The First Post!

How momentous!

So, I already have one blog on here, and its all about horses. I love horses, and I love talking about them. But I do have a life that is mostly not about horses that goes on around and in between those times. So I figured I might as well start a blog about it. Seeing as I quite like typing and talking about myself. And it also helps me vent sometimes, and puts things into perspective. (and today I am REALLY BORED)

Anyway, I guess I can start with a little background on my life. Warning, this will get VERY LONG. No, I mean it, VERY LONG! Turn back now ye faint of heart!!

I was born in Phoenix, Arizona to a mom and dad and brother 5 years my senior. We were actually living in my grandmothers driveway at this time in a trailer, lol. You know, I know they told me why but I can't remember. Anyway, I had a good childhood. We lived in two houses, both with in ground pools and the second house had horses. My first encounter being when my dad knocked on the front door one night holding a 16+ hand old roping horse for my mom. Big John was his name. She had rode all her life until she got married and just didn't have the place or money for them. Dad fixed her horseless problem that night! (although the horse was old, broke down and half lame, he was a gentle soul and we loved him)

When I was eight I got my first horse for Christmas. Blackey Dan. He was pretty short, completely black, and quiet to the point of tripping at least a dozen times each ride. For a while we just rode around the corral, but then my mom traded in old Big John for a flea bitten grey named Freckles. He was still pretty used up (roping again, and maybe racing, he had a lip tattoo) but he had a lot more spunk and didn't turn up with navicular for a few years. After he arrived my mom and I would go out on 'trail rides'. Meaning we rode along the roads and then down canal banks, dirt roads in between houses, etc. I had fun, but mostly I remember being scared of being abducted by mexicans or any other bad guy. What a silly girl I was! I was pretty much a scardey cat my whole childhood. Still get nervous more then necessary and think the worst of situations. Drives my husband nuts.

Anyway, I was a girl scout for years. From brownie to cadet. I had a lot of fun in it. Lots of good camping and girl scout camp memories. I went to the same elementary school from kindergarten to 6th grade, then moved to a jr. high until 8th grade I believe. Junior High was not much fun. The schools weren't near what they are today, but still a lot of stuff going on. I had a few close friends, but none that I really connected with. I've never had a BESTTESTTT girlfriend. Just a smattering of girls I hung out with a lot. (and when I was younger fought with a lot, lol)
Anyway, I had to ride the bus, and was the last stop, so it was always full, and I had to worry every morning bout who I would sit with, or if I'd be able to get a seat. Kids are cruel. And things like that really bother me. I wish they didn't! And you also had to get a stamp from every teacher of every class you went to, in this book. If you didn't get them all (for being late, no homework, bad behavior, etc) then you had to stay for 9th hour, or maybe 8th, cant remember. In other words DETENTION. It sucked, I am so forgetful etc, that I was in there half a dozen times before I got myself figured out and did what I was supposed to to get the stamps. It was nerve wracking!

Also math was terrible, did not like the teacher at all, and I have NO head for numbers anyway. PE was also horrible. I am not an athletic girl. But I did have one really great class, horse class of course! It was fun and the teacher was a good old cowboy, and we got to go on a desert trail ride at the end of the year. That was really neat, my mom got to come too.

Anyway, I lived in AZ until I was about thirteen/fourteen. By the way, my best birthday ever was my 13th, when we went to Turf Paradise and got to watch the horse races. We ate in the club house, bet on the horses, went down and saw them break from the gate, saw the outriders. I even had a chance to get to stand in the winners circle and take a picture with the jockey/horse etc if they won! But the horse didn't, sadly. But it was neat to say that we had the chance!

So my aunt and uncle, my dads brother, lived in Alabama. My dad was pretty close to him as a kid, and we were all getting tired of the bustle of Phoenix. So we bought 40 acres sight unseen (except for video!) that his brother found. Then we did our best to sell our house. It took about 2 years but finally we got it done and moved. I wasn't sad, a little nostalgic, but thats about it.

So my aunt was a teacher at a Christian school that her kids went to, so we went as well. That only lasted a year and my brother and I both decided we did not like it. My mom had been looking into homeschooling, so we dove into that the next year. I was home schooled from 11-12 grade. I loved it. I graduated in '02 at a church in Decatur. I performed on my violin. Oh yeah, I started playing the violin in elementary, 5th grade. And have ever since. I played in the orchestra in Jr. High, that was pretty fun.

So, we need to back up a bit now. Because two of the most important things in my life got passed over. God, and Lee.

First of all, in AZ we went to a few churches here and there, but not much else. Then when we got here, to the bible belt of America, we started going to my aunt and uncles church. I got God and Jesus at school and at church, and it wasn't long until I decided I wanted in! I didn't like being on the outside. So at chapel one day at school, one of my friends went forward to get saved, and I followed her. My aunt led both her and I to the Lord. It was a great day, I coldnt keep the smile off my face! I admitted that I was a sinner, I was sobbing not knowing why I was worthy of any kind of notice from Jesus, or why He would die for me. I was the lowest, so unworthy. But then I gave up and gave Him my life, and He took me as His. My parents had gotten saved a few weeks prior to this, and my oldest brother had about a year before. (he moved to AL before us to go to college, he lived with my aunt and uncle and then in the dorms there) My younger brother made a profession one day at church, but really only got truly saved just a few years ago.

Anway, on to Lee, my life. I met him not long after we first moved here. He went to the same church as my aunt and uncle. I was pretty much fascinated with him from the first time I noticed him. He says it was the same for him. He said that all the other girls just annoyed him, but I was different. :)

So we were both young, 14 and 15? Gosh, we seemed so much younger when I think of it now. His family didn't believe in dating, they did something called 'courtship'. I don't want to get into that a lot because it will just annoy me. So I'll try to summarize.

For years we were just acquaintances, we would talk every so often, but he was so shy, it was very hard. I wasn't much better! Finally we got to a point of talking quite a lot, and his older sister and my older brother started getting close. So we would go on group outings together, and I loved this. I could never ever get enough of him. I lived and breathed him. Thought about him all the time. Prayed to God that He would show me if Lee was the one, or not. And if not, to let me get over him, move along, not let things go farther. One day, I was getting so frustrated with the things that were going on with his parents, and I was just sitting there praying and I seriously felt like I heard God say "Trust Me." It was awesome. And I did, and look where we are now, married for almost 3 years!

So one night I got tired of the tip toeing around and finally got Lee alone for a few mintues. I asked him straight out, "So, what are we anyway??" He was so suprised! And then he said, "Well let me put it this way, if it weren't for the courtship thing I would have asked you to be my girlfriend a long time ago." Yes! I was so happy, and I told him something along the lines that if anyone came around I wouln't date them because I'm waiting for you, etc. So after that converstation we got closer, and started writing notes to each other every week. MOUNDS of them. I still have a lot of them, as does he. I love to sit and read them again. And it also kind of makes me sad because he doesn't do that anymore. I haven't gotten a note from him since we have been married. And I miss it. I've told him this MANY times, but he doesn't seem to get it...

Anyway, we had a lot of fights about his parents, frustration about not being alone, or able to do what we would like. One Valentines, I wanted a ring. I wanted to be engaged. I think I even just wanted a promise ring. But his parents were absolutely against it. It tore us up. But finally that next year in October I got an engagement ring for my birthday. :) Although it was really supposed to be a pre-engagement ring, but when he gave it to me, I was like, what? And then he just decided to ask me to marry him, lol. It wasnt very romantic, he didn't even get on his knee, but it was enough for me. I was ecstatic. His parents less so, but finally bending for us. We got married that next June in my parents back pasture. It was beautiful, everything I wanted. And I GOT everything I wanted, my Lee Lee.

So we tried to find a house for months but never came up with anything we liked. Except for one, but it was sold out from under us. But God knew what he was doing. So a house was up for rent about 5 mins or less from my parents house. Very cute and clean, and we decided it would do for now. So we stayed there for maybe 3 months (we had it rented for 3 months prior to being married) and then Lee decided it was too far for him to drive, and heard about another rental near his bosses house. So we moved there, and stayed for about 6 months. Then! The house just down the driveway from his parents house was for sale. And Lee started looking at it. It had nearly 2 acres, was near his parents and our horses (I acquired a QH mare the first year of our marriage, lol, who just happened to be pregnant!) and it was a decent house. I was not thrilled. I wasn't sure about living so close to his parents, and it was not the nicest house I'd ever seen. It had small rooms (especially worried about the small master) and it looked long and lean like a trailer house. Not attractive. But I knew Lee would love it, and it was closer to the horses, so we put in an offer. We got it for around 30k less then it was listed for because it was a foreclosure and had been on the market for a LONG time with no interest. (its not in a desirable area, being about 20 mins from the main town, but it is close to a smaller town and the community college, and not far from the interstate entrance) It also needed WORK. The paint was horrendous, and they hadn't finished trimming it out. The house is pretty new though. But put up very cheaply. Cheapest fixtures, doors, flooring, etc they could do. So we put some extra money on the loan to fix these things, and today we are pretty happy with it. Of course we would love to do a lot more with it. Money money!

So there you have it, pretty much up to date with me now. From birth to present! Where are we going with our lives? Well, we'd like to get out of debt and be better of finacially. We also want to have one or two kids someday. But we need more money and insurance before that. Also, I might actually WANT them too, lol. I have never been one to like kids, dont know why, but they either disgust me or drive me up the wall. Which I'm sure all that will change with my own. I only want one, but Lee comes from a big family and he likes that, so we will probably have two, who knows. We'll see!

Okay that is way more then enough for the first post. Ta ta!