Christmas In Reverse

The included link will take you to a site where you can see some clips of the Christmas play if yo uwish. :) I hope to get a complete video from someone that was there, we'll see if it happens!

Little Donkey, by Ethans K class

Ethan was only on stage for one song...almost wasn't as I had forgotten his class was doing a song. Thankfully, Sierra reminded me of it at supper right before we were headed out. He did great and knew more of the words than I thought possible as he had missed so many days due to illness. GREAT JOB ETHAN!

Little Donkey Song by Ethan and his K class

Ethan's class was only on stage for one song...almost wasn't there as I forgot he was in it. At supper Sierra said, Ethan is in the concert too". I then remembered the note that had come home 2 weeks ago stating such, Ethan has missed a few days due to sickness so we missed the much needed reminder :) But he made it up and actually knew almost all the words :) GOOD JOB ETHAN!!

Captured in the act :)

Sierra and Ethans Christmas Concert was absolutely superb. It is the best one I have ever been to actually. The songs, the story, the amount of kids, the talent and the sheer enjoyment and excellent, clear message really impacted me. I wish you all could have been there! If you get a chance to see "Christmas in Reverse" at another church somewhere....do so!

Quick video of the Cattle Round up in progress.

CATTLE DRIVE

Here is John on his 'used to be his' horse, Copper. John is good on horses, he takes advice, listens to it and has a natural way. He only got scared once, when Copper...who is really rather fast, kicked it into high after he asked her to lope for a bit. She can go from 0 to more than 60 in like a second...he didn't fall off though, just lost his hat. He looked a little concerned as he flew past me and Caballero, but he managed to whoa her and stayed quieter for the rest of the ride (including on the way home!) It was kinda funny. At one point I thought, uh oh...he's a goner, but he proved me wrong and stayed on top where he belonged. Nice John!

John, myself and Jon James got to go on a mini cattle round up this past Monday. We were helping bring in cow/calf pairrs from their summer grazing fields. There is a community of farmers that each bring 20 cow/calf pairs and in the fall they round them up and take them home for the winter. Bob, Amanda's signifcant other, invited us to go along. We had Cab (my horse), Copper (Johns previous horse) and one of the farmers lent Jon James an older mare to use. It was beautiful weather, the horses were pretty much well behaved and we did finally see cows in the last quarter of the ride (they were being pushed from the farside of the area by other riders, we just made a 'wall' so they couldn't turn the wrong way...they seemed to know what was expected and gave us no trouble.)

That is Jon James way over on the hill. He did his job, separated from us and kept his horse moving in the line. Well done!

My Caballero. Such a cutie, such a scaredy cat, but heck...there was A BUNCH of new stuff for him to experience.

John Paterson is in this picture, for the first hour and a half this is what we saw. Each other. Separated by scenic hills and valleys. But that is what we were supposed to do, slowly move forward, apparently in a line that spanned the whole field, we heard cows but didn't see any. I saw a herd of deer though. That was exciting :)

We WERE herding cows....just not too closely.

THis was the general set up, we formed a line across the field, each hilltop we stopped at and made sure the cows being driven from the farside were moving forward and that none were trying to cut back. We were also supposed to make sure the little hovels of trees were not hiding any...but we didn't actually go into the bushes, just looked.

My beautiful horse. Trying to figure out what the heck we were doing. He likes to be told exactly what he is to do and how...then if he feels you know what you are doing, he'll do it...pretty much no matter what you ask. So great :)

That is Jon James and another guy that was a part of the round up. Jon is on the solid colored horse. She was about 20, and looked a lot like our old horse "Oola" but she did her job and even cantered now and again. Jon is such a natural, doesn't ride for years, then can just get on and look like he knows what he is doing. No hands way in the air, no horrible posture (really good posture actually), he is a natural.

Finally...we saw the cows. They were well behaved and only a couple tried coming our way, luckily a 'real' cowboy was there to push them back. By then my horse just wanted to get to the front of them and was in no frame of mind to run toward one of them

Copper and John done for the day

Copper and John had a good day together, Copper used to be Johns but then was sold to the couple that now boards our horses, which is nice cause we still get to use her sometimes. And they are a great couple which really helped her become very people friendly.

Copper was good with the cows, didn't like to be too far from Caballero but went where she was told regardless. So apart from the gallop that had John a tad scared (terrified was the word he used). They were a great team.

She gets a little bored when left with nothing to do but who doesn't?

Copper is gorgeous, strong, comfortable, capable, inquisitive, friendly and determined. Great all round horse.

What a day...for Cab!

He was drenched when we returned to the home base. He was not tired though...just soaking wet. All the new stuff, quads, bikes, cows, people, other horses, hills....they left him rather high. I met a man there who helped him calm down (just by providing him consistent boundaries and expectations...without talking to him or really even looking at him...) and he gave me some helpful tips for working with Caballero...especially on hills. Caballero only wanted to run down hills, steep hills, very scary. And my tension transferred to him easily and didn't help him calm down. So I took the advice and will remember to stop worrying about everything around me and do what needs to be done to get Cab and me on the same page regardless of environment. Great experience for both of us.

See he's calm now and almost all dry!

Camp...you can see some of the others involved and even cows in the distance. THey will be held in this area until the next day when they will be rounded up into the corrals, sorted and shipped back to their homes for the winter.

Driving Home

Here are some of the cows we helped round up. Our job didn't take us very close to them really so this was to show you that there were cows!

WE had fun. We're good out together. Nice to get out and do something, not just a movie or dinner but fresh air, horses, each other, good weather, no responsibilities but to stay on and move forward.

I did it!!! THANKYOU FOR SUPPORTING ME AND PRAYING!!!!!

Congratulations - you did it! You gave your heart, soul, sweat and tears for three days and created some remarkable memories along the way.
It all began with an emotional Opening Ceremony at COW Palace. We walked through the hills of Daly City and San Francisco and passed by the San Francisco Zoo on the way to the Great Highway, where we walked along the coast through Ocean Beach. Then we strolled along the breathtaking Lands End Trail, enjoying a beautiful sunny day. As we arrived at Crissy Field, with the Golden Gate Bridge providing a gorgeous backdrop, a troop of fabulous local boy scouts helped us set up tents to protect us from the wind. A full moon lit the sky as we settled in for the night.
Saturday's route traveled through Sausalito and Mill Valley. We were serenaded at cheering stations by guitar players and 80s rockers and at camp by a wonderful youth a capella group, "Til Dawn." The Coast Guard came out to cheer us on, as well as cheerleaders from New Balance and Sequoia High School. As we headed back to Crissy Field to camp, one couple went off to get married! They had gotten engaged on last year's event and wanted to make the Breast Cancer 3-Day part of their wedding celebration. They came back on Sunday to finish the walk.
The final day of our journey began with ladies handing out tissues because it was so cold and windy as we left camp. The Oakland Fire Department brought their antique truck and handed out candy. We walked through Golden Gate Park, by the de Young Museum and Japanese Tea Gardens. Then we traveled through Haight Ashbury and downtown. The fabulous San Jose bike police kept us safe all weekend long!
A celebratory Closing Ceremony on Marina Green was a beautiful (though windy!) end to a beautiful weekend. The money we raised will help Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund save lives.

And it begins....

Trying to get everything to fit was quite the chore...and headache...we had to keep our individual packs to one bag each weighing no more then 35 pounds AND it had to include our sleeping bag, airmattress and pillow. We managed. Amazing. And now after completeing the 3 days we have a better idea of how to pack for any future walk. Nothing like doing it to teach ya!

The four of us on the morning of Day 1 at the Cow Palace (whatever that is...)

Laura was my partner for walking and getting down there. We made it! And we both met our goals!

We surely did take this to heart. We were passed by A LOT of people!! But we made it before getting shut down or picked up by sweeper vans. Let see: Day one we walked from 7:30 till 5:15. Day 2 we walked from 7:34 till 6:30? and Day 3 we walked from 7:10 until 3:15. Hmnnn...and no pitstop kept me longer then 10 minutes except lunch which was maybe 20-30 minutes each day. So our team was pretty slow, but we tried to stick together and make sure we had enough juice to make it the whole way! Successful!!

The damages...

Duct tape was great. I asked for specific prayer on day 2 for my blisters...and it worked! I didn't have to add to, change or mess with my pre bandaged feet at all. So good!

But by the end of day 3...different story. I had just added on top of previous bandages, too tired and afraid that taking my shoes off would mean never getting them back on...so blisters did arrive and by the last part of the day, 3-4 miles or so...it was painful...I ended up kinda walking on my tippy toes as my heels were rubbing too much and I was too past it to care :) enough to change the set up. But they are getting all better now, so no harm no foul :)

Closing ceremonies continued.

When the surviors came through the line to stand on the platform, everyone held up their running shoes. Mine were attached to my fanny pack, so I held the whole thing up. Pretty neat, very sad, but hopeful too.

The survior circle.

Closing Ceremonies

We rested for about an hour at the end of the walk, then we formed a parade of all participants, walked 5 a'breast', for I think 1/2 mile down to the wharf where closing ceremonies were held. Pretty cool, shut down traffic, took up a lot of space. I walked in my crocs :)

Reasons why we walked, Katie and I carried flags at times, she more than I, and when I get pictures from her camera I will post them.

It was a HUGE event. You could tell that at the end when all were assembled. 1500 walkers, lots of crew and supporters. Truely fun and rewarding. Nothing like anything I had done before!!

Walking with you got me through!

Done! We did it! We all met our goals!! 1/2 marathon, 60 miles, every day, smiling, having fun, walking despite the pain, remembering those whose blisters won't go away in a couple days because they have ongoing radiation treatments. We did what we came to do and it was awesome!

Mom and daughter, both loving, encouraging, stubborn, determined and highly capable women. Great to see you together :)

Well, Laura, mission impossible....now mission possible. Way to go :)

Sandy! The Woman of the Day :)

Holy Cow! Sandy, Katie's mom (who by the way is a lovely 60 years of age!), walked the entire way, 60 miles and all around camp too, with crazy blisters, sore aching body and determination like I've not seen in a long time. She was bound and determined to make it and she sacrificed a lot! Tons of training, tons of fund raising (she was our top fundraiser). Going from NO walking to staying faithful to her training regime. And she did it.
Well done Sandy I am so amazed and proud of what you accomplished! I'll never forget the sight of you...walking "one foot in front of the other" "one step at a time" "one more step". You did it!!!

Sandy had a shawl that held on individual ribbons (attached by her own hand right up until the day we did the walk) the names of people who donated, people who lost the battle to cancer (breast or other) and survivors and others people requested she walk for. It was a highlight to so many people. Never to be forgotten. So many people asked about it and said they would always remember it. Nice!

One of the small hills we walked....San Francisco has a ridiculous amount of hills. We went up, then down...that was nice...until we realized that if you go down...you just have to go up again! But we did it. And I only stopped half way up one hill to breathe. The rest I did without having to stop. Pretty amazing!

Best Friends Forever. Its true. I Love you Katie! Keep up the fight :)

Great signs and one of our lovely crew members...they were awesome, kept us safe in crosswalks, met us at pit stops, gave us what we needed when we needed it. And they are VOLUNTEERS!! Well done Crew :) You made it happen!

Cheer Stations...they matter!!!

Seriously....when we would get to a cheering station or when vehicles would drive by and honk...it kept us going. Sometimes it was the only reason we did keep going Ithink... such a nice thing to be noticed and Thanked! Lots of cute signs and funny sayings, wish I could remember them all. My favorite was "Save Second Base" and Katie gave me a pin that said that. I was to cheap to buy one :( Thanks Katie!!

Katie was my reason for doing this walk, and her deliberate attitude of positiveness and energy was amazing and I loved it. Walking without her was hard the few times I did it. She kept on going, despite the pain, despite the brain injury and headaches, despite everything that could have had her stop...kinda like the energizer bunny :) Well done Katie!

The "other side of the bridge"

We made it! What an insanely long bridge, I was beginning to think it would actually never end. But it did. And we both made it to pit stop 1 on day 2! yeah for us :) You can see below another of our faithful volunteer policemen...they wore pink shirts :) and carried little boom boxes on their bikes which gave us a welcome dose of music when they would go by. We were not allowed any ear phones so only a couple of people had ipods/iphones that played music outloud. What a hard time without music!! We loved when we would get a small listen in on anything with a beat!!!!

The other side....finally!

The Bridge Continued!

`Laura is afraid of heights, so getting her this close to the edge wasn't the easiest, but she was brave and did it. I think she even looked over the edge?

See, there is our camp in the distance. Such a view from camp of the bridge...though I was dissapointed that it wasn't golden...or even very pretty! I say some gilding is in order!

I laid down to get the following picture, nice break though a lot of people were concerned with my welfare! Come on guys, its only the first hour of day 2...I'm fine!!

Day 2 "The bridge"

Base Camp

The first day we walked from "Cow Palace" through who knows where and ended up at base camp.
We started around 7:30 and ended at 5:15. Long day. But the sea of pink was fun to see in the distance, knowing we were almost there. It was right on the water, so beautiful...but also windy...and as the days progressed...VERY cold and windy. We slept in tents, 2 to a 6.5' x 6.5' tent. We had portapoties, and food tents. They had a medical tent and other odds and ends tents (stores/sales etc.) but they had to be taken down on day 2 due to the crazy wind. Our food tent stayed up but it was a chilly eating time!

Our tent was the third from the end of a row of 40-50 tents! And there were only portapotties at the far end. Our food tents and everything else were at the end of another row of 40-50- tents) LOTS of walking even in camp :( . It was a crazy long walk, specially in the middle of the night when I had to go to the bathroom.

At the end of day one walking, we got into camp, set up our tents inside (Laura had gotten help putting the actual tents up and getting our gear there) then we went for supper, I left for a shower and then...get this...I went to bed at 8:45 and was asleep by just after 9pm! I NEVER go to bed before 11 pm (and that is usually early for me) but I was tired, and I slept well. I didn't use an airmattress, the grass was very thick and soft and there was a hole in the ground right where my hip needed to be so as long as I slept on my side it was comfortable. And I brought earplugs with me as both Laura and I snore...so that way I didn't wake myself up and neither did she! Very nice. I also showered at night which is weird for me, but I couldn't face getting up even earlier to wait in line for the truck showers (which left no room for privacy I'll have you know...fine for those of you who don't care....but quite the feat for those of us who don't want to show every bit and piece that we call our own :) So many naked people...in such close quarters...but it was a great hot shower and it warmed me up enough to go to sleep in peace and wearing a hat to walk meant no worries over bed head the next morning.

My tent mate, and the reason any of these pictures exist! Yeah Laura, what fun we had :)

On day two, I was a little more socialable and after eating supper Katie and I hung around in the big tent to hear who had won the "rockstar" competition. It was a 3 way tie and they all got buttons. They all had great songs (some made up songs like the song sung to the tune of "we will rock you" with a chorus of "we will /walk the/ three day") Then they had a dance party with great music. They made the men get up onstage first and dance...then when the women were allowed up (Laura had returned by then from the medical tent where she had her foot iced) I said, Laura...give it 3 seconds. And low and behold in under 3 seconds I'd say...Katie was up front and center stage moving like she hadn't walked 10 or so hours previously :) Laura and I didn't have the guts to go up so we danced demurely in our seats...well I was actually on the ground trying to stretch so that I could make it to my tent when Katie returned! We didn't stay for the whole thing as the showers and my bed were calling...loudly! I was dreading another day of walking!!

One other cool thing at supper was that just after I had sat down and begun eating, freezing cold and trying not to shake my food off the fork...there was an announcement that the last walker was arriving and could we all please go line up at the flagpole to greet her. I actually thought they were joking...what were they thinking making me get up and WALK even one more step let alone across a dark uneven field. Quite a few others continued sitting and I figured I was exempt as I was still eating, but then the music started ("I got a feeling", by the black eyed peas) and I thought...if it were me, I'd be so thankful to see others standing up for me...so I excused myself and hobbled while trying to move a bit to the music and made my way out to the flagpole. (it wasn't so far away thank goodness!) and I was a part of the team, huge team, that welcomed her in! Pretty exciting...kinda how God and the angels rejoice when one of us returns home. At least that's how I saw it.

Some of the Scenery

Our Favorite Cheer Team!

Hookers for Hooters...what else could you want :) they were so entertaining, encouraging and funny. They would drive by with their stereo blaring and then wait at different stops to give us up close and personal encouragement!! Sometimes a wave or call to dance, and other times a smack on the backside with one of their 'props'.
Yikes!!

Pit Stop One!

At Pit stop one, there were bathrooms (complete with serenading, hassling, dancing and all sorts of crazy nonsense acting, volunteer San Hose Police Men) This officer was great!! Just like Jim Carrey. He followed one lady right into the bathroom much to her suprise, after serenading another lady and then dancing with her when she came out...he also banged on all the doors demading the women hurry up and get a move on! Wonderful comic relief, but he was only there the first day :(

Long lines for the bathrooms, but you HAD to go to make sure you were drinking enough along the way.

Looking pretty good arne't we :) yeah....it WAS only pit stop one.

Sierra's 'cat' while we were away on holidays

Just a cute little guy she found while 'pouting' on the beach...he cheered her up (as long as she didn't try to pick him up with her fingers as his hair had quite the sharpness to it. He became our 'horse' in our castle corral.

Camping Trip August 2009

Well we missed out on any pictures from our actual "goertz" famil reunion...guess we were too busy having fun, playing baseball, eating, swimming, diving off high diving boards, sleeping, eating, singing, visiting etc. etc. It was good! But we caught some pics from our way home. We spent 2 nights in Salmon Arm, B.C. beside a lake. That was also good and relaxing and our Korean 'sons' were excellent travellers. No complaining, set up there own tent and took it down (very precisely) helped out with the kids and endured LONG drives in the truck with those same kids!! Well done guys :)

The Sandcastles. We started with just the kids building a small one each, then I got bored and joined in the fun...continue on for just what we were able to create with sand, an icecream pail, lake water and natures decorations.

The kids got bored of it long before I did...but being a tad OCD I kept them on task and working!! :) catipillars and food brought them back on board full swing in no time.

Finally the men arrive to help finish the moat...filling it with water was quite the challenge.

Finished Product. Not a bad job if I do say so myself. It was a lot of fun for me to do...with everyone helping :)

MORAINE LAKE, BANFF

Stopped in here on our way home (it was a looooong way home...just ask the boys!!) What a beautiful spot.

Paul's Birthday...better late than never :)

Birthday supper with family and even our old homestay student "Nelson" who we got to have stay with us for a couple of weeks at school years end. It was great having our old 'son' home again.

Presents and again kids around to offer LOTS of help unwrapping and sampling!

friends/family attending our party time and of course some of the gifts!! Nice big rice cooker for those hungry times :)

Finally the cake...tried for a soccer theme as he's a great player and lover of the game.

And last but not least we used his new cards to play some games...can't remember who won, but I know it WASN'T me :(

Happy Birthday Paul! We adore your smile and personality!!

Brian's Birthday Pictures

These are very delayed pictures, but I am a procrastinator. Sorry. click on the collages to see the pictures up closer :)

John and Paul hung out on the couch watching the festivities and John helped decipher one of the Canadian 'jokes' in a birthday card.

We had a dance party at the beginning of Brians Birthday party...we didn't make them dance (well Paul did humble himself and did a few moves) but Brian showed us a few of his Korean Martial Arts training moves.

Presents...snacks and gift cards and a bunch of kids to share them with :) Brian is a very good big brother to the kids and is patient and very kind with them.

Casendra stealing the wrapping paper and the show :)

Reading the various cards with Sierra's help.

Brians Birthday cake. We tricked him into trying to blow out the sparklers...he knew what we were doing but good naturedly played along...such a great sport!

Cousin Solomon looking on happily with Ethan explaining something to Brian

Cousin Journey with the birthday boy.

Happy Birthday Brian! You are awesome :) !!

Welcome to the San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer 3-Day: San Francisco Bay Area Widget

Trimming Weekend

Wow, what a lot of work, education and wishing barefoot trimmer simply lived closer. But it was FUN!

We really did have an awesome time. Lane and Margie were awesome hosts and very knowledgeable. It was also neat to have a farrier taking the coures (a girl!) to give us both views (lane used to be a regular farrier too). Not something that will be perfected anytime soon, but we have lots of support and our horses are both VERY patient. But I can see the benefit and we will work together to get our horses feet healthy (which includes more than just a good trim).

Lane Moore and John studying and working on Srgt's feet together. How these people do this, and not become crippled is beyond me.

My beautiful boy...and my hansome husband too :)

Front foot started, far one still waiting on us. Working on Cadaver feet was much easier...wish I had more to practice on!

From One "bum" to another :)

Such funny poses, I had to get pictures. And of course you can see my wonderful horse waiting patiently in the background.

Another bum picture, but you can also see Margie Moore in the background. She kept us VERY well fed and housed...and helped make things 'clear' when all that Lane knew was a bit much to take in :0)

More "Action" shots :)

measuring angles...Srgt's were WAY off! He had been trimmed before so that there pretty much was no angle at all to his hooves...honesstly almost straight across at the coronet band.

Seeing how deep one could dig to get the heels down!

Nice area to work in, There were about 6 of us I think...including one female farrier! Wish she lived closer! And a 14 year old guy...he did really well.

Finished Products

John and Lane did such a great job on Srgts feet, (in the first 2 pictures, it shows the hoof that they did, and the one hind left before it was done...he had been trimmed by a farier just 2 weeks before...yikes!

These last 2 are of Cabs front feet. I did the back ones, but forgot to get pictures :(

It will take some time, especially for Srgt., to get his feet really good. But already in the field I can see a difference. Less pain, more freedom to move! Very cool.

Relaxing at Night--beautiful views!

Happy 8th Birthday Sierra. Some pieces of your year leading up to this day...enjoy!

Dear Sierra,

Wow, you are 8 years old.
You are a smart, talented, sweet, kind, loving, curious and beautiful young lady.
I am so proud that you are my daughter.
Sometimes I forget to take the time to look at you, to see you, to acknowledge you and how wonderful you are. How much of a blessing you are in my life.
An actual GIFT from God…to me and to dad. And of course to many others too.
I love who you are and I am so enjoying being your mom.

This year I want to commit to praying for you every day. Specifically for you, not just as part of a night time prayer. I am going to pray for your spirit, for your mind and for your body. I will be praying for you as you continue to make friends and figure out how to live peacefully with them. I am going to pray that you are able to guard your heart and yet to be free enough to express it truthfully. I am going to pray that as you continue to grow and learn, that you remember that God is your father, your friend and your King. I will pray that you remember him every day, remember that He is with you at all times, when you are being good, when you are being naughty, when you are happy and when you are scared, sad or feeling lonely. I pray that you will know God and learn to see yourself as he sees you. I will pray that you learn to not be afraid to fail. To not be afraid to make mistakes…because you are human and until we get to heaven, all of us will make mistakes, but we will be forgiven for them and we will be loved through them and best of all…we will actually learn from them and be used by God through them. I will pray that you will not be afraid to be yourself or to do what God wants you to do even when it is different than your friends and they perhaps tease you.

I love who YOU are, and I don’t ever want you to think of being anyone different.

God made you with a purpose and a plan and you have brought hope to many of us.
Your family loves you and I love you and that is the way it IS!! Be brave, try new things, let people know what you are feeling and, no matter what, be truthful, it sets you free!

Sierra, you are my 1st baby, my first daughter and my first 8 year old.
I love you and I am proud of you.

I hope and pray that this year will be awesome for you.
Enjoy your time as an 8 year old. Have fun, be a kid, make mistakes and please
never hesitate to ask me for a hug or cuddle when I get too busy to see that you need or want one.

Tell people your dreams, your wishes, your hopes…tell me…I WILL listen. And I will do everything I can to make them happen.

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY!!

I love you Sierra,


Mom