gentle reader, think how impactful this short phrase is.

really think about it.

it applies in so many ways...so many!

so many times we are afraid of something. we let that fear hold us back. and then wham! it then turns into regret.

whether it be something we have said.

whether it be our actions.

whether it be our thoughts.

dang!

there are have been a few times that i have said...jeez, i wish i woulda.

i don't think over long on any of those woulda's anymore.

and the me today? i don't have many of those woulda moments.

with age comes wisdom and maturity...for most people...i must say, there are some people that it won't matter if they live to 120...they will never reach a pre-school level of wisdom and maturity. it just ain't happenin' for them.

but on the grander scale...it does happen for most people.

the girl and i are in fort worth right now for the apha world show.

it had brought back a lot of memories for me.

some good.

some scary.

some proud.

in 2003, i was the novice western pleasure champion.

it was awesome.

it was a feeling i can never truly explain.

the sense of accomplishment, hard work, dedication...of not only me but of kiroman and the girl and our awesome horse trainer and his assistants.

the next year, i came back to the world show.

same arena.

same horse.

same kiroman and the girl.

same horse trainer.

the big change...i moved into amateur. drop the novice part.

the morning of my class...i was a wreck.

not many people know this.

that morning, i had a meltdown in the hotel bathroom.

i absolutely remember how scared i was. how i doubted my ability to ride in the same class as some of those riders.

but ya know what? i sucked it up...i dried my eyes, pulled up my big girl panties, and became that cast iron bitch i knew i could be.

of course, the half a bottle of a mike's hard lemonade helped soothe my nerves as class time arrived. and if you knew me in 2004, you know...i didn't drink...so that half a bottle...that was a lot to trophy wife's system.

but i jogged through the tunnel, giving my best impression of a parade wave as i could, and entered that class like i belonged there.

because, damn it, i did!

and i came out of that class 4th!

the point to all that rambling is simple...i didn't let that fear take hold of me and keep me from something i wanted so desperately.

and i have no regrets about being in that pen that day.

so i guess what i'm saying...fear is temporary...i will never let fear keep me from going after anything...unless it's a sabre tooth tiger...that's a totally different story!

that sick feeling in your stomach goes away...regret lasts a lifetime.

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i didn't blog this the last time because i didn't have it. when i came acrossed it on instagram, i asked the girl to send it to me. this is how she spent her time between class and work on wednesday...she hit panera, put her phone on do not disturb and studied! that is how she is attaining a 4.0. that is how she is kicking some butt at school now. i'm so happy that she has found something that speaks to her passion. i knew that once she was able to do that, things would click into place! and the certainly have. another example of what happens when you don't let fear interfere with what you want!

i didn't have this one either...even after my awesome lasagna, the girl can still show off her abs. i'm tellin' ya, she is puttin' the work in and seeing the results! good for you!!!

and when the girl walked into school thursday morning, she was greeted by these yahoos! proclaiming it to be national polo day and national chocolate milk day. i'm not sure how accurate that is, but it gave them reason to wear polos and drink a half gallon of chocolate milk!

and yes, it's blurry but the guy taking the photo kept talking while snapping...and this is the result...but the guys thought the girl should be part of the national chocolate milk day.

i had to screen cap because of all the likes on this facebook post...cuz i can and i think it's cool.

when the girl finished class thursday, i picked her up and we headed to fort worth. about 5 hours into our trip, i asked the girl to take over driving for awhile. it's such a relief to have someone relieve you from driving duties! about 6pm, i really looked out the window and realized...to the left it was totally dark and to the right the sun was still setting. i know this is a crappy photo but you can kinda see what i'm talking about. it was super cool to see!

and this is the only other on the road photo we took...which is unusual for us...we usually keep ourselves amused by taking photos of weird things on a road trip. we stopped for food then found a place to fuel up...the place was kinda sketchy but it was the only station at our stop. and i really had to use the facilities...which were pretty substandard...down right disgusting...but beggars can't be choosers...

i faxed the girl's application to the disciples of bj plamer mc thursday morning...i finally was able to check my facebook friday morning and saw this! and i received a text from the club pres this morning...patches are on the way! woo hoo! please remember, gentle reader...you do not have to be a chiropractor to join...membership requires you love chiropractic and the open road...got questions, ask away!

we picked up the girls outfit this afternoon. this is 5th outfit april has made for the girl. and every time she totally out does what she did the year before. i am always so amazed! it's going to look fabulous on cookie monday! i can't wait to see the whole dang picture...the pad, the hat, on the horse...yep...pretty cool for sure!

and while we were there, we met stella. stella is a norwich terrior. she has the best hair ever! i mean ever! she has the cutest personality, too! if you know me well, you know that i am not a fan of small dogs. but thsi one has me thinking that small dogs can be a-ok! not that i want one any time soon...but maybe later ;)

uh, mom...you should not have looked at this one. all i can say...a nice flat stretch across the dam, pedal to the metal and holy shit! look what the jeep did...

when we got back to the stalls, look who was there visiting! banks! we knew he was going to be there and i could not wait to give my favorite cowboy a hug and a kiss! it was so good to see him in person. it was so good to talk to him in person. it was so good period! ya'll know have i two kirosons...this guy is definitely my cowboy son! i sure do miss seeing him. i am so grateful to have hugged him today.

we had a little extra down time today so we hit the nail salon and got fixed up! the girl snapped this photo with the arena and tractor in the background.

and now. now it's time to ride.

how great does this look? the girl saw it on pintersest today, showed me and i had her text it...i think it's worth checking out, gentle reader...definitely worth checking out.

that pretty much concludes catch up here on the ol' blog.

a heads up...there probably won't be another post until next thursday...the girl shows on monday, we drive home tuesday, i will write on wednesday and post thursday morning!

muah!

i am grateful:

• to have seen and hugged and kissed cowboy son
• for a decent hotel room
• the girl had a great ride tonight
• the hell hound is getting his shit figured out
• for a comfy bed