Well, the month of September came in with a blaze of glory! On the 5th Matt was coming to pick me up at the train station and then we were heading to Fargo for the horse races. As per its usual, the train was a couple hours late. I was supposed to get into Rugby, ND at 7:07 AM, but instead I got in at 9:30 AM. At 7:30 Matt calls me, wakes me up out of a dead sleep, and says, "Honey, the camry's on fire." All I could do was laugh. Now mind you, the camry was the only mode of transportation we have in North Dakota, because my car is in Minnesota. Alas, the camry did have well over 300,000 miles and was definitely beyond her mechanical capabilities. So, he called the fire department, got the fire put out and called the sheriff and had him come and pick him up and take him back to Bottineau where he borrowed a truck so we were able to gas guzzle our way to Fargo.
Once in Fargo things started looking up. My parents met us in Fargo. We got there Friday night and they came up on Saturday. Our horses raced their hearts out and even won us some money. They won us enough money to purchase a new BEATER of a car, so that my darling Matthew has transportation and has a way to come and get me from the train station. :D
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Month of September
My Dad, bless his heart, put some colors on and helped warm the horses up. Dad had only been on a jogger one time, but he looked like a pro. This is a picture of Matt and my dad in their colors. In order to be out on the track you have to be in colors which consists of at least having white bottoms.
Stephen was along as well and was a big help. Here he is with another set of Matt's colors, although it wasn't long before they were off and he was back in his shorts and t-shirt.
Here is a picture of Dad going out on the track for the first time to warm up one of the horses. Each horse has to be warmed up about 3 races before the race they are in. We not only had our 2 horses, but we had 10 horses of the man whose farm we keep our horses at, and he is too old, 86 to be exact, to be of much assistance once we are at the track. So having my dad there, was a lifesaver.
Here is a picture of Dad on a race bike, or sulky. Not quite as comfy as the jogger that he is on in the previous picture.
Here is a picture of Tempstar, our gelding, coming in 2nd place.
Here is Tempstar coming in 2nd place a second time. He was our money maker for the weekend.
In this picture our mare, Never Last, is horse number 5. She at one point was ahead of our gelding, but alas she couldn't hold out. She did come ahead of horse 1 at the end to come in 5th and get us a little check.
We had some friends come and join in the festivities. This is a picture of our good family friend Audrey Burkhart. She weathered it out both Saturday and Sunday.
My friend Sonia and her family came up from South Dakota and sat through the rain like troopers on Sunday.
Overall we had a great time. The horses did well, which was a bonus, but my husband is living his dream. We made it back to Westhope safe and sound and purchased a new vehicle just in time for me to get back on the train on Wednesday.
Friday, August 29, 2008
A whole lot of changes!
Wow, it has been a very long time since I have updated my blog. But guess what, we are still alive here. Although a lot has changed since the last time I wrote. The fish have died, all 3 of them. We have bought another horse, his name is Tempstar, and, alas we do still have Brandi, but she has moved to MN, and is staying at my parents house.
I (Jen) am working at a hospital in Golden Valley, MN, and I commute back and forth on Amtrak. Taking the train was a fun thing back in January and February, but now that we are almost into September, it's not so much fun anymore. We are working on moving to, hopefully MN, but with Matt's line of employment, securing new employment takes almost an eternity. Therefore, Matt still remains in Westhope, ND and I am commuting back and forth. I have a pretty slick schedule. I work 6 on, 6 off, 3 on, and then 6 off. Everytime I am off, I get to be home for 5 days. Not ideal, but for working 500+ miles away, we consider ourselves pretty lucky.
We are still into harness racing, more so then we have in the past. We have raced the horses about 5 times up in Canada, and we will be racing them in Fargo again the 5th,6th and 7th of September. Fargo is one of our favorite weekends, because we get to enjoy it with family.
This is one of our major purchases for the year. This is our new race sulky. It even says Keesler on the shaft. This is what the "driver" sits in to race the horse. As you can see you have to sit pretty close to the back of the horse. I have yet to get enough courage up to sit in one, other than when Matt is holding up the shafts. For me it is a little too close to the back end of the horse. :D
This is a picture of Tempstar our Gelding. He is quite the race horse and has actually won us some money this year. Although we do this for pure enjoyment, when they win some money it helps to let us know that we are starting learn the ropes of harness racing. So, it does pay off.
This is Never Last, our moody mare. We truly believe that she is ready to move on to the next phase in her life, which is to be a mommy. She gets so moody on race days, that she has actually pinned me up against the wall of the stall. Try having a 1000 pound monster pushing up against you, and the harder you push, the harder she pushes. Trust me, I am no match for her. She won.
Well, I guess that just about sums up the new goings on in our lives at the present.
Matt has quite a few applications in. We are hoping that he will be able to secure new employment by the end of the year.
Thanks for stopping by and I will try to be better about updating. :D
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Headless Soloist
Okay, so this is what happens when my darling Matt is given a brand new camara and is told to take pictures of my choir concert. :)
Well, as I have mentioned before, I sing in the Bottineaus Women's Choir and we had our Annual Christmas Concert. It was a beautiful concert. I wish I had a CD of it, because, if I should say so myself, WE DID AWESOME!
I had a few tasks, throughout the concert. We sang a version of The First Noel to the accompaniment of Pachelbel's Canon which had two piano parts. Two weeks before the concert the 2nd pianist backed out, so I jumped in at the last minute and agreed to play. During the intermission there were 5 of us who sang solos. I sang a song called "Still A Bach Christmas" which was absolutely beautiful (if I should say so myself)and left hardly a dry eye in the audience. Then during the second half, I had a small solo part in The Christmas Song. According to Matt, I was the star of the show.
I had tons of fun and am very sad to see the season come to an end. But alas, I will still have the opportunity to sing with my darling Matthew in the Anoka Ward the Sunday before Christmas.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Farewell to Xenos!!
Xenos the Racehorse is now Xenos the Amish BuggyHorse. We sold him to the Amish in WI because he just didn't wanna be a racer. He's a good boy and will be treated like royalty by the Amish people. Chances are, he'll stay in WI but might find his way to OH or PA. His stablemate, Black Pepper went with him. Many Amish horses are ex-racers that either didn't make it on the track, or like Xenos, would rather be petted all day! Norman Glinz, who bred Xenos, has offered us a faster horse named Tempstar. We'll get him after helping Norman with the colts that will race this year at the new Rollin' Aces Harness Park in Forest Lake, MN (near the Twin Cities).
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Nieces and Nephews are simply the best!!!
These 4 little tikes are 4 of the most special people in my life, second only to my darling Matthew. I thoroughly enjoy every minute that I am able to spend with them. It is so fun to see how excited they get when they see Matt and I. I think that I have achieved "Favorite Aunt" :D. But we won't tell Julie and Tiffany that, they might be a little jealous. Anyways, these are some pictures of the kids enjoying there time at the races, staying in the hotel, and their Auntie Jen!
A Visit Inside the Barn
When we were in Fargo, On Saturday morning everyone was able to come in to the barn and see all of the horses. I think that Jackie was a little afraid, but we won't tell anyone. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves and it was fun for Matt and I to show off a little. Harness Racing is becoming our lives and it was fun to be able to share that with family. Xenos and NeverLast enjoyed all the attention as well.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Harness Racing 2007
The 14th thru the 16th of September, our horses, Xenos and NeverLast raced in Fargo, North Dakota. We had a blast. My mom, Jolynn, Taylor, Beckham, Jackie, Curt, Abby, Ally and Stephen all met us there. Alas, our horses came in last every time, but Matt got to wear his "Colors" and we learned a lot.
