Life is life....live it!

So I have been riding horses since I could sit up but really I didn't get competitive until I was 11. That is when I started taking English riding lessons. Yeah, English! It taught me a lot about body position, control, and balance. My folks bought me my first horse, TJ, at age 12/13. I'm a January baby and he was my Christmas present! Best thing ever! To this day I have to say that he was the best Christmas gift I have ever received! My son will count for my best birthday present :-) My life was not all perfect but I lived it this far. Still we all struggle from time to time with this and that but I am learning to appreciate the little things. It's hard some times to stop and just say "wow. I have so much to be grateful for! I have my family, horses, a house....." Instead we do the havenots. Those are the " I'm broke, I'm hungry, I'm tired, my truck is old, my trailer leaks etc." But shoot. I have a truck! I have a trailer! I have something to load in that trailer! 

So my question to you is....do you want to live a blessed life or a havenot life? I'm choosing blessed! Yes, I need to fix some things with my thinking on a daily baises but it's all in my head. So I vow to spend a little more time watching my horses eat grass, my son sleep, the sun rise and set over our land and most of all, appreciating my husband. Without him, I know I would be in a havenot life. 

On that note. My sweet hubby works his tail off all week long to put food on the table and support my horse habit. Bless his heart! I'm sure glad we took 7 years of dating before getting married because he can't ever say that he didn't realize how much my horsey habit would be a life style not just a habit! If we didn't have horses then we could go on vacation or live in a fancy house....but then what would I do? How would our son do? I know for a fact that having responsibilities such as animals really help a kid get a grasp on reality. BUT they have to have pride in their accomplishments. We as parents cannot do everything for our child. We have to let them learn and develope a sense of responsibility. I encourage every parent out there to stop FEEDING their kids horses, dogs, cat, whatever! Stop riding them for them! Stop just stop! Let the kid learn to do it themselves! All of my "failures" have only made me stronger. All of my struggles and bumps and bruises....yeah, they molded me into a stronger person. My folks never fed for me. They never clean my stall. They never rode my horse. It was ME. Even my show animals. Even when I was sick! All me! My animals depended on me. I knew that and I put them first (right along with school) and I still do. My son knows we have to feed the animals before we eat. He knows (3 years old) that we have to ride to be able to go to the barrel race. He knows that we have to pick up our trash so the animals don't get into it. Might seem odd to some people when my son comes to their house and he starts picking up trash and putting it into the garbage but that is who I am raising. A responsible boy who will grow up with a strong self worth. A strong set of morals, goals, pride, and responsibility! 

Ok, that is all for my words of wisdom today! I sure hope that mommy (me) can be a good role model for my son throughout his life by never giving up. I want to be the mama that my boy is proud of. I want him to say that I am a great person and strong. Won't it be cool if I can hit the rodeo road and share some of that lifestyle with my son? I can't wait!