I’ve got so much going on right now, and so much that’s been happening in the last two weeks, I’m getting stuck blogging. I think about this thing, and that photo, and that argument and that other freakout, and nothing wants to come out as actual blog posts.

I think I just need to get over my obsessive need for order and linear storytelling, and just jump in and say what’s first and foremost in my noodle.

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I’ve had a wonderful time with my mom here visiting. She’s leaving on Saturday, and there will be tears all around. I’m working on getting her to move here to Texas (sorry bro!), and each time she visits, she gets more and more willing. However, we have a chance of snow tomorrow (Meg, I’ve got my camera ready to prove it if need be!), and I think that might push her back the other way. It’s hard to leave the California climate to come here and bake in the summer and freeze in the winter.

It’s funny, because every time I tell someone how my mom’s visiting for almost 3 weeks, they are surprised at the joy I express. How fortunate and blessed I am to get along so well with my mom, and that The Man loves having her around as well. Now if I could just get her interested in her grandkids…

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Boodle got thrown from her horse at her last riding lesson. I know! How frightening. Three of the girls in the class got their horses bunched up as they rode around the ring, and one horse named Firecracker (dude, with that name we shoulda seen it coming) decided he’d had enough and started kicking. Boodle’s horse was right behind him, so she started shying away, and in the fracas, Boodle fell off. Luckily, Firecracker moved ahead and she didn’t get trampled.

That sounds so dramatic, doesn’t it? In reality, it took all of 45 seconds for it to start, her to fall, the teacher to run out and get Boodle right back up on the horse. I of course was a stunned ball of freaking the hell out, but Boodle assured everyone emphatically that she was okay. It sounded manic and stubborn to me, which made me want to cry all the more, knowing she was actually pretty wigged out and trying not to show it. I didn’t cry though, keeping my own manic, happy face on as she came around the ring and looked to me for reassurance.

The instructor handled it very well, the fall coming on top of an hour of stubborn horses and much switching of riders to see if they could get the horses to trot. She said that if the girls were willing to come back after all that drama, then they could turn into good horsewomen. Boodle basically said “hell yeah!”, so we’re pressing on.

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I finished editing the photos from my first family shoot, and I’m pretty pleased. I learned so much, and of course now see 537 things I could have done differently, but I got some great shots and the family seems happy. They were just looking for a photo for their Christmas card, and I overwhelmed them with a billion photos and requests like, “Which edit do you like better? Did you like this smile or that smile? Look at them and then call me and we’ll get together and talk about EVERYTHING!”

I’m pretty sure they’re changing their phone number and email address as I type this. If I can get their permission, I’ll post a few of my faves. I guess I could do a Witness Protection Program shot, but I don’t think this translates:

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