Duke and Gary are rock stars

As if you didn't already know. :-)

Barn party

Last night we had a barn party that was interrupted by a thundestorm. We started in the gazebo, with Alan and Bruce playing music. The horses were pretty excited to see all the commotion (notice the gigantic gray cloud in the background).



About 30 minutes after these pictures were taken, the sky opened up. Half the crowd ran to their cars and the other half of us crammed into the gazebo. We tried to wait out the storm, but the storm won. Eventually we all scurried to the barn, where Alan and Bruce continued, but this time acoustic.

Marley loves to swim

This summer I've spent some really fun days at Mary's pool. Her dog, Marley, loves to swim with us. He has his own float, for when he wants to relax in the pool.

Laying down on the job

Yesterday I rode Duke in the arena. We had lots of rain the night before. In the arena was a huge puddle - it covered half the arena (on the short side) and was about half as wide.

Duke likes water, so I took him into the puddle. He drank and walked and drank some more. He didn't get excited and paw the water like he usually does, which is why I didn't expect him to lay down. In the water. With me on him.

He dropped so fast I couldn't react until he was already down. My right leg was wet halfway up my shin. I realized he might roll over on me. So I did what any cowboy would do - I screamed like a girl. Duke popped up onto his feet just as fast as he'd laid down.

Forest, our future pianist

Exciting news - my cousin Forest is starting college this semester!

He'll be in the music program at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. He plans to be a great piano player. (He's already a great upright bass player, which looks really hard to me.)

I'm so proud of Forest!

Bold recruiting move

Ask.com pulled a bold recruiting move at a recent search marketing conference. Funny.

Play ball!

Yesterday I went to a Nationals game with my new colleagues.

It was a blast! We even got our picture taken with some former presidents.

Skechers

Emilie, my (honorary) niece, asked her mom (my friend Lisa) for a new pair of Skechers for her first day at school. The reason? Because Skechers are fast. I can't remember the last time I chose shoes based on their speed, but I love the idea.

Here are Emilie's new Skechers. Cute!

Room with a view

Mom and Dad asked me to post a picture of my new office. This isn't the first time I've had my own office, but it's the first time since I lived in Texas over 10 years ago.

Check out the view!

My TV dilemma

I've been debating for months about when to upgrade my Sanyo TV set, which I purchased off of a clearance rack at a Texas Walmart in 1997. It's been moved across the country and back, and even has a permanent footprint on the top of it (which probably happened during one of the moves). Despite the wear and tear, it still works like new.

As much as I would love a new TV set, I haven't found a good enough reason to replace my Sanyo. And this video about electronic waste from 60 Minutes has convinced me to keep the Sanyo for a little while longer.

For now, I'll stick to buying things that biodegrade more easily and have less packaging - like jeans.

Tomorrow

I don't typically post about work on my blog, but this is blog-worthy. Two weeks ago I started a new job doing online marketing for a well-known upscale hotel chain. The corporate office officially opens tomorrow in Tyson's Corner. I can't wait!

Yesterday

I had the perfect afternoon yesterday - hanging out at the pool with great friends. Ice cream, cocktails, good sun and good shade.

Thank you, Mary!