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Happy New Year, Happy Trails
Did you know that sometimes I stare at my blank computer screen with nothing to say for minutes on end? I’ll take a break from doing nothing to check and see if something gripping happened over on Facebook. Nothing did. So I’ll go back to my blank page, wondering what the hell I should write…
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A Big Life: Why I Promised To Worry Less
I am a worrier. I worry about everything, silly things to serious things to things I cannot control. I came by it honestly; my mom is a worrier as well. But worrying gets in the way of living. Worrying makes my stomach hurt, makes me lose confidence in what I’m doing, or a decision I’ve…
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God Bless Your Literate Mind & Supportive Heart
I just hit 75,019 words. I have much work left to do, but I have achieved more than I ever really considered possible. I started this story 9 years ago. I played with it in college and then let it languish at a paltry 36 pages for seven long years. I was inspired to finish…
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Tales From the Trail: Why Does My Saddle Say Die?
Ten years ago this year my husband and I met on a guest ranch in Arizona. He was working as the head wrangler and I was the head of operations. Even though I’ve ridden off and on for most of my life, I lack the confidence of my husband. He didn’t start riding until his…
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Deck The Halls, Not Your Relatives: The 5 Annoying Personality Types Home for the Holidays
The holidays are coming. When you read that in your head, do you read it in an echo-y ominous voice? The holidays are coming. Or perhaps you read that sentence in a normal tone because you have the most perfect family there ever was, everyone gets along and no one fights or complains. No one…
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Why Future Horse Lovers Need Our Generosity
I can’t let Thanksgiving slide by without sharing my own gratitude. Of course I’m incredibly thankful for my funny dogs, lovely husband, and my awesome Half-Arabian gelding. I feel so thankful I’m in the position to own a horse and have the option to ride anytime I want. Lately though, I have been seeing a…
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When To Ignore Logic & Follow Your Desire
In the spring of 2012, right before my husband and I got married, we started hanging out with a friend and her sister at the sister’s training facility. We rode their horses, shared laughs and relished being back in the saddle, however infrequent. After our May wedding in the Midwest, my husband and I stopped…
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A Lesson In Humility: When You’re “Tucked In Back There”
Remember how I told you I find that life is more than willing to offer lessons in humility from time to time? What follows, is a perfect and humorous example of that lesson. At a feed store a few years ago, I was looking for a gift for a friend. I noticed an attractive, tall,…
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When Bambi Winds Up In Your Trunk
It’s my birthday today. Last night we had a gathering of friends, old and new. Those old friends are great for reminding you of the stupid things you used to do. And to reminisce on some of the really stupid things that have happened to you over the years. Like the time my car was…
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Why You Should Always Try
If you follow me on Facebook, you may know that I have spent the weekend in central Oregon for a writing conference for Women Writing the West. Last night, as I laid in bed trying to unwind, I watched Soul Surfer. The movie is based on real life Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in…