TGIF!!

Today is Friday, woohoo! That means sleeping in...'til 6:00am that is. And then I'm off to run 6 miles with the Galloway Group! I am so excited. I love that group. And I really do love running. Even though I didn't get in my 2 30-minute runs this week...shhh, don't tell Will! I know I should have gotten the runs in, but I was tired. And then on Thursday my ankle was a little bit sore and I didn't really want to push it (though I probably could have and been totally fine). So tomorrow might be really, really difficult. And if it is, I only have myself to blame. My plan for this coming week is:

Monday: workout in Mayborn from 12:30-1:30 (gives me plenty of time to shower and get ready before class at 3.
Tuesday: run from 7-8
Wednesday: Rest, maybe some abs or swimming
Thursday: run from 7-8
Friday: workout in Mayborn from 1:30-2:30

Anyways...enough about that.

I've decided that I desperately want to be a stay at home mom many, many years down the road when we decide to have kids. Working at a daycare will do that to you. Don't get me wrong - I love my kids at school to death. But I feel SO bad for them when they're sick and mom is "with a patient and can't come for another two hours." You've got to be kidding me!! What patient on earth is worth leaving your own flesh and blood at daycare with a 102.3 fever. In my opinion, not one single thing on earth is worth leaving your baby sick without comfort from home. I don't care if we have to start setting money aside now for it to be financially possible in four or five years...I just can't bear to think about dropping my six week old baby off at daycare so I can go teach from 8:30 to 4:30...it's just not gonna happen.

I mentioned horses in my last post, but I never posted any pictures! So here are some of my favorites...


Meet Winston aka Behind the Smiles. He was the first horse I ever owned and the love of my life (aside from Greg, of course!)


We liked to go to horse shows together. Except for that one time when he bucked me off right in front of the judges stand, but we won't talk about that.


He was gorgeous. I wish I knew where he was now just so I could see how he's aged. I guess he'd be like...13 or 14 now?


Meet Austin aka Butthead. I frequently made this scared-to-death face on him. He was the first horse I jumped high on.


Next, meet Stealth. He was so much fun to ride and jump!


This is Avante. Don't let the pretty eyes fool you - she and I had a love-hate relationship. I loved how pretty she was, but I hated her when she bucked me off, or pinned her ears, or tried to buck me off...which was pretty much every time I even came near her with a saddle. I got her back into shape...fat horsies don't like to be ridden very much!


Avante again...note the pinned ears and the generally displeased look she is giving me.


Finally, there is Nezzie. She was my neighbor's horse who I trained a little bit. We got along really well until she moved to Liberty Hill.


Nezzie again...such a good girl!

That concludes my travel back into time. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be back tomorrow with updates on how 6 miles went. Cross your fingers and pray for me!!

Happy Friday to You,

Rainy Tuesday

For some reason, my mind thinks it should be fall. I love fall. Okay, so I guess September technically qualifies as fall, but it's Texas...and fall doesn't come until like Thanksgiving or sometimes even Christmas. But goodness, this rain and cool weather today has got me dreaming of Halloween. I have a serious obsession with that holiday. I hate that some people make it all demonic; I for one only like the things I associate with it - like jumping into a huge pile of orange, red, brown, and yellow leaves in Chicago that my dad had just raked in our front yard (and then getting tickled for doing so!), drinking spiced apple cider and hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows, and going to a pumpkin patch and picking out my very own pumpkin. I remember having Halloween parties at the barn, dressing up horses and then riding around in the crisp October air. Bonfires at the barn after our Halloween horse show is one of my best memories from middle school. I remember sitting at football games and cheering (even though I had no clue what actually happened in football until college). I love carving pumpkins and I especially love seeing all those adorable kids in their Halloween costumes. I think I have an obsession. And I'm so excited for October to get here!

Mmm...I miss horseback riding. I miss so much the rush of flying over 3' jumps on a powerful horse. I miss the sweet smell of grain and hay at feeding time. I miss spending hours upon hours in a grooming stall brushing my horse until he was bright as a penny. I miss the sound horseshoes make on a concrete floor. I miss taking trail rides in the field and galloping down the hills. I think most of all, I miss that connection that a girl can only have with a horse - that complete trust. One day...one day soon, I will ride again. It is a passion, and if you are passionate about something, you know that you never can never be 100% content unless that passion is in your life.

Work was work...again. I'm trying to stay positive about my crappy schedule. Trying so hard and getting so, so frustrated at the same time. I'm trying to shut up while I'm there. It would be too easy to just shut my mouth and not complain, but for some reason I like to make things difficult for myself. It would also be too easy to not eat work food. I swear they are trying to make me fat - all those greasy, buttery, fattening foods that they feed to the kids. And then they make us sit down while the kids our eating and my stomach is growling and I fall into the temptation of taking "just one bite" of whatever it is that we're having for lunch or snack and then it's all downhill from there.

I'm done for now...well, almost. One picture to share. Wherever we're going, Riley wants to go too!!


Goodnight, sleep tight,