April

 April had some real highs and some real lows. I will start with the low of losing Boba. Boba turned 15 years old in January. He had a persistent cough over the past year but was otherwise fine. He was loving life, going on walks, hanging with the cats and Loki and getting loving from us. He loved his treats and barked to let you know that he was being served dinner a little too late. He had a rough couple of days with very heavy breathing and lost interest in eating. He let us know that it was time to say good-bye. We had trouble finding a vet to come to the house on Easter Sunday but found another company that would do a house call. Boba was surrounded by his friends and all of us in comfortable surroundings. We owed him that much. The house is so much quieter without him here.

Sophia had her photography project in the mall.

We went to NYC again and this time stayed two nights. We saw a Hamilton the day we got there and Six on the next day. Both were amazing shows. Seeing Hamilton in person was incredible. We also toured NYC. Had lunch in Little Italy, soup dumplings at Joe's, went to Central Park, a huge bookstore and met up with Hollie and went to the Metropolitan art museum. It was a fantastic trip.

Sophia changed up her room so she could put an L shaped desk in there. It was a lot of work (for Steve and Sophia) but looks great. 

The month ended with a trip to Tryon for IEA Nationals. Sophia early went with Gretchen, Robin and Ann to help take care of the horses. She was not allowed to warm them up this year as she was a competitor. Peggy and I drove down for the weekend. Sophia got an "ok" draw, a horse that was on the lower end of the six that were brought in for her class. But that did not stop Sophia. She had an incredible ride and tied for 6th. 6th in the Nation! An amazing feat.

I started my garden. I am trying to grow in grow bags this year. Mr. Twinkletoes was a huge help.

And lastly our animals. We are missing Boba.

March 2023

 In retrospect, I am late posting these, March seems so far away and I can hardly remember most of it. There was one super exciting thing. Sophia competed at the Regional Championship for IEA in the open division. She went into the competition tied for first in Dressage Seat Equitation in the Open Division. She came out winning first place in the Open Division test class. Only the top person in each class moved onto finals. Sophia is going to Nationals in April. So thrilled for her. She has really worked hard this year and all the work is paying off.

We stopped by to visit Sweet Briar College on the way to the Regional Championships. This school was super small. No one will be going here even with their incredible riding program.

The entire IEA team is a lot of fun. They are very supportive of each other.

Sophia got a brand new saddle which she paid for herself, and it wasn't cheap.

Sophia helped her 4-H club at the Used Tack Sale. She helped prepare food. She also found a great deal on brand new tall boots and a helmet. That girl can shop.

And our pets are all doing good. Loki has decided that the table makes a very good bed. He is NOT allowed up there but sneaks up there when I go upstairs to work. Sometimes he doesn't get down quite fast enough.