Adventures of a Rushing Wife

New Job, New Adventure

2011-02-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I have had quite a transition the last few months. Most who read this know this, yet it is worth documenting. At the end of October Ryan gave his 2 month notice at his former job. Right at that time his beloved Papa, Ryan's grandpa, suffered an anurism in his stomach and passed later that week. He was such a godly man who has left a Godly legacy. It was a time that brought the family close and brought to light how blessed and loved we are. We miss Papa, I am so honored to have known him, and I look forward to seeing him soon :)

Once we came back from New Braunfels, we found out that Ryan's job was ending earlier than expected. Ryan really wanted to work for a trainer named Jordan Laron, yet when they talked Jordan wanted to hire him but couldn't afford to. So, we phoned our amazing friend Nathan and Jean Piper. Nathan is a reining horse trainer in Aubrey (near Gainesville) and he works for Reuben Vandorp. Reuben hired Ryan to start his colts and we moved in with the Pipers. They were so generous and hospitable to let us stay in their guest room. We enjoyed time with them and we were closer to our church in Denton. We were also able to come to Houston for Thanksgiving!! This is unheard of in the reining industry because the biggest show of the year starts on Thanksgiving day. Thankfully we didn't have to be at that show until later on the next week, so we finally got to see family and have a great meal on Thanksgiving! We were able to watch the finals, and Jordan larson, the trainer Ryan had hoped to work for won the Open Finals!

Christmas came and the Piper's had company coming so out we went! We headed to New Braunfels for a 2 1/2 week Christmas break! On our way down there, Ryan received a phone call. Guess who... Jordan Larson. He offered Ryan a job! So we had no clue what all the details were, but we felt a lot better knowing that there was a job possibility for when we get back because Reuben had told us he couldn't hire us permanently, just temporary. With Ryan's Dad owning his own company we had plenty of work to do. Ryan was busy with his hands building a beautiful cedar fence. I stayed busy helping the ladies in the office. It was so much fun to spend so much time together, I will cherish those memories. On Christmas my parents and brother came over to New Braunfels. It was such a blessing to have almost everyone there. I missed Leslie, Court and the kiddos, but they were having fun in the snow in PA.

Ryan's new job started January 3rd, I believe. We tried to fin a place to rent near the ranch while in NB. Yet, in rural Texas, you can't find anything on the internet! The way to get things done up here is to know somebody who knows somebody. So, that is what we did. We called someone, who called someone, who called someone and we finally heard of a few properties. We had 2 in mind when we drove up here. We drove up on New Years Eve. The landlord said it was ready to move in. We get there and there is no electricity or water!! And neither would be turned on until Monday. So we phone another friend, the Broadhurst's, asking if we could stay with them for the weekend.

Monday morning, Twanna Broadhurst, told me that I should probably call the city hall early to get my water turned on and boy was she right! I call and the lady said she needs a deposit before the water is turned on and that if I want it turned on that day, her husband could come turn it on after he gets off work... I thought that was weird! before we get off the phone she says, "Oh, I will only be in the office until 10AM, I only work mornings." only work mornings?!? She means, 2 hours a day! well it was 9:15, I had a 35 min drive. I book it and get to the little shack that is the city hall of Sadler, TX Population 400. Before leaving she gives me her home phone in case I need anything :)

Ryan started his job and LOVES it! He is learning so much, Jordan's training program just makes sense to him. He is really loves the people he works wirh and the horses he gets to ride. Here is a picture of Jordan's winning run!

Here is a picture of us in the Fort Worth Stockyards. From left to right, Cutter, Ryan, Amy, Molly & Stefan (who have temporarily moved to Switzerland where Stefan is from, we miss them but they will be back in November!), Taylor (Jordan's wife) and Jaime (their friend)

For a few weeks I was babysitting Jordan and Taylor's 2 year old boy, Cash. He is darling! Loves to rope his stuffed bull!

At the beginning of February, I started a new job! I am now the receptionist for Tradition Senior Living and Memory Care, a facility run by Mark's company (Ryan's dad). It is a brand new facility and as it grows my job will hopefully turn into an assistant manager position. I am very grateful to have a job because it is necessary now! Although I am bummed I won't be going to as many horse shows with Ryan, it is hopefully for only a season. So there is my update, it has been a whirlwind. God is good and in control!

Give God the Glory

2011-01-13T07:27:00.001-08:00

I realize it has almost been a year since I last posted. This blog is somewhat like my journal. My journal began in 2005 and I still have about 20 pages left! Yet, I do not want to post things for with no purpose. I have not felt that I needed to post, but yesterday, God gave me a revelation.

I am excited to post this because God has truly exposed my heart and made His truth resonate with me. It has left me with gratitude and excitement and I know that I must proclaim it publicly. Even though a select few will read this, it is still public.

A few days ago, my husband and I decided to begin listening to a series of teachings done by Soma Communities in Seattle. It is a church body (which is what Soma means, body) that does church a little different from the Bible belt. They love Jesus, His word, and they have a zeal for people to know the gospel, the love of Jesus, and they are for the good of their city. So the first teaching was on Celebrating. They talked of getting people together in their neighborhood to celebrate, in hopes to build friendships with them and get to know them. Now this post actually doesn't have much to do with the podcast, except there was one small line that I picked up on. They had asked a few from the body to step up and talk about how they have been celebrating. One lady got up and spoke, and she mentioned her daughter's preschool teacher. She has a good relationship with her and loves her dearly, they have had many great conversations about the Lord, and the teacher actually believes in the gospel. Yet, the lady stated that "She just doesn't Give God the Glory."

I decided to read the gospel of John again. I am yearning to know more of the character of God. Jesus is the perfect image bearer of God to us, so what better way to see God's character than through the life of Jesus. Yesterday I was in chapter 3 of John. The beginning talks about Nicodemus and the new birth. The second part of the chapter talks about John the Baptist. A verse that is put onto coffee mugs and t-shirts is John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." It's a wonderful verse that I have loved for years, yet yesterday it was put into context and this is when God exposed my heart.

Putting this verse into context really shows the weight of it. John the baptist was "preparing the way of the Lord." God sent him to teach of repentance and baptism. At this point in scripture, Jesus was just baptized and had gone down the river and was baptizing others. John's disciples came to him and said Jesus is baptizing and all are coming to him! It seems that they are perceiving a competition between John and Jesus. Yet, the way in which John responds exposed the wickedness in my own heart.

I am a Type A personality. I enjoy doing a good job and excelling in everything I do. I love affirmation. I love to hear that I have done a good job. Who doesn't!?!?! We all want to know that we are the best of the best. That the job that was set in front of us was done well, and people have recognized our well doing and affirm us for it. So when I read this I thought... if I were John the Baptist, I would have wanted Jesus to give me public affirmation. To say, "my son, you have prepared the way for me, good job."

Yet, John does nothing of the sort, he had absolutely no desire to be recognized for what he was doing. Instead he publicly proclaims, You yourselves bear witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him. He is like the friend of a groom who stands by him at his wedding, full of joy for the groom. He must increase, but I must decrease. John says, He who comes from above is above all, and He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. John does not cease to give God the glory!

He gives the glory where it is due, seeking no glory for himself.

I confess that I would never want to look like I want the glory, yet I know my heart and God knows my heart all the more. So I want to publicly give God the glory because it is His glory and His alone.

I give God the glory for the power and work of the gospel.

I give God the glory for the salvation He has given me through the power in His blood that was shed to wash me clean.

I give God the glory for the marriage he has blessed me with and what a blessing it has been!

I give God the glory for never going hungry and always having a roof over my head

I give God the glory for the skills and talents He has given me

I give God the glory for the job he has blessed Ryan with

I give God the glory for the work He is doing in my heart, sanctifying me and transforming me more into the image of Jesus by the power of His Holy Spirit

These are only a few, this has turned my heart to worship the Lord. He is good, He is True.

If you are like me and you have been seeking glory for yourself, come to God. He loves you, let him lavish you with His love. He is a God who forgives. Let our affections be on Christ alone

Old Crafts/New Crafts

2010-03-30T14:07:00.001-07:00

I have realized that there are a lot of little projects laying around the house that I have done during my moments of nothing to do that I have not yet shown to the world. Although, I realize that this is a blog. This means that I will have much to say about nothing to so little people. But for those of you who do look at my blog, this I will share:

Two years ago for Christmas I made a lot of bird ornaments for family and friends. I had this fun zebra felt and I thought that it just needed to be a bird. Someone may receive this as a gift someday...

These lovely stars are the beginning of my homemade Christmas ornaments. Ryan and I do not have money in our budget for things like that, therefore, I will make them myself :) I have many more of these starts that I would like to make, I am just not in the Christmas mood since it is March!

Now this one, no one must tell Michael about. It is his birthday present, and his birthday is not until August! He was quite sad that he did not receive a handmade ornament when I was giving the birds to everyone. Michael LOVES Christmas ornaments and little cute handmade things. I should have thought about giving him one, but I really feel that this half eaten gingerbread man fits him so much better! I think he is really going to like it. So don't tell him!! He loves surprises and hates it when they are spoiled.

Now this little mushroom/toadstool cottage was simply for my enjoyment :) I saw a blog with this on it and decided I needed one. Not wanted, needed. This is before I had my sewing machine, therefore, I sewed it all by hand. The embroidery takes quite awhile, but it was so worth it! It is now my pin cushion, so I get to look at it every time I sew. I have the felt cut out to make a toadstool sized one, it is short and squatty. Maybe I will get around to it one day.

Since I love to embroider, I have A LOT of needles and no place to put them. Until I found a pattern for this wonderful little needle book. I used natural cotton, some fabric I found at a local quilting store in a fat quarter, and a big button that I found in the bag of buttons I bought at an antique store. Also at this antique store I found the lace trim. I was so excited to get to make this beautiful little book for myself! I have realized that I end up sewing so much for other people that I don't keep anything I make.

On the inside I put a piece of wool felt that acts like a page where I take the needles in and out easily.

This final project is one that I am excited about! My friend, Jordan Cloyd, told me about this thing that Downy is doing. You send them your address and they send you a bag with pre cut fabric and instructions to make a quilt for a child that is in the hospital. The children that receive these quilts are usually ones that are living in the hospital with cancer or other diseases.

I have never made a quilt before, I have finished the front of it, this picture is the front halfway finished. Now I need to buy the batting and get a walking foot for my sewing machine so I can finish it. I have looked online for one, they look to be about $30. Does anyone have one I can borrow? Or maybe one you do not want anymore? I am praying for God to provide it, He gave me this sewing machine for free, so I believe He can give me a walking foot too!

Thanks for reading this :)

Spring is here!

2010-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather was awaiting me as I came home from Colorado. From snow, I cam home to the beginning of Spring. Although 2 days ago it snowed again, it is now back to warm spring weather.

Our favorite time of day is right before the sun goes down and everything turns gold. We usually have to step outside and enjoy it :) After seeing brown, dead grass for so long, it is so sweet to see color again! Although these purple flowers are weeds, they are gorgeous!

We have a quaint little front porch with a little bench to enjoy the sunset.

Grit has no interest in the weather, he just wants lovin.

Blue tends to work hard all day so at night she quietly lays in her bed until the coyotes begin to howl. Then she is out howling at them, her job is never done.

We also have a new baby on the ranch. A cute little palomino filly. This is not the best picture of her, maybe I'll get another one.

I am super excited for these beautiful days. I know the rain is coming, but I am so glad we live out where we can really enjoy the country. I hope y'all are enjoying it too!

Alpine Destined

2010-03-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to have a great, healthy relationship with Ryan's family. I have so many friends who have issues and touchy situations with their in-laws and thankfully that is just not the case for me! Ryan's parents took me to Breckenridge, CO for Hannah's Spring break. It was sooo much fun! It is a shame that Ryan could not come, I think he has a love for the mountains greater than any of us, but, that love is beginning to grow in me as well :)

Here are pictures that mostly Kathy took with our camera. I am just not a big photographer, I will carry the camera and forget to take pictures, it is completely inevitable. Although, most of you reading this were there with me, I thought it would be nice to share our little adventure with those who were not there. Ryan's family and kathy's sister, Keeley, and her son, josh, went on the trip. Keeley made the trip so exciting, I just love her fun loving personality! For the most part Jeremy was off on the slopes doing crazy blacks, riding through trees, giving mark and kathy a heart attack thinking about it. We heard stories of how he would get lost on the mountain... because he never would go down an actual run. It was fun to spend time with Mark and Jeremy after being married to Ryan, because I saw how many similarities the Rushing men have. Their drive for competition... and winning. Their mannerisms and little sayings. Mark kept saying... "Is it hot in here? Or is it just me?" I think Ryan and Jeremy have learned well from Mark, ha!

The first pictures are on our first ride up the gondola. We got to know this Gondola well.

This is Keeley and Josh. Josh has only lived in warm climates, such as Arizona, Hawaii and Florida. This trip was his first time to see snow while it was snowing! It snowed just about everyday while we were there so he saw LOTS of it!

This is at Peak 8, where we would take lessons and get our gear. Keeley and I took 3 days of lessons. Mark and Josh did one day and Josh did snow boarding on the 3rd day and found out he was a natural at it! I found out that I LOVE skiing! It is yet another expensive sport to add to my list!

It was so crazy on the slopes, one second the sun would be out and you would be hot and sweaty. Then the next minute it looked like this. You get on a chair lift and your face is frozen by the time you get off.

Here is Hannah about to show her skills.

We met up for lunch at a cafe on the slope. Yet, we brought our lunches because their food was so expensive! This day Kathy snowshoed up to the peak to bring us lunch! What a dedicated mom :)

These photos are from Kathy's snowshoe trip. She took my camera and got some great shots!

There are a lot more pictures from Hannah's camera on facebook... although Kathy may not be able to see them since her and Hannah aren't official friends, ha.

Overall, we had good food, good relaxation, good time spent together, it was a blast!

My Craftiness

2010-02-18T12:19:00.001-08:00

This is the long awaited post. Maybe by only my sister... but still long awaited by Leslie :)

Today, yes today, it is warm enough that they have opened the door and I have internet in my house! To celebrate, I am posting this.

Here is what I gave Leslie and Hannah for Christmas. I bought cardigans at Target and embroidered on them. Here is the back of Leslie's:

This is the front of Hannah's, sorry the picture is not on here straight

The front of Leslie's:

I tried to make leslie's look like a mum flower, I thought it turned out well. I want to make one for myself now!

Last time I went home, the end of January for Whitney's wedding, I finally picked up my kitchen hutch. I absolutely love this piece of furniture. It was a gift from my parents for our wedding. They found it at an auction. I store all of my china in it and other breakables

Since we got the hutch we had to move the armoir into the 2nd bedroom. Ryan's parents gave this armoir to us, we love it and it is so beautiful! I put on top the teapot and platter that Ryan made for me and used when we proposed to me. The flowers were used in my wedding, I saw tons of flowers left over from my wedding sitting in my mom's house. I decided to take some and use around my house.

Here is a big project that took quite awhile. When we moved in we did not have very much privacy. For some reason Pat and Veronica did not have blinds or anything over the wide open windows on the doors. So, I bought some fabric from hobby lobby and made my own curtains. This was a first for me, but I am happy with how they turned out. I picked a fabric that would contrast well with the yellow walls and bring it out as well.

I was not sure how to do it, because I wanted it to cover the entire window at night, but I needed to be able to move it a bit to let light in during the day. I opted to sew a ribbon on the back and i just tie and untie it when I want.

With the little bit of leftover fabric I had I made tieback for the curtains in the living room. I bought these brown curtains from walmart.

I did not have enough for the loan curtain by the kitchen, so i picked a funky fabric my sister gave me :)

The next is an idea my friend Callie sent to me. She is SUPER crafty herself. The most talented crocheter I have ever seen! She crocheted me a miniature horse ornament for Christmas, hopefully I can post that soon, it is so amazing. So basically these are embroidery hoops (total of $3.50 for these three) and some fabric scraps my mom gave me from the discontinued fabric from louis shanks.

I hope to add some more, I wasn't sure how many I would need when I was at the store. They are so inexpensive and they look really neat! I love the textures of these fabrics so most likely I am going to add more!

I do have more crafts that I have made that I will someday post. For now, I hope this gave you an idea of how I keep myself busy out in Gainesville. Now the job is taxes, definitely not as fun as crafting!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's Day was a wonderful day. As you know it is our first as a married couple. On most Sunday's Ryan and I make a good hearty breakfast together. This Sunday Ryan woke up early and went to the store to get me flowers, knowing I wouldn't wake up until he got back. So he made me breakfast, cinnamon banana pancakes, fried eggs and bacon. It was amazing, he even set out the china! Then we went to church and came back home. That night he made me dinner. Above is him cooking :) Here is the bacon wrapped asparagus he made, yum!

This is a picture of my gift to him. We did not have money to buy anything so I thought of what I could do without spending much money. I made sugar cookies for him and a valentine that won't just go into the trash. Growing up my siblings and I would make valentines for each other with paper and construction paper. I decided to embroider on natural, unstained cotton my message to him and then with fabric make the outside of the card. The outside is brown with a big heart on it.

Ryan ate the "N" so we moved the letters around and well... apparently I love Ray now... weird.

Here are my flowers :) I am a very traditional girl... therefore, I love flowers. I had to decorate the cookies on the table because Ryan was working his magic on the counters.

I was obviously feeling festive with the red shirt and white cardigan. The meal was amazing!

And my lovely husband :)

Here is that magic I was telling you about:

So overall, it was a great day. I hope yours was too!

Ridiculous

2010-02-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

I know, it has been over a month and there has been no post from me, not even a word or a picture. I have no excuse, other than the bitter cold weather. I have not been busy, I have been at home, enjoying married life with my husband, working on crafts, cleaning and taking walks on the ranch.

Here is why this blog is not frequent in the winter. Our house sits across the street from the barn. Our internet source comes from the office which is in the barn. There is a large garage type door that closes the barn up when it is cold. Our house sits at just the right angle so that when that door is shut, which now it is always shut, our house cannot get the wifi. Therefore, to get the internet connection, we must come down in the cold to the office... and right now I am sitting in our little honda outside of the office. So you see that it is a big pain to come use the internet and if I do come down to use it, I only want to stay here for 20 min tops. So, surfing the internet is no longer a past time for Ryan and I. It is merely a tool, only used when needed.

Also, the foot of snow that we had on the ground has definitely slowed my use of the internet.

So if you are wondering why I am raving about this.... My sister posted on her blog and made a comment about how I do not post very often, so this is my reply :) I know she is trying to gently nudge me on because she wants me to post about my crafts and such. I have taken pictures of them so hopefully you can see them soon.

Until then, enjoy the wintery weather, I am going for a run in 35 degree weather, I love it, you don't even break a sweat!

Grit

2010-01-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

The Rushing family has a new addition :) Our Christmas gift to ourselves was a new dog. He is a miniature Australian Shepherd. We have named him Grit. We picked him up from Albion, OK. It was a long 3 hour drive and the breeder was a bit shady with a million dogs. Thankfully she did not breed this dog, and he has proved to be the perfect fit for us.

He is becoming more confident in himself. We live on a ranch without fences for dogs, so his lifestyle is a bit different than most dogs. We have to train him to be loyal to us and to come when we call. He is becoming more and more loyal which is wonderful.

He enjoys playing with our adopted blue heeler named Blue. She treats him as her pup. He tries to show her his stuff, hoping to impress her, yet she just treats him like a little kid rather than a prospect male, ha! Blue is owned by Ryan's boss. They moved off the ranch so she stays on the ranch with us. Grit is enjoying his new life, and we are enjoying him!

Stockings

2009-12-21T13:19:00.001-08:00

It has been a crazy crazy time for the Rushing household, but what else would I expect being a Rushing wife?! There are many reasons why I have not posted lately, and many of you know why that is. I thought I would post this really quick because if I don't I will not post it until after Christmas and this is quite a Christmas-y post.

It is mine and Ryan's first Christmas together, our first Christmas no longer being under our parent's roofs, eventhough we thankfully get to be there with them! So I thought, we need stockings!

I brought Ryan with me to the fabric store. This was quite an experience for him, I was not sure how he would take it, but apparently it made a huge impact in his life. While I was looking at fabric, Ryan was looking at sewing, quiltting and craft books when he found one with an old lady on it with the title "still stripping after 25 years." It was unbelievable. Apparently "stripping" is a term used for quiltting in that they strip the fabric... but wow, did she not know?!? Ryan proceeding to take a picture with my phone and send it to all of our family. He later shared it with our small group at church. I mean, this trip to the fabric store greatly impacted him.

Anywho, Ryan did help me pick out fabric, he is a wonderful husband :)

Also, we moved out of the trailer! We are no longer trailer trash! I will have a post to follow about that, there is just not time now. But here is a picture of our stockings that I made hanging in our new living room.

Sadly, we do not have a fire place, but I am not complaining! I love having normal plumbing and a dishwasher!
This is my stocking:

And here is Ryan's:

And the inside is full of cookies! Because there are always wonderful goodies in stockings!

Hope you like them! Merry Christmas!!

Big night in Pilot Point

2009-11-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

This post is mainly for my sister, Leslie. I know that she will get the greatest level of enjoyment from this post :)

Yesterday was Friday. Ryan had just finished work and we were sitting down for dinner when I got a text message from a friend named Amanda who is in our home group. She was asking if I would like to meet her half way and hang out. (she lives in Denton, which is where our home group is, and we live in Gainesville about 40 min away). It was going to be a girl thing, but the guys agreed if her husband and Ryan came they would come, neither one wanted to be the only guy there.

Well, the only problem is, there are not many good meeting spots half way between Gainesville and Denton. There are no Starbucks or very good restaurants. Yet, I remembered that there was a dairy queen on the South side of Pilot Point. So we decided to make that our meeting destination. Ryan and I packed up and left and I talked to my sister, leslie, on the way there. We pulled up and noticed a lot of trucks in the parking lot. Lots of trucks is very normal for where we live, but they all had dog crates in the back and these crazy tool boxes. Then we noticed a circle of high school boys in camo talking outside. We just thought they were trying to look cool. When we got inside we noticed a large group of older men in camo sitting around the tables talking. We decided to wait for our friends on our tailgate in the parking lot though. Once outside we realized that all of the trucks had dogs in crates in the back. We could here them all wimpering, wanting to get out... it was pretty cute.

Then, an older man walked out and changed out of boots into these big mud boots that go up to your hips (kind of like waders, but they clip to your belt. they looked like chaps, ha!). He went inside and another guy came out and put his on. Ryan and I were like... did they go hunting or something? I started thinking well... it looks like they may be about to go hunting. Yet, it was pitch black outside!

Next, everybody got up and went out into the parking lot. They were all gearing up, putting on their big boots, all of their crazy gear, and they all had huge head lamps on their hats. They all got their dogs out and put light up collars on them. Finally,a guy came near us and we asked him, what are y'all hunting for? He replied ever so eliquantly, " Coons."

I am not sure if they are in a club or what. They had ring leaders that were guiding certain groups and they were hitting different spots around the area. There's nothing better than goin' coon huntin' on a friday night in pilot point!

We were really hoping our friends who live in the city would be able to see the sight we saw, yet they didnt get there until all of the coon hunters had left!

Sadly, I do not have any pictures, I thought it would be really weird if I just starting taking pictures... and I didnt have a camera :(

Our Halloween/Reformation Day Camping date extravaganza!

2009-11-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

This Halloween/Reformation Day, Ryan and I decided to have a small adventure. :)

Ryan had to work in the morning, I helped him bathe all of the horses, and we were finished by lunch time. The day was absolutely GORGEOUS! So we drive about 20 minutes south to Lake Ray Roberts State Park. We found a nice camping spot and made a camp fire. We made hot dogs and smores! Ryan took some time before we left and made me a camping "Mix tape."

On the way to the park we stopped at a small grocery store in Pilot Point. I looked at the aisle sign and saw something that I just had to take a picture of. Apparently, Catsup is another way to spell Ketchup for some people. I think they just don't know how to spell... but you can decide that for yourself.

This is a picture of the goods!

We were super excited about the smores... and chocolate. I think Ryan and I have spent quite a bit of time together. I told Ryan to look excited and he made the exact same face as me! Ha!

I had to post this picture of Ryan's manliness. He wore his "Al Boreland" shirt. (he calls it that!) He had quite a bit of fun with that hatchet!

I don't know if you can see this picture, but it was a crazy big Daddy Long Leg spider. Thankfully he got out of the pit before we got the fire started.

A major reason Ryan wanted to go out to the park was so he could smoke his pipe out in the woods. Our new home group leader, Bo, is an avid pipe smoker and he taught Ryan the right way to do it. We picked out some pretty great smelling tobacco.

The leaves in the trees looked like they had catepillars eating them!

This is me smelling Ryan's tobacco. He has one called Professor's blend and the other Saddlemans. He said he felt cheesy for buying Saddleman's, but he said it just smelled too good.
Notice, the Bible in my lap. We feel that the Bible goes well with wine and pipe smoking :)

I hope you guys had a loving Reformation Day as well! We had a great time celebrating! We even met a couple and talked for about 2 hours over a camp fire about the Lord! Hopefully they will know Him soon. God bless!

Recent Happenings

2009-10-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I had such an amazing and pleasant meeting with two girls. It was so unexpected on my part, yet I know, it was an ordained meeting for sure. By the way, as I am writing this, the wind is blowing at 18 mph and lets just say the trailer is rocking a little bit!! Ryan and I had a hard time sleeping last night, we were so paranoid that a tornado would throw us to China.

Anyways, I decided to go discover what the shops in Gainesville could offer. So first stop, Goodwill. Second stop, Big Lots, then on to Bealls and finally to payless shoes. I know, classy... I did not buy much at all, I just wanted to see what was there for no reason. Yet when I left payless, two girls stopped me and presented a box full of sun catchers. They said they were doing a fund raiser for an religious/leadership organization. One of the sun catchers had four people on it of different nationalities with a rainbow over top and it said "One people under God." So of course, my interest was sparked!

I asked them exactly what the organization did and then more specifically what religion it was. They said, "we're a non-denominational group, we're Christians, we believe in Jesus and stuff." So I asked more specific questions. They were with a group that has the goal of unifying all religions. Their parents joined this group and they were raised in it. I found that they didn't believe Jesus was God. It was so sweet though because God gave me scripture after scripture to share with them. He gave me a way to talk with them lovingly. The girls were right out of high school and were so sweet. We ended up talking for maybe 45 minutes! Just about God and the Bible and we were getting know one another. The crazy thing is that one is from Colorado and one from California! They travel around and try to raise money for about 2 months

Well, by the end of our conversation, we were giving each other hugs and they were saying how they wanted to start reading the Bible. I was so blessed by this. Ryan and I had just gotten back from a horse show and I was feeling quite distant from the Lord, yet by His grace He showed me that He still wanted to use me for His glory! I am so grateful that He doesn't leave us or forsake us. He is near and yearning to spend time with us and to show us His amazing power and as my friend Holly says, "mad-networking skills!"

So today, since it is going to be storming rain all day, I am beginning mine and Ryan's Christmas presents! I am making stockings for us both. We don't exactly have a mantel, but, we need stockings! So I bought some old 100% wool sweaters from goodwill. They are hideous, by the way! Ryan laughed when he saw them... I actually got him to try some on, but sadly did not get a picture. Anywho, I am felting them and will use them to make the stockings.

I will post pictures of them when I'm finished. I sure miss all our family and friends, some of y'all need to come visit!

Gainesville Date...

2009-10-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

For those who may not know, I grew up in Oklahoma. Braum's ice cream is just about on every corner in Oklahoma. Therefore, I grew up thoroughly enjoying Braum's Ice Cream. Yet, my family moved from Oklahoma and since then I have not had any Braum's ice cream. So, Ryan told me earlier this week that he would take me to Braum's for an ice cream date. I was so excited all week! We have a Braum's in Gainesville because we live close to Oklahoma and Gainesville is off of I-35.

So, yesterday, Ryan and I decided we would go out to eat too in order to make the date more of an event. Yet, in Gainesville, there are not many restaurants. In fact, we asked a local where a good place to eat out would be and he just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know of a very good place, ha! There are a few chain restaurants, like chili's and applebee's. So, inevitably, we went to Chili's. Once there we decided to do the 2 entrees for $20. You get an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert! Well, this meant that we had to count out Braum's :( But, I made that decision... I just got myself 2 dates instead of just one! (see that's how you work it)

When we got our food we realized how big of portions and how greasy they can make it! We ate, had a good time, but left stuffed. Well, no date is complete in Gainesville without a trip to Walmart. I needed some groceries so Ryan got to experience the Gainesville Walmart experience with me for once. I get that pleasurable experience every week. Now Ryan knows why I hate walmart people :)

Finally, we made the trek back to our humble trailer. It was not until we got home that we realized how redneck our date was, ha! chili's, walmart, back to the trailer.

We thought it was humorous, I hope you do too :)

Lyndon Rife

2009-10-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Lyndon Rife is my new dressage trainer. I have been riding with him for about a month now. He is very well known and extremely talented in riding, training, and teaching dressage.

This last wednesday he was in a horseback riding accident. I saw his wife today, she taught me a lesson, but I know that they are having a really tough time. Here is a link to his website:

http://www.lyndonrifedressage.com/

Dressage Daily wrote an article about him. He and his wife are in need of help in covering the medical bills. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.dressagedaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4588:09rife&catid=223:october-2009

I have not known them long, but they are wonderful people! I have been wondering what I can do to help them, so I thought I would put this on here in hopes that it may help.

Family Time!

2009-10-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I were to blessed to have a horse show in Katy, TX! It was a short show, we drove down on Wednesday and left Saturday, but we got to stay with my parents. It was quite a commute for Ryan driving from katy to cypress and back daily. For those in Houston it is a normal commute! But when you are used to walking across the street to go to work, it was a bit stressful!

Ryan sadly did not get to much time at home with my family, but he did get to have a night with my dad, full of hot wings, cigars and wine :) Some of Ryan's favorite things, ha!

I thought I would post a picture of my niece and nephew, this is not from our weekend together, we forgot to take pictures! But, some of y'all don't know them, they are a lot of fun! We went to outlet mall together where they are sure to get cookies and starbucks, ha! They get the chocolate milk at starbucks, not coffee!! Thursday night we had a mock Thanksgiving meal together. Ryan and I will be at a horse show in OKC so we will miss Thanksgiving. We had the most amazing ham EVER with a cranberry sauce glaze. Complete with sweet potatoe soufle, pumkin pie, and stuffing. It was absolutely delicious! So delicious that the next day my sister and I just ate the ham right out of the container for lunch, we didnt even grab plates or any sides, we just ate the ham and that was it for lunch!

Friday my mom gave me some sewing lessons :) I still have not fixed the sewing machine that was given to me for free. And yes, it was quite an amazing thing. Maybe when I get it working I will post the story about it on here. Anywho, I have some crafty ideas and needed to learn how to do some things before I can make it. Friday night, the girls went out to Lupe Tortilla and then to Michael's starbucks. We had a blast together!

As far at the horse show went. Ryan's boss, Patrice, got second in the futurity on a horse name Rambler. He was tied for first in a four way tie, when one of the guys he was tied with (Nathan Piper, the guy that helped Ryan find this job) came in on his last horse and beat them all! It was a nice day for Nathan! Pat's other horses only did okay. They are all tough rides and have been having some problems in the show ring, but hopefully that will be fixed by the time the big futurity comes up!

Next stop is Ardmore, OK this Sunday. We will be taking our "home" with us! I just have to laugh at that! But the plus side is, we don't have to pack. We just need to fill up the tires, secure everything in place and we are good to go.

These Days

2009-09-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

I just need to take a moment and boast in the Lord. His creation is so beautiful! And yet, I know that it in no way compares to the Glory, Beauty and Majesty of the Lord!

Lately, here in Gainesville, TX, God has given us the most beautiful days! We have had blue skies, 70-75 degree temperatures and always a flowing breeze. Every morning I just can't wait to go out and run! The horses are feeling good and running around. I decided to take a few pictures of the ranch yesterday of what I run by. I wish these pictures could do it justice, although they are not the mountains, they are still beautiful!

Ryan and I have also found that the sunsets here on the ranch just get better and better every evening. Hopefully I will remember to capture those and put them on here!

For the past month, Ryan and I have been attending The Village Church in Denton, TX. We have always enjoyed and learned a lot from the pastor, Matt Chandler, through his poscasts. Yet, now we are able to be part of this body. We have been wanting to get connected to some people there so badly. Sunday night we went to a homegroup for young married couples. It was amazing! We are reading "This Momentary Marriage" by John Piper. Our group was so full of God-centered discussion! We all shared our testimonies and I feel we really got to know each other well through that. It is so fun to see the body of Christ, how everyone is SOOO different, yet the Lord brings us together in unity for His Glory!

We are excited to connect with people outside of the horse industry here. It is a good reminder that horses are not the meaning of life, they are only a means of bringing the gospel to people who do not know the Lord.

I am finally working on some really fun crafts, they are mainly all Christmas presents, so I cannot post them on here for quite some time! Yet, I am excited to give them to everybody

AJAX

2009-09-28T12:47:00.001-07:00

I am so sorry that this has taken me so long. I have been wanting to introduce this lovely little friend of mine for some time now. I do not have the excuse of being too busy to post on here, so I am not sure what other excuse to give other than I just haven't.

This little donkey is named Ajax. He came from the vet, needing a home and Pat took him to watch over the mares and babies. Donkeys are very protective of their herds and will fight off coyotes and other predators. I know, this is very shocking, but they can be very vicious.

Ryan and I have noticed that people up here in Gainesville seem to have a fetish with donkeys, they are EVERYWHERE! And most of the donkeys are fat. We have a quite exceptional donkey, I believe he is the most cellulite enhanced of them all. Sadly, he has been lame. He has really bad feet so he has been in the stall for awhile. He misses his mares so you hear him "Hee-Hah" all day long. The best part is that the mexican guys that dont speak much English do impressions of him, and well, it's hilarious!

This next photo emphasizes his cellulite booty.

You really have to see him in person, he is quite a site. I will have more posts coming up soon.

Tulsa Reining Classic

2009-09-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I just returned from our first reining horse show with Ryan's new employer, Patrice St. Onge. It was a very long week for Ryan. He would wake up at 4 AM to go ride horses and stay up at the show grounds usually until 9 at night, or later! He was one tired man when I finally got to see him this last wednesday. By the time I got there his schedule slowed down a bit.

One of my favorite parts of the show is when Andrea Fippani and Big Chex to Cash did a clinic for people to learn from. He rode a young horse and Big Chex (a well known stallion that has won A LOT) and talked with everyone to teach them. I learned a lot from him! I had been wondering about a lot of things Ryan was doing and after hearing Andrea it explained a lot to me. Here is a link to Andrea and big chex:

http://www.bigchextocash.com/Home.html

Also, the first one hundred kids to come got a breyer horse that looks like big chex, I thought that was a cute idea! Sadly I did not take any pictures myself. I totally forgot!

Ryan and I met a lot of people, trainers, wives of trainers, the guy that drags the arena at just about every horse show, etc. We had a blast! But we are glad to be back "home."

My AMAZING cappuchino maker

2009-09-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is my Phenominal cappuchino maker. It is called Mukka Express, made by Bialetti in Italy. I received it as a wedding present, I believe from the Decrosta family. It looks like a simple stove top espresso maker, yet it is so much more!

The inovative part in it is the pressure valve that causes the milk to froth up to make your delicious cappuchino. All you do is take it apart, put water in the bottom portion. Then you place a piece on top of it and fill that with finely ground espresso. Then screw the top on, turn the pressure valve into place, fill it with milk and place it on the stove top. Within 5 minutes you hear the pressure valve open and the coffee begins to swirl to the top causing the milk to froth on top of it! It makes two VERY small cups, so I usually just put it all into one. It tastes like it is straight out of Italy (which I can say that because I have had cappuchinos in Italy).

One thing that Ryan and I had noticed in Italy and in Austria is that no matter where you went you could find AMAZING coffee and cappuchinos. From coffee shops, to hotels, to restaurants, even gas stations! It was not the nasty gas station coffee that you see here that was brewed 8 hours ago. It is always fresh. So this little machine has brought that same amazing cappuchino to our home. I highly recomment one to you! And if you want to make a trip up to North Texas I could even make you one!

To be Content

2009-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Why is it that in whatever state we find ourselves in we are always wanting? I have been thinking and struggling with this for the past week. I am so thankful for this time with Ryan, he works across the street and I am home and able to see him whenever I want. Yet, there are times that I inevitably get bored. I find myself wanting to do something about it, for instance, go get a job. That is the sensible thing to do, and most likely I will get a part time job. Yet, I do not want to get a job because I am so discontent in the state the Lord has me. To me that is wrong motives. I soon will find myself regretting for changing my circumstances and I will long for the days when I had nothing to do but go watch Ryan ride.

Most people I talk with are desiring and wanting something to change. Those who work want more time off, Mom's want a little bit of time to themselves, those in school are wanting to graduate, etc. And not to say that I have figured out how to be content in whatever state I am in, I just find it unreal how commonplace discontentment is, even within the lives of Christians! For me, this has been a struggle that I have been wrestling the Lord with.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:8-13

When the Lord reveals the heart behind discontentment, I find the root, most of the time, to be selfishness. Paul definitely would have better excuses to be discontent than I ever will have. Yet, he was totally content in Where God had him. I think it first stemmed from the verses in 8-9. If we do what paul is encouraging the Philippians to do there is no way we can be discontent. Right before verse 8 Paul says that we should let our gentleness be known to all. I am seeing that the cure to selfishness is repentance and a decision to seek the good of other people around me. To love them, to pray for them, to reach out to them.

In my specific case, getting a job will help that to happen. It will open doors for me to meet new people so that I can reach out to them. Just getting the job for the sake of something to do because I am bored is a selfish and aweful thing to do. There is no purpose in it. As Christians I feel that we should not do things just for the sake of it. When I become a mother someday, it is not my job to babysit them and just let them do their own thing. I will be held accountable to how I raised them and taught them. Therefore, as a mother, there must be purpose in training your children in righteousness.

All this to say, I hope that the struggles that I am facing can encourage others who may find themselves in my same shoes, finding themselves wanting. Let our only want be for the Lord. He is the only thing that is worthy of wanting.

Our New Home

2009-08-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 15 of 2009 Ryan and I packed up and moved to Gainesville, TX with almost everything we own. With the help of my mom packing and the help from the Rushing family loading the trucks and trailer, we were able to accomplish the move in less that a couple of days!

Ryan is an assistant to a reining horse trainer here. His boss's name is Patrice St. Onge (on-yay is how you say it), he is a French Canadian from Quebec. He has been in the states for 12 years and built his beautiful facility about 3 years ago. Ryan is riding approximately 9 horses a day (getting in shape fast!) and I am living the high life in our trailer :)

This is our humble abode for the next 4 to 5 months. Pat and his family are living in a duplex that we will live in once their new house is built. The plus side is for horse shows we can just take our home with us, so it is as if we never left home :)

Now for the grand tour of the trailer:

This is the Master bedroom. Well, the only bedroom... I added my own bedding and accent pillows to make it feel a bit more like home. This room is toward the front of the trailer, and yes since I am not 6 ft tall I can stand up in it!

This is the kitchen, complete with an island! It is still quite a bit small, but I have made two meals in it so far.

Here is the dining/living room. If anyone wants to come visit, the couch folds out into a bed and the dining table turns into a bed too! The recliner is our seat of choice though.

Like I said, we are living the high life. This trailer is complete with TV, surround sounds and we even catch wireless internet from the ranch office! This is more than we had in our last house.

Here is the ever so wonderful toilet. It feels a bit like a airplane bathroom. The door next to it contains a washer and dryer too.

Here is the view from our dining table. The barn in the background is someone else's ranch. Our boss sold the land to them. I run down that road :)

This is the view from our trailer of the amazing facility we get to enjoy daily. The front is where the stall are. It is so organized and clean, it makes me feel at home! The back part is the covered arena, and at either end are round pens and more stalls.

Here is one of the barn aisles, the barn is set up so that there is constant breeze going through.

This is the grooming/wash rack. Every horse has its own girth. Again, so clean and organized.

This is the tack room. Pat built his place so it was functional and efficient. Everything has its place!

Here is Ryan riding a 2 year old. This horse has a forelock that almost goes down to his nose. He is quite studish and mouthy, I have fun playing with him.

This is the broodmare/baby pasture. I think the babies are only used to cars driving by. When I run past them they get scared and run the other way, but when a car goes by they keep eating grass.

This is Pat's truck. It is an F-450 western hauler. I didn't know what that meant, then Ryan told me they are custom made for hauling horse trailers. The suspension on it is made to match the trailer or something like that.

Anywho, That will hopefully give everyone some visual of where we are and what we are doing. We just found out we will be leaving for Tulsa, OK on Saturday August 29 for a horse show. Ryan will be taking care of the horses and warming them up and I will be babysitting pat's kids some and spending time with Ryan. I am thankful that I will be able to go with Ryan to shows, it definitely makes being here so worth it.

A huge prayer request:
Ryan and I are in need of a church body. We are asking that God would guide us to the one that we can serve at with solid Biblical teaching and have sweet fellowship with other believers.

We miss you all!
-Amy

Blogging

2009-08-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

As I am starting my very first blog, and my very first post, I feel that I must express my outlook of the blogging world to my fellow readers:

BLOGGING
"Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few."

Not only do I find this poster to be hilarious, I also find it to be true. ha! And here I am starting a blog. Oh, the irony.

The purpose of this blog is for mine and Ryan's family and friends to have a way to see what we are up to, now that we have moved so far away. I cannot promise that this will be updated daily or weekly, but hopefully I will stay consistent.

The next post will contain pictures and descriptions of our first couple of days here in Gainesville, TX.