Seven Days

Post by Erin

It's officially seven days until I fly back to Portland. This time next week I'll be over an ocean with Sita, trying to find a movie (or five) to watch to entertain myself for the 10 hour flight.

It's a bittersweet time for me, I really have loved my time here in Holland, and the way it came to an end has been less than desirable. But on the other hand, I am overjoyed to be returning to Portland and all my family and friends there, especially since my living situation is all buttoned up and looks to be AMAZING!

Things I Will Miss About Holland:
1) Ben. Time will help tremendously with this one.
2) Kitties, Bumper and Bandit. I am taking Sita with me of course, and she's always been my personal favorite, but the boys bring a certain something to the table as well, and I'll miss their shenanigans.
3) Full time tackmaking. There's no way I can afford the health insurance to be self-employed in the US, so back to a day job I go. There's plusses to that too, of course - a steady paycheck is nothing to be sneezed at! I will of course still be making items in my spare time, it just won't get to be my #1 activity anymore.
4) My Dutch friends. Some of them are Dutch, some are expats from elsewhere, but I was just getting to know some really amazing women over here. Fortunately we can keep in touch via Facebook, but it won't be the same.
5) Dutch Radio. They really do know how to make a dance mix, and hearing trance on the local radio is pretty great.
6) THE CHEESE. Though, now that I know what to look for, I expect I can find a lot of the things I eat here in the states, I'll just have to look harder... fortunately Portland has some of the best world grocery stores around!
7) Learning Dutch. I was more than halfway through with it, and while going to class 20 hours per week was time consuming, I did enjoy the mental stretching.


Things I am OVERJOYED to be Going Home to:
1) MY DADDY!! Who cares if I'm almost thirty, I love my dad and it's been awful being so far away.
2) My friends! I've missed birthdays, weddings, baby announcements and new births, and I'm so happy I won't be thousands of miles away anymore.
3) Portland, the city I know. I really do love Portland, and I can't wait to be back there and able to go to all the places I've missed.
4) The model horse shows. There really is nothing like a good american model horse show (where you can win NAN cards!), and I have missed those more than I care to admit. So when you see me at EVERYTHING for the next couple of years, just remind yourself that I'm like a kid in a candy shop - I've been making due with fruit and graham crackers, which are kind of like candy, but NOT THE SAME.
5) DRIVING! I've only gotten to drive a handful of times over here, and it's been fine - but there's nothing like owning your own car, and knowing that you have that freedom to go wherever you want whenever you want.
6) Big box stores! I know they come with their own societal ills, but until you've lived without a Target, you don't know what it's like to not be able to get macaroni and cheese, vacuum cleaner bags, towels, socks and cat food all in the same store. It's trying.
7) Speaking the native language. I was working on Dutch, and I can understand most of what's said around me, but being able to effortlessly understand people on the phone or in the store is a real gift.
8) American Laziness - Yeah, I LIKE being able to sit in my car and go to a starbucks and the bank without opening my door. There's a reason drive-thrus are so popular.
9) The weather in Oregon. I thought it was going to be a lot rainier here than it turned out to be, so I am very happy to be going back to colder temps and more rain. It was too danged hot over here.


That's all I've got right now off the top of my head, I'm sure there are many things I could add to both lists if I really gave it more thought... but right now I'm off to pack up my studio. I finished my last saddle set I'll make here in Holland yesterday morning, so it's time for that chapter to be closed.

Looking towards tomorrow!

Rounding out the introductions...

Post by Erin

Well, I don't exactly know how somebody could be expected to follow up Tracy's post with her smorgasboard of cute, but I'll give it a go.

I too will be bringing a furry child into the house, but mien is of the feline variety. I got her from an ad on craigslist when she was but a new kitten, and she's been my best buddy ever since. She's almost 5 now, but just as cute as ever.

Meet Sita!

She naps in my photo areas,

Brings me kills,

Has more naps in new photo areas,

Assists with progress photos of tack,

Grudgingly wears her Christmas Dress,

Promises to crap in my shoe later for retribution, (kidding, she's way too much of a lady to do something so naughty!)

Brings me more and bigger kills,

Waits for approval,

Deposits her kill inside my new photo tent,

IS ADORABLE when she naps,

Has a nap where she shouldn't,

and is generally bored with me and my constant picture taking, as you must also be by now!

That's Sita. She's moved across the world with me, and I think she's secretly looking forward to being the  only cat in the house. She'll have to learn to live with a dog, but I think after 3 years of living with Bandit the DoucheCat, she'll adjust remarkably well. 

So that's all of us! Two girls, a dog and a cat. and a few hundred model horses, of course!

The Man of the House

Post by Tracy:

I guess its my turn to add stuff! Erin's already posted the pics I took of the Castle during my walk-through on Sunday. I was literally shaking with excitement, and had to get home IMMEDIATELY to download pics from the SD card and share them with her!  Now that you have an idea what the place looks like (albeit with someone else's crap in it), its time to meet Chief Security Officer and Lead Couch Snuggler: Barley J. Wigglebottom, Esq.

A lap's eye view

He's definitely the most loving dog I've ever had the pleasure of adding to my family. He simply lives for snorgling. I love that he wakes up when my alarm goes off in the morning to reposition himself for maximum snugglage for a few minutes of snarfs before the day begins. Don't worry, he's also a pro at sleeping in.

It always ends up like this. No shame!

An active young dog of about 2 1/2, he'll keep us busy in the evenings with long walks and trip to the dog park for some ChuckIt action. For being so boisterous, he's actually very careful with himself, and has never crashed into any bookcases full of horses. He makes up for it by tromping through my shoes lined up by the door in his excitement for a walk.

Lake trip right after I got him. Freckletum, present and accounted for!

So, he'll be the one to greet you with a wagging tail if you come to visit. He was very shy (and most likely abused) when I first got him a year and a half ago from the shelter, but has come a long way with his social skills. I still can't sweep with the broom or say expletives in frustration for any reason without him cowering in a corner and he is still wary of big guys looming over him. He's easy to win over with pets and treats (aren't we all?!), so I hope our guests find the four-legged family members a fun part of their stay. Just bring a lint roller! 

Following photos are copyright Bob Libby:

Gagging from picture overload yet? No? OK!

Black eyeliner and lipstick. 

More? Well, only if you INSIST! Last one!

Unsure of why I was making him stand by himself

ENCORE? Really? 

He has bad conformation- look at those legs! 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I'm done! Ha!

PranceCastle Horsetopia Obtained!

By Erin:

Tracy and I got the wonderful news yesterday that we've been approved for the house we wanted so badly. It has been named PranceCastle Horsetopia, because we are both in PRANCY OVERDRIVE at how wonderful the house is. Here are a few photos:

As you can see from my writing on the photos, we have space for events! Truly, the two biggest criteria we were looking at in houses was a huge room for us to turn into our studio, and a second huge room with lots of light where we can hold small shows and workshops. This house has both, AND several other awesome bits that make it hardly seem real!

Regarding the events, I have added a schedule to the side bar of this blog, with the details for our show and workshop schedule for 2011/2012. The first show in September will help us set the limits for the ones following, both in number of attendees and price to attend. We will post more information here as we have it!

On a personal note, the circumstances for why I'm moving back to Oregon aren't the best, being the end of a serious relationship, but I made the decision when this first happened that I need to look  at this positively, as a good thing in my life. I have grabbed onto that frame of mind and not let go for one second. I refuse to be a victim here, and my new life in Portland is shaping up to be amazing. I made this a few nights ago, and it does a pretty good job of conveying my feelings at the moment! Especially now that I officially have a new address to call home when I get there.

Welcome to our Blog!

Post by Erin

Welcome to the blog of Erin and Tracy! We started this because neither of us is very good at updating any kind of personal blog on our own, so why not join forces? This blog won't only be about model horses, we'll talk about everything here. Life in Portland, life being single in your late twenties, social commentary, cat pics... you name it.

We are joining forces in real life as well - this summer we are becoming room-mates in Model Horse Utopia. We are waiting to hear back about the house we've applied to - wish us luck!

Tracy and I have been roomies before, back in our college days. We always had a great time together. Then our lives (and relationships) took us on different paths, her to a cottage in the country and me to a row house in Europe. But the universe knows what's best for us, and has brought us back to the same city once again! We've decided that this is clearly a sign, and any future men will need to realize that we don't separate anymore. In fact, here is a to-scale blueprint that I have just drawn, showing the houses that will need to be built for us if we ever marry:

Yes, that's a duplex that is connected with a GIANT studio. Our husbands and kids can live apart, but Tracy and I must be able to work on tiny horses in the same room! Non-negotiable.

So if any readers know of two brothers who may be architects (or rich enough to hire one), let us know!