Hello world! Wow, I can’t believe it’s summer of 2025! That means I graduated with my masters degree TWENTY YEARS AGO! WTH? I’m not that old! Then my child was telling me that in six months he will have his permit to drive so he can drive me around in the dark. Holy cow! My baby will be 15 in six months! What is going on? How is time moving faster yet the days seem to drag? I guess this is my new normal? I will be married for 18 years in September! Jeff and I have been together for 26 years! Y'all, that is now more than half my existence on this earth! Time is just flat flying! We are even talking about where to live when we retire! In fact, we are taking about what we will do when our kid goes off to college. I’m not ready! Slow down!
In this chapter of my life, I am, once again, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I had the same feeling 20 years ago. All I knew that I was 100% in love with my now husband. I knew I had two horses, two dogs and needed to do something. I snatched a job working in research at Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine. I only made $13 an hour but it was enough to live on alone. I was stuck. I should have taken some education classes to become a certified teacher. But, I was out of school money and wasn’t sure what I really wanted out of life. Well, except to get married, keep riding and keep my dogs happy! A year later, I jumped ship, moved to Pineland, TX with all of my four legged kids to move forward with our relationship. Little did I know, that was exactly what I needed to do. We bought a house on land. We got married. We had a lot of horses! I barrel raced. I worked part time and I finally got pregnant! When our boy was born, we moved up to East of Dallas area because Jeff took a job in Dallas! It was crazy! Moving with a six week old baby, 2dogs, six horses and all of our stuff! But it all worked out. I quickly got down to 3 horses and we quickly found a home to buy. In fact, we are coming up on living in our home for 14 years!!! Time has flown by!
Recently, we have decided it’s time for a shop/barn. I have been dreaming of having a barn since we moved here. A real barn with stalls, a tack/feed room and a breezeway where I can play pretty pony, clean tack, or just sit and stare at my horse while my dogs play in the dirt. I think it’s fixing to happen!!!! I’m stoked!!! No, my horses won’t live in stalls but I can bring them up when I want or need and I will be able to take better care of them. For example- Bob is having issues with morning grass. Dew poisoning of sorts. I will be able to keep him up during the dewy hours and let those ankles stay dry! Lynx is always hurting himself. Now I will have a stall to put him in so he can heal! Have lessons? I can stall up the horse I plan to use and spend more time with my students discussing how to groom and saddle without standing in the sun!!! It will be epic!
I’m still not barrel racing. I did jump ride a mare for a student last weekend and remembered why I am not barrel racing. I need to learn how to get along with my new titanium hip! I still enjoy riding but it is not a priority at the moment. Honestly, I feel like jerking shoes off the horses and just letting them be. But Bob has arthritis in his front feet and Lynx has his injury so I can’t do it. Bob still loves me. I don’t ask him for much. He hates to lope. No big deal! His long trot is amazing! Lynx wants to lope but it makes him sore. I try not to ride Lynx as when I do, he wants to workout! So horses are still a big part of my life. Just not the main event.
Then we have Duke! Duke is the Australian Cattle Dog that we adopted from the streets of our small town last year! He was about 9-10 weeks old when we got him. (Totally guessing as he still had shark teeth) This dog is everything I want rolled into one! I swear that my first heeler, Ruger, and my last heeler, Gauge, got together in Heaven and discussed what they wanted to send me to make me happy! Duke fetches like Ruger! Loves the ball! Will play fetch for hours! He swims like Ruger too! If there is water, he is in the water! He wants to be with me 24/7. Both Ruger and Gauge were with me all the time! He loves riding in the truck! Ruger was always down for a road trip! Gauge was great in the truck but more because she got to go with me. She was about the destination not the travel. Duke is just down for whatever we are doing together! He actually loves baths. I think that was more Ruger than Gauge! He loves people! Way more Gauge than Ruger. Gauge would tolerate anyone that I tolerated. Ruger was way more judgmental. He would bite one out of ten. But he had a reason for it. That one was usually aggressive towards me. He was a protector. Duke is a protector but does more things like blocking me from negative people/pets/objects. He is 100% chill. Totally like Gauge. She didn’t get rowdy about much of anything except loading up! He asserts his dominance over the other dogs with a look or body language. That was Gauge. Ruger would just take the other dog down. He tells me what he needs. If the door is closed and he needs out, he will rack the spring on the door. Gauge did that! I didn’t train either to do it!!! Ruger was more of a bark at mom kinda fella. So I have the perfect dog! The only thing I wish was different, I wish he would stay in bed when daddy isn’t home. Gauge would. Ruger would only stay in bed until I fell asleep then he was on the floor. I’m sure it was to keep an ear out for stranger danger. Gauge knew that I wanted cuddles. She would not be “on me” but she would lay at my feet. But only if daddy wasn’t there. If he was, she would stay until he came to bed. Duke will stay until I kill the lamp and tv.
So this dog has opened some new doors for me. We compete! We do dock diving, fast cat, frisbee… I’m sure we will do more things as he gets older! I’m just not sure what to try next. He doesn’t like agility but I don’t either as I can’t run lol! We did get invited to a frisbee club called bite club! I think we will look into it!
Then we have my human child! He is all over the place with sports and school! I swear he signs up for every sports opportunity he can! That is why I have to manage my expectations for the dog sports. I want to be there to cheer on my kid! I’m super proud of him! I love football! Not a fan of basketball. I do love watching him run track and do the high jump! And of course, baseball! But I think football is my favorite!
So my current dilemma is… what am I doing? Before I could say “I am a mom, wife and barrel racer”… I can’t say what I am now except mom and wife. And that is ok! I love those two titles! Perhaps, once we are empty nesters, I can get into breeding dogs? Horses? Idk. Time will tell! I’d love to have a kennel of well bred pups! Jeff might go crazy though! He doesn’t like having more than one dog. We shall see! Right now I’m working on swimming Duke to build his skills. Slick, my corgi, Aussie mix still has zero idea about fetch. He is more of the annoying little brother type. Cole, the shelter heeler is for sure not one to play fetch as he gets stupid excited and bites the hand that throws the toy. It hurts and I can’t afford to hurt anymore! But Duke can do it all!
Check back in a few months and see what I find out about myself as my lesson program grows and my dog skills become a priority!
