New Year, New Me?

I am not really big on New Year's Resolutions. I don't set my goals based on the past. Not really. And another year gone actually makes me sad. I know a lot of folks are like "so glad 2018 is over" but that is not me. SO much has happened in 2018! I was able to get my eyes fixed so I dont really need glasses yet..... still waiting on them to settle to see if I do need reading glasses but so far, so good. I was able to get my pesky pain fixed in my abdomen. I figured out why Goose was having issues and how to help him! I found a new friend to help me with Goose as well! I won two saddles! Lynx pulled a few big checks and won another buckle! We got a new horse, sold that horse, and some how managed to borrow another horse that is hanging out in my pasture for my kid to ride! He will also be used for lessons! I somehow managed to get two new saddles, one for Goose and one for Lynx. I also used my winning saddle certificate to get my husband a new saddle. ALL of this was done with winnings and hard work! I have been blessed with success this year. I may not have been at the top of my game but I was still successful! So why would I be ready to kick 2018 in the butt? Another thing that happened this year is my son upped his game in Baseball! He played coach pitch this year! No more t-ball! He was also on a great soccer team! He is learning so much in 2nd grade and ended 1st grade with all A's. He learned cursive in the first week of 2nd grade and now he prefers cursive over print! He went hunting with his Dad in January and they killed a nice buck! This hunting season, we have one more buck for the freezer and they are off to hunt together again. This was a year for "firsts". Goose was entered in his FIRST barrel race! About time! I know! He is doing so good! SO back to 2019. I don't desire a set of goals for the year. Nope....I have to count my blessings and I look forward to all that God has planned for me in the next year. There will be ups and downs as usual. There will be crazy weird stuff. But, first and foremost, there will be a new year of blessings and I am sure more "firsts" for us all. I am looking forward to running Goose in 2019. I am looking forward to Kolton riding Ralph in 2019. I am looking forward to my husband riding more in 2019 in his new saddle! I want my business to grow. I am looking for another product line to sell but honestly, I just don't see many things out there that I want to push. Instead, I think I will continue to teach lessons and see if I can pick up a few more students. I think I will try my best to make more runs on Lynx and Goose. I think I will be able to do a little more for my body like even just walking more! Oh and I got a new fancy camera!!! SO guess what? I think I will start taking photos and seeing where that will take me! I have always had a passion for photography! Perhaps I can take professional equine photos and pick up some clients. I am really good at sales photos....who knows? The door is wide open for life. We have so much life to live and I don't want to be negative about the past year. I want to cherish every good, bad and weird moment of the year! Bring it on 2019! I am so blessed to be alive and have my family! I am so blessed to have my horses, dogs and even those dang cats! So instead of resolutions...I am going to welcome 2019 with open arms and pray for more blessings! I am going to count my blessings each morning and each night! I am going to find the positive in everything I get to do! One foot in front of the other y'all!

Do You Believe?

Christmas time is upon us! Often we are reminded how important family and friends are during the season. But why not year round? I always find it interesting how folks get all social for the holidays but forget about the rest of the year. I digress. This is not what this blog is about! This blog is about Santa. My son is at an age where others are saying he isn’t real. Well, folks, I am nearly 40 and I have to say I still believe! However, I think it’s more about Jesus than Santa! It always catches me off guard when something happens during Christmas that is so odd that I literally have no way to explain it other than God’s miracles aka Santa! My son asked (he is 7, almost 8) if Santa was real. He asked his dad. I was a little shocked when Jeff descibled Santa as similar to God. You can’t see him. You can’t touch him. You can’t call him but you can talk to him. You have to have faith to see His blessings. If you don’t believe, then you are likely to miss the miracles. Let’s say that again. If you stop believing, then you miss the miracles. They are still happening but you loose your joy. You loose your child like wonder. You loose the “wow factor” of the unexpected love and kindness. It doesn’t mean that God doesn’t still want you. He will not forsake you even in your time of doubt. Santa is the same way. For our kids, it’s that gift they asked for from Santa that shows up under the tree. As parents, we have to be observers and make sure we try to find that one special thing. It’s not something expensive or something that is just AMAZING. No, it could be something small that they really want. In fact, anything our kid needs (we really do the socks thing and things he needs vs toys) so when he gets that gift from Santa that he asked him face to face... you get the WOW. Oh the joy and innocence of a child! If we, as adults, kept that child like wonder, imagine how happy we would be when someone brings you a random cupcake or does something simple for you that you didn’t have a chance to do. Think about it! Reflecting back to our relationship with God and Jesus, I pray that we are able to hold on to the blind faith, child like wonder and never ending love for someone we cannot see or touch. Count your blessings, not your curses. Heck, find the good in the bad! It’s hard. As an adult, it’s super hard! We can drown in all the negative! So if you stop each morning and thank God for allowing you to wake up each morning, I can tell you that it will change your daily outlook! As for Santa, I still watch out for him! I even get surprises from him each year! The amazing thing is seeing my child’s joy when he sees the stockings hung and a few extra gifts from Santa! So let your children be children! Let them have Joy! And remember Jesus is the reason for the season! Merry Christmas!

Life, Goals, Reality

I’d like to think that all of us have goals. We have a plan of some sort for our lives. We have a one year, five year or even ten year plan that we are all struggling to reach. Don’t lie...you have one! It may be something “simple” like loosing weight (this is no longer simple for me) or it might complexed like graduate from college, find a career and start to adult. Yes I am using the noun as a verb. Let’s be real here, adulting is a thing and it is hard! Sometimes we fall into this path to reach our goal so hard that when God opens a new path, you don’t see it. My goals have been fairy forward but I have been called into a different path that what I imagined at age 18. I started college at SHSU with intentions of getting my GPA up enough to get into Texas A&M. Then I wanted to finish my Animal Science degree in my four years. I did this. SUCESS! But wait... I had things thrown in there to change my path. My GPA was a 2.98. I needed a 3.0to get into Animal Scince as an incoming Junior at TAMU. I had already moved to my family ranch by the time the letter reached my mail. I went down to the school and pleaded my case to my advisor, Dr. Hesby, and with a lot of talk and one click of a button, I was in! I completed the next two years ON TIME and qualified for the “graduating with a 4 year degree with in 4 credits of my degree plan”. This was a bonus from George Bush. I was ecstatic! At the same time as I was finishing up my college hours, I was running a boarding facility at the ranch and had met Jeff, the love of my life and now my husband! Oh man.... that path had so many forks in the road! But I did it! Following that path, I wanted a career as a county agent with 4-h and I wanted to help with the equine program. I was placed in a county with NO HORSE PROGRAM. I knew very little about pigs and cattle. I helped where I could and bam, I built a long lasting horse program for that county. My goal was to stay until they wanted to transfer me to a county that was closer to where I wanted to live. God slapped a hard fork in my path. I had to get a Masters before I could transfer then my health tanked. I was already taking classes online so on my two year mark, I quit my job and went back to TAMU. All the while, Jeff was still working on his career in a deep east Texas town. We held together and I stayed in College Station from 2003-2006. I had then decided I wanted to teach on a college level. But again, another fork. I ended up getting a Masters of Education in Agricultural Education. I worked for the vet school on a project for over a year and decide it was time for new goals. Jeff and I found a house and I moved to Pineland, TX. I did get a chance to “teach” at a higher level with the small program in this tiny town. It was not where I wanted to raise my kids. Yes I said kids. Jeff and I married shortly after buying the house and almost 8 years of dating! My next round of goals were what some would think were simple. I wanted to start a family. This is where things got off track. It took me years to get pregnant. I was working then I lost my job and began to substitute for the local ISD’s in the area. I began to work on a teacher certification thinking I could just teach high school. I was shocked when I finally did get pregnant! I was one semester away from my certification. Remember how I said it was not where we wanted to raise our kids? Yeah... so we moved six weeks after our son was born in January of 2011. I finished my course work but eating an internship or student teaching was a no go. All that planning went down the tubes! We moved up here (near Dallas) and I had to rebuild my goals. I tried working and found out that while I was good at what I was doing, I really am better working for myself. This is something that I was told way before all the goals had been made. Why? I didn’t believe I could make it working for myself. Well, it came down to “now what?” God then threw so many forks in my road that I had to focus on my business. Between raising an active boy, barrel racing and being a wife....well guys, I just had to give it all to God and reinvent myself! I am probably one of the most over educated saddle cleaning, lesson instructing, tack/ supplement provider in the world. But you know what? I would not trade it for the world! My horses are literally providing for themselves. All else is for the vet, farrier, entryvfees etc. No, we are not rich. But I do ha e one hard working husband. We were only blessed with one child but that one child is awesome. A handful most of the time but smart, funny, talented and did I mention smart? And I get to take him to and from school. I get to take him to Sports! I get to attend all of his school programs! I also get to share my love for my horses and my knowledge with others. That is my passion. What is my point? Well, I am almost 40. I have a Masters Degree and my career is a stay at home mom and self employed as a riding coach, saddle cleaner, and stuff seller. But.....my blessings are amazing! When stuff was rolling down different paths, I had to think hard...now I just GIVE it to God and he points me where I need to go. So don’t be so hard on yourself if your path goes astray. Take a look around and see where God is sending you. You will be shocked at how your stress level will go down once you fall in step with God. Perhaps I will reinvent myself in the future. Yes....I’m about 37 days from being 40. But what the heck? I can be anything I want to be! Maybe I will pick up photography! Maybe I will figure a way to do lessons full time (I need an indoor arena) but all I know is I am me.i am part of my little family. I am a barrel racer. I am a horsewoman! I am loved and supported by my husband and my kid! I’m not going to say I’ve got this....no....God has got this! #tooblessedtobestressed #Iam #Godsplan