Day #8- SaTuRdAy

It rained last night and I was surprised to wake up with a headache. This was the first night it rained since I've been here so I wasn't use to all the rain noises. I don't know what it was but I kept thinking there was someone in the house so I was psychologically freaking myself out!!! That was the most stressful night I had!!! I got to sleep through the night though once I fell asleep.

***

ANIMALS:
I very aggitated with Ginger this morning because it rained and the ground was caked with mud and I wasn't in the mood to get dirty because I took a shower the previous night and I was going to the airport today. Ginger wouldn't drink the milk I was trying to feed her but I ended up having to giver her some more fresh milk. I got some mud on my clothes but I was able to get it off me.

I will miss the goats the most because I spent the most time with them. I started missing them before I went out the door. I've learned from being here by myself and I would have to write a whole new blog about what I've learned.

Day #7- FrIdAy

Today is the last full day of being here and I'm kinda sad :( because I've really enjoyed my alone time here and the adventures I've had. I did my regular chores and spent the morning with the animals. I then started watching "Seinfeld" and getting my things packed at the same time.

***

GOATS:
Meg is starting to approach me and sniff me. She won't retreat into the hut right away she'll stand and see what I'll do before making a move. Ginger is being the cute thing she is and York & Hershey are still pawing, leaning and nibbling on my clothes and flesh. Oreo is talking a lot and it's funny to listen to her :) The brown short-earred baby goat is actually following his brothers to me and starting to sniff me. The long-earred brown one is still unsocial towards me but I'm use to that now.

***

CLEANING:
I cleaned around the house while "Seinfeld" played. I cleaned the dishes, windows, stove, microwave, swept, table and garbage. I felt accomplishment, humble and helpful because I know Todd & Tiff are busy with the kids, animals and jobs so I wanted to help them clean around the house :)

***

Today isn't so fun, interesting or YAY because I just did some stuff around the house and in the farm :) :) :) So this is what happened on Day #7.

Day #6- ThUrSdAy

This morning I was not happy with Meg. I had a good amount of milk from her and she stepped into it and spilled it all over my pants!!! Ginger wasn't even part of the problem either. I took a minute to get past my anxiety and finished milking. I heard cheering in the distance too and I think it was from a school game because I could also hear the cheerleaders, I didn't feel like checking it out :) I did my laundry today and was able to get it all done.

***

THE FROG POUCH:
I decided to check out the coin frog pouch my brother had in the shed because he let me to take one. I was thinking about taking 2 more pouches but I didn't get Todd's answer so I left them there. I had one in high school a few years ago but I don't remember what happened to it but as I was looking at it, it made me smile.

It was the first time I used it and I was standing in line to get some bagels and cheese. I held it to make it look like I was holding a real frog and some students actually thought it was real, it was very entertaining :) :)

***

MUSIC:
I listened to music when I wasn't watching "Seinfeld". I listened to music a lot when I first got here because TV wasn't very interesting. I love music!!! Music helps me relax. It helps cleaning be more fun and less stressful.

***

BANDANNA:
I experimented with the bandanna again and made a bandanna travel kit. I took one of the wooden window sticks and tied the bandanna to the end of it: it had my camera, phone and frog pouch in it. I walked around it with over my shoulder in the backyard. I felt like Huckelberry Fin :) :) :) I wore it like a headband again and I really like it.

***

THE CHESHIRE CAT JACKET:
Todd called me to see if I wanted anything from Disneyland. He told me about bags of Alice in Wonderland characters (the Red Queen, Mad Hatter, Alic and the Tweedle Twins). I asked him if they had any other characters and he said they had the Cheshire Cat jacket so I asked him to get me a large one and he did :) :) :) The Cat was blue and a gray jacket (I don't like the other jacket with just the face of the Cat and it was stripped).

***

These are the adventures of Day #6 :) :) :)

Day #5- WeDnEsDaY

GOATS:
Milking Meg today was still tense but no spills. York, Hershey & Ginger are still climbing on me and letting me hold them while sitting down on the milking stand. The brown ones haven't changed much but Meg is starting to not run away from me every time I come into the pen but she isn't approaching me either (I think this has to do with me being around them so much, teaching her that I'm not gonna milk her every time I come into the pen).

I've been doing this "head-butting" thing with Hershey but all I'm doing is taking my hand and putting it on his forehead where his horns are and pushing him gently backwards. He's actually started pressing up against my leg since I've done this but he seems to enjoy it. I'm careful not to get too rough with him cuz that might intimidate Meg or Oreo.

York seems to love it when I push him around gently from behind cuz he'll jump and wag his tail then come back up to me. It is very entertaining!!!! He has so much energy and spunk in his personality I enjoy his company.

Ginger is doing cute :) When I walk outside and close the door with the bottles in my hand I can hear her calling for feeding and it's the cutest sound but kinda sad because she is hungry. She is jumping in my lap a lot when I sit down and sucks on my clothes like the other babies do (I don't mind this as long as they aren't nibbling at my ankles this goes for the chickens too). Though it can be irritating because she seems to always expect to be fed every time I come out (which is understandable but yet irritating).

Oreo is being so nice and curious around me I enjoy her company too. Her and her babies are a lot alike with much more energy, curiosity, and playfulness than Meg and her babies (but they do play with the other goats just not me :) :)).

***

DADDY BUNNY & FAMILY:
Daddy bunny has recovered from his escape the other day and his family in the goat pen are just so cute to watch. The two big female bunnies will lay, clean and chill with each other. The babies love to eat around the goat grass bin and when it's hot around noonish they will go under their hut, in their holes or into the goat hut and sleep (it's funny to watch them do this).

The bunnies remind me of my big sister Courtney. She loved bunnies when she was younger and she had a male bunny named Daisy (we didn't know that he was a male until after she named him :) :)). Daddy reminds me of Daisy, but he is A LOT bigger than him!!! Courts also had a female who was named Autumn and they had baby bunnies too: one was black and named Midnight. The black baby bunnies remind me of Midnight. So seeing the bunnies down here is a comfort in a way and (this is gonna sound cheesy) but it helps me remember Courtney and Lilly :) :D :)

***

MORE LUNCH & ANOTHER MOVIE:
I finished up the turkey and rice I made the other day and watched "Meet the Browns" another Tyler Perry movie. This one doesn't have Madea in it except when she is on TV being chased down by cops (which I believe this movie is before "Madea Goes to Jail") :) :) :) It does have her husband and daughter which are just as entertaining and cool to watch.

This movie taught me a lot about accepting help from family, friend and even strangers. The single mother in this movie inspired me to be stronger, independent, strong-headed and not afraid to stand up for my family. I recommend this movie to you guys if any of you are Tyler Perry fans :) :) :) Watching these movies help me understand what people go through in the ghettos and "the low-places", but they survive and stay strong in what they do.

***

TRAVEL STICK & KIT:
I decided to try out this thing I read from the "Daring Book" in the bandanna section. You know those movies like "Huckleberry Fin", "Old Yeller", "Where the Red Fern Grows", etc where they have these bundles on sticks and they walk around with them over their shoulders? Yeah that's what I did and it was fun :) :) :) Even though I only went out to the backyard and back!!!

***

MORE "SEINFELD" AND MORE LAZINESS:
Yes guys I'm on Season 3 almost Season 4 and am still loving the humor, stories, and dating experiences :) I've gotten lazy these past two days and I think is has to do with the TV show and the junk food because I enjoy watching it a lot and learning from it :) I'm also lazy because I can be though I do take breaks from the TV throughout the day so I can spend time with the animals now that the days are starting to shorten.

***

CANDY:
Alright I'm not gonna lie I've been eating a lot of junk food and candy because I'm not able to eat these kind of candies in CO :) I ate Gushers, Fruit-Roll Ups, and Fruit by the Foot :) I've forgotten how much I LOVE these candies!!! They are addicting and remind me of my childhood and growing up!!!!

***

POPCORN:
As I was watching some more "Seinfeld" I decided to have popcorn and as I was watching and it was getting late I started looking at the popcorn pieces and I made out some shapes and abstract things from them. I've taken pics of them to help show you :) :) :)

***

That's it for Day #5 :) :) :)

Day #4- TuEsDaY

Ok I only hit my head once today in the chicken coop on that SAME BLASTED wooden beam...=/ :) :D XP Not so much annoyance in the animal realm this morning so that's a good sign. I have sores on my head where I've bumped it so many times, I can't tell if they're bruises because my hair is in the way and the mirror isn't very big but it's tender to the touch.

***

CLEANING IS CURIOUS:
As I was finishing up chores I decided to try and rake the goat pen out a lil bit because there is so much left over grass that it was starting to block the gate and the goats weren't eating it, so I got the rake and started. I only really had to rack the corner where the gate and hut were (I didn't clean the inside of the hut just the around the outside). I felt accomplishment, playful, and kept the goats curious to what I was doing (especially Oreo).

It didn't take very long, which was good and it got me outside for a lil bit to enjoy the sun and the "fresh" air.

***

CHICKENS:
I discovered today as I went to visit the chickens that Goldey was eating the tiny white and red blossoms from the tree right next to their coop. The wind blew them into their home and Goldey was snarfing them down. The other chickens were eating them too but mostly Goldey. So I collected some more blossoms and went to their gate to give them their treat. They met me at the gate and I sat down outside and threw some of the flowers to them and they gobbled them right down (even though they aren't turkeys HAHAHAHAHA :) :) :)) Some more dry farm humor :D

So I learned today that chickens like eating tree blossoms.

***

SHED EXPLORING:
As I was picking up some trash and fallen branches in the backyard I decided to explore a lil bit in Todd and Tiff's shed that use to be Todd's gaming place but is now a storage area. I went in and it was kinda creepy at first because it was still windy and the blossom tree was scratching against the shed roof and the wind made the walls shudder. I looked through some of Todd's missionary pictures in the Philippines and found some woven wallets and frog coin pouches. I also found some old iron pins, I don't know if Todd had found them in the backyard while doing the farming but they were of butterflies and a Chinese pin that had a swing on it. I took pics of it so you can see the details.

There was weight lifting equipment, some baby stuff, old dark wooden masks Todd got a while back (that are kinda creepy but cool :) :)) It was an adventure just taking time to look around. I felt like I was on a mystery movie finding clues, old pictures, and the computer games me and Leah play keeps coming to mind sometimes because there have been some ideas that would be interesting for either a book or a computer game.

***

BREAKFAST & A MOVIE:
I made myself breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast and yogurt) and watched "The Diary of a Mad Black Woman" a Tyler Perry movie. Now my mom introduced Madea to me in "Madea Goes to Jail". Ever since I've seen that movie and that woman, she's become a part of me in a way. I look up to Madea: her attitude, her confidence, her stubbornness, her humor, and her personality. It's weird cuz I've watched two more movies by Tyler Perry and I've notice a hint of accent, tone, whatever you wanna call it coming out of my mouth, even talking to the goats. It's nice to watch movies like these because it teaches you to better yourself, turn things around in your life, to have special bonds with your family members, and help/except them for who they all are. It's crazy but I wouldn't mind having some Madea in me or as a gramma :) :) :) If a man can pull of a woman like Madea then so can I, maybe :) :D :)

They do a lot of farming in the South I've learned and I've got some farmer's blood in me (from what I've learned from my mom's history lessons ;) :)). Now I think some of my ancestors were from the South but I'm not 100% sure but I'm learning from being over here that I've got some "Southern blood" that runs through my veins. I've not noticed it before or even paid attention to it. It can be hard work but it can be fun hard work. I've learned that I like to work outside, around animals, getting dirty, talking to animals, and even just walking around in circles outside.

I gotta tell ya, being over here in NM at my big brother's goat farm it's a lesson and an experience I've both enjoyed and hated :) :) :)

I also tried to watch the Bill Cosby movie but instead I got some "Lost" tape :) It had Boone on it :( :( :( And he had just fallen from the tree in the plane and Jack is about to do surgery on him but Boone dies!!!! I am going to watch Seasons 1-5 again like I have been with "Seinfeld" cuz it's worth it. Boone was my VERY favorite character and I seriously cried when he died!!!! *sniff, sniff*

***

LUNCH, A BOOK AND MORE "SEINFELD":
I also made myself some lunch: ground turkey and garlic rice!!!! MMMMMMMM.....:) :) :) :) I was watching "Seinfeld" during my lunch and looking through my "Daring Book for Girls". It's such a fun book. It has so many activities, facts, ideas, instructions, and things to do when you're bored. I haven't really been bored, just really lazy. There's a difference I think.

I'm not reading "The Green Zone" because I'm having a hard time concentrating on it and I'm not use to that kind of reading material. I love you Todd but the books you read are more interesting when you tell them :) Thanks for the suggestion anyways.

***

BANDANNAS:
There is a section in the "Daring Book" where it talks about bandannas. I had brought two of them with me because I used the blue one a lot the last trip coming here and it was a big help. This time around I didn't really need to use one because the netting of the chicken coop wasn't so loose and there was no turkeys. I tried out the head band technique (where it goes around your forehead and not over your entire head) and it was actually pretty cool and I wouldn't mind wearing that style more often though it kinda looks like a gang related sorta thing :)

***

MY SCRATCHES:
The scratch under my eye is healing but it's still sore when I rub it. It's starting to look pretty cool and I hope it turns into a scar. I've gotten two more scratches on my legs from the wired fences but nothing serious.

That's it for the adventures of Day #4.

Day #3- MoNdAy

BRAIN INJURIES:
I hit my head 4 times throughout the day (2 times in the chicken coop on that stupid wooden beam) and (once in the hay & grass shed) and (once on the white shade roof of the goat hut). It was mostly within the morning period. I don't know if this is happening because I was half asleep, clumsy, not paying attention or all of the above. Needless to say it's been a very "bumpy" day in the hay HAHAHAHAHAHA :D :) :) :) There's some dry, farm humor!!!!

***

THE EYE SCRATCH STORY:
Now for those that are anxiously waiting for the "Eye Scratch Me Story" here it is.

It was about evening time and I was out either feeding Ginger, getting ready to milk Meg or just doing some stuff around the pin when I stood up, turned and walked right into the corner of the sharp, plastic, white shade roof of the goat hut. I was surprised that my actual eyeball didn't get it BUT I was lucky because I had blinked right as it scratched me. Thank goodness!!!!

I had been having a really bad day with hitting my head and face (as I've said before) that this was the last straw for me. I sat down and cried a lil bit :) The stinging continued the rest of the day and for some STUPID loss-of-memory-reason I forgot that the scratch was there so I rubbed my eye....yeah...more tears ;)

I'm just thankful that my eyeball didn't get the cut!!!!

I didn't look in the mirror till I got into the house after finishing up with the animals. It was kinda cool to see it because it kinda hid the dark bags I have under my eyes. It was (and still is) pretty red. I took pics of it and did a video clip too :) In a way it would be cool if it turned into a scar :D

***

GOATS:
This sums it up: MEG + GINGER + MILKING = GRRRRRR!!!!! Milking Meg has been difficult because of Ginger. I have to keep Ginger away from Meg on the stand because Ginger will try and suck from Meg's utters and make Meg irritable and stomp her hind legs. I've had some "Fox and the Hound" moments where Meg will step into the bowl of milk, making it spill and get stuff into it so it's non-usable. Milking is proving to be the most complication so far because there are so many goats and Ginger longing to be accepted. From my observations, patting Meg on the side helps calm her down a lil bit.

I played with the babies some more and they are still climbing on me, head-butting and chewing at my clothes :) It's funny to be standing while feeding Ginger then having this soft pulling sensation on my pant legs. Oreo is actually allowing me to pet her neck more (Meg still escapes into her sanctuary).

Since it's been VERY windy today, I was able to experience the baby goats in a drizzle of rain. Oreo and Meg were chillin' in the hut while the babies were playing in the yard and Ginger was climbing on me until it started to drizzle :) It started off slow and soft but then got a lil worse. I've never seen the babies in rain but it was both funny, sad and cute :) I don't know if they were so flustered by the drizzle that they didn't know where to go and hide. They were crying for their moms and trying to get the rain off their backs. I just watched and smiled :) :) :) Ginger, Hershey and one of the brown babies were already under the shade roof not getting wet but for some funny reason York and the other brown baby were just going in circles until Meg and Oreo came to the rescue and by then the drizzle had stopped.

I'm also starting to think I'm turning into a goat for some reasons or another :) Hee-hee-hee. Mom said I should be named Pan from "Pan's Labyrinth" who is a fawn in the movie and the guardian of the dimension. Hmmm I wouldn't mind being called Pan!!!
***

CHICKENS:
Nothing interesting with the chickens today besides their caw-cawing, brawk-brawking, dirt scratching, dirt bathes and cocking of heads.

***

WHAT!!! DADDY ESCAPED???
Besides the "Eye Scratch Me Story", this story is also pretty entertaining.

Today was a VERY windy day, it kicked up a lot of dirt, hay, poop dust, blew over some wooden flat boards & container lids (that scared the crap outta me) allergy triggers and...the door to Daddy bunny's pin open. I'm not sure at which point in the day he got out but he managed to slip through the door that had been secured by a wooden beam (that hadn't fallen to alert me that the gate had opened. I'm very thankful that he didn't get out into the neighborhood!!! I would of cried :( :)

It was like a movie, I went out to feed Ginger around dusk time and as I was sitting she wasn't even done with half the first bottle....I look over because something caught my eye.

DADDY BUNNY!!!

If this was a movie, the camera would have zoomed in on my face and then on Daddy bunny's face!!! And there would have been that intense music.

My mind worked like a rocket: I yanked the bottle out of Ginger's mouth (the poor sweetheart :( :)) put the bottles on the hut, jumped up, avoided the shade roof, swung open the pin door and locked it. I saw him hop into the hay & grass shed so I was at an advantage of cornering him!!!

I slowly made my way over there and was able to grab him but then I lost my grip because he scratched my arms. I then followed him slowly around the compost piles until he made it to the big shed where the chicken coop is.

He paused. I paused.

He turned his head to look at me from the side. Then...I GRABBED HIM!!!!!

I held him tightly against my body hunched over and walked like Egor from "Frankenstein". He would stop struggling, then try and scratch me again (the words Todd had said to me ran through my head over and over and over again: "Be careful" he said after letting Daddy bunny got. "He'll scratch the crap outta your arms if you try and hold him.")

Ya think Todd!!! :)

I was able to get him into his pin and close the gate. We both sat on the ground, catching our breath, looking at each other: him in one corner, me in the opposite.
Then after a few moments I got up slowly, approached him and let him sniff my fingers. He wasn't hurt or anything he just experienced "another" raccoon moment.

I left and went straight to the brick pile and got a good sized brick to secure both the gate and the wooden beam so the wind couldn't open the gate again.

LEG:
I have discovered some scratches only on my right leg (3 so far)....:) Ok??? They must be from the double wired fences from both the coop and the goat pin. I don't notice them till a lil bit later in the day, they just sting but I survived and am still surviving.

MOVIES, A TV SHOW & JUNK FOOD:
Today I watched a lot of "Seinfeld" because Todd has all the seasons and I haven't really watched it before. So I started watching it and I didn't realize how funny some episodes are :) :) :) It reminds me of my dad watching it before, during or after he falls asleep on the couch. My favorite characters would have to be Kramer, Elan, and Jerry's dad. I actually watched an episode where Kramer finds this windshield in the street and brings it home. It reminded me of my dad when he brings things back to the house that he finds on the side of the road during his bike rides or jogs :) I love you dad :D

I also watched "Dumb & Dumber" all the way through for the first time. I have to say Jim Carrey is one of my very favorite actors, and that he's kinda cute in this movie (with the chipped tooth and dumbness :) ;)) His character (Llyod) is funny, stupid but clever :) :D Now Jeff Daniels character (Harry) is also entertaining and interesting but not really worth talking about :P I have to say Lloyd would have to be the dumb one and Harry would have to be the dumber one!!! It does remind me of me and Jen at some points too :) :) :) As I watched TV I also ate some ice cream, Lunchables and crackers. Mmmmmmm yummy junk food!!!

I had a hard time falling asleep because of the hard windy, the wind chimes and the noises outside from the wind but I was able to go to dreamland anyways :)

So those are my adventures for Day #3. I hope you guys are enjoying the blog and the holes I fall in during this adventure :)

Day #2- SuNdAy

GOATS:
After the AM chores I sat out in the goat pin and just spent some time with the babies and Oreo (because Meg and her babies aren't very social towards me). As I sat on my favorite brick, York (the white-tipped tail baby & the most energetic/playful/curious of the babies), Hershey (the 3rd black baby), and Ginger started to try and climb on me :) Ginger kept trying to jump into my lap, York kept trying to climb up onto my back (they will do this to Meg mostly) and Hershey was trying to scoot Ginger outta my lap so he could lay there.

They also are starting to chew on my clothes (mostly the folds and the edges because they are the easiest to get at :) :)) They don't chew holes in them, they mostly just suck. So Ginger, Hershey, York and Oreo are starting to follow me around the pin or welcoming me at the gate (not so much Oreo but she is a lot more friendly than Meg). They are so cute and I love them!!! They let me pet them now and York likes to play sometimes with me.

It's so fun to watch the babies play and jump :) It's so entertaining and funny!!! Oreo still teaching mostly the two brown babies how to head-butt. The babies have even started to challenge each other (mostly all the males, though York just likes to run, jump and fly :) :)). When Oreo is teaching the males her tail wags so that helps me feel better that she isn't being aggressive or mean to them. She is a good mom and so is Meg though she doesn't seem to teach her babies how to socialize with me (which is OK with me because I have Oreo's babies to play with :) :))

***

GINGER:
Ginger is doing very good. She comes up to me even when I don't have the bottles (though I think she expects them) but when she finds there aren't any she still hangs around me. I tried to not hold her during feeding and just let her drink on the ground like she would being fed from her mommy or grammy. It's hard because the other babies try to climb on her and distract her so I hold her. It's cute to see her tail wagging because she's so happy being fed :) York likes to wag his tail a lot too!!!

***

BUNNIES:
I laughed a lot when I first saw the baby goats pawing, climbing and walking on them cuz the bunnies just laid there. I guess they've just gotten so use to being stepped on and being played with they just take it!!! It even looks like they enjoy it sometimes :D :) There are two female large bunnies (one white and one tan). The daddy bunny is in a separate area by the house where the hot tub use to be so there aren't anymore baby bunnies running around.

Todd told me a story about Daddy bunny:
One night apparently a raccoon had managed to get into the pin and tried to get at Daddy bunny. Todd heard him screaming, crying and squeeking outside and he jumped outta bed and ran outside. He said that the raccoon at first just looked at him and hissed. Then Todd got out his pellet gun and started pelting him!!! :) He didn't hurt it, he just surprised it so it climbed up the fence and into the tree. I don't remember if he pelted him out of his bedroom window or somewhere else (talk to Todd for any questions :D :)).

He waited till the raccoon went away altogether cuz he saw the raccoon try to climb back down the fence but he pelt him again and he didn't come back :) :) :) I think I might have heard a raccoon or some other animal scratching outside my window which was kinda freaky cuz I was half asleep and just laid there frozen trying to figure out the noise.

After the raccoon left, Todd went outside to see how Daddy bunny was doing. He was shaking, sensitive to touch, heart racing and scared!!! And I don't blame him because if I was a bunny and a raccoon tried to get at me I'd be freaked out too!!! Todd was able to get a hold of him but then had to let him go because he was being scratched to death. Ever since that night, Daddy bunny has been very scared of being touched, held or even sometimes approached.

On a better note :D there are some babies bunnies that are black and they sometimes come up to me but then run away when I try to pet them :) During the day when it's hot they'll chill under their hut and fall asleep.

***

CHICKENS:
I decided to name the male colored bird Feather-do because of his feathers on his head :) :) :) They are kinda boring because they don't do much but at night I like to go to their hut and take a peek inside. Feather-do is always by the window near the entrance of the hut door then the rest of the chickens are perched on the wooden beams off the ground. They seem to always sleep with their bums towards the door. I even discovered a lil hiding place they had under the nesting area which was funny cuz I couldn't find Goldy (the golden chicken) and I walked through the pin, looked into the hut and found her chillin' under the nesting bed :) :) :) I've never seen chickens sleep but I have heard turkeys try and roost which is interesting and creepy the first time.

***

As for me, all I really did was hang out with the goats (my only friends in the neighborhood :) :)), sing and dance some more in the kitchen, watch "Seinfeld", go to "Smith's" again, eat sugar, take pics, shoot videos, blog, read "The Green Zone" and Facebook :) :D :)

I actually met one of the neighbors across the street (I think he name was Lauren???) anyways, she didn't expect to see ME as I got out of the white loud car. I guess she wasn't aware that Todd and Tiff were outta town. She was a nice lady!!! She wasn't sure if they left for a few days because of Max but I told her they went to Cali. After our visit, which was short, I went inside and settled in again.

Well that's pretty much it for Day #2 :) :) :)

Day #1- SaTuRdAy

*Getting into a different routine is kinda hard for me but I'm doing it*

GOATS:
I got all the AM chores done and was able to just sit out in the pen with the goats so they can get use to me better. I've tried to pet some of the babies but they freak out and run away :) Oreo is much more friendly and welcoming than Meg so it's nice when Oreo comes to meet me at the gate. I got to milk Meg this morning and I was a bit surprised when I milked her without any difficulty :) That's a nice feeling!!! I got to witness Oreo teaching some of the male babies to head-butt which was very interesting and cool. Oreo and Meg even got to head-butting, I don't think they were actually fighting I just think that they were "practicing" (I don't know if that's the right word :) :)) or having fun :D I also got to see some of the babies playing, talking, jumping, being curious and challenging. The brown babies (Meg's) liked to follow mommy around a lot. The black ones (Oreo's) liked to just do their own thing and play.

***

GINGER:
Ginger is Meg's baby which is funny cuz she's the only baby from Meg that is black but she also has some brown on her. She is the only baby that is female and the only black one with the long, "donkey" ears (when I look at her it reminds me of "Pinocchio"). There's also a brown baby that has long ears too. In the AM I can sometimes hear her talking. When I squeeze through the pen gate, Ginger's ears go up and she slowly advances towards me with her drinking bottles.

Ginger is special!!! She is the only baby that is not accepted by her gramma or mommy so she needs to be bottle fed. I'm SOOOOO happy that Tiff and Todd decided to keep her and bottle feed her because she is just so cute, different and unique from the rest. When I look out the window sometimes I see her playing with her siblings but also sometimes being out of the group especially when they are feeding from their parents. It's sad to watch but I'm just happy she's alive and healthy.

***

CHICKENS:
Well here's the chicken story. The last time I was down here there were a lot of chickens and turkeys and now there are only 4 chickens and 0 turkeys (which is a shame because one of the turkeys liked me and let me pet her head :) :)). I don't have to venture through their pen very far because their water and food are right by the entrance.

The last time I was here the chickens sensed my fear of them and one even pecked me on the leg, it bled a lil bit but it wasn't bad. I'm not scared of them!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Also there was this lil brown and black chick with a big feather-do that ran around the yard and got chased by Sophie the family dog (which isn't here anymore, Todd and Tiff sold her). Now the chick is a big chicken and he's funny to watch with his feather-do and looking all high-and-mighty over all the others :) :) :)

They haven't given me any trouble because they are easy to take care of and I like to go to their laying hut and collect the eggs they lay. I've watched a Youtube video that shows how a chicken lays eggs and it's amazing!!! One chicken makes a lot of noise when she lays eggs. When I checked the yard before going to bed this night I found them all roosting in their hut and it was a very cooooooooool thing to see :) :) :)

***

As for what I did today, I listened to Todd and Tiff's Ipods on their Ipod speaker thingy, danced around the house, watched a movie, hung outside with the animals, went to Smith's, cleaned, ate Lunchables, created this blog, and just enjoyed alone-time.

I got cleaned up and watched "13 Going on 30" with Jennifer Gardner which is one of my favorite chick-flicks. I also ate some Dove Miniature ice creams which are YUMMY!!! After the movie, doing my blog and facebooking I settled into bed and texted "Good night :)" to everyone!!!

Delicado Drive

*In my first "Farm Journal" from my last visit here with my mom last year (I believe), I gave a lot of description and detail but this one will be simple, cut-clean and right to the point*

We made it to Todd's house and as we walked in, Emma was "sleeping" in her stroller, Tiff was holding Max on the couch and she just got done with watching "Have you Heard About the Morgans?" with Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant. Emma wasn't really asleep because she'd lift her head look over at me and then lay back down with a smile :)

Tiff and Todd finished up packing their stuff and getting ready to go and as for me, Emma and Max....well we had a lot of fun :) I got to hold Max for the very first time and I could tell his improvement. He was bit of a "crust" as Tiff would say :) because he was crying and uncomfortable a lot but Tiff & Todd did a very good job at helping him and knowing what he needed. He spit up on me a few times too :) :) :) Yeah not much to say about that :)

We took a break and ate some lunch that Tiff had made for us: tuna sandwiches, chips and salsa and cream soda which were all very good. After lunch me and Emma took a nap with her Disney Princess dolls. I fell asleep with Emma for a few hours and when we woke up we played with her dolls and her "Get Well" balloon. She also kept asking for "the other 'Lissa" which was Leah :) :D :) I couldn't help but smile the whole time I played with her. Emma told me to come with them and meet the Princesses with her but I told her that I needed to take care of her goat family and her chickens :) :) :)

They were originally suppose to leave for the Sunport very early Friday morning but they decided to book a Hotel room for the night very near to the Sunport so they could just get up and leave. I understood but wasn't expecting the change in plans. Todd went to an appointment and when he got back they loaded up the car, said their last goodbyes, thank yous and hugs then drove outta the drive way and out of Delicado Drive.

I got to feed Ginger by myself that night and it was dark so when I went out to look for her I didn't see any of the babies and after looking all over the pen I started getting a lil worried. I went back in the house and got the flash light and checked again then checked the rabbit hut....there they all were huddled together in the very back and as I stuck the bottle into the hole of the hut Ginger came right up and I had to catch her quickly. She did very good and I was already feeling attached and a connection to her :) :) :)

Then after checking the house and locking the doors I settled into bed, and texted everyone "Good night :)".

The Drive from ABQ to Delicado Drive

I went up the tunnel from the plane doors saying "Thank you" to the assistants, through the exiting doors and right away looking around for signs for the Baggage Claim. The signs were easy to follow but I kept my eye on a black man who was pulling a wheelie suitcase. I followed him and the signs through the spinning glass doors that reminded me of the "Hannah Montana the Movie". Tiff said Todd would be waiting for me past those doors so I looked around and as I looked around I called mom to let her know I made it safely to NM.

I called Todd to see where he was at because I didn't see him anywhere and he was running late because of traffic, so I went to the baggage claim and at first there were two different claims but I chose to check out the closest one and guess what???....that's where my bag was waiting for me :) I took it and looked for the passenger pick-up. I was on the phone with K and didn't notice the signs that named the different flights (Delta, Southwest, Frontier, etc.) so as I was walking around not even paying attention I looked up and noticed I was under the Delta sign...so I walked up to find the Southwest passenger pick-up :)

As I was waiting and hung up the phone with K, I got to thinking about Todd's car...what did it look????? I stood near an Asian woman who stood with her arms folded trying to not make eye contact, there was a man that responded to an overhead announcement calling for a passenger (I don't remember the name) but when the call was made the man moved and met up with his pick up and there was a partially blind man with a white stick on the phone.

Soon a white _______ pulled up and the window rolled down and I heard someone call. I looked to the car and didn't recognize the driver. I thought he was either calling for the blind man or calling to me but as I looked harder I noticed it was TODD!!!! :) :) :) I couldn't help but laugh because I thought he was a creeper wanting to give me a ride!!!!

He helped me put my bag in the car and we were off.

As we drove to Todd's house where Tiff, Max, and Emma waited for us, we got to talking about "The Green Zone" book and the movie. It sounds interesting so I will start reading it and maybe see the movie. Todd recommends it because he just finished the book and since I like to read I'll check it out :) It's been a while since I've read a good book. It has a lot dealing with politics and the Iraq war and the way Todd explained it (and he explains really good) it's a complex book that I'm not use to reading but I'll check it out anyways :D :)

Todd also had a thing with Clowns on the road. When someone was going to slow he'd pass them quickly and call them a clown. So I found it funny :) :) :) I have to admit that some people in NM are slow going, Todd also mentioned some of the customer service at fast food places and at shopping stores. He says they are slow and take forever sometimes :) He even mentioned going to Wendy's the other day and ordering 2 jr. bacons without cheese and when they got the sandwiches after a while...they came with cheese!!!! I also got to experience the service when we stopped at DQ to get some blizzards and we waited for a LOOOOOOONG TIIIIIME!!!! I was beginning to understand what Todd was saying =/

We also got to talking about the books we were writing: mine is "Felicity" and his is about a Mormon battalion that kidnaps the President of the United States BUT I will not ruin the story for you guys. All I gotta say is that it sounds very well organized, different, religious but calm, thought through, creative and altogether worth waiting for. I am going to read it as soon as it's published :) :) :)

We also made a deal that if Todd gets his book finished and published then I have to get mine published too :) :D :)

We talked a lot on the way and it was nice to see how him, Max, Tiff and Emma are doing. Max is doing much better since his RSV illness and he is off oxygen which is nice because they won't have to carry around an oxygen tank with them on their vacation to Cali. Tiff is doing much better, she seems to still be stressed but is relieved to be getting away from the house and just spending quality time with her family (which is VERY understandable). Emma got her tonsils out a few weeks ago but is doing a lot better and she isn't having cabin fever as much :) :) :)

This family deserves this Disneyland and beach vacation: they work very hard at what they do and they have gone through so much these past few months. I admire them for their strength, persistence, and unconditional love for each other :) :) :)

So overall the drive from ABQ to Delicado Drive was pleasant, relaxing, comfortable and fun because I was able to have quality time with my big brother after not seeing him for a long time and just got to talk to him one-on-one :) :) :) I love you Todd :D

Flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico

*Mom please help me out if I leave anything out. Thanks :) *

I had a hard time sleeping the night before I left because of my nervousness and fear BUT the family cat (Sox) saved me and helped me sleep better. I also read a post from a famous celebrity make-up artist (Kandee Johnson) about FEAR (if you wanna check out the post go to "kandee the make-up artist" on GOOGLE and you'll find it. She's amazing). Anyways, my mom helped me pack so I felt secure about what I was bringing and how everything was organized.

My flight was scheduled at 8:30 AM so after last minute packing and organizing, me and my loving mom left at 5:30 AM for DIA (Denver International Airport for those that don't know). It was a nice drive and more stress-free with my mom driving and helping me calm down and not feel so scared or stressed out. I teared up a lil bit in the car and my mom noticed and offered words of comfort which helped me :)

We got to the airport and made our way to the check-in line. At first we pasted the Delta line and it was PACKED!!!! I was soooooo relieved to know that that wasn't the line we were gonna wait in. I was flying with Southwest and the line was long but the waiting went fast and before we knew it we were being called at by a check-in helping man that was yelling numbers. At first me and my mom didn't know what the numbers were for, I thought we had forgotten to take a slip with a number on it, until the man yelled "5 and 6 are opened for whose next". We walked up to the announcing man and my mom was able to get a pass to come with me to my gate.

"How old are you?" the man asked me.

"I'm 21 but it's my first time flying by myself." :)

The man and my mom helped me poke the screen to get my tags for my one, big (but not really big) suitcase which was for baggage claim. I had my backpack with my laptop and other belongings in it for carry-on.

We made our way down to the security check points....WHAAAAAAT!!!! The lines were just as packed, if not, even MORE worse then the Delta line. But my mom is a smart woman whose been in DIA enough times to know where to cut the long waiting periods. She led me to the Frontier security check-point ("You don't have to be Frontier to go through that line," said my mom) after walking around to only see thousands of people in the other security check-points.

I was wearing my recently new blue ROXY shoes from Ross without socks so my left heel was getting a blister that started to hurt but I kept up with my mom so I wouldn't get lost :D We had to wait in line anyways but it wasn't as long or as slow as the other ones. As we waited we were entertained at the glass case displays they had set up for waiting passengers to look at so they didn't get bored so fast or for too long. There was a display of "corn kerns" (the biggest corn on the cob I've ever seen, but don't worry it was fake), one with the faun from "Pan's Labyrinth", because mom pointed out the display description that said "Who is Pan?". There was also one that caught the sun and blinded me the first time I looked at it, I don't know what it was made of but it was shiny and bright. I looked at others but these are the ones that stood out the most (MOM if you remember other cases let me know so I can include them :) :)).

We got past security safely without any trouble (like my last belt incident from my past adventure to NM on a plane. Mom knows the story!!!).

Our next stop was to the train that had funny music and a robot voice that said __________. As we walked my mom tried to keep important information that I'd need on my flight back home and she kept me focused on being observant on where we were going. We got on the train and held onto the pole as hard as we could till we got to Concrod C. My gate number was C46 and we didn't walk so far till we found it (passing the flight to Salt Lake City).

"Do you notice the evens are on the right and the odds are on the left?" my mom pointed out :) ;) (I love you mom :D)

After getting a drink, going potty and putting a band-aid on my blistered heel my mom gave me, I begged my mom to not leave till I started boarding the plane and she agreed to stay. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!! THANK YOU MOM!!!!!! That made me feel better cuz she helped me sit in the "place" I needed to be to board. Class A Position 57 was my boarding call. We talked about me being over there by myself and to not worry so much about the nighttime because that scared me the most.

Finally about 8:15 AM (uh-oh flight 815 on LOST) the guy announced "Now boarding Plane ____."

"Alright, Missy-boos," my mom said. "Time to put your big girl panties on and be brave." She smiled and I laughed embarressingly :) :)

As I took my place in line my mom hugged me goodbye and we said our "I love you"s and as the line started to move I kept looking back at my mom to find her still standing there waving me off :) :) :) At that moment I realized how much I'd miss my mom being away for a week and once the ticket guy took my boarding pass and scanned it, I was off going down the tunnel to the plane...with blurred eyes :) :D

I was able to pick any seat on the plane because it wasn't fully booked and it was a "free for all" seating. I found a seat by the window!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!! :) :) :) and there was no one else in the row....till a young, skinny, black, fashionable woman came at the last minute right before (or even during) the demonstrations of how to use the oxygen mask and the life jacket. She was carrying a big light gray snake patterned purse with high-heeled shoes that matched with it. She looked professional and confident but late.

After texting my mom and K, I turned off my phone and waited for the plane to move around the platform to lift off. Two flight attendants (that pasted out drinks and snacks) told the young woman, that was late, to turn off her phone as she was talking to someone fast and after texting someone then turning it off as we were backing up. She was nice but annoying!!! She asked me if this was a non-stop flight to Phoenix but I told her it was to Albuquerque then to Phoenix. I sounded confusing to myself because I was trying to look out the window, my head hurt and I was trying to be nice :) After giving her the best explanation to her questions...she asked the same questions to a nice, patient, female flight attendant that was passing by. I didn't care I just smiled because I told her the same thing the flight attendant told her. I was proud of myself knowing the answer none-the-less :D

As we got speed and lifted into the air, climbing into the sky I looked out my window....and all I could see was the left wing of the plane, not much of a view but the sun hitting the wing then hitting my window helped me keep warm (not too hot or too cool from the AC). I asked for water and closed my eyes. I opened them a few minutes later and saw the flight attendant passing with a tray of snacks. I could smell peanuts in the air as my fellow passengers opened their snack bags, so I figured those were being handed out too. I heard somethings were free over the announcing speaker but the lady on the announcer was talking fast and mumbling so I wasn't sure if the snacks were free so I didn't bother calling her back because I wasn't very hungry anyways and just wanted to close my eyes.

So as you could probably figure out my eyes were closed most of the flight I was comfortable but my neck started to ache at all angles.

"Ladies & gentlemen we are now at 30,000 feet."

Today was a lil girl's, named Madison, birthday and she was traveling with her dad. We all sang and clapped "Happy Birthday" which was kinda funny cuz I was half aware while doing it and mumbled the song with my eyes still closed!!!

"Ladies & Gentlemen we are now 15 miles from Albuquerque." said the pilot.

Before I knew it the 1 hour and 15 minutes went by FAST and we were descending down to the landing platform at the Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) safely and, for me, confident and comfortable :)

The 4 F's- Farm, Fun, Family & Facts

Hello everyone :) I'm excited for this blog in particular because it's about my experience in New Mexico on Todd (my big brother) and Tiff's (my sister-in-law) backyard farm. I'll be flying over there by myself, house-sitting and having fun with the farm family. It's gonna be interesting for sure and defiantly a growing experience :) I hope you all (especially family and close friends) enjoy this blog. My blog background is of bunnies because there are bunnies/rabbits on the farm and I couldn't find any goat, chickens, or hay templates so I'm stuck with these cuties :D I'm excited and I hope you all are too!!!