“Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost Him. And never assume that if it cost Him His very life, that it won't also cost you yours.”
~Rich Mullins

Oct 29, 2013

Pride And Prejudice - The Homeschooled Version


This is funny...it really, honestly is. I got a big kick out of it and thoroughly enjoyed it despite what I'm about to say.

Go see for yourself! http://www.rachelcoker.com/a-truth-universally-acknowledged/

However, as humorous as that was, it's something I believe we need to seriously take into consideration. Girls, do we sometimes act like little Mrs. Bennet's? Okay, maybe not to her extreme, but in our hearts, it's the same thing.

We need to think of our brothers in Christ as, well, just that...brothers. NOT potential spouses. Keeping the eternal perspective is so important because only when we see things in light of eternity can we really understand how life works.

Keep your eyes on Him and furthering His kingdom!

Oct 26, 2013

Fun videos :)

Taking a break from always posting pictures to post some recent videos.....some of us, and some that just make me happy :)

This first one is all 3 of my sisters and I playing the piano at the same time. This was our encore piece for a recital we did the end of summer


This.......this is the most exciting thing EVER! The last two clips are of me showing my mare, Treasure, at Nationals, and the first couple clips are the amazing stallion she is in foal to. I cannot wait for this baby, but I'm scared to death and praying that she foals safely. She's due in March 2014.


Late nights at the World show = sheer hilarity.


One of our gorgeous 2012 fillies growing up!!


Our stunning 2 year old filly playing with Jessie. This little girl is a moving machine and so much fun to handle. Mom's currently breaking her to cart.


And this one.....because it's so hauntingly beautiful. And makes me eternally regret not learning cello.


Saving the best for last! Thor is coming back......and I can't wait.
Favorite. Superhero. Movie. EVER.


Okay, I lied. Had to slip one picture in here at the end. Yesterday afternoon was a beautiful time of fellowshipping with this gorgeous family. The pictures of this little girl and horse are some of my new all-time favorites. More to come!




Oct 23, 2013

The Chronicles of a Horse-Show-Girl


The adventures all started on September 2nd......our church's annual water day. The actual day itself was an outrageous amount of fun, but by Wednesday, I was singing to a different tune. Turns out that whoever rented the epic water slide before our group was infested with extremely contagious pink eye. Emphasis on the "extremely contagious" part.

I, who always seem to do either all or nothing in every aspect of life, got it all the way. And then some.

Flat on my back, sicker than anything, I was forced into complete immobilization as the rest of my family scrambled and stressed, trying to pack for our 2 week trip to Nationals in Oklahoma. Since I'm normally very involved in everything we do, having to be completely un-involved was a huge trial for me. If you had visited me over those few days, you would have found a pitiful, blubbering, discontented, unreasonably-guilty-feeling mess in place of my usual less pitiful self.

Saturday came, and to my dismay, I realized I physically couldn't sit up. No way could I spend the next 24 hours in our less than luxurious pickup truck. (Talk about having to learn to just surrender everything I wanted!) Reluctantly, we called in an emergency prescription for high powered antibiotics, and after swallowing those, I went to sleep. 3 AM rolled around, and, hoping and praying that everything had been remembered and packed, I dazedly crawled into the front seat of the truck and prepared for misery.




We saw the sun come up........watched it go back down.........and finally pulled into Ft Worth as it came up again. After quite a few hours of unloading and setting up, we crashed for a couple hours, and then woke up ready to roll. By this time, Jessie had shown signs of coming down with pink eye, but it was gone within a day. 

I, on the other hand, had to go around and greet friends (who I hadn't seen for a year or so) with eyes that looked like they belonged in a zombie movie, and a voice that was.....elsewhere.

Fun.

After about a day to settle in, the show started. And while we had a great time, it was nothing like last year. The stallion Mom showed was a bundle of nerves (lost about 50lbs by the time he came off the trailer), and wouldn't perform at all. Embarrassing and humbling.

On the other hand, Jessie's horse and my horse were awesome!!!

Jessie & Sam before a class
Me before a class
Jessie did such a good job....she broke Sam and trained her all on her own. Sam was great, performed beautifully, and everyone loved her!


I got to show Sam in a class ;)
We spent a lot of time helping a trainer (who is also a good friend). Jessie took one of her mares in In-Hand Roadster and they got Reserve National Champion! This mare is so talented!!
Mom showing one of their young stallions...
Yes, that is me....dressed in a Roman toga :) One of the classes they have is called "Roman Chariot", and the friends we were helping needed some help. SO fun!!!
My little Treasure - she was so beautiful! She did wonderfully for me, and we were placing Top Five in the open classes!! I was thrilled and can't wait for her to have her baby this spring!




One of the craziest things there was the overwhelming amount of huge black crickets. They were so numerous and so large that we decided to break them to drive! :D
Right next to our barn were some people that had the most adorable three year old. When we left, he came running over and said, "I want to stay with you!"
I want a little boy!!!!!!!!!!!
Loading up to leave!
Our backseat on the way home ;)
One of the best highlights of our trip was getting to see my dear friend, Savannah, again!! Living a couple states apart limits the time we can be with their family, and it was such a blessing to get to see her and her dad for a little while.
After a 26 hour drive home, we were exhausted and glad to be back. But for me, that "being back" didn't last for long! Less than a week later, I was on a plane headed for Ft. Worth, Texas to help some friends at the World show.

It was an amazing trip...filled with wins for them and fun times for all!







Their 2 year old stallion won Supreme.....basically the most beautiful Miniature Horse in the world for 2013. It was extremely emotional and overwhelming for them because they did all the conditioning and training themselves. So neat to be able to be there!!! 






I waltzed off the plane on a Sunday, and on Monday, I was thrown headfirst back into real life by the arrival of a new litter of puppies.

Life has gotten somewhat back under control, and I am glad to be done with all the excitement...as amazing as it all was. We all learned a lot - the value of keeping a positive attitude even under extreme disappointment, how extremely different we are than other horse-show-people and how good that is, how God is always good and always has a plan, and how valuable family is!

Hopefully some "real" blog posts will be coming soon...now that I'm feeling sane again :)

Oct 19, 2013

In which we acquire a puppy......



We currently have 17 puppies in our kitchen.

Yes, seventeen.

And yes, we're officially crazy.

That said, this little guy is sorta extra special cause he gets to stay here and become our next stud dog. I am so in love with him.....he has the biggest, chunkiest head and he's going to be huge!

We need name suggestions......something with hunting.....or guns.....or.....


Oct 18, 2013

Strength

"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9


Happy Friday, everyone!!!


Oct 13, 2013

Howdy, strangers!!!


Whew....I'm home, I'm blessed, and I'm exhausted! I'll update on my amazing trip later, but for now, good night ;)

And remember that you are created and loved by an AWESOME God!!!!!