Snails!!!

I'm just going to start out by saying this...I'm going to San Diego, CA in ten days with an extremely good looking fellow that makes me smile endlessly.  The first two nights we are spending at a hotel that's built on the beach.  Besides being beach bums, we are also going to go to the San Diego Zoo!  Needless to say I'm really excited.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to come home with a lot of sand in my everything.  Be jealous.

Now with that being said I can move onto other things.  Not a lot has happened recently.  I've just been pluggin' away in school for the most part.  I'm becoming really interested in evolutionary psychology.  I don't know where this interest will take me, but even if I just use it to expand to my personal and professional knowledge that will be enough for me.  I posted on Facebook that I was going to write a blog on the evolutionary hypothesis, focusing on research by David Buss.  I'm still planning on it, I'm just reading up on it more so I can write a more well-educated blog.  His findings on mate selection and intrasexual competition are absolutely fascinating!  Of course it just gives me another outlet to dissect mine and other people's relationships, but that's okay with me because I love being able to apply psychological concepts to my own life.  Other people may not like it so much, as I am finding, so I think I'm just going to write about it and change names and/or keep it to myself, haha.
I wrote a research paper on divorce and child development.  It was a pretty cool topic to do research on.  I am now a firm believer that divorce is only justifiable in cases of extremely dysfunctional homes.  A lot of the implications concerning child development and divorce I had not even thought about, like the psychosocial well-being of children, or the adaptability concerns of relocation.  Very interesting stuff!  It's weird to say, but I thoroughly enjoy reading peer-reviewed research articles and summarizing findings. It's actually a career in the family studies field so if I enjoy it enough I could choose to be employed as that :)

The temperatures are finally starting to warm up a little so I've been able to be outside quite a bit.  I'm dying to be outside.  I can't stand the cold anymore.  I need my dirt and sun!  After my riding lesson today, Buck and I went out bridleless.  We walked, we trotted, we cantered...and we galloped!  Yes, that's right, Buck actually galloped!  This has been the first time I've actually ridden him since last November, so it was a pretty big deal for both of us.  I was pleasantly surprised that he was extremely responsive to my requests.  Granted, he did nearly run us into a fence twice because he wanted to run home, but I didn't fall off so that says something, right?  I am really looking forward to what him and I will accomplish this summer.  I'm planning on taking him to the Golden Spike and doing a lot of bridleless riding in their cross country course to improve our skill.  It will be a safer, more challenging environment than riding out in open fields.  
Unfortunately, Buck has been having some major problems with his left front leg.  We are going to take him in to get x-rays done this week.  We aren't sure if it's coming from his knee or his shoulder, but it's definitely causing him discomfort.  I'm hoping for the best.

I won't talk much about this because nothing is set in stone yet, but I am excited nonetheless.  I have a meeting with a client next Wednesday who has a five year old and a six year old.  She wants to get them into lessons and thinks I will be the best fit.  I also met two ladies on today's ride.  They and their kids (four and four years old) were watching me ride in the neighboring field.  I'm dropping by my lesson information tomorrow.  One of the ladies is also interested in taking lessons.  We will see what comes of this! It'd be pretty sweet to have five younger kids in lessons, seeming how I have a bunch of stuff made up for that age group already.

After trying to get hired at Petco since I was 16, the moment has finally came.  I got a call from the store manager this evening inviting me to come in on Friday.  This is great news...but I kind of think it isn't matching up with my life anymore.  When I go in I am going to see if we can get a schedule figured out that doesn't interfere with my riding lessons and school.  I know I'd be one of their most highly qualified employees, but I may actually be over qualified at this point.  If the wage doesn't match my experience, personal and professional, it's going to be a difficult decision to make.  It's like, I finally have the opportunity to do something I've been wanting to do for years, but now that it's within reach, I am reconsidering for various reasons.

For Valentine's Day Adam got me a pillow! He customized it with pictures of Bucket and Puppy.  It's the perfect size and I use it a ton...but I am paranoid it's going to get ruined cause I use it so much :(  He also got me a customized calendar of pictures I have taken.  Mostly it's of Buck, Puppy, and South Africa.  They are such great gifts.  I nearly cried over the pillow x.x

Tyrone being chill.

Gary about to fall off a plant.

So, these are my snails.  I love them.  Their names are Gary, Sheila, and Tyrone. 

Tyrone is really secluded and keeps to himself, but recently he has been hanging out with Gary a lot and moving around the tank.  I think it's because I increased the temperature to 80 degrees.  Sheila is quiet.  She hangs around Gary a lot (maybe she doesn't like black snails?).  
Gary, though, he is my favorite.  He's alllll over my tank!  He even comes up to the top of the tank to be fed when I feed the fish.  Feeding such a small creature is relaxing for me.  His little mouth opens and closes as I put food into it. He crawls halfway out of the water so he can get more food without being disturbed by the fish.  Ahh...Gary...The love I have for snails is something I think I can only understand.