Sunday, Monday, Happy Days

So. I've been really praying that God would soften my heart lately because lets face it...I'm super ridiculously stubborn and hard-headed. I really can tell a difference in myself already and I'm so thankful for that.

I'm trying to grasp the fact that loving someone really does mean putting them and their happiness above your own. Even when it hurts. Even when it doesn't make you happy. You do it because you love them, because you know it's right and you want that person to be happy more than anything. Why in the world do we work so hard at something that #1 makes you feel better for like a millisecond, but sucks in the long run and #2 hurts someone you claim to love? It's crazy. But my heart has softened so much.

And basically, to all the people reading this...I love you :)

Good news? I got hired officially at the Vet Clinic I was interning at. I'm so ridiculously excited. Yay for a full time grown up job!!!

Last week I put my Christmas tree up...

It's a two foot tall tree. Anything bigger and my cat would destroy it. But that's beside the point. Anyways, I feel like I should take it all down for a couple of days considering tomorrow is December 1st and it's supposed to be about 64 degrees. Have I mentioned how much I love Indiana weather?

And because you know me and my stupid obsession with horses... here's more pictures.

First of all it was a pretty full moon Thursday morning so lets start with that.

Then the horses: Maverick in front of his stall window. I think these look so cool.

And then Berni:

Khan:

Banner eating an apple :)

And then the new guy Kris:
(Could his head look any bigger?!?)

And this one is really cute!

And the best piece of news. I am the luckiest girl in the whole world to get to work in such a beautiful place. It opens in like 2 weeks :) Here's the progress so far.

So needless to say, I'm having a pretty ok week. Got to catch up with some friends on Wednesday which was nice. Felt good to be back in that world again, but I was glad to see it go :)

Life is groovy right now. Things are settling down.

♫ Let there be cowgirls for every cowboy, and make them as strong as any man. Somethin' you can't tame, she's a mustang, the heartbeat of the Heartland. She's got a drawl, ya'll, the salt of the earth that rocks my world. Let there be cowgirls♫ -Chris Cagle

For Lack of A Better Title....

Haven't gotten around to writing in a while. I work all the time and sleep when I'm not working.
Last weekend my family had a bonfire at my parents house. It was huge. So here are some pictures.

On the left side of this next picture you can see my dog. Shows just how big our fire was getting.

And on the right side of this picture, you can see my brother. He is about 5'10". Our fire was HUGE when it got to its highest point.

And then I have to add a picture that I just think is adorable. I was basically asleep sandwiched between my two boys. Batman's eyes look crazy, but you can see how they are laying when Cody snapped this picture :)

Thanksgiving was amazing this year. Had a good time with Cody's parents, and then hung out with my family some. Had ourselves a little euchre tournament at my parents, and guess who won... :) This girl and her hubs. We beat everyone. Ended up 4-0 :) I love winning.

Lastly, yesterday night Cody and I went bowling (don't get me started on that.I suck)
and afterwards we decided to get some junk food. I had my heart set on a cookie cake, but I know they are like 10 bucks at Marsh. So we go to Marsh, and what do we find??

That's right. That sale sticker says $2.99. We paid only THREE DOLLARS on a very delicious cookie cake. I was so happy. We got really lucky. And then we ate half of it that night when we got home. Because we are fatties.

I'm happy. Finally content. I know what I'm going to be doing for the next couple of years. I know where I'll be and everything and that sense of peace makes things so much easier. Now that I know that I won't be leaving, I'm not so stressed about figuring things out. Cody and I are in a really good place right now, so, it's nice that things have finally settled down. FINALLY.
I love my job. Both of them :)

Life is good. Keep smiling.

♫If you're lookin' to be somebody's 'just friends',
A little laughin', little lovin', never callin' again, that's just fine
If you're gonna be somebody's heartbreak, Be mine.
I guess that all I'm tryin' to tell ya
Is a minute with you is better than two without
Oh, I won't be a fool but I can't play it cool
So I'm playin' safe and I'm breakin' the rules
I'm wishin' I had what I know that you got
So if you're comin' my way then please don't stop♫
- "Somebody's Heartbreak" Hunter Hayes

Why I Ride

I've been riding horses since before I could walk. That love so many years ago has quickly turned into a passion for horses. People who have never ridden a horse can't seem to understand. But those of us likewise afflicted with the Horse-loving bug know exactly why they do what they do.

My first horse's name was Prince. This is me when I was like 9 years old with him :)

This next one is an incredibly embarrassing picture of me (give me a break) and my horse, my brother and our pet goat Freckles. Ah, the good old days.

So why do I ride horses? I'm glad you asked.

I ride because it makes me feel free.
I ride to fly.
to soar.
to feel and to breathe.
to laugh.
to relax.
to feel like I can control something.
to lose the need to control anything.
to overcome, to heal.
to prove them wrong.
to discover myself again.
to grow.
to communicate without words.
to belong...to feel strong.
to love and be loved back.
I ride to feel alive again.

"Why does she ride horses? She's been trying to escape since she was little."-Lucien

A lovely horse is always an experience…. It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words. ~Beryl Markham

“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and fire.” Shannon Ralls Lemon

“A horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves -strong, powerful, beautiful- and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence” Pam Brown

“Horses are incredibly forgiving. They fill in places we’re not capable of filling
ourselves.” Buch Brannaman

"A horse is poetry in motion" -Unknown

I ride because it makes me feel like I'm finally living again, not just being. It's the one place I can go that makes the rest of the world disappear. I do what I do because it makes me feel free.

One Of My Favorite Pastimes

I love taking pictures of Nando when I he catches tennis balls. I have gotten some of the funniest pictures of him so...that's what I did this afternoon. Here are a few. Because my dog is hysterical.

And jumping catches -->

This next picture creeps me out a little bit. He looks like a little gremlin or something :) But it's because he was just landing and he has the ball in his mouth.

And the day ends with Nando hugs- which I enjoy more than he does.

Blue skies & Green lights

♫ I tell myself I'm getting in to deep
Then I fall a little farther
Every time you look at me ♥ ♫

I'm In A Glass Case of Emotion!

[In regards to the title: If you haven't seen the movie Anchorman, don't...it's an awful movie. If you have seen it...I'm sorry but it is hysterical :)]

So I have so much going through my head right now. I'm gonna start with the sad stuff because I want to end on a high note :)

Emotion #1 : Sadness mixed with a tiny hint of happy.

The old pastor at my church was a good friend of mine. His name was Pastor Jim, and he was the senior pastor at my church the first 4 or 5 years that I lived in Indiana. He moved away a few years back, and through a series of events he got really sick and passed away about 3 years ago. And it still kills me.
He was like another dad to me. He meant the world to me, and he changed my life. He motivated me to be a better Christian, he brightened my day. I loved him so much and I owe him a lot. All that to say that since he has been gone I've struggled with hanging onto my walk with God.
I was recently given a couple of his old sermons from church on CD, and I absolutely couldn't get up the nerve to listen to them. Until today.
I bawled like a baby. But it was that almost happy crying. Like I was smiling because it made me so happy to hear his voice again. I never wanted to get out of my car. I wanted to listen to it all day. But it made me sad knowing I could never see his big goofy smile again, or hear him messing around and singing bluegrass music, or get another chance to hug him. But he is with Jesus now, happier than he has ever been.
Not a day goes by that I don't miss him.

Emotion #2 : Frustration.

My dog's leg is getting worse. I can't seem to get a handle on him and it is driving me crazy. We have to find a solution. He needs to stop licking his leg and making it all nasty again. HE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!
WARNING: The following picture is yucky.

Emotion #3 : Pure Bliss :)

I LOVE my job. I love working at the clinic. I love the people I work with. I love the animals and the clients. I love all of it. I'm so blessed to have been put in a position to be where I am today. God has moved some things around to where I am now 99% sure I will get a job at my intership place (which is what I wanted all along). At first they said no, they didn't need to hire anyone, but now I just found out that two people are leaving within one week of when I will be done DONE with school. How cool is that?!? I'm so psyched. Being at the clinic just makes me so happy.
(Sorry but I don't have a picture to go along with this one :)

Emotion #4 : Relaxed. Is that an emotion? This morning at the barn was so fun. It was really really foggy. So when the sun came up it was beautiful. And the horses were great. The new barn is almost completed, and it's going to be awesome. Plus I love the cold so, what else can you ask for? It was a good morning.

Emotion #5 : Excitement.

My dad ordered my new camera lens. I'm super excited to start using it whenever it finally comes. So expect TONS of new pictures. You'll know when I get it in the mail :) But now I need to buy a bigger camera bag to fit all my stuff. Good thing Christmas is coming up.

Emotion #6 : Restlessness.

I have so many countdowns going on in my head. SO much to look forward to.
Being done with school. Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Years. Winter. Everything. This is my favorite time of the year. And it makes waking up every morning so easy.

Emotion #7 : Thankful.

I have no idea of some of these actually qualify as emotions, but I feel them anyways :)
I'm thankful for my life. I complain a lot, more than I should I know. But I have it good. I'm lucky. And things are only going to get better as the days go on. I'm confident of that.

Emotion #8 : Hopeful.

"I think that everyone writes a story in their head that eventually becomes their life. And if you don't write it yourself, then someone else is gonna write it for you."
Well I'm writing my own story. The way I want to write it. And as much as people are trying to change me right now, trying to change who I am, it won't work. I am who I am. I know who I want to be. And I'm gonna do what it takes to make my dreams come true. So deal :)

Things are looking up. Or at least they will eventually.

♫I went to bed I was thinking about you. Ain't the same since I'm living without you. All the memories are getting colder, all the things that I wanna do over. Went to bed I was thinking about you, I wanna talk and laugh like we used to. When I see you in my dreams at night, it's so real but it's in my mind. Now, I guess this is as good as it gets. Don't wake me, because I never seem to stay asleep enough when it's you I'm dreaming of, I don't wanna wake up♫ - Don't Wake Me: Skillet

Too Many Pictures

Cody and I took Nando to the park today to swim one last time. And we took oodles of pictures.
Nando shaking after he got out of the water! :)

On Nando-overload yet? He is precious. And incredibly photogenic.

This last picture is of a HUGE cow that was beside the road, and I got out to try and pet her. Which was a success. Because she drooled all over my hand. But she let me pet her! Highlight of my day.

Happy Monday Night! Go vote tomorrow!!!
[A close up of my favorite picture of the day! I love his ears!]

♫Since the day I met you, and after all we've been through..I'm addicted to you.
I think you know that it's true, I'd run a thousand miles to get you. Do you think I deserve this? I tried to make you happy, I did all that I could just to keep you. I'm trying to forget that I'm addicted to you. But I want it, and I need it. I'm addicted to you. ♫ -Simple Plan

Nando & Clifford

Just messing around with Nando and Clifford today.

Pardon my ridiculous face in this one, but how cute is my dog. He gets so excited when you say "High Five!"

I love laying in the back of my truck with Nando, and He loves being in it.

Not great pictures but we were just messing around.

P.S. I graduated college Friday night. Yay me.

♫Come on.. the world is ours,
Lets do somethin' right or wrong.
Life is short, lets go live it.
Ain't no time for wasting time.
Days like these, they go by way too fast.
Yeah, days like these, you wanna make 'em last.♫ -Jason Aldean