SUNSHINE And Riding!!!

Last week, we had amazing weather!!


It has been the wettest winter on record.  Not even kidding.  Of course...this is NO surprise to me, I have been out conditioning in it 3 days a week and I don't ever remember it being this bad.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/weather/seattle-has-wettest-rainy-season-since-1894/

It is down right depressing when your schedule is so tight, I only have set days, and no room for moving days around to ride.  So, if it is raining cats and dogs, we ride.  Oy.  The first 3 or 4 times of that and you pat yourself on the back saying...YES, I DID THAT!!!  WOOOHOO!  Now, not so much...I stare out my window watching it drizzle, sipping my coffee and try to muster up any ounce of courage that might exist to get out in that monsoon and get my ride in.

 

But, last week there was this beautiful glimmer of hope that spring might really be here.  It was gorgeous all week long, and up to 66-67 degrees.  Pretty much t-shirt weather.  Well, one of those amazing days...I spent it in Walt's Auto Shop getting my O2 sensory thing in my truck fixed, still cheaper than a new truck (...but I digress...)...still, having to be stuck inside on such a glorious day just kills me.

This is my horse, Renata and I...out in Alpine Evergreen by ourselves...oh and my trusty Aussie, Sydney who loves to come along and swim in all the puddles. :-)  We did about 16 miles this day.  My horse is solid, solid, solid.  Not a spook in her, ears forward, trotting along the trails, cantering up hills, LOVING her job.  I fall in love with her more every day.  We are getting to the point where we are anticipating each other's thoughts and becoming a firm team.  We have come a very long way, I am so proud of our progress.  She is actually MORE fun to ride when it is just her and I conditioning.  When I ride with my friend, she is a bit of a fire-breathing dragon unless she is allowed to lead the way, then she settles right into her happy trotting along self.  But, she has to learn to accept whatever position she is in.  So, yay for me...for our first 50, she will trot along in the middle of the pack the entire way...because I said so, and you can say a prayer for me...I think it will be a bit of a fight.  Her heart is in the race and she really believes she can beat every horse out there.  Each race is a training session for the next.  She is a fast learner though and I think she will quickly learn to rate herself.

Reagan rides with me on my light days.  Can life get any better?  Heidi would really prefer not to ride.  She is more into making a horse pretty, so I will recruit her talents on race day to bling up my horse, and Reagan just wants to ride and run her horse everywhere she goes.  I can't believe she is that good of a rider.  She is fearless and can hang with my friends who can really ride, and hold her own. 

Look at this girl on her horse!!  That is Payton.  He is our wonderful 15hh Arabian gelding.  I wouldn't say he is for a beginner, he can get a little antsy and he does like to go!  But, he also has a woah...and that is perfect for Reagan.  My horse doesn't ever want to stop...so the kids can't ride her.  Reagan was cantering in front of me, going down the trail...with one hand on the reins, the other straight up in the air and yelling...."woohoooo!!!"  Where did she come from?  How fun is it to have at least one of your kids share you passion?  It's pretty great.

Payton gets ridden once or twice a week, and he is actually in pretty great shape.  He could easily do a 25 mile (LD) race. Reagan canters him all over the place, and when we pull his saddle off he is completely dry.  But, Reagan is growing so much, her body aches all the time and riding with me for more than an hour and a half wipes her out.  So, I will wait until next year to see if she wants to do a race with me.  It would be fun to watch her catch the endurance bug.  I think she has it in her.


https://www.facebook.com/americanpaisley/videos/vb.100002834859766/859790687458752/?type=3&theater

Cantering/galloping up one of my favorite long stretches in the sunshine...my horse LOOOOOVEES it!!!!

I LOVE being out in the woods riding on sunny days, I am pretty sure my horse loves it too. <3

 

My horse is amazing!!

This week my endurance partner wasn't feeling well, so I was flying solo for conditioning.  This was the first time in 2 years that I would be doing a hard ride by myself. We have been to Green Mountain many times on our own, but they were just walking days.

So, Wednesday we headed over to our old stomping grounds in Alpine and did a hard 10 miles trot/ canter the whole way. My mare was amazing!! Not one bit of spook in her. Just go, go, go. I am so impressed with her and how far we have come. We trust each other, we are a solid team.

We did another ride by ourselves today, another hard 10 mile. Sydney came with us....he is now sleeping soundly on Heidi's bed and I doubt he will move until morning.😁

Very excited about this endurance season. First race is in May. It feels like most of the trail riders from our little town will be there!! How fun!!!! May can't come soon enough! We are nearly ready.

In Our House Lately.

What's new in our house?  Well, we have a TEENAGER!!!  Yep, it's officially happened.  She has wanted to be a teenager since she was 3.  Our little girl is turning into a young woman.
I am very much enjoying her at this age.  She is thoughtful, and kind.  She always tries to make others feel included and welcome.  Her work ethics in the academic world are spectacular.  In a Pre-Algebra classroom where she is the only girl, she consistently gets the highest grades, but never lets it get her head.  She has a sweet spirit and we are so thankful that this beautiful young lady is God's gift to us.

So, for her birthday, Meemaw sent her some birthday money to buy a nice dress, and Nana also sent her some money...so it was burning a hole in her pocket.  She asked if we could spend a day at the mall with one of her good friends.  So, that's just what we did.  Todd took Reagan out for lunch and a movie and Heidi and I went to have lunch and shopping with some dear friends.

The girls, mimicking the mannequins.

 

Goofy girls.

 

 

For her actual birthday day, it landed on a Tuesday which for these homeschool kiddos is their big class day,  and they really enjoy going and seeing their friends.  So, it was pretty fun for me to surprise her in the morning with make-up, and I showed her how to put it on for school...she looked so pretty!

Light and natural.  She doesn't need a whole lot, she is lovely all on her own.

 

But, when we went shopping the other day, of course we stopped at Sephora.  Way fun to try on make-up!! 

She has nice lips.  Although, I'm not ready for that serious of red lip on my baby.

Ok, she isn't a baby, but kind of...

 

And, she got her hair cut and layered.

 

Isn't she lovely?

 

We think she is.  We are so proud of her and who she is becoming. 

 

Also, in other Heidi news...I recently (with in the week)  read part of a book she started writing and I am amazed at how talented she is!  When I started reading it, I thought it was by an actual author.  I hope she doesn't mind me sharing a little bit on here for all of you to enjoy. (Just a few paragraphs...)

 

Written by Heidi:

 

Chapter 1

"Paisley didn't know who she was.

  Well, metaphorically speaking. She DID know the obvious things; like her name (in case you haven't guessed, Paisley)
and her age, which was fourteen. But she didn't know much about her family's history, or remember a lot of her childhood before she was six years old. She never met her dad, and had very few memories of her mom, who died when she was six. What's sad was she only remembered the dreary, tearful things, like living on her own at a young age, or her mother dying unexpectedly. One of the few good memories about her mother, which I mentioned earlier, hung on Paisley's neck.

  As Paisley sat on her worn bed, she fingered the little necklace that she kept with her ever since she was five. She thought about the time when her mom gave a pretty, polished, blue, crystal locket to her for her fifth birthday. Paisley always saw her mother wear it, and she guessed it was opal. She could hear her mom's voice right now.

   "Never lose this, ever!" She had said. She made Paisley vow to always keep it with her.
   Paisley still kept her promise, even after all these years.

   Paisley laid on her back, her head resting on her faded pink pillow. She took her locket off and examined it. Her mother's initials, L. R. , were written in elegant cursive letters.

   When Paisley opened the little charm, she stared into the eyes of the beautiful Lynaia Rivers, her very own mother. "

 

Pretty good, right?  Pretty proud of my girl.  She's pretty fantastic.  We are so excited to watch her grow into a young woman.  It's already happening before our eyes.  We are so blessed.

 

So, that's what's happening in our house lately.  A teenager.  We think she is pretty great.