Trish's Durango October 2004-December 29, 2013

I realize all good things must end, and I had been preparing (a little) for this day but I thought I had at least 25,000 to 35,000 miles to go before it ended.  I just had new tires put on last Christmas break for goodness sake, but alas the Durango was done when I turned the key on Sunday morning.   I had always said I wanted to drive it into the ground and apparently, a cracked manifold and 3 of 8 pistons or something that won't compress is all it took. 

Still in denial I called the dealership and had the Durango towed to them to fix.  Brad wisely said, "If it goes over XX amount, we are going to have to get a new car and let this one go."  I had been thinking of the new Durango and also the Honda Pilots, but this was on Monday so that is as far as the thinking went.  By late Monday afternoon, December 30, we knew it was bad and on the 31st of December we had to go car shopping, like it or not.  (The 8 year old decidedly did not, even though her opinion regarding the backseat and cargo really did
matter). 

We started at Safford Dodge, which is where we'd bought the current Durango and had almost nine years of great customer service from everyone there.  I saw two different Durango's and test drove one.  While Brad was writing up a 'wish list' for Sonny, our salesman, Piper and I spied this little gem in the showroom.   Yep, a brand new Dodge Charger with a big ol' red bow, but look closely that's not the best part.  The best part is the color of the car matches my Coach bag EXACTLY!! A matching car to go with my purse?? Hmm, no, not unless it's a BMW Convertible.  I'm not that crazy!!

After fun and games at Safford Dodge we headed to Bill Page Honda to check out a new Pilot.  I will say it was big and roomy and it rode very nicely, the seats were comfortable and it did sit eight people total but I didn't love it.  I think sometimes if you are comfortable and happy with something and you don't really have to change then it's nice to keep some consistency.  I wouldn't have had trouble or issue driving up to the Honda dealership and it was very nice and new but there is something to be said for already having an established relationship with a business. You know what you're going to get and I knew I would get the best, for me, from Safford and I think Brad realized that as well.  Our salesman, Sonny, found the Durango we wanted and we slept (partied, rang in the new year, had some coffee, read the paper, did some laundry, swept the floors, shaved my legs, etc.), on it and went over to Safford this afternoon, January 1, 2014.   I sat in a Durango similar to the one being delivered to us, just to be sure and went over the features with Sonny and felt like it was the right choice for us. Then it was just a matter of the paperwork, etc. Since the service department was closed we were able to just go in and unload the first Durango and get everything out and say goodbye. 

Last time I am sitting
in the drivers seat.

We bought this car over Columbus Day weekend in 2004, it was one of those times where I think I surprised Brad and he had no idea who he was dealing with.  The window in our lemon of a jeep had gone down and wouldn't go up, I had duct tape on it all weekend and had to take it to work that day leaving it parked in Home Depot lots while the window kept slowly sliding down all day.  I was so done with that jeep when I got home and Brad and a friend had gone looking at Safford (then Jerry's Dodge) and told me they'd found one that 'might work'.  I said okay and went out to the jeep and totally unloaded it, including taking the license plate covers off and then came back in and said 'Let's Go.'  I remember Brad asking why I took everyone out and I said, "Oh I'm not coming back with this we are driving home a new Durango".  He was not ready for that at all, but then again not only was I done dealing with the jeep and it's issues I was also four months pregnant and a little cranky.  But, from that night began a great relationship with this dealership and my beautiful blue Durango.  It's the car we brought our daughter home in, drove to New York City with all the kids for a summer weekend. We took it to Canton, OH to see Floyd Little inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to the Eastern Shore to watch Brian marry Chelsea.  It was what we took our daughter in for her first 'road trip' to Virginia Beach with my parents. We went to see Brian and Kaitlyn play a baseball game, when she was four weeks old. It was what we drove her to for her first day of preschool, kindergarten and swim team practice.  There are so many memories in that one car, we loaded with all the tile to remodel the bathroom in our old townhouse, and moved much of our household when we moved 2 miles away. Making trip after trip on a four mile round trip, to save some of the moving fees and unpacking time.  It was also the car we put Myles in and drove away from our townhouse for the last time and came to our new house.  Turns out everything was great about my Durango except it didn't fit very well into the garage at our new house. But even that was okay because I didn't have to deal with neighbors door dinging me every day anymore and I had a nice big driveway for it to sit in. 



So now I found myself and family sitting back at the same dealership, signing papers to buy a new Durango and start new memories.  I couldn't have been luckier to have Sonny helping us.  It was a bittersweet day for the beginning of 2014.  I'm saying hello and goodbye and poor Brad is  back to having a car payment after almost three years of none.


I finally pick up the car on the 2nd since it was coming from a different dealership and wouldn't you know it, by the time I'm driving away it's snowing! But, this time as I drove my Durango I felt so much safer, no heavy hemi engine weighting down the front and all wheel drive as opposed to two wheel drive.  Plus, a heated steering wheel and in the back seat, little girlie had control of her heated seat too.  I was driving one very happy 8 year old.  She took this picture of me driving off the lot and as you can kind of see there are a lot of bells and whistles on this one, compared to the older one.  I am going to be sitting in it tomorrow while I set up Bluetooth, more radio stations, (finally XM and no more listening to the homeboys talk about the Redskins going to the Super Bowl anymore if I don't want to!!!), seat preferences, etc.  I might let Brad play with it too but not until I program all the controls the way I prefer them, ha ha.

Final picture of the front grill with the H2oGals plates already on~ in the snow! 

New Year's Eve 2013

Happy 2014!



Working the triceps,
 don't want bat wings!

I've tried to do this post for a few years now but this time it is finally happening.  The last day of 2013 in a series of pictures from the Buswell clan.  It was all done, for the most part on camera phones and a little bit of texting too.  This year, unlike last year when we were all together on New Year's Eve, we were all spread out so everyone was good enough to send pictures of themselves during the day.  I started in the morning, at Jungles Gym.  It seems all the friends from the old 'hood were there as well as other gym friends.  It was a good way to start the end of the year.  



I was able to catch the oldest son Brian while he was at work on his current navy ship the USS Bataan, LHD in Norfolk.  He had just come back to work after having a nice two weeks off. Luckily he didn't have duty so he wasn't there a full day.









He wasn't the only Buswell working on the 31st, Kaitlyn had swapped shifts earlier in the Christmas holiday and was driving one of the Medical Transport vehicles for most of the day.  She is a really good EMT so the folks in Virginia Beach were in good hands most of the 31st. 





 
 
Kaitlyn and Brian were working part of the day, so what was the youngest Buswell child doing?  Well, she proved to be good entertainment for her dad and myself, a fairly good photographer when she stood still, focused the camera and took about 10 pictures to get one usable one.  She made herself a nice cup of hot chocolate at one point because I had unwisely said it wasn't that cold out and turns out the wind was chilly.  She also managed to read two books, all of this while also checking out the backseats of new SUV's because my beloved 2004 Durango had decided to call it quits. (next blog to read about that).  Without her knowing I managed to get a photo of her riding in the back of Brad's car when we were finally done test driving SUV's.





This test driving, looking at and researching cars was not in the original plan for New Year's Eve, so Brad spent a little time working via his phone while we figured out exactly what we wanted in the newest (and unplanned) SUV.  He managed to get the loan and also tweet a few replies regarding the very unsportsman like play of the Middle Tennessee football players from the day before against Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl game.  He was great at multitasking. 



Once Brian got off work he was able to hang out with Chelsea, here they are doing one of the coolest things (I think) any couple can do.  Getting a cute 'selfie' of themselves and looking super cute in it.  It is great they are getting time like this together since Brian has to deploy to the med for many months, and he was just gone for three weeks before Christmas.  They are pretty cute and photogenic newlyweds, and I'm not being biased.


 Erin, Kaitlyn's partner, sent in a super cute couple's selfie from the day before when they were in NYC.  It was Erin's first trip to the big city and I think she loved it.  The four of them had all been up in NY to see family after Christmas and had a day in NYC too. They all drove back on the 30th for work on the 31st and New Year's Eve in Virginia Beach.  


Okay so in a nutshell that was our last day of the year, nothing too exciting or enlightening but just a little snapshot from the end of 2013.  I for one am happy to see 2013 go, don't get me wrong there were a lot of wonderful events, surprises and highlights from the year but there were also some really depressing, upsetting and just plain hard days.  I think 2014 is looking good and is going to be winner. 

Here is one last shot from New Year's Eve Day, a very sweet and loving addition from the Seubert side of the family.  Little Mr. Mac, my folks new black lab puppy.  He is smart as a whip, full of the dickens and a complete joy, as well as some work.  But, he's a puppy and doesn't let you forget it.  This is Mac with a new 'toy' he found in the backyard. At first he just barked at it but once my mom kicked it around he figured it out and 'claimed it' for himself. 

 

Daisy's Bucking Bulls Moves into the Next Phase-Competing

The first real look I got at my newest
bull.  I had only seen one picture and
video up til this point.

This past weekend my little dream of having bucking bulls moved into it's next phase, the actual competition.  Up until now my bulls had been growing, practicing at Rawson Ranch and in general just enjoying themselves.  I will be honest, I didn't think that my newest bull, Daisy's Diamond, would be the first to compete, nor did I think it would be in a futurity, but all in all I would call the weekend a big success. 

When Mike Rawson (2012 CBR Stock Contractor of the Year and trainer of not only my bulls but about a 100 head of his own) and I decided to partner on Daisy's Diamond I thought we'd have another two years before he bucked anyone.  He is only a yearling now and won't have a rider on him until the earliest next spring.  But, since his first entry fee was paid for the Exclusive Genetics Lone Star Shootout Futurity we figured what the heck lets pay the rest of the entry fee and see how it goes. 

Definition of a Futurity: A Futurity, as it's called within the industry, is a competition where 2 yr old bulls compete against each other. These bulls buck for 4 to 6 seconds, depending on the rules of the futurity, with a 25 pound dummy on their back that is remotely released after the 4 or 6 second buzzer. Each bull is judged in 5 categories (Buck, Kick, Spin, Intensity, & Degree of Difficulty). Click HERE for a breakdown of the judging process.

This is a good shot of Daisy's Diamond kicking out and the remote controlled weight is visible flying off of him.  This was his first road trip, first overnight not at the ranch, first time without his other buddies and of course, the first competition.  We (Mike and I) felt he did pretty darn good and held his own.  He scored an 84 out of 100 and took 19th place out of 79 bulls.  Some of which were a few months older than him and much more experienced.  For me it was a big learning experience.  I had no idea that some people make their living out of just futurities and raising the bulls to buck like this.  It has been my intent all along that my bulls would be 'rider bulls' and thus, we now move onto focusing on that aspect of bucking bulls.

Here is one last picture of my business partner, on Daisy's Diamond, and myself.  We went to a CBR Horizon bucking event called 'Bringin' the Heat' at Knapp Ranch in Mansfield, TX., after the Futurity on Saturday.  Mike had three of his older bulls bucking and they did a great job. 

Here is the Knapp Arena for the CBR
Event.  That is McKinnon Wemberly on
one of Mike's bulls.



Surprising my husband on his 50th birthday!

Walking in totally surprised
at his birthday party.

L-R Tom (my partner in crime),
Dave, Brad and Ralph
all USNA class of '85.

Today is my husband's 50th birthday and for the first time since I've known him he was not looking forward to this one.  I can understand that, I have never enjoyed the idea of turning any of the 3's or 8's, although it has never stopped me from fully embracing the entire month for my birthday.  I decided, a year ago, that I would attempt to actually surprise him and throw a party.  I scoped out so many places and even considered seeing who would want to fly to Las Vegas and join us for the PBR Bull Riding Championships. In the end one of our friends and a shipmate of Brad's, Tom Williamson, helped me out by sponsoring a party at Army Navy Country Club.  We planned for probably four months, going over the guest list, out of town guests and the food, decorations, etc.  It was fun to have a partner in crime and even more fun that in the end it went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time.  To quote my husband, "It was awesome, I was surprised".  Coming from him, that is huge, we really did surprise him.  One of my girlfriends told me afterwards that she loved the idea of us all dressing up for a cocktail party and being together.  It was kind of nice, the women were all in dresses and men in sports coats, there was a variety of appetizers and we had a great bartender that served wine and Brad's two favorite drinks, Crown Royal and 7 and Grey Goose Martini's. 

The family that came from NY, CO,
WA and Virginia Beach.


The funniest line from Brad came when he walked into the party, Tom was giving us a tour of the Army Navy Country Club and we walked into this dark room and he says, "it looks like it's set up for a party".  The he walks further in and says, "Oh it's someones surprise party" then starts to walk out, and all of a sudden everyone yells "Surprise" and he realizes he knows those people.  About ten minutes later he is greeting everyone and he turns to me and says, "are these people staying with us?" It was my parents, his stepmother, brother, daughter Kaitlyn and her girlfriend Erin. Too funny, yes, they were all staying with us for the weekend, second surprise of the night. 



Springboard Pool friends
 

I was very lucky to have our good friends, John and Jeannine help us as well.  John was so good about walking around with me getting all the photos.  Even one's like this of all our Springboard pool friends, some of which are also our St. Bernadette school friends.



At Piccolo's with David
Saturday the 19th
 

I think we both feel like we are incredibly blessed with the friends that we have and the family too.  Many friends and family tried to attend but it was a three day weekend and the government was shut down.  Our dear friend, David was stuck at work with 250 diners of his own, but no worries we saw him last night for a birthday celebration with John and Jeannine.  He is so good to us and if you ever get a chance, visit his Italian restaurant, Piccolo's in Georgetown.  Brunch, lunch or dinner it is all fantastic.  

It has just been such a fun month to celebrate Brad and his 50th birthday.  Many friends and family helped by bringing the balloons and decorations to the party and setting up and the one constant for all our Buswell celebrations, Lynn Dysart and her catering company A Bit More who did the party favors. This time she made footballs with navy blue and gold for everyone to take home. 

Finally, Kaitlyn (Brad's daughter) created a beautiful montage of photos set to music for Brad that we played during the party. It was a huge hit and a total tear jerker.  Here it is, all done by Kaitlyn.

 

 

The Tradition of Navy vs. Air Force Football

Tailgating with our friend, Mike
Schultz, who is an AFA grad.

The US Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy have squared off in football for many years and this is the 42nd year that the Commander in Chief Trophy was up for grabs.  Navy currently has the trophy residing at the Academy in Annapolis, MD. 

Every home game for Navy is the potential for old shipmates to get together and reminisce of past football match ups as well as catch up on what everyone has been doing, whether it has been a week or 10 years. Most important though is the time to tailgate and enjoy watching the current classes of Midshipmen parade down the street and into the stadium. 



Just grabbing a screwdriver before
the game.

My husband's class, USNA 1985 puts on the best tailgater every week I have ever seen.  They almost always have a live band, a submarine shaped smoker for meats and a few goats! The class always has the movable mixtures drink trailer complete with flat screen televisions so no one ever misses a college game. 






Mids marching in through the
tunnel to the field.
 

The Navy - Air Force game this year was a beautiful day, sun was shining and the temperature reached into the 80's by the 11:30 am kick off.  Despite the beginning of the week and the government shut down the game went off as planned.

A huge thanks to USAA for flying the Air Force team to the game and for keeping this tradition going.  Navy was favored to win and despite a slow start, they did win, and by the largest margin of victory ever 28-10. 

Below is Navy running out on the field, like I said it was a beautiful day.  Everything was perfect, except no fly overs.  That little tradition was halted earlier in the year because of government sequester and with the government in full closure over the debt ceiling/obamacare and finding a middle ground with the house and senate, it sure wasn't going to happen on this day either.

 

 Nonetheless when it was all said and done the service academy traditions live on and this is one of the best.  I have posted the Midshipmen singing the Navy Blue and Gold song from the annual Army-Navy game but never this one.  Here Air Force sang their song first, then Navy and all the former midshipmen sang theirs at the end of the game.  A beautiful way to end a beautiful afternoon in Annapolis, MD.

 

 

Myles Seubert Buswell January 1996-August 2013

Myles age 3 months

Myles age 17
 

Myles Murray Seubert Buswell, our beloved beautiful black lab passed away peacefully on August 3. He was 17 1/2 years old.  He was the best dog anyone could hope to have.  As many of you know I picked him out at 5 weeks old in Monterey, California.  He was one of 8 and for the first year I would run into his siblings on the beach, at the pet stores and the vets. 

Since I was a flight attendant at the time, Myles got to travel for free as well, albeit in the climate controlled part of cargo. I always knew he was doing okay because he would bark non-stop at take off and landing, and he was right under first class.  Myles flew back and forth from San Jose to Seattle multiple times and then he lived with my folks for six months while I was in Connecticut. 


My dad and Myles on the beach
where he learned to swim and
chase sea otters in Monterey.

Myles age 18 months waiting for
me to tell him to get the ball.

One of our family pictures with
Myles.



Our engagement picture
 

When I lived in Monterey Myles learned to play catch and although he tried many times he only managed to get two balls in his mouth at a time.  He loved playing catch so much that he wore out 3 chuck it's in a year.  He played catch in and out of the water, on the street, on grass and his favorite place of all was on the golf course in Ellensburg with my dad and his golf buddy's.  He would place the tennis balls on the edge of the golf cart and wait for one of them to throw the ball.  His tail would be in constant motion and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.  When he would get too hot he would just throw himself into one of the water hazards or the river to cool off.  I had hoped to hunt duck or something with him but it was out on the golf course one nice fall day that we all found out he was afraid of loud noises and anything that went bang.  Some people were hunting by the river and when they fired a shot Myles dropped his balls and ran to the clubhouse and hid under my dad's truck until he could be coaxed out with a treat.



His most important job
taking care of Piper.

Just waiting for the ball
to get tossed

There are so many wonderful stories about my beautiful, sweet, protective and loving dog.  He has been with me and my family for over 17 years.  He has sat on the bed with me when I didn't feel well, he laid his head on my stomach when I was pregnant with Piper until she kicked him.  He let her crawl all over him when she was a baby and has been her constant protector from the day she was born. 



Age 10, when his paws
were crossed it meant
trouble.



One of our favorite pictures
Piper sitting on Myles when
she was 18 months old.

We wouldn't have such a close and loving friendship with John and Jeannine if it weren't for Myles and his 'welcome to the 'hood' shake down he gave Haley when they first brought her home.  What fun Myles had with Haley whether they were at each others house or in the back yard racing around chasing each other until one would fall down and need to rest.  Myles is now back reunited with her in heaven and I am sure they are back to running and playing and wrestling.   

Myles and Piper on her 8th birthday

I will miss him and so will Brad, Brian, Kaitlyn, Piper, my parents (who took care of Myles for months at a time while we were traveling or I was in an apartment and he needed more room to run), the Salamones and so many other friends who's lives have been touched by "Cool Dog Myles". 

He will never be forgotten and I guarantee there will never be another like him.  Whenever it is we decide to get another, it will be more Piper's than mine.  I know I was the alpha dog with Myles and I will never be blessed with such a beautiful dog again.  He is happier, in no more pain and back with all his friends now.  This past year without Haley and in a quieter neighborhood was hard on him and he was lonely for more dog companionship.  He was my rock when I needed one and I can only hope that I was the same for him.  I will love him forever and I will miss him every single day, he was a once in a lifetime blessing.   

My Cool Dog Myles...







Summer League Swimming -the 3rd Summer

This summer my girlie was more prepared for summer league swimming than in the past two years.  We had her swim with the Potomac Marlins team in the winter and compete in meets about once a month to keep her sharp and to see how she would progress.  I think it was good in a lot of ways to go this route, she really enjoyed swimming with her friends and she got used to doing relays too.  As a bonus we met some wonderful coaches and I got to spend some quality time on deck timing with my good friend, Alicia. 

Awesome relay both free and medley

Once summer league started McB met up with old friends and made new ones too.  The four girls on the relay really formed a nice bond. As the 8 and under girls relay they were a formidable foursome.  They easily won the relay carnival in the 100 meter free relay and were a tenth behind in the medley relay. Then were told they won it when the first team was disqualified.  I think it is pretty fun to win and I think McB figured that out this summer too.  They missed qualifying for All Stars and would have done well in the Relay Championships but didn't get entered in time.  Lesson learned, and as parents we just hope they have another chance to compete in those types of meets again.   

8andU girls hanging on the couch
before a meet with Coach Jon.

McB bettered all her times from last season and as the last meet of the summer got closer I took a look at her yard times from indoor swimming and realized all her meter times were better than the yard times.  I think once I pointed that out she felt a little better.  We'd hit a bit of a plateau and then some in July and she was swimming terrible.  Since I am not competing in swimming, at the moment, I spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how to fix her strokes, get her back on track, anything.  Turns out since school had gotten out she had grown an inch! That will throw your strokes off right??  It isn't always easy on the 8 year old when her mom is still a competitive swimmer, even worse when that mom has been sidelined with two shoulder surgeries in 18 months and only one swim meet in that entire time. 

Divisionals were at our home pool and her event, the 25 fly was the last of the day.  By then she'd had time to watch her friends swim she was focused and ready and I was a nervous wreck on the sidelines.  I so wanted to video that swim, I knew it would be good, but I was too nervous and Brad was on the other side of the pool taking pictures.  I think the funniest video of the summer would have been one of my swim mom friends videoing me watching her swim!

She ended up tied for 4th with a best time and I think that was a great way for her to end the summer league season.  I was just so happy she pulled out a best time after struggling for the previous three weeks.  Even though I would have loved to have her swim a second event, she said to me the night before the meet; "Mama I'm good with just the fly and it will be a fast swim." That was really all 'somewhat' competitive mom can ask for right?

Best Fly Butt with co-winner, Isiah

That night at the team banquet and awards she got her plaque and medal.  She and her lifelong friend, Ryan were in the running for most likely to be seen together,  but they were robbed...some cute 11 year old boy, Nicco, and all the 11-12 year old girls won, ha ha.  Instead she won for best fly butt with another talented young butterfly swimmer, Isiah.  McB was very cute going up on stage to get her certificate and I realized that she has come so far in a year.  Last summer she would barely go up and get her medal and this year she was so much more comfortable up on stage and talking to all the older swimmers. She has always loved Addie, who is off to college this year, and has been an assistant coach the past three years, but this year she chatted with all the older kids.  She even asked Mason to be her 'legs' for backstroke starts.  She pals around with Sarah, who she will be teammates with this winter as she joins FBST, and an occasional babysitter too. 

Hanging with Mason after 25 back

Hanging on deck with
Sarah

 I think as a parent you want your children to be happy, to find a passion, and to be good, hopefully great, in at least one thing.  It gives them a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of success.  As a swimmer I had all of that and more. It took me until I was in my 30's to accomplish the world championship title and break a world record but when I did (at Masters World Championships in Australia) it was the best feeling in the world. 

When I asked my daughter if she was happy with her summer swims, and if she felt she had accomplished her goals this summer, she told me with her head nodding "Oh yes and it was fun," I asked her about the relays and if she enjoyed swimming on them and she said she did.  I asked what the best part was and she said it was swimming on the relay with her friends.  Then I said "what about winning?" and she said, "winning was fun too but I liked swimming on the relay with my friends."  This is the right attitude when you are 8 and you want them to love to do a sport. Especially when that sport is the one you love too. 



Summer swimming with a very
happy and proud mama

summer and now winter teammates

So for her, it was a great summer of swimming and she is looking forward to joining two of her summer friends on FBST this winter. Hopefully swimming even faster and better next summer. I was very proud of her this entire year and so was her dad.  She can be incredibly competitive and yet at times very much an 8 year old; more interested in getting treats from the cuda shack and playing sharks and minnows.  I hope this next year will be filled with a lot of growth, not just physically but also emotionally and she will be more focused and able to turn that competitiveness on when it's time to race.  I type and think this as I am listening to the World Championships in swimming on TV. Meanwhile, I think she is watching them too, but instead she's watching Judy Moody on the iPad. Ahh well, a  deep breath for Mama, a sip of wine and a nice beach vacation on the horizon for us all.