there are different focuses as to what is urgent.:-)

I have enjoyed my first few weeks of work. I am also adjusting to not having a position that is physically demanding and outside. :-) I am having fun though and I love so many aspects of the vineyard. The owners are amazing people and are so open to suggestions and change as well. I think that the change of routine and some diversity are great for me. :-) I have met some very cool people and I have started up our recycling program. It will be a work in progress. It is a bit different in Rural Texas, well, it is a lot like rural Oregon really!

OH! Shocker! Yesterday was a bit emotional. I had to hand over my Oregon Driver's License. Ouch! Tear! :-( Shot to the Heart. But hey, at least I was able to keep my CDL and my motorcycle endorsement. :-)

Garrett is totally awesome! He has been riding the motorcycle, Brutus, to the big city of Killeen for work and such on the days that I need the truck for work. I have taken him the last few days and then he takes me to the vineyard at times as well. It all works out.

Let's see~~~ We are going to go to the Enchanted Rock State Natural area tomorrow and hike around. I think that we are going to drive through Fredricksburg and Georgetown as well. Check out some new territory. It is nice to get out and about when we can. I think that this is the last day we will get off together until the 21st for the Robert Earl Keen concert outside of San Antonio. We will also have X-mas day off and maybe even the 24th? 26th too!? Yay for fun! More adventures. Man it is nice to be getting a paycheck again. I am thankful for a job this Thanksgiving. :-)

Who would of thought that we'd be spending our Thanksgiving, Christmas(my 31st birthday!) New Years, and Garrett's b-day in TX! I sure as hell didn't. :-)

As for me, on this beautiful day off.... I am going to ride my bike 7-8 miles to feed some horses for Karl, the director here. Go for a ride now that Murphy is feeling a bit better and is barefoot. Yesterday I took him and Mr. Lightning out for a 1/2 hr. and we had a great time. We usually go bareback in halters and I just pony Lightning. I am going to start working on Lightnings bareback comfort as well. Right now it really freaks him out. That will be FUN!!!!

Roy and I also have to get things prepped for little Corny Hens and the rest of dinner. :-) He is such a great helper... If he only had THUMBS it would be a lot easier.

Around the home front...

The trailer/house/storeage unit/hay barn/tackroom/carport is great! We love it and appreciate it. We finally made it through our first 2 propane tanks last night. Amazing! I can't believe that they have lasted for 9 weeks. Economical little suckers!

Like I said, I will get some new photos up tomorrow and let you know how are wonderful Corny Thanksgiving dinner turned out! We are really excited about our hike and new excursion tomorrow. It is so awesome to get off the ranch and check out more of this great state. :-) Love that!!!

Well! I am going to get the dishes done and the grey water dumped so that I can get out and enjoy our beautiful day! It is supposed to be a high of 77 today and I think 73 tomorrow with a chance of thunder showers. Not too Bad!!!!

Love to all of you and I am giving Thanks for all of you!!!

Oh~~ Garrett says that he loves it when people comment on our blog. No joke, he checks it morning and night to see if anyone has left us a message! It is freak'n hilarious!

Cheers!

XOXOX~~HB & GG

Tuesday is for touring State Parks...

Howdy!!!

I am so thankful to have this opportunity to share our adventures with all of you. We are appreciative that everyone is tuning in with us to see how we are spending our time.

We had our last few regular days off together this week. Garrett starts his new job on Monday and then it will be unusual for us to have a day off together. However, we will get Thanksgiving, the 21st of Dec., and the days around Christmas off together. :-)

Anyhow, on Tues., we toured around a bit, drove through Burnet, and went to a few State Parks in the area. We are at Inks Lake State Park in the picture above. We were teaching Roy how to be a dock dog. Unfortunately his first jump off was a doozy. He went all the way under and then was a bit spooked to leap in after that.

We also checked out the Colorado Bend State park. We loved it. I am pretty sure that we are going to go back in the next few weeks, maybe to go hike there on Thanksgiving day. We are thinking about having our Turkey dinner on Wed. night and it will be Cornish Game Hens this year. Garrett loves them and has been talking about the little fowls for a month now. :-)

Another stop yesterday was the Longhorn Cavern State Park. It was a great cave tour that took about 1 and 1/2 hrs. accompanied by our guide, Troy. He is a great man, retired school teacher from the Florence School district. We learned a ton about the history of the cave and got to see a few little bat friends as well.

We also want to check out another hike in the Enchanted Rock State Park. It looks beautiful and we are going to go there soon as well, probably in Dec., maybe Turkey Day instead of the other.. Whatever.....

On another note.. today was beautiful and we had an hour or so to play at the river, Garrett had a great ride on Lightning and I had a great run. We love our house site and we are even thinking about changing up our campsite. I know, I know, crazy right.

We have a new project that is underway at the ranch. We are going to be cleaning up the river trail and building a new river access trail also. I will definitely post photos when that project gets underway. :-) As always we will keep you guys up to date and involved in our happenings. :-)

One other funny thing that we saw, pretty cool really, was genuine STORM Chasers. Garrett was so stoked and totally convinced that the 6 vehicle caravan was up to something good. There were a few civilian looking rigs and then a bunch of converted army hummers with huge Doppler radar satellites and antennas. Not sure what they were chasing but we don't think it was a tornado. Not yet anyways...

Well, I probably should get off to bed. Garrett rented 'Zohan' and I'll admit it, it is a bit distracting. Talk to you soon.. In love and appreciation~~~HB & GG

Holy SH_ _! Day 42 in our 32 ft. Horse Trailer!!!

Whoa! That is right, going on 43 days in our horse trailer! Crazy! Still loving it!


Can you believe that? We can't, but hey, it is All Good! It is amazing to think that we are really living in a Sundowner, 4-Horse, LQ horse trailer. What a weird lifestyle we have chosen to live. Even stranger that we are actually enjoying it and haven't smothered each other yet. :-)

Garrett and I haven't been out and about too much in the past 4 days, but I am sure that we will get some new pics here in the next few days.

Because of that, I wanted to share some of our favorite places and photos from home. Oregon Style! We have a view of Crater Lake to the right and a photo of our 2 favorite places. :-) Beautiful huh?

Other than that things are great! The weather has been sunny and pleasant. It was a little chilly last night, 32, Burrr!!! But back to 75 today and should be for the next week. We have had a beautiful fall and it is supposed to be nice for the next week. We plan to get out and play/explore the next few days since I am off and Garrett hasn't started work yet.

Garrett worked all weekend at the Hilltop at the Parrie Haynes, helping out with groups and such. I, on the other hand, have been busy working at the Vineyard at Florence. I finished my 4th day/1st week today, Fun Stuff! I love all of it, except the indoors part. :-( As Garrett said, I need to "buck up") it is temporary and I soon will be out with the horses and in the dirt once again.

I have been working in the bar, pouring wine, giving tours, and seeing a new side of life. If you are interested you can check the property out online at, www.thevineyardatflorence.com .

The horses are doing great overall. Murphy is still a little sore from his poor shoeing job, but he will be better soon. :-) Lightning is great, turning into a wonderful pony and he is really becoming a part of the family. :-) The crazy little mare is still spoiled and a bit dangerous but Garrett agreed to work with her another 2 weeks. I am sure that she will be with us for a while. :-)

Other than that, it has been pretty uneventful. I have had a chance lately to chat with lots of different friends and family members. It has been great! Thanks to everyone for your warm wishes and love. Happy Birthday today to Grandpa Bill, Ona and Lisa! I love all of you and wish you the happiest of days, today and forever....

I will write again soon and post more pics in the next few days. I have so much more to talk about, it is just getting late here and my brain doesn't function well at 11pm.

Love to all of you! Wishing you all a great week!!! XOXOX~~HB & GG

YAY! Daddy got a job!

Hi!

Yep, Garrett had an interview this morning and he has a job with the City of Killeen. We aren't sure yet if he will be a supervisor or an equipment operator, but we should know by Friday. More details to follow on that Topic.

I will also know more today on my job description. I go to the vineyard at 2pm today for paperwork and wine tasting.

With Garrett's job it means that we need TX driver's licenses and we will be changing our registration and and all the other paperwork.

I think that he will have full bennies and all the other great things that come with a government job! Yay! Anyhow.. I will have more for you guys in a few days. Until then, keep on keep'n on.

Lots of love and hugs to all!!! HB&GG

Don't worry boys, you do get new shoes for Christmas. Mommy has a job!

Yep~ I know that at one time all of you have wished you were an Oscar Meyer wiener.

:-) This was an awesome sight that Garrett and I witnessed on the way home from the 49ers game last December.

I had to add this photo and the one of my dad, just to share a 'Blast from the past'. Enjoy!!!

On another note, you read correctly! I found out yesterday that I have a job at the Vineyard at Florence. I know that you have seen a few photos on the blog of the spec homes and main building.

I am so happy that I will be working out there full-time. I start on Wed. at 2pm with a wine tasting for employees. I think that work will officially start on Thurs. Anyhow, I work out there 32 hrs. per week, that is full time. The vineyard is open to the public Thurs.-Sun from 11-7pm, I think that those are my hrs.? Not sure? I think that I am going to be serving wine and bar tending! Super Fun!!!

Any how, I will be out there and with that, I will be able to also network with my own business. I am going to be able to give lessons and hopefully help out with the Austin Polo Club. They will be moving out to the vineyard in the Spring of 09. I feel that this is going to open up an unbelievable amount of opportunities for me and Garrett both. :-)

More great news.. Garrett is having an interview on Wednesday also. It is with the city of Killeen. We'll see what happens. :-) We are so thankful that things are coming together. I know that he and I are finally settling in.

In other news, we are enjoying a super windy evening. It is suppose to clear up to 75 again tomorrow. Garrett and I have a ride and a horse shoeing appt. Other than that, we have a few things to mail, I have some bread to bake, a possible dinner date with Ari, and then we start with work and a more normal life on Wednesday. Yeah Right!!!

I had finger prints taken care of today so that I can officially be a substitute teacher in the Florence School District. Fun stuff. If you can't tell, Garrett and I have gravitated towards Florence. It is a beautiful area and we like the small town feel.

Oh yes, about the photos, you saw the one with dad and I, love that. I also had to share the photos with you that Garrett took. There is a story behind all that corn. We originally bought the corn for a dinner party, and well, we had to reschedule. So, Garrett and I decided that we didn't want the corn to go to waste, so we BBQ'd it all. Then we ate it all as well. :-) SOOO GOOD!

Afterwards I had to have a marshmallow over a candle because we ran out of coals. I had been craving a burnt marshmallow since we got here but there is still a burn ban. Like I said, no campfire, improvise. I love it!

OK guys, it is time for me to hit the hay. :-) Can't wait to get some new photos for you guys. We have a busy week ahead and a concert on Thurs. It is Niel McCoy. We are both pretty stoked to see him for just 20 bucks! Incredible!

Love to you all and Happy Birthday Tracy! You are beautiful! XOXO~~~HB&GG

November, a month of many changes..

Man, I just love the Sepia setting for photos. :-) I sure hope that you guys enjoyed my last post. I really love those little critters, our friend the Armadillo.

Yep, change is in the air. It always happens this time of the year. The true shift into winter has begun. I always feel a bit more introspective and it takes me a few weeks to adjust to the time change.

I am happy that the political world is slowing down, History in the making, I suppose. I am just proud to be an American citizen and I welcome the times upon us.

Garrett and I are planning to go and stock up on some hay later today and continue our job search. I have a few possibilities with a Physical Therapy office and the City of Florence. We'll see... Oh, also the animal control position, that application is due tomorrow. :-)

Anyways, we had a great day yesterday and a wonderful dinner and evening last night. Today is a bit windy/stormy/humid, still about 80 or so. Kinda nice, but makes me think that it is time to take a shower.

I attached a few photos from Sunday and our time at the polo game. Me, stomping the divots at 1/2 time and our friends chasing a little white ball.

I also wanted to share one of Garrett's favorite pics. He loves to climb trees and I showed you guys the finished product. I'll have to post another of when he was trying to get up there. :-)

You will notice that Roy is no where to be seen in our Armadillo tracking adventure. He has a hurt paw right now, but healing quickly. Garrett thinks that he may have gotten stepped on. Who knows. :-)

He runs on three legs when he is off his leash and still plays with his Kong, so it must not hurt that bad.

We are going to head out to the Vineyard at Florence again tomorrow to check out job options and I am going to take some info on my services (horse related). I'll see if I can generate some lessons. Who knows... We both know that the right situations are getting closer for us. :-)

Well, I better go, it is time to get this day on a roll. It has been a peaceful morning. The feeling of true retirement. Drinking tea, then cocoa, then a shower, then a ride, maybe a run later, a cruise to Lampasas to get hay.

Oh, speaking of Lampasas, we are finally going to make it to a HS football game tomorrow with our friends Ari and Rick. It is to watch Rick's son, Justin, play.

Anyhow, have a happy hump day and a great week. I am sure that you will hear from me soon enough... In love and never-ending joy~~~HB&GG

Hunt for the Elusive Armadillo...

The Chalk Creek, Central Texas.

The day, Nov. 4th, a Tues., a day like any other.

Garrett and I decided to do some exploring and go for a hike up Chalk Creek.

We found some very cool trees and little fish and created some water crossings. Good Stuff..

Then... A noise, in the distance, one that was unfamiliar to either of us.

A noise that could only be native to Texas.

Garrett and I decided to check it out. I followed closely, bringing up the rear, feeling that we were onto something HUGE!!!

WAIT!!! It is right over there...

We weren't really sure what it was going to look like.. It had never been seen in the wild by these 2 pairs of eyes.

Low and behold, from below the bushes... We saw our first glimpse and then the chase was on...

They do exist..

An ARMADILLO!!!!!!

We knew that we were onto something huge here, just not in size.

You see, we didn't know we would be lucky enough to see one of these very wild creatures today. Especially at 3:34 in the afternoon.

They are so Cute!! A true wonder to Garrett and me.

To most Texans, they are just pests. But to us.. They are so much more.

They are a part of our countries heritage. How fitting that we spot one on election day! :-) Amazing little critters, Really!

So, Garrett and I are getting closer to full-filling our search for our unique friends in Texas. We hope that you enjoyed our adventure!!

Here is our little friend saying goodbye!

Log-in next time to see what we are up to!

You never can tell... It could be the hunt for the 'Goat sucker'. Chupacabraes are REAL~~~~

A few things before bed...

Hi guys~~ Garrett and I are getting ready to turn in (well, he is finishing the movie 'The Cowboys') but I had to mention that we had a great day.

I will post some more new pics tomorrow of our hike and our time at the polo game in Austin. Garrett wasn't super impressed by his first game. I think that we were at a pretty low key game and he said that he wanted to check out a real pro game next time. Maybe the US vs. Argentina, in Argentina! That would be sweet. :-)

It was a beautiful day here and we had a great afternoon working with the horses, enjoying some BBQ and a peaceful camp at the PHR. We do love the week days. We usually have about 1-2 campers and then Thurs./Fri. it starts to pick up.

I had a great run this morning and saw Bambi's mom again. I am hoping that I'll keep seeing her, such a pretty girl. After my run, Garrett returned from starting our laundry so we did some chores around town and talked to a few people about jobs.

I just sent a few resumes in and I have been working on a menu of services for Equine Connections. Actually, Garrett has been making some Equine Connections of his own. He lined up a mare to work for a month. She belongs to a friend who has been involved in the PHR for sometime.

Her name is GJ and she is a 5yr. old "spoiled" Paint mare. It was a tough first day on the ground but Garrett is hopeful that she will start to come around. Her back feet are a little fierce and she also has a tendency to get a little 'high steppin' in the front. Such a "sweet" little thing. We are giving her a week to see if there are improvements, otherwise, back to the folks.

I wanted to put up a photo of the old homestead on the ranch. We ride by these water tanks and windmill each day and I just love them. They are structures that have been maintained for at least 150yrs. Love that!! It is a gorgeous sight, all the windmills in TX.

Tomorrow we are going to apply for some more jobs and go for a hike in the morning. In the afternoon, I am sure that we will ride and then BBQ again. We are taking advantage of the beautiful 80 deg. weather and trying to live in each wonderful moment.

I did hear some word from the Siwash Lake Ranch today in Canada. It is a very small, exclusive ranch that I have been looking into for the 2 of us since last summer. The owner, Allyson, may have positions for us, we'll see. It is contingent upon another couple that may return and also on getting work permits in Canada. :-) Gotta keep our options open....

The aircraft.. It is a huge jet that we think carries other military equipment. We hear and see these massive aircraft and others daily since we are right next to Fort Hood military base. It is an ARMY base and my dad was actually stationed there for a time. :-) Funny how things work out. I am sure that Garrett and I are having a very different experience down here compared to Dad. Love you DAD!!

Besides that, just having fun, working on my tan, and staying in touch with friends and family. Happy Birthday to all of you that are having them this month. I am soon to be 31 and Garrett will be 25 in January. :-) Finally, our insurance will go down! (or is that 26?)

I can't believe that we have almost been married for a year! So exciting! I was really feeling that today and I am gaining some perspective on what it does mean to be married. A daily journey...

We'll more to come. Thanks for logging in and don't forget to VOTE! I am proud to be American! It is wonderful to live in a place that we do have so many choices and can truly carve out our own lives. I typically don't talk religion or politics, so I won't, but every ones opinion matters, so express yours...

In love and joy~~~ HB&GG

The BIG Upset!!!

Daylight savings is over Man!!!

Not sure if you football fans were watching the game on Sat. night but Texas Tech. beat Texas in the last second of the game. I know that because Garrett was watching the game on a flat screen up at the ranch. Our friend Terry came prepared, a true Texan football fan.

We have had a great week. Every day we are meeting new people and finding different ways to network. Garrett is working on some horses to ride and I have a new young horse to work. I also have been filling out an application to become an animal control officer. :-) It could be a pretty cool experience. The application is huge, I mean, I would be An Officer. I would even go through the training academy.

As usual, I attached a few photos... I love the one of Roy in our fire pit. :-) I think that we had just finished a ride and he was exhausted. We haven't used the fire ring yet and it was all dug out for him, the coolest place around. He is a great dog and is loving his life here. Daily rides, runs and all the truck riding that a dog could ask for.

Ya'll will notice that I am wearing my safety vest... Hunting season at the Parrie Haynes is upon us and the west side of the ranch will be closed until the end of Jan. We have been hearing shots and there are about 12 kiddos staying at the hunters cabin this weekend. What all of this means for us is that we alert people to the hunting season and let them know that there are safety vests available. We have to make sure that we don't ride along the west side of the perimeter. We aren't to leave camp until 9am and we are to be back to camp by 4pm.

I did go for a run around 6pm last night but I stayed clear of the firing. :-) I flushed a beautiful whitetail doe out and she was totally freaked. I think that it was Bambi's mama. :-(

We are planning to go over to the west side tomorrow to check out the hunter's cabin and do some laundry. (FYI-we live on the east side) We also got a lead that there are a couple of Armadillo up there. We are thinking about going on a covert night mission on Tues. or Wed. night. AWESOME!! I am so excited to make them role up in a ball. I guess that all you have to do is poke them in the butt with a stick. I will have to bring an extra long one.

Yesterday we went into town to the Tractor Supply Store and bought some movable stakes and electric tape for the boys. They love their new space and are thrilled to have any area large enough to roll, graze, and hang out. During the week, when people aren't here, we just put their halters on and their leads over their backs and let them have the run of the place. But during the weekend, we needed a place for them to more around.

We have also been checking out the local survival foods. We tried the fruit off the prickly pear and we are planning to try the leaves sometime soon. There are also a few trees on property called Osage Orange. I did a bit of research and the Native Americans used the leaves for tea and the fruit is edible. The horses seemed to like them and I decided to bring one back to the house. I cut it open the other night and it was interesting. A bit bitter, super sticky and lots of seeds. The only part that was any good was the pulp area between the center and the peel. Super fun!!!

Besides that we are busy checking out the country side and exploring the local towns. I researched a few different state parks and hikes that I would like to do in the coming weeks. There are also some dams and reservoirs nearby that we are looking at for fishing and playing. Lots of Bass and Sunfish down here, catfish too!!

OOOHHH!! Something else that is exciting is that we have tickets to a Robert Earl Keen concert in Bandera, TX. It is at Floores Restaurant and Bar on Dec. 20th. Floores is a local honkytonk that people like Willie Nelson and other greats have played at. Garrett and I are both super excited. I think that Keen is one of Garrett's all time favorites. We do like the outlaw country singers. Should be a good time!!!

We are heading to Austin later today to visit Whole Foods, do some shopping, and make a few deposits. We are also going to a polo game at 1pm for the Austin Polo Team. It will be Garrett's first game and I haven't been to one for a long time.

First off though, I need to get ready to ride and get all the boys some exercise. Have a great Sunday everyone. Thanks for all the blog post replies and emails. Happy November and don't forget to set the clocks back an hour. :-) I'll have more later... There are more pics and more stories... Love and joy~~~HB&GG

New beginnings and beautiful surroundings..

Today was a completely surreal day.

It was picture perfect and everything fell into place in perfect time. It was an 80 deg. fall day, filled with exploration and surprise.

We had a relaxing morning around camp, as most are. I started off like usual with feeding the 3 boys and cleaning stalls. Then it was inside for dishes, emails, and breakfast. Those were followed by a shower in the Cowboy cabin's open air wash area and a trip to Florence.

Florence is a town that is about 13 miles from us to the Southwest. It is on our way to Austin, via back roads, and it is the home of our favorite tortilla joint and Mexican taqueria. We went to check out a Vineyard and development property that I had looked at online. They have an opening as a bartender/wine server and possibly in the equestrian facility. It is the future home of the Austin Polo Club.

We arrived at the beautiful property in awe and were greeted by a lovely staff. We met the owners/entrepreneurs and we both decided that it was our kind of atmosphere. I have part-time work there now as a server for events and will be a waitress once the cafe opens in another month or so. Currently there are no home owners on site but they are able to support up to 60 individual residents.

Garrett and I checked out a spec home, which was amazing. All the buildings are old Tuscan style structures. A real old world Italian feel. There may even be a job opportunity with the head builder for Garrett. As for me, I am also going to meet with the Polo director for the Austin Polo club on Sunday and see if there is someway that I can work with him. After talking with the owner of the facility, I may be starting to teach riding lessons at the vineyard in the near future also.

We went to a wine tasting and social gathering there this afternoon and had a great time mingling and just enjoying our surroundings. Check out the photos and look at the facility online if you like. it is http://www.thevineyardatflorence.com

Besides that , I turned in an application with the Florence School District. It is for substitute teaching. That would be an adventure of its own.

Garrett and I are planning to enjoy a nice ride tomorrow for our Halloween day and an evening in with a movie. On Sat., it is more fun around the ranch and I may go to a ladies evening at the vineyard. :-)

Sunday we are headed outside of Austin for a polo match and then to Whole Foods in Austin to stock up on some supplements and supplies for Heather. :-) I have to get my Kombucha Fix. More to Come!! Happy Days and Treats for you!!! XOXOXO~~~~HB&GG

Pumpkins and Friends to SHARE them with...

Hey Ya'll~

I HAVE to start by saying how thankful I am for our friends and family. As we near the holidays it is always a reminder to me of all of those that I love and have shared so many memories with.

Garrett and I are creating new memories daily but we will not soon forget were we came from. :-)

We have had a few great days... of wonderful growth and transformation. We have had a few job interviews and more interesting opportunities arise daily. Today seemed surreal as we worked around the ranch and experienced our new environment. I enjoyed a wonderful run and Garrett took a ride on Brutus, our dual-sport motorcycle.

I wanted to share a few photos from our time last night at Ari's house. It was her 38th birthday and we had a huge crab leg dinner and carved pumpkins. She has several great dogs and one is a 14 yr. old German Shepard. Caesar is wonderful and is fed by a spoon each night. Ari takes pride in him and his unique habits and needs. She is a very open and loving person who would do anything for any of us or any animals she meets.

On Sunday, Garrett and I went on a wonderful ride. We were headed for the river but we ended up cutting it short because Murphy lost a shoe. We ended up turning around and walking up the road for about 2 and 1/2 miles, picking up trash. It was actually really rewarding!! We found tons of trash and I am so proud to drive along our fence line now. We also put in about 3 more hrs. today cleaning cabins to work off our board/rent.

So, Garrett doesn't know that I have posted a picture of him in the shower but I had to share. There is the greatest outdoor shower on the backside of the cowboy cabin at the horse camp. It is perfect because we can just walk 1oo ft. and hop in a hot shower that we don't have to turn off while we are soaping up.

I love our shower but we have to use it in stages, typical camp shower. :-) You rinse off, turn it off, soap up, rinse, turn off, do conditioner, turn on to rinse and then finished. We have limited hot water(at least we have it). After a shower and a load of dishes we have to empty our grey water. It is a part of our daily chores but it is nice having the cowboy shower since it allows up to use tons of hot water and saves time with the clearing of our waste water.

We are living a little different lifestyle and we are both loving it. Quarters can be a little tight from time to time but we are appreciating the simplicity and creativity that comes along with it. :-)

I am digging the part-time work but I think that Garrett and I are both wanting to do a little more out in the community. We are going to check out a vineyard/equine facility on Thursday that I am interested in working at. It is in a town called Florence, which is about 10 miles from us. Pretty Sweet!

I love the photos of Garrett and Lightning that I attahed to share. One is of our trash patrol and the other is of Garrett enjoying a Keystone out on the trail. Life is GOOD!! I also attached a photo of the Wildfire Ranch. It is a team roper's mecha, that is just south of us. It is an arena that Garrett has heard about for years. George Strait and many other famous cowboys/ropers make this a frequent stop.

Well, that is all for now! I will write more soon... I have a full day planned tomorrow. I am going to get my Liquor handlers license for TX in the morning, and then I am giving a gal a lesson at 4pm. More on that later!! Have a Happy Wednesday and Happy Halloween!!! In love and appreciation~~~HB&GG

News Flash!!!!

News flash! So exciting!

Garrett had his first acupuncture appointment and liked it. Amazing! He went to this gal that we found that is Chinese and she trained in China for 6 yrs. Her and her husband have a clinic in Killeen. I heard about her through my Chiropractor, the one that I might be working for. Anyways, her name is Laura Wang and I went to her on Thurs. and Garrett went on Fri. The very neat thing is that he is going to go back again in a month after Laura and her husband return from visiting family in China. A very unique experience indeed.

I do plan to post new pics today or tomorrow. I was waiting until we carved our pumpkins and went for a ride today. I'll put a few up though, one is of some great fossils we found and then another of the local wildlife, Longhorns!!! It doesn't get any more Texan than that.

So, Garrett and I both decided not to work at Harker Heights Expo Center. It really is not the scene that I am looking for and I decided that for the 5 nights I would work there in the next 2 months, it just wouldn't be worth it at this point. We did, however, go to the Pat Green Concert there last night. It was great! I think that I smoked about a pack of cigs, but it fun anyways! That is one thing about Texas, many people smoke and there are few regulations on it in public places. Yuk!

Pat Green was a great performer and we met a few nice folks that live around Austin, they were with the opening act. For those of you who don't know, Pat Green is a newer country/outlaw country, singer. I think that he has been around for about 10yrs. He is from Waco, TX, just 45 miles north of us. He was pretty fun and played one of his more popular songs, "Wave on Wave". Garrett and I both agreed that he has a Robert Earl Keen sound about him.

Now, as far as people watching goes, we saw some firsts, maybe seconds, or maybe just a little Texan. I spotted the best Mullet that I have ever seen and later Garrett swore that he saw the guys brother. Serious! It was amazing! We also decided that all waitresses at the Expo must not wear underwear because if they did then you'd be able to see them hanging out of their shorts or skirts. (I told Garrett that I wanted to wear my daisy duke shorts and cowboy boots) I am pretty sure that I will have to do that for the Niel McCoy concert in November.

Speaking of November, from what the locals say this is a chilly fall but yesterday was 85 deg. For Oct. 25th, we are not complaining. :-) We are planning an exploration ride today down to the Lampasas River to bathe Roy again!!! We are pretty sure that there are fleas down here, and so is Roy.

I wanted to share with you guys that I have a work meeting on Monday at the Roach Chiropractic Clinic at 11am. I am pretty stoked, he is a great practitioner and it is a small family business. It would only be part-time, 20-25 per week until the first of the year, but hey, it is a start. I am most excited about being a part of the work force again and about the perks of being an employee at a chiropractic office. Free adjustments! Yay!

So about these fossils... We have found fossils all over the ranch and they are sea shells. We picked up a few whole ones and Garrett found a mussel last week that wasn't even open yet. :-) Super neat.

I also put up a photo of a very tired puppy, Mr. Roy! He works very hard to watch our horses and he herds them, even in their pens. A dog's work is never done. :-) That Photo is for Tracy, Taylor and Brandon... He loves you guys...

I have also been talking with a gal from Kansas and she has some horses that she would like me to help her with. Not sure about that situation though, sounds a little sketchy. You see, I really don't have much desire to halter breaking 12 yr. old mustangs. Whoa!

This weekend has been busy at the Parrie Haynes Horse Camp. There are about 125-150 ppl. here that are apart of the Chisholm Trail Fellowship of Christian Cowboys. Which is not completely accurate, there is some definite segregation going on here, there are cowgirls too! :-) LOL Anyhow, Garrett and I have enjoyed watching them and their groups of 80+ go on rides together. We have some really nice neighbors, Patrick, Terry, and our favorites, Dick and Amy. Dick and Amy gave us their business card and under their names it reads Trail riders! They are Hard Core!

Serious Folks down here! Everyone wants to ride with us also! I don't think that they get it that we really aren't trail riders by trade. Oh well! It's cool! We did have some other great folks show up yesterday also and they are staying here for a few more nights. The husband is Norm and he and his family are here from San Antonio. We sure meet all kinds!

On a different note, we had our first day up at the Hilltop complex helping out yesterday. It was part of our 20hrs. per week. We helped fix, serve, and clean up lunch for about 115 ppl. A fun experience indeed. We really like the folks that we work with and even the park rangers help in the kitchen. It is a real family oriented ranch and organization. I am glad that we are a part of it. :-)

Moving onto tomorrow.. We are going to have a birthday dinner with our friend, Ari, tomorrow. She wants to make crab legs and we are bringing side dishes and pumpkins for carving. I feel that carving a pumpkin each year is not only fun but it gets you in the spirit! Forever Young, Right!

Well.. that is all for this morning, the dog needs to use the restroom and we have horse stalls to clean and groceries to get. Just another day in paradise. :-) I will update the blog again in a few days with more pics and stories. Thanks for blogging in... hehe!

Love and Joy~Heather & Garrett

Let the Jobs Begin!

First off~ You have to look to the right at the praying mantas that is Lightning's little buddy. I found him this morning while checking Lightning's salt. Cutie!

Then there are the sunsets and the Black Walnut trees that Garrett likes to play in, and the horses and un-horses that live on the ranch. The few in the photo belong to Karl and Becky. Love them! Actaully one of the neatest looking Appys that I have seen.

The most exciting news is that I have 2 part-time jobs lined up. One is exercising a horse for a gal 3x per week and the other is a waitress at the Harker Heights Event Center. I've never really been a waitress, but hey, I'll figure it out!

My first work meeting for HH Events is tomorrow and my first event is the Pat Green (country singer) concert this Sat. The funny thing is that Garrett and I went in to buy tickets for the Pat Green and Niel McCoy show a few days ago and I randomly asked if they were hiring. I filled out an application and dropped it off yesterday and today I received a call that I had an employee meeting tomorrow at 7pm. I didn't even know that I had gotten the job! Whatever! It works. So that one is about 1 night a week for now and the horse deal is 3-4 hours per week. It's a start.

Besides that, Garrett and I have about a dozen apps in to different situations and organizations. We will keep y'all posted on that. :-) OOOOOHH!! Garrett has an EMAIL account. It is garrettagregory@gmail.com .

On another note, I had to get some photos of the sweet gates that we saw while driving to town after riding Della's horse, Vanna, this morning. That is the horse that I am riding 3-4 days a week. Anyhow, these gates are classic examples of the TX decor that we see on a daily basis. It almost seems that each Texan has an inner dream to out-do their neighbor in displaying who is a more patriotic Texas. They do this with BBQ cookouts too! We are going to have to taste test those events for sure.

Enough about work, more play. :-) So as the pics indicate, we have been riding daily and meeting new friends. Today we went up to the Hilltop complex to send a fax this morning and to do some laundry this afternoon. This weekend we are helping out on Sat. day and maybe Sunday with the groups that are staying on property. I think that there are 125 at the Hilltop and about the same amount staying over at the equestrian center where we are. :-) Live music and Christian Cowboys, that is the word on our side. Love the contrast and variety. :-)

We also have a a few pics of our friends on the Parrie Haynes staff. Karl is the director of Parrie Haynes and Becky is a wonderful woman, also Karl's better half (JK). :-) They are a lot of fun and so are the other staff here. We play a lot with Candace and Bruce as well at Ray, a park ranger and Jim and his wife. Love it! Candace is the gal who hired us and Bruce is her very entertaining husband.

Yes, finally, we do have our very own ranch vehicle. Yep, a DODGE! It is a 1-ton dually, love-it! We call is Olive, Olly for short. We are able to use it for all ranch business and it is just a cool rig! I feel like a real Texas Ranger.

The other pic of us on horseback is with our friends Ari and Rick. They are brother and sister team that hauled over to ride with us on Wed. afternoon. We met over craigslist, as Ari was looking for a riding buddy. It just so happens that Ari's husband is from Molalla, OR and will be home over Christmas from Iraq. It has been a pleasure to hang out with Rick and Ari and I believe that we will be spending some time with their families over the Christmas holiday.

I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween, maybe by the next blog posting we will have our pumpkins carved. I am shooting for Friday night. YAY!

I wanted to share a few pics of the Hilltop Complex and the view of the river over the hay fields. We saw Turkeys, Deer and lots of other critters today. No Armadillos yet! Dang it! Soon, I hope. We do have a few visitors at night, one grey cat and a black dog. Lots of transient folk around here!

In our spare time we like to ride our boys, explore the trails and tease little brother, Roy. Garrett and I got him a new ball/rope toy a few days ago and Garrett thought that is would be funny to put it on like a spur and walk around. Poor Roy, he was totally confused and frustrated but is was hilarious none the less. I don't know what we would do without our animal entertainment.

Well, it is nearly 10:30pm and I have a long day tomorrow of a 7pm meeting and a 1030 acupuncture appt. in the morning. I think that Garrett is finally going to try acupuncture if I like this gal. The woman is named Laura Wang, she is Chinese, and did all of her training in China. The real deal! I am pretty excited. OOH, I also found a great chiropractor and turned in an application at his office. Let's cross our fingers. I would love the job perks. :-)

Have a great Thurs.! I sure love Oregon but we are digging' the 75-80 deg. weather that we are getting. It is also a bonus that it only drops to about 50 deg. at night. Love that!!!

ps.. I keep forgetting to Thank Eric and Shelly Batha for the awesome Satelite Radio! We use it everyday and we love the fact that we can even Rock Out in our trailer! The Roadhouse and Prime Country are 2 of our favorite stations!! Thanks again and have a safe journey on your move to the Big Island. :-) Aloha!!!

Much Love and Joy~~~XOXO~HB&GG

Sundays are funnnnnn days!!!

It feels like every day is a Sunday when you are an unemployed camp host.

Garrett mentioned that he could really get use to this lifestyle. I am thinking that he is Right On! It was a pretty busy weekend here at the Parrie Haynes but things are winding down and most of the folks have cleared out. :-) Now it is going to be a nice mellow week and more fun this coming weekend.

I do know that on Sat., the 25th, we are going to try and get tickets to Pat Green, who's playing in Killeen. Could be fun! I know that Niel McCoy is also coming to town in November. I gotta tell you guys, that we are happy about our surroundings and we are loving the 80 deg. weather and our nice rides.

Today we took off at 11am and did a 3 hr. ride to the Lampasas River and gave Roy a bath. Garrett soaped him up and then threw sticks in to rinse him off. Pretty Sweet! I little redneck but hey, it works.

Murphy loves the water and was happy to cool off. We also had a lot of fun cruising around on horseback though the hay fields and Pecan trees on the Parrie Haynes Ranch on the way to the river. I love it!!

Let's see, what else? I have a serious gut ache, I am not sure if it is the well-water or the milk I have been drinking. Either way, that has got to stop. :-) We did find a great grocery store that has organics and all kinds of foreign foods, pretty neat. It is called H.E.B

I also wanted to share that we have made some friends and we went over to their place yesterday. We met their horses and the 4 of us are going to go for a ride this week. People are friendly for the most part. It seems that there is a bit of a good ol' boy attitude and women aren't really looked at the same as in Oregon, but oh well. I'll figure it out! :-)

Oh yeah, the pic from the Alley. We had to go and open that gait today and we closed it Wed. in a rain storm. It was the day that we had a gully washer. :-) It was awesome, pouring down rain and just beautiful. Garrett wasn't quite as happy about that adventure as I was. It seems like our excursions are just getting better.

Tomorrow I have a 1pm with a gal that I am meeting with about riding her horses. So we are starting to pick up work. I have applied at 2 chiropractic offices and I am thinking about applying for a few city jobs as well.

Well, I think that I am going to get ready for dinner. We are going to check out a MX place called Casa Ole, it was recommended by our new friends. We are also eyeing a couple of BBQ joints, Garrett is super stoked on that.

We love it that you guys have been checking in with us. Don't worry... There is lots more to come! In love and joy~Heather & Garrett

Freaky Friday!!!!

The photo to the left is known as the Cowboy Cabin. This structure is in the horse camp. It is one of the oldest on the ranch, built in the late 1800's/early 1900's. It is very rustic and we just discovered a shower on the exterior of the building, Sweet!

Now, imagine this whole area, full of about 75 ppl. who call themselves the Rough Riders. We heard that the group was founded by african american calvary riders, pretty cool. Well, that is why this is Freaky Friday! Live DJ, blaring Rap, soul music and about 50 cars. They are sporting their finest digs and ponies. :-) Always a party on the weekends at the Parrie Haynes Ranch. :-)

We are finding out quickly that there are a lot of characters around here and the folks that I am drawing in through the horse world are quite interesting. Love it!!

So, yesterday was a pretty exciting day. Garrett had a little fun with Lightning, who decided to show a bit of his Bronc side. Lightning decided that Garrett means work and Lightning was digging the vacation that he has had for 12 yrs. Garrett sat it well and then hopped off before he was cleaning dirt out of his mouth.

Some of the other pics illustrate me doing the normal camp work like cleaning out the grey and black water. OOOOOHHHH! It is a smelly job but also a job that only a woman can handle. :-) LOL It reminds us of National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, Dennis Quaid(cousin Eddy). Good stuff!

I wanted to show you guys a view of the inside of our trailer also. Isn't it great. I took the photo from the bathroom looking towards our dining room and couch and bedroom. The nice thing about a small house is that you have to keep it clean and organized or it quickly becomes a disaster. :-)

We also have Murphy demonstrating his addiction. Man, that horse loves Beer! Only the cheap stuff, no dark beer for him. :-) His favorite is MGD, but he'll settle for Bud light or Coors light.

If you recognize him, that is Garrett making those yummy burgers and we do love our plates. I have had those daisy plates for about 10 yrs. They were my families camp plates at one point. They are perfect for our adventure.

Oh, and then there is the Redneck, Oakie porch that we came up with after the trenchel down poor we had a few days ago. Man, pallets have so many uses. Who would have thought. We also set up a great little roping dummy and a few other important things like a clothesline and a fire pit.

Yes, there is also Garrett's first road-runner. Cute little sucker! I think that we have seen about 5 now. No feral pigs yet. Dang it! I really want to see a javelina and an armadillo. We saw a few nice white tails on our ride today and our neighbors have exotic deer, raised for hunting. That kind of sport is huge in this area. It seems that everyone has corn out to draw deer in and then they just sit in these big tri-pod stands and wait for the deer to come and eat. Not much sport in that, but whatever. To each their own.

We found a great western store yesterday and today I picked up 3 applications for 3 completely different jobs. They consist of Postman, substitute teacher, and chiropractic office assistant. All interesting jobs to me, especially for a short time period.

I have also set up two different situations working horses for some local people. We will see where that goes. Tomorrow we are going to meet a gal named Ari who is married to a guy from Oregon and has a brother who is a shoer. I think that our new friendship could be cool for many reasons. Garrett is considering a few construction options for work. However, I am trying to get him to be an animal control officer. I would love to hear the stories and see his uniform.... :-)

We are having a great time and are learning new things every day. :-) It is a great way to see different horses and their humans. :-) Well, I think that is enough for tonight. I will keep y'all informed on our next ventures and job search. The bottom line is that we are having a great time and I have only broken one thing on our truck, the tailgate handle! Oops! Check out that pic. :-)

Until next time!!! Happy trails~H&G

Second time around...

Alright~ We have a few new photos for ya'll. (I have to start practicing my southern drawl.)

It is day 4 and we have accomplished a lot. We are thinking that after another day, we may be moved in and settled enough to start looking for JOBS. :-) AHHHH!!! We are really enjoying the retired life.



As our pics indicate, we did a lot of driving and a fair amount of playing along the way. Our kiddos are the true entertainment. I am not sure what we would do without them.



Murphy, a 15 yr. old AQHA gelding is just a riot and he is always drinking beer and telling jokes with the best of 'em. Lightning, a 12 yr. Mustang gelding is a great kiddo, new to the family and fitting right in. He was given to us about a week before we left. :-) Garrett is working on him and he is working on Garrett. Seems to be a good match for the both of them.



I posted a few photos of the places we stayed along the way and of our friend, Roy, staying warm, sporting the down vest. Murphy likes to share Roy's water dish and is really always the life of the party.



This morning we woke up to a down poor, a real gully washer, as Garrett referred to it. It hadn't rained here for about 4 months and it was great to be out in it in the 75 deg. rain today. It has been lovely and averaging about 85-90 deg.



I have been busy online advertising me and my business. I already have 3 ppl. setting up appt. with me to meet them and their horses. Besides that I am thinking about a job that has no thing to do with ponies, just something different to experience. I really want to be a mail carrier. Yep! I think that it would be fun to walk around town and deliver folks their mail. Good Stuff!



As for tomorrow, not sure...



We did make it to Austin~ We visited the biggest Whole Foods store ever, the national headquarters, where it all began. We found a great computer store and laundry mat in town today! Exciting! It is always the little things that count.



As for life on the ranch, the LOTT is visiting this week. It stands for the Ladies or Texas Tradition. Nice gals, big trailers and lots of plastic (cards, surgery, etc. :-))



The ponies are digging their daily rides and I love it that we are able to enjoy the fall in such a warm climate. More to come in a few days!!! Enjoy the new pics... In love and joy~H&G

Getting started...

This is it! My first Blog entry on our site. I will get some updated photos on the site in the next few days...

Well, it was a great to finally arrive in TX and get settled. :-) We are about an hr. north of Austin and about 15 minutes south of Killeen on Hwy. 195. We are at the Parrie Haynes Ranch, which is owned by the Dept. or Parks and Wildlife in the State of Texas.

We are the caretakers of a horse camp ground on a ranch of 4600 acres. I am sure that we are 2 of the luckiest kiddos from Oregon. Our horses and Roy are settling in and we have been on 2 rides. :-) We have been exploring the area and bought hay and grain today. Yay!

We are going to head to Austin, Burnet and a few other towns in the Hill Country tomorrow. It will get busy around here this weekend with groups and a special visit from the LOTT, Ladies of Texas Tradition.

We hung out with the Gulf Coast Ladies Equestrian Group last weekend. :-) Last night we had a wonderful BBQ at Karl's house, he is the director of the ranch and has been for the past 16 years. Great People! Candace and Bruce are 2 other caretakers and Candace is Operations Manager of the ranch. Becky is Karl's partner and makes the best Texas pastries, east of the Pecos. :-)

Let's see, as for our trip down here....

It was 2300 miles, 4 and 1/2 days and an experience that we will not soon forget. Our horses, Murphy and Lightning were Rockstars and Gentlemen. Roy was so exhausted after day 2 that he didn't even bother to chase cars after that. He is pretty stoked though and is really enjoying life in his single-wide trailer. :-)

We left Bend at 4:34 on Tues., the 7th and arrived in TX at 134pm on Sat. Texas time, which in central, 2 hrs. ahead of Oregon. It has been warm and humid since we arrived and we are loving it. It was 85 today and 90/95 the past few days. Perfect!

To back track a bit...

We stayed at 4 different places on our way South. First it was the fairgrounds in Susanville, CA. That was after a flat tire on the trailer and a tire and brake job at Les Schwab that afternoon. it worked out great though and we made it to Kingman, AZ the next night. It was a 650mile drive that day and we stayed at the Blake Ranch RV park and horse motel. That day we drove through Phoenix and over the Hoover Dam and Garrett navigated all of it beautifully. Yay! I am so thankful that I wasn't driving, Yikes!

We had a nice night there, loved the sleep that we got in our trailer loft/den and loaded the horses and headed for our next stop in Deming, NM. We stayed at the Diamond Arrow Ranch owned by Greg and Sandy Reitzal. It is a splendid place that is separated by 30 miles of BLM from the MX border. :-) It was wonderful!!!

A brisk morning sent us on our way to Colorado City, TX, for our last night on the rd. It was spent on a 300 acre ranch called the 305 Ranch owned by Wes and Becky. They are actually WA natives who moved to TX because of the climate, lifestyle and property values. It seems like it has worked out great for them. They have lived through rattlesnakes, Twisters, and MX mythological creatures referred to as the "goatsuckers" or ????

Anyhow, there place was totally haunted and we found doors open and our horses buckets filled the next morning without explanation, well, not physical explanation.

It seems that our time here is getting a little easier, today was a bit interesting. :-) I believe that each day we are here will be more beautiful than the last and that we will continue to love our surroundings and find more ways to appreciate one another and our animal friends...

Now for the job search...

I am thinking that we will both find opportunities that will broaden our experiences here and I am thinking that it would be fun to have a work experience for the next 5 months that is completely different than any other I have held. We'll see!!!

Love and joy to all of you...

Please feel free to leave comments for us or email us at
heatherbarklow@gmail.com
our phone is still 541.771.4244
and our address is
P.O. Box 690478, Killeen, TX 76549