Although many of your probably have heard that Blacksburg, VA received a TON of snow, they say 14 inches, the first snow was a few weeks prior. On this day, the temperature dropped to 18 degrees, and our heating oil ran out. Boo. That little diddy of an operation takes quite a bit of resource, if you know what I mean, and we couldn't do it on our own. After a few phone calls to parents, we got it taken care of. Seven hundred thirty dollars later, we had warmz. Thanks Gwen and Melanie, supermoms!
I wanted to show some pictures of our first snow in Blacksburg. It was a pretty day, and it was also both Woodford and Gooses' first snow. Woodford is a pretty big fan of snow. Goose, however, is not.
The very next weekend, I participated in my first parade atop a large mammal. My riding friend, Greg, hauled two horses and a four-wheeler down to his ol' stomping ground of Stuart, Virginia and later Martinsville, Virginia. We met up with some riding friends, including a rare black cowboy, and rode all over towns. What fun! The first parade was quaint, while the second one was much bigger and at night. Trip was not left behind in this big adventure; he was priveledged to ride behind the horses in the second parade, on a four-wheeler! Apparently the town of Martinsville despises horse poo. Rightfully so, as a large group of bright green alfalfa-eating, nervous, prancing ponies does not leave behind a pretty sight. Thats probably the only time you'll ever see a Ph.D. student shoveling horse cookies, but way to go, Trip!
I tried to do my ride up classy-like. She, Cheyenne, got a red-gold ribbon bow on either side of her bridle, a red saddle pad cover, and some pretty gold accoutrements. We were lookin' good! I loved the first parade because at the end, we got to gallop through town back to the trailer. My ride lead the pack, not because she's deft, but simply because no one faster happened to be in front of us. Who wouldn't want to lead a pack of sweaty, sinewy steeds on a lively chase through small-town Southern Virginia? It was a dream come true!
In other news, Trip finished his first semester at Virginia Tech. He even lived to tell about it! He maintained his 4.0, too. What a freakin' champion of the world. He's so smart and awesome. I am so lucky. Well, so is he. :)
Our journeys to and from Illinois were largely uneventful. Unfortunately, my car had a bit of an issue keeping herself healthy, so our sojourn back to Virginia was postponed for a few days. A new front axle and tranny flush later, and we were back in business. Oh, and the 500 some dollars Mom dropped on it. Thanks, Mom!
Christmas at home was much needed for both Trip and I. We spent some quality time amongst our loved ones, and got to see most of the people we missed. Perhaps next time we will leave one day prior to the Krenz family get together, though. Driving 14 hours in the car one day and spending the entire following day with four children under 4 years of age is a pretty terrible decision. However, there were enough adult beverages and adults to negate the damage.
Our New Years Eve was one of my favorites yet! My brother, Jake, bought Trip, himself, and I tickets to a techno show in Milwaukee to see Benny Benassi. There were a ton of other artists, too, but he was the only guy I even knew of. He opened at midnight, and it was beautiful! The venue was gorgeous, the music was spectacular, and the people at the show were all so friendly. It was a very happy time. Trip and I danced the night away. My cousin Hailey went as well. She had no problems making Canadian friends there. Jake excused his way to the front of the stage, where he ripped his argyle sweater off and danced like a happy fool. A strange crowd to go to a rave with, but all in all one of my favorite shows. Benassi is an excellent entertainer, its like he's flirting with the crowd. I may have an older-man crush on him a little. OMG, how cute is he?!
Following are some links to videos I found on youtube from the show. We were about where they take place, pretty close to the stage. The first is the opening, and the second is a really cool part. If you watch nothing else, see about minute 3:42 in this video. House about came down. Quite a spectacle.
Also a funny story from New Year's Eve. The girl I am working for currently, the one who is on maternity leave, went into labor NYE and had a home birth (on purpose). They think she had the first baby of the New Year in the New River Valley. Here is an article written about her in the local paper. If you'll read closely, she mentions that she went to feed a friend's fish while she was in labor. That was me! She went to my house, climbed our stairs, went into the bedroom, and fed my stinking little fish! Trip kept telling me before we left that she was going to have a baby in the house on our couch. Not like you would be able to tell if someone bursted and bloodied it up a bit, but I was like "You twit! People don't just walk around when they're in labor!" Whoops. Anyway, I've talked to her a couple times and the baby is doing well. Apparently it screams a lot, but hopefully that goes away.
Work is going swimmingly, I love it here. I have straightened this office up like no other. It was pretty unorganized, but I think I gave it a fitting facelift. I even found a framed photo of an adelgid taken by a microscope camera and put it over the computer in the office. It's the lord of the office and productivity!
The weather here has been marvelous! Its at least 50 degrees every day. I haven't worn a coat for several days now. However, I am a bit reluctant to get accustomed, as I am expecting a fickle midwest-like snap back into the -10 degree nights. Yesterday I drove the work truck to campus; there I was, driving around staring at mountains, listening to bluegrass on the radio, the window was down, my hair was blowing, my shades were rockin, and the air smelled chilled and fresh. Ahh, its nice, you know? Also, right next to the Beneficial Insects Quarantine Laboratory, where I work, is the Virginia Tech Bee Yard. The hives are about 20 yards from my window. Well yesterday I looked over to see how they were doing, and they were all going crazy. They were flying about everywhere, stretching their wings and crashing into stuff, lovin' it. Here is a picture of one of the hives I took on my phone. Look under the number 13, and you'll see a whole mob of them climbing all over one another.
Since our return to Blacksburg, Trip and I have begun jogging together two or three times per week. Its hilarious jogging with Trip and Woodford, by the way. On our regular route, Woodford runs under fences and tries to play with the horses and cows. The horses enjoy it, bucking and farting. The cows avoid it, running away and looking back with a snort. Trip is yelling in his angry father voice. I'm just jogging along, laughing. We're surrounded by beautiful stuff, you know, and everyone is just running around, panting and out of breath.
We are currently thinking about acquiring a roommate in the little house. This might be good, because it would lower our rent and heating costs quite a bit. We would also meet some new people and hear some new stories. I'm bored with Trip's! Morning time would be pretty busy, though, with just one bathroom. Maybe we can install an outdoor shower for the summer time?! Two people have responded to my craigslist ad, so we'll see how it pans out.
Oh, and I have found a new hobby that I want to spend the rest of my life kicking ass at. However, I am lacking two of the more important components. Greg and his lady friend Laura are taking Trip and I to a gun show in Roanoke this weekend. Last weekend, we stopped out at their house for dinner, and Greg handed me three revolvers, just to see which feel I liked best. A little .22 would suit me just fine for riding my pony around an shooting whistle pigs at my fancy. Apparently in Virginia, no one needs FOID cards or anything of the sort. They can't be bothered with that nonsense in the south! You just get a brief background check to make sure you aren't a wanted felon, and boop! The gun is yours.
I won't make you wait so long between such quality fables again
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