Wordless Wednesday!

Show time!

Last week was full of shows.....Sheep, Goat, more Goats and Horses! We totally love the fair and everything about it.

On Sunday, Cierra was up for the Sheep Showmanship and Fitting show.

She scrubbed him -


She covered him up -


Then practiced -


Then hit the arena -


Just in case you didn't notice she takes this VERY serious....


And she did a fine job - she made it to the final round for Showmanship! Not a winner but was one of two of the youngest in the Sr. class. We are very proud!


And on Tuesday?! The Goat show! It was a pretty long day but very enjoyable. Not only did we get to see some pretty cool goats but we also got to experience the 5.9 Earthquake =) Believe it or not, I honestly didn't feel it but I am one of few.....I guess I'm not only deaf but missing the sense of feeling, haha!

Cocoa got all cleaned up -


Then Chase hit the arena -

I have seen such a change in Chase and his 'showing' skills over the past few years. Makes me smile =)

He had a 'game face', too!


but believe it or not, the judge did get a smile out of him...

And he too, made it to the final round.


Then in "Open Class"?! Who else but this little Princess would steal the show?!


and how can the judge NOT pick her goat?!

how better to spend time standing in line...
than to give her goat a hug!

This wasn't the only time this Kayden Brooke stole the show - On Friday she had her first horse show...


Unfortunately we didn't get to share in the excitement because we were heading back from OC but pictures work for me, ha!

She is so precious and certainly has a love for horses. (nut doesn't fall far from the tree, lol!) So really....who can't love the County Fair?!

Added feature -

For those of you that have asked and are interested in where we are going each weekend, I have added a feature JUST FOR YOU!

Yep, that's right. Look to the right, just under our banner and you will see "CLICK HERE". Just below that you will see our "Wine Schedule". There ya have it!

Remember, this can AND will change from time to time so please double check before heading out =) We love company so feel free to come along.

'Tis the season - harvesting of the grapes will soon be upon us =)

Mixed Emotions -

Today is just one of those days. The fair came to an end last night with pouring rain which didn't make me happy (since we LOVE the fair) but the kids definitely aren't 'fair weather fans' since they stuck it out til closing time. Ronnie and I spent much of the rainy evening/night in front of the TV, watching and waiting for what Irene was going to bring to Ocean City.



And then this morning as soon as our eyes were open, the TV came on to catch up with Irene. Shew - from the looks of it, the beach house just might be ok.

Then off to clean up at the fairgrounds. The bitter sweet finale'...Luckily this little girl got to come home with us!



Yep, that's right! The buyer (more to come on that later) asked Chase if he wanted her back and he said "SURE!" =) He's hoping to breed her next year for his 2013 Market lamb.

Once back home, it's time to unpack the fair bins, truck, cooler, and all the above, ha! Laundry had piled up all week and the house just needed a good cleaning. A run to the grocery store then filling out ALL those papers from the first day of school :(. That is the worst job! Can't they retain this info year after year?!

Tomorrow is back to the grind. Work and school. Even though school officially started last week, the kids didn't go Thursday or Friday so it really is another start. Bed early and catching up on what they missed because on Friday, we're heading to OC!

But....in all my 'hum drum' day, this little girl was born -


So Cierra got to witness a c-section on a goat. Of course she took lots of pictures (none of which I plan to share) but let's just say it was very interesting....Chase and I caught the tail end of sewing the momma back up which was also very interesting.

Then on my way down the lane I saw this -



Just too cute....

And who's just chillin' out?!


Then I think about how lucky I am and how 'good' my life is and say ....geez, be happy =)!

ONE month ago...

the guys were making castles in the sand -

the girls were riding bikes


and beach life was perfect in Ocean City.

But if you're watching the Weather Channel today, Ocean City is like a ghost town; only 300 people on the island (because they didn't want to go) and businesses that look like this:




That's right, IRENE is pounding on Ocean City


So here's the scoop - On Thursday with the threat of Irene making her presence in Ocean City and knowing our jet skis and Mom and Dad's boat may not be as secure as we would like AND us wanting to take precautions with windows, doors and the house, Ronnie and I headed to the Eastern Shore with our trailer full of plywood and all the necessary tools. We had already heard there wasn't any plywood to be found on the island and the clock was ticking. If we didn't get in by midnight, we wouldn't be allowed in. The mandatory evacuation was starting at midnight.

We hit the bay bridge around 8:30 -



and honestly, I've never seen so much traffic coming at us. Boats, cars, trucks, RV's, and it seemed really weird to see the OC buses way out there, full of people. Eery. These signs weren't very comforting either....



And this was our 'Welcome' sign -


Once we arrived, it seemed like a normal night at the beach. Less cars/people but still very normal. We picked up a pizza and decided to get some sleep and start our work in the morning.


Before sunrise, we were up. Look how calm the bay looked...


I guess this would be the 'calm before the storm'...

Luckily I had coffee but no food. Once I headed out, it was very difficult to find something open.



Even Hooters was deserted...

I ended up at Dunkin Donuts and was told they were only selling donuts and drinks. Geez.

While I was out, I had to sneak up and check out the beach -




So peaceful....

Ronnie took care of everything he could -





and even had a little fun -



we took one last look and said a prayer. Hopefully all will be well when we get there Friday night.

And on our way out we saw officers going door to door - checking to see who was still here and making notes....

This is what Coastal Highway looked like -







We tried to go down to the inlet but NOPE!, wouldn't let us through -

We did park on a side street and run up to the boardwalk....pretty empty, too.

And the cars have been removed from the Ferris Wheel -

This kinda caught my eye =)

Then we headed out -


and without local identification, no one gets onto the island -

Traffic was a little heavy with these departing signs...



The further we went, the less we saw however this was a scene more than 30 miles away, IRENE is a really big storm -


We must have seen 20 of these trucks heading down to stage...


We arrived home safe and sound and today, we're experiencing just the 'outskirts' of Irene here at home. But, we are tuned into the Weather channel, trying to stay up to date with what's happening in Ocean City praying everything will be ok.

With so many states/cities being impacted, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Irene's path.....