the ranch pt 3

My favorite part of the entire trip was the

2-hour trail ride we took through the

"mountains" on the ranch.

In Georgia, our trail rides are going down dirt roads.

This was definitely a new experience on the back of a horse for me.

But it was exhilirating!

The horses were navigating cliffs that were

narrower than my FOOT

and going up & down some pretty steep hills.

My adrenaline was working overtime. 

I keep repeating the mantra:

trust the horse, trust the horse.

I had a really fantastic horse in Ronan.

He was a little bit of a bully and he did not 

like following so he would

try pushing other horses out of the way. 

But I like a strong-willed horse!

All of the following pictures were taken while I was on

horseback!

That's all I'm saying;)

randomness

I FINALLY finshed summer semester on Friday!

Of course, that meant an all-nighter to finish my research paper.

But it was totally worth it.

I made A's in both of my classes this summer!!

{via}

Friday afternoon I drove to the farm to visit the family.

My sis is 5 months along now!

I had a little "talkin' to" with the peanut and told him that under no circumstances was he allowed to make his grand entrance until I could be there for it;)

You think that will work at all!

I just noticed that I put "he" all through that sentence.

We actually do not know the gender yet because apparently the stubborn gene is very strong.

She has another ultrasound on Aug 5th so hopefully we will know then!

On Saturday, I had a girls' day out with my sis and my two beautiful nieces!

We had lunch, did some shopping, got our nails done, and ate ice cream.

We had a fab time!!

After we got home, I let the girls ride the horse for the first time.
I thought my sister would be a little nervous about them riding but she had complete trust in me. 

It was a little funny.

My oldest niece, W, is horse CRAZY.

I mean she has every horse book ever written, horse pendants, horse posters on her walls...you get my drift.

And the younger one, C, likes horses okay but she is more of a doll kind of girl.

Well, C had a blast; I had to basically pry her off of the horse!

But W was really nervous.

I was SUPER proud of her though.

Even though she was nervous she still got on and rode him.

After a little while she was a little more comfortable!

I am actually thinking about getting them both riding lessons for Christmas.

I am the only one in my family that rides and I do not get down there enough to teach them.

I left the farm Sunday afternoon and decided to stop and get a hotel for the night.

I am one of those people that need alone time to properly function as a human being.

After this crazy semester and being cooped up in a house with 3 other women,

I needed a break.

The roomies were not expecting me home until Monday.

I did not tell anyone where I stopped and I put my cell on vibrate and just enjoyed the silence of being all by myself for a blissful 24 hours!!

We are moving into our new house this weekend!!!

I am ready to be out of this apartment complex.

I am not looking forward to packing and especially not looking forward to moving in South GA heat.

So, this week will consist of work and packing. Fun times;)

But I cannot wait to get into the new place!

whirlwind weekend

This past weekend and week has been a whirlwind of activity.

I survived yet another round of finals.

One day my body is going to just stop functioning on less than 3 hours of sleep a night.

Saturday was the BFF's graduation!

Approximately 2,500 students graduated Saturday.

She LOVED her grad present!

Saturday afternoon I drove down to the farm and met the horses for the first time!!

I did not get here until late Saturday night so I waited until Sunday afternoon to go for a ride.

We were supposed to get 3 horses, but sadly one of them died at the rescue.

They think she must of ate something because she was on the mend.

It is crazy that I had not even met Dixie yet and I was crushed when they told me.

The brown horse is rebel and the grey horse is Phantom.

They are both rescue horses and have the best dispositions!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Phantom cannot be ridden.

We have only had them since last Monday and they are already spoiled.

Rebel

Phantom

Lazy Sunday afternoon ride!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!!

the run for the roses

Is anybody else as excited about the Kentucky Derby as I am???

My favorite to win was Eskendereya but he was scratched on Sunday.

So I am now trying to decide who I want to root for.

I really like Lookin At Lucky

but that is mainly because Garret Gomez is one of my favorite Jockeys.

I also like Sidney's Candy ridden by Joe Talamo.

I was really excited last year when Joe was going to ride I Want Revenge but the horse was scratched on the day of the race. So I want him to do well!

I also like Devil May Care mainly because she is the only filly in the race.

Us girls have to stick together!!

{all pics via}

I would be horrible at actually betting on the horses.

My requirements for choosing a favorite are quite random and do not necessarily have anything to do with the ability of the horse!

Do you have any favorites to win the Derby?

fulfillment of a life-long dream

You know how almost ALL young girls are horse crazy? And how for at least one birthday they ask for a horse? Well, that was me. Only I never grew out of my horse craziness! And I pretty much asked for a horse EVERY birthday & Christmas:)  

I have actually taken an equestrian class in college and have considered becoming a horse trainer. But I refuse to waste 8 LONG years of college. {Yes...8. I took the scenic route. But when I am finished I will have 3 degrees.} Anyway back to the point. I finally have a horse!!!! Well, he is not living with me since I live in an apartment in a college town. And I have to share him with my family. {especially since they are the ones taking care of him} But he is living back home on the farm and I can visit him anytime I want!

My brother received a call from one of the local horse rescues about a horse that was scheduled to be euthanized. Well, we could not let that happen and we agreed to take him. The horse has the sweetest disposition and is a pasture horse; he cannot be ridden safely because he was badly abused. But he will live out the rest of his life in the lap of luxury. I have two nieces who are already showering him with attention and treats! 

Without further adieu, let me introduce you to Phantom!

***on a side note: did you know that fulfilment & fufillment are both correct spellings? things like this are what make the english language a pain in the butt sometimes. especially for grammar nazis.