Newly-Weds

   I got married last Saturday, in Eureka Springs, AR. The Dinner Bell Ranch is a nice retreat out in the woods - four cabins, horses, peace and quiet - it was awesome :)
   This was my second wedding, and his second wedding. We went on a horseback ride down to a small country church, and had a small wedding. It was nice. And the girls got to go on short horseback rides, which they loved.
   I can't really think of much more to write, so here's a few pictures instead...

Wrapping Up School

   The last day of school for the homeschooling calendar is June 30th, which is coming up fast - in ten days. ZoKo is currently at 1,053.5 hours, with a mandatory time of 1,000 hours. So I'm sure that you can do the math to figure out that I'm not paniced about getting her enough hours in. She is currently mid-way through Arithmetic 3, Discovery Works, and Neighborhoods & Communities, which are all third grade books. The science and history ones are her second third grade textbooks, which we are covering just to help ensure her total education will have fewer holes in it.
   She is currently reading Fire Star (book 3 of the Last Dragon Chronicles), and is almost through reading Twilight (book 1 of the Twilight Saga). She's working on Outdoor Girls Of Deepdale (book 1 of the Outdoor Girls series) for classic literature.
   I've rearranged her workstation so that the assignments for each subject are in their respective notebook, rather than all piled into one notebook. This also give her access to her notes and previous assignments at any time, and allows her to take notes as she pleases. I'm hoping that this will be an asset as her work evolves in difficulty and skill level.

Wedding Updates

   The wedding is this Saturday. My boyfriend and I went to Eureka Springs last week to do some last minute planning. Got the marriage license and some miscellaneous things which I'm sure have nothing to do with the upcoming event. We did find another skunk to follow us home, and we named it Eureka. If you know me, you'll understand. As for those of you who don't like skunks, you're obviously reading the wrong blog anyway...
   My daughter has informed me that she gave official invites to Flower and Bashful, two skunks that reside with my mom. Apparently they're riding with me, something about not being able to walk that far all on their own...
   We finally got the colored sand we need for the ceremony, black and white (anyone thinking skunks?). We also located the favors we've been searching for, but they're a surprise, so I'm not going to let you in on that one until after the wedding. Also figured out how we're the take home flowers and decided on a wedding cake. Home-made raspberry mocha :)
   As far as the guest list goes, it's still undecided. So far, I have 4 or 5 definites and about 5 or 6 maybe's. So, I guess I'll just see who shows up when push comes to shove. Oh well, story of my life...

Baby Bunnies & Mommy

   On Friday (June 10th), we had a new addition to our family: a bunny family :) How did this happen? Well, on Thursday, mom noticed her vegetables disappearing from her garden and I found a rabbit living under her storage shed. The rabbit was obviously domestic (white and brown), rather than a wild rabbit. So, we decided that we'd get a live trap the next day and catch it. The plan was that it would save her garden and that maybe I could acquire a pet (if it was social and friendly).
   So, on Friday, we went and bought a live trap for one bunny. We set it up by the shed and figured we wouldn't catch anything until evening. That afternoon, my bf was mowing my mom's yard, and came across a baby bunny nest. Having destroyed the nest completely, and having knocked a baby out of it, we decided the best shot for the bunnies would be to try to take them in and care for them. Overnight, we bought milk and attempted to feed them with no luck whatsoever.
   Saturday morning I received a call from my mom to tell me she had caught the rabbit in the live trap. So, we took in the bunny, and I discovered that she is not only very friendly and loves being held, but she was also the Mommy bunny! Reunited with her babies, she is taking good care of them, and they are all friendly and love being held. The babies have now opened their eyes and are hopping around their cage. How on earth all this came together has got to be a miracle, but we're very glad to have such a wonderful bunny family in our house, and that Mommy bunny was content to forgive us for displacing her babies and has settled in well to her new home. :)

Poetry Readings

   I've been doing open mic nights off and on for about 9-10 years now. I'll do it at one venue for a time or two, or for a few years, then stop for a while, then try out someplace new. I guess I'm still looking for thet home away from home, or something to that effect. I found a new venue, and tonight was my second evening there. They do open mic on a weekly basis, which is a first for me. Every other place it's been monthly. And this is the first time I've read publicly in over two years. I don't think I did too badly though, so that's a good start.
   Anyway, I'm planning on posting the poems I read each week up on my poetry blog, and I'm really, really hoping that maybe this process will somehow help me to resume writing, considering I haven't written much of anything in the last three months (poetry or otherwise, really). I always believed that the only reason I write is for people to hear it, so maybe it lost it's purpose for a while, and thus I lost my motivation (or something to that effect). Who knows...
   ZoKo is thrilled to be going back to open mic nights. She was raised in them, literally. So many of her "firsts" in the first two years of life occured during or shortly following an open mic session. And she has a knack for the stage. Tonight, she sang three songs which were all total improv and left the audience in shock. I meant to bring the video recorder but forgot to do so, hopefully I'll remember to do so next week. I really need to get some videos of her. :)
   I'm tired and it's way past my bedtime, so I'll post more soon, hopefully. Until then, peace out, and have a good life. If you're ever in Springfield on a Monday night, feel free to drop by. My poetry probably sucks, but there's cool music and a singing 7-year old that's worth the price of the coffee. :)