Snow Boots and Plane Tickets

I just bought a pair of snow boots and am now shopping for plane tickets, because, apparently one needs snow boots to winter in New Mexico and I want to fly home to visit family and friends before I settle in here for a year. Yes, I am going to stay in New Mexico for a year.

It still has to sink in at times, but I am excited about this unexpected bend in the trail. I've accepted an internship at the conference center I have been working at since May. For 9 months, I'll be the Administrative/General Intern and will have a crash course in finances, budget and all things business and operations. I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn about those things in a practical way. I think the skills I learn will prove very valuable and transferable in many realms of life. Then, next summer, I'll become Rec Staff again and spend the summer as lead wrangler.

I say it's an unexpected bend in the trail because this is not where I saw myself after graduation, up to about 2 months ago. However, that seems to be a common theme in my life lately. I'm glad that God is writing this story and not me because He is making it much more interesting than I ever could. I'm convinced that He has called me here for the next year and am excited to see what it holds. There will be at least 4 other interns about my age and I will get to see more than 6" of snow for the first time ever. These, among other elements, promise an interesting year.

Told you so...

Well, I wrote at the beginning of this adventure that I am a slacker blogger and it's proving true. I could blame it on a number of things, including that this week has been a huge adjustment curve for me, but it mostly comes down to the fact that I tend to forget to write about stuff.

Anyhow, I have the afternoon off and am chilling at one of the wifi spots on campus enjoying my "Celtic Woman" Pandora station and catching up on my web browsing. I spent the morning on the high ropes course with the rec staff learning rope rescues and the belaying the boy's and girl's camp staff. I really enjoy working the ropes course. It's a lot of fun and a good change of pace. I even got in a ride on the zipline with my roommate (who camps has stolen for the next three weeks). Flying through the air upside down is good for the soul.

Things are going well out at the barn. We served 74 riders this last week, including youth camp track times. It's a much tighter schedule that I was anticipating, but we're working through the kinks and I expect things to go more smoothly next week. This past week, our mornings were slow and we spent a lot of time working on rec staff projects and getting things ready for various activities. Then, it was an early lunch and full steam ahead in the afternoon with two one hour track times and then two one hour trail rides before a late dinner. In the coming three weeks we will be adding camp lessons in the mornings and possibly a few morning trail rides.

My job is never boring! Crazy busy and sort of stressful at times, but I'll take that over boring any day. Besides...how many places can you be both a wrangler and a high ropes facilitator? I'm having fun and looking forward to what the next weeks hold.

Quick Update

Whew...today is the last day of staff training and I feel like I've been running like crazy for the past 2-3 weeks. Tomorrow will be my first full day off in over 2 weeks and I am looking forward to the rest. However, I have been enjoying the work and particularly getting to know the rest of the summer staff who arrived last week. Overall, it's been a good kind of running.

Besides training, which has taken up the majority of my time, I've been working on developing the horseback riding program for camps and the youth camps. Today I finally submitted some paperwork that I've been working on for about 3 weeks. That felt so good. Now it's on someone else's plate for a while.

We have a cook out tonight and I'm looking forward to enjoying that and my day off without worrying about all the office work I have to do...because it's mostly done!

Time flies...

Shwew...it's been a busy past couple of days... Let's see...
Friday we took an all day ride up to Baldy - the highest peak in the area at about 10,000 feet. We probably spent about 6 hours in the saddle and several more clearing trails. And we had a little time to enjoy the spectacular views. I'm putting pics up on Facebook.

Saturday I slept in a bit, stopped in at the graduation party for our campus director's daughter, went to lunch, raced out of the lunch line to answer a call about a horse who was down (false alarm), ate my lunch, did laundry and played speed with Micki (one of our co-coordinators), cleaned my room, and did a little planning for the week ahead.

Sunday I went to church with Holly and Andrew. They're church threw the coolest baptism celebration I've ever seen. They did the baptism in a neighborhood pool (and it was a little chilly outside!), then had their service outside followed by a catered meal and live music. The pastor says that a public profession of faith through baptism is the biggest decision of a person's life, so they should throw the biggest party too.

Today, I went out to feed and get Jason started on some jobs then spent the rest of the day in the office. I worked on finishing up the horseback Standard Operating Procedure (which I've written about 1/3 of), planning out the next week and developing a training schedule for the people who will be working at the barn. It was a full day of paperwork!

We've had a few new staffers arrive during the last few days too. It's been fun to have some new faces!

Adventures Recap

Here's a recap of a few of my adventures since arriving:

-Santa Fe with Molly and Holly. Quite the cultural experience at the Plaza and the best guacamole of my life. More details here.

- Riding the zipline! 900 feet of flight. I loved it. The second time I went off backwards and hung upside down.

- 1st Trailride up the ridge and down Ruiz Canyon. The ridge was piney woods and we came out on a spectacular view of the campus. The canyon is full of granite rocks and a beautiful creek. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so no pics. But I'll be going back and will get some!

- Second and Third Trail Rides: Ghost Town and another ridge. Ghost town is beautiful! Ruins of an old sawmill and hotel sit in a green valley surrounded by mountains. We ate lunch while the horses grazed. Quite scenic. The ridge we rode boasted a view of mountains as far as 75 miles away. I had fun using Scott's GPS to mark both of these trails. Thanks Scott!

- Santa Fe with Debbie B. Ed and Debbie B. have been visiting us for the past couple days and today Debbie and I ran into Santa Fe for the afternoon. (I got off early because I have to work tomorrow morning when the farrier comes). I took her to the Plaza and was very proud of finding my way around without having to make too many u-turns.

More to come...

Dust and Mud

It was another beautiful, sunny day. I somehow missed breakfast - they must have served it earlier than yesterday. Meal schedules are kind of crazy right now since groups are coming and going and we haven't hit peak season. So, I had a protein bar.

Anyway, I got out to the barn about 8:00 and started organizing the tack room. Throughout the course of the day, I organized all the saddles, hung nails for the bridle rack, made and hung a helmet rack, hung some hooks for the rain coats and bathed six horses.

I also fed the six we have at the barn right now and then found and fed the five that are still in the front pasture. I'm working them back to being fed in the morning instead of the afternoon, so they weren't there waiting on me. I whistled and called, but they didn't come. They've been trained to come at the honking of a horn, so I honked and they still didn't come. Then, I drove through the pasture, honking, whistling and calling. It is a fun but strange feeling to go barreling through an empty pasture honking your horn and yelling out the window. Especially since two of the horses I was yelling for are Nip and Tuck. Hahah!

Anyway, I finally found one and then had to hike to find the rest. They were back by the water treatment plant and evidently couldn't hear me because the came a soon as they saw me.

I also gave Pablo a much needed hair cut. I'm going to post before and after shots as soon as I can get an after one. After my very productive day, I was extremely dirty with an interesting combination of both dust and mud and had to jump through the shower before dinner. So, I didn't have time for the last pic.

Santa Fe

Yesterday, Molly, Holly and I went and "did" Santa Fe. It is a very neat town where everything - including Target, Walmart and McDonalds - is adobe. We visited Target to pick up a few things for me, including a hair brush and ties to replace the one I mysteriously lost between check in and move in. Go figure.

Anyway, we ate lunch at an amazing place called Gabriels what is known for its authentic Old Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. I had the Plato de Carnitas which was sort of like pork fajitas on corn tortillas. And we ordered the guacamole appetizer where they come prepare it at your table. I was a little apprehensive since I've never been a fan of the green stuff, but this was amazing!

Then, we toured the Plaza in Santa Fe. It is very interesting with lots of handmade jewelry and other items being sold both in stores and on the street. Bargaining is expected not only on the street but also in some of the stores. I didn't buy anything yesterday, but I plan to in the future and expect that it will be an interesting experience.

There is a big mix of cultures here and at times I feel a little out of place with my light hair and eyes. One of the salesmen/bargainers in a store asked Holly and I if we were from Florida because of our "blonde hair and beautiful eyes." She is blonde and while I've never considered myself blonde, compared to the majority of the population around here, I guess I am - la gringa rubia.

We made it!

Well, after 8 more hours in the car yesterday, we finally arrived at our destination in New Mexico. The weather was nice for the most part though we were a little concerned starting out due to severe thunderstorms near by. However, other than a little rain, we were not affected.

Highlights of the last leg of our trip include lunch at The Big Texan, driving by the American Quarter Horse Association HQ and the incredible western landscapes.

I loved the varied scenery crossing western Oklahoma, the smokestack of Texas and on into New Mexico. Western Texas and New Mexico had a variety of landscapes that are the essence of western land to me. So, as you might guess, I have a lot of landscape pictures to share.

By the way, I will be posting my pictures on Facebook so, if you are not on Facebook and would like to see my pics, shoot me an email and I will email you a link to the album.

After we arrived, we met up with Holly (Molly's friend) who was working the front desk. She helped us find the person who showed us around and then we worked on getting settled in my room in staff housing. I'm pleased with the accommodations so far. It's bigger than either of my dorm rooms were. I will have 1 or 2 roommates who will arrive later. I'll try and post some pics of my room later.

That's about all for now...oh, we did walk out to meet "the herd" yesterday and I was impressed with how healthy everyone looked and how friendly they were. I'll try and get some pics of them soon too. I'm sure you will be reading many stories about Paco, Nip & Tuck, Midnight, Rusty and the others.

And Oklahoma City Looks Oh So Pretty

Shwew! We made it! After over 12 hours on the road, our hotel outside of Oklahoma City looked very nice indeed. The city itself looked very nice with all it's lights. Altogether, the trip has gone very quickly and smoothly so far. Molly and I have had a great time talking, laughing and listening to music and Les Miserables.

Speaking of laughing, we've seen some funny sights on the way... Here they are in no particular order:

1) A tree hung with over a dozen pairs of shoes somewhere in western AL.

2) Sign: "Territorial Museum" (don't get too close to that one!)

3) Sign: "See Salisaw!" (OK has a lot of See Suchandsuch! signs and they're all enthusiastic, but this one was my fave).

4) Sign: "Now Entering Citizen Preservation Area" (As opposed to??)

The landscapes have been varied and beautiful as well. The more northern route through Arkansas is much preferable to the southern route we take to Dallas, which I have affectionately termed "Arkanblah." And as we were rolling into the city area here, we were treated to a most spectacular lightning show in the big sky.

I'll see about getting some pictures up soon...but for now I've just got to crash.

T-minus Less Than 24 Hours

For anyone who's interested, here's my blog where I will be chronicling (or attempting to chronicle) my out west summer adventures.

I can't believe it...I'm leaving for New Mexico in less than 24 hours! And I don't have half of the stuff done that I had hoped to at this point. It's like I've been in waiting mode so long that it is been hard to kick myself back into high gear and get stuff done.

But, since my still-on-eastern-time body decided to wake me up at 7:30 this morning, I'm going to try and take advantage of the extra hour or so this morning. Blog post - check. Next...

Horse Tales 3: Part 2 - The Good Shepherd

Interestingly, after Part 1 happened on Saturday, my pastor preached on Psalm 23 on Sunday. Part of the sermon focused on the last part of verse 3, "He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." The pastor said that the first verse of this section would be better translated, "He guides me on the right paths" and that it pictures the shepherd physically guiding His sheep down the right path.

He noted that the shepherd does not give his sheep a map of the right paths and say, "good luck!" Instead, he walks with them down the paths and shows them the way to go. From my experience working with animals, this probably involves physically blocking off the wrong path to prevent them from taking it!

The second part of this section says that He guides me in this way, "for His name's sake." In other words, if the shepherd showed up without his sheep, he would be ridiculed and never trusted with sheep again. I can't imagine having a group show up and having to tell them the ride was canceled because I could not get the horses to come in. That is simply not an option. I will go out and chase down each individual horse and walk them back in personally if necessary.

Since God is The Good Shepherd, He must guide His sheep rightly to protect His name. It is for His glory that He guides us on the right path. These two truths are such a comfort for me. Somehow, along the way, I have picked up the idea that God likes to sit back and watch me struggle to find His will. But it is not so! He is there with me, every step of the way, opening doors and closing off the way to the wrong path. And He will do it always because it is for His name's sake.

Additionally, the pastor mentioned that the shepherd would also often carry fruit in his hands behind his back so that the sheep would want to follow him. So, when I brought the horses in on Sunday, I took some feed out with me...and the whole herd came in!

Horse Tales 3: Part 1 - Follow Me

I ran trail rides at camp this last weekend. It's always an adventure. One of the first things I have to do is bring in all the horses we need for the group. In the off season, they're way out in the winter pasture, so the easiest way is to drive them in with the four-wheeler.

Before heading out, I put a little feed in each stall so that they would be rewarded for coming in and occupied long enough for me to shut the stall doors. The "Old Guys" have been fed every day this winter, so they were actually waiting for me at the gate. However, the rest of the herd was way out, so I drove out there and tried to encourage them to come in with much calling and waving of a riding whip.

Romeo and Onyx came in fairly easily, but Kiefer and Reggie gave me the run around and eventually out ran me. Romeo is one of our steady-eddies and his experience told him that though there was work ahead, there was also good things to be had in the barn. Kiefer and Reggie are newer and haven't yet realized that they will come in one way or the other - whether they follow my initial call or I have to come back out with halters and lead ropes.

Later, it struck me that we are often like these horses. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 14:24). There are some of us who are waiting at the gate for God's call and follow as soon as He opens the door. Others of us wait for Him to come after us, but willingly follow after we see that it is the best option at hand. Still others of us make every effort to evade His calling (it means work after all!) and don't follow till He comes after us with a halter and lead.

But, even though following His call often means leaving the good we can see now (the green grass of the pasture), God knows that the good He has ahead is even better (the feed in the barn) and that His plan is really in our best interest.

So, the question I am left asking myself is, how do I respond to God's calling in my life?

Condolences on your birthday.

I just re-read my 22nd birthday card from my grandmother. The first time, I was distracted by the sweet note on the left hand side of the inside. It was a heart-felt "can't believe you're growing up" note with the traditional line about asking Dad about my birthday gift. (We used to get cash or checks, then it was reduced to sticky notes and now a line in the card directing us to her personal banker...but I digress.=)

Anyway, the front of the card reads, "God's grace is sufficient for every circumstance, every need, and every moment in our lives." Not exactly your traditional birthday greeting, but suitable enough.

Then, there's the inside, which reads: "May you experience His grace in abundant measure during this difficult time." Signed, "Love, Nanny".

I didn't think I was supposed to get this type of card until 40 or so! I guess 22 is over the hill in her book. (But she's got 60 some-odd years on me.)

Speaking of walking on...

Wow, I am on a roll today! Ha. It helps that I'm sitting here in front of my laptop waiting for video to render and export on the other computer...and that I've already read through my feedreader and checked Facebook an insane number of times. But, I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm very grateful to be sitting here, in this cubicle, rendering video.

When I took the job in New Mexico, I was worried about the month and a half of free time I'd have before heading out there. Don't get me wrong, I love free time. But too much of a good thing...well, let's just say I find it hard to live with myself when I get bored.

I had just finished school on March 1 (yay for being done with college!) and also ended a 6 month freelance stint with a church I love. There were no obvious prospects for work on the horizon and I was fearing sitting in the basement staring at my wall.

However, God has been very good to me. The time I spent at home gave me much needed rest (it was crazy how much I slept) and time to gather my gear for this summer. Then, my network came through for me and I got an offer of one day helping with a video shoot that turned into a shoot plus three days of editing. And now, I have been offered an additional two weeks of editing. Wow!

Better yet, the schedule is flexible enough that I can make it back home for my CPR recert and Dr's appointment, spend Easter with the family and then head back to work (it's onsite stuff). Then, I'll be finished just under a week before it is time to leave.

I probably shouldn't be amazed when the Creator of the universe arranges the details of my life better than I could imagine...but I am. Time after time I step back and mentally hand the reins back over. I want to believe, just help me with my unbelief!

Horse Tales 2: Relax!

So, as I mentioned...um...three weeks ago, I am a sporadic journal-er at best, so I'm probably even a worse blogger. I even added the little Blogger widget to my homepage so it is there staring at me every time I bring up Safari. However, every time I start thinking about something to write, fear creeps it. I over analyze and decide that it's not worth writing anyhow. I'm letting my fear paralyze me.

Now, my blog-o-phobia is not that big of a deal, except that it is standing in the way of my goal to be a better blogger. But, I've discovered that developing a discipline of overcoming fears is an important part of enjoying life.

I remember one time when I was at a show, about to ride a dressage test from memory. Right before the bell rang for my horse and I to enter the ring, I became afraid that I would not remember where I should perform each element of the test. I unconsciously tensed up and as a result, Captain refused to enter the ring.

Horses are amazing mirrors of human emotions. Their reactions are quick and honest. I was afraid and so he was afraid too. I became frustrated that he would not go forward and so he became both frustrated and afraid. My cues were telling him to go forward, but my body language was telling him that there was something scary ahead.

Finally, I realized what was happening and took a very deep breath, forced my body to relax and calmly asked him to enter the ring. He immediately picked up the trot I had asked for and, lo and behold, I remembered my test.

Now, there are times that it is good to listen to your fears - such as the feeling that you should not run out in front of a moving car because it might hit you - and I am not advocating a lack of common sense. However, most of the fears I face on a daily basis are not based on common sense but instead on anxiety, forgotten truth or a lack of trust. Developing the habit of overcoming these little joy-suckers takes intentionality and a bit of courage. But God wants us to live in love and not fear and is delighted when we choose to walk in His love instead of our fears.

So, sit up straight, take a deep breath and walk on in His love.

Horse Tales 1: Look Over the Jump!

While in New Mexico this summer, I'm going to be running their horseback riding program. So, in an effort to combine my love of horses with my passion for story, I've been thinking back through my years of working with horses to come up with stories about what I've learned about myself, life and God through working with these amazing animals.

I figured that chronicling them here would make me think them through more thoroughly and hopefully help me come up with some new ones. Here's one I've used before...it's applicable to my life right now, though I don't know how often I'll use it while teaching western (the saddle horns make jumping a little hazardous.)

Jumping is one of my favorite things to do on a horse. It's about as close as you can get to flying without wings. You point your horse at an obstacle, canter up to it and then they take flight - soaring over the jump and landing on the other side (ideally). It's an adrenaline rush.

When you are approaching the jump, you have to look at it carefully, line up your horse for the best approach and choose a take off spot. However, there comes a time when you have to stop looking at the jump and instead look over it. This is because the focus of your eyes directs your body weight which in turn directs your horse. I always tell my students that you need to look where you want to go. You want to end up over the jump and not on the jump. Therefore, you need to look over the jump.

It comes down to trust. You have to trust your horse to carry you over the jump. Honestly, it's a little scary. But, when you make that jump together, you are in for one amazing experience.

The principle translates into life as well. We are faced with many obstacles as we navigate our life. We have to look at them, size them up, and determine our best approach. Common sense is important. But there comes a point in time when you have to stop looking at the obstacle and instead look over it. Stop focusing on the problem and instead focus on God. Trust Him to carry you over the jump. Staying focused on God helps keep the problem in proper proportion. And when you make that jump together - there's nothing else like it!

So - as I find myself saying over and over in the ring - Eyes up! Look over the jump!

Ok, Let's Try This Again...

I originally started this blog to chronicle my 2008 trip to Utah, with some intention of continuing it afterward. However, with the writing demands of school, I didn't have any words to spare here after the trip was over.
However, now that I'm a college graduate (hurray!), I think I shall try again. I don't know if old habits from weekly discussion board posts die hard or what, but I have a drive to write...so here goes. I'm a sporadic journal-er at best, so don't expect daily updates, but I have some exciting times ahead and hope to record some highlights of my adventures here.