Scottsdale and Spring Training

The past two weeks have been a blur with work keeping us incredibly busy and on opposite schedules. When things finally slowed down, we took the chance to get out of town for the weekend. One of our favorite places to visit is Scottsdale, AZ and the 3 Palms hotel. Since opening day is right around the corner, this was also our last chance to see my favorite team the Cleveland Indians play out west for a while. They hold spring training at Goodyear Ballpark just a few miles away from Scottsdale. Despite only being there for about 36 hours, we had a lovely time!

Jack and Loretta

I adore this song and video.

Leap Year

Well, February proved to be a very busy month as imagined it would. I'm so glad we get an extra day because the last few weeks have flown by. Since updating our Photo A Day Blog occupied any free time I had, I thought I would update here by sharing a little recap of my favorite moments from the last month. The first week was spent preparing Kyle for our first horse show of the season. I like to compare it to cramming for a final. We had so much fun and we even brought home a few ribbons.

We definitely got our fill of delicious this month. Not only did we prepare plenty of homemade meals, we dined out in Las Vegas at The Cracked Egg, Krazy Sushi, Battists's Hole In The Wall, and Le Thai.

 For Valentines Day Joe took me on a date to see the show Absinthe at Ceaser's Palace. It was lovely!

We attended a birthday party for a 31 year old horse which included hors d'oeuvres and a live musician.

Our new kitten Oliver has been home with us for a month now. I has been so fun watching him grow and win the hearts of Mr. Webster and Wilhelmina, who were a little skeptical of the tiny feline upon his arrival. 

Last weekend I enjoyed a weekend in Scottsdale, AZ for the 57th annual Arabian Horse Show. I hope someday to call Scottsdale home, but until then I like to go any chance I get. Unfortunately, I was sans husband this trip due to work, but I was joined by two good friends from Las Vegas, and met up with even more friends at the show. It was wonderful, the shopping, the food, and of course over 2500 pure bred and half Arabian horses. It is an incredible feeling being surrounded by the best trainers, breeders, and horses in the industry. Not to mention inspiring. 

My absolute favorite thing from February was watching Joe in his first lesson working cows.

Most of us have a bag of tricks...

I highly recommend that everyone watch this wonderful documentary about horseman Buck Brannaman. Buck was the inspiration behind the story of The Horse Whisperer which was later made into a movie starring Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson. Buck also worked on set and is credited as the movies equine technical advisor. His story is inspiring to non-horse folks as well . It is currently available on Netflix instant queue for your viewing pleasure.

Arizona Hot Springs

Today Joe and I were invited by our friends Matt and Carla to join them on mid-winter hike in Arizona along the Colorado River. It was a pretty tough hike, but the pay off included incredible views of the river and relaxing in a 100 degree, crystal clear mineral pool. The White Rock Canyon trail head begins four miles down river from the Hoover Dam and is about 6 miles round trip. To reach the hot springs you must climb a 20 foot ladder up a waterfall. Good thing we brought our bikinis!

 I would love to take the dogs and camp on the shore soon!

Keep Calm, and Canter On

A couple of days ago while the husband took his first riding lesson, I befriended some of the animals around the ranch.

Later on at Vegas Sands I rode Kyle and Joe took this little video of us.

(song by The Black Keys)

California Adventure.

As a Christmas gift my parents purchased Disneyland tickets for my husband and I. We did not hesitate to use them.Wednesday we after a long day of work we drove directly to their house in Los Angeles and crashed for the night. 

The next morning we headed to Anaheim extra early. It was 80 degrees and gorgeous outside. We had a ridiculously good time riding everything we could and eating as much food as possible. 

It was exhausting.

 

We ate strawberries, giant turkey legs, chocolate covered bananas, macaroni and cheese, popcorn, and giant pickles. I may or may not have indulged in a churro while Joe was riding splash mountain. The park was still decorated for the holidays, including the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion. It even snowed during the fireworks finale. Friday morning after coffee with my parents we made a quick detour in search of lunch and the seaside. With little time to spare we decided on Venice Beach since neither one of us had been for several years and my parents live around the corner. It was just as I remembered it. We walked along the boardwalk stopping for a bite at Poke-Poke. 

 We had the Wasabi and the Spicy Tuna poke. They were both amazing. Portable, inexpensive and delicious. We wandered around the beach for a while watching the waves and picking up shells.

I could have stayed all day and watched the sun set, but traffic from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a Friday evening is not something I like to participate in. To make the drive home a little less brutal, we made one more stop on the boardwalk for a snow cone and a slice on the walk back to the car.

So this is the new year.

I am not one of those people who makes new year resolutions. I am especially not one of those people who makes them involving a diet. I come from a family of foodies and we know how to eat. Any kind of family gathering, holiday or travel usually revolves around food. That being said, we also know how to eat healthy. We (my steak loving husband excluded) only eat meat occasionally and use strictly seafood and poultry. I make a mean turkey burger and I believe sushi should be it's own food group. We purchase the freshest, preservative free ingredients we are able to. Believe me, my mother is high fructose corn syrup's worst nightmare. Cooking something delicious is satisfying and eating it is even more gratifying. It is comforting. Can't. Stop. One goal I have set for myself this year is to compete with my horse at a few local shows. I have spent almost four years, and more money than I care to admit to myself training and caring for Kyle. Our first and only show was an epic failure, but we have come along way since those days! I am hoping to attend a show in March, so I am currently spending all of my free time at the barn and riding four days a week. My husband gifted me with a new show saddle for Christmas and today I rode Kyle in it for the first time. He gifted Kyle with these adorable leopard print polo wraps.

Sundays are our most intense work out and tonight my body is feeling it. Kyle is tucked into his stall under a warm blanket and feeling the same way, I'm sure. He had an extra scoop of grain for dinner and I, an enormous pile of carbs in the form of angel hair with sauteed garlic, mushrooms, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Yum.

 In my opinion 2012 is off to a fabulous start!

(source)

Sharp shooter.

Recently there was an incident in our quiet little neighborhood involving property theft and home invasion. My lovely husband decided that after five years of trying to teach me all about firearms, it was finally time for me to learn how to shoot. Because we live so close to the edge of Las Vegas, there is a public shooting range located on BLM land only 15 minutes away from our house. My husband grew up learning about hunting and firearms safety from his father and I was raised in a household where water guns were considered violent. I have never been comfortable around guns of any kind, but when I married my husband, they were part of the package!

 I really enjoyed shooting this 22 caliber rifle, mostly because I am pretty good at it.

Not bad for my first time!

Here is a short video of my husband teaching me to fire. We are shooting a Ruger 9mm.

 

Next time my husband goes to target practice, he probably won't have to beg me to go with him like he had to in the past. 

Christmas morning snapshots.

I hope everyone had a holiday filled with joy and family. We did!

Kyle goes to the dentist.

Today my horse Kyle and I were lucky enough to work with equine veterinarian and dentist Dr. Scott Greene for his annual check up and teeth floating. Kyle is usually not a big fan of going to the dentist, I mean who is? Dr. Greene was very patient and knew all the right tricks to use while working with a nervous Arabian. By that I mean heavy sedation (among other things). This is my horse...

This is my horse on drugs...

Kyle no longer had a care in the world and allowed Dr. Greene file down the sharp edges of his ever- erupting teeth.

Dr. Greene and his assistant made the whole procedure quick and painless, even while removing a pesky wolf tooth.

Kyle is now sleeping sound after stumbling back to his barn stall and being tucked into a warm blanket. Imagine walking your 900 pound friend who had one too many shots of whiskey home from the bar. If you would like to see more of Dr. Greene and his equine dentistry (including his power tools) watch this video of him working with some of his other patients.

I was busy writing with a pen, and paper thin dream.

Today we mailed the last of the Christmas cards and gifts off to our families in far away places, and just in time (I hope). The holidays really seemed to sneak up on me this year! I am usually ahead of the schedule and stress free, however that is not the case this time around. With only five days left until Christmas day, I still have a little last minute shopping to do and I haven't even started baking yet. Fortunately for me, my mother has a head start in the desserts department so I am pretty much just left with sugar cookies which happen to be my absolute favorite. Not only does it give me a chance to put to good use my extensive cookie cutter collection (I have over 100!), but nothing is more nostalgic to me than the our tradition of baking them to leave near the fireplace with a glass of milk for Santa. Plus I adore decorating them! A girl can never have too many sprinkles, right?

Just when the holiday stress seems too much to bear, at least I have my two little love bugs Mr. Webster and Wilhelmina to lend a helping paw or at least a sympathetic snuggle. Listening to Ben Gibbard never hurts either.

The happiest of holidays.

This time of year tends to be more hectic than usual in our home, as I am sure is true in most households around the holidays. The husband and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house again this year. My brother prepared a completely from scratch meal as usual with the help of the everybody, of course. We had a wonderful time with my family and a few unexpected guests. Our friends in Icarus The Owl were on the last leg of their US tour and ended up playing in Las Vegas the night before, so they joined us in our holiday feast and we were so happy to have them. A few days later, my wonderfully thoughtful husband took me on a surprise trip to Scottsdale, AZ in celebration of my 28th birthday. Scottsdale is a darling place full of amazing restaurants, unique shopping and not to mention the home of the Super Bowl of Arabian horse shows (nerd alert). My absolute favorite place to stay in there is the 3 Palms where he booked us a room. We had a lovely time dining at The Breakfast Club, Deseo, and Petite Maison to name a few. I highly recommend the ceviche Millionaire Tacos from Deseo and anything your server suggests at Petite Maison. The menu is printed nightly so that the freshest, local ingredients can be used. Reservations are definitely recommended. In true Shapiro fashion we spent the majority of the trip stuffing our faces but we also managed to get some shopping in on Mill Avenue in Tempe, and make a stop off at the Phoenix Zoo before heading home. I just love visiting this town and I can't wait until we return in February for the horse show.

A Killer Collage

Today I over compensated for getting two hours of sleep by surviving solely off of coffee and energy drinks. Although, I do not regret my decision to do so (it was completely necessary) I am paying for it now. I am completely exhausted and wide awake. It's been a long day. This is a little of what it looked like.

A Sunset Stroll

This evening the husband and I went for a walk in our favorite park just down the street from our home. Autumn is my favorite time of year at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs because it's just before the leaves begin to fall and the scenery is full of such beautiful colors. There are a ton of birds that call the park home including peacocks. Most of them are pretty used to being fed and will come right up and help themselves to your picnic. We love to take our dogs and wander around the historic grounds.

 

 

  

 

Click here to read the history on the Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs.