waterlogged weekend day 2

Back at the Ranch...
We had made plans that morning to go to Ainsworth. The trip up there seemed like it took forever...only a few spots with water over the road. We met one of my future roomies and good friend Bailey for lunch at Big John's dinner. It was really good :) Apparently there are lots of things that they serve there but aren't on the menu...you just have the ask. Bailey heard this from some of the locals and tried it. Whatever is was looked really good! We had a good time catching up!
Then is was off to the grocery store...
We started to make our way back to the ranch but checked out some of the State Rec Areas along the way. That took up quite a bit of our afternoon. We found some really cute spots to camp and hopefully good fishing. Any running water we came across was ragin' like a river...although on any normal day it wouldn't be much more than a trickle. Jake and I both agreed that we made the right choice by NOT camping that weekend.
It was really damp that afternoon and misting on and off. We decided to take the opportunity to ride the horses. Going into this we knew this would be "an adventure." You see we have never actually rode these two horses simultaneously...nor has Jake ridden Clyde successfully for a while (he always manages to get bucked off).
The ponies were surprisingly happy to see me (Jake has been spoiling them with treats) and they came right up to me. They stood unusually still as we saddled them up, then it was time to ride :)
The horses were kinda spooky and excited...a combination neither Jake or I was really excited about. Plus none of us were terribly familiar with the lay of the land. Abby was giving me a hard time and as I was messing with her Jake mounted Clyde. As I lifted myself up into the saddle and swung my leg over Abby took off unexpectedly. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS! I tried to sit deep and calm her down, but I did not have a good grip of the reins or seat in the saddle. The next thing I know I'm laying on the ground and Abby, Jake, and Clyde are standing over me.
I just wanted to lay there for a bit. I wasn't hurt...just my pride. But Jake made me get up...and I got right back in the saddle. We rode around in the damp meadow for awhile, but the weather was moving in. Being wet I got cold and it was time to head in.
By this point it was evening and time to eat. After supper we watching some baseball in the basement, observed some more wildlife in the backyard and went to bed early! We knew the next day would be a long one...trying to get me home after all this rain. We had already heard about a bunch of road and bridge closings...but we weren't going to worry about that until tomorrow.

waterlogged weekend day 1

As some of you might already know, Jake has a summer job on a ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska this summer. My plan this past weekend was to venture up there for a camping trip, but mother nature had plans of her own.
It had already rained quiet a bit before Friday and the roads being sand, Jake decided he would meet me at my grandparents house in Sargent. From there we would go to the ranch in his pickup.
The highway didn't seem too bad, but when we turned on to the seven mile sand road that leads to the ranch house it became apparent that they had received a lot of moisture. You could see where that water had ran down the road making ridges in the sand. The meadows were full of water...and in a couple places this water was standing across the road. Jake's pickup made it through a-okay (I was so glad that he decided to pick me up...I would not have been so lucky to make it across)
I had been to the ranch once before very briefly...nothing seemed too out of place except the huge puddles of water EVERYWHERE.
On the way up Jake had told me that he hadn't made it to his steers in the pasture because of the rain the day before. He said that the rain had created a stream that had washed the road out and wound its way through the pasture, making it impassable. He knew of another way to get to the opposite side of the pasture and wanted to check it out. I agreed...I didn't realize that this meant a 40 mile ride on a four-wheeler...as we left I said to Jake, "This is going to be an adventure." (that became our motto for the weekend)
So here we go flying down this curvy road watching for water and dodging turtles. We didn't come across anything Jake worried about too much until water completed covered a good chunk of the road. He got off and looked at it and walked out on a little bit of it. He wasn't too thrilled about driving across it...but at this point I was invested! So I walked through it all in my mud boots to show Jake where the high spots were to drive through it. We make it piece of cake :) We passed a lot of beautiful country and only a few more spots of water that I had to walk through. We finally made it to the pasture and checked on the steers who could have cared less that we had come all that way to see them. Jake wanted me to see the washout, so we drove to the other side of the pasture. It was a doozy! The washout came up at least to Jake's hips and was as wide across as he is tall. There was no getting around that! He wasn't exaggerating!
We made it back to the ranch just as it was getting dark. I was wind blown and exhausted!
It rained that night...

cherry red

A dresser that we have had for ages got a face lift today...AND...I got to cross something off my list :) This coming fall I will be moving into my first apartment with two of the most AMAZING girls! I planned on using this dresser, but it needed some spicing up before it made an appearance in my new room. I am going for an aqua and red color scheme in my bedroom...so the previously white dresser is now an vibrant cherry red. My sister Courtney had been using it prior to its new coat of paint and purchased some adorable polka dot drawer pulls (which look even better now that the dresser is red) I'm very excited to see the finished product. It will make a huge impact in my room for just a few bucks!

alex's ambitions

Summer is well underway...and that means I have my fair share of "to do" lists sitting around. Some of them are things I will get to in a day, but others are the things I would like to see accomplished by the end of the summer. For a little bit of accountability, I thought I would share my ambitious list with you...hopefully motivating myself to get things done.
I love that feeling you get when you cross something off a list...in fact, sometimes I write lists just so I can cross things off. I guess it gives me sense of accomplishment. And it keeps me on track :)
So...here it is:

alex's ambitions:
clothing

• sheer shirts (2)
• long wool coat
• wide band elastic skirts
• Minnie mouse Halloween costume
• flamingo pink dress

home decor

• paint dresser
• pillow covers
• pillow case
• cross stitch picture
• denim hot pads

accessories

• tote bag
• clutch
• hair bows
• headbands
• flowers

quilting

• crazy 9 patch
• jake's cowboy
• rag time

That's my list as of yet. I'm sure things will get crossed out and things added. Most of the list is sewing projects, but I added a little variety. Stay tuned!

home at last!

Hey everybody! I made it through finals week and I'm back at home...finally! Now the real juggling begins. HA! I was so worried that I wasn't going to find a summer job, but somehow I ended up with three! And I'm going to squeeze in a summer class as well.
On top of all this, Jake got an internship on a ranch in the middle of nowhere! There is no cell phone service, so we are going to have to be creative and find other means of communication.
I have lots of crafty things up my sleeve this summer as I will be moving into my first apartment next semester...keep your eyes open :)

two decades

I've been around for two decades now! My 20th birthday was on Friday...and I'm no longer a teen! I had one whirlwind of a weekend!
Thursday night Jake took me to Omaha for the LeAnn Wolmack, Reba, and George Straight concert...and boy was it AMAZING! I haven't been to a lot of concerts, but this was sure one I didn't want to miss. The concert was four hours long! I didn't realize how tired I was until George stopped singing...then we still had an hour drive home. We didn't make it back to Lincoln until 1:30. When my head hit that pillow, I was out!
All day Friday I was at my practicum for CYAF 401. I'm almost done with all my hours! Later that night Jake and I went to the new comedy "Date Night." Pretty good movie, and another late night!
Saturday I headed home for about 24 hours. My dad's birthday is on the 5th and mine on the 9th, so we had to get together with the family for our birthday dinner. I go to pick...so of course we went to Hunans!
An angel food cake with fluffy white icing was waiting for us at home. YUM! I always have an angel food cake...it's my favorite! Talk about a sugar high!
Sunday morning I had to head back to Lincoln because I had lots of stuff to do!
Weekends are usually my time to relax and get ready for the week ahead, but this time my hectic week just kept going. Now this week is underway...hopefully I make it!

flashy!

Last night was the first thunderstorm of the year! It didn't exactly do a whole lot. I wouldn't say that Lincoln "got hit," but they sky was sure flashing.
There is a special quality about thunderstorms that make them wonderful, exciting, and frightening at the same time. Perhaps its the energy in the sky...literally!

spring break

Just though I would share some beachy photos of my spring break trip...to Corpus Christi. It was nice to escape reality for a while. The beach was the most relaxing portion of our trip...Jake and I found some neat seashells and soaked up the sun.

whoops!

Wow! It has been FOREVER! This semester is really involved...and now I'm planning for next fall. I register for classes tomorrow!
There is so much to catch you up on since it's been a few months....
Spring Break was a much needed break in March. Jake, Liz, Eric, I headed down to Texas. We spent the week in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Gorgeous weather and great memories! Then it was back to school where I am counting down the weeks until summer!
This summer will be the first time I am not returning home, fingers crossed (I am still looking for a summer job) It will be an adventure, one that I am really looking forward to.
I have been so busy with school work that I haven't had any time for the stuff I love. I am still working on my rag quilt...hopefully that will be completed soon.
The ponies are back in town...that means morning chores. Although I'm not thrilled about chores, I am glad they are back. From now on any spare moment I have will be spent riding Abby...maybe if I get gutsy I'll even hop on Clyde. (Abby and Clyde are both "Jake's" but we like to joke they are more like my horses because they respond to me better) Clyde can be kinda naughty sometimes...and I'd rather not get bucked off!
It's spring here...and that means I'm antsy! It's go go go from here on out! Tootles...

something's fishy!

I have a new addition to my dorm room! Hombre the gold fish will keep me company sitting on my desk. He's very cute swimming around his bowl. He was a Valentine's Day gift from Jake (who named him). Not quite a puppy, but I couldn't keep one of those in the dorm.