Dinner with Smitty

Well technically I didn't eat with Michael W Smith, but he did eat just 8 or so feet away from my table!  Last night, Jason and I had the unique opportunity to attend a private (only 100 people) Michael W Smith mini-concert at a local Dallas area restaurant.    

We arrived at the restaurant and were seated right in FRONT of the stage!  So cool!  Soon after we were seated, another couple came in and were seated at our table.  They were a really nice, friendly couple, Zach & Jen.  We spent a lovely dinner getting to know them.  Turns out, Zach is one of the worship pastors at Gateway Church in Southlake.  Gateway Church is just across the highway from our church, Countryside Bible.  So we had much to talk about and found several other similarities...more about this couple later.

So, we got to know our table-mates over a wonderful dinner.  Jason had the prime rib, I had the prime sirloin.  Delectable!

About the time dinner was over, Michael took the stage to start the mini-concert.  This was my view the entire show (no zoom lens needed or used ;-):

Michael performed a variety of songs -old and new.  So much fun to hear the songs that have really been a soundtrack to my life - sung live by Michael himself!  Interspersed between groupings of songs, there was a question & answer time.  Guests could write questions on little index cards and Tony Lopez of KLTY (the radio station that sponsored this event) read some and Michael answered!

Towards the end of the concert, Michael started off a song stating this was one of his new favorites and the first time he heard it, he just wept through the whole song because it so perfectly expressed how he felt towards the Lord.  And then he played this song (the video below wasn't taken last night (obviously) but sounds pretty close to what it was like and similar comments he made)

You could tell it meant a lot to him personally and it is a beautiful song.  The evening ended shortly thereafter, (Michael gave some closing comments)...

...and then he started to go around the room from table to table, meeting and greeting, signing autographs, talking with the guests, etc.  When he came to our table, we found out something pretty cool and amazing!  Zach, our "tablemate" wrote the last song, "The More I Seek You" (this song was actually recorded by Kari Jobe originally - Michael hasn't recorded it yet). Jen told Michael that Zach would never tell this to him, but she wanted him to know - so we got to listen in on a huge singer/songwriter profusely thank and commend the songwriter for a song that has touched him!  Pretty cool and I can't imagine how that felt for Zach to hear Michael say that from the stage, then sing HIS song!  Amazing!  We felt like we had 'celebrities' at the table with us all of a sudden because we know and love that song as well (I think we've even sung that at church!).  

So then, we had our little chat with Michael and got a picture with him too.  I had Michael sign the picture I took with him when I first met him back in 1997 on his Christmas Tour with Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Faith Hill & Gary Chapman.  I had won another contest then and was flown to Nashville to attend the first concert of the tour/season and passes to the VIP reception afterwards.  Great memories!  And don't be shocked by my blonde hair - it was a short phase, believe me!

Here's the current shot...I guess we both look a little older (although Michael has fared better - did you know he turned 53 today, has 3 grandchildren and 2 more on the way!?) My little bit of 'news' from the night though is that Michael and Amy are planning to tour again together either late 2011 or 2012.  This has not been announced yet but you heard it first here, folks!  Who knows, maybe I'll have another opportunity to have Michael sign the picture taken last night!

Until next time...

Update on Belle

We had a little scare with Belle yesterday.  I went up to the barn in the morning and she was fine.  Had a lesson on Tommy and she still seemed fine.  Went down to the house for about 20 minutes and when I came back, she had slipped her halter off and looked as though she had rolled in her stall (which is very bad with her fractured tibia).  I put the halter back on after making sure her leg didn't seem worse.  She seemed fine so I got her grain and supplements ready and put it in her trough.  She didn't touch it.  That was when I become concerned.  Belle never leaves her grain. I hand walked her outside for awhile.  She put her nose to the grass and smelled but wouldn't eat. She tried to lay down while we were outside and I was becoming increasingly worried.  


I took her temp (96.5 degrees - low for horses) and checked her respiratory rate (25 breaths per minute - on the high side of normal) and decided to call the vet.  He felt concerned and that she was probably trying to colic.  No surprise based on how she was acting.  He told me to give her 10 cc's of banamine, take her outside in the sun to hand walk her, and make sure there was water nearby if she wanted to drink.  


After giving her the banamine, I hand walked her about 2 hours total.  (1 hour at first, another hour later in the day).  She drank a little but by 5 pm, still no bowel movements and she wasn't drinking much.  Called the vet again and he said to give her a dose of electrolytes that come in a syringe.  If she hadn't gone to the bathroom by 8, give her another 10 cc's of banamine.  Ran to the feed store and came back.  Gave her the dose at 6 pm, by 8 pm she had gone to the bathroom!  Success!  


So, I felt a little bit better about going to bed last night!  Although I did wake up at 2:30 and go up to check on her again.  She's still doing well this morning so she's on limited hay today and if everything is still going well, back to regular feeding tomorrow.  


As my vet said, the actual fracture isn't our biggest concern in a horse of Belle's age.  Founder and colic are big risks.  Being that we're only 1 week into her 6 week stall rest, I'm hoping the rest of the time is uneventful!!


Until next time...

Video of the Week (Week 38)

All that I can say about this is you will get more info next week (on Sunday to be exact).  Enjoy for now!  Ava is in the far left group wearing the green shirt and green skirt.

Cheer Camp from Chanda Schuh on Vimeo.

Until next time...

Project 365 - Days 270-276

Well, I was right - it has been a crazy busy week but a lot of fun too!  This next week promises more of the same but at least I'll have some good pictures, right?

Day 270/365 - September 26

I've been driving by a place several times a week that is advertising bags of shavings for $3.50.  For those that don't know, this is a great deal.  To buy a bag of shavings at the feed store it costs $6-7 so this is a great savings.  I never saw anyone out front or a store to go into but they did have a phone number.  So I called and the man instructed me there was a lock box sitting on one of the bags of shavings where I could put my money.  Total honor system.  And the lock box wasn't even secured to anything.  Again, honor system.  I love the country!  So we loaded up with as much as we could and dropped our money in the box.  I need to get back there and load up with more as soon as possible!

Day 271/365 - September 27

I blogged about this earlier in the week but here was Belle getting her x-rays that confirmed the fractured tibia.

Day 272/365 - September 28

Here's another shot of Belle in her home for the next 6 weeks.  She's still pulling the cable down so today I'm off to buy a stronger cable and attach it a bit differently...

Day 273/365 - September 29

This picture was taken earlier in the week when Ava had set up a restaurant upstairs complete with a special menu (or "menou" as the case may be ;-)  What an imagination this girl has!

Day 274/365 - September 30

My parents are in town for Amelia's dedication later in the week.  Ava was so excited to see her Grandpa and Grandma when school let out!

Day 275/365 - October 1

My Dad was getting bored and wanted to be put to work!  So, I gave him the paint can and some paint brushes and set him to work painting the miles of fencing we have!  He's doing a great job!

Day 276/365 - October 2

My cousin Joni and my Aunt Dorothy drove into Dallas on Friday so Joni could check out some possible programs for her post graduate work.  They rolled up to our place Saturday afternoon and left a short 21 hours later.  We had a great time while they were here and as you can see, the girls quickly warmed up to them!

Until next time...

Poor Belle

Belle is my 24 year-old Quarter Horse mare.  She was almost my first horse back in 2003 when I was looking.  Instead, I bought Tommy and few months later, my friend Lori bought Belle.  It was a great combination because Lori and I would take weekly riding lessons together as well as ride together during the week.  So, we also spent a lot of time with each others' horses!  At the end of 2006, Lori was looking to move up in her type of horse (by this time, Belle was 19 years old) but wanted to make sure Belle would go to a good home.  We only had Tommy and Butters at the time so I said, "Sell Belle to me!"  I knew she'd make a great 'husband horse', was calm, trustworthy, etc.  And that is how Belle came to live with us.  And she's been a wonderful addition to our herd ever since.  

So, that grand introduction is all leading up to what happened Sunday.  I came up to the barn Sunday morning to feed.  Everyone was in their stalls, waiting expectantly for breakfast.  I fed and we left for church.  We were gone most of the morning and into the afternoon so I didn't return to the barn until Sunday evening to feed dinner.  Belle was waiting in her stall and that was when I noticed her back right leg was swollen from her hoof all the way up to her hip!  You can see how large it is in comparison to the other leg!

Belle sometimes will stock up when standing in her stall overnight but she had been turned out and this was way beyond stocking up.  I knew something was wrong.  There were no obvious cuts, marks, sores, etc. but, Belle had something similar happen a few months ago when her front leg completely swelled up.  Vet came out, diagnosed it as cellulitis and put her on an antibiotic.  Within 24 hours, her leg was back to normal.  So, I was hoping it was the same situation here.  We decided to wait until morning to call the vet so I hosed her leg down with cold water, gave her bute, put an ice wrap on her leg, did everything I could to try and resolve it on my own. 

Monday morning, Belle was out in the pasture grazing (which was a good sign, I thought).  But as I watched her limp into the stall for breakfast, I realized she was the same.  So, even though I thought it was another case of cellulitis, I didn't want her to founder her good leg because she was putting all her weight on it.  I called my wonderful vet, Dr. Lampe who luckily, was nearby and at my barn within a few hours.  Upon examination, he noticed Belle seemed quite tender to the touch on the upper part of her leg.  He decided to take some x-rays to rule out a fractured leg.

That is Dr. Lampe holding the x-ray 'gun' on the left and my horse chiropractor, Kathy Lyons on the right holding the film that captures the image.  I had her appointment booked to work on Tommy and the gray thoroughbred for a few months and it happened to coincide with this event!  The great thing about Dr. Lampe is he is completely portable so I didn't have to trailer Belle into a vet's office for the x-rays, he did it right then and there!

Well, to my surprise, turns out Belle has a fractured tibia!  We have no idea how she did it; she was in a stall and turnout all by herself so we know no other horses were involved. And unfortunately, Belle is not telling us how she did it!  I guess the only good thing is she was down in weight a bit when this happened.  I was going to start upping her grain to get some fat on her for the coming winter but now I'm holding off a bit because the decrease in weight is actually better for her joints and especially for the back left leg (the good leg) which she is standing on all the time now.  The good news, my vet informed me, is that it could have been much worse.  There is no casting involved - just stall rest with some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.  The bad news is that stall rest is for 6 weeks.  And oh yeah, she can't lay down for fear that when she goes to stand up, she'll completely snap the bone.  Fun times.

So, to give her some mobility but keep her from laying down, we rigged this cable up in her stall and tied her now padded halter (to prevent chaffing and rubbing) to it.  She can walk around but can't get her head low enough to lay down.

Which sounds all nice and good except that she's pulled the cable down each night.  I'm not sure if she's been laying down or just trying to get to the far corner of her stall where there is another water source but I am now awake at night, worrying that she is laying down and that one of these times, she's going to stand up, snap her leg and I'm going to have to put her down! *sigh*  Oh Belle, could you puhleeze not break the cable anymore and just resign yourself to having to stand?  I would really like some more sleep ;-)

I talked with Dr. Lampe again yesterday to update him on Belle's condition and it seems she's coming along fine.  He did give me the go ahead to hand walk her to the pasture and let her graze.  This is a huge mental break for her.  So I did this as soon as we got off the phone and I was happy to see she's walking MUCH better and putting more weight on the bad leg.  This is important because on Monday, the farrier is coming to put a shoe and pad on the bad leg to help give her more cushion and support.  In order to do this, Belle obviously has to put all her weight on the bad leg so he can lift up the good leg to attach the pad and shoe.  We're not out of the woods yet but so far, so good!

Until next time... 

Video of the Week (Week 37)

I don't know much about Anita Renfroe but I sure find some of her videos entertaining!  The funniest thing about this one are the back up dancers and their expressions, or lack thereof! Hilarious!!

Until next time...