It's my birthday!

Facebook is a grand thing, especially when it comes to getting well-wishes on your birthday from people you know, who otherwise might not have gone out of the way to say hey. 

Other than that, it was a normal day around here, where I didn't do too much of anything.  Which, I suppose, is not normal for me not to be working my butt off, so in that sense it was nice, too.  JJ and I got up, had breakfast, I went outside to bring in the horses for their breakfast, and then went inside and did some little stuff here and there.  I tried for most of the afternoon to find a hair salon that would give me an appointment on such short notice, and at first some of them said they could do it, but when they asked how long my hair was they switched to saying they wouldn't have enough time to do that much hair.  So I have an appointment set for Friday.

So just when I decided that I was going to go out and go bra-shopping or something, I got JJ all dressed up, our little bags packed for going out, got myself ready to go, and the little stinker decided to conk out on me across the couch.  Of course, I didn't have the heart to wake him up and drag him to the mall, so I let him sleep, and I took a nap myself.  Which maybe wasn't quite as needful as new bras were for me, but just as nice for the time being.

JJ, who only takes a nap when it isn't helpful. 

Anyhow, that night when James got home from work, he took me out for sushi, which was amazingly amazing.  This was a place we had never been to before, and after going, I asked him if we could go back EVERY Friday night.  I could not get enough, and it was so good. 

Teaching James how to use Chopsticks, so far, unsuccessfully. 

James, now getting the hang of chopsticks. 

The spread, a feast for the eyes, along with the mouth. 

Then we went to get coffee, and then to a movie, "Just Go With It", which was very funny and worthy of laughing out loud. 

The Valido's had taken JJ for the evening, so when the movie was done, we went to pick him up, came back home, and crashed. 

Friday I decided to cancel my hair appointment, because there was just too much to do around here.  Rhonda picked JJ and I up from the house and we went to the Fair with the girls for an hour or so this morning.  Most of it was lamer than I ever remember, but JJ had a good time riding some rides for his first time.

JJ rode a race car, was very concentrated on driving this car the whole time, even turned the steering wheel with the car's direction on the track. 

JJ and I are on this ferris wheel, somewhere...

JJ, trying to race his car

JJ riding down the big slide with "Big Izzie"

Cotton Candy for the first time, of course he loved it. 

 I also decided to ride Big Bird later in the afternoon.  He was not standing still for me mounting him, so I decided to work with him about that, in an effort to help him to understand what it was I wanted him to do.  Part way through the lesson I had let go of the reins while I was standing there messing with the saddle, and he started walking away, which is when I made a grab for the reins and missed, and then he trotted off and then spent a good few minutes running around the pasture like a maniac, not sure where to go or what to do.  Eventually I caught him back and and resumed my lesson, but he was all riled up and worked up over his little thrill of blasting around the pasture.  So there I was, trying to stand on a chair with one foot in the stirrup and mounting him halfway up and then back down so that he would learn not to move.  Well, one of the times I went ahead to throw my leg over him, he took off and bolted out from under me, which landed me on his butt instead of in my saddle, and so there I was, in an instant of carelessness, I found myself riding a nearly 18-hand ex-racehorse on the BUTT, I immediately knew the ground was coming hard, and fast.  Make that very hard, and very fast.  I pushed myself off from his butt as he galloped away, prayed a quick prayer that he wouldn't double-barrel me in midair as I was falling behind him, and then landed flat on my back.  It knocked the wind out of me, which almost always happens with me, so as I rolled up to my knees I could only make that wretched groaning sound like slowly deflating balloon until that precious first gasp of air could be inhaled and life, as I knew it, could again continue.  But oh, my back.  I simply could. not. move. 

Magdalene and Ashlee came running to my rescue and I asked them to try to grab Big Bird, just in case he decided to run over top of me amidst his frenzied free-for-all, but he ended up running into the cow pasture and the girls locked the gate on him and resumed trying to catch him.  I was still sitting there, unable to move anything without severe, sharp pain in my back, but I thought at any minute the pain would start to subside and go away like it usually does.  But, it did not.  Rhonda and Anthony were now over there by me, and I laid back on the ground for a while, still sort of hoping the pain would go away, but still, no.  They helped me get back to the barn and Ashlee and Magdalene finished with Big Bird by longing him because I was unable to do anything.  I could tell that the pain wasn't in my ribs or on my spine, but on the muscle just left of my spine.  Don't know how I hit that exact area so specifically to make it hurt there and not just a general all-over, but if I tried to move, lift my leg, breathe too deeply or anything like that, my back would just start spasming and sending very sharp jabs of pain throughout the rest of my body. 

Once the girls were done with Big Bird, Ashlee had time to ride Sammy, so James helped me out to the arena to sit in a chair and talk to her via walkie-talkie for her lesson.  And then I had to be helped inside.  Rhonda gave me a very strong dose of Advil which didn't seem to do anything, and eventually all I could do was to get in bed and lay on my side. 

JJ was very sweet to me, because I had to keep explaining to him why I couldn't pick him up and hold him.  He would try to kiss my back to make it "all better".  Then he wisely said, "Mama, need to ride Starbucks, he no fall on you."  :)  I love it when kids instinctively pick out a trustworthy equine. 

This morning was Saturday morning, and I freaking couldn't put on my jeans or my shoes because of the bending-over process.  Magdalene had a show at Sumpter County Equestrian Center so we were up pretty early.  As I tried to sweep out the barn aisle before leaving, I was pretty certain that by the time I had finished, it was Christmas, 2011.  I don't think I've been this much of an invalid, ever!

More advil, lots of it, a heated seat on the way to the show, and a venti Starbucks peppermint white mocha helped the situation somewhat.  Magdalene rode all three Training Level tests at this show, did well, stayed consistent with her scoring as with past tests, and improved her score each test by several percentage points.  Ashlee brought Sammy to school on the grounds and did a great job.  Very proud of both of them and how hard they work in their respective areas of challenge.   

When we got home I simply crashed on the couch for an hour or so.  I sort of heard people in my house doing some stuff but I was out of it.  We got some tree work done this afternoon and I helped Magdalene in the barn doing whatever I possibly could. 

Tonight I spent my whole evening playing with JJ, we had a good time.  He built this Tinkertoy creation all by himself.  I was so impressed!