Horsemanship

We have two young horses that live here on our property. These horses are abotu 2 years old so Isaac can't ride them at work quite yet. Often, when Isaac gets off work, we all go out back and Wyatt and I watch Isaac train his horses. It is pretty neat to see the progress the horses make. 

Isaac took this picture at work.

Even though Isaac won't admit it, I think Isaac is a great artist. Most recently, Isaac has been trying his hand at leather work. He made these leggings (some of you might call the chaps). Don't mind his feet at the bottom of the photo.

He hand stitched these.

This is our neighbor's horse. Her name is Jazzy. She is a beautiful horse. She looks so powerful closeup.  Isaac was working with Jazzy because he was preparing her so that he could  use her at work.

In this picture you can see Isaac's arm is extended. It is interesting to see how he signals the horses and they know exactly what to do. I'm always surprised at how fast they catch on though some horses have been a little stubborn.

My handsome husband! I love this picture of Isaac. He looks so focused.

This is the first time he put a saddle on Boots. Isaac's first horse Blue birthed Boots about two years ago. She is a pretty gentle horse and you can tell that she trusts Isaac.

I love this next photo. It shows Isaac in action. Basically, this is what happens when horses don't want to obey.

Here are our two horses, Gres (Grey) and Boots.

Boots on the run!

Isaac giving praise for a job well done.

Isaac rides Boots for the first time.

The smallest cowboy. Oh, he is so handsome! Who could refuse that face?

Like Father, like son.

Wyatt's first time on a horse!

 I don't know what Wyatt was thinking during this picture but it looks like he is up to no good. I'm pretty sure that's the "mom is too far away to stop me from licking this!" face.

So focused for a young buck!

Our little cowboy!

I married a dreamer

I distinctly remember a particular conversation I once had on a date with a young man that I met at college. I had asked him what he wanted to do for a living. He responded that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. I thought to myself, "That's cool!" I then asked him what ideas he wanted to pursue. He said that he didn't have any but that entrepreneurs make a lot of money and he would come up with some in the future. My thought? "Fail!" I was so turned off. I'm not sure why but I had always wanted to marry someone who was passionate about his work. It wasn't important what he did, but I never wanted it to be about the money. 

Now I understand that not everyone can pursue their dream career or we wouldn't have a lot of needed services. I'm sure there are many jobs that no one "dreams" of doing. However, I feel that often people feel pressured to work jobs that will provide a particular lifestyle or support their hobbies rather than pursue a job or career that they are passionate about. 

When I met Isaac he was getting his degree in Communication. He had no real plans to pursue a career in that field. Earlier he had hoped to pursue Architecture but due to some changes in the program while he was on his mission he switched paths. Although, I'm sure Isaac was initially disappointed that he wouldn't pursue Architecture I think it was for the best. Isaac is an excellent artist and I'm sure he would have enjoyed Architecture but his real passion is for horses. 

When people ask Isaac about what he wants to do, the response is almost always the same, "That is like my dream job!" People at Isaac's work are constantly asking him why he chooses to work with animals when he has a college degree. Isaac might be crazy, and I might be even crazier for supporting him.

Isaac hasn't landed his dream job and we can't be sure that he will, but I'm so proud that my husband is going to do all that he can to pursue his dream. Isaac could make more money in a different job. He might get better benefits and more vacation time. But, he wouldn't be teaching his children what he is now. I once heard a quote that we can't expect our children to be what we aren't. This has really stuck with me. If I want my children to be driven by passion, then I must be driven by passion. If I want my children to pursue their dreams, Isaac and I must pursue our dreams. If I want my children to share, they need to see that I share. If I want my children to value time with the family, I need to value time with the family. 

I could read thousands of parenting books but I'm going to let this principle guide me: Become the person you want your child to be. It's that simple. It isn't about issuing the right punishment or whether you use attachment parenting. If you don't model good behavior, how can you expect that from your child? But it isn't even about modeling behavior. It must be deeper than that. You can't just not lie, you must be honest. You can't just perform acts of kindness, you must be kind. You can't just act good, you must be good. 

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to strive to be better, to really be something. I know I won't be perfect and that my faults and bad habits will get in the way at times. And that's a good thing because I don't want to be perfect. I want my children to feel the freedom to make mistakes and know that they have a Savior who will carry them the rest of the way. 

Someday, I hope that my children will be able to look at me and say, "She never stopped trying to be more. And yet, she allowed herself to be human. And because of that humanity, she knows the touch of her Savior's hand."

The baby whisperer...

For Christmas break, Isaac and I made our way to St. Louis to visit my parents. My cousin,  her husband and their baby also joined us for the holidays. While we were there, Isaac made a new best friend; meet Jack. Now, I can testify that Isaac did not bribe the child with sweets or toys but Jack did in fact like Isaac on his own accord. We knew Isaac had magic powers when Jack began to refuse to go to his parents and wanted the comfort of Isaac's arms (I can relate!). While shopping the after Christmas sales, Jack fell    asleep in Isaac's arms, so precious! I'm hoping that Isaac's baby whispering powers will work on our own children so we can get sleep when the little one comes! We shall see if he really is the baby whisperer.

                                                                                               

My man

Before...

After...

And still just as cute. :)

The story behind these pictures:

This weekend we went hunting and camping with Isaac's family. I didn't want to swim in the pond because there were snakes but Isaac tried to persuade me to come swim by confessing his love through a mud written love note on his chest...it worked. Later when we returned to Dallas, I found this picture of him as a child and had to laugh because he looks the same, only bigger. He was such a cute little boy and he's still just as good humored and cute today.

My Cowboy

This may be news to some of you, but I've been dating someone as of late. I would say that we are somewhat of an unlikely match; I'm a city girl from St. Louis and he is cowboy from Texas. He loves things like cowboy boots and plaid. I don't own a pair of cowboy boots and I have one plaid shirt. So, we're a little different. We do have a lot in common but I've been wondering what it means to date a cowboy. . . and I'm slowly finding out.

About three or four days into my Christmas vacation, my boyfriend shares an idea with me. He's thinking about buying some sheep. I respond, "For what? Are you going to sell the wool?" "No, It'll give me something to do. I know a lady who will rent me some land and I'll build a little fence for them." You know you are missed when you're boyfriend starts talking about buying herd animals. Well, I know nothing about animals so I can't really say much considering my family pet was always a bunny and the last one I helped take care of starved to death. May you rest in peace, Butterscotch.

A few days after his announcement of his intentions to buy some sheep, he then tells me that he is thinking of purchasing some goats too. Well, he saw a man about buying a goat and this is the goat he is going to buy. My boyfriend is letting me name the goat. My first thought was, "this goat is spry." So that's his name, "Spry." Maybe if we are lucky he will get invited to be on the Brian Fellow's Safari Planet show!


I feel like he is smirking in this picture and winking at the same time. It's probably cause those other goats are females. He's only eight months but he's already working it with the ladies. When I get back to Texas, I will meet Spry. I've never met a goat before so this could be an interesting encounter.