We've Moved----->

Hot diggity dog--I did it! I did my first post on the new site. With my new-found confidence and knowledge, I guess it is time to bid this blogger site adieu. I'm not going to remove this blog because I'm too sentimental, but new posts will now be found at ggyr.org. Some thoughts as I depart:

• Sniff, sniff--Blogger, you've been mighty good to me. Thanks for the free posting privileges.
• Cindy, thank you for working countless hours creating the perfect site for us. We love it and all the beautiful details (did you see "Meet Our Horses" tab?) you've poured in. Cute stuff!! We love you and cannot thank you enough!
• Kurt, thanks for creating and maintaining our former website these last two years. You came to us offering your services, free of charge, and really got the ball rolling by getting GGYR into the website world. We appreciate you patience, advice, hard work and friendship! We could not have done it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
• Readers, I know change is hard for some of us. I usually complain and kick and whine when I see someone has started a new blog when I am already used to their old one. Take comfort in the fact that I know your pain. But, this new site will be a great thing for me and the ranch in general. It will be so much easier to steer people to ONE location instead of saying, "Well, the website is. . . and the blog is . . ." ggyr.org and we're done!
• When (ha!) you leave a comment on the new site for the first time, your comment will not appear until I approve it. After that happens, your future comments should appear right away.
• Cindy imported almost all the posts from this blog into the new one including comments.
• That being said, if you happen to come back here and comment for some reason, I'll still get an email alert from Blogger.
• Big pictures! Fun.
• Change is good. Let's go out and embrace it.

Wonder if this sets the record for the longest post telling people to update their bookmarks to a new site?!

Remember, ggyr.org. I'll see you there.

Feast For A King

WE ARE BLESSED!

We just are. We are completely surrounded by giving, working, caring individuals who do nothing but help and care for us. Galloping Grace has given that to us.

I think tomorrow I'll discuss the hay movers that saved the day. Kurt is one of them! He went from moving hundreds of bales to expertly grilling steaks for our dining pleasure. Yep, you read that right. Kurt volunteered to go get hay with Max, and then he and his wife Heidi (one of our very wonderful session volunteers) brought and prepared a gourmet meal for us! How cool is that? We had steak, delish grilled veggies, beans, hamburgers and hot dogs and then I threw in some fruit,veggies, and dessert.
Heidi and Kurt--
Thank you so very much! We loved the food and most especially your company. Please feel free to feed us any time.

No Hands Rainey

Some of you might remember the beautiful guest post Cindy did on Max and Rainey back in May. Max worked his magic, but fell a little short getting her up on Black. If you fast forward a month or so, this video shows the day the goal was reached. With her parents' permission, Max decided that the only thing to get Rainey up on the horse was to physically put her up on the horse. That he did. Rainey was a little shocked and outraged in the beginning, but that quickly changed to joy.



Heidi, a super stud wonderful volunteer and Rainey's mother, and Kurt, our website designer extraordinaire and Rainey's father, took the pictures of the big day. Heidi then made this video for Max. We loved it and wanted to share it with all of you.



Thanks Heidi and Kurt!

Webtastic!

I almost hate to announce something so exciting on the weekend. I think readership drops to half on Saturday and Sunday. But, we're thrilled to share our happy news with all of you and don't want to wait.

We would like to express the most gigantic thank you to Kurt von Ahnen for creating our website!

This incredibly generous person volunteered to create the site at no charge to us--as a donation to Galloping Grace! Not only that, but he worked hard to make sure it was up by May 1, just as he promised. He was efficient, patient, creative, and encouraging throughout the entire process. He never made us feel guilty when we wanted something changed, and he provided us with several options and extra services we never expected.

Let's just say we LOVE Kurt!

At the volunteer lunch (again, for people interested in working at GG this season), Max informed the crowd that "Ken" was working on our website. Funny--his name is Kurt. What did Ken, I mean Kurt, do? He just turned to his wife and laughed. Poor guy had to listen to all of us call him Ken for quite a while after that. (We're a funny bunch.)

While I'm bragging on him, I'd like to mention his wife Heidi. Heidi came out to GG one time last season. I didn't even get to meet her that day. Apparently, she enjoyed the ranch and believed in the program. She wrote an email saying that she didn't want to step on any toes, but that her husband would design our website if we needed it done. Heidi could jump up and down on our toes for that kind of news! When I first met Kurt, he told me that it was no problem doing it--his wife wanted him to--he loves to make her happy. Heidi, thank you!!

Heidi has also expressed an interest in being a volunteer. Just this week she went through training with Max, fed the horses a couple times--a situation where she drove out specifically to feed to give Max a break, and has scooped poop. Is this couple for real??!

I'm sure this goes without saying at this point, but if any of you find yourselves in need of a web designer, I know a great one! Please consider Kurt/Ken and tell him thanks from Galloping Grace!

Kurt and Heidi--thanks again!

Check it out at http://gallopinggraceyouthranch.com/ and soon to be at gallopinggraceyouthranch.org and ggyr.org. (Because Ken's cool and knows how to link a whole bunch of stuff and stuff.) He did a great job blending it to go with the blog design Regina created for us. We sure do know some generous, talented people!