Musings is moving.....

So I have had a wordpress account for a while and have been thinking of moving my blog over there. Well I finally did and if you still want to receive email updates from Musings, please head on over to http://musingsofacowgirl.wordpress.com/ and enter your email into the box provided :)

Shedding and Driving Daisy

Ah Saturdays are so nice!! Friday I got off from work early due to some things with my boss, but instead of working with the horses, I talked with mom and took care of the horses. We had a WeCare banquet (it was for the prison ministries that mom helped out with for a week in January) in the evening which I enjoyed so much. It just reinforced in my mind once again how important relationships are and how we relate to people.

I stayed at my cousins for the night because we were planning to work on their brother and sister-in-law's wedding book on Saturday at my house. Although we didn't get much sleep, we did get to talk and enjoy each other's company. One thing we did on Saturday, was stop for coffee on the way back to my house :) We did work on the book for a bit. After they left, I went to the horses. I did some odds and ends around the barn. I had thought of driving Freedom but I must have drank to much milk within the last 24 hours so I didn't feel well. So instead, I just did some groundwork with Daisy. We worked on the turn on the forehand, as well as a turn on the haunches. The turn on the haunches to the left was the worse. She picked up very quickly the turn on the haunches to the right. She has done the turn on the haunches and forehand on the ground and the saddle but I really want her to get better at her turn on the haunches before really working at side passing. Although I did get her to side pass to the right from the ground one time just to see if she would do it. I didn't do anything with Freedom but spent a little time grooming him.

Today (Sunday), I drove Daisy. I took my sister Rose Mary along. Both horses are shedding and I really thought about it Saturday when I groomed both horses. You walk away from grooming them, and the floor has hair on it and you do too. Well then when driving Daisy, we got a hair shower because of her shedding. I am not going to complain about all the hair because it means SPRING is coming!!!! Actually it means the days are getting longer but that points to spring too :D

After I fed the horses, Rose Mary and I came home and walked our dogs. I hadn't gotten Lucy out yesterday but she was really glad to get out today! Hoping to walk her every day this week like I did last week but tomorrow I leave for work an hour earlier than normal for a Monday so not sure if I will get the chance to or not. Looking forward to the extra hour in the evening though!! :) Hope you have a wonderful week!

A Cold Ride

Tonight was quite chilly for a ride but Sarah and I rode anyway. It sure is nice to have motivation to ride. What I love about riding with her, is that we have a chance to talk and we never run out of things to talk about. Well at least it has yet to happen, and we have been together a lot! She rode Mischa and I rode Daisy. I think we would have cantered if we wouldn't have been discussing so much stuff. We talked about how God is working in our lives and how important trusting in Him is. We didn't ride as long as we do sometimes due to our feet getting cold but other than that it was fun. We walked the whole way home and it was good for both horses. We got both of our horses to walk nicely on a loose rein on the way back.

Tomorrow evening Lucy has a vet appointment but I am hoping that I can still groom Freedom and spend some time with him. I would like to work on some groundwork with him again. I am also looking forward to implementing some of the things I learned at the expo on Saturday in both horse's training. Hope you all have a great week!

A Dog and the Horse World Expo

This sunset was taken the Friday of youth retreat. Just love how the sun looks! Thursday was an extremely cold day so I decided to not ride. Friday, my plans were to ride with Sarah and have a chance to talk with her. Well I find it so amazing how God works! I had talked to my dad about some things and I had wanted to buy a dog but it never worked out. Some people we know, had a Lab female for sale and my sister, Rose Mary, thought she would be perfect. We talked to Dad and he ok'd the whole idea. So instead of getting to ride with Sarah Friday evening, we went to pick up Lucy, my dog. The really neat thing is that she is born the same day as Freedom (April 25th, 2010) only a year earlier.

 Lucy and I today

Saturday, I had the Horse World Expo. I had stayed at my cousins the night before, so that instead of having to pick me up in the morning, we could leave right from their house. It was so much fun hanging out with my "second" family all day. I feel like I learned a lot of things and I know there are some things I am definitely going to implement in Freedom's training, as well as Daisy's. After getting home from the Expo around 7:50 or so in the evening, I wanted to take Lucy to get a bath. We have a place to wash dogs at the car wash and Lucy really, really stank, so Mom and I took her for a bath. We dried her mostly there but since she wasn't totally dry, we left her here in the house while I went to the barn and did the chores. She was waiting for me at the door when I got home. She was nice and dry so out to the barn she went :)

Today I was able to get some pictures of Lucy. Since I haven't been able to catch up on my sleep since the youth retreat last weekend, I took a nap this afternoon. I was planning to drive one of my horses today but after my nap it was rainy/snowy, so no driving :) Hoping to catch up on my sleep next weekend a bit but we shall see. I have a lot of 9 hour days coming up this week so it will be a bit of a longer work week but I am looking forward to it!

Hope you have a wonderful evening and a great week! Hoping to ride a bit this week and next Sunday, Daylight Savings Time begins so that means more DAYLIGHT in the evening!

A Full Weekend and A Busy Start To The Week

Thursday and Friday I didn't do anything with the horses. Friday I had planned to drive Daisy in the cart and see how she does but then it was foggy so I didn't drive or ride either horse. I ended up just doing chores and getting the horses stuff ready for the weekend. I had youth retreat this weekend. I always look forward to youth retreat.

Last year I didn't go because I had been dealing with severe headaches. Looking back, I was still working at Pellman Foods icing cakes, and it was quite noisy there and I believe I was just getting nasty noise headaches. Anyway, this year was amazing. I really enjoyed the topics we had and I loved that I was able to have my sister, Rose Mary there, as well as my cousin Sarah. I also felt that I got a lot more out of this year than I did some years because I feel I am closer to God than ever before. I love that about God. You think you are close to Him, and you go thru some more trials and tests, and you realize that you only had a small taste of closeness to Him. :)

Sunday afternoon, I went for a drive with Sarah before supper. Rose Mary and Sarah had gone riding. I had plans in the early afternoon but I told Sarah I still want to go driving after that. We drove Freedom and he did pretty good. He acted up a bit going out the lane but did pretty good once on the road. He still shies at some stuff but he seems to be getting better. We only drove for about half an hour and after we got back, I fed my horses and went home.

after we got back! I just love how she looks all hooked up (cell phone picture)

Monday, I had off work, because Jimmy had worked the weekend (meaning I had off Friday and Monday). My day was quite full. For some reason I couldn't sleep past seven, so I got up even though I was quite tired yet from the weekend :) I headed to the horses. I decided to drive Daisy first. I hooked her up to the cart and she didn't mind the cart in the least. I started out the driveway and she acted like she did this all the time. I don't remember the last time I drove her single. We had trained her via double hitch and then gone single hitch one or so times. It was at least two years ago. Anyway, I was by myself and I knew with it being Monday, and the road I was on, I wasn't going to face much traffic. I drove her for about half an hour and she did absolutely perfect. She tried to canter a time or two, but I always asked her to go back to a trot and she listened very well! I was so pleased with her!!

Daisy (cell phone picture)

Once I got back from driving Daisy, I got Freedom all hitched up. By that time, Sarah was there. (In case you all wondered, we do have jobs and such, but sometimes it works out that we are able to do impromptu things). She hadn't planned to come till Tuesday evening but some things changed that made it able for her to come. She went with me when I drove Freedom again. He did so much better than Sunday. He shied a time or two but definitely was better than on Sunday.

I had put Daisy in the stall till we got back with Freedom, and when we got back with Freedom, I put him behind the barn. I got Daisy, and saddled her up. I thought it would be good for her to be ridden for a short bit since she had been driven and that was something new. Sarah and I rode for about half an hour. I had plans to go down to Sharon to ride all afternoon cause she knew I had off and wanted to ride with me for a couple hours :)

So after the horses were all put away, I came home, got some food and headed to Sharon. Once at Sharon I just threw my stirrups on Lightning (the horse I was going to ride) and we headed out. We were going to be going on a 3 hour ride. It was good to ride with Sharon again, especially since we haven't for a while. Abby was along as well. She is a person that boards her horse there at Sharon and I haven't seen her in a while so it was good riding with her as well! Once we got to the place we were riding to, we unsaddled the horses and then hung out with the people we had gone to visit. We ate supper there. Earl Dean (Sharon's husband) came with the truck and trailer to trailer us and the horses home. I didn't get to the barn where my horses are till 9 and then home here till 10. It was a long day, all spent outside, but it was good!! I loved that I was able to spend it with friends and an added benefit was riding and working my horses :)

Tonight I am not doing anything with my horses besides feeding and loving on them a bit. I need to get to bed a bit earlier to catch up on sleep. I was blessed to be able to see the gorgeous sunset this evening (pictured above). Hope you all have a blessed day tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day as you probably already know. Personally I have been thinking of the love Christ has for me. As much as I was hoping on going to work today, that isn't happening because the roads are really not looking the best this morning and the school where my boss works, is closed :D Since I was awake anyway to see if my boss had told me if I working or not, I saw that the sun was coming up. I checked to see the exact time of sunrise and decided to head out and take some morning pictures. The snow was quite deep where it hasn't been plowed yet, no surprise since we got a few more inches last night again.

sunrise this morning

 

When I got in from taking pictures, no one was up yet because Rachel's school was closed too. Everyone slowly got up and moving and after breakfast I went out with Rose Mary to take care of the dogs. We got Duke and Kelsey each out to play with. They both seemed to really love the snow. The roads weren't really clear yet so we just were together as a family. I was tired so I took a nap. I am not a person that really likes to take naps but my cold has been making me drag so a nap felt good. Around 2:30, Rose Mary and I headed to the horses. I wanted to drive Freedom.

 

We got to the barn and Lori had been working at clearing the driveway so I was able to drive Freedom!! :) I was so excited because I haven't had the chance to drive him for a bit. I drove him for about 20 minutes and besides spooking 3 times, once for an unknown reason, and twice by the same dog. Once we got back, I put him out behind the barn.

 

We brought Harley in and I brought Daisy in. Since Rose Mary was using my natural ride and I don't use my western saddle (which I plan to sell at some point) and I didn't feel like using my English saddle, I decided to just ride bareback. Rose Mary and I rode for about 40 minutes. Daisy did really well. We even cantered twice and Daisy responded well to my aides when cantering. I must say there has been improvement! :)

 

Once we got back to the barn, I was giving Mischa and Harley their hay and grain. Well before we had left I had given Freedom some hay so he would have something to munch on and not decide to destroy anything. Wouldn't you know, instead of eating his hay, he goes and digs in the snow and finds hay that had been put out but not all eaten for other horses. Silly goof. Some days he just makes me laugh. I was happy though that he did so well with driving. I am really excited about starting him under saddle in almost exactly 2 months. I think it will go really well but I guess time will tell. He is definitely a character.

 

The weather forecast says we might get 2-4 more inches. We got a whole bunch on Thursday, some last night, and more tomorrow :) Hope we are able to still do our youth thing (the youth group is doing in home babysitting for families from our churches). Guess we shall see. Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! I had a great one spent with my family, having fun and being together!!

Some Thoughts and Fun with Sisters

 

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day :) Not sure what that all brings to your mind but for me it brings to mind the song, Therefore Give Us Love. In preparation for Valentine's Day, the one day as I babysat the boys, I drew hearts and Cameron and I colored them. Most of the hearts were the traditional, pink and red, with a white one thrown in here and there, but then Cameron got the idea to make a different colored hearts and I did the same too. Kinda like how they turned out. We hung them on the windows just for fun.

 

Been reading in 2 Corinthians and this is a verse I came across:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. -2 Corinthians 4:7

I love this promise God uses a earthen vessel (us), something fragile and easily broken, to spread His glorious message of Christ. We have no power in and of ourselves, it only comes thru Him, but we have to allow HIM to shine through us! I really enjoyed my journey thru 1 Corinthians but I think my favorite chapter was chapter 14 where it talked about prophecy and speaking in tongues. It was quite an interesting chapter and it got me thinking on a lot of things :)

Tonight it was snicing (ok so its not a word but my sister and I thought sleeting was a funny word for ice mixed with snow so we thought snicing (snow and ice) fit better) :D. Rose Mary went with me to the horses because I wasn't sure how the driveway would be. It turned out to be pretty decent so we parked at the top and walked in. We fed my horses and put shavings down in the run in shed. Loved on the horses a bit and made sure that they weren't too wet and they were still nice and warm. Talked to Anthony and Lori a bit too. Overall we were having a lot of fun!! We were talking and joking. On the way out, I made a snow angel in the snow (which if we figure right we got about 10-12 in on top of the 8 in we already had). Rose Mary and I were throwing snow at each other and making up words. Oh the fun one has with their siblings :D  Guess we shall see if there is school tomorrow! Hope you have a great evening and a wonderful Friday!

Whoopie Pies and More Snow

This is how it looked out the window this morning :) As planned I made whoopee pies with my sister and mom. It was quite fun! Below are pictures of the process. Planning to head out after a while to take some more pictures and maybe later go to the horses if the roads aren't too bad. Enjoy the photos!

 

More Snow On The Way and Some Riding

This picture I took last week when we got 8 or so inches of snow. Well it looks like we have more snow in the forecast for Thursday. Sounds like we might get quite a bit, but I guess we shall see. Anyway, this picture makes me think of this verse:

Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. -Psalm 46:10

Well Monday evening, Sarah came up to ride Mischa. I figured that since Freedom hasn't had any work for a bit, it would be good to pony him off of Daisy on our ride. So I groomed both horses and saddled Daisy up with the natural ride. Once both Sarah and I were ready we headed out. We walked for most of our ride but cantered a bit on the way back. Both horses did pretty good, although Daisy decided she didn't have to listen as far as slowing down. We worked thru it and till we stopped cantering, she was listening to me. I was really impressed with how Freedom did though, because he behaved quite well and I don't remember when the last time was that I ponied him.

Today (Tuesday) I didn't work with the horses. I was just getting ready for the snow that is coming Thursday. I took extra hay to the barn and did some other odds and ends to prepare. Tomorrow I should be able to ride, unless things change. There are benefits to this cold and snow such as hopefully not as many bugs come warm weather, but I really am ready for spring and warm weather. I am thankful for water heaters (they got some for three of the outdoor tubs at the barn, no more chipping ice and worrying about the horses not having water), plenty of hay for the horses, a warm house and all the other blessings!! Sounds like I might not be working on Thursday (if it snows) and if not, I will probably be making whoopee pies with my mom and possibly sisters :) I need a bake good for youth retreat next weekend and why not whoopee pies. :)

One thing I was so excited about yesterday was Jackson (the 1 yr old I babysit) took steps. He had been slowly taking steps Friday but yesterday he was walking :) I asked his mom and she said he had started over the weekend. It is fun watching both Jackson and Cameron mature :) Today Cameron and I had fun making heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day as well as coloring hearts, cutting them out and hanging them on the windows. I really enjoy my job. It really doesn't feel like one. I get to see the boys grow up and change the longer I work there. I just hope that I may continue to be a positive influence in their lives!

Hope you are staying warm with all this cold weather :) Here is a colorful picture that brightens my day. That is one thing I am excited about spring coming, my BRIGHT and CHEERY colors will be back!

A Bit More Snow and Peace

Today we got a bit more snow. Since it was snowing when I headed up to the horses I wasn't sure how long I would get to spend at the barn. I brought Daisy in to the barn and groomed her. I had planned to ride for a bit but it seemed to snow harder, so I figured it might be wise to feed everyone and then head home before the roads got worse. It ended up taking longer to feed everyone than I planned. I was glad that I had been able to groom Daisy and just love on Freedom a bit. Tomorrow if things go as planned my cousin Sarah is coming again and we might ride. Hoping to drive Freedom sometime soon. Part of the reason at the moment is because the driveway is pretty slippery with ice going out and I don't want him to get hurt. Maybe I can pony him along if we ride tomorrow.

This week was a bit tough but over all it was a wonderful week :) Been so encouraged in my walk with God and the wonderful peace he brings!! Read some more on my thoughts about this here: Peace That Passeth All Understanding

More Snow, Challenging Things, And Riding

It has been an interesting week so far! Monday it snowed which meant no riding. I didn't even make it to the horses so Anthony and Lori fed my horses. Tuesday I was able to go to work, of which I was thankful. My cousin came to ride in the evening for the first time since she moved Mischa in. We rode for an hour. It was after dark, so we geared up with our reflectors for the horses, as well as the vests for ourselves, and headed out. I love being able to talk to my cousin, Sarah, and we never run out of things to say :) So I am really excited about seeing her more. Daisy did well, especially for not being ridden on a ride like that and for not having been ridden with the bit in awhile. Mischa did good for that matter.

Wednesday, I didn't go to work because of the freezing rain we got the night before. I spent the day with my family and it was good to be at home. I didn't get to the barn till late in the day, so no riding. Today (Thursday), was the last evening of winter Bible School, so no riding this evening either. Tomorrow evening I am hoping to spend sone time with both horses, and hoping we don't get the snow they are calling for on Saturday so I can work with both my horses again. We shall see!

The one benefit if this snow was that I got some more practice shooting photos. I really enjoyed that aspect.

This photo was from today. Cameron (3 yrs) is Isabella the ladybug, and I am Casey the rabbit. Had so much fun playing hide-and-seek with them. I get so much amusement out of Cameron because of the things he says. Today, at lunch, I asked him what his favorite thing we did so far and he listed some things and then looked at me with a look of confusion, and asked, "Did we have rest time yet?" and I just looked away and smiled   because rest time doesn't happen till 2 in the afternoon :D Gotta love them. I have been blessed with being able to have a job where I can work with children and be a positive (at least  that is my prayer) influence on them.

May you face what is left of this week with a smile on your face and allow God to use you wherever He has placed you! I have been so encouraged in my walk with Him this week and although I don't understand totally why things have turned out the way they did, I know God had a plan for everything!! The song, I Need The Prayers Of Those I Love has been running thru my head as well as my favorite song, When Peace Like a River. May God bless you as you serve Him.

At the Close of the Week (Almost)

 

Another week is almost at a close (ok it's only Thursday but only two more days to this week). Although this week I haven't had much chance to do things with my horses, I am determined that since this weekend is a long one (since Monday is a holiday, I have off), I am hoping to get some riding and driving in! We have Bible School Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Thursday evenings I teach the Kindergarten 2 class (they are 5 and 6...will be going to first grade next year). That is going to keep me busy till the first week of February.

Yesterday morning was foggy. I looked out the window and decided if I hurry I can get some nice pictures of the fog before work. :) I was quite happy with the pictures. Foggy mornings are so mystical looking and I enjoy taking pictures of them.

Last evening I was able to spend time with both horses. I groomed both horses and did some groundwork with Freedom. They were both so dirty since it was extremely muddy here because all our snow melted and then we got a lot of rain, all in a matter of a few days. So I guess we shall see how the weekend goes as far as weather and such! Have a great rest of the week!

My sister, Rose Mary's dog, Duke of Countryside Golden Retrievers

Another Week Before Us

So since the weather on Friday and Saturday was a bit dreary and more conducive to staying indoors (and Friday and today I had off from work), I had the chance to do a lot of thinking and research this weekend. I am redoing my horse's diet due to some research I am doing. Part of that research includes reading this book, The Horse Nutrition Handbook - Melyni Worth PH.D. Been learning some stuff although some of the info reminds me of high school and some of the classes that I didn't totally get. :) It is a good book and I feel like I am walking away informed. Also really enjoyed Joe Camp's books and website: http://thesoulofahorse.com/


Along with doing a lot of thinking and research as far as my horses, I have been doing a lot of digging in God's Word :) It has been good digging and along with that, right now I am reading this book, Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness - Nancy Leigh Demoss. I just started it, but feel like I am going to walk away with a lot of good insight and even seeing things I need to and want to change. This is what I have been challenged with in my devotions: Building for Eternity. I have been reading thru 1 Corinthians and really enjoying it so far.


I love how God just has a way of using even the things we consider inconvenient or "bad" for his honor and glory. In some ways having off from work was a blessing in disguise because I came down with a nasty chest cough and head cold last week. So I was able to spend the weekend in a chair, covered in blankets, drinking lots of tea, and reading :) So even though I haven't been able to really work with my horses due to not feeling well and the cold I am hoping to get some time to do that this week.


I feel like I walked away from this weekend blessed by the extra time spent in God's Word as well as just being able to get away, in some ways, from everything. I am feeling better and hoping to face the rest of the work week feeling much better :) May God bless you as you face the rest of the week!

A Few Thoughts

Miss Daisy

It has been a bit too chilly to do much at all this week :) I had off from work yesterday due to school closing and since I work for a school teacher, that meant no work for me. Today I had a good day at work. Although Jackson, who is almost 1, was a bit sick, he was a happy boy today. While Cameron, who is almost 4, was at preschool, Jackson slept. Then we went to pick Cameron up and played some games till rest time. One game we played was "Doctor". Cameron loves to play like he is hurt and then me be the "doctor". Usually he is prescribed ok, but sometimes he has a "broken arm" or just has to lay on the couch for a bit. He is just too funny. I really do enjoy my job as a nanny. Most weeks I work every day but occasionally I have off on a Friday and Monday because the father works some weekends and then has off on those days. I am thankful that both Cameron and Jackson are well behaved. I also am really looking forward to Jackson to start talking and walking. He is getting around really well, at the moment, crawling. He can pull himself up and walk behind his little walker thing so I don't think it will be much longer. We shall have lots of fun then!

Tonight I just loved on my guys and fed them. Hoping Friday and Saturday to work them both if it is warm enough. Tomorrow night we have Bible school at church again. We are going to have it for, I think, 5 weeks straight and I teach on Thursdays. I have the kindergarten 2 class which is the class that is going to be in 1st grade next year. So far they are well behaved and quite attentive. :) Well that is all for my numerous ramblings...since I haven't been riding you are hearing about everything else :D Hope you all have a blessed week.

BRRR, It's CCCOLD Out There

This is the winter wonderland we got to enjoy from Thursday afternoon till Sunday evening. Sunday it rained freezing rain and then the temperature rose thru the night, which then caused all of the snow to melt with the exception of the big snow piles. This morning I woke up to rain and was it decently "warm", that is, if you call 40 F warm :) We have had temperatures down to zero for the last few days and tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be nice and cold *said sarcastically*. We have temperature of 5 degrees F and a wind-chill of -18. Tomorrow it is calling for the same only a wind-chill of -20.  For some reason when I feed them hay in the run in shed, they waste it. To resolve that issue, I took a big 100 gallon galvanized steel tub to put their hay in. I tied it to the barn using baler twine so they can't move it around. Since it is calling for such cold temperatures for tonight I gave them a full bale of hay, plus a little extra. I want them to stay toasty warm.

I had to laugh at Freedom though. I got my mom to help me carry the tub, even though it is actually pretty light, it is a bit big and bulky for one person to manage. I opened the gate to the meadow and the horses came out of the barn. Then to close the gate we put the tub down and both horses spook from the noise. I had to laugh because Daisy stops in her steps and sort of jumps to the side. Freedom stops, looks and walks away. We took it to the run in and put it down. The horses come over and check out what this new thing is. I brought the bale of hay in and put it in the tub. Once mom and I get out of the way I just stand there to watch them. I put some hay to the side of the trough so the goats can reach some. Well Daisy goes ahead and digs right in, not caring a lick about the fact she has to eat her hay out of something vs. straight off the ground. Freedom, he is a different story. He stands as far back as he can and reaches his head out to sniff it. I guess he bumped his nose against the cold trough and he puts his nose up in the air like all studs to when they smell something funny. And he snorts at it like horses do when they are unsure or not pleased about something. I just stood there and laughed. My dear horse, who I can do anything with and who hardly has a care in the world as far as new things, is not impressed or pleased with this new feeding trough. His reaction was just so funny. Well he eventually settles in and figures he might as well clean up the hay from off the ground :) The little things like this make me smile! Horses can be so amusing sometimes :)

I haven't been able to ride or work with the horses since Thursday, due to how cold it has been and with the snow on the ground. It looks like they might be calling for more reasonable weather later this week into next so hopefully I can drive Freedom again and ride soon.

Hope everyone is staying warm and for those of who live in colder climates and have snow, drive safely!

Christmas Day 2013 Sunset. Just LOVE this photo.

Happy New Year, Riding and Driving my Horses

Freedom 

Daisy

 

Hope everyone had a good New Year's Day. :) I was able to spend mine with my Mom's side of the family. It was great seeing cousins that I don't see much any other time of the year.

 

Thursday I worked for two hours. It was great seeing Cameron and Jackson again. I enjoyed having off for Christmas break and spending time at home with my family some, visiting a friend who is at Mountain View as volunteer staff, and being able to ride during the day but it is always nice to go back to work. Monday, Lord Willing (and if the weather cooperates), I will go back to work for full days.

 

After I got home from work on Thursday, I changed into riding clothes and headed to the horses. I decided to drive Freedom first. I went a little farther than the last time I had driven him. Instead of turning right out of the driveway like we always have before, I turned left. I wanted to take him over the turnpike since it is something he has to get used to anyway and I figured what better day than today. Everything went well. We trotted to the bridge and right before the bridge I allowed him to walk. He really looked at the bridge and the cars going underneath but walked over it no problem. Halfway across I asked for a trot and he trotted off really nice. We turned into the little road that I work Daisy along sometimes at night and went the length of that and back. Then we headed back toward the barn. We crossed the turnpike once again, no problem. Well just as we finished crossing the bridge, this truck (I kinda glanced behind me and I thought it was just a big dump truck) came up behind us. We were right on the corner and I was kinda hoping the guy waits to pass us till  we are in the straight stretch. But no, he starts to pass us. Freedom starts to freak out, and starts pulling toward the middle of the road. He has seen big trucks and has had them pass him when he is with Daisy but never like this. Since the truck turns out to be a big cattle truck with a trailer, he takes some of our side of the road since the corner is so sharp and it turns the right which is the way we were heading. I asked Freedom to stop and he does almost immediately, but not before we had almost collided with the cattle truck (since the truck was so long and on our side of the road, the corner so sharp, and Freedom not being totally alongside of the road like he should have been since he was freaking out). I pretty much just reacted along with lots of yelling WHAO. I stopped Freedom and got him to back up a bit and then we just stood there till the truck passed us. If  Freedom would not have responded to me like he did right away, things could have turned out much differently. I am so thankful to God that we arrived back safe and sound and in one piece. Although Freedom is now scared of trucks because right after this happened and we had gone a little ways, a small box truck came our way on the opposite side of the road and Freedom pulled to the side away from the truck. He never has freaked out like that about cars or any other trucks we have encountered. But we arrived back and I unhooked the cart and unharnessed him. :)

 

After I got back from driving Freedom, I rode Daisy. Since it was so cold I decided to just hop on her bareback and go for a nice ride. I believe the French link snaffle has made such a difference because she behaves so much better with this bit. We rode for about half an hour and we did some cantering. On the way back, Daisy walked like a good girl instead of trying to trot when I didn't ask her to. Overall I felt like my day with the horses was quite profitable.

 

 

 

It snowed as I was finishing things up. I am not sure how much snow we got but I am hoping the roads will be clear enough to go to the horses this evening. Hope you all are having a blessed New Year!

This is my mentality for the new year: Don't Let Circumstances Intimidate You. I read this in my devotions a while back and it made an impression on me! :)

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas to you all! Hope you have a wonderful day spent with family and friends!

I'M BACK

Boat in LaConnor, WA

So I had a great trip to WA. My sister and I's flights went well, got to our destinations mostly on time (our flight on the way home was delayed for an hour and a half due to a sick flight attendant), and most of all had FUN! I don't have lots of pictures to post now but hopefully will later. I got to do a few firsts while in WA. I got to pick blackberries (some of which came along home), rode on the beach on horseback, and jumped a 17 hand Dutch Warmblood. I had quite the enjoyable time.

Today I rode with my cousin's, Sara and Maryrose, up at Project 70 (local wildlife management area). We did the same thing last year on Labor Day as well. So much fun. Daisy did great and we just had a lot of fun. That took a good majority of my day since we went before lunch and ate lunch there. This evening then I have been editing pictures from my trip and just relaxing. Tomorrow I start my new job as a nanny in Lancaster City. I have two boys, a 6 month old and a 3 yr old, so it should be exciting. I will try to post pictures of my trip and the cabin by this weekend. All will depend on how much time I get. :)

Update

 

I haven't posted in a bit. This past week I was cooking at a cabin with my cousin for 40 people ;) Lots of work but it also meant I got LOTS of food photos. I will be posting photos next week hopefully. I am going to be in WA state this week, leaving tomorrow and coming back Saturday :) My sister and I are visiting a dear friend. She visited us two years ago and now we are returning the favor. Looking forward to seeing her again in person. I will most likely return with LOTS of photos from that too.

 

Just got back from the cabin today and now off to the horses then going to head to my cousins who are taking us to the airport in the morning. So my bags are all packed but I just need to go love on the horses and say hi :) Missed them this past week. Can't wait to work with them again next week. Have a wonderful week!

Been A While

Its been a while since I posted. I was on chorus tour since June 5th and we returned on June 17th. Tour was wonderful....I had so much fun. I loved that I was closer to some of my friends but I felt like I got to know some people that I hadn't know before so well, a lot better. Right now we as a family are at a show and will be till Saturday. So I won't be getting to see my horses till next week sometime. I was thankful though that I got to love on them Sunday evening after we got back from tour and then Monday morning I cleaned the water tubs, moved the horses around a bit, put fly spray on them and loved on them too. Freedom seems to have grown a bit and Daisy came running when I called their names. Not sure they liked that I was going to be gone some more again. So at the moment I don't have much to write because I want to wait to write more about chorus tour till I get the pictures done :) I plan to be editing the pictures from the wedding I did at the beginning of the month within the next week or so.

Here is a picture of me and my friend Lane (Elana). This was before a chorus program so we had our chorus dresses on.