E is for EXCITING Hunter Pace!

This past Saturday I had the amazing opportunity to not only ride a horse again, but to ride in a Hunter Pace! I got to ride a horse named Piper, a gorgeous chestnut Thoroughbred mare (female). I rode with my friend, Tyler, who owns a barn called Mirror Image, located in Woodstock. She was able to acquire Piper for me to ride. Knowing what I had been through with Chance (see my post D is for Dream Horse), she went out of her way to reach out and find a horse for me to ride and even went as far as borrowing a trailer and picking the horse up for me.

Her effort tugs on my heart strings a bit. <3

For the record, a Hunter Pace is a riding competition; one that I had never experienced prior to this! It is an imaginary fox hunt where riders compete for the ideal time. The Hunter Pace I attended was called Shakerag. At Shakerag, there were no hounds, huntsman, or staff… only the riders and horses. This specific Hunter Pace had three divisions to choose from:

• Bluebird Day: This division competed at a slower pace (walk and trot).
• Check, Cast & Run: This division competed at a moderate pace (walk, trot, and canter) and had optional jumps to jump.
• Tallyho!: This division competed for the fastest time and was required to jump every jump.

We decided to compete in the Check, Cast, & Run class, since I was riding a new horse that I had never ridden before. I wanted to jump the jumps with which I was comfortable rather than feeling pressured to jump every single jump. Further, if I'm going to drive two hours and pay $50 to do something, I would rather leisurely do it at my own pace.

The 4:30 am wake up call was not the most enjoyable start to my day, but once we loaded the horses in the trailer and began the two hour trek, it was a blast.

Well, to be honest, once the two cups of black coffee hit me, it was a blast. Before that I was mostly a zombie with mush for brains.

Once we arrived, this was the absolutely gorgeous view at 7:45 in the morning:

The below picture is my friend, Tyler, and her horse, Molly, jumping over a jump called the "coop." This is one of the jumps Piper and I jumped as well. I would rather not share the pictures of me jumping, as my form was looking pretty rough.

This is my view for the entire 2.5 hour ride on Piper! At the point this picture was taken, we were about to enter the grass field where we had the opportunity to do a free gallop (the fastest gait for a horse). It was the most freeing experience of my life. Piper began her career as a racing horse, so she was no stranger to going fast.

Additionally, when Tyler and I got to a checkpoint, we were not greeted by water. Rather, we were greeted by refreshing beer! I think I may have found a new favorite hobby!

After the ride, we ate some delicious lunch and then began the trip back to Woodstock, Georgia. I was tuckered out physically, but absolutely invigorated emotionally. I felt (and feel) refreshed and excited for what the future holds. 

I truly look forward to my next Hunter Pace!

"The world is best viewed through the ears of a horse." 

Thank you for the quote!

D is for DREAM horse!

I bought my "dream horse," Chance, when I was eleven years old. As mentioned in my first post, I was a hard working young'n, and I managed to save up four thousand dollars to purchase a horse. We were together for over a decade, and he meant the world to me. I had him trained to do tricks, and he would even follow me around the pasture.

Shortly after my 25th birthday in October of 2011, I noticed a large bump protruding from the left side of Chance's face. You can kind of see it in this picture:

I had the vet come and biopsy the bump. Shockingly, the bump was a cancerous tumor. Heartbreak ensued. A few days later, I was able to ship Chance to Auburn University, which has an amazing Equine Center. The days that followed were heart wrenching and life changing. The cancer had spread throughout Chance's head and down into his lungs. The only humane choice was to euthanize him. On December 29th, 2011, a little before 6 p.m., Chance took his last breath. I was there with him as he left this world, silently begging for a few more seconds with him.

From the point of diagnosis to euthanasia, I kept a blog entitled Give Chance a Chance. I also included a PayPal donation link in hopes of receiving some relief from the immense cost of the entire process. Surprisingly enough, the blog received over 2,000 views, and I was able to raise enough money to completely cover the cost accrued. 

The first six months that followed Chance's death were incredibly difficult for me. I had expected to have him around for at least another ten years, and his untimely death tore me apart. We had been a part of each other's lives for almost fifteen years. He was my best friend.

Although horseback riding had been a part of my life since I was eight years old, I still couldn't bare to be around horses after Chance left me. I had many people invite me to ride their horses. I even had people offer me horses for free in return for my giving them a forever home. I could not do it. I could not remove myself from my rut.

However, after deciding upon a topic for this blog, I knew that horseback riding would be something I'd have to try again. I got in touch with a friend who owns Mirror Image Farm and let her know that the time had come.

My friend Kelsey came with me with a camera in hand, ready to capture my first time back in the saddle. Tyler, the owner of Mirror Image, introduced me to Molly, the horse I'd be riding. She doesn't look very happy in this picture, but she soon warmed up to me after I fed her carrots.

After brushing and saddling Molly, I began my first ride in almost a year. It was exhilarating! It came back to me just like riding a bike would for most. I felt natural. I felt at home. I felt at peace.

Words cannot encompass how truly grateful I am to have taken a step forward to ride again. I am fairly certain I have been smiling ever since.

I have decided that I want to get another horse. I'm not quite ready for the plunge yet, but I am fairly certain there is another dream horse out there for me. First, I need to find the finances necessary for such a commitment! 

I know one thing is for certain: I am a horseback rider. It is part of my identity. It is something that makes me feel "whole." I know I need it in my life in order to be me.

C is for CLIMBING!

One of the items that has remained on my bucket list, collecting dust and rust due to time and my ignoring it, is rock climbing. I have always had a keen interest in learning to perfect this hobby, yet never took the first step to do so. However, I finally took the plunge. 

Before I go on, I would like to thank this blog for putting enough fire under my behind to force me  to get out and pursue my interests and passions. Okay; brown nosing complete.

I visited Stone Summit, which is a north of Atlanta, toward the Spaghetti Junction. For a day of climbing, it was $18. This price was for a day of climbing and all rental equipment, which included:

• Climbing shoes
• Climbing harness
• Belay device
• Chalk bag
• An awesome instructor
• The person that instructed me, Pete, is currently standing behind me. He told me to say that.

If I were to have had my own equipment, it would have been $15. That really isn't the most substantial information, but we'll go with it.

It took approximately one hour to learn all of the neat rope tying, how to climb, and how to belay. Here is a video of a guy, who is obviously a little camera shy and more than a little awkward, showing how to tie a figure 8 knot. 

After mastering this knot and ultimately receiving my belay certification, I was ready to tackle my first climb.

There are three different types of climbing to choose from at the Summit gym: 

• Bouldering:
• Referred to as "free climbing," as there are no ropes attached during the process
• Requires no knowledge of how to tie knots or how to use belay devices
• Routes are shorter, normally only ten to fifteen feet high
• Occurs over a padded mat called a crash pad so that a fall would not cause serious injury
• Rating of difficulty for the boulder climbs at Summit begin at V0 for the easiest
• Top Roping: 
• Has the rope attached at the top of the rock
• Protected by a belayer, who is attached to the rope at the foot of the climb
• Lead Climbing: 
• Climber does not have an anchor point at the top of the rock while cimbing
• Considered to be much more difficult that bouldering and top roping
• Increases mental challenge
• Has a potential for larger falls

The difficulty of each top rope and lead climb is rated from 5.6 for the easiest. I am unfamiliar with how far up it goes from there... but I remember someone mentioning a 5.14 climb, which looked similar to something Spiderman would do. I had the opportunity to enjoy bouldering and top roping, and said "awesome instructor" showed us his skills in lead climbing. 

Before I go any further, I would like to include a few pictures of me climbing.

 This is the beginning of my first climb. My friend, Kelsey, was belaying me.

This is my third climb, which was a 5.8. After much effort and struggle, I made it to the top! It was an incredible feeling.

Aside from being an amazing workout, rock climbing proved to be an excellent release. During the process, it is nearly impossible to think about anything else aside from climbing. I definitely think I have found a new hobby.

"Climbing is as close as we can come to flying."

-- Margaret Young, aviator and alpinist

Thank you to http://www.saharasafaris.org/inspirational-hiking-quotes for the above quote.

B is for BACKGROUND info!

To where did my passion for life run and hide? Here is a little background.

I came to terms with my workaholicism at a very young age, working toward entrepreneurship as early as five years old. Here are a few examples of my early attempts at work:

• Kool-Aid stands
• Pet sitting services
• Dog walking
• Professional stapler
• To be clear, I do not mean the inanimate object of a stapler. Rather, I thought it was a brilliant idea to offer to do all of the stapling for my customers. And yes, I supplied the stapler and staples.
• Artist
• Specializing in portraits of stuffed animals and pets
• Miscellaneous cleaning in houses
• Baby sitting

Okay okay, I didn't say these ideas were good or successful, but I was consistently coming up with new ideas for income. I recently found some pastel drawings I did of different Ty Beanie Babies. I had planned on selling these at art shows.

The pictures are horrible. Exhibit A:

 This is my portrait of the Platypus, whose name was likely Patti... Or Patrick... Or Polydactyl... or something cleverly beginning with a P.

I obviously wasn't even pleased at the time with my art, as most of the pages resemble this one, with large X's going through the drawings.

The pet and baby sitting businesses seemed to be the most rewarding choices for me until I reached the age of fifteen and was able to get a "real" job. I worked part time jobs at Pacific Sunwear, Media Play, and Buffalo's. At age seventeen, I began working full time in sales.

It turns out that I, Jennifer Butler, am fantastic in sales... especially when motivated by commission. I attribute this to my intelligence, wit, stunning good looks, and obvious modesty. Before long, I was pulling in the big bucks and was offered one promotion after the other.

I suppose this is when I first lost sight of my passion. I had tunnel vision and was purely fixated on one thing: money. It took another five or more years, three car accidents, a bout with cancer, a few deaths in the family, and emotional and physical injuries to snap me out of that ridiculous mindset. It was during this transitional period of time when I decided to go back to school and pursue my passion: writing.

I found a different full time job... one that worked around my school schedule rather than keeping me 60 hours a week and on call the rest of the time. I initially struggled leaving the monetary beauty of my previous job, but I soon found peace in my decision.

Regardless of the new chapter in my life, I still felt burnt out, tired, and jaded. I had to work incredibly hard to retrain myself on how to approach each day. It is something on which I still work very hard. It takes consistent daily effort to remind myself of the positive aspects of my current lifestyle and my goals in life.

Stay tuned to see what daily effort I tackle next! Please visit the poll at the top of the page to place your vote on the next activity for me!

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."

-- Henry David Thoreau

Thank you to Good Reads for the above quote.

A is for taking ACTION.

It took me longer than I had hoped to gather the strength and patience necessary to tackle this blog. I made the decision weeks ago about the blog's purpose, but I have just now begun it. 

In short, I intend for this blog to be about rediscovering and redefining my passions, my love, and my happiness. I am going to get out and try new things, revisit old hobbies, rekindle lost friendships, and squeeze all I can out of each day. I will post about my activities, how they made me feel, and my future goals regarding each. Also, I vow to include a bit of humor to spice up each post. :-)

A few other ideas I had for the blog were:

• Retrieving some of my old journal entries from the same date, but 10-20 years prior
• Writing what I remembered about the entry
• Writing how that memory affected my life
• Writing what I learned from that memory
• Possibly some mockery of my younger self mixed with a bit of bragging on my current wisdom
• Approaching and complimenting five different people each day
• Making note of the time of day and location
• Making note of the age, race, and gender of the person
• Making note of each person's response
• Writing about how my words affected each person and how their reaction affected me
• Possibly a few stalkerish pictures of the people with whom I spoke
• Going an entire month as a vegetarian
• Discussing weight loss and overall health
• Discussing withdrawals and cravings
• Presenting different ideas for vegetarian meals
• Possibly sharing a few of my doodles, which would have inevitably been of cows, chickens, pigs, and fish
• Mmmm...

Even though I finally made a decision regarding the blog's subject matter, actually embarking upon the journey was another story entirely. As far as a goal for my readers, I honestly hope to instill a bit of motivation and hope in each of them. If it is not of help now, then ideally he/she can store it in a jar to be used as a later date.

In regards to how I ultimately made the decision about the blog, I believe it mostly had to do with what I most needed in my life right now. I know many people experience "emotional roller coasters," but I sometimes seem to have chosen the bumpiest one.

After a decent number of curve balls and obstacles were tossed at me, I fell time and time again. Regardless of how low I got, I would somehow gather the strength (or stubbornness) to slowly work my way back up. However, despite my stubborn drive, I still lost that "spark" or excitement for each day. I found myself jaded and myopic, awaiting something or someone to be handed to me on a silver platter. I wanted someone to offer me my dream job, my dream house, my dream man, or my dream body. I was tired of drawing the short straw, and wished for a fix.

I have since come to terms with the fact that wishing accomplishes nothing; taking action does. 

This brings me to my point about the blog. I intend to give brief explanations about some of the major obstacles with which I was been presented, but I plan to more deeply concentrate on what steps I am taking (and plan on taking) to reignite my spark, my excitement, and my passion for life.

This will take more effort than merely wishing and hoping.

I am excited. I am nervous. I am ready.

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you to Good Reads for the above quote.