Welcome in, 2018!

My Xmas Corner

Happy new year to everyone!  I’m still alive!  I had the grandest of intentions for many merry holidaying posts in December and then the month decided to wallop me on the head and thus everything writing and blogging-related took a back seat. 

Let’s get the down and dirty out of the way first.  In mid-December, I was involved in a hit and run.  A driver in an SUV decided to run a stop sign, rammed into my back passenger wheel, and took off.  I’m fine, the car is in the shop, and insurance is taking care of pretty much everything, so really I have very little to complain about.  It’s inconvenient relying on a rental and the damage to the car was pretty extensive - all things considered - however there are much worse car accidents that happen during the holidays and winter months, particularly when the roads are slick and people are distracted.  Please be safe out on the roads.  It’s truly a madhouse out there.  The week after that accident, Miss Mae decided to get cheeky over a jump and clear it with all four legs in the air at once, like a rabbit.  I popped out of my stirrups and came off on the back side on the left of the saddle, hyperextending my knee.  The swelling and stiffness has subsided a good amount by now, and the bruising all along that leg is just starting to come out.  I’ve read that these things take a few weeks to feel better, so hopefully it’ll all be back to normal by mid-January.  We’ve been over more jumps since then (knee be damned!), and I’m chalking it up to part of owning a young, green horse.  Another thing I’ve learned jumping a green horse is that my current saddle just won’t do anymore, so I’ll be on a hunt for one of those during 2018.

Bryan and I at Chimney Rock

Otherwise, the holiday season was lovely.  Spending it with my family was extra special this year, since last year we were with Bryan’s family in Michigan.  After I tried to break almost everything during the holidays, Bryan and I ended 2017 in wine country in California.  It has been in the 20s in Dallas so getting away to the mid-60s was delightful and wine country was beautiful.  We spent half our time in Napa and the other half in Sonoma.  The tourism industry there has taken a hit from the wildfire news this past fall, which did destroy several homes but hasn’t really touched any wineries.  If you’re on the fence about visiting, I’d recommend going out there now especially as it’s less crowded.  We may have shipped a few souvenirs home from this trip, let’s see if we’re actually able to age the bottles like they’ve recommended.

I hope that your 2018 is full of rich achievement and good health.  Be safe, be well, and be good to one another.