What is Family Anyway??

I found out that the people who adopted me (My Aunt & Uncle) are on Facebook. So I sent them a message and friend request. WOW… They won’t even be my friend on Facebook. It’s a sad world when the ones you call parents disown you and kick you out of the house at the age of 17 and want nothing to do with you, but what’s even worse is that after 13 years they still want nothing to do with you! Wouldn’t you think that they would be interested to know how my life turned out? I even told them that they have a grandson now. Nothing. No response. How can you just turn your back on someone you CHOOSE to take in? How do you say “Well your 17 now, our responsibility is over and we sold the ranch. You have a week to move out.” Then just take off and erase them from your life? WOW...That’s all I have to say. I had hoped for a happy reunion, not a cold shoulder. Then again, I’ve come this far without them and have done well in life. What’s the point now? Family is who and what you choose it to be. And the family I have made for myself is pretty darn great!

My Favorite Poem...

                                                      Love Does That

All day long a little burro labors. Sometimes with heavy loads on her back, and sometimes just with worries about things that bother only burros; And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting than physical labor.

Once in a while a kind monk comes to her stable and brings her a pear, but more than that, he looks into the burros eyes and touches her ears, and for a few seconds the burro is free and even seems to laugh; because love does that.

                                ~ Meister Eckhart

Voltron

BeforeAfter

Moon Struck Ember A.K.A “Voltron” came to me as a rescue horse in pitiful condition. I mean for a 17H horse, he was in BAD shape and in desperate need of help. So I took him in and immediately fell in love with the devil. And what a devil he was!! He had not been ridden in years and had been abandoned, abused, starved, and was angry at the world. People often forget the mental and emotional scars that animals of these situations carry with them. I was prepared. At first he would not let me even brush him and would either run from me or threaten to kick me if I got too close. I spent days on end just sitting in the pasture with him reading my book while he grazed and his curiosity of me grew. Then one day he decided to trust me….and I proceeded slowly with ground work and completely reschooling him. He was coming along fabulously! I decided it was time to ride him. Oh hell, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for what happened next! Have you ever seen those wild and crazy bucking broncos at the rodeo? Yep, that was us right there in the middle of the jumping arena. Without warning, the moment I put my foot in the stirrup he just exploded. Sneaky devil gave no hint that he was about to launch into a bucking frenzy. Every freaking day for about three weeks I’d have a no holds barred bucking horse death match on my hands. That’s okay; I ignored the bucking, encouraged him to move forward, and rode it out. This soon resolved it’s self and we were now a team! Each day was better, and better. He was putting on weight nicely, his health issues were being addresses, and his trust of me was evident. He is not the same horse as he was three years ago. It’s been a tough journey and there were times when we though he wouldn’t make it, but happily, he’s proven me wrong. He is such a strong willed, mischievous, loving, calmer horse now. He currently resides at Windridge Farm in Fairview, Texas where he is my favorite lesson horse and above all else, my best friend.

Mommy Cliques..Oh Lord..

I know back in high school we’ve all dealt with our fair share of “The in crowd” and fitting in was the thing to do. Well, I never gave a rat’s ass about fitting in, the popular ones or any of that jazz. I was, and still am, a firm believer of individuality and just being you. (If you can’t be yourself, then who the hell are you??)  So imagine my horror/surprise when I discovered that many of the moms I associate with have their own little social cliques too! For example, the moms who work band together, as do those who stay at home, then its mom’s who have children around the same age sticking together as those who do not have children hang together as well. Only after inviting a mom with an older child to come see my horses did I discover that I broke protocol. Not only did she snobby turn me down, but her response was, “I do not want my child in that sort of environment.” WHOA! Hold the phone, what did that biotch just say to me! First of all, you don’t want your child around magnificent animals that god created for us?? Second, that kind of environment?!?! Lady, these horses cost more than YOUR HOUSE! Do you know how many people would just die to have the chance to even come on to the property?? Well screw her. My little guy and I will continue to hang out in “that sort of environment”, enjoy the beauty of god’s creation, and make our own damn mommy club…Cool moms ONLY! 

Ola!

I always loved taking road trips. More often than not it was to our dear sister to the south, Mexico! On this one particular journey I kidnapped my friend in the dead of night and took her along with me. She had never left Texas and it was about to be the time of her life. After crossing the border near Del Rio we stopped at the first cantina we came to. The drinks were marvelous as was the bartender. Her teeth had been bothering her so our next stop was to a Mexican dentist we found along the way to the Chihuahua mountain range.

She got her wisdom teeth pulled and we set off on our journey with a fist full of prescriptions and a few teeth lighter.  Looking back, I am amazed that she didn’t contract some crazy disease.  Now for some shopping in Acunua. I bought an insane amount of pots and loaded them into the bed of my truck. This presented a small problem once we stopped to do some more exploring. Thankfully you can pretty much get anyone to do anything when a few American greenbacks are involved. You can even get a police man to watch your truck until you get back…which so happened to be the next day. Surprisingly, not only was my truck still there but so was the cop sitting on my tailgate waiting for us! Nice!!! The previous night we ran into a limo driver and decided to rent the limo for the night. With the drive thru daiquiri and margarita shops and all night disco techs, it’s no wonder we forgot our supplies in the trunk...No worries. Eventually we had enough fun and decided to head back to the states. Along the way we saw a pathetic horse on the side of the road caught up in some wire and rope. No water or owners in sight, I decided to help the poor beast out. I then took it to the nearest house, 6 miles away, where I found the owners. They said they didn’t want it and had turned it lose. They then asked me if I wanted it. Well if I had brought my trailer I would have saved the poor girl. That’s me, always rescuing animals...But then that’s another story...

Defenseless Driver...

I’ve always been a rough driver. Heck, I learned how to drive on our old dilapidated farm tractor...the one with no breaks, a screwdriver for a key, and a sticky clutch. I even wrecked the drivers Ed car the first day I drove it. I’ve been through so many cars its ridiculous; but one car sticks out the most in my mind. My El Camino. It’s the only car I wish I still had. That thing was sooo sweet! It was a 1979 El Camino Conquista Super Sport Black Knight series. It was metallic silver on glossy black, black leather interior, chromed to the max, and that baby could fly! (Well it did after my brother dropped a 454 engine and Edelbrock carb in it!) I took it to the track and raced it against Mustangs and rice burners on the weekend and blew them all out of the water. I had the fuzzy dice, zebra stripped seat covers AND zebra striped jacket to match. Hell, I was even bumpin two Rockford Fosgate 10’s and an 800 watt amp. It was known as the Cheech and Chong mobile, The Silver Bullet, Black Beauty, or the Party Wagon. Even though it had a bench seat, we still managed to cram everybody in, and whoever didn’t fit in the front rode in the back. People knew it was on when that beauty rolled up. I loved that car! Unfortunately, it too met the fate that so many of my other vehicles before had met. I wrecked it. It was a dark rainy night and I was headed to see my brother. I THOUGHT that I was exiting the freeway on the appropriate exit ramp...Wrong. The rain had skewed my sight and I exited between the off ramp and shoulder. I hit the concrete culvert at about 65MPH, was briefly airborne, landed and spun out in the mud on the other side of the service road. To my amazement the car was still running! I cautiously drove off, but the road was sideways? I made it to my brother’s place and the next morning, to my horror, we discovered that I had bent the frame. SHIT. I was only 16 and in no way could I afford to repair it. Luck was on my side and I met a collector who offered me 5 grand for it! Not bad considering I purchased it from the overgrown front yard of an elderly fellow for 1,000. To this very day, I still wish I had that car….

Oh Brother...

Being adopted, I had somewhat of a diverse and interesting family dynamic growing up. I had five cousins whom I referred to as brothers, But only one I was close to. His name was Bill and he was the youngest of the cousins and the last one still living at home by the time I arrived. It took him some time to warm up to me. Eventually he did and we were fast friends as well as partners in crime. I loved hanging out with him and helping him work on his truck. He took EVERYTHING apart! I remember this old school yellow bicycle that he came home with one day. It was one of the kind with a motor. Well by the time he was done with it that thing would fly! I remember hanging on for dear life, tears streaming down my face flying down those old dirt roads at well over 60 MPH. We had great times growing up together. After he graduated he moved away and we briefly lost touch. However, by the time I had moved out on my own we were back at it again! Thick as thieves we were! He hit a rough spot and I was there for him. He moved in and lived with me for nearly three years. It was great! He is now again out on his own, and we both have our own families now. There are times when I truly do miss him. I often find myself looking back at all the fond memories we shared and a devilish grin spreads across my face. I know we are busy with our lives, but how I wish we could relive those moments in time. Ah, nothing like the good old days.

Traveling with a baby...

Traveling is not the same as it used to be! Now that I'm married and have a small son, I find that my travels and adventures have dulled down quite a bit...now my travel adventure amounts to frantically searching for my sons beloved teddy bear before he completely melts down on the plane..But it's all worth it when he smiles at me.

However, our latest journey to San Diego was indeed a blast! La Jolla Cove was stunning and it was exciting to see the seals basking in the sun amid all the nosey tourist. As for swimming, not me! I wondered why all the locals had wetsuits on, didn't take me long to figure it out. It may be June but that water is still frigid! I'll stick to my heated pool!

Egypt anybody?

Summer in Egypt was mystical and breathtaking all at once. Again, another place I've been to that requires Americans to have their own bodyguards. The temperatures soar well into the 100-teens, yet the sand is cold. It's so white that it reflects the sun. The tombs are ice cold and spoooky! Children bum rush you asking for pens and paper, which I had a healthy supply of. The Egyptians do not shake hands and consider it offensive to offer them yours. Why? Well, um..how can I put this delicately? Lack of toilet paper? Yup, they use their left hands to wipe with! Ewwww! I was invited to a commoners home for dinner. The guests are served first followed by the men then the children then the wife. And all remain standing until it's their time to eat. Yummy! Looks like chicken, sweet, I'm starved! That was yummy, what was it exactly? Pigeon? Not bad, may I have another? Camel is also super tasty and blows Angus right out of the water. Those marks on the camels? They mean they are going to market for slaughter.

I spent a wonderful month in Egypt, toured the Saraha on camel, took a cruise down the nile, and then to Alexandria. I would go back in a heart beat!

In Colombia with the Cartel....

Man what a heck of a time that was! The summer of 2008 I decided to tour the Pan American Highway and meet up with a dear friend of mine. This was a two month tour that I departed on alone. First stop was Panama. It is beautiful! The first thing the airport security guard, yes the man with the two AK47'S and Fila Brazalero, asked me was, "Do you speak English?" I replied, "Yes.." He then solemnly told me, "Don't"..Oh hell what have I gotten myself into? Next stop, Medellin Colombia to meet up with my great friend. Again, after deplaning and being frisked by the kind men with the guns and dogs, I was once more warned not to speak English or travel alone. Great thing I speak Spanish, which by the way is NOT the same as Colombian. I am alone at the airport waiting for my luggage...three hours later..no luggage, ah, yes, it went to Peru. It will be back next week. Awesome. Then a familiar face from the crowd, my friends have arrived to spirit me away on my journey. Screw the suitcase, let's do this! I can not explain in words alone just how freaking beautiful Colombia is! But on the back of a motorcycle on rural mountain roads, it's downright frightening. There is no CDL requirement and to see those 18 wheelers passing each other on a one lane dirt path mountain road with no guard rail coming right at you indeed requires several beers...at least. Huge white tarp covered fields pique my interest, "What are those?" .."Cocaine fields.." Wow, a different culture indeed. The coffee is amazing and at each town we stop at the food gets wilder and wilder. Boiled pig ear with the hair still attached, yum...The locals flock to see the white person with the blond hair, it was all jokes at first with my amigo charging the locals money to touch my hair. That soon turned to, stay in the car and do not get out! We picked up some more friends and a car and head to Santa Rosa Thermals, a volcanic waterfall that you can swim in. After the thermal waters and the local spirit and mas cerveza, I am sleeping in the backseat on the way to our next destination in nothing but my bikini when the car comes to a screeching halt. I wake to find all my friends outside of the car held at gunpoint by at least a dozen huge heavily armed men. What the F is going on I yell? The guerrilla forces my friend informs me. Ah, should have never spoke English.."Who's the American?" SHIT...I'm toast, good by world, I'm off to be a white slave girl..possibly worse..But after much bargaining and at least 1,200.00 bucks lighter they send us on our merry way. What the? I thought I was with who I was supposed to look out for..I guess the Guerrillas don't care about the Cartel.