Can a Horse Remember?

According to the Discovery Channel, they do.

"Horses..... possess "excellent memories," allowing horses to not only recall their human friends after periods of separation, but also to remember complex, problem-solving strategies for ten years or more."

But can they (and I'm just throwing this out there) remember the day they kicked their owner and food provider? I don't know, but I will say this.  Today, Cocoa wouldn't eat carrots out of my hand.  He wouldn't come near me in the pasture.  He backed away as I got closer.  His behavior seemed, I don't know, cautious? 

Today marks 1 year since the "incident."  I found this behavior strange.

Thoughts Currently Occupying My Brain

• Brad made a few wise choices last night.  Get rid of the drama queens first and foremost.  People who choose to cause that much friction and chaos are sure not be your future spouse.  Then again, is it really possible to find your future spouse on a reality show?  The odds are most definitely not in his favor.  But maybe the odds increase if this is your second go-round?
• Costco needs to enter the Cache Valley market.  No one likes Sam's Club, especially not me.  For one, you can't get Kirkland brand toilet paper and I think that's reason enough.  I was in a pickle and had to buy a few rolls at the grocery store until I could find time to venture to down to Ogden.  Later, after stocking the bathroom, I heard Brielle yell "what the heck kind of toilet paper is this?"  I know, Brielle.  It's just not the same.
• I can't seem to stop thinking about this little house that I found in Providence.  It's for sale.  It has land (1.2 acres to be exact) and a barn (a barn!!!) and water rights (horses need water).  I absolutely love Providence and the house is seriously the perfect place to raise Brielle & the animals and would suit our needs for years to come.  Not to mention, it's going for an unbelievable price, considering the current price of land in Providence.  Of course, I've been racking my brain to figure out how I can purchase this house in a market that doesn't cater to the self employed.  This is what I figure... the sales price of the home is $225,000.  Since Chris's income covers all our currently monthly expenses, I would be responsible for raising the funds.  Homes selling in the $180,000 to $220,000 range seem to still be moving, so this would be my focus.  That's an estimated commission of $5,000.  After I pay state fees, Realtor dues, advertising expenses, franchise fees, taxes, etc. I will make roughly $3,200.  Divide the sales price by my estimated commission and that is 70.3125 houses that I need to sell.  Anyone interested in buying a house and using me as your agent?  I serve the Cache Valley and greater Salt Lake area.
• It's a good thing Christina Yang decided to jump back into the OR.  Grey's just wasn't the same without her and I was growing tired of her childish behavior.
• Yoga sure has helped with the soreness I feel from CrossFit.  No longer does is hurt to sit on a toilet, climb stairs or pull myself into my truck on a daily basis.  There is one thing that bothers me though...  My Wii Trainer reminds me every single pose that my balance sucks.  "Your legs are shaking.  Your legs are shaky today. Try to hold your legs still."  I'm so sorry that I'm not a computer generated person with perfectly balanced yoga poses.  Life is obviously not fair.

Benefits of Blogging

One of the benefits of documenting the lives of the Merkley's on this blog is being able to look back at things that might otherwise be forgotten.  For some reason, this particular concert at Thomas Edison when Brielle was only 6 popped into my head today.  Lucky for me, I pulled it up on the blog and was reminded what a cute little bug I have.

My One Victory

After a week of floods, chaos, trouble after trouble after trouble, and endless hours of driving, I can finally feel good about one thing...

My Christmas Tree is boxed and put away. 

Yes, I know that Christmas ended 2 weeks ago.  Didn't you read my above first sentence?

M.A.S.H

Do you remember that game?  That silly little game that girls played, to predict what your life would be when you grew up?  M = Mansion.  A = Apartment.  S = Shack.  H = House.  You'd also predict who your husband would be, what car you would drive, what job you would have, etc.  I'm sure I wasn't the only person who hoped for the best of everything.

Funny how things change.

The other day, I found exactly the place that I could spend the rest of my life.  It's not a mansion with massive square feet.  It's a little country home nestled on the outskirts of Providence, near where I currently live (and love).  It's not a brand new home -- it's a little dated actually.  It's relatively small, but has plenty of square feet for my small family.  It has so much character and so much charm.  

Izz-the-Friz won't be disappointed with the beautiful, big (fenced) back yard.  The best part about this house... it has a large pasture with a barn!!!  Cocoa & Dandy could live with us!!!

Now, back in the days of playing M.A.S.H. I would have told you barns are stinky, and that me and my rich husband wouldn't want to have one, let alone live near one.  Oh, how things have changed.  Today, my Mansion = Cute Country Cottage, with trees, garden, big back yard for the pup and a pasture and barn for the horses.

I love stacking hay, feeding horses and wouldn't mind mucking a stall.   On a day like today, which was not a good day, it would have been nice to walk out my back door, saddle my horse and go for a long ride.  

One day...

Ready...Go!

2011 has started off at a pace so fast, I'm not sure I can keep up.

My Christmas Tree is still up.  Does that give you any indication of how behind I might be?

I volunteer in Brielle's classroom each Thursday, and today, my job was helping students pass off 40 multiplication problems in under 90 seconds.  While I held the stopwatch in my hand, I watched as some kids stepped up to the plate and calmly completed the task at hand.  Others, however, were filled with anxiety.  Their hands shook and they bounced their legs, possibly thinking that by keeping their little bodies moving, they might just finish on time.  Sadly, the anxious kids rarely finished. 

I, too feel as though someone is standing over me with a stopwatch, challenging me to work harder, move faster and get as many things done as possible by the end of the day.  And it's not the encouraging type... It's the "get your butt in gear and get moving!" type.  This makes me so anxious and I find my self not completing everything or forgetting altogether what "to do's" I have left to do!

Then I just get cranky.  And probably quite mean.  And for that, I feel sorry for those who have to deal with me.