Laura Lee

Pictures...

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:54:26 GMT

Sorry for the delay in wedding pictures!!

I'm picking up the digital files on Wednesday and hope to have them up and running by this weekend!

We Have Windows!

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:33:43 GMT

We put the majority of the windows in our house this weekend!!! And we picked out our front door and hopefully will have that on tonight!

The well

Roofing

Finally a wedding update!

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:22:48 GMT

I finally have a little bit of time to do some wedding updating... still no pictures yet, though - look for those probably late October. (photographer went on vacation and I can't get the digital files until he returns - I have the proofs, but no time to scan them all)

Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner took place on Friday, Sept. 15th. We started out at Oakridge to do a run through. Everything went great, the kids got along, and everyone seemed to have an idea of what they needed to do.

After the rehearsal we headed to dinner at Sam's Joint. It was alright. I think everyone had a good time. We handed out the gifts. All the girls go a tote bag, wedding theme dvd, bridesmaid dress book, candle, and the jewlery they were to wear in the wedding. All the guys got calone, gift card, and a beer glass with their names engraved on it. The flower girl got a care bear toy, and coloring book. Her brother got a coloring book as well. The ring barrier got a gameboy game, and coloring book. His brother got a camera to take pictures with. The parents got a mother candle and gift card. The master/mistress of ceremony got a gitf card, and of course the officiant got a check. I think everyone enjoyed what they got.

Wedding Day (pre-wedding)

After a week of rain, Saturday Sept. 16th turned out to be a beautiful day! It was sunny, and warm! I got up pretty early and picked up Amanda from her hotel room. We met Branden, his mom, his dad, and his sister there to start decorating the tent. After a while Tanya, Jenny, and Kristen showed up to help as well. Everything seemed to run smoothly. We had an easy time blowing up balloons, and Branden got on the ladder to hang them from the ceiling. B.J. and Heather picked up fish, and when they got there we started putting the center pieces together. After all the linens were put out, we started putting the tables together with mirrors, bowls w/ fish and candles, candies, and crossword/word searches. They looked great!

The girls and I left around 11 am to go get our hair done. A friend of the family did our hair for us and her daughter did our make-up. Everyone's turned out beautiful! I'm very grateful for Phy and Courtney. By the time we got back to Oakridge we just had to clean up, and get ready. The guys started to arrive and take pre-pictures. Then the girls got dressed and took pre-pictures... of course without Branden seeing me :-)

Wedding Ceremony

The ceremony when perfect! The officiant walked, followed by Branden, and then his brother (we had one extra guy). Rob played the guitar! The rest of the guys escorted the girls down - all of which looked beautiful in their dresses, and the guys looked great in their tuxes! The kids walked! We were worried about that, but they did awesome! One of the rings was tied onto the pillow a little tight, I guess - so Craig had a hard time getting it off, but that's fine. My dad and I rode up in a carriage pulled by Duke ( a white percheron! ). B.J. played the music for that! I didn't even trip! Daniel's message was beautiful, and we were so greatful that he was able to marry us. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be infront of all those people. Most of the seats were filled, and we had enough for about 220!

After the ceremony, we released guests, and then all the parents and attendants did the line thing. It was nice! I gave hugs to people I have no idea who they are!!!

Between the Ceremony & Reception

We had a little over a hour to take pictures between the ceremony and the reception. We did all the family ones by the ceremony site. After that Branden and I hoped in the horse and buggy, while all the attendants walked over to a large pond. We took more serious pictures there and then did some fun ones as well! I was worried about that being enough time, but it seemed to be plenty. We had some time to spare, so we got to relax a bit!

Reception

Branden and I rode up along the tent in the horse and buggy. The D.J. then announced everyone! Before dinner we did the unity candle as it was too windy to do it during the ceremony. Craig gave his speech, which was a lot better than I thought as he's not the friendliest person! He simply said congrats and what not. My sister did the same! The food was alright. I wasn't thrilled with it, but I didn't hate it, I guess is the way to describe it. We had fire roasted vegetables, pasta, and chicken.

After dinner Branden and I cut the cake. (And it was a BEAUTIFUL cake - we have some good pictures of it!). I knew I was going to get cake in my face, but I told him not in my hair. But I think I smeared it in his face better than he did on mine :-)

A little bit after that we did our first dance to Kenny Chesney's "You and Me" followed by the father/daughter dance to Heartland's "I Loved Her First". Both were very nice! We elected to skip the mother/son dance (hoping to go back to it -but we never did) as we were running late and hoping to get everyone out dancing to have a good time!

We eventually did the Dollar Dance, but I think we did it way too late as lots of people left by that time. But that's alright. Amanda caught the bouquette. We had fun with the garter toss! We started out doing it normal - then the DJ stoped and tied Branden's hands behind his back. - then we stoped and blind folded him ( which was DID NOT want to do as he's seen all the funny's on t.v. and what not). Then we took him away and spun him around! At that point his brother took my seat, and I put my dress over his lap. It was pretty funny!!! Anyway, after all that Branden's cousin Cody caught the garter. He was pretty excited about that!

I think everyone was having a good time! We went through a LOT of alcohol! (we made sure everyone had a ride!). Some of the fish did get swallowed ( mostly by my brother!). The cops got called due to a noise factor - which I guess hasn't happened in six years! But I didn't even notice the DJ turn it down. At the end of the night my cake got dropped. That was upsetting. A worked grabbed the top tier, and tried to grab what was left of one ot the biggers ones and both ended up on the ground.

By the end of the night I was exhuasted!! But all-in-all things went well.

Honeymoon

Our first night married we spent in the new hotel in Muskegon on the water, Shoreline Inn. It was nice! We had a good view, and a room with a hot-tub (which we didn't use!). We didn't have a very exciting night, basically we were both too tired for anything and went to bed!

We left Sunday morning for Mackinac. Branden drove most of the way. We got into town around 3 pm. We did some shopping on the main land and then headed to the island. Our condo was nice, but I didn't realize how far a mile and half is when you're not used to riding a bike! But we had a good view of the bridge from our room, and a fireplace. We didn't have time to do much before dark, so we just grabbed some dinner and did a little bike riding. We found Devil's Kitchen, which I didn't even know existed (it's a rock formation). On the way back to the room it was starting to get dark, and there are a lot of those little bugs... well bats started flying by our heads to eat the bugs! Branden got so freaked out - it was halarious!!

Monday we did all the site seeing on the island. We started by renting some horses and taking a ride through the woods. My horse was Matty, and Branden's was Sincinatti (?). Branden's was so cute - she was a very stocky paint mix! We did good - Branden's backed him into a tree to rub her butt!!! After that we grabed some lunch and headed to the fort, then Arch Rock, the old cemetaries, Skull Cave, and Turle Park. By that time it was about dinner time, so we grabbed some food and relaxed the rest of the night.

Tuesday we headed back to the mainland. The water was so choppy, and I almost puked on the 15 minute boat ride!!! But we made it! I drove over the bridge to the U.P. We headed for Tahquamenon Falls (which Branden has never been too, and it's been years for me!). It was a nice and pretty drive with the trees changing colors! This was the only day that it rained, but we still had a good time. We started at the lower falls. We eat at the restrautant at the uppper falls before heading out, hoping the rain would calm down, which it did. I love it up there, it's so beautiful, just wish the weather was nicer. We headed in the direction of a beer farm, but we didn't know exactly where it was. We drove for a while and then turned back. We saw the sign and we were only like two miles from it, but that's fine. We're hoping to plan a trip to camp up there within the next couple of years and we can do all of that stuff then. We stopped at Castle Rock on the way back, and Branden actually climbed it! I wanted to take the airplane back to the island for two reasons; 1. the boat ride was horrible that morning, and 2. to say we actually road in an airplane. But Branden really didn't want to, so we headed back over the bridge. Branden drove, which is a huge deal for him, so he was pretty excited! We did some grocery shopping, and decided to cook dinner in our room that night. We got on the last boat ride back to the island, and took a taxi back to our room.

Wednesday was our last day on the island. We check out early in the morning, and did all of our shopping that day! I'm not a huge fan of shopping, but we wanted to get everyone something!

It seems like it took FOREVER to get from Mackinac to Ludington! I drove most of the way!! We got into Ludington after 6 pm, grabbed some food in a drive-through, and headed to our site to get set up before dark. We got a lot done, but also had to do a lot in the dark! It was weird because we were basically the only ones in the back corner of the Pines Campground which I'm used to it being filled!

Thursday, we headed back into town to do our shopping. We were hopping to do that on Wednesday, but weren't planning on taking that long to get there! After that we just relaxed a lot, and did some bike riding! It's salmon time in the river, so it was fun to watch people catch HUGE fish, and the fish trying to jump up the dam. We saw a couple of deer on our walks! It rained at night, after we were already in bed. Luckily our tent didn't leak!

Friday, we did more of the same camping thing. It was very relaxing! The campground started to get more people in as it was the weekend. It stormed Friday night, but again after we were in bed!

We packed up Saturday, and headed into town. We did a little shopping, but not much. We stoped at an Elk Farm that niether of us had ever been too. We got the tour and got to be in the pens with the elk! They're pretty cool! I enjoyed that!!! After that we grabbed some lunch and headed home!!!!

Sunday, we had Branden's parents over to open gifts. It was nice, got a lot of nice things! We also picked up our pictures, and stopped by his sisters to show her.

I'm still working on getting my name changed completely. It's changed at one bank, and at school. I still have to go to the other bank, and the Social Security office to officially change it. But there isn't an office close by and with construction who knows how long it'll take to get to the one in Muskegon. Not to mention they're only open until 4pm!!! After I do that I have to go get a new drivers licence and I should be set!

This has turned out to be a huge post! But like I said - pictures will come in a few weeks!!

Looks good!

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:48:11 GMT

Saturday
82/58

So far... Looking good!!

Myspace...

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:30:54 GMT

I'm doing more on my Myspace now...

Check it out:

http://www.myspace.com/lterhaar

Picture Update!!

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:36:55 GMT

Three Seasons Room

Back Wall (Living Room)

Bay Window (Master Bedroom)

Interior Walls:
Extra Bedrooms

Dining Room

Kitchen

From the Outside

Drain Tiles (so our basement doesn’t flood!)

Trusses!

Interior Walls (with Trusses on!)

Back View w/ Plywood on Trusses!

It’s starting to look like a house :-)

Some shingles got put up last night, Craig thinks they’ll be done by Monday!!!

Two Showers...

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:55:03 GMT

I had two wedding showers this weekend. Both went as well as can be expected.

Saturday, my mom threw one at our house. Good munchy food and lots of nice presents! We got lots of stuff for the kitchen! There was one creative idea though... garden stuff (hose/nozel/sprinkler) I thought that was a cute idea!

Later in the evening we headed to my house for a bon-fire. I think it turned out alright.

Sunday, Ann and her sisters threw one at Sandee's house. Everything was beautiful and the food was good! I, again, got lots of nice presents! It was weeird, though. I didn't know some people there, and everyone kind of did their own thing, and barely even talked to me. OO...Well. I guess I have to get used to stuff like that.

Amanda came up for Saturday, though. That was awesome! I wish she lived closer!

Been a while...

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:14:37 GMT

It's been a while, so I thought that'd I jot down some stuff...

Saturday evening we had two wedding receptions to attend. The first one was for Branden's cousin, Stephanie. It was beautiful! The food was alright, my meat was way under-cooked, so I didn't eat it. But the decorations were great! After that, Branden and I headed to Artur's (Branden works with). His was definitely different. He is extremely polish, so everything was said in English, and then again in Pollock. They seemed to be having a good time, dancing away. We didn't know any of the dances, but it was fun anyway!

Sunday we took the day off and had some fun at Michigan's Adventures. We've been talking about going since we've been together, but haven't made it in the past three years! It was fun! We played the line game quite a bit, but we got to ride a lot of rides! The water park was the best! Billy came along, as well as a couple of BJ's friends.

Other than that, my life has been consumed with the wedding and the house.

*Wedding Update*

The wedding is coming along good, I guess. We had our "details" meeting at the venue last week. Ann and I disagreed on some stuff, but that's alright. We're supposed to meet with Kerry and Marty to go over what we need them to do, which will be going over everything again. So far we have about 185 attending, and are only waiting on a couple responses. We found out that they have a kid's meal, which is nice. They'll bring out like chicken fingers and stuff so the kids don't have to eat from the buffet.

I have two showers this weekend. My mom is doing one on Saturday that is followed by a bon-fire at our house that includes the guys and what not. Amanda's driving in for that, so I'm excited! Should be interesting. Sunday is the one Ann's sisters are throwing me. That should be interesting as well!

Other than that, I've been really stressed about little details that I'm trying to work out, but I'm managing. I think that if we weren't building at the same time, I wouldn't be as stressed.

*Building Update*

We have our house completely enclosed (minus windows/doors). The exterior walls are stood, and all but two or three of the interior walls. The garage is framed in, and Ann and I finished enclosing the basement last night with plywood. Trusses were stood on Saturday morning. I ended up being the runner, getting everyone what they needed when they needed it. It only took about two hours, which was amazing! Branden would hook the truss on the crane (he had the easiest job!), and the crane would set them in place, with my dad and Craig putting spacers in them, and Jim was bracing them off. I thought it went smoothly. Hopefully we'll start putting plywood on them soon!

I have about three more pictures on my roll of film, and then I'll have another pictures update!

Cool E-mail From My Dad!

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:22:19 GMT

ANGEL DECOY

These are photos of an Air Force C-130 releasing flares to repel heat seeking Missiles. The pattern formed by these "decoys" are how they got their name...Angel Decoy.

It's absolutely awesome!

Maneuvers are usually in remote areas and over water, therefore the general public does not get to view these exercises.

Branden's Accident

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 12:49:24 GMT

I finally have a picture of my kitty!!!

Meet Chester:

Bell’s graduation from beginner’s class in June

Sitting Pretty!

On another note…
Branden left my house at about 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night to head home. I got the dreaded call at about 11:15 that he had been in an accident. I got there as fast as I could, my heart beating out of my chest the whole time!! He had turned, while someone was going straight. But it was weird because there were two cars that he waited for, so we don’t really know what happened, and he doesn’t remember! He kept saying that he didn’t think their lights were on. But it’s alright. He had a bad head-ache, and his knees are all scratched up. We took him to the ER because we wanted to make sure nothing was wrong, and everything checked out. He’s just a little sore. No one was hurt in the other car as well. He was driving his Monte, which was probably a good thing as it’s a lot bigger than his truck. And we got word that it is totaled. I talked him into fixing, however. He’s buying it back for about $200, and we’re going to attempt to fix it. It might take some time, but I think it’ll be worth it, and mean a whole deal to him.

Life in the 1500's

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 20:41:53 GMT

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor; hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally t he children; last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, don’t throw the baby out with the Bath water...

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof when it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying... It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house... This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt; hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ..dead ringer..

Building Update

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 13:34:11 GMT

We spent most of the day Saturday building walls. It was very hot, but we did get a bit done!! We actually stood our first wall Friday night, and stood three more little ones on Saturday. Hopefully within this week we should get all the outside walls done and start on the inside…

Bare basement; just after the walls were poured and before we did anything to it.

Working on the basement.

Every once in a while we get to take a break and mess around a bit!

The basement pretty much complete.

The front after the basement walls were waterproofed.

Working on the flooring.

FINALLY WALLS!!

These pictures were probably over a four to five week time period.

It’s coming along; we still have a ways to go, but we’re getting there :-)

Horses - Taken form an e-mail forwarded to me...

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 19:19:44 GMT

God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life? Perhaps it's because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn't be able to bear losing them.

Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it's His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn from them, but when the time is right, it's up to us to see them off gracefully; O.K., perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a Kleenex is rarely graceful. But we can be grateful.

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle-or a computer-a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we know we've made the right choice.

Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turnout, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water Others will test you-you'll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.

Horses have unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I'd carefully arranged as Halloween decorations.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many "types" of horses as there are people-which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.

If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday-but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car in "drive."

In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences-if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership-and partnership is what it's all about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse "does all the work," you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.

You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our oversaturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures. If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders.

When you step back, it's not just about horses-it's about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the celebrated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.

Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion.

In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our horses to us. Does it matter? We're grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place. And, if it's not too much, we might have at least one more good gallop when we meet again............

RIP Skylar...

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 14:36:55 GMT

Last night was what I would consider the worse night of my life...

My parents, Branden and I got home for dinner at Phy's around 8:00 p.m. My mom headed to let the horses in, and next thing you know she's running up yelling to call Karen and get to the barn. Sky had a bloody nose, and blood in his mouth. We didn't know what had happened to him or what was going on. My mom called the vet, who only had one person on call that was heading to Marne to stitch up a horse that had cut a main artery, so at the time, Sky wasn't not as serious. We understood that, and understood that she had to go to the other one first, we were fine with that.

But things turned ugly very fast!

Shortly after calling the vet Karen showed up and shortly after Karen showed up Sky started putting his head down. When he would put his head down blood would drip from his nose, and he'd cough and blood would go everywhere. It was so hard to watch, and I can handle a lot! So we got him away from the barn a bit, and tried to keep him as calm as we could. It kept coming faster and faster, and he was fading very quickly. The vet was in the middle of stitching up the other horse and unable to come, and we tried EVERYONE! All small animal vets, everyone we knew. It got to the point that we called a hunter, whom Hal thought would be able to do the job. It had been about two hours of Sky losing the majority of his blood and having to be held up because if he went down he'd just choke and suffer more.

Right after the hunter showed up the vet showed up, which in a way was very good because I wouldn't have been able to deal with the other option at all! By this time Sky had been down for anywhere between 10-15 minutes, and his movement had stopped. He was already gone, but his heart was still beating. She gave him the shot, and he was done suffering.

The vet believes that with his age, and his heart murmur (that he's had for years), his heart valves gave out causing the blood to go back in his lungs, and come out his nose and mouth. She felt so bad for not getting there sooner, but we understood her situation. When we had called he was the less serious of the two, and when we had called back she was in the middle of the other one and unable to leave.

We covered him up, and I got word from my mom that they came and picked up him.

I will never forget the image of him suffering for the last hours of his life. We tried everything we could to make him comfortable, and to get someone to end it, but we couldn't do enough. I will never forget the gurgling noise he was making every time he took a breath, and the blood that poured out of him every time he coughed. I will never forget my dad doing everything he could to keep him standing, and holding him still after he fell...

I hope that Sky has found Pak and was given a new heart...

You are loved and missed...

I would not have been at work today if it wasn't the only day Rob was able to sign a check, and Barb is not in to be my back-up...I might as well stay now that I'm here...

Detroit...

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 14:01:32 GMT

My whole office traveled to Detroit yesterday. Our first stop was a visit to our Detroit office; which the majority of the staff (including me) had never seen before. It was an amazing building! Old, and facing the water. They even had heated toilet seats!

Our next stop was Comerica Park for a Detroit Tiger's game, which I would recommend never being the driver there... very stressful!

They played Chicago, and we were fortunate enough to be in the President's suite. It was alright, I'm not a huge baseball fan, and it wasn't a very action filled game. Detroit won; 2-1.

After Rob mingling his way through traffic we headed on the road home, with a stop at Stillwater Grill in Okemos. It was very yummy!

Side note : our power came on at 11:05pm Wednesday night, which was perfect!

And Ralph, from the Fury office, called about me being an off-ice offical!! *~*Jumps of Joy*~*

Building Update...

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 12:10:07 GMT

Last night some of the floor joyces went up! Hopefully by Saturday we'll be putting on the floor and next week starting on the walls!

Going out there right after work and staying until dark makes for long days, but it needs to be done...

We still don't have power at my house, so I stayed at Phy's last night! Hal and I watched part of Caddyshack! I was very grateful for the shower!

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:56:37 GMT

My house is in the dark...

And our estimated restoration time is Thursday at 8pm.

Should be interesting!

What has happened to my weekends?!?

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 14:40:03 GMT

Seems like they keep getting shorter and shorter every week!

Friday night we went to The Double JJ rodeo with my parents, Amy, and the boys. It was fun!! There wasn't much action as no body stayed on very long, but it was Amy and the boys' first rodeo experience, and I think they had a good time!

Saturday, we woke up and met Jim at the land with my parents and B.J. We got a lot done! We finished the walls in the basement, and started putting up the floor jocyes! Jim thinks we'll be able to get the floor done this week and start on walls soon!!

After that, my sister surprised my parents with all of their friends at our house after working on the land. In just over a week is their 30th aniversary. They were definately surprised, and I think they had a good time.

Sunday afternoon, Branden's aunt (soon to be my aunt!) Sandy's house for a little get together. It was fun; I enjoyed it!

This week, we'll probably be at the land after work every day, and most of the weekend. Branden's family was talking about doing some tubing on Sunday. That would be relaxing!

Picture Update...

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:28:40 GMT

We had a great weekend :-)

Friday night we went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean! I ABSOLUTELY loved it!!! Everyone go see it, if you have the chance!

Saturday, I had my first fitting in my dress. I can't wait to see it when it fits perfectly!

After that, I headed out to the land. We had to start putting the wood on top of the walls to prepare for the flooring. Hopefully we'll have a floor by the end of this weekend. (We're going to be out there almost every day this week, and most of the weekend!)

After Church on Sunday, Branden and I went and finished what we could at the land, and eventually made it back to my house. Later on we stuffed all the invitations. I'm sending out the first few to some relatives that live in different states so they can start making arrangements. The other's won't go out for a little while longer. Seems to be coming up fast!

So here are some pictures...

The address sign is finally in tact!

Form Boards

Foundation

Tanya and Laura enjoying the music!

Emerson Drive opened... I didn't know they sang all the songs they did, but they were a blast! (Not to mention really cute!)

Sugarland was a blast as well! Jennifer Nettles has such an upbeat personality and is so adorable!

When I went to lunch with my mom and some of her friends, I got to see Sampson. He is a Friesian which happens to be my favorite breed!

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:54:15 GMT

We had a blast seeing Emerson Drive and Sugarland! (except it got kind of chilly!) I don't know a lot of the songs, but I still had a great time!!!

The new country club: Diverse fan base delivers first capacity crowd
Thursday, July 06, 2006
By Susan Harrison Wolffis
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

There were cowboy hats, sequins and denim skirts galore.

There were leather boots and at least one T-shirt emblazoned "Cowgirl."

But there was only one Randy Carnes -- a cowboy-biker at Muskegon Summer Celebration Wednesday night when 17,000 fans rocked-and-rolled to country acts Emerson Drive and Sugarland for the first sellout concert of the festival.

Carnes, 53, of Muskegon came dressed for the occasion in his best black Harley-Davidson leather vest and pants -- and black leather cowboy hat.

"Love Emerson Drive," Carnes said, pushing his cowboy hat back out of his eyes. "That's who we came to see."

If Carnes felt any conflict in his personal fashion statement, he didn't say so.

Neither did his brother, Steve Carnes, 49, of Holton, who dressed in more traditional jeans and cowboy hat; nor his friend, Sue Brady, 49, of Muskegon whose dress was somewhere in between.

"Hey, I loved country music before I bought my Harley last year," Randy Carnes said.

That's the beauty of a musical genre that appeals to both Carnes -- and 22-year-old Nicole Duff, wearer of the "Cowgirl" shirt, and her boyfriend, Vernon Crawford, also 22. Both are from Muskegon.

"I love country music," Duff said. "And horses."

Here's the irony of the situation. Duff doesn't have horses; neither does Crawford anymore. It's hardly a prerequisite for loving country music even though its roots are in the communities other than city living. But Crawford -- who grew up in a 4-H family in Ravenna -- was in a saddle almost as soon as he could ride.

"If she'd met me sooner, she could have been all about horses," he said.

All joking aside, it's hard to separate the country from the music, at least for nostalgia's sake.

"Country music and farms just go together," said Steve Carnes, who happens to be a farmer in Holton.

But there's something else that drew 17,000 people of all ages -- many of them minus cowboy hats, boots and spangled vets -- to Heritage Landing on a Wednesday night in the middle of a work week.

"When you listen to country songs," Randy Carnes said, "you can relate to them."

"You've been there before," Brady added. "Sometime in your life, you've been there."

As Tim Achterhoff, president of Muskegon Summer Celebration's board of trustees, said about country music, "You get hooked on the story in country music. You get hooked and want to stay with it. You don't want to miss the end of the story."

Whatever the reason, Steve Carnes offered this advice to the people who choose Summer Celebration's musical line-up.

"Personally, I think it should be all country," Carnes said.

"It's obvious," Brady said. "Just look at the crowd."

Historically, country music concerts do well at Summer Celebration, often selling out when the rhythm-and-blues or rock concerts don't. Which begs the question: Why not add more country to the 11 nights of concerts?

"I'm only one vote on the board," Achterhoff said.

Achterhoff has a perspective few others have about country music. For 28 years, he worked for WMUS -- Muskegon's leading country music station. In 1994, when Achterhoff left the station, he was president, general manager and former DJ.

"You can't stereotype country music," he said. "It cuts a wide swath through the music world."

Some might say Wednesday night's country stars strayed far from their musical roots, sounding more rock 'n' roll than traditional country. But that hardly mattered to Tom Sattler, a concessionaire from Fort Myers, Fla., who stood to gain from the country mania.

"Cross your fingers," he joked, holding up both hands with fingers crossed for good luck.

Sattler, 33, owns Sattler's Concessions -- a stand filled with cowboy hats, leather hats, belts and other paraphernalia to sell to the well-dressed cowboy. He and his crew travel around the country, following country music.

"I guess it's the average person's music," Sattler said. "They sing songs about everybody's life ... things everybody recognizes and knows about."

Even people who, at first meeting, might not seem like people who would be at a country music show.

One of the most flamboyant sans cowboy chapeau was Brad Rebone, 26, of Muskegon who flaunts a multi-colored Mohawk haircut that easily stands a foot high.

He wasn't there for the music Wednesday night, he freely admitted. He was there to "hang out ... and save a seat up front for a friend who's getting out of work late."

Or Mark Waters, 45, of Muskegon whose family owned radio station WCXT in Hart until a couple years ago. An African-American, Waters urged people not to "stereotype" the people who listen to country music.

"You can't say it's not a part of me," Waters said. "Record companies try to segregate society by saying this is for you ... this is for someone else, but it's all American music. This is who we are."

It's definitely who Laura Frankhouser, 34, of Hesperia is.

"You can't get much more country than Hesperia," she said. "It's not a city. It's not even a town. It's a village. It's country."

She was decked out in cowboy hat, jeans and boots for Wednesday night. So was her 7-year-old son, Antonio Frankhouser, even though her daughter, Brittany Frankhouser, 15, opted to leave her hat at home.

"It would ruin her image," mom said.

But Laura Frankhouser made her friend, Heather Miller, 34, also of Hesperia buy a hat for Wednesday night's concert -- payback for making her go to hard rock/heavy metal bands Trapt and Shinedown earlier in the week.

"I don't even like country music," Miller insisted.

Laura Frankhouser looked at her friend incredulously.

"Country music is the best," she said. "They sing it from their heart and soul."

©2006 Muskegon Chronicle
© 2006 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

I hate being sun-burned!

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 13:48:41 GMT

Although I do hate the aftermath of being in the sun all day, I sure do enjoy the day!!

Yesterday, Branden and I headed to Carol's cabin (a trailer park on a tiny lake somewhere past Hesperia) for the day with his family. It was such a nice day; not too hot, yet very sunny! We ended up spending most of the day on the wave runner, and in the tube behind the wave runner (never let Craig drive while you're in the tube; very difficult to stay in!). But it was a blast! The water was kind of chilly, but not bad. While we weren't in the water, we played a couple of games of Crochet. That was my first experience with the game, and I really enjoyed it!!!

I was kind of surprised that more people didn't show up, but that just means we got more time in the wave runner! It was only Ann, Jim, Kerry, Marty, Craig, Kristin, Sandy, Dale, and of course Carol and Dennis. None of the other cousins or anything.

Happy 4th!!! (tomorrow)

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:29:47 GMT

It's the Monday before the 4th of July and there are is a TOTAL of 5 people in the office today (including Mary's daughter who does not work here!) It's very quite, and non-exciting!

Anyway, yesterday was BAD! Branden and I got home from Church and what not, while my mom was getting home from "riding" with Phy. When she came in she was in tears and said that Phy's in the hospital. I guess when Phy tried to get on Artie he just went nuts (even after she had lunged him for about an hour!). She was knocked out, and he kicked her while she was down (which normally horses won't do) Anyway, my mom got a hold of Hal who came and took her to the hospital. Branden and I drove my mom there. Phy was doing alright, starting to remember thing and what not. She ended up with three broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, broken pelvis, and a hole in her lung. Also, they found something else (not related to the fall), but Hal made it clear that he needed to tell people before it got out, but it's not good! They ended up transferring her to Grand Rapids later that evening (due to the other thing, not the accident). So my parents drove Hal to Grand Rapids, and Branden and I stayed at the house to do the horses/dogs/whatnot. But right when I was getting ready to go to sleep, my mom called and said they were coming back and that I could go home because Hal would be coming home. I guess all the specialists wouldn't come in on a Sunday evening, so the doctor told them to go home because nothing will happen until the morning anyway.

So please just keep Phy, Hal, Courtney, and the rest of the family in your thoughts and prayers and I'll keep you update on her condition. Thank you!

Saturday, Branden and I walked through the Summer Celebration Art Fair with Tony and Tara. It was fun! We need to hang out with them more!

Tomorrow, we're hoping to go to Branden's aunt's cabin, but not sure exactly what's going on, and Wednesday is Sugarland!!

Building Update...

We were told that the wall pourers would be setting up on Wednesday, pouring on Thursday, and taking the form boards off on Friday. So hopefully we'll have walls soon!

Shower Pictures!

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 15:44:42 GMT

Work just forwarded me the pictures from yesterday…

Here they are:

The guests of honor:

The party planners:

Turning on the Christmas Lights:

First Shower...

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:59:16 GMT

Two gals from my work threw me my first shower yesterday evening. It was a blast!! Almost everyone from our office was there. We played the clothes pin game, and gift bingo! They had the room decorated beautifully with colors, hearts, and candy! The centerpeices were little buckets filled with stuff to use around the house (cleaning supplies and what not) since Branden and I had never had to buy any of that. I thought that was a cute idea!

We got quite a bit of nice gifts off our registry! Looks of stuff for the kitchen, and for around the house! I can't wait for our house to be done to get everything out and use it!!

I'll hopefully have pictures shortly!

We had our final meeting with the pastor on Wednesday night. We were supposed to have another one regarding finances, but we really don't need conseling in that area! I'm going to miss going over there every week, but I'm glad we made it through. We now know how to work through things more efficently and more considerate to the other person.

Other than that not much has been going on. My mom gave away my car which is really upsetting me. She's letting one of her friends borrow it when she has an extra car they could have taken! She's really been getting to me lately and it's not been fun!

So far we don't have big plans for the weekend, and I'd like to keep it that way! We might head to the Summer Celebration Art Fair with Tony and Tara on Saturday, but it's supposed to rain! We have tickets for Sugarland next Wednesday. Billy, his girl, and Tanya are all coming. That should be fun! For the 4th we might go up to Branden's aunt's cabin, but I'm not sure yet. There is going to be a total of like 4 people in our office on Monday. Should be quite!

Have a good one!

Long Weekend...

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 18:20:52 GMT

I had yesterday off, so I got a long weekend!

Friday, we had Sammy try on her flower girl dress. It fit perfectly!! She looked so adorable!

After that we hung out with Megan and Dan for a bit. It was nice, we walked the stairs in Muskegon, and the weather was great!

We got up EARLY on Saturday to pour foundation. The trucks were out there between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. (way too early on a Saturday!) But it went by fast, and now we have foundation!!! The walls are supposed to be poured this week (hopefully!).

After that, we went to Tanya's birthday party get-together at her cousins. It was nice, and relaxing! We just watched a movie, did a cook-out, and hung out. They all went to the bar afterwards, but Branden and I skipped out as we were exhausted!

After Church on Sunday, we really didn't do anything exciting. We ended up going shopping and I got the finishing touches for my BM gifts, which is nice to get done!!

Yesterday, I spent the day with my mom and her friends. I was told we'd be home by 3:30, so I could meet Jim at the land by 4:00 to help remove the form boards, but we didn't get back until 6:30! Anyway, we went down to South Haven with Phy, and Mike. We met up with a horse person that used to live here. We did the lunch thing, then she had to show us EVERYTHING. From everyone of her relatives houses, to her land, to her horse(which was fine because he's a Friesian and I absolutely LOVE him) to a friend's house and flower garden! It was a long day! But we did see a sub-division that the lots (not the houses, just the lot) was over $1 million! The few houses that were already in there were so beautiful!!

By the time I made it to the land last night, Jim had already left, but I managed to figure out how to remove the form boards on my own. I got a lot done, I was actually proud of my self because I worked really hard and got a lot done!

Now I'm back to work and as you can imagine pretty busy because no one did my job for me yesterday!

*Laura Lee*