The Horse Sanctuary

    My Ella girl, with her quiet disposition and aptitude for animal whispering, has recently begun seeking opportunities to work with farm animals to gain as much experience as she possibly can before college/vet school. If you've been reading my blog for a while OR you know our family well, you know that Ella has a tendency to have even the most reticent of animals come to her, without uttering a word. They seem to sense her calm spirit and flock to my girl without hesitation. I am simply in awe of this quality and innate ability in her. 

This is Dakota. He is paired in a paddock with a nurturing girl dubbed "Mama". 

    While we were at the farm, last week, my sister sent me a "Volunteers Needed" post for a horse sanctuary called Zorro's Crossing. My children have very little experience with horses and the only experience I have came in the form of being thrown from one as a small child. Therefore, I'm a bit uneasy around them. I marvel at their beauty, from afar, but nervous being close to them. Despite my anxiousness, I KNEW my girl would be thrilled about the opportunity to work with horses, so we e-mailed the sanctuary and she got a response fairly quickly. We were invited to visit the sanctuary and to meet the founder as well as the herd, which is what we did today. My farm lovin boy, Jacob, showed an interest in volunteering so he came along, as well. Upon entering the gates of the sanctuary, we were immediately impressed with its beauty. A narrow road winds itself around a vast pond and trees that are beginning to change colors. The deer are plentiful and at ease with traveling company ogling them, as they graze together, in between trees and in spurts of open fields along the narrow passageway. The road opens up to fenced paddocks on either side of the road. It was quite apparent that the horses were very well maintained, as were the paddocks they found sanctuary in, with their mates. Upon parking outside of the large horse barn, we were quickly met by a Great Pyrenees named Fran. My quiet girl smiled from ear to ear as Fran walked the length of her body across Ella's legs. As she reached down to pet the friendly girl, Fran instinctively seated herself atop Ella's booted feet. And, with that, an instant friendship developed. 

Just look at Fran's precious smile!

That impressively large fella is Lad. 

The founder of Zorro's Crossing greeted us warmly in the barn and quickly introduced us to Lad, whom she said reminds her of a majestic King. He was a big guy! I was a bit intimidated by him, but he was friendly and allowed Ella and Jacob to pet his muzzle. We got to meet Zorro and his "soulmate" Daisy, next. Daisy was used for youth therapy, earlier in the day, which included art. She is precious and gentle and perfect for children who get to draw pictures on her, with non-toxic paint, as they receive therapy. I love everything this sanctuary stands for. I only wish I'd have taken a photo of Daisy all gussied up like so!

    After touring the barn, we walked from paddock to paddock. Meeting each horse, along the way, and learning about their past and how each were acquired/saved from euthanasia, finding themselves in their forever home at the sanctuary. The sanctuary's founder, Jennifer Astrop, was extremely attentive to the herd as she double checked their water troughs and feed supply and spoke gently to each. She reminded me of a proud mama, as she pulled her phone out to take videos and photos of the gorgeous horses she was introducing us to, with a smile on her face. I imagined her phone must contain thousands of photos of the herd as she seemed just as impressed by them, as I was, despite getting to see them often. At one point, we were talking about church and God when she suddenly raised her phone to capture a photo as she exclaimed, "Every time I talk about God, I discover a cross!" and took a photo of a cross made from two blades of hay that was situated in the dirt, just beside a gorgeous one-eyed horse, named Dakota. God moments, like that, make my world go round, y'all.  

    It was a pleasant first meeting and tour as I felt myself becoming more at ease with each horse we were being introduced to. Jennifer had an obvious spiritual connection with the animals that was palpable. I knew that she felt God in the presence of those animals...and that made that tour of the sanctuary even better than I could have anticipated. Ella was all smiles from start to finish, and Jacob's face showed his wheels were turning. I knew my farm boy was looking for ways that he could be a productive asset for this new-to-us place. "I'm ready to be put to work." is what he exclaimed as we got back into my car to leave. "When do we start?"

 

The beautiful Rose.

    I'm looking forward to observing my children learning from the experiences that are inevitably to come from volunteering at the sanctuary, as well as becoming more at ease and learning from the horses myself. So many thanks to Jennifer, at Zorro's Crossing Horse Sanctuary, for the informative tour and warm welcome! We thoroughly enjoyed that time spent at the sanctuary and can only surmise that volunteering with you all will bless us well. 

Relishing in His goodness...

Christy

IStndAmzd79@gmail.com

Thirteen

   

The days of being able to purchase discounted tickets for children twelve and under, in my household, are extinct. That's right, my baby is officially a teenager! 

Let me just tell you about my thirteen year old! Jacob is one of the most inquisitive people I've ever met. He is a sponge soaking up as much information as he possibly can and thrives on learning. He's precocious, comedic, a total empath with a high moral compass, persistent, stubborn (like his mama), creative, sociable, intuitive, and a hard worker. He's extremely observant of human behavior/mannerisms. He can easily read a room and it's extremely difficult to get anything passed him. He oftentimes tag-teams up with Luke to be the purposeful pestilent duo that they are together, driving me to the point of annoyance. Proof that, in the male world, forty-seven and thirteen aren't too far apart on the scale of maturity! Ha! Jacob loves being outside. His new favorite hobby is fishing. He's becoming skilled with the tractor as well as cattle farming, and growing/harvesting veggies. One of his favorite activities, in school, is creative writing. He thoroughly enjoys learning from his Sunday school teacher and hates to miss a Sunday at church. He's recently moved up to the Youth Group, on Wednesday nights, and is enjoying that, too. I'm fairly certain that his most favorite person is his Pops and they are quite a pair together. He's a huge help to me, and without complaint. He's a pretty awesome kid and he makes his mama immensely proud. 

   Despite the fact that Hurricane Helene stuck a pin in our plans for a big celebratory birthday cookout, we were mighty thankful to be able to celebrate at all. Especially while so many others were suffering from the aftermath of such a cataclysmic storm. 

    My boy started his first day, as a teenager, doing what he loves to do best. Fishing! He caught two mud cats, two catfish, and one brim. 

The Georgia sky played its part resplendently; offering a vast sea of serenity with waves of overlapping clouds adrift. Glorious rays, from the sun, beaming down in between them as Jacob stood on the bank of his favorite fishing hole, casting his line out. What a birthday gift for my boy! 

Mama and sister cheering him on. Always and forever. 

Because birthday surprises are still fun at thirteen. 

And when unconditional love and grace are the evidential driving forces for these thriving relationships, there you have these people. Grandparents (who don't have to be, but proudly choose to be) to my children. They were adamant about celebrating Jacob's birthday, for him, despite us having to cancel the party. And I'm so appreciative of that love for my babies. 

He picked a carrot cake this year. It was yummy!

Ending the day with family time!

    Because we couldn't expect people to drive out to the farm, after the storm, for a larger celebration, we had two separate smaller celebrations. Despite the fact that we were missing so many people, I think Jacob felt mighty loved. I appreciate all of you who celebrated with us, as well as those of you who gave him gifts at church this morning, or called/texted to wish him a happy birthday! Bless you all for helping to make his day so special!

    For his second celebration, he requested I cook meatloaf, sauteed broccoli, and mashed potatoes. We also had cucumber salad, Texas smoked sausage, and mac & cheese.

 When all eyes are on you...

Cousin Wesley (in the glasses) with Ella, Jacob, and I.

I'm easily his favorite Aunt. :)

We were able to get Lindsey in the group photo, via video call! Woot!

You can't tell but he's BIG CHEESING behind that big ole heart! He lights up our world!

Love them so. 

My precious Jacob,

    Without intent to hyperbolize but, instead to give glory to God for choosing me to be your mama, finding out I was pregnant with you was nothing short of many answered prayers. And, oh, how I've adored being your mama and watching you grow and learn and thrive and teach. I can tell you with certainty that I've learned just as much from you, if not more, than you've learned from me. I have no doubt that God created you to do great things and to be a beacon in this dark world. You are a teenager and tower over me at nearly six-foot tall, but you'll forever be your mama's baby. 

I'll love you forever and for always. 

-Mama

Thank you, Father, for choosing me. 

Relishing in HIS goodness...

Christy

IStndAmzd79@gmail.com

Before the Storm...

    In the midst of planning a cookout, in celebration for my soon-to-be thirteen year old's birthday, Mother Nature decided to stick a pin in our plans by dumping a hurricane onto our path. Therefore, I reluctantly sent a group text with plans to reschedule. This probably came as no surprise as all of the party guests are also in the path of the hurricane. Archery practice and church were both canceled last night. I've spent the past two days prepping, in the event that we lose power for an extended amount of time. All of the laundry has been done, and dishes/cookware washed. We've all had showers. The bathtubs are full of water. We have plenty of water frozen and more in the fridge. Outdoor porch items have been tucked away. Our Alexa devices and phones have spewed notifications for "Tropical Storm Warnings" every hour or so. Our county has sent constant tips on how to best prep as well as for warnings for our specific area. My house is surrounded by trees, on all four sides, so I take those warnings seriously. 

    Luke and I got up early and made a big breakfast (and coffee! Praying I get to make another pot tomorrow morning, too!). He and the kids went to the store to get last minute things that we may need in the event of a power outage. Jacob's virtual school let out early and announced a closure tomorrow. Ella's virtual school hasn't announced anything, but my diligently responsible girl completed all of her school work for the next two days, anyhow. 

    Jacob doesn't play video games often, anymore, but he's been playing with his friends, as the rain keeps pouring down, today. Not a care in the world and I LOVE it! Hearing him laughing and chatting with them has been a sweet, sweet symphony to my soul. To be a kid again.  

    Ugh. I hate storms, so I'm busying myself with chores/prep, talking to God along the way. My hope is that all of this prepping will be unnecessary in the end.

    Pray with me, please, that this storm (Hurricane Helene) weakens and there is no devastation or loss to my home state and surrounding states. Pray for a hedge of protection. Pray, also for the safety of the first responders who serve our community bravely and without pause.    

    On a light-hearted side note, Luke's sister and her hubby are home from Bolivia for the next three months! They figured out the way to my lil coffee-loving heart, y'all, and brought me coffee and a mug from the country she's spent the past two plus decades in doing mission work. I sent this photo to her, this morning, and captioned it, "Big cheesy cheesing while enjoying Bolivian coffee in my new favorite mug..."

(morning hair. don't care.)

 Such thoughtful gifts! I'm incredibly appreciative of this family my kids and I have been welcomed into so well. 

    The sky is calm, for the moment, and we're thankful for it. If you're in the path of the hurricane, too, hunker down and be safe, y'all! Hugs and blessings! 

    To be continued...

    Update (09-29-24): We were quite blessed when the storm headed farther east of us. Our hearts are absolutely broken, however, at the devastation that Hurricane Helene left in its wake to our surrounding states, as well as to other parts of Georgia. In the event that you feel inclined to volunteer your time or give a donation, I'm sharing the link to Samaritans Purse so that you may be informed on how to do so. There is a second hurricane heading toward the same path, in less than a week and then one to follow that one making a total of three hurricanes in the span of two weeks. Continued prayers for our Southern states are coveted. 

Relishing in HIS goodness...

Christy

IStndAmzd79@gmail.com

Yesterday and a Lifetime Ago

 He often spoke, with such hopefulness, of the day we'd celebrate our twentieth anniversary. Therefore, on what would have been our twentieth wedding anniversary, I want to honor my late husband in this post. This is for you, JohnnyCakes. 

    

At the front and center of this twenty year old photo are two young and very broken people who were clinging to one another in sanguine effort to find some semblance of indefectibility and amelioration. In the years that were to follow, we would discover that marriage could not pose as a patch for our past traumas and would be difficult to maintain...and, at times, extremely difficult. 

  However...

    When it was good, it was exceptional. I'm here to post about those times for him. 

    Darrell was an extremely hands-on husband and father. He cooked countless meals and helped me to clean often, on his days off. He coached little league. He attended nearly every event that our children participated in. He attended many pediatrician appointments, along with me, and went to most of my doctor's appointments during my pregnancies. He went grocery shopping when I was unable to. He enthusiastically planned/helped to plan many hiking trips, day trip excursions, picnics in the park, library/zoo/aquarium visits, and family nights out at the bowling alley or movie theater. He worked hard and as much as he possibly could so that I could stay home and raise our children. Something that I will forever be indebted to him for, as having that ability has been such an honor to me. He thoroughly enjoyed giving our babies great big Christmases and playing Santa. One particular Christmas, he put together a trampoline for extremely eager children as Georgia saw a rare snowstorm. He didn't let the cold keep him from accomplishing that task and would soon join our children in a snowy jump before coming in to thaw out. Darrell could often be seen holding a baby, until time would cause a graduation that consisted of him protectively holding their hands in public places when they got too big to carry. He never turned down an opportunity to read to them, when his kids asked him to, nor would he turn down a good cuddle by any of us, when desired. He relentlessly called the hospital I was in, from his own hospital bed several cities away from me, to ask the nurses how I was doing. "Your husband has called at least ten times to check on you, today!", the nurses would exclaim. I did not have the lung capacity to speak so I have no idea how he managed to make those calls, being as sick as he was, aside from sheer determination to be my protective husband. 

    He loved us fiercely and to the best of his ability. I will forever be grateful for his best. He was immensely proud of being a husband and father. 

    We had a heap of good memory making moments during our seventeen years of marriage and eighteen plus years together. I'm deeply appreciative of every single one of them. 

Darrell,

    My heart is full of gratitude at the thought of the copious amount of ordinary moments that we spent making extraordinary memories together and with our babies. Thank you for being such an intricate part of my life's journey. I never imagined that, on what should have been our twentieth wedding anniversary, I'd be in love with another and you'd be gone. God's plans for us are far different than we could ever begin to plan or imagine for ourselves, but they're never wrong. I have no doubt that you are blissfully happy in your forever home where I am certain we'll see one another again. I am blessed to have knowledge of that fact and to be loved so well in your absence. And Luke does. He blesses my soul with an overflowing amount of love. I have assurance that you are happy for the love he and his family have for the kids and I. They don't replace what we made together but they're, most definitely, an addition to the tapestry. 

   Every bit of those eighteen plus years, JohnnyCakes; I have no regrets. Even through the extremely tough days, I'd do it all over again to have what we created together. Thank you for loving us. I hope we made you feel loved in return. 

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await our Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. -Philippians 3: 20 & 21 

Relishing in HIS goodness...

Christy

IStndAmzd79@gmail.com