Playing Catch Up

        I can't believe it has been as long as it has since I have been on here. Where do I begin?! We have been crazy busy with life. We spent the 4th Of July in Lake Tahoe with Russ' family. It was so much fun and nice to get away. I did get a tad home sick though a week away is a long time without my family and animals. I was really sad that I was missing out on the rodeo in Tabby cause that is my favorite part of the 4th. I also have never been anywhere, but Tabby for the 4th in my whole life till 2011'. It was a very fun trip though. We did some fishing, played at the beach, shopping, para sailing, rode the Gondola up the mountain to have some lunch, and watched the coolest most amazing fireworks over the lake. It was a very fun trip!!

Russell and I at the top of the Gondola over looking Lake Tahoe!!

"I got my toes in the water and a*s in the sand"

The fishing crew! (Left to Right: Uncle Mike, Jess, Mike, Mikey, "Quinton" (Russ), Grandpa Lopez, and me)

 Kim, Quinton and I getting ready to go para sailing!






 In the early fall we got some of our backyard started and put in a fire pit and back patio (this summer it will be the rest of the backyard). We did a lot of rodeo-ing during the summer and fall which kept us super busy. We also got our barn up and the horses are in Heaven!! So am I though! The "arena" out back in so perfect cause I love just going out, saddling up and riding and not having to haul anywhere. Christmas was spent, in the morning at my Mom's parents, then shortly after opening gifts and filling our tummies we were off to St. George to spend Christmas with my Dad's parents. (Another first for me).  We have NEVER been to them on Christmas, they had lived in Las Vegas up until about two years ago and they had come up to us about three times, but we had never been to them on Christmas. It was a very VERY interesting trip. We can laugh about it now, but were all in a bit of an upset the first day and a half. The room we had was at a NASTY hotel, but it was booked with good intentions.


 A fan blade came flying off the fan at full speed and hit the wall and fridge just across from where my sister and I were sitting, the indoor pools heater was broken and they filter. There was mold in the pool, bathrooms and all the windows of the pool room. The beds looked as if someone had been shot in them and bled out. It was NASTY! Needless to say we packed our bags and moved to a whole different hotel and we were more then pleased with the new one! :)

The missing fan blade -------------------->

Moldy windows

One of the "death" mattresses. YUCK!!!!

And the happy faces of the family at a CLEAN, NICE hotel! Russell is a goon and poor Chanda, just puts up with him! lol















                      Russ and his friend started their own HVAC (Heating and Air) and Plumbing company called PRECISE. It has been a tough few months cause as you can all imagine it is not easy starting a business. I have said many prayers that this will all work out and we can make it until it picks up. Were now getting back into the swing of things with rodeos. Russ is out a horse this year unless we get him a new one, but that is not in the cards right now. After all the wonderful rain this morning, the sun is shining now and I am on my way outside to catch some rays and get my Vitamin D for the day! <3

It's true....Absecse makes the heart grow fonder!

So today I took Russ and his boss Scott to the airport to head offto Tennessee for a business meeting. I HATE, I repeat, I HATE when Russ leaves town for multiple days. One day and night is fine and even better when he is in the actual state, but when he leaves for more then that and in a whole other state....I am so non functional. I get so emotional when he leaves and just get super sad cause I miss him terribly. I not only get sad I get all crazy weird and my mind totally plays tricks on me. Tonight, I thought I was doing great, until I heard the dogs going crazy in the back yard so I looked out back and seen what I thought to be a shadow. So I count the three dogs and one goat and slam the door and make sure that I have Lily in with me. The I hear what I think/thought was a dog or something being hit on the road. I once again, count the dogs and goat and slam the door. I call my sister Chanda to come stay with me and she denies me. I refuse to go sleep in my room cause there is only two ways out of there if someone comes in and lots of ways to get out if I am in the living room. So here I sit in the living room with my laptop, water bottle, blanket, T.V., five lights on, cell phone in hand and dog on my lap. I need to get a hand gun! I would feel so much better! I could get Russ', but I have never shot his before so I don't feel all that safe with a gun I don't know how to use! Someone needs to be my roomie when the hubby is gone! I will start taking applications....NOW!

My Writing Inspiration!

So the past few months I have been hanging out a lot more with a life coach, a best friend, and an amazing cousin. I like to call her NICKI! This past couple weeks we have been doing more and more one on one time. It has been great and VERY inspirational for me! She not only has helped me get in touch with my crafty side, she has also given me advice and a shoulder when needed, but she has also helped me to start writing again....As you can see from my blog that I started a year ago and have not wrote on for....a few days ha ha....
I think this will be a form of therapy for me to hash out all that I have to say and what I am feeling.
Nicki and I had our rough go (like any relationship) and we had out our differences and had come to the agreement that we were both a lil' stubborn and sassy at times and no matter what, we didn't have to be friends, but we would always be family. That to me means a hell of a lot more then it would to some. I feel that if you can have family AND a friend you have the ultimate gift! Family is the number on gift that I have been given in my life and I would not trade that for the world. I like to say "If you have LOVE, FAMILY, AND FRIENDSHIP, you have the whole world!" That is something I firmly believe and I believe that I have that in Nicki!

So here I am going to give this "blog" and writing thing another chance! Thanks Nicki! I knew I could count on  you! :)

Six months and counting....

Six months now since we have been married and oh boy! That has been a tough six months! My last update was all good and fantastic, but the newness had not wore off yet lol. It is a struggle that is for sure! I think it is harder because we were so use to doing our own things that now when we should be doing stuff together. We have bee putting things out there for each other to work on and it lasts a week or so and then it fades away. I think the tough part is that we are both so hard headed that neither one of us wants to be the "push over" and just give in and make things easier. Don't get me wrong my husband is a great guy and I know that he loves me, I wish he would just show it a little more then he does. Being a single man for almost 30 years, got him set in his ways that is for sure. All in all he is a keeper and worth a lil' fight!

Married life

Married life is great, not too different then what we were living before. I will tell you one thing though, the whole name change for me has been SO hard! I have sat down a few times to write it out and write it in cursive to try and get all the letters together, and I feel like I am in Pre-K again trying to learn to write my name! I laugh everytime I hear AMANDA BARNES cause it sounds so funny! Yet the other part of me laughs cause I am so happy! I love it! We have been married about two months now and I still can't get use to the wife word either! Who would have thought that I would be a wife at 20, let alone to the BEST husband there is! He is a saint! He can put up with me! Ha ha But, I can also put up with him...What does that make me?!? I have been very lucky in the blessing of having him and his family in my life! :)