So Ellie is getting ready for her second horse show and has started jumping horses.  Last show she placed 3rd and 4th in two different categories.  This was amazing considering she was riding in a class with other riders that had 10+ years experience.  She's definately a natural.



Here is a picture of Ellie after the horse show.

We built a hovercraft and tested the vertical speeds as they relate to the surface the hovercraft is traveling over.  Ethan WON and we are headed to the next level.  Hopefully we will make it all the way to state.

Ethan and I spent the day touring Fort Fisher.  Here is our tour guide who spent most of the time explaining the part African Americans played in the Civil War.  Very interesting.


Just so happened that day they were doing a demonstration on how they fired the cannons.

What can I say other than WOW.  Somehow this place gets bigger every time I go there.  Ethan had a wonderful time and we spent about 6 hours touring the house and the grounds.



Got a picture inside until we were informed of their NO PHOTOGRAPHY policy.



How's this for a back yard?



I told Ethan we could buy the place if he would promise to mow the yard.  He thought about it then decided it might be too much work.



Went to the farm



God forbid we see a chicken and Ethan not chase it down and pick it up



Another perfect trip.  Ellie spent the whole time and her Grandmother's house preparing for and attending Courtney's baby shower.  On the last day Ethan and I were so filthy and exhausted we cheated and headed back to Raleigh and took showers and spent the night with the Grandparents.

Another backpacking trip with Ethan.  Got rained on a lot and spent a night at a KOA campground but had a wonderful time as always.  We got to the falls early one morning and they let Ethan raise the flag.


Headed to the falls.  Ethan was in a wonderful mood as always so we snapped a quick picture on the bridge.



These are the upper falls.



Damn I'm a good photographer.



Ethan being Ethan.





Here is the crevice in the side of the mountain Ethan and I were hiking on.  We were so high up and on such a small ledge I even started to get a few butterflies.  Spent most of the time trying to keep Ethan alive without killing myself.



 We got to the edge so I tried to take a picture while hanging on for dear life.



Here is where we hiked to.

I decided it was time to start teaching Ethan a little about handgun safety and he had been begging to go to the shooting range so we gave it a shot, lol.  Anyway, Ethan did incredible.  I didn't care if he couldn't hit the side of the building, all I was working on with him was safety and how the gun works.  He shot 50 rounds with a 9mm and hit 3 bulls eyes.  We had a blast and Ethan learned some important safety information.

So we sent the kids to horse back riding camp for a week this summer and it was a huge hit.  Of course we had to go and buy Ethan and Ellie cowboy boots so they would fit in.  Camp started at 8am and ran all day until around 4pm.  By the time they got home they were black from head to toe and smelled much worse than any of the horses there.  They both had an incredible time though.

Here are the stalls that they cleaned out every day.  Can't get them to put their dishes in the sink but somehow shoveling horse crap all day was fascinating.


Ethan mounting up to show his horse.



Ellie getting ready to show.









Ethan and Ellie placed First and Second.  What a team.

As of today I am an official FAA licensed pilot.  Flew up to Florence for my check ride and was handed my license two hours later.  I think the FAA examiner felt bad for me because he got kind of carried away with doing "unusual attitude" testing.  This is where you put your visor on so you can't see outside the plane then put your head in your lap and close your eyes while he flips the plane around to some weird  attitude then you have to open your eyes and correct everything using only the instruments.  The first 3 went fine but on the 4th one I think he was getting bored and wanted to play some.  By the time he was done "adjusting" the plane this final time I was so sick I couldn't even see.  I believe we were inverted in a dead spin doing about 2 negative G's.  God knows how I got out of it but he could tell I wasn't doing well and I think felt kind of bad.  I pulled it together, did a few more landings and he handed me my license.  YEE HAW.

I'm still feeling a little "green" in these pictures.





Thanks to Kaleb and Red Sky Aviation for getting me trained.