Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New Season, New Students
The hint of fall is in the air! We can see it, smell it, and feel it. Autumn is our family's favorite time of year. This season finds us juggling our schedules as riding students return to school and try to work around their own busy schedules. We recently increased to 25 students. We're not exactly sure how that happened so quickly, but we're enjoying the hustle, bustle, and flurry of activity as new students become part of our Jordan's Crossing family! Some have special needs, some are just looking for an opportunity to be with horses, but whatever their needs, they are always welcome here. Please pray collectively for our students and their varying needs, and don't forget to reach out a helping hand to others around you who may need some encouragement along their rocky road. Happy Fall! :)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Angels in Hay Season
The girls and I just returned from a mini holiday at Kings Island near Cincinnati. They had never been to Kings Island before. I hadn't been in 22 years. Brian doesn't enjoy Kings Island...AT ALL! He hates the rides, he hates the walking, and he hates the crowds. I, on the other hand, LOVE IT! Going to Kings Island was a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Being from a large family, it was not hard to find enough people to go together and get the reduced "group rate." (My mother reminded me this morning that she remembers paying $6 per person...a far cry from what we paid this week!)
As a kid, the day of that "big event" brought alot of excitement and anticipation. We would all gather at Uncle Paul and Aunt Dee's house early in the morning. The men would squeeze into the front of Uncle Paul's blue pick up truck with the white camper shell. My mom, two or three of my aunts, and a whole passel of cousins would climb in the back where there was a mattress and a cooler full of food. Singing songs and laughing, we would crane our necks to peer out of the camper shell window vents, each of us hoping to be the first "spotter" of the Eiffel Tower. It was always a great deal of fun! We would ride ride ride, eat lunch in the parking lot, take in a show, and ride some more until the sun set and the fireworks began. (Funny, I don't remember the rides home. Probably because we kids would sleep all the way, likely being carried to bed by equally-exhausted parents!)
That trip was always a summer highlight for our family, and I really wanted my kids to experience something akin to it, so Brian and I agreed they deserved a mini vacation. I talked to my best friend Rita (who has 4 children close to our girls' ages), and we made the plans and reservations for a two-day event. In a nutshell, we had a BLAST! Rita, who is not a rider by any stretch of the imagination, followed the two little ones while I took off with the five teenagers. It was so nice for our families to enjoy the time together.
On the flip side however, was the "fun" that Brian had here at home. As the girls and I were leaving Tuesday night, Brian headed out to pick up two wagonloads of hay. While we girls were chill-axing at the resort, Brian and three of his buddies arrived at the field to find only one wagon load of hay ready. They waited about an hour for the 2nd wagon before they headed out. On the way home they had a flat tire...ever try to change a tire under a wobbly load of hay? When they finally got back to the barn and started unloading and stacking, one of the helpers pulled a shoulder muscle. Needless to say, the job didn't get done Tuesday night! Brian was exhausted and frustrated when we talked early Wednesday morning. After I hung up the phone I said a little prayer specifically asking God to aid my husband in his tasks at home.
Thursday morning dawned and I called Brian again. He was trying to figure out how to give riding lessons to five students and unload and stack that hay. Feeling guilty for being away from home when he needed us, I offered to leave the park early enough to be home in time for the girls to instruct the lessons. He insisted we stay and enjoy our time there. "I'll work something out. Don't worry."
I should learn by this point in my life that I don't need to worry when God is in the matter, for "something" did work out, and it was nothing Brian planned. God delivered angels in the bodies of our students' parents! While the girls and I wrapped up our "mini vacation" and Brian instructed students in their riding lessons, three parents and a male student unloaded and stacked hay. And when the final lesson was over, that student and her grandfather stayed to help feed horses. Those acts of kindness were a major blessing to Brian and us girls. Those men and that one little girl performed a labor of love that served us all! Yet again I have been treated to a "God moment" lesson. Yet again, I am humbled to think that His promises were fulfilled in these acts of kindness. "Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
As a kid, the day of that "big event" brought alot of excitement and anticipation. We would all gather at Uncle Paul and Aunt Dee's house early in the morning. The men would squeeze into the front of Uncle Paul's blue pick up truck with the white camper shell. My mom, two or three of my aunts, and a whole passel of cousins would climb in the back where there was a mattress and a cooler full of food. Singing songs and laughing, we would crane our necks to peer out of the camper shell window vents, each of us hoping to be the first "spotter" of the Eiffel Tower. It was always a great deal of fun! We would ride ride ride, eat lunch in the parking lot, take in a show, and ride some more until the sun set and the fireworks began. (Funny, I don't remember the rides home. Probably because we kids would sleep all the way, likely being carried to bed by equally-exhausted parents!)
That trip was always a summer highlight for our family, and I really wanted my kids to experience something akin to it, so Brian and I agreed they deserved a mini vacation. I talked to my best friend Rita (who has 4 children close to our girls' ages), and we made the plans and reservations for a two-day event. In a nutshell, we had a BLAST! Rita, who is not a rider by any stretch of the imagination, followed the two little ones while I took off with the five teenagers. It was so nice for our families to enjoy the time together.
On the flip side however, was the "fun" that Brian had here at home. As the girls and I were leaving Tuesday night, Brian headed out to pick up two wagonloads of hay. While we girls were chill-axing at the resort, Brian and three of his buddies arrived at the field to find only one wagon load of hay ready. They waited about an hour for the 2nd wagon before they headed out. On the way home they had a flat tire...ever try to change a tire under a wobbly load of hay? When they finally got back to the barn and started unloading and stacking, one of the helpers pulled a shoulder muscle. Needless to say, the job didn't get done Tuesday night! Brian was exhausted and frustrated when we talked early Wednesday morning. After I hung up the phone I said a little prayer specifically asking God to aid my husband in his tasks at home.
Thursday morning dawned and I called Brian again. He was trying to figure out how to give riding lessons to five students and unload and stack that hay. Feeling guilty for being away from home when he needed us, I offered to leave the park early enough to be home in time for the girls to instruct the lessons. He insisted we stay and enjoy our time there. "I'll work something out. Don't worry."
I should learn by this point in my life that I don't need to worry when God is in the matter, for "something" did work out, and it was nothing Brian planned. God delivered angels in the bodies of our students' parents! While the girls and I wrapped up our "mini vacation" and Brian instructed students in their riding lessons, three parents and a male student unloaded and stacked hay. And when the final lesson was over, that student and her grandfather stayed to help feed horses. Those acts of kindness were a major blessing to Brian and us girls. Those men and that one little girl performed a labor of love that served us all! Yet again I have been treated to a "God moment" lesson. Yet again, I am humbled to think that His promises were fulfilled in these acts of kindness. "Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Monday, June 29, 2009
Where Does the Time Go?
For months I've been thinking I should update our blog. It seems only yesterday we were laughing at Shotgun's Predicament, but more than half a year has passed since then! Where did the time go?
So much has happened since my last posting, and I could kick myself for not having a journal record of it all. Emma celebrated her 14th birthday, a new foal was born, we went on our annual spring trail riding vacation, many new students started riding at Jordan's Crossing, Lily performed in her third dance recital, Lindsay graduated from high school...where did the time go?
We just completed the 2009 Wayne County 4-H Fair. We were there for 9 days and 8 nights, but it flew by with a "WHOOSH!" It seemed we were moving in one day...moving out the next.
It was Lindsay's 10th and final year as a 4-H member, and it was so difficult to wake up every day thinking "this is her last one." 10 years of memories flashed through my mind so many times this week, and I kept asking myself "where did the time go?"
It seems everything moves so much faster these days. We stay so busy. Days swirl around us and fade away before we even realize we've lived them. I find myself trying desperately to capture every moment of these special days and hold them -- just briefly -- in my memory. And still...I sit and wonder..."where did the time go?"
So much has happened since my last posting, and I could kick myself for not having a journal record of it all. Emma celebrated her 14th birthday, a new foal was born, we went on our annual spring trail riding vacation, many new students started riding at Jordan's Crossing, Lily performed in her third dance recital, Lindsay graduated from high school...where did the time go?
We just completed the 2009 Wayne County 4-H Fair. We were there for 9 days and 8 nights, but it flew by with a "WHOOSH!" It seemed we were moving in one day...moving out the next.
It was Lindsay's 10th and final year as a 4-H member, and it was so difficult to wake up every day thinking "this is her last one." 10 years of memories flashed through my mind so many times this week, and I kept asking myself "where did the time go?"
It seems everything moves so much faster these days. We stay so busy. Days swirl around us and fade away before we even realize we've lived them. I find myself trying desperately to capture every moment of these special days and hold them -- just briefly -- in my memory. And still...I sit and wonder..."where did the time go?"
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Shotgun's Predicament
After years of breaking ice on water tanks and fighting frozen hoses, Brian finally splurged and purchased an automatic watering system for the pasture. A few days after his prized package arrived in the big brown truck, Brian called his buddy Keith for help. The two scheduled the day before Thanksgiving as their work day. Thanksgiving Eve morning dawned, Keith pulled in with his backhoe, and Brian met him in the pasture with plumbing tools and a shovel. The men worked all day while the horses watched intently from a safe distance, but when they returned after a late lunch, they noticed the horses creeping ever closer to the trench that was being dug for the new water line. Ignoring the horses, they continued the task at hand until Shotgun decided the grass looked greener on the other side of the trench. Now for those of you who don't know Shotgun, let me give you a little background. He's an older horse, slower than pond water, a real sweetheart, but a big lazy lug. Considering this, you'll understand the shock that came over Brian as he watched Shotgun approach the trench...and...JUMP! Now for some horses, this would not have been too big of a deal. After all, some horses have jumped far higher and further than would have ever been necessary to clear this trench, but Shotgun's half-hearted act of courage turned into quite a comedy. Being the slow lazy lug that he is, he didn't jump far enough, and the poor boy's back legs didn't clear the jump, leaving him stuck in quite a predicament. Now I could continue this story, but my words just wouldn't do the rescue mission the justice it deserves, so I've posted the video of this portion of the drama. You'll see for yourself that Shotgun just doesn't let this excitement bother him! Before viewing the video you'll want to stop the site background music on the music player to the right. I'll now close these comments by quoting Lindsay's boyfriend Chad (because his words just seemed to sum the whole scene up quite perfectly), "How many hillbillies does it take to dig a horse out of a trench?"
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