Happy early Easter!

Since tomorrow is the amazing day when we get to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior and the new life He brings us, what better set of pictures could I post but a baby girl and a baby horse?  

New life is one of the most awe inspiring things we will ever experience - be it our own new spiritual life, or the new life of one of His creatures!

I hope these pictures bring a little blessing to your Easter!

Good golly we're tired....

......when I'm sitting in my room editing pictures, and I hear David from the other room yelling, "THREE TURTLES, BABY!!"  :) :) :)

Explanation - we're waiting for a mare to have a baby, and we're all running on zero sleep. David and Jessie are playing some fishing game on the ipad that includes demolishing turtles....thus the odd comments I keep hearing..... :)

Oh, just heard, "Heeyyy...you just pushed me into a crab pile..."

Dear Girls.....

Wounds Heal...Scars Fade....

Just a quick post here....this way you don't come visit my blog and the first thing you read is a despairing post!

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. I just wanted to update and let you all know that things are slowly getting better. Things will never be the same again, but wounds heal, and even scars can eventually fade.

I'm sorry to be so vague, but the family doesn't want the details being widely spread. Short story is the father died an extremely tragic and unexpected death, and left six young kids and a wife who are hurting deeply and very confused. They don't have God in their lives which complicates everything further.

But God is good, I've been stretched and grown through this, and we are being able to witness to and support this family like crazy.

Hopefully, I can post soon on all God's shown me as a result of this trial. But for now....goodnight!

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

Pain

My heart is hurting right now.....hurting so bad I don't even know what to do. It seems so wrong to go on living life normally when a huge, huge tragedy has just occurred in the family of one of our close friends. So wrong to do anything but lay on my bed and cry...and want to throw up...and pray....

Everything I know is saying that "God is always good...always working everything for good...this too shall pass, and bring Him glory....He has a plan....."

But everything else inside me right now is screaming "Why???????" Fighting and wailing, "It's not fair....this shouldn't have happened.....how can this be part of the Plan? Why?"

And then I know I shouldn't think that....that it's a lack of faith.....but I'm so confused right now. Completely shocked and heartbroken.

We absolutely covet prayer right now, both for us and for this other family. I don't believe they're saved, and we desperately need wisdom with what to do here - this could result in major changes for us as well.

The Most Epic of the Epicness!

If anyone had any doubts, (which I doubt) last night confirmed it: I am officially crazy. Picture crazy, that is. (Well, maybe I'm just crazy, too...hmmm...) 

For a while, I've had this idea floating around in my head, and have been waiting for the perfect sunset. Yesterday was kind of stormy and cloudy, and I was anxiously waiting for evening. Evening came, and I was out working a horse...okay, watching the sky and pretending to work a horse. 

Just as I thought the sun was about to go down behind the same boring grey-ness it had been hiding in all day, God proved me wrong. 

Leaping out of my cart, I jerked my startled mare out of harness, dragged her into the barn, and flew helter-skelter for the house, screaming "Jeesssiiieeee" at the top of my lungs. (I'm sure that little mare thought I had just gone over the edge).

Jessie knew exactly what was up, ran for the props I wanted, and we bolted out the front door. Much to my chagrin, the spot I originally wanted to use was absolutely terrible. The sky was only beautiful at the south end of our property...not the north end.

We're off again. Like two maniacs. Running pell-mell through the yard, through (or occasionally over) fences and gates, down the middle of the barn (past the mare I had been driving...now totally convinced we'd lost it), out into the pasture to the spot I wanted. If anyone was watching us, they would have just shook their heads...two girls running like mad with a super fancy camera, a beat-up guitar that is minus one string, and a cowboy hat. 

The sky looked like this for approximately 3 minutes. But I got the shot I wanted :) 

Now you all tell me which one is your favorite!

Grateful

Today's been a hard day in the miniature horse world. Two different good friends of ours lost horses. The first is a trainer in TX...had a dead foal born this morning, and lost the mare this evening. The other's a lady in TN, and we actually sold her this mare last year. Sudden, traumatic, and dead within hours.

Hearing about things like this makes me so grateful for all our healthy horses. So grateful for all the live babies we've had. The next baby we've got coming is super special - the only foal from Design, our World champion. Quite honestly, I'm scared to death about this little one. It will probably be here in the next 2 weeks or so, and I am just praying and praying everything goes well.

Even if it doesn't go well, I gotta remember He's in control. So hard when "our plan" isn't working out.

But in the meantime, I'm grateful.

Everytime you think you got it bad
You can find someone who's got it worse
All the things you take for granted now
They started out as blessings first
If you got someone who loves you
And a steady job that puts food on the table
If you're strong and able
Man, be grateful

Conversation with a four-year-old

At church on Sunday...during lunch....

4 year old: "Lisa! Lisa! I'm turning five and having a birthday party!!"

Me: "Sha-Weet!!"

4 year old: (pauses and cocks head) "What'd you say?"

Me: "Sha-Weet!!"

4 year old: (nodding wisely) "Sweet, Lisa, sweet. That's not how you say it!"

Me: "Ah, but it's how I say it!"

4 year old: (ponders for a moment) "Sha-Weet...is that how it goes?"

Me: chuckling...oh boy, I can just see how this is going to go....

4 year old's mother: "Look at the pretty flower!"

4 year old: "Sha-Weet!"

Mother: "That's not how you say it!"

4 year old: "Ah, but it's how I say it!"