A thankful heart brings back many blessings

It is good to be home and in my own bed tonight. It has been busy this week. I am driving to Houston to work at a competitive trail ride this weekend. That is something I did 25 years ago when Ryan and Blake were little. We would camp in a tent and I would ride the two days. I have good memories of those days. Now it is time to go back and enjoy it again. I will be helping the judge this weekend so I will learn what they are looking for. I hope to compete with Indira in the fall. I don't have my fancy trailer with air conditioning and will miss that but I am trying to figure out how to make it somewhat comfortable by the fall. I may get a slide in camper for my truck. For this weekend I'll take a sleeping bag and will fold down my seats and sleep in my Prius. I have a little bit of pioneer woman in me and love the adventure.

We have a "horsey" couple coming out to the camp Thursday afternoon to look at our facilities for doing a Parelli horse clinic here. That would be wonderful if it works out. I live out in the middle of nowhere and horse people are coming to me! I am just so thankful for this time in my life and where I am blessed to live. Part of my job is to buy horses for the camp. I sold 4 Friday that weren't kid horses and I have bought a total of 9 in the past 2 weeks. I probably need to get 15 more. I am going to look at one in Marble Falls that was a prison horse. They are wonderful because they were ridden everyday and have been desensitized to spooking. I bought one last week and you can identify them because they all have a star branded on their left shoulder.

It has been drizzling rain the last two days. I did walk 4 miles to the gate and back in the rain. It felt good, the temperature was just right. I am enjoying the hill country and the birth of spring. Some of the mountain laurel is starting to bloom and the hint of sweet grape is in the air. Tonight I was out working around the horses in the barn and heard a whiporwhil (I'm sure I spelled that wrong). I love the peaceful sound that they make at dusk. I am thankful for all the sights, smells, sounds that God has given me as little gifts in my day. I pray that I don't get to distracted to notice His daily gifts. I have been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She tells us how important being thankful is to God. When we cease to give him the glory we loose our way in this world and begin to follow our own sinful desires. He lets our hearts guide us. So my prayer is...Lord keep my eyes open to your works and your truth. Make my heart pure and clean as I turn to you for forgiveness so that you can flow through me. I want to stay on your path for my life. That is my prayer for all of you too. Count your Blessings!

Lily Lu and Pizaz

I love traveling around and talking to people. I have been recruiting college students to be counselors and wranglers for the camp. I ask them about their passions and what they want to do with their lives. It is a joy to listen to their dreams and watch their eyes light up as they share their hopes with me. I am so blessed that I work for Meg and she wants people to do what they love. She says that when you are doing what you love it doesn't feel like work. She is right. I have been looking at prospective horses to purchase for the camp. I will be buying 15-20 horses before May. I have traveled off the beaten path to try out these horses. Some good, some not so good. I have met some interesting characters. They start out telling me their history with these horses and pretty soon they are sharing their stories too. I love driving down these back roads of Texas and seeing the beautiful ranches. I enjoy talking with the owners and riding the horses. I can usually tell by the horse's personality and demeanor within a minute if he will work or not. Does he trust people? Does he stand still or fidget? Does he have a relaxed kind eye? When you get on him is he nervous, attentive or uninterested? Does he like to be touched or just tolerate you? These are all things that I naturally notice after spending many years around horses. I think these are the reasons why horses help us to be better listeners, better at being honest about our own feelings, hopefully better people. I love what I do. I thought you all would enjoy seeing a picture of Alamo's Rowdy Pizaz. I went to buy two lesson horses on Saturday in Marion, Texas. He was out in the pasture with them and I made a package deal. I think he is going to get lots of love this summer from the kids and he will be a great addition to our program. You just never know what you are going to find on these adventures.

Recruiting at West Texas A&M

I woke up to snow this morning in Canyon, Texas. We recruited at the college and talked to lots of students about working at Lonehollow. It took me back to my college days. I'm now in Lubbock and will be recruiting at Texas Tech tomorrow. We will have a pizza party tomorrow evening. I am enjoying this road trip. Talking with the college kids and hearing about their hopes and dreams is very positive. It makes me think about every "season" of our life and how we all have a future with potential for living our dreams and pursuing our passion.

Moonlight Hike in Palo Duro Canyon

I met Stephen and Justi at the office in Ingram this morning at 8:00 and we began our trip to the Texas Panhandle. We drove to Lubbock and dropped of Justi at Texas Tech. Then Stephen and I drove further North to the Palo Duro Canyon. After driving for 7 hours we arrived around 4:30 and checked in at the entrance to the state park. The Ranger said it was a 6 mile hike to the "lighthouse" and he didn't think we would have time to do it before dark. Stephen and I took that as a challenge and we did it. It was a good hike with the last part having a pretty steep climb but it was worth it. On the way back we saw the full moon coming up in the pink sky. It was the best time of the day to be hiking. The temperature was in the low 50's and the light on the rock formations was breathtaking. I am now back at my comfortable hotel room. I've had a hot bath and I think I will sleep well. Tomorrow we go to West Texas A&M to recruit for camp. I'm looking forward to talking with these college kids. God has blessed us with beauty all around. Have you seen the moon tonight? Here in Canyon, Texas it has a rainbow of colors around it. I guess you call that a moonbow.

What a great weekend!

It is Sunday afternoon and all is quiet at camp. It rained a little while around lunch and now it is beautiful with the sun is out. I love peaceful Sunday afternoons. It has been a fun and busy weekend. It all began Friday afternoon. I picked up Liz Nance at the San Antonio airport. She is from Fort Worth and her son attends camp here. She is a new friend that I have really enjoyed spending time with. We had a wonderful dinner and made beaded bracelets Friday night. I didn't have my iphone with me so I didn't get any pictures. There were 9 women that came to camp for the retreat. It was the perfect size. Saturday was filled with massages, manicures, pedicures, horseback rides, crafts of all kinds, good wine, conversation, mountain biking, hiking, more good food. I was in charge of the crafts and I think they were a hit. We had to literally pull some of the women away to do other activities. You know how it is when you get into the creative flow and don't want to stop. They were enthusiastic and happy to participate which made it easy. We are going to hang the birdhouses and feeders up around the camp so their children will be able to see them this summer.

Stephen played his guitar and sang for us after dinner. We were up til after midnight. Everyone was gone by 9:30 this morning and now it is quiet here. I am going to rest up and pack this afternoon. I leave bright and early for Amarillo and Lubbock. I have to say I am loving my life right now, the balance of beauty, quiet and solitude and then entertaining and meeting new people, recruiting and hiring Wranglers, it is just a happy place to be. Someone asked this weekend what would you change if you had six months to live and I have to say I don't feel a need to change a thing. I think I am right where God wants me to be at this point in my life. There is a peace and contentment in knowing that. I think I have some maturing to do so that I can always have that peace no matter what the circumstances but I am also going to be appreciative for the wonderful circumstances I have around me. Attitude really is the key!

A Creative Day at Camp

Here are a couple of the craft projects that I will be doing for the women's retreat this weekend. The birdfeeder has stones that are similar to the buildings at Lonehollow. I have a couple of other projects we will be doing and I'll post those in a day or two.

Today I helped Lori decorate the health lodge. It looks warm and inviting for the women. They will arrive around 5 tomorrow. I think it is going to be a great weekend. I am exhausted so I am off to get some rest before the fun begins.

A day at camp

Well I am officially living at the camp now. I got everything moved (thank you Mom for your help) and my apartment over the barn is very comfortable and nice. I don't know if everyone would love to live over a horse barn but God has certainly given me my heart's desire. This isn't your ordinary horse barn either.

It is February 1st and it is hard to believe the wonderful weather we have had. Almost 80 today. I am enjoying my outside chores-no more sitting behind a desk crunching numbers. Today I woke up to feed all the animals. I have a menagerie to care for and they all know my car now. First it is the hungry horses, then the lambs, pigs and goats. Then I go to the lake and feed to ducks, then down to the Sabinal River to feed more ducks and geese. Then back home to feed the rabbits. Of course, Calvin and Lily get fed too. I gave a horse a bath, cleaned 10 stalls, hauled hay and feed 100 pounds of feed.

I spent part of today getting ready for the women's retreat that is happening this weekend. I will be taking some of them horseback riding and doing craft projects. They will also be getting massages, manicures and pedicures. These are women that Meg has hand picked to be representatives for the camp in the cities they live in. They will be promoting Lonehollow and recruiting new campers for us. She wants this to be a relaxing and inspiring weekend for them. I have been decorating the health lodge where they will be staying. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. I bought great smelling candles and framed some of the fused glass projects that the campers have created. I'll be working with Meg's decorator tomorrow to put some more finishing touches on everything. I can't believe this is what I get paid to do.

The days are flying by and I have to say I am tired at the end of the day. I am glad I have a few months to build up my stamina before the 10 wranglers arrive. I leave Monday and will be gone all week to recruit at colleges in North Texas. I am looking forward to getting to know the girls that will be living across the hall from me from May to August. It will be a new experience for me after spending most of my life raising 4 boys. There will certainly be more talking. For now it is peaceful and quiet and I remind myself that I need to enjoy it. I couldn't be in a more peaceful and beautiful place. I am doing what I love. I would have never imagined this would be my life.