This & That

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Lots going on. Most of it VERY good. In no particular order:

–Kaela has been ROCKING it. That kid has gone on a personal fitness crusade and Take-Care-0f-Kaela crusade (with a little help from mum) and MAN has she been hard core! She’s lost (what one barn lady described as) “a sh*t-ton of weight”! She’s doing it right, in moderation and with exercise so no worries there. She’s just taking good care of herself, and that’s awesome.

One of the horse’s Kaela cares for. She sent it to me with the text “Look at that face!” LOL.

At the other barn where she works, she’s had a one or two hiccups that were pretty serious (nothing serious-serious, but serious enough) and I mention that only because it’s not just that’s she doing great at her job, she’s doing great at RECOVERING from some MISTAKES she’s made at her job which says (to borrow a phrase;) “sh*t-ton” about her! It’s one thing to be good at your job. It’s next-level to recover exceedingly well from mistakes at your job. I couldn’t be more proud of her, and happily, her boss feels the same way.

Her friend invited her to join a summer theater group at her church so she’s doing her first musical! She’s having a blast. I cannot tell you how proud I am of her. Her job, the theater group, all of it is her doing, her choice, done on her own without mom and it’s a joy to see.

Coryne has returned from her first year away at school her lovely self, as even-tempered and kind as always, and pretty clear and what she wants to do with her life. It is, as one would expect, uniquely Coryne! She’s decided it’s a life of psychology for her, but with a twist! She wants to do comparative psychology, with her time split – somehow – between animal-assisted counseling, specifically canine, and – this is the really Coryne part – studying wolves in the wild.

Now, before you roll your eyes, this is actually a thing. Obviously we all know about dogs assisting humans, like therapy dogs for vets with PTSD, that kind of thing, which is the kind of counseling Coryne would like to do, but more with a focus on young people who have had traumas, or have regulation issues that can be assisted with a therapy dog, that kind of thing. But the wolves-in-the-wild thing is part of it, since, obviously, they are canines – sort-of the purest canines we have, living in the wild as they do. Seems Coryne had a talk with some girl, a recent graduate of her college at a 3-day seminar she went to near her school. The way she described it so Coryne! “If you Google ‘wolves’ and click ‘images’ this girl knows every wolf by name – most of them personally!” Seems this girl’s career path involved doing a winter internship at a wolf sanctuary in Minnesota.

Winter. Minnesota. Wolves. Outside.

My kid actually wants to do this. LOL. Like I said, “uniquely Coryne!”

So she’s a kid with plan. She knows she’s got to go all the way; to Ph.D. And she’ all-in. She may even decide to do her Masters in… Texas.

Which brings me to Leigh!

Leigh has had herself QUITE the summer! She got a KICK-ASS internship in Texas. (Speaking of weather extremes…) She has been having an ABSOLUTE BLAST. They have been so, so, so, so good to her! She’s working mostly with veterans, in a very small group of graphic design interns, doing things that are directly related to her major and learning tons, making great friends, and growing up. I said to Mike that this feels like a transformational summer for her. That this was a very big deal for her, emotionally, and really in every which way. It’s had a real effect on her. In a good way. And she was a great kid to begin with. I’m so proud of her I could bust. So proud of ALL my girls. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never does. I can’t possibly raise three girls and not have SOME disaster, right? <<keeping fingers crossed>> 😉

Oh! I forgot to mention that Leigh & Coryne are talking about how cool it would be if she did her master’s there because it’s all but certain Leigh will be moving there for a job resulting from her internship (this isn’t mom being mom – it truly is all but certain she’ll be going) and there’s an *excellent* university literally minutes from where Leigh will be working so they are very excited about the prospect of rooming together while Corynee does her post-graduate work. We’ll see!

That’s all for now. There’s more. But that’s all for now.

My 14 Year Old Daughter Wrote This

My baby wrote this. Okay, okay, she’s only 2 minutes younger than her twin sister, but still, she’s my baby and I’m blown away by her talent. I know it’s full of flowery youth, but oh, what a lovely place to start!

“Where I’m From”
Coryne Fields

I am from wires and blinking lights
From the hands that could never close around her mother’s finger
I am from the never ending work my father does every day,
off to save the world, as we see it
I am from the way the ocean and the sand meet
Gracefully sewn together by the stones it’s created
From the eight years that resides there
The best years a puppy with big paws could ever hold
I am from the smell of leather off a brand new saddle
From the water buckets and the flakes
To the ‘V’ behind a horses ears
I am from the teardrops on the pages of a good book
From the shows I watch to the music I love
I am from the sound of rain, and the smell of the petrichor
From the snow days accompanied by hot chocolate and a fireplace to sit by
I am from the ridiculous thing called life
We are all from this place
So I’m from times of sadness halted by the realization of time
I am from healing
I am from my silly little family on our silly little hill
From the dumbest cat, and his sister, the most narcissistic but adorable cat on this planet
From an old soul who loved his life
To our healer, a rescue;
Because that’s what our old soul would want us to do
But I, and we, are from anything but tragedy
Because nothing is beautifully tragic
It’s just tragic
But I, and we, are from hope.
We are from pure happiness.
We are from fortitude.
And we love it here.

Mind-Blowing Thought

Driving home from the barn yesterday, my daughters, 15,13,13  and I had a startling revelation.  One they took ownership of instantly as something to say to their daughters someday:  They were born before the iPod was invented.

Wow.  Leigh was born in 1996.  Kaela & Coryne were born in 1998. The iPod was born in 2001.

Wow.  First time they ever felt old!  It was cute!

Just thought I’d share.  Driving in the car conversations are always the best, aren’t they?

Also:  I normally, jealously guard their privacy, but Leigh made a video of the twins yesterday, shot, edited, all of it, (photography & video are passions of hers) and it’s just so sweet I gotta share it.

Here’s what she wrote on the YouTube page where she posted it, and the link to it is at bottom.  It was a 3 Kleenex caption for me!

Meet my sisters! 😀

Coryne (iCalypsix on here) is the tall one with the blue sweatshirt and curly hair.  Kaela is the one with the red sweatshirt and her hair’s up in a bun of some sort lol

And the big dog is Gizmo. haha

We have both of them to thank for most of my clips!! And for a lot of other things, too.

These two have always been on my side and have never in their lives let me down once. Never. They do whatever I tell them to do.. I told them to come outside so I can get clips. They did. I tell them to get out of bed to come turn my light off in my room for me? They do. I need clips in 30 degree weather? They do it. Anything, anywhere, every day. They have hearts of gold and are the most innocent, wonderful, people I have ever met. They are my best friends and will always be there for me when I need them.. even when I treat them like crap haha. Thanks to both of you for always being there and having my back. You are always so happy and fun and just.. ah. Love you guys. sososmuch!

Love you goofballs!

Nevereverever change! You are perfect just the way you are!

The Twins, by Leigh