Dash-a little miracle

                I want to share a story with you guys about a special tender mercy in my life.  It probably isn't what you would normally expect to be a miracle, but to me it is.  I have had a tough time with horses for almost 8 years now.  I've owned several, with most ending up having diseases and being lame.  The one great horse I had, I sold after I stopped believing in myself and my heart just broke.
 
             I finally got to a place where I wanted a horse again, but I couldn't really afford it.  When I got married, my husband and I originally stated that we would wait on a horse until after we graduated college in a few years.  But then we got to a place where we started considering it.  It came down to paying $200 for a mustang or taking my husband's family's horse.  I knew that my husband had a horse, but here is the thing: she was crazy. 

           She is rarely touched and has been living out on her own in the cow pastures ever since they bought her.  She is rarely ridden or used and when people try, it usually didn't go well.  Plus, she was lame and super fat.  I didn't want to leave her there, but I didn't really want to get caught in another horse that couldn't do anything. 

           I had been praying for a horse for a long time, so I prayed for help in knowing what to do and what horse to choose.  The answer I got back was to take my husband's horse, Dash.  Getting her home was an adventure.  Took us a day to get her into the trailer (which we were blessed with from the ranch) and she ended up being all bloody and cut up by the time we unloaded her. 

          She didn't know much and she wasn't super respectful of people.  Dash wasn't really dangerous, she loved people, but she did what she wanted and hadn't really been taught much (or just forgot it after so many years of sitting around).  I was so happy to have her, but I also didn't want to get too attached if she was crazy or permanently lame. 

           Things haven't been perfect, there have definitely been good and bad training sessions.  And Dash has been lame on and off for a little while.  But I can say with all of my heart that I love that horse and am so thankful for Heavenly Father in giving her to me.  Dash is sweet and very smart.  She takes care of me and tries her hardest for me.  She is almost always calm and nothing phases her.  She takes a lot of patience and sometimes her stubbornness can be frustrating, but she is a great horse. 

            She is finally acting sound as she got shoes for the first time and we healed up an abscess in her hoof.  I got blessed with a crazy, free horse, who ended up being amazing.  I can ride in the arena and on trails (english, western, and bareback), I can trailer, I can do groundwork, I can stand up on her, and I can slide off of her butt.  She isn't the fastest or fanciest horse, but she is mine and has my whole heart. 

           Trust the Lord.  You may not be able to see it now, but the path that you're on is for you.  God sees the whole picture and He knows what we need.  He will guide us, strengthen us, and bless us as we move forward with faith in Him.  My initial instinct was to leave Dash and get a different horse.  But Heavenly Father knew we were meant for each other.  We needed each other.  He blessed me with someone to love and care for, with goals and a purpose.  And I am learning so much (including patience).

Heavenly Father cares for us so much and we will find happiness (even amidst trials) if we follow Him and His plan for us. 

A week without a phone

Last thursday, my cracked iphone finally saw it’s end as i dropped it (again). It was a little hard because that night, my husband and I had a double date with some friends and weren’t sure everything would work out. Our friends were late and I grew worried that something came up and we had no idea because I couldn’t communicate. (they showed and we had a great time).

On friday I woke up and pondered the idea of replacing my phone. I had a pretty new iphone 6 sitting at home in the box that I could easily switch over to if I desired. I did switch my sim card and looked at the new phone for a few minutes, then decided I wanted to try a break from all of this technology. I put the phones away and can honestly say after a week that my life is better without a smart phone.

There are some things I miss like my gps, facetime, and the ability to snap a picture at anytime anywhere, but the benefits far outweigh the cost in my opinion. I am able to be more in the moment because even if I’m bored I can’t just pull out my phone and do something else. I am forced to connect more with people while I spend time with them and to make commitments to do things in person. And this has made me less likely to flake because I have no way to tell someone I don’t feel like going anymore.

I’ve gone back to using my real nikon camera and have had fun taking pictures of it with my family. I use my cds because I don’t have an ipod anymore and I don’t have to fight the temptation to text and drive.

Facebook can be a good tool, but let’s be honest, we all spend too much time on there. When I had a phone, it became a habit for me to pull it up. I did it out of boredom and have wasted many an hour or two doing this. I still use facebook on my computer as a way to message friends and family and it takes over less of my life. I feel more like I’m in control than the other way around. And though the quality isn’t as good as it was on my phone, I enjoy using facebook messenger to video chat my family in Arizona. I am still able to talk and communicate, I am just more aware of how I spend my time.

I am one of those people who enjoys spending time with others but can easily get overwhelmed. I enjoy alone time but then start to get sad if I’m left alone too long. With a phone, I was always sad if no one would text me. I would scroll through social media and wish I could do all of the fun things my friends did or that I was as pretty or motivated as others. I still can get into that mindset at times if I’m not careful, but it is easier to just focus on the here and now and not worry about or compare myself to others when I don’t constantly have a tiny computer in my pocket.

It was nice to be able to look up things and I loved using it for studying scriptures, but I can still do all of that, just in a different way. I ponder more, as I don’t always have something in front of me to do. I am more grateful for the simple things around me because I actually take the time to notice them.

Technology can be good and social media can be good, we just need to make sure that we don’t give these things too big of a place in our life. Otherwise, we may miss the beautiful opportunities right in front of us.

I don’t know if I will get another phone or not, I haven’t really decided. There are benefits to having such a tool, but there are drawbacks as well. I will atleast manage how I use my smartphone better, if I don’t decide to go with an old school design. I want to use my phone as a tool and to help improve my life, not let it control me and suck away my time and get in the way of my relationships with others.

Me and my love

Me and Dash

This is seriously the only photo sadie didn't look grumpy in!
She hates being picked up.