Spinning in Political Change

27 Feb posted by

Forget for a moment that you’re a democrat, republican, independent, moderate, or libertarian.
Forget for a moment that you’re either a liberal or a conservative; a social liberal a fiscal conservative or a social conservative and fiscal liberal or any other combination.
Forget. For. A. Moment.

Think about how you live your life on a daily basis.
Think about how you make choices. Do you consider the consequences of said choices before deciding?
Think about if you try to balance your checkbook, pay your bills on time, or make sacrifices based on your income, the costs of goods and services and your priorities.
Think about (if you have kids) how you’re teaching them to think and behave. Are they allowed to throw tantrums, bite, kick, talk back, be ugly to classmates, or not do their homework without consequences?
Think about times when, or if you’ve failed as a result of a bad choice. Would you make that same choice again? Do you come back stronger for it?

Is there good and bad? Black and white? Wrongs and rights?

Could we all agree that murder is wrong?
That rape is wrong?
That stealing is wrong?
That guns don’t kill people, people kill people?
That what is good for the goose isn’t good for the gander?

Wait, did I get you on that one?

Right now we’ve got politicians flitting around in private jets while bitching about auto executives doing it – when at this point BOTH happen at the taxpayer expense.

We’ve got politicians flitting around in private jets, traveling in big entourages of SUVs, living in huge houses, while preaching to the rest of us to go green, and sacrifice and to stop driving our “evil”, polluting SUVs.

We’ve got private corporations, that must answer to stockholders, asking for government handouts because they can’t manage their money; and we have a government that gives it to them.

We’ve got members of the President’s Cabinet, and God only knows how many other politicians are tax evaders; yet we’re told it’s our patriotic duty to pay taxes and make sacrifices in these hard times. We are told we need to raise taxes on the rich but when you “Consider the IRS data for 2006, the most recent year that such tax data are available and a good year for the economy and ‘the wealthiest 2%.’ Roughly 3.8 million filers had adjusted gross incomes above $200,000 in 2006. (That’s about 7% of all returns; the data aren’t broken down at the $250,000 point.) These people paid about $522 billion in income taxes, or roughly 62% of all federal individual income receipts. The richest 1% — about 1.65 million filers making above $388,806 — paid some $408 billion, or 39.9% of all income tax revenues, while earning about 22% of all reported U.S. income.” How much more can you raise taxes on them, before they may say, FUCK THIS. I’m done making as much or any money. And then what do you do? Are we going to be owned by China?

We’ve got people that don’t understand the difference between wealth and income. I don’t have a lot of income, but I consider myself wealthy. And you can be wealthy (monetarily) without income. In that case you’re probably a blue blood. Or you have a trust fund. I’d like to know what is so wrong about an honest days work, and being successful and making as much as you can to better your life and the lives of your family?

We’ve got people in a state of mind, that think the government could and should provide for them, and that they’re entitled to said provisions (Native Americans excluded), but these people have forgotten that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The money given to them must come from someone, somewhere. It comes from people that make enough to pay taxes; from cap and trade legislation. From gas taxes, etc.

When President Bush was in office, dissent was Patriotic. But now that we have a black president dissent means you’re a racist. I’m not a racist. I could care less what color the president is. They could be purple polka-dotted and it wouldn’t matter to me. But I thought free speech and dissent were what made this country great? Or is that only if you’re not a republican/conservative? What about the first amendment? Or is the Constitution simply being ignored?

We’re in a war and Obama’s budget only gives military personal a 2.9% pay increase, which isn’t even in line with COLA (cost of living adjustments) yet provides an 18% pay increase to District of Columbia Foreign Service Officers.

Citibank got a taxpayer bailout, and yet their plans to go through with naming of the new Mets Stadium to the tune of 400M aren’t being postponed or cancelled.

When the world stops this crazy double standard; when it’s not all upside down, backwards and sideways; when politicians begin to practice what they preach, well then that will be CHANGE I can believe in.

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Filed Under: politics, the spin cycle

A Spin of Laughter

20 Feb posted by

I’ve said already, that I am quite the procrastinator when it comes to the Spin Cycle. I don’t know what it is, but if there’s a deadline, I’ll wait until the very last moment. That was especially true for this week’s assignment, because I wasn’t sure what to write about. I mean, we all like to laugh right? I guess that is unless you’re some psychotic serial killer and only morbidity and death make you happy.

So I tried to approach this from a scientific point of view. I’m sure we’ve all heard that laughter is the best medicine- so I attempted to find something that would show us.

This is the best I could manage:

I am learning to find the humor in everything, as that is one of the best ways, I believe of dealing with stress. Try to find the good in all situations. You might even find yourself laughing.

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Filed Under: life, the spin cycle

A Fairytale Spin

13 Feb posted by
Once upon a time, in land far South, lived a beautiful, blond, cowgirl named Jenn. She had gorgeous horses and was considered successful by many, with her four legged beasts. Jenn is a determined but hard-headed damsel- sometimes to her detriment. And this had been the cause of her having been down on her luck when it came to finding the cowboy to charm her heart.

Oh she’d had two different men that managed to wiggle their way into her life, and always she felt incomplete with them. They tried to tame her free spirit and control who she was. They seemed far more interested in taking care of themselves, and doing what they wanted to do rather than adore the cowgirl. Jenn believed that she was worthy of adoration. Some of the heartbreak experienced might be self-inflicted, because to Jenn, horses were her religion. Her God, her life. She felt like to be whole, she should get to continue to make her equine friends a huge priority in her life. Not that she ever desired to put them in front of prince charming but she certainly wanted both to be allowed to be important. Not being forced to choose.

Once summer, while she was mired in commitment to one of the two heart-breakers, she met a handsome cowboy from the far North. He brought horses to the South for her friend Jill. He was extremely talented horseback. And he was a very nice person; smart, kind, genuine. Jenn invited He and Jill over to dinner at her house while he was in town. She needed to show the hospitality that her land is famous for!

In a discussion that night, he told Jenn’s husband that he should be nice and support Jenn’s horse habit; that he should watch her ride her prized Shuttle, and see how happy she makes her. That evening, a friend of Jenn and Jill’s called at about 9:45 leaving the handsome cowboy and Jenn’s husband alone in the living room. Jenn’s husband got angry with her, he yelled at her while she was on the phone, for taking the call; and promptly decided he was going to go to bed as soon as she hung up.

As one can probably guess, sadly, Jenn’s husband did not take the advice* that was given him so freely one summer evening long ago. And so, Jenn, feeling worthy of being supported and adored, left to continue her quest for horsemanship greatness on her own.

When the cowboy from the far North, heard that she was no longer tied to her Southern Country, he set his mind to convince her she needed to ride his horses. Really there was no convincing necessary. Jenn was very excited to be guaranteed quality horses in her barn. First he sent her one of his favorite colts to ride. That colt was kind and beautiful and gentle and fun. And when the charming cowboy saw, and loved, how well she was doing with that colt, he couldn’t help himself. He had to ask if she would come and work on his ranch in the far North Country.

It took some convincing.

Jenn had never been to the North Country. She wasnt’ sure she’d like it. She wasn’t sure she’d make enough money. She just wasn’t sure. So she went for a visit and rode some horses at his barn and at a barn down the road. She decided she could sell those horses. And she did; she sold three of them. And the convincing continued. She took a leap of faith and and decided to take the job that had been offered to her. It was a big job, indeed. One she didn’t know if she could do. There were so many horses to manage. So much paperwork to do. Jenn does not like to fail and was worried.

And as she got to know Cowboy Charming, and worked by his side and met his family, she knew she had found “the one”. He wakes up each day with thoughts on how he can make Jenn happier. He is a team-mate. A partner. Jenn had never had that before. But her parents do. His parents do. She understands and she knows the spell will never wear off. Jenn is the luckiest little cowgirl in the whole world. She knows they will live happily ever after.

The moral of this story is that you should never settle. You should always know that you are worthy of the best; the best love; the best life has to offer you. If you’re down on your luck, you shouldn’t complain about it. You should do what you can to change it. If you don’t do what you can to affect the outcome, then you’re not doing enough. In bad relationships self-esteem- especially for a nuturing woman- can go sadly to the toilet. But rest assured, you can pick yourself back up. I’ve done it twice and while there are still scars, from past abuses, they are becoming less noticible as time passes.

Thanks to Jen (not to be confused with the Jenn above) of Sprite’s keeper for this week’s Spin Cycle topic of, Love.

*Jenn did try to make that marriage work. After months of pleading a marriage counselor was finally seen, but the months of emotional hurt and rejection had, already taken their toll and Jenn was not too emotionally detached from the relationship to go back. For those of you reading that will say- God could fix it- that’s probably true- but it takes two to tango, and after a first tumultous marriage marred with physical and emotional abuse, I’m just not going down that road. Don’t judge me unless you’ve walked in my shoes.

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Filed Under: the spin cycle

A Spin of Cost

6 Feb posted by

This week’s spin is on, cost cutting. Thanks, Jen. I’m not sure I’m really qualified to say what I’m doing to cut costs, because my costs are relatively few to begin with. Yes, I have student loans, a truck payment (but only three more), and credit cards. But I don’t have kids to send to daycare; I don’t have to commute daily; I don’t run errands on a weekly basis (try more like every month to three weeks). We raise our own beef. The ranch raises its own hay. There are costs associated with maintaining my horses such as feed, vet bills, supplements, etc. This summer to late fall I hope to have my newly purchased chicks laying eggs for me. And I’ll be gardening for fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (japs, banana, green and red bell).

So instead of telling you how I cut costs, I’m going to go back to my former life. Ok. Maybe not a former life, but a life before I was blessed enough to train and ride horses full time. A life where I was a licensed stock broker, sold life insurance and assisted an investment advisor in preparing his plans for his clients. I’m going to give you some of the common mistakes I saw people make with their money and maybe that will be helpful.

1. If you have an emergency fund set aside- of $2500 or more, please make sure that’s in a money market account, as opposed to a savings account like those at your bank. The bank is going to pay about .5, or half a percentage/basis point. A money market account, even in todays market is going to pay about 2.7 percentage points.

2. If you have that emergency fund, why is your deductible on your car/homeowners insurance set at $500? After all- isn’t that what your emergency fund is for? If you raise your deductable I’ve seen it save people $600/year. That is $600 that you could put into your 401k (if it’s not maxed out already) or $600 you could put back into your emergency fund (you should have around 3 months salary put away if possible) or-

3. Make sure that your SAHM has life insurance. Have you ever thought about what it would cost to replace the services of your wife (or SAHD) whichever the case may be? I heard countless people tell me- my wife doesn’t need life insurance. She stays home with the kids. Well, now dad- does she clean house, cook, pick the kids up from school, run the kids to extra-curricular activities, do the errands, do the grocery shopping? Do you know how much it costs to replace her services? Do you really? Think about it for a minute.

4. Do not pay extra on your home mortgage. I know that lots of people tell you to do that. But what I’ve seen is that people will pay extra on their home mortgage, while maintaining a balance of 20k on a credit card that sits at 11.9% (or more interest). If you have extra money laying around, to pay extra on your mortgage that’s parked at 6.5% for 30 years, which do you think should be paid off first? I’m not going to do the math here, but you should always pay off the highest interest bills FIRST since those will cost you the most money in the long run.

5. If you have extra, you should certainly considering opening a Roth IRA. That money is tax free (completley) at retirement. You don’t get to write off your investment to it each year like you do to a 401k or IRA or even an HSA- Health Savings Account (which we should all have to help cut costs if possible). Many Roth IRAs are now set up to let you hold Gold. You don’t have to just hold mutual funds anymore.

6. HSA- I think there are a lot of employers opening these now, but I have read you can set them up through some banks as well. What a Health Savings Account does, is allows you to set aside, before tax money- to pay for your co-pay, prescription co-pay, cough medicine, toothpaste, otc medicines, etc. You put this money away either monthly or at the beginning of the year- max it out if you can. If you put in the single contribution for a year, which is believe is $2900 (the family contribution is more) on a salary of 60,000 you only pay taxes on $57,100.

7. I think I’ll end with this one- don’t stop investing in your 401k when the market tanks. Especially not if your employer matches you. It’s free money people. And as the market recovers, which it inevitably will, you’ll have bought more shares at a lower price, so as those grow in share price, so does your portfolio.

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Filed Under: life, the spin cycle

Spinning in Song

2 Feb posted by

Six days ago, I picked up a guitar. Prior to that, I’d picked up a guitar maybe twice. Never to do more than strum the strings that sound funny on their own. It always hurt my fingers to play, and while I thought it would be neat to know how, I have always had a piano to pound around on should I feel the need to exercise my musicality. Learning was never a priority.

I have played the piano (mostly classical music) since I was about 4. I got really good, and then went to college, where, since then, I’ve played sporadically at best. My mother is a music teacher; her mother was a music teacher. But it’s different now. I don’t have a piano here. Mine is in Texas in my mother’s classroom. Can I have it soon, please? As an aside, that is/was my grandmother’s piano- the one my mother learned to play on. That I am going to get it is super cool. I’ve even got a place for it in the new house.

With the help of Zach I taught myself how to play a few chords on the guitar this week. I was pounding out a G chord, a D chord, and a C chord and before I knew it, well…After the Spin last week, I was told that I should put those lyrics to a melody and make it a country song. Little did you people know I’d actually do it!

This week, our Spin was about a song that has affected my life. At this point, I’m sure it’s obvious that I am writing about mine. Let me introduce you to my song, “Nine Miles”. Life has changed for me so much for the better since I moved to this place that I talk about in the song. I am more confident. Less stressed out. Happer than I thought it possible for a human to be. I had to make a few lyric changes to make it work for the melody. But it’s pretty close to the original. Please don’t be too hard on me. I’m by no means good at playing. YET. Give me a couple months, Ok, folks? Hopefully you’ll enjoy it.

Thanks to my mom and to Zach for helping me in this endeavor.Y’all rock!

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Where we live and laugh and love;
Where the grass grows tall and green.

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
The river and wind flow through it,
The skies are clear; the air is clean.

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Summer smells of fresh cut hay;
Of sun and wind and beef.

And when the road you’re taking
gets to hard to bear;
There’s a place I know and you’re
always welcome there-

It’s…Nine miles down a gravel road,
To a place that we call home.
Where there’s horses all around,
Where family abounds

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Where we live, and laugh and love
in a small house on the hill…

Nine miles down a gravel road.

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Filed Under: life, music, My Music, the spin cycle

Spinning Gravel

19 Jan posted by

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Where we live and laugh and love;
Where the grass grows tall and green.

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
The river and wind flow through it,
The skies are clear; the air is clean.

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Summer smells of fresh cut hay;
Of sun and wind and beef.

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Where the cattle are fat, the horses abound;
Where family comes first.

Nine miles down a gravel road,
Is a place that we call home.
Where there’s a house on hill;
That welcomes the rancher and his family.

Nine miles down a gravel road…

6 Comments
Filed Under: horses, life, love, ranching, the spin cycle

Spinning My Wheels

15 Jan posted by

The Television show, 24 premiered this week. It’s probably, next to Law and Order, my all-time favorite TV show. Keifer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer, the main character, is delightfully yummy, and so is Carlos Bernard who has returned this year as his character, Tony Almeida, and he is extra yummy. For those that don’t watch the show, the premise is a 24 hour day, in which Jack Bauer, former Delta Force and former head of the now disbanded US Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is charged with saving the world from, of course, terrorists. Sometimes it is domestic terrorists and sometimes it’s foreign. All events happen in *real time* usually in a place that the characters can go from one place to another quickly. There are mega fans of the show that enjoy analyzing if the characters really could get from point A to point B in the time allotted during the show. I realize, I am digressing.

My point to all this is that this week’s Spin is about “what if’s?”

“What if, what, you ask?” Well Sprite’s Keeper didn’t give us further instruction. So as I was thinking about my assignment this week, it occured to me to ask the question, “What if life was like 24?” I mean, I get that there are 24 hours in a day, and that our lives occur in real-time and that we all have our own demons to battle daily, but I’m talking about on a more political level.

What if more people were like Jack Bauer? He takes responsibility for his actions, but if it means choosing between being politically correct and getting answers, he’ll get answers. At the beginning of this season he was in front of a Senate committee hearing being charged with war crimes for torturing people in his last 24 hour day from hell. But he saved a bunch of lives while he did it. He says to another person, I don’t mind having the truth out there. If the American people know what went on, they can then make up their own minds.

Which leads me to my next point- what if the media in this country actually reported facts. The Who, What, Where, When, Why? Not an editoral of everything. I dont’ want someone to tell me what to think. No bias. From either side. Just the facts.

What if, instead of hearing all about how ruthless Israel is being in their strikes against Hamas, we actually heard something about how terrible Hamas has been to Israel? Would we tolerate Mexico lobbing rockets into Texas? California? (well maybe Cali! – Just kidding!) Really? Think about that for a minute.

What if the UN wasn’t impotent? I mean are their sanctions against other countries really working? The UN passes this sanction or that sanction but does anyone ever really listen? Really? Hmmmm…

What if we as a country enforced the laws we already have? Like those on gun control, illegal immigration etc? Instead of always creating the need for new legislation. Sometimes I think that Washington doesn’t really want to solve problems, keep our economy safe or protect our borders. If they did would they allow our buracracy to get so large that there are no checks and balances? No accountabilty for dollars spent? No accountability for the damn debt? Under the Freedom of Information Act we should be able to see where that first $350 Billion of this ridiculous bailout went. But Washington, as last I’d checked, had still not released it. Who bails us out when we are irresponsible with our spending? We can hold two Border Patrol Agents responsible for shooting an illegal drug dealer in the ass, because we give that man, who isn’t a citizen the same rights as citizens? Seriously? It might be the libertarian in me, but I really think it’s gotten out of hand.

What if our government was smaller?

What if more people understood that the rules of warfare don’t apply to terrorists? Do terrorists read the Geneva Convention and say, “well Mr. Osama, we can’t do that- see it says so right here.” Does Mr. bin Laden care, really? Jack will make that case this season. What if no matter how nice we are to them it doesn’t matter? When will we realize that they don’t give a damn? What will it take for people to feel that way? Should they?

What if these damn sociologists and other *experts* realized that people make choices. Not guns, not SUVs. That people alone are responsible for their choices. That I am not responsible for your choices. I didn’t make you do it. Plain and simple. Yes, there are some people that are a product of their envrionment- usually poor beget poor, etc, either because education wasn’t/isn’t important (you see some of that here on the Rez- how much of that is a choice?) or because they choose to not better themselves, or because on welfare, you’re stuck just simply staying alive, hand-to-mouth.

What if we provided those on welfare job training, and in order to get their hand-to-mouth check, they had to be in job training? I’m just sayin’.

What if we stopped giving people fish and taught them how to fish? Isn’t that what pell grants are for?

What if we had a government, that instead of holding people down, lifted them up and provided the tools- equally for all mankind- to make the most of their lives? As an aside, I’m pretty sure this would be done better on a state level than a national level. The libertarian in me is rearing its head again. Not everyone would choose to do that, as is evidenced in our society today. We all probably know someone that is just plain lazy and doesn’t mind barely making it. And we all probably know someone that has worked their ass off to become successful and maybe wealthy in the process.

What if lobbyists were taken out of the political process? What then? Again, in this season, as in most of the 24 season, there are ridiculously deep conspiracies; unabated, dark corruption in so many levels of the government. There is something to be gained by making sure the genocide that is being waged in Africa continues.

What if there is something to be gained by making sure terrorists go free?
What if there is something to be gained by making sure the war on drugs continues?
What if there is something to be gained by the feds having their hand in every aspect of our very lives? I’m beginning to think that there is. And I don’t like it.

What if we could say, Fuck You to all of our congressmen and sentators and fire them all? You do realize that they get paid regardless of whether they show up to vote, right? What if they were paid based on their satisifaction rating?

What if Washington were more like the real world we live in daily?Italic
What if Americans put down their Us Weekly, their People, The Enquirer, and other entertainment publications and stopped caring who Matt Damon is dating, or even what he thinks about politically? Is his opinion more important than anyone elses?

What if, instead of reading those, they cared to learn our Constitution and read the Delcaration of Independence?

What if more peopele cared a whit about taking care of their country for future generations and began to pay attention?

What if we were all more like Jack Bauer?

What if?

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Filed Under: life, politics, the spin cycle

Spinning in Guilt

8 Jan posted by

In our system of justice, you are innocent until proven guilty. Or theoretically anyway. I always feel guilty, however. I don’t know if it’s how I was raised (being in the church and knowing I am never good enough), or if it was due to past relationship flops, during which I was treated such that I was made to feel bad for every decision I made (I couldn’t be good enough, or say the right thing or make enough money, etc). Or could it be because I’m a woman and I don’t really want to hurt anyone- I’d like to make everyone happy all the time (except where politics are concerned). I’m constantly apologizing for things I shouldn’t apologize for. In case you haven’t guessed already, this week’s Spin is about G.U.I.L.T.

As I was thinking back this week, getting ready to share my thoughts on this, I realized I grew up hearing my mom say she was sorry about things- whether they were in her power or not. But if we really don’t have any control over circumstances, OR we are happy with who we are, and where we are and we make decisions based on who we are and where we are in our lives, then what do we have to feel guilty for anyway?

I am beginning to believe the only reason to be truly sorry (or feel guilt) is if it is something within your control and insomuch as sincerity is concerned, you then won’t conduct yourself in that manner again or you won’t make the same decision again or you’re not happy with yourself at that point in time. Then you can feel guilty. Then and only then can you apologize to the world if you see fit. All that being said, there are still times when I feel guilty about the past and past decisions. I really struggle sometimes with letting those go. After all, the past is in the past, right? What’s done is done?

C’est la vie?

This is probably a horrid example, but it’s the first one that popped into my head this morning. People that over-eat probably feel a LOT of guilt. My issue with guilt isn’t over-eating. It’s apologizing for thinking, or believing a certain way. I’m generally happy with how I am and who I am. So if I love me some me, I should not feel guilt nor should I apologize for feeling that way. I do though. I should have made this a resolution!

All of this being said, this spin really made me think about the whys of guilt. I am adding, NO MORE apologies to my list of things to work on for the year. I think that goes along nicely with the *complain less, be content more* thought process that I’m working on. I hope that through reading this and reading the other spins this week that we’ll all learn something from each other.

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Filed Under: the spin cycle

Spinning in the New Year!

2 Jan posted by

Happy 2009 people!

I began this post at 4:45 yesterday morning. I did not go out or do anything exciting for New Year’s Eve. I simply got the stomach flu that has been passed to every single person (save for one) on the ranch! So I could not sleep, because I was hungry, but scared to eat and I’m dehydrated from spending the better part of Wednesday night praying to the porcelain god, in between watching episodes from Sex and the City (a Christmas gift from Zach’s kids!). To make matters worse, I am really tired. Zach had this bug for a couple days, but was only sick for a matter of about an hour or so. I was sick for three or four, and his brothers, mother, and father for a couple days each. I was hoping that the generally 1-2 gallons of water I’ve been downing daily would save me from getting it, but apparently I was wrong!

This week’s Spin Cycle, thanks to Jen of Sprite’s Keeper, is all about what my plans are for 2009. Call them resolutions if you will. Regardless, 2009 is set up to be one of the finest years of my life. What will make it so great, you ask? Let me tell you!

I am really very happy with where I am in my life right now- so much so that there’s not really anything I feel I have to resolve to change. So I thought long-term on this one.

  • Complain less; be content more. I am blessed beyond which most in this world are. I get to wake up every day and do what I WANT to do. And who can’t be happy about that? There is no time clock here. No one to tell me, “you can’t take this holiday”. And the happier I get in my career the less important holidays are to me. Every day is like a holiday to me, really!
  • Compete more. I have two sound barrel horses; and countless horses at my disposal. This year should find me getting closer to where I want to be- on my way to the NFR. I just need to stay focused and continue seasoning horses as well as working on getting a few futurity colts going for next year. For the first time, I’ll actually be able to attend the BBR Finals in OKC, and I’ll have two horses (at the least) to compete on there. I endeavor to take my horses from where they are the moment I get on them that day and have no greater expectation for them then to make them better by the end of the ride then they were at the beginning.
  • Continue focusing on the positive. I mentioned not too long ago that I am new to the glass-is-half-full way of thinking. I’ve found that when I complain less and focus more on the good in my life that I am the cheerful person my Creator intended me to be. So I will continue to work on being my bubbly happy self. I think that along with this comes the need to not take things personally too. I have been very hurt in the past by people who honestly did desire to tear me down, and I tend to over-react to things that aren’t about me, yet I take them as such. So I will continue to work on understanding that it isn’t me against the world. That there are people that want the best for me, and who will cheer me on throughout my life.

Well there you have it folks, my idea of how to have a good 2009! I’m still feeling like crap- but the good news is I now have a red kitchen! And Zach has helped paint an awful lot. That’s what happens when you buy a power roller. Tools! Men love tools. I think today I’m staying in and getting over whatever bug I have that plagues me. I hope the rest of you have a fabulous weekend and that your resolutions go as good as I intend for mine to go!

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Filed Under: life, the spin cycle

Spin This Blog!

14 Dec posted by

Jen over at Sprite’s Keeper runs a weekly Spin Cycle (Get it- Spinning a yarn, a tale? Haha!). I’ve been fortunate enough to get in on it this week, and I hope to make it a weekly affair. I’ll try to be creative when it comes to *spinning* so I bore no one with my drivel.

This week I’m writing about the birth of Whoa My Horses; some blog history, if you will.

My leap into the blogosphere started in January of 2007- originally because I’d been reading my friend Bonnye’s blog and figured it looked like fun. I read her blog for several months before starting my own. She was (and still is) creative and witty and funny. I’ve known her since the 8th grade, and at the time, I was working for her father-in-law as a Registered Assistant (a fancy way of saying I’m a registered stock broker, but instead of working one-on-one with my own clients, I just do all the dirty work for the boss man- her FIL). We lived in the same town, but I rarely saw her, as is the case in the big city (at the time I was in the D/FW, TX metroplex). We went to the same church, but when the church is 5000 large it makes it hard to see people you know on a regular basis, so her blog was my lifeline to her family and the goings on in her life. I figured if I started one it might be a good way to express myself, since I’m the kind of person that doesn’t always think so fast on her feet or in a confrontation and typically I have all sorts of random thoughts running through my head. If I write my thoughts on things, I typically communicate better. For a few years I’d kept a diary, but I was on the computer most days, all day, so I figured it’d be a good way to chronicle my life. I pretty much have a policy of if I find it interesting, I blog it. If it affects me and it won’t hurt me to share it publicly I’ll share it, and sometimes, I share it even if it will because I like the input of other people.

I started my blog at work one day- over lunch, Mr. K. Over lunch! I used Blogger, because it was what Bonnye used and I didn’t know there was such a thing as word-press. I had to choose a blog name, so I picked, Run Horse Run! since, I have for years run barrels and roped and rode and trained horses. I rode through high school, through college, out of college and even while I worked as a registered assistant. Riding barrel horses was my therapy. Horses are the reason I was put on this earth, there is no doubt about that. I titled the blog Whoa My Horses because at some point, your horse has to stop running.

I don’t know that I had anything particular I wanted to blog about- my horses, my life, my cooking, politics, my marriage. There wasn’t’ a specific reason I started it- I wanted to write down how I looked at the world and I hoped that others would find my thoughts interesting. Now it has evolved into some sort of lifeline for my parents, my sister, my brother, my best friend Jill, and all my friends in Texas, since in July of this year (2008) I moved to South Dakota to live on a ranch and ride horses and play cowgirl. I’ve always wanted to be a cowgirl. Just ask Jill.

But you see, when I first began blogging few folks read it. Not my parents, not my now ex husband (as a side note, there’s a good chance that had he read it, he may not be my ex- but this isn’t really about him, so I digress). Bonnye did, and she is one of the few that I knew that did. I would be bummed, because I’d see other people with all these comments, and I’d have 0. For a long time, I wondered if anyone read it.

I’ve decided I might be sort of a blog whore. Let’s don’t delve too far into this, in case my soon-to-be-ex husband reads this. He never read it until I told him he had to shape up or ship out. Then he was all of a sudden interested in all things me. I never thought it was genuine. See, there I go, sharing something that might not be good share! Back to being a whore- I want comments. I want groupies. I want to know I’m interesting. I want to see my horses run, and whoa, and for people to revel in this journey with me. Those are the reasons I blog. If I can make the world better, or quench someone’s interest in all things horses, western, ranching, then I’ve accomplished my goal. I suppose that I, on occasion have been known to use my blog to promote my ability to train a horse, as I often showcase videos of runs we make at barrel races, or videos of my first foal, or of horses in general. But for the most part, I just like to share my thoughts and view of the world. I never aim to offend anyone though I’m sure I do. It’s my blog, if you don’t like what I have to say, don’t read it.

So that’s my spin for the week- the history, albeit brief, of my blog. And I promise, at some point, I’ll post a blog about how I got where I am now. People keep asking, and I keep putting it off. It could be long-winded!

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