In honor of the newest Blankenheim! 🙂 Happy Friday!
Month: March 2014
Dream Come True, A Boy Named Sue
There are really not words for how I’m feeling right now… those of you who know me know that I’ve loved horses my entire life and have always wanted one. Finally, after thirty-three years my dream has come true.
Everyone, meet Sue. Sue is a four-year-old gelding (that’s a castrated male). Yup, I have “A Boy Named Sue” (for those of you young whippersnappers out there, that’s a reference to a Johnny Cash song). He is such a sweetheart and I’ve fallen completely in love with him. He’s a sorrel (that means a reddish brown) American Quarter Horse and he even has freckles like me!
I’ve known for the past few weeks that I wanted to buy him (I’ve been riding him in my lessons since then) and today we went to his pre-purchase exam. Since horses are not cheap endeavors, you take them to the vet before you buy them to make sure that they’re sound. Â It was a little nerve-wracking because I already love him, but thankfully he’s healthy as a horse!
Now I need to go take a nap… I’m exhausted from all the excitement of the day! More pictures to come on Facebook!
Out Of The Furnace
A couple nights ago Mike and I rented Out of the Furnace. I vaguely remember hearing about it, but didn’t remember the story line. It was actually really good!
Director:Â Scott Cooper
Stars: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Woody Harrelson
Runtime: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Plot Summary: (from IMDb)Â Russell and his younger brother Rodney live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother becomes involved with one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast – a mistake that will cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.
Rating: On Demand
This movie was really good… until the ending. I think they ruined the story with the end, but that’s just my humble opinion. I’m curious if anyone else felt that way. I think that Christian Bale is a really great actor – he was awesome in this role. Woody Harrelson was really good as well… I don’t normally see him as a bad guy, but he did well!
Ratings Explanation:
- Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
- On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
- TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
- Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.
I’ve Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle
I can’t believe it, but it’s finally happening. Everything is in motion for me to check off “buy a horse” from my bucket list. This has literally been a lifelong dream of mine, at the top of every Christmas and birthday list. Our pre-purchase exam is Thursday afternoon… I can hardly wait!
This weekend I got my spurs. I had been joking that I felt like the baby at the barn – I was the only one without spurs. My trainer had been out at Ricotti Saddle Company, saw them, and thought of me. They’re absolutely beautiful! She picked up the dark leather spur straps, which I absolutely love… I think I may aim for all of my tack to be that same (or close) color – it will look beautiful on him! I haven’t revealed the horse or his name yet because I don’t want to jinx it… the minute he’s mine I’ll share with everyone!
I took Mom, Dad, Kati, and Chloe out today to meet him… as always, he was a gentleman and loved getting carrots from everyone. He’s got the greatest little personality and I can’t wait to continue to bond with him!
Hope you’re all have as wonderful a weekend as I am!
Meet Charlie & Kenzie!
Hi everyone! Meet Charlie and Kenzie, our new cats! They’re barn cats, meaning they live outdoors and will hopefully help us with varmint problem! Charlie is the tabby on the top of the picture (he’s 8), and Kenzie is the little black one trying to hide at the bottom (she’s 5). They were surrendered to the animal shelter together, so I thought I’d keep them together. They were both outdoor cats before, so perhaps they’ll keep each other company!
We’ve tried a lot of different things to rid ourselves of the moles, gophers, and mice, but now we’re trying the truly natural method! They’re getting settled into their new home down in the pump shed where they’ll stay for about a week before we let them out to explore our property. Hooray for new pets!
12 Years A Slave
This is a very special post because it’s both a book review and a movie review of 12 Years A Slave. I read the book by Solomon Northup first (as you always should, in my opinion) and absolutely loved it. Mike and I rented the movie the other night (all of the Oscar movies are now on pay-per-view), and it was good, but as I often find, not as good as the book.
Director:Â Steve McQueen
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong’o, and Brad Pitt
Runtime: 2 hours, 14 minutes
Plot Summary: (from IMDb) Based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) will forever alter his life.
Rating: Theater
Let me start with the story line. People suck. Like a lot. It’s amazing to me how awful we can be to each other, because of the color of our skin, our beliefs, or what God we worship. This is actually based on the true story of Solomon Northup, and what an amazing story it is. Lupita Nyong’o deserved every ounce of praise she got for this role – it was raw, heart-breaking, uncomfortable, and hard to watch. Chiwetel Ejiofor is an amazing actor as well… he was believable in how stunned he was not only by his captivity, but the unspeakable cruelty that was done to him and to those around him.
Here’s why I liked the book so much better – it went into a lot more detail, as books tend to do. I think some of the things in the movie almost didn’t make sense without some of the back story, or at least were made more clear in the book because of it.
This is both a must-read and a must-see!
Ratings Explanation:
- Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
- On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
- TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
- Skip It: Movie sucks, don’t waste your time.
Favorite Song Friday – “Happy”
I dare you to watch this and not be in a good mood! 🙂
A Beautiful Hike
Lately I have been a very lazy blogger and a very busy girl. I guess that’s not a bad problem to have, but I like to keep this thing updated, so here we go.
A few weekends ago Mike and I decided to take advantage of a break in the weather to go for a hike. Shadow got to come along, which seriously made his day. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m fairly certain he is fluent in English… he knew exactly what the word “hike” meant, even though it’s not something we do with him very often.
We headed up to the fire lookout in Pine Grove and started walking. Here’s my happy, sweaty family about halfway up:
Shadow seriously had the time of his life – we ended up hiking a few miles (just over an hour). The views were absolutely beautiful. Sometimes I forget what a beautiful state and city I live in. And take it for granted.
It seriously already looks like spring! Thankfully after this we got a good deal of rain, so things look a little less dry, but this drought is killing us! Mike wanted to hike some more, so Shadow and I headed down the mountain while Mike hiked another hour or so. This is us on the way back down:
It was a wonderful morning out in nature and a beautiful hour with my family! Life is good!
Down The Road I Go 