Saying Goodbye to an old friend...

Two weeks ago we spent a very emotional night saying goodbye to our dog, Cooter. He was the best dog in the world. He was about 15 years old and had not been doing well. He was having trouble getting up and walking around. Although, I'm sure he was in some pain at the end of his life he still remained the sweetest dog. You would think that if you were in pain or hurting you might be a little bit grumpy. Not Cooter. He just kept smiling and loving all of us.

This was a very hard decision to make and we are so blessed to have a Vet that came to our house to help us. All of Ron's siblings came to say goodbye to Cooter and support us.


I haven't cried that much in a long time. I just kept petting his head to make sure I would remember how soft he was and told him how much we loved him.



Ron found a special spot in our yard to bury Cooter. Ron's brothers helped him dig the hole. Ron's brother Roger said a prayer over Cooter's grave that was so beautiful and appropriate. They really are part of your family. My sister in-law brought us dinner. We also had several friends stop in and say goodbye too. My mother in-law joked that she hopes that this many people show up to her funeral. What can I say he was a well known dog. We love you Cooter and miss you tons!

Three Hundred and Forty Six...

Ron on his 40th Birthday. We made him a big breakfast and Avery made him a party hat to wear! He had a great morning opening presents and having breakfast with the kids.

Three Hundred and Thirty Four...

Helping Dada fire up the Combine.

Three Hundred and Thirty...

You might remember when I did a post about the time that my husband jumped the scooter in to our pond? Well shortly after that stunt he strapped a boogie board to the bottom of an ATV to see if he could skip, skid or hydroplane across the ditch between our fields. Well he did...it made it across 5 or 6 times and the ATV still runs, so that is good! I'm glad he were his swim trunks since he was going boogie boarding, sort of?

Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight...

Last week was Ron's 40th Birthday. Yes, I am married to a 40 year old. In preparation for his party I ran found this photo of him that looked so familiar a sight to me. Immediately when I found the photo I went to work looking for the one I knew I had taken that was so similiar to this one...of Bo!!! The one on the left is Ron and the one on the right is Bo. I just love it! We often talk about the "Shinkle triangle head". Now you know where the phrase comes from. I am so glad that I stumbled on this little gem!

Two hundred and eighteen...

I overheard Ron and his brother's talking about the "amber waves of grain" that Ron planted and how there were indeed nestled among the "purple mountains" and were in fact "above the fruited plains". Never a dull moment around the Shinkle boys and their ability to take a singular topic and run with it.

See amber waves of grain...

Rowdy got to spend a day working the field of wheat with his Dad. He had a hard time deciding between staying home and swimming and going to the field with Ron. He decided to go to the field and when I went pick him up he didn't want to come home. I think it is funny that Avery's hair blends in with the wheat. It looks the same.

One Hundred and Sixty-four...

There is an article about Ron on the front page of the Sports Section of the Statesman Journal...Article found here.

Ron's friend wrote it and his name is Bill. But there aren't too many of Ron's friends that don't have a nickname...is it any surprise that Bill's is Scoop!

I tried to load the video of the wreck but it just wouldn't work.

One hundred and fifty-nine...

If you want to keep your kids busy for awhile, just set up one of these in your backyard. This was one of Ron's father's day presents. I am proud to say that I set it up all by myself. Well, that is not true. Rowdy helped me too.

The kids were in and out of it all afternoon.

Avery, swinging in Ron's other present. The hammock instructions said that it can hold up to 600 lbs. So, theoretically we could all get on it...hmmmm that would be interesting.

And I just had to share this one...that's my boy!!!!

One hundred and fifty-six...

Rowdy got to help Ron with a VERY BIG thing yesterday. At the end of hay season last year, Ron and I had a discussion about Rowdy being old enough this year to drive the truck while the trailer is being loaded with the bales of hay. Well, yesterday that day came! Rowdy got to drive this truck...

while pulling this trailer...

while looking this cute behind the wheel...
(I forgot to mention in his birthday post, his new thing is chewing gum and

learning how to blow bubbles too!)
SIDE NOTE: I got to buck hay for the first time yesterday! And it was awesome! Now when I wear my cowgirl boots, I can feel like it is a little more legitimate. I was a little bit itchy afterward, but I can handle that. This is that first year I have been able to pitch in and help with this step of the process. The first year we lived here, I was preganant with Bodie and last year I called in "too fat, lazy and out of shape to buck hay...sorry!"

One Hundred and twelve...

There is definitely some advantages to owning a tow company and Ron having some awesome skills with the slim jim...

One Hundred and eight...

I saw a bumper sticker once that said,

"We interrupt this marriage for race season"

(photo was taken by one of the track photographers)

One-hundred...

Avery's first time holding a baby chick!

Ron surprised the kids about a week ago and brought home 16 baby chicks. He had to go the store pretty early to get them because they are in high demand right now. He built a little coupe for them. We have been visiting them several times a day to make sure they are doing ok. Ron told me we can't handle them for awhile because they don't like stress. He has been surprised that we haven't lost any. They all seem to be strong.

If you know anything about me, it was hard for me to hear that it wasn't a good idea to handle them at first. I wanted to pick each one of them up and put my nose right on top of their little fluffy heads and snuggle them (I know I am weird). So, I listened and didn't pick them up until I got the go ahead. I might have reached in and stroked one of their little heads though. They are so soft that you can't really even feel them. I love animals...In fact I told Ron that as a kid I would have never left the coupe all day and would have had them all named within the first 10 minutes. So needless to say, if you need eggs, look us up in about 6 months.

Seventy-six...

Just a favorite from today! Ron was cleaning out the barn and Bodie was helping!

Forty-two...

Because this is blog entry number 42 I have decided to write about my husband's need for:

Everyone has a thing that they do to take a break from the daily grind. Everyone has a place they like to go that is a retreat from the everyday pressures of life. Some people play a round of golf, some may read a good book or take a walk. My husband straps himself into a stock car with a 5 point safety harness and speeds around a quarter mile dirt track.

This is how the car generally looks at the beginning of the season:

Sometimes it comes home looking like this:

His #1 fans are these two:
Last race of the season 2006 - Medford Oregon

And this little guy, who didn't want to get out of the driver's seat!

I have to tell a funny story about Avery in the photo above. I will never forget that night. We were sitting between turn 1 and 2 and Ron was racing on the track between turn 3 and 4. Basically, he was on the opposite side of the track. He was gaining quickly on another driver and Avery must have been watching her Dada race very closely, because all of a sudden she shouts "My Dada is passing that guy!"
Mind you, she was 2 1/2. These were her exact words. I was so impressed that she...

• was able to recognize her Dada's car that far away on the track
• was able to articulate what she saw in a full sentence
• was able to actually commentate the action on the track correctly and
• was paying that close of attention to her Dada's racecar considering it was among many other fast moving cars.

Here are just some oldies but goodies...

Although Ron has sponsers that help fund a small portion of his racing. I still claim to be his number one sponser because I hold down the fort when he is racing.

Forty...

The scene on Sunday night...a few chapters of "Captain Underpants" before bed. These books are very funny and maybe a little irreverent. Bodie would have been in the picture but he was to busy tumbling all over Dada's back.

Thirty-one...

If you have ever thought to yourself "I wonder what the Shinkle's do on a beautiful sunny saturday afternoon"...

...uhmm, yeah!

Twenty-seven...

I am so fortunate to be able to stay home with my kids. I have worked off and on since they have been born and I definitely prefer being my own boss. My husband is self-employed. That suits him as well. He is an entrepreneur. He owns a Tow Company, Storage Units, runs an Adult Foster Home for those with developmental disibilities and also farms a little bit.

We have a great manager at the Tow Company and Storage Units and so when Ron goes to work it is usually at the Foster Home. What I find interesting is that our jobs are not that different. For example, at any given time of the day we could be found doing and saying very similar things.

• Chew with your mouth closed please



• Did you wash your hands after you used the bathroom



• Turn that down



• Take smaller bites or you will choke



• It's time to take your shower/bath



• It's time to catch the bus



• Good job buddy



• Go to your room if you are going to keep making that noise



• Clear your plate from the table



• Did you brush your teeth yet



• Dinner is almost ready



• If you are good we will go to DQ for dinner



• Don't get out of bed until it is light outside

I am sure there are many more. And unfortunetly, both of our jobs require cleaning up poop! I just don't get to hire out for it, Ron does!

I don't have a picture of him hard at work but do have one of him hard at play.

Nineteen...

He brought this home with Dada today:

He got to play in the barn today:
She got to do this today:

Thirteen

I have heard of people thinking of a word for the year. They use the word as kind of a theme or a direction. They choose words like love, hope, change. It is something that is meaningful to them. I have NEVER thought that I would be able to do this. To choose one word to focus on for the entire year. I just thought to myself, how nice for them, but I can't commit to one word. I didn't even try to think of one.

Then unexpectedly as I was driving around the other day dropping kids off here and picking this up there (you know the drill). Like a ton of bricks a word came to me. I kind of ignored it for a minute. Then the more I thought about it I couldn't get it out of my head.

For me this word will help me strive for the next level. I find myself just kind of going from day to day and not challenging myself. It is easy to be challenged when you are younger because you always going to the next level; kindergarten to first grade, junior varsity to varsity, high school to college and college to your first real job. As you get older there is not as many natural levels in life. You have to create them yourself or you are stuck.

Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of responsibility to live up to with motherhood, wifely duties, church, preschool and such. However, I feel like in some ways I have settled into a pattern of taking care of things on mediocre level. And you know what? That is just not my style. Ron and I sometimes discuss that it feels like we are getting a lot done but only half way. Well, I don't like halfway.

I had no idea that I would blither on like that just to introduce my word for 2009. Here it is:






po·ten·tial

adj.
1. Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent: a potential problem.
2. Having possibility, capability, or power.
3. Grammar Of, relating to, or being a verbal construction with auxiliaries such as may or can; for example, it may snow.
n.
1. The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being.
2. Something possessing the capacity for growth or development.
3. Grammar A potential verb form.
4. Physics The work required to move a unit of positive charge, a magnetic pole, or an amount of mass from a reference point to a designated point in a static electric, magnetic, or gravitational field; potential energy.

My favorites are in green. I just feel like every aspect of my life can be brought up to the next level. I feel like I can apply myself more. So look out 2009 for you are full of potential.