Work work work till the day is done

     Having a job, while still in High School, on top of extracurricular activities and homework is the worst thing imaginable. I woke up with bags under my eyes this morning and I'm still feeling the affects of no sleep after 3 large thermal-mug sized coffees. I've been doing the "head bob" during almost every class and I never understand what the teacher is saying even if I'm looking straight at them. All I want is sleep!! My friends are all highly energetic during the day and I can't keep up with them anymore. Even my dog is hard to keep up with. I have no energy, I can't concentrate, and I'm stressing like never before. 

     Although, thinking nonstop about riding is also a major distraction during class. Instead of paying attention to equations and strategies written on the board I'm always going through jump courses and flat work in my head. 

     It's only the second week of school and "senioritis" is already kicking in. I'm careless about my homework, I'm lazy about time, and I don't participate during class. I try to keep a smile painted on my face around my friends, but it seems like the minute I'm away from them I'm back to being on the verge of majorly crashing. I'd even lay down and fall asleep on the hallway floor if I could. 

     Naturally, I'd give something up to balance out my schedule and take away stress, but I'm different now. I have Blondie in my life. Every time I get frustrated and feel like throwing my physics book across the room I remember I'm doing this for her. I have to. "Those who tend to work hard are greatly rewarded in the end."

     If I want Blondie, I have to work. So work I shall !!!!! Starting with the mountain of homework waiting to be conquered by oh-so-lucky me..

Progress and Priorities

     Hey guys!! So things are going along pretty smoothly so far. I've been working both at my new job and at the stable. Got my first paycheck today and my work schedule takes up almost the entire week as I've been getting more and more hours. I am soooooo ready to finally get Blondie!! Everyone at the stable has been behind me 100% and are waiting to have a party to celebrate me buying Blondie.

     Also, Blondie and I have been getting better in the ring! In our last lesson we jumped A LOT higher!!! It felt amazing to be in the air with her!! I wasn't the least bit scared either. I was more focused on trying not to bounce in the saddle after each landing which was difficult a couple of times. And, as usual, you could see a smile on my face as we cantered around the ring : ) 

     I met the owner of Sunny View Stables, which is where I want to board Blondie. We talked it out and I might be able to work at the farm for a lower boarding cost!! How awesome is that!?!?!?!!!!

     Priorities. I actually made a list of long-term priorities, that I wanted to follow and accomplish, and taped it to my bedroom door frame. I think it was around the middle of my Junior year when I did this. The list is still hanging there, waiting to be completed. I look at it every day as I walk out the door. Here is what it looks like:

Priorities:

-Job

-Blondie

-Truck

-College

Of course, I now have "Job" crossed off. I'm sure you assumed what would be next...Blondie!! She is my number one priority right now, buying her before someone else does. I got the job. I'm going to get the horse. Looking at this list reminds me every morning what I want out of life and what is important right now. I am just waiting on the "green light" to call my trainer and say, "Today's the day. I'm buying Blondie."

Blondie's Mark

    My friends know that I get hurt a lot, part of that being that I'm reckless, but recently I've been asked a lot about the scar on my left shoulder. Well, to be honest, Blondie and I ran into a tree. Yes, a tree. I ended up getting knocked off, due to a branch running through my shoulder, and Blondie freaking out because she had no idea what was attacking her. Anyways, I realized that I always told people, "Oh, that's just Blondie's mark." 

     Blondie left her mark on me. Not just the fresh new scar I obtained, but somewhere else, somewhere I can't describe. I can go from the worst day at work, hot, sweaty, and cranky, to cantering around the ring with a smile on my face. Blondie is my rock. And I would do anything for those few moments of belonging and freedom while sitting on her back.

     Considering the fact that we won't be able to get a fence up before winter rolls in, I've decided that boarding her nearby would be smarter. We'd have more time to make our farm "horse safe" before welcoming her. AND she would be around other horses and people who know how to care for them. 

     My only problem is the people who keep putting it off. Instead of being mature adults and giving me a solid "yes" or "no" I have to deal with procrastination and persuasion on their part. First they said I needed my license. So I go my license. Then I needed experience. So I got experience. Then I needed a job. So I got a job. Now?? I don't know anymore. I don't know how many things I have to do before I'm "ready." I'm considering getting a second job to prove how much I want Blondie and that I'm not giving up. 

      The things is...this isn't just a phase. I wouldn't get bored after awhile and get rid of her and move on. It's a passion. A dream. A life. This is real. And being told that my dream "isn't good enough" only makes me more determined than ever. Even if they say "no" do you honestly think that I would give up? Didn't think so.

Sometimes..

~ Reasons ~

I LOVEEE editing pictures!! This is one of my edits with Blondie. I call it "Reasons."

Step Two: War!!

   So we started stacking the wood into piles labeled "good" and "bad." Some we moved completely out of the barn and others we burned. In the picture to the right you can see where I decided to make Blondie's stall. It's the only part of the barn with a high enough ceiling. We used a ladder to get to the weeds growing through cracks at the ceiling. We're planning on spraying weed killer around the inside and outside perimeter of the barn tomorrow. I have to put a board across the bottom of each window for safety measures. One window (not shown) already has a board.The barn has electricity so I also need to make sure no wires are sticking out or any light bulbs are exposed.  Nails also have to be removed from the ceiling and walls. There are sliding doors for entering and exiting the barn which will be connected to the stall. I'm planning on getting metal, panel type gates to block off the doors on the inside.

     I'm going to make some sketches tomorrow of how I want the stall to look. I've already got tons of ideas!! I'm using a couple horse books as resources for sizing and measurements. Her stall will be bigger than 12 X 12 which is GREAT, but it also provides me with an opportunity to convert it into 2 smaller stalls when necessary. But those details will come later. Right now I'm at war with the almost 50-60 year old nails sticking out of the walls. I already stepped on one, which went through my shoe and punctured my foot. If I wasn't overdue for a tetanus shot I wouldn't be so worried right now. I also ruined my recently acquired hammer. I don't know what kind of nails they used back in the day, but they are some pretty stubborn, dangerous, and strong nails!! I'm not going down without a fight though. I cleaned out my wound, wrapped it, and put on my pair of thick bottomed, steel toed shoes. It's war!!

Step One: Barn Clean Up!!

 Step one: Clean out the barn!!

My partner in crime, a.k.a. my sister, helped me clean up the barn a little today. It was full of cardboard boxes, chicken feed bags, chicken wire, wood boards and beams, and garbage. And yes, we did start a fire on our own. With NO men!! Who says women can't do anything?? It's our Hatton side that gets a kick out of doing things on our own. Not to mention that we are farmgirls and we like a challenge.

   The next step is to rip out the weeds, clean up glass, pull out nails, sweep up garbage, and dust out cobwebs. All in preparation of putting up a large stall at the end of the barn where the ceiling is high, we have a lot of work. Due to having a concrete floor I'll have to get stall mats later on before putting down bedding. We had to stand in the rain and hose down the fire to make sure it didn't catch again. We are determined to get the job done!

A Special Treat

    Before and after every ride I always give Blondie an "Apple & Oats" flavored treat. It's become a ritual that she definitely likes! The first thing she looks for when I enter her stall is her treat, ears pricked forward, nostrils wide and searching. The minute I take her to her stall after a ride I gently take her bridle off and give her the other treat, which she also looks for. Sometimes I'll bring an extra to give her while I'm walking her after a hose down. She never becomes nippy, as she is careful not to use her teeth while searching my pockets.

     Recently I've found another form of treat that she could die for!! Peppermint Starlight Mints!!!! They sell for only $1.00 a bag at Walmart yet they seem to be the ultimate treat to get her attention. She practically tore it out of my hand, wrapper and all, the first time I gave her one. Now all she does is listen for that wrapper to know I have one. Patience is usually a test when I can't unwrap it fast enough, but she has never pushed or bitten.

     Of course, I only give her treats if she has been good. Bad behavior shouldn't be rewarded or horses will think they will get a treat every time they act up. There are times where they are simply testing you or think it's a game, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are being bad. Either way, Blondie LOVES her peppermints and knows exactly what to do if she wants one. With that kind of face, who could possibly resist?

Painting of Blondie

This painting was made by one of my friends!!! It depicts Blondie and I in one of our lessons. She initially made some sketches and took pictures which looked amazing! Even my riding instructor was impressed and asked her to make some drawings of her horses. This sits proudly in my room along with all my other pictures of Blondie. Thanks Anita!!

Check out her blog!!

http://bonitaherhandsthatmake.blogspot.com/

Saddled

   I just got done reading a book called Saddled by Susan Richards. I like reading, but I rarely find time to so I had to renew this book to its renewal limit. It was worth it though, because the book related to me and my life unbelievably and unbearably well. She went looking for a horse and the first time she saw Georgia..she knew. Everyone knew. That's exactly how it was with Blondie and I. I just saw her..and I knew. I think we both did somehow. I knew that Blondie was my horse. I was bound to her. I still am. And I won't give up until she's mine forever. That's the way it was with Susan Richards and her horse Georgia. Georgia saved her and gave her a reason to live. A purpose. Blondie IS my purpose. I used to spend days trying to figure out what I wanted out of life to write down on my high school schedule applications. Eventually I'd write "undecided" or "still searching." Blondie ended that search. I can't see past her. I don't know why. It's like she just stepped onto my path, towering over me with such beauty that I never kept moving forward to the end of that path. I don't think I ever will.

     Blondie...is my life. She's not a goal, a conquest, or an achievement. When someone says, "Look at yourself years from now. What do you see?" I only see Blondie. And if she's not there..what then? Nothing..quiet, calm, erased. I'd have no purpose. No passion. Nothing. 

      I want my parents to understand this more than they want to. I wish they could see..feel..the way I do. Then there'd be no question in getting her. No hesitation whatsoever. But I don't really care whether anyone understands it, as long as I do. Blondie and I know what it is. I feel it every time I'm with her. Calm. Safe. Home. Whatever it is, it's not something I can forget and move on. No..it's much, much more.

Check out Susan Richards site!!
http://susan-richards.com/

Sadie. The dog that stole my heart.

   Meet Sadie!! Currently 5 years old, she's a Black Labrador/German Shepherd mix. She was born on March 31st on a small country farm where she ended up being the runt of the litter. I fell in love with her almost instantly and we've been together ever since. She loves pizza, she has her own pool, and has claimed the front seat of the car. A lot of my friends laugh at how much I love my dog and think it's ridiculous to treat her like a human being. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with it. Our family has always loved animals. We let our dogs use the furniture, feed them left overs, take them for ice cream, let them sleep in our beds, practically take them everywhere, and love them to death. What's so wrong about that? And who says a dog can't be a girls best friend??

Prologue

"Dream as if you'll live forever,

live as if you'll die today."

      My dream includes a 6 year old, 16hh, chestnut OTTB mare named Bombshell Blondie. I'm the type of person who likes lots of horses, but I only truly love a few. Blondie is one of those special few. I've had the horse bug ever since I can remember. Now, at 17 years old, I'm fighting to make that dream become reality.

  I just recently got hired at a fast-food restaurant which was the ultimate "ticket" to making Blondie permanently mine. Now I work at the stable for lessons and gas money on top of a part-time job. But all the sweat and grime is worth every minute if it gets me closer to her. 

 

    I've never had a connection, as strong as I do with Blondie, with any human or animal in my lifetime. It's almost like "imprinting." You live for that special someone and nothing else in the world matters other than the moment you're with them. Your dreams, goals, future, thoughts, and your life are all centered around that one person. Mine just happens to be Blondie.

    My ULTIMATE GOAL for 2011 is to fix up the barn, install a fenced in pasture, buy Blondie, and make her a permanent home with me!! Anddddd all done before this upcoming winter!! Snow puts complications on renovating a barn and putting a fence up so there's no time to lose. I made Blondie a promise and I intend on keeping it.

For Blondie

 

I made this video of Blondie not too long ago. My younger sister shot the clips. Props to Stephanie!! :D