apparently nobody looks there

All of last Christmas season (which, if you know me well, you know that's quite a long time) I could not find my favorite Christmas CD. I racked my brain trying to remember what I might have done with it; leant it to someone, maybe? But why would I lend out my favorite CD?

Yesterday, I was getting something that I had tucked away in the guest room closet & thought while I was at it, I'd tidy it up a bit. As I grabbed an "empty" box to put stuff into, I discovered inside it some Christmas gift bags that I had purchased over a year ago along with MY FAVORITE CD!!!! I must have missed putting it away with all the other Christmas stuff in Jan 08 & thought that would be a good place to store it.

I was pretty excited (and also glad I hadn't bought another one - I tried, but couldn't find it anywhere). I was also glad that I haven't lost my mind - just misplace it occasionally.

the ranch

Having a son in law who is the program manager at Timberline ranch gave us the opportunity of a fun family outing yesterday. Of course, Dobby & his family were excited to show us around, especially the kids, who already have their favorite horses & best loved play areas.

It was so great to see where Dobby has been working & get to explore a place that we've heard lots about but had not yet been to.

We were not disappointed - and I'd love to give you a glimpse of our day....

(click on the collages to get a closer look)

Some of us did rock climbing (in varying degrees of difficulty) while others stuck to driving tractors. Motorized vehicles are sometimes safer than dizzying heights!

The kids could hardly wait to show us the ropes - literally! We all tested our coordination & strength on the challenge course. It was great to see everyone playing like kids - I even tried a couple of things & was relieved to make it all the way (under close supervision by Olivia)

Making new friends. Personally, I found Bethany the llama a little stand-offish, however one of the calves loved me. The kids had a great time with the animals, even though it had started to rain by this time. After spreading the love, we headed for home. The calf kept calling us back as we walked away; they were pretty young & I think they missed their mommy.

Naps on the drive home; then a yummy barbecue to celebrate Greg's birthday. Such a fun day!!