Let's catch up a bit, shall we?

I am a lazy, lazy person. At the beginning of the new year, I promised myself I was going to blog more. I was going to write more and try to get the creative juices flowing again. Because, let's face it, editing press releases is better for the checkbook than it is for the creative side of the brain. And really? It takes little to no effort to post a blog. Truly. I sit here every night and check my email and catch up on the world via Facebook, but I can't take the time to post a blog? Now that is just lazy.



But I am not going to lie. My posts are not going to get any more frequent until I can ditch the satellite Internet and get something better. Preferably something DOWNstairs, instead of up here in my office. I want to use the office for real writing ... like the 145 book ideas floating around in my head ... without the distraction of the Internet.



The past few months have been crazy! I recovered from my surgery -- God it is good to breathe again! I had no idea how little oxygen I was getting! I have started riding again and am flying every flyable day the weekend will give me. Yes, there are some not-so-great things right now (the MIL comes to mind, but that is another post completely. Or maybe a manifesto sent to passiveaggressivenotes.com ...) but mostly life is pretty damn good.



I turned 30 on the 7th of May and it was not the milestone I was expecting it to be. When I was 20, and even 25, 30 seemed SO OLD. But I don't feel old at all. In fact, I feel like I am ready for my life to start actually going somewhere. I am getting closer and closer to being a "real" pilot and am starting to think about what I can do next. I am thinking ... Commercial license so I can actually make some money doing what I love. That or opening a bakery/coffee shop. I still have not given up on being able to bake for a living!



I realized a dream this past year -- I finally made it to see Pam Tillis in concert. I literally tried for 7 years, but something kept keeping me from seeing her. Sweetheart's Dance was my first CD and Homeward Looking Angel literally changed the path of my life. If my life had a soundtrack, Pam would feature prominently. I got 2nd row, center stage tickets and G and I went to see her. Here are a couple pictures:

Yes, that's right. I got to meet her. And, yes, I cried. And my husband had to talk for me. It was literally a dream come true and I was overcome with emotion ... and I am not ashamed of it! I got her autograph on a CD and my wonderful husband even sacrificed his favorite hat so I would have more than one thing signed by her. It was a great night.

I have been inflating the balloon with hardly even a word of help from my father in law for a month or so now. Talk about a rush? 24 million (yes, million) BTUs of firepower in my hot little hands. The first time I did it alone was one of the most amazing and memorable moments of my life. I had waiting SO LONG to be able to do it alone it was a little overwhelming. Of course, when you are a balloon pilot, there is no time for being overwhelmed - that has to wait until the flight is over!!!!

This would be a good moment to thank my wonderful crew, by the way. Adam, who has been with me longer than my husband and is my back-up crew chief, G, my wonderful husband that hardly grumbles when I wake him up to go flying and chases me across the countryside, (he knows where I am going before I do sometimes!), Gerald, a recent recruit courtesy of my husband and a really experienced crew member that I am super grateful for (and don't have to do much training on) and Alexa and Shannon -- newcomers to ballooning but great crew people and fun ladies to spend a morning with (and on the short list for flights once I am a full-fledged pilot). I have great people that crew for me and I would not trade any of them for anything ... truly. I owe them a cookout with a lot of beer when this is all over!!!!!!

Truly, this has been a banner year. I will post more later, but suffice to say that I have made some decisions, some hard, some not, weathered a couple of storms, achieved some milestones and goals, forgiven what some think I should not have, and have had some dreams come true with others in the process of doing so.

My fingers are tired now, so more later, but (to quote my new favorite band) "Here's to LIFE!" (and whatever is coming at me next!!!!)

At Last!!!!!!!

Great news!!!! Sam has finished his chemo treatments!!!!! He has a follow up appointment next month for a blood test, but YAY! NO MORE CHEMO!!!! (Which means G and I might finally start making a dent in those chemo payments!!!!! Another YAY!!!!!)

Sam was so excited that he wanted to bake a cake for Dr. Kelly and her staff. He wanted to make it liver flavored, but I stepped in and baked a lovely yellow cake with buttercream frosting. In the shape of a heart. With mint and dark chocolate chips around it. It was beautiful:

Doesn't that look delicious? G took in it on Monday when Sam had his last treatment and (from what I hear) it was a hit. We are so very grateful to Dr. Kelly and her staff for saving Sam!!! He loves them just as much as we do!!!

Here is Sam with Dr. Kelly. She never fails to get a doggie smile and tail wags. Sometimes he even bays at her! How many vets can say their clients are that happy to see them????

And here are a couple shots of him because I love him so much -- see his yellow bandanna? It says "I took a BITE out of cancer." Yellow is most definitely his color!!!!!

There are a few more, but I am trying REALLY hard not to be a crazy beagle momma. And really? Now that he is done with chemo and has a clean bill of health, this can revert to its original purpose -- a blog about our life together (you know, me, G, Sam, Dixie, Noelle, Patriot, Divot and Diesel).

In that vein, most of you know I have been battling chronic sinus infections for about 2.5 years now. Well, tomorrow that starts to come to an end!!!! I am having a septoplasty and turbinectomy tomorrow and hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to breath out of my nose and the crud that is in my sinuses will drain out taking the chronic infections with it!!!!! FINALLY my life will not be centered around my health! I can concentrate on finishing my pilot license and learning to jump horses!! (Nothing like some high-impact sports right after surgery!) Hopefully I will also be able to start going to the gym again and I can lose some of the flab I am carrying around. Working out seemed to irritate my sinuses so I kept getting sicker and sicker -- haven't been to the gym since AUGUST and I am (strange to say) anxious to get back!!!!!

So that is what is going on this week. As I am off work for the next few weeks I will try to keep this updated. Given the fact I have a brand new bottle of Percocet, the posts might be pretty entertaining!!!!!!

One more pic -- soon I hope to be doing this again!!!!!!! I have not been getting NEAR enough flight or saddle time to make me even close to being easy to live with!!!!!

(Yes that is me and yes, I have 24 million BTUs in my hot little hands!!!! Talk about firepower!)

Photo credit for the balloon photo goes to Alexa Hoffman All the others were taken by G and me.