August 31

The Texas Buxtons have arrived in Colorado.

Seth, the minivan...

and the bird got in on Tuesday.

Buddy spent one night in Seth's office.

I thought it would be a problem with the dogs - particularly Emma - but they were completely nonplused. Yay!

Seth's parents...

and his brother arrived yesterday.

The move went surprisingly well - a testament to all the hard work Seth and Jason did beforehand - so I was able to concentrate on the things I needed to do to get ready to leave. This included - but was not limited to - meeting with Olive's support staff,

making a week's worth of Smart Packs for all the animals,

hanging out with both my sons,

and, of course, packing.

FYI, the size restrictions for carry-ons and personal items on Icelandair are really small. This has been tough!

Speaking of tough, I went to say goodbye to Olive this morning. Despite all my good intentions, I could not resist climbing up on her bareback and riding her out to the mare field.

Normally, she stays and cuddles with me - looking for treats no doubt - after I take the halter off, but today she turned immediately and walked away. I love you, too, bad pony!

And with that, I guess I'm ready to go. This has been a very hard, very long month, but it's ending on multiple high notes. Bring on September!