I love spring.  It has been cool this week but nice to get out and get things done.  It has been a busy week.  I am bringing in the animals for family camp.  This is a picture of my friend Carol with the new sheep and lambs and a pygmy goat with two kids.  I'll pick up the alpacas on Monday.  I am trying to tame down the miniature donkeys for the kids.  I planted about a 100 flowers in the last two days. The barn is spotless.  I have to say everything is looking good.  I am tired and sore.  I wish I had a bathtub to soak in epsom salts.  It is Friday evening and I have put in a full week.

I woke up early this morning with the question on my mind "Where is your happy place?"  I have had many happy places in my life.  One was in a lounge chair in the backyard of a B&B in Napa Valley, being on the banks of the Nueces River with a warm breeze on my skin, riding my horse.  I have been blessed to feel peace for most of my life.  I am grateful for those moments where life stops and you have a picture of it in your head.  So many things trigger those happy places.  Smells, pictures, the temperature, a breeze.  I love spring in Texas.  It is my happy place.  I missed it so much when I was away all those years.  As I drove into Kerrville this week for our staff meeting I couldn't help but smile as I passed the thick blanket of bluebonnets along the road.  I remember stopping to take pictures with the boys when they were little.  I have seen so many turkeys.  They are showing off for the hens.  When I moved away I didn't miss these moments but now that I am back it makes my heart happy.  It reminds me of the verse that I got about 2 years ago in Isaiah 54 where He said "I will call you back."  God wants us to be happy and he will bring you to your own personal happy place.  Seek Him and keep your heart and eyes open for that moment.  I wish you many happy places where your heart fills full and your spirit soars.

Isaiah 54: 4 - 6
"Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your make is your husband-
the Lord Almighty is his name-
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
The Lord will call you back
as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit-
a wife who married young,
only to be rejected," says your God.
I

Springtime.  It is here!  I love spring. It was in the 90's today in Texas. The smell of mountain laurel blooming.  The birds singing.  The sky is a brighter blue.  Life comes back in the soil.
I was motivated to do some spring cleaning today.  Notice my picture of my spotless barn.  A clean barn makes me happy.  I also worked in the garden and killed some weeds.  I watered the plants.  Hopefully, we will have some nice veggies to enjoy soon.  I was filthy by the end of the day but I felt like I had accomplished a lot.  I'm already thinking and planning for family camp at the end of April.  I'm excited to see what experiences and memories this summer will bring.  I have almost all my summer staff hired and I think it is going to be a good group of girls.  We will be like family living so closely with one another for three months.  The work is hard and long and hot.  You have to pull something from deep down inside you when the days are long and you are tired.  We encourage each other and laugh a lot.  We will give smiles and lift lots of kids up in their saddles.  Hopefully we will lift some kids up with confidence and encouragement too.
Laurel and Carol came over this evening and worked on stained glass.  We all have projects going.  I am teaching Carol how to make two panels for her kitchen cabinet.  It is so nice to spend time with friends.  I put on music from my iPhone and we create.  You get in a what I call a flow and it is peaceful and rewarding.  I am so blessed to have the room across the hall to work in.  We can leave our projects and come back to them next week.
Tomorrow I have my staff meeting in Ingram.  I always enjoy seeing the people I work with.  They are positive and encouraging.  I think that is the kind of people that work at camps.  They are givers and love to pour into others.  God knew just what He was doing when he sent me here.  I needed to give to others in order to heal my broken heart.  He put me in a job doing what I love and sharing that love with others.  No one could have made it all work out the way it has but God.  So to quote my dear friend Lori, "It is for my good and God's glory."  Love that!

Kids and Horses

This is Arrow, he is one of the sweetest horses I know.  He is an old guy and I wish he could talk and tell me his life story.  He was probably some cowboy's roping horse and look at him now with his new hair do.  I had 80 8th graders today at the barn.  First,  I went over safety with them, then they got into pairs and groomed a horse.  They brushed and braided and hugged their horses.  It is so heartwarming to see these kids come out here and connect with the horses.  Many of them are so afraid to touch or approach a horse.  They reach out timidly to pet them but at the end of the hour they are leading them in circles, giving them big hugs, and petting them all over.  I just love my job that I get to be a part of that.  They become comfortable and confident.  When I teach them to lead a horse I always tell them to be confident and look where you want to go.  Don't look at the horse because you are sending him the signal that you are not the leader and you are not sure where you want to go.  Isn't that true in our lives?  We have to keep looking ahead, stepping out, keeping the faith and confidence that God has a plan.
It was a good day.  I am tired.  The horses are happy.  The kids are happy.  All is well.

A Perfect Vacation

I just returned from one of the best vacations in my life.  I took my horse, Indira, and rode in Big Bend State Park with two friends.  We had a guide, Armando, and he led us on one of the most challenging rides of my life.  We rode along narrow trails with sheer drop offs. We had lunch in a creek bed with high walls providing shade.  We rode through a movie set.  It was like stepping back in time 100 years.

The next day we went to the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, Texas.  I was amazed at the talent.  They recited the poems from memory and some of them were 10-15 minutes long.  The music was original and from people who really experience life on a ranch.  That night we met friends from Utopia and had dinner at the Reata.  It was good food, good wine, good company.

We rode in Big Bend National Park the next day.  It was a bit windy but Indira did well. I love riding with friends that enjoy their horses and being outdoors.  We sang How Great Thou Art as we rode along and my heart was happy.  We rode for several miles until we found a cut off to a primitive campsite near the Rio Grande.  We found shade under a mesquite tree and had our lunch there.  We walked the horses down to the river to water them.  It is so quiet and isolated.  It is the desert and you don't even see or hear a bird.

Our final full day was very windy so we made the decision not to ride.  Wise choice, as Indira ran circles in her pen like a crazy horse.  June and I drove to the Chisos Basin in Big Bend and hiked up to the Window.  It is almost a 1000 ft. climb from the beginning of the trail but it was worth it.  You can see for 100 miles when you make it to the window.

That evening God gave us the best view of the full moon from the deck of the house we stayed in.  It rose over the mountains and it was the perfect way to end a perfect vacation.

From a quiet to a busy week

I have spent this Sunday at home and quiet.  Spoken to two people on the phone but otherwise it has been silent with just the tick of the clock.  Can't say I have too many days like this but felt like I needed it.  Time to recharge, to just settle, to think.  I have to admit I feel a tinge of guilt because I'm not "doing something".  Tomorrow will be here and I have a week full of "doing" so I'm resting.  That is what Sundays are suppose to be about anyways.

I don't really care about football so there won't be any super bowl party here.  I am going to water the garden, take a walk and tend to the animals.  I will be driving 9 hours tomorrow to North Texas to recruit at West Texas A&M.  Last year when I made that trip I went with Stephen and we hiked the Palo Duro Canyon.  It was beautiful.

I made tamales with some friends on Friday.  It was for the Laurel Tree Restaurant and they were gourmet tamales.  We made two kinds, shrimp and chili chicken.  I can't wait to try them.  Laurel was going to steam them and she will bring me some when we do stained glass at my place.  I'm so thankful for new opportunities to do things and spend time with friends.  It makes life fun.

Yesterday, I went to a horse auction in Round Mountain with my friend, Erika.  We found a horse we liked and decided on a price we would pay.  We have a good eye because the horse we liked sold for more money than any other horse.  Like thousands more!  Needless to say we came home with no horse.  I had to leave my horse trailer with my Uncle because the axial was out of alignment and it had ruined one of my tires.  I'm hoping he can fix it and I'll pick it up next weekend when I am over there for the North American Trail Riders Conference.

My cousin, Judy, has a daughter named Brooke that is horse crazy.  She is 10 years old and I am taking her to a clinic for youth riders next Saturday.  I have to share this horse bug with everyone I can.  I remember when Ryan and Blake were 10 years old and they did a ride or two with me.  Good times, camping and riding.  Looking at the stars, sitting around a fire, just letting the peace of it all soak in.

I leave for Terlingua the end of this month.  It will be a week long vacation for me with two other ladies and our horses.  I haven't done anything quiet like this before but it fits right in with what I enjoy doing so I think I'll like it.  I'll have a new saddle and hopefully a fixed trailer by then.  Lots to look forward to.  I was reading a book called Everything this morning and I really liked what it said, "God beckons us always forward, onward and upward."  I pray that each of us opens the eyes of our heart to see and then we have the courage to step forward.  HAPPY TRAILS!

Wow, it is already November 2nd.  It has been a month since I posted last.  Life keeps on moving and so much has happened.  Let me recap for memory's sake, I am doing stained glass on Monday nights with two friends, Laurel and Rebecca.  They come to my place and we work on projects from 5 - 10 pm.  It feels good to get back into being productive and creative.  I love the company and hopefully I'll get some Christmas presents made.  Laurel owns a French restaurant in town and is a Chef from The Cordon Bleu School in France.    Rebecca runs a store in town called Utopia on Main that has lots of beautiful things for the home.  They are fun and creative.  I have met so many people this month.  Crystal Davis at church, invited me to join her and 8 friends for lunch.  Carol LaRue attends my church and is good friends with Laurel.  I can tell we are going to be good friends.

I went to Atlanta last week for a visit with my dear friend, Rhonda.  I hadn't seen her in 1 1/2 years and it was so good to catch up.  I slept better than I have slept in years.  I felt so safe and comfortable.  Rhonda has the gift of mercy and hospitality.  It flows out of her and is a blessing to everyone around her.  She has such style and grace.  I always come away blessed after being in her presence.  We talk about so many things - relationships, starting new businesses, candles, dreams, hurts, etc. but it all comes back to God and his plans for us.  I have no doubt he put her in my life as a gift.

Hunters are here!  This is opening weekend and I saw a Huge buck they shot this morning.  This changes life at camp.  I have to limit my coming and going to certain hours.  No horseback riding on trails unless I get approval first.  I love the improvements they have done for the hunters.  New electric deer proof gate will be finished this week and a cell phone tower will be installed soon so I have cell service.  Yeah, I'll be connected to the world.  There is always good and bad with change.  The thing I have learned is to stay flexible and adapt.  It makes life so much smoother.

I got a new horse trailer with living quarters.  I can't wait to take it on the next trail ride.  I will be competing with Indira in early December.  I sold my horse trailer.  I am delivering it today to a ranch near Bandera. /I'll drive on over to Kerrville and vote early since Tuesday is a big hunting group and I'll need to stay here.  I think I'll go see the movie Argo while I'm in town.  I've heard it is good.  Tomorrow is the Art Fair in Utopia so I plan on checking that out.  Maybe next year I will have something to sell.  I'd like to start some kind of side business to make a little extra.

It is a beautiful day outside today.  I love this Texas weather.  Sunny and just right.  It is hard to stay inside and clean or do paperwork.  I love that my job duties are watering the flowers, taking care of the  garden and riding horses.  All outside stuff!

Have a great weekend everyone. This is November - Be thankful!  Everyday I am going to be thankful for something and post it on Facebook.

The Garden

These are before and after pictures of the garden.  I can't take all the credit for all that work.  I had lots of help from Antonio and his workers.  It has been many years since I have dug in the dirt.  It is hard work. I pulled up morning glory vines that were as thick as ropes.  I was dripping in sweat and the stack of vines was taller than I was. Sometimes we have to do some painful pulling before the seeds can be planted for new life.  Sounds like an analogy to life doesn't it?

I planted spinach, lettuce, carrots, broccoli and more to come.  Mom has bought some plants too so I'll plant those next week. There is something wonderful about planting in the garden.  We look forward with expectation to the signs of life and then the produce.  My friend Lori says we all need three things, someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.

This month I will be flying to Atlanta to see my dear friend Rhonda.  I haven't seen her in over a year and I am looking forward to spending time with her.  She is a friend that I have no doubt God sent into my life at the appointed time. We walked together and talked of being grateful and thankful for the many blessings in our lives. We kept each other encouraged to trust His never-ending love for us. I am so blessed to have so many Godly friends in my life that are loving and wise.  God has loved me as they have poured out of their hearts into mine.

Now that I am settling into this little community called Utopia I am seeing opportunities to pour into others.  I want to plant and pour the hope that God gave me back into others.  I heard Beth Moore say that we should see that bad circumstance in our life as a way to show the devil that it was one of the greatest changes for God in our lives.   He is certainly making the opportunities for that to happen by placing people in my path.

I will continue to work in the garden and I'll post more pictures.  It is rewarding to see the little plants coming up.  We have no control over that growth but we get to enjoy the bounty.  How good is that?    

Happy Sunday

It has been a wonderful weekend.  It started with a steady rain that filled the Sabinal River that flows at our entrance.  I love the sound of rain on the tin roof.  It is like the world is at peace.  I really can't imagine a prettier place to be than sitting on the porch of the barn at Lonehollow.

Blake drove over Friday night and we cooked one of his favorite foods - fried okra.  We watched a funny movie on my laptop with his Netflix account. It was so good to curl up on the couch and just have some "Blake time".

Saturday it stopped raining and stayed nice and cool so we took a hike at Lost Maples State Park.  We hiked 5 miles up some steep trails.  It was good to enjoy the beauty of the creeks, ponds, ferns, and shady trails.  We walked and talked and worked up an appetite.  Of course that meant some pie from the Lost Maples Cafe and then a nap.  We had a wonderful 5 course meal at The Laurel Tree that evening.

The rain started falling again and has kept at it all day today.  We had dinner on the grounds at church today.  It is held in the large fellowship hall so we stayed dry.  I sat at a table with some people I had never met.  I met a lady that loves to garden and talked to her about what I need to do with the garden here at Lonehollow. It is overtaken with weeds so I need to get busy pulling weeds when it stops raining.  It will be nice to have fresh greens this winter.

I worked on a stained glass project this evening.  I am using a piece of agate and I really like the way it is flowing.  It is good to do something creative, it makes me feel like I am going back to who I really am.  I don't know if that makes sense but I feel like I am being true to myself.  I put on Pandora radio and listen to good music (just discovered Needtobreathe and love them) and after a few minutes of getting settled I am in the flow.  The hardest part is going into the room and getting started.

Ryan and Tyler had birthdays this week.  Remembering the day they were born is a gift that only a mother can understand.  Holding that child for the first time and all the years of memories.  It is so special to see their lives unfold before your eyes. I am so blessed to have these boys in my life.

I have a busy week ahead.  I like that.  Dr. appt., women's bible study, staff mtg., women's group, competitive ride this weekend.  I want to live a full life and this week is going to be good.  So much to be thankful for...rain, son's visit, horses to ride, two sons' birthdays, spirit filled church, God's beauty outside my door, good health to ride 40 miles, room to create, inspiration, new things to do, new people to meet, God's protection, people to love and people that love me, good music, the best friends in the world. Have a good week everyone.

Friendship

I just got home from a trip to Kentucky.  It has been 14 months since I packed up my truck and horse trailer and headed south to Texas.  I was able to stay with my dear friend Lori.  This is a photo of the room I stayed in and yes, all those gifts were for me.  She spoiled me beyond my dreams. I opened a couple everyday and stretched it out over the three days I was there.  A 90 minute massage was pure bliss.  I am so grateful that she came into my life when she did.  She loves me. She makes me laugh.  She is wise and makes me think. She encourages me to be the best I can be.  I want to be that kind of friend. I KNOW that she is a gift from God.  

  

So now that camp is over I have 9 months of "normal" to work on life goals.  I want to work on getting to know people in the community and making friends, healthy exercise and eating habits, working on my art everyday, becoming a better rider, knowing God's character and hearing Him better. So that means structure, discipline, routine.  I have written out a schedule and will have to adjust it as I go.  Most of my goals are measurable but as long I spend the time working toward them I will be moving in the right direction.  I have a half marathon in March that I am registered for.  I have horse hair bracelets that need to be made and marketed.  I will join a bible study group.  I will find a trainer and take some dressage lessons.  I really hope to look back on this year and see that I have made efforts to improve and become closer to the person that God intends me to be.

As I listened to the iBloom calls tonight I thought about the qualities I admire in a friend.  

A good listener that is wise

challenges me to grow

uplifting and encouraging because they believe in me

thoughtful in word and actions

someone that has Godly values and walks them

they want to work toward their goals

like to laugh and have fun. 

I have so many friends that are all of these things.  I hope that I will always be striving and learning to be that kind of friend to them.  I have lived with 10 college girls this summer and that was a fun experience.  I look forward to the coming years and the opportunities I will have to be a friend to the people that cross my path. I hope they will see some of those qualities and feel loved and encouraged to be all they can be.

An idea is born

These are a few of the horsehair bracelets we made this summer.  I got the idea that it would be a meaningful gift for the Wranglers to make from the tails of their favorite horses.  I researched how to make them and bought the hardware.  We made thick ones, thin ones, one color, three colors.  They encouraged me to make it into a business so I am going to give it a try.   I would like to market them at horse events and have competitors bring me the hair from their horse and I would make the bracelet in about an hour. Hopefully, it would pay my expenses and I'd make a little extra too.  I would enjoy being around horsey people.
This is the final week of camp.  We are pulling shoes on some of the horses and moving them to the front pasture.  We wormed 30 of them yesterday.  It is hard to believe that this time next week this place will be still and quiet.  It has been non-stop activity since the middle of May when the Wranglers arrived. These young campers are so easy to entertain.  They say the cutest things.  Yesterday one of the boys noticed the brand on one of the horses and another camper said "that shows where the horse is manufactured".  They all got to ride in the pony cart today and loved it.  They got to meet their horses today and groom them.  They love just touching and loving on them.  Tomorrow will be their first day to trail ride.  I can't wait to hear what they have to say about that.
I am looking forward to going to Kentucky next week.   It will be so good to see the boys and friends.  I feel like I live in a bubble in my own little world.  I am so disconnected during the summer.  I don't mind missing the politics and news but I do miss being with the people I love.  It has been a good summer meeting all the campers and living with these wonderful Wranglers.  We have spent the last three months working long days in the heat, living together, eating together, we are like family, we know each other well and I love everyone of them. What a blessing and help they have been.

A Day In the Life...

I've been meaning to keep a journal of my daily activities at camp this summer but it hasn't happened yet.  I thought I would recap what I did today on my blog.  I have been walking at 6:15 every morning with Joan Croome, a camp mom I met last year.  We became good friends in just two weeks.  She loved the finches I had and went back to Houston and bought some for her anniversary.  She now has 4 and I have none.  The last one I had a camper let out of the cage.  Anyways, it is a great way to start my day because we walk over the big mountain and turn around and we can see the sun rising over the mountains in the distance.  I get to see God's awesome beauty in this place.  When I get back to the barn around 7 the Wranglers and I begin feeding the horses, we walk to the dining hall for breakfast and I usually have a meeting with them about our plans for the day.  I attend a leadership staff meeting at 8 a.m.  Meg told me the surveys are coming back from first term and horseback is getting great reviews.   I led the 2 hr. trail class on Indira this morning and Lily Lou came along too.  I had to get off and put her up in the saddle with me when she got tired.  At lunch today, I drove one of the Wranglers into Kerrville to get a new radiator for her truck.  We stopped at Hometown Crafts and I bought some jewelry clasps and beads.  I had the idea that all the Wranglers can make a bracelet from the horse hair of their favorite horses.  I hope to send them home with many happy memories and a momento. When we got back to camp I had a Wrangler ask me for advice on giving the sermon this Sunday.  I gave her my devotional book, Jesus Calling.  The Wranglers and I judged the crew yell, cleaned a slimy green water trough, picked up a dead dear on the I Spy trail, drove a injured camper to the health lodge.  Now I am sitting in my barn apartment while 4 Wranglers are watching the movie A River Runs Through It and a group of campers are downstairs touring the barn and listening to someone sing to them on the front porch.  It is 10:25 and it has been a long day full of lots of good things.  Speaking of good things one of the campers lost her Father in September and she has really bonded to one of our horses named Arrow.  I told the Wranglers that what we are doing goes so much deeper than just working with horses, we are blessed when we get to see little glimpses of God's greater plan.  Lonehollow is a special place to many many souls.

This is my job.

So I was moving a mare and donkey to the front pasture this evening and had the funny thought that this is my job. This is what I do. I feel like I live in a bubble sometimes and the rest of the world is out there somewhere running a million miles an hour. One of my Wranglers posted this on her FB page and I had to copy it because it really describes well what my day is like..
So tomorrow begins another day of hoisting children onto horses, answering questions like "why is he named speedy if he's so slow", tugging on horses to make them trot, and repeating phrases like "pull back to your hips", "kiss to him" "kick with both legs" and "look where you're going, not at the horse"; all in the hot Texas sun, and loving every second of it!

Little town with a BIG show!

The little town of Utopia put on a BIG show last night.  It was better than the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  One of the new Wranglers is from Denmark and I was so glad that she got to see such an impressive show.  I drove into town with Shanna, Peyton and Nina and we were surprised to see so many people.  There were people from Uvalde, Leakey, Camp Wood and other surrounding towns.
I love that Utopia is a beautiful town tucked away from the fast pace of the world.  It still has a simple innocent lifestyle.  This is the part of Texas I love and I get to enjoy it everyday.  I have a hard time believing I live here.
The last two evenings have been so beautiful because the moon has been full.  We rode down to the river yesterday at sunset and took the horses swimming in the river.  It was dark when we were riding back to the barn and the moon lit the way for us on the road.   It was so bright we could see our moon shadow.  It was one of those moments I hope I will never forget.  The warm Texas breeze blowing on us after swimming in the clear river.  The sound of the horses hooves walking along the road.  I am so blessed to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of the country life.

A Beautiful Sunday

It was a great day.  The Sunday Service in these beautiful hills is something that fills my soul with JOY.  I look up at those hills that have been here since creation began and the sky above and I am filled with gratitude that I get to live here and enjoy this place everyday.  That God has placed me here with a purpose and it is to fill the lives of others with good things.  Today we took 30 counselors trail riding.  52 signed up and we had a drawing to select 30.  Many of them had never ridden a horse
before and they were so grateful and thankful.  All the Wranglers went on the trail so we had 22 horses out on the trail.  I think we enjoyed it as much as they did.  I feel it is a privilege to be able to teach someone about horses.  Hopefully, they will remember the experience as a positive one that they will want to do again in their lives.  The peace I feel when riding a horse is something that I am thankful for.  It takes me away from the cares of this world.  I hope it will do that for others too.
This evening the Wranglers and I took some horses to the Sabinal River and took them swimming. It was so much fun to cool off and swim with them.  How many people get to go swimming with their horses?  It told the girls on the way back to the barn, "Doesn't it amaze you that God knew we were going to do this today?"  He gives us priceless gifts!

Just a Minute

I just started reading a book called Just a Minute.  It is about stories of children that were encouraged by words or actions of others.  You never know when you are making a memory.  Tonight the Wranglers and I took some of our advanced riders on a trail ride and had a steak dinner at one of our cookout locations.  These kids are great, they talked about their families, told stories, laughed and said it was the best night they had at camp so far.  They have all been here three weeks so I take that as a successful trail ride.  When we got back to the barn they unsaddled their horses and bathed them.  Then a water fight started and a few of them ended up in the water trough.  I think those are the happy memories I want them to have when they remember the barn and their time with us at Lonehollow.  Enjoying friends, horses and the outdoors.  I am so thankful that God has put me in a job where I can serve Him and others because it always comes back around and blesses the giver.  The joy and laughter that I get to be around fills up my heart.  I know the other Wranglers feel the same way too.  That is the best legacy we can leave on this earth. A life can be greatly influenced with as little as a single word, an uplifting comment, a prayer, a compliment, all in just a minute.

Life Lessons

We have three newborn fawns that arrived at camp today.  As the Wranglers and I were walking back from lunch today we stopped in to see them.  It is a wonderful feeling to love and hold them.  It is a blessing to work here at Lonehollow.  We get to feel the same joy that these kids feel when they hold and feed a baby deer.
The lesson plan for riding today was to introduce various styles of riding to the campers.  Today we took the horseback classes out into the big field in front of the barn and played "horse games".  We did pole bending, egg & spoon, toilet paper relay and barrels.  We did a jumping, barrel racing and dressage demonstrations.  As the horse was getting ready to jump he stopped and refused the jump.  He did that 3 times. We changed the jump from a vertical to a cross rail and used guide poles.  He finally went over it at a walk and then a trot.  I used that as an example to the kids to show how we have to continue working on the problem to fix it.  Getting angry at your horse doesn't work and will usually make the situation worse.  The way to solve a problem is to think about alternate solutions until you can ultimately get the horse to do what you want.  I think that is a great life lesson.  When we came back to the classroom I asked them what they learned today.  The answer was not to get angry at your horse.  I hope they will remember.  That wasn't the original objective of the lesson but it was even better.  Thank you God for using horses that refuse jumps to show us how to work on solving problems.

This is Jess and Pizaz.  Tonight we had a theme night and it was holidays.  Jess came up with the idea for our booth and the kids made construction paper ornaments in the shape of gears and taped them to our pony-tree.  Pizaz wore a green slinky, a star on his head, and a little red nose.   I am happy with the way the horseback program is going.  I have never experienced the kind of joy you feel seeing a kid "get it" when they gain their confidence around a horse.  I am so blessed to be a part of that experience with them.  The first time they trot and they are scared and then when they realize they are safe and having fun; their faces light up.  I have had so many kids just this week that were scared to even lead a horse and now they are feeling so good about their new horse friend.  I remember how much I loved horses and how I felt as a little girl and it is a gift to get to be a part of this kind of giving to others.

I am so proud of Kristi for training GiGi to bow.  This is her 3rd day of training. Kristi loves to train the horses.  It is her gift. She will be co-teaching our Natural Horsemanship class.  All the girls are different in what they are gifted at doing with the horses.  It makes it fun for all of us to watch and encourage each other.
I have hired a Wrangler from Denmark and she will be arriving soon. We can't wait for her to arrive and meet her.  I think it will be so much fun to have someone from another country living with us.   We all have the common thread of loving kids and horses but there is still so much variety.  Looking forward to spending time on the trail with the kids, horses and great Wranglers.

The smiles will say it all

I just love this photo of Kristi and Azul.  The smile says it all.  I love my job and that I have the opportunity to share my love of horses with others that love them too.  We get to play and learn from each other.  The Wranglers and I have been putting in some long hours riding the trails at Lonehollow. It is beautiful here and we all have our favorite places (mine are usually in the shade along a creek).

For now the focus is on getting ready for the campers.  We have all role played teaching the many classes we offer.  I think we all like the mounted games class the best.  The good thing about role playing is that all the Wranglers can lead a class if needed.  They can also take ideas from one class and use them in their own.  I am so impressed with the creativity and imagination that they have written into their curriculum.  I can't wait for the campers to get here so we can put it all into action.  The smiles will say it all.

Here is a little bit of life at camp.  The girls and I got out one of the minis and took him for a spin yesterday.  We a having so much fun.  It is so nice to have a passion for something and to get up everyday doing that very thing.  I know the days will get long and hot but the excitement of the kids and the horses will keep it fun and interesting.  Today the Wranglers will be role playing and teaching different classes.  They are all so different and I think that is going to add so much variety to our program.  It is going to be a great horseback program.  Have I told you I am having fun?