Coaching and horses is in my blood the way swimming comes naturally to a dolphin. When I first began riding at my alma mater, Virginia Tech, one of the first things my coach, T (Teresa) McDonald asked me was "What do you want to do when you graduate?" My response.... "I want to coach college equestrian." I fondly remember that she laughed.
With the determination of an ox, I began my path to coaching. Every job I have held along the way of my career has brought it's own forms of success, challenges, frustrations, pride, and stress. What I thrive on the most is to see the utter excitement and sence of accomplishment that my riders have when they succeed. Proud barely begins to describe how I feel when this happens.
This season, our BC equestrian team has clenched the Regional Championship... what does this mean? We will be competing in the Zone Championships with the possiblity of continuing our quest to the IHSA National Championship hosted at the Kentucky Horse Park in May.
I wanted to post this to take the opportunity to announce how proud I am of our riders and program at BC. The students have worked tremendously hard and are so deserving of this accomplish.
On April 10th, everyone throw up a wish and watch our BC riders take us on the road to Kentucky!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sundays are a day of worship...
Religion has been in the forefront of battle since the beginning of time, and will be until the end of mankind. We each have our own unique relationship with God... Allah... Zeus... whomever it is that we decide is our own maker. For me, my relationship with God is in development, and I feel that as long as I am on the path with him I am heading in the right direction. This post is not to push a view on anyone... just a post of my own path with God.
"Man is neither entirely a puppet of the Gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he's a little of both"
It has truly come to my attention in recent months how true this statement rings. Without going into grave detail, and I make this statement with reservations, this is not the first time in my marriage that there has been a separation. I think about that a lot.... Why is it that my marriage was mended once just to fall apart again? What if the outcome would have been different 3 years ago? Where would I be in my life now? I ask God these questions frequently. The truth is though, it was a choice 3 years ago, and God knew what choices were to be made.
"We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses - one foot is on the horse called "fate," the other on the horse called "free will."
The above mentioned brings me to a place of utter confusion. I will never point fault in my blog, and know that I have not here before. I know that no one person can interfere with an other's free will... no amount of love, no amount of trust, no amount of support, no amount of effort (or lack there of to any of the fore mentioned) can ever MAKE someone do anything. So we are stuck in a balancing act in our lives... What will be allow to be our fate and what will we make our free will?
"If faith were rational, it wouldn't be - by definition - faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be... a prudent insurance policy."
This brings me back to God. I have had many conversations with him on all of the above mentioned. What I have learned is it is okay for me at ask him "Why?," because I may just get an answer. You never expect the enormously crazy things people will say to you in an effort to comfort you in times of crisis. I don't want to hear "You're better off," or "It'll get better." I want answers. I certainly understand that those answers may not come in the form of words, but in the form of life... and what my life will have in store.
So on this day of worship... I look to God and pray for many things. He may not answer all of my prayers, but I do know He is listening.
"Man is neither entirely a puppet of the Gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he's a little of both"
It has truly come to my attention in recent months how true this statement rings. Without going into grave detail, and I make this statement with reservations, this is not the first time in my marriage that there has been a separation. I think about that a lot.... Why is it that my marriage was mended once just to fall apart again? What if the outcome would have been different 3 years ago? Where would I be in my life now? I ask God these questions frequently. The truth is though, it was a choice 3 years ago, and God knew what choices were to be made.
"We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses - one foot is on the horse called "fate," the other on the horse called "free will."
The above mentioned brings me to a place of utter confusion. I will never point fault in my blog, and know that I have not here before. I know that no one person can interfere with an other's free will... no amount of love, no amount of trust, no amount of support, no amount of effort (or lack there of to any of the fore mentioned) can ever MAKE someone do anything. So we are stuck in a balancing act in our lives... What will be allow to be our fate and what will we make our free will?
"If faith were rational, it wouldn't be - by definition - faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be... a prudent insurance policy."
This brings me back to God. I have had many conversations with him on all of the above mentioned. What I have learned is it is okay for me at ask him "Why?," because I may just get an answer. You never expect the enormously crazy things people will say to you in an effort to comfort you in times of crisis. I don't want to hear "You're better off," or "It'll get better." I want answers. I certainly understand that those answers may not come in the form of words, but in the form of life... and what my life will have in store.
So on this day of worship... I look to God and pray for many things. He may not answer all of my prayers, but I do know He is listening.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
When you finally have as much as you can handle?
A very wise person said to me today:
"If the world didn't suck just a little bit, we would all fall off....."
At times I have wondered if God is just trying to show me his sense of humor.
As I posted resently, I do recognize that I have a good life, but inevitable something new happens every day. Unfortunately.
Without divulging too much information, I have been struck with something that has brought my life to perspective for me. You see we all have the choice to join someone elses life's journey. This act could possibly change their lives, and your best hope is that it changes their life in a positive way. What we don't ever see coming is how joining someone else's journey changes our own lives.
As for the events that inspired this post:
I wish for healing.
I wish for forgiveness.
I wish for an act of kindness.
I wish for healing.
I wish for understanding.
I wish for an open heart.
I wish for healing.
I wish for peace.
I wish for an overwhelming desire to change.
I wish for healing.
I wish for the heart to be the most powerful desire of all.
"If the world didn't suck just a little bit, we would all fall off....."
At times I have wondered if God is just trying to show me his sense of humor.
As I posted resently, I do recognize that I have a good life, but inevitable something new happens every day. Unfortunately.
Without divulging too much information, I have been struck with something that has brought my life to perspective for me. You see we all have the choice to join someone elses life's journey. This act could possibly change their lives, and your best hope is that it changes their life in a positive way. What we don't ever see coming is how joining someone else's journey changes our own lives.
As for the events that inspired this post:
I wish for healing.
I wish for forgiveness.
I wish for an act of kindness.
I wish for healing.
I wish for understanding.
I wish for an open heart.
I wish for healing.
I wish for peace.
I wish for an overwhelming desire to change.
I wish for healing.
I wish for the heart to be the most powerful desire of all.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A thought from a Hero...
My family was reared right here in the Shenandoah Valley. Both my parent's families can almost date their ancestors back to the original families who settled here in God's country. My extended family is vast. So much that when my father retired from the military and we moved back here I had to be careful of dating... you never knew if you were related.
When I was in sixth grade living in Oklahoma, where the wind really did sweep and the west really was won, I was instructed by my teacher to write a report on someones autobiography. At a mere 12 years of age I probably didn't even know what an autobiography was. It is entirely possible that we were learning the definition at the time, but my wandering mind and less than healthy body (that is a whole other story), didn't always allow me to hone in on my studies.
Indeed I chose to write about a hero from this country where heroes live everyday. Back then, all military personnel were heroes to me. This ideal came from watching my father through my child's eye. He was the epitome of military, and as decorated a soldier as they could come. So it was fitting that I chose to write my report on 5* General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The book was fascinating. As I read the history of this man and how he encompassed everything a son, soldier, student, father, uncle, brother, friend, and hero should have. I don't know the exact story behind how I came to find out that this decorated American hero bore the same blood as our family, but I did learn that he indeed was a relative.
I remember being awestruck at the idea that I was related to such an American icon. How many heroes lived in my family? Remember I told you our extended family is dauntingly vast, and I already lived within the same walls as one hero.
Today, I researched quotes of the day. I'm always trying to find sayings that help me put everything into perspective. I live to understand perspective. And I came across this quote from the great 5* General Dwight D. Eisenhower:
Reading this quote brought up many emotions. The ones I felt while I wrote my report, the ones I felt when my father left for war, the ones I feel everyday. I'm not insinuating that I'm in battle...well, maybe a little. Isn't life a battle? Isn't the idea of love and who has control those things that we battle over the most?
So many years ago Dwight D. Eisenhower inspired me. Today, he inspired me again.
When I was in sixth grade living in Oklahoma, where the wind really did sweep and the west really was won, I was instructed by my teacher to write a report on someones autobiography. At a mere 12 years of age I probably didn't even know what an autobiography was. It is entirely possible that we were learning the definition at the time, but my wandering mind and less than healthy body (that is a whole other story), didn't always allow me to hone in on my studies.
Indeed I chose to write about a hero from this country where heroes live everyday. Back then, all military personnel were heroes to me. This ideal came from watching my father through my child's eye. He was the epitome of military, and as decorated a soldier as they could come. So it was fitting that I chose to write my report on 5* General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The book was fascinating. As I read the history of this man and how he encompassed everything a son, soldier, student, father, uncle, brother, friend, and hero should have. I don't know the exact story behind how I came to find out that this decorated American hero bore the same blood as our family, but I did learn that he indeed was a relative.
I remember being awestruck at the idea that I was related to such an American icon. How many heroes lived in my family? Remember I told you our extended family is dauntingly vast, and I already lived within the same walls as one hero.
Today, I researched quotes of the day. I'm always trying to find sayings that help me put everything into perspective. I live to understand perspective. And I came across this quote from the great 5* General Dwight D. Eisenhower:
"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."
Reading this quote brought up many emotions. The ones I felt while I wrote my report, the ones I felt when my father left for war, the ones I feel everyday. I'm not insinuating that I'm in battle...well, maybe a little. Isn't life a battle? Isn't the idea of love and who has control those things that we battle over the most?
So many years ago Dwight D. Eisenhower inspired me. Today, he inspired me again.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Change..
I have an overwhelming feeling today about what change really means. Change is something that we get at the grocery store when we are carrying cash for the first time in months. Change is what we do when we decide that we picked out the wrong outfit for the fourth time before we walk out the door. Change is life suddenly deciding to shift..........
I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan, but these lyrics sing to me. I have been so wrapped up in going through the motions of life that I have failed miserably to realize that I am my life.
Change is happening all around me, and I'm just standing still. It's not like I am meditating to God in an Ashram in Indonesia where I can finally find myself (Yes, I'm reading the book)... But my heart is screaming to myself "DO SOMETHING!!! STOP JUST STANDING THERE!".
The problem: I don't know what to do.
So many people are advising me to do this and do that. But the truth of the matter is I don't know what to do. I read a pretty amazing post on an other's blog today about being where you belong. I have no idea if I am where I belong.... no idea.
It's difficult because I am a self proclaimed impatient person who wants perfection. I have a very clear view of what I want in life (I know, I've said that before).
The problem: I don't want to wait for it.
I don't want to just stand still while it all changes. I want to seek what it is that I dream of. I want to move with the change so that the change takes me with it. It is so hard to search for what it is you truly want out of life, always feeling like it is just beyond your grasp.
The problem: They say if you're not looking for it, it will appear.
Who in their right mind made these rules? Why do I have to lay down the dreams I have for my life because "I'm looking for it" and I shouldn't be. Why couldn't I have just gotten my happily ever after? Why was I chosen to withstand this?
They say that it can always be worse, your life. I'm not suppose to dwell on the hardships I am having, because let's face it, they aren't real hardships, right? I'm not homeless so to speak, I have a job, I have a beautiful little girl, I have transportation, I pay my bills. I ,for all intensive purposes, have a great life.
The problem: My life, the hardships, they feel hard to deal with to me.
So, I'm not suppose to feel sorry that I am having hard times. I'm not suppose to say that I feel lonely... That my happily ever after run out....
It's all changing, and I'm standing still.
Because these things will change
Can you feel it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall
down
It's a revolution, the time will come
For us to finally win
And we'll sing hallelujah, we'll sing
hallelujah.
I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan, but these lyrics sing to me. I have been so wrapped up in going through the motions of life that I have failed miserably to realize that I am my life.
Change is happening all around me, and I'm just standing still. It's not like I am meditating to God in an Ashram in Indonesia where I can finally find myself (Yes, I'm reading the book)... But my heart is screaming to myself "DO SOMETHING!!! STOP JUST STANDING THERE!".
The problem: I don't know what to do.
So many people are advising me to do this and do that. But the truth of the matter is I don't know what to do. I read a pretty amazing post on an other's blog today about being where you belong. I have no idea if I am where I belong.... no idea.
It's difficult because I am a self proclaimed impatient person who wants perfection. I have a very clear view of what I want in life (I know, I've said that before).
The problem: I don't want to wait for it.
I don't want to just stand still while it all changes. I want to seek what it is that I dream of. I want to move with the change so that the change takes me with it. It is so hard to search for what it is you truly want out of life, always feeling like it is just beyond your grasp.
The problem: They say if you're not looking for it, it will appear.
Who in their right mind made these rules? Why do I have to lay down the dreams I have for my life because "I'm looking for it" and I shouldn't be. Why couldn't I have just gotten my happily ever after? Why was I chosen to withstand this?
They say that it can always be worse, your life. I'm not suppose to dwell on the hardships I am having, because let's face it, they aren't real hardships, right? I'm not homeless so to speak, I have a job, I have a beautiful little girl, I have transportation, I pay my bills. I ,for all intensive purposes, have a great life.
The problem: My life, the hardships, they feel hard to deal with to me.
So, I'm not suppose to feel sorry that I am having hard times. I'm not suppose to say that I feel lonely... That my happily ever after run out....
It's all changing, and I'm standing still.
Wow! How I have neglected my blog..... all for good reasons of the following:
1. There was a rather huge announcement at work two weeks ago. Our Director of Riding has decided to retire. The feelings on this matter are yet to be determined.
2. AGB was struck with the stomach bug at the beginning of last week. I had to change her bedclothes 3 times in one night.
3. We had two IHSA horse shows two weekends ago and hosted our spring IHSA at BC this past weekend. Work, work, work...
4. Valentine's Day... Need I say more?
5. I have come down with an inner ear infection.... How did I miss that one?
It seems like nothing in life is staying the same. Just when you think life has decided to give you a break, something else comes up...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sleeping in our OWN bed :)
For a mother, one of the best feelings is the one where you are able to wrap up close to your child. Whether it's snuggling on the couch watching "Spirit; Stallion of the Cimarron" as we did last night, or falling asleep with her blonde locks wrapped around my shoulder... I cherish all of these moment.
However, several months ago AGB decided that she should inhabit my bed indefinately. Originally I was completely agreeable to this arrangement (as she NEVER slept with me as a baby), however, over time it has become quite an issue. At some point along the way I have decided that mommy needed her own space back.
Don't get me wrong, I L-O-V-E snuggling with my girl... she's the best there is, but what was brought to my attention about our c0-sleeping really opened my eyes. It turns out that AGB started sleeping with me not because SHE needed to, but because she thought I needed her to. It was her own way of making sure I was safe.... God love that child, she is an angel on Earth.
My solution:
We redecorated AGB's room, putting beautiful flowers on the walls, a new king size bed, new "cloud" valances, and a great comforter from PBK... and we read a minimum of two books per night in the bed. The TV is now turned off, and it's a lot of hugs and kisses and I love you's every night (as there has always been). Below you can see a small highlight of her room!
AND... the proof is in the pudding.... AGB has slept in her own bed for three nights in a row.... TA-DA!!!!
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