Look up, new page

I've finally added a page with many of the horses that get mentioned on the blog.  I will try to keep adding to it.  Possibly I should do one with the racehorses, but that is rather daunting.  Hope y'all are having a great weekend!  Keep your fingers crossed, someone is coming to look at Diva and Bridger on Monday...fall in love, fall in love.

Missing the Arizona sun!

Also a quote for you:

Post 201

Woah how did that happen?  My last post was number 200, I'm amazed.  I have loved getting to know all of you amazing bloggers and look forward to the adventures of the next two hundred posts!

Because funny.

Things I hope the next two hundred posts include?  Shows and satin!  Because P-Diddy demands that he has some beribboned photos, I know I shouldn't get my hopes too high since it is still his first year off the track, but one of my favorite quotes is:

 *the nerd in me really takes issue with this. 

The first time I felt him aim at the moon

I'm a dreamer, always have been, hopefully always will be.  I love getting to share my dreams here, along with the struggle to make them a reality.  While the frigid wind of winter blows through the eves I find myself dreaming of the thrill of the center-line salute, the satisfaction of nailing the strides in that triple combo, and the euphoria felt upon the completion of cross country.  That snug thump from pulling your boots on, the fight to contain every fly away wisp of red hair in my hairnet, the pull and snap of the electrical tape as I boot up my partner.  My heart beating in my throat in anticipation, and the sudden clarity and calm as we come out of the start box.  The feel of my wool coat and silk stock tie encouraging my shoulders back and chin up.  Getting up before the sun for an early groom session and walk about before the mundane tasks of stall cleaning and bucket scrubbing.  All these things and more I hope will litter the contents of my next 200 posts.  Where will we be, what will we be doing?  So much can and will happen and I am giddy with the excitement of seeing what is around the bend.  I will do my best to find the joy in each step of the way.

Never stop exploring.  (Checking out Sedona, AZ)

Trail Ride

While I was down in Phoenix I went on a lovely sunny trail ride.

I rode our just turned 3 year old and AW rode Waffles (6 year old and ready for his next career after racing).  After my usual 15 minutes of overcoming needless terror I had a total blast.  Joey is too smart to race and is also looking for his next career.  Too smart to race?  Yes, I'm not kidding.  In his last racing effort he stood in the gates until the other horses were racing then came out, dumped his jockey, jumped the outside rail and went back to his stall.  This is a backside with well over 1000 stalls and he found his.  I do believe he will be a champ at anything else though.  He already goes well in western tack and rocks the trails like a champ!  I rode him in an exercise saddle and you can see in the pictures that I look way defensive, it was still the beginning of the ride and I hadn't yet decided if it was fun or if I was hastening my death.  The fact that there were no helmets available also didn't help me relax.  Joey was freaking fantastic though and by the end I had one hand on the reins and was chatting up a storm.

He did prefer to be in front

Why hello there

Down the road like no big deal

Husband getting arty with the sun

Someone need a noseband, but check out the cactus

Up and down hills with no issues

Such cute ponies

I wanted to get some cute ears shots, but it was too warm for a vest (don't hate me) so I had no pockets for my phone.  Are you wondering how we ended up with so many trail riding pictures?  Well, we rode right out the front gate of the ranch and circled around behind it and eventually made it to the trail head.  My hubby rode around on the roads on a scooter and met up with us and then walked quite a ways while taking pictures, then he headed back and we continued on with the ride.  I may need to convince him to come with on trail rides this summer!  He actually rode the ponyhorse on a trail ride a couple weeks ago and AW rode Joey instead of Waffles.  So much fun, fingers crossed I get another trip back and more sunny trail rides.

Dreaming of spring

I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my ride and guess what? Home is still grey, cold, and dreary.  I know, I know, before I can sneeze summer will be here and and it will be too hot and sunny.  Either way, I'm looking forward to spring, or at the very least a thawed arena.  Here are a couple pics from when fall color was da bomb.  Of course in one Prisoner has phenomenal knees and I look terrible and in the other we are a picture of mediocrity, the struggle is real.  You will be happy to know that last month during a moment of useable arena I jumped him and we had zero rushing, #winning.

Cute racehorses and vivid sunsets

I'm on mobile bigger still, so that means random posts. Posts that don't need picture captions.  I have been adventuring around Arizona and my what a beautiful state.  I have also been finding all sorts of cute racehorses, but no I'm not bringing one home. 

Posting from Phoenix

Glad you all enjoyed my goal fails!  I'm down in Phoenix after an epic trip with a truck and trailer. I drove from Boise to saltlakecity on Saturday and then on Sunday headed up to Park City to pick up two ponies and head south.  Let's just say that a four horse head to head goose neck and dually truck don't go well with narrow plowed icy roads.  Seriously, after two hours and several years off my life I was back on the road.  Also it was a toasty 5 degrees.  Imagine backing around a turn and down a hill on roads so icy the rig is just sliding and the breaks do nothing.  At least the scenery was beautiful.  The rest of the drive was uneventful, thank goodness.

Ready for a Laugh?

So I scrolled back and took a look at my goals for last year.   Bwahahahaha, if your were feeling bad about missing any of you goals check out my success rate: 0%.   Seriously I laughed out loud when I read this.
joining-review-bandwagon
1. Do solid novice with Diva....Nope
2. Show and probably sell Bridger....not yet
3. Ride Mojito...I guess that happened for a while...nuff said
4. Attempt to keep hands in pockets when it comes to new horses...SOOOO happy I failed at this.

Hopefully you guys are enjoying this as much as me, seriously have goals ever gone so miserably wrong with such (mostly) great outcomes?

Goal fail = best thing ever!

This blog has been a great success so far, last year was my second year of trying to blog consistently and I jumped from 45 followers to 72!  10,000 page views to 35,000!  I want to create some info graphics, any tips on good sites for that?

Now onto new goals:
Blog:
1. A regular review column
2. At least 2 posts EVERY week
3. Update look
4. Keep content varied and interesting

Personal:
1. Yesterday I already talked about financial stability
2. Live unapologetically
3. Focus on the joy
4. Better eating
5. More fitness

Just keep smiling

Horses:
1. Sell Bridger
2. Sell Diva
3. Regular lessons
4. SHOWS!

I think that I will to some subsequent posts that breaks some of these goals into component parts.

Here is another post from last year when I was making plans: Epicness.
So not all of those things happened either, but again I'm ok with it.  I think that often goals are to motivate us through the miserable winter months, they are not always based in reality.

Dreamy P-diddy in the snow

And one more laugh for you: How can we forget the hubby attempting to blog?

Possibly one of my goals for the blog should be posts that actually have a point?  Nah!