Posts

Showing posts from 2017

Life Lessons From a Chestnut Mare

Image
A few years ago I wrote a post about not being scared, because I ride a mare (see " You Don't Scare Me... ". This is a post inspired by that same mare, and while there may be some sarcasm intermingled, the life lessons learned from a chestnut mare are valuable. 1. Stand up for yourself . My chestnut mare is the boss in her herd. She doesn't let any of the other horses push her around, and when it comes to people, you earn her trust and respect, and then you can negotiate with her. These are traits we all need. I have struggled with standing up for myself, and when I'm feeling challenged, I think about Secret, my chestnut mare, and how she would handle herself in that situation. 2. Sometimes it's okay to overreact.  You never know, that sparrow may be dangerous. It's better to get to a safe place and then evaluate the situation. What I've noticed in life is that many times we put on a happy face - or push our emotions to the side. My mare wears her

The 1,000th mile

Image
Lao Tzu said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." But as I laid in the mud and watched my horse jump right to avoid stepping on me, I wondered if we would be able to take the final steps in that journey of 1,000 miles. The day wasn't starting off very promising. The 1,000th mile was just as hard won as the first. Come to think of it, the first mile was pretty easy. It was April of 2010. John (Kerry Killarney - 2003 Morgan gelding) and I cruised through our first 25-mile ride with the Eastern Competitive Trail Ride Association (ECTRA) . He won the rookie horse award, I won rookie rider, and we had a score of 99 out of 100. Now, we just needed 25 miles for me to reach my 1,000th ECTRA mile. John is still a few hundred miles off of this milestone, as some of my miles were completed on CBMF Secret Crush. We were entered in the Brookfield Competitive Trail Rides in New York, we arrived Friday night (June 23, 2017) after getting a little lost. I was ne

It Wasn't All Bad

Last month, I wrote about my medical challenges, and the long road I have traveled because of them. To be fair, it wasn't all bad. Sure, I would rather have not gone through all of that, but I also need to give a shout out to everyone who brightened those dark days for me. My family and friends stepped up day after day for me. I kept cancer quieter the second time around, only sharing the news with a core group of people. Word of mouth helped it travel some. Everyone is busy though, and all of my friends had stepped up so much the first time, I didn't want to ask for that support again. My family was a huge support to me. My parents took care of my horses. My sister drove me to medical appointments when needed, had tons of cards for me, decorated my hospital rooms, and more. Family, friends and co-workers all visited me on various hospital stays. The girls that I ride with came and had "girls night" in my hospital room at UConn. We laughed so hard the nurses were

Medical Hiccups

Blood clots, relapses, chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, radiation, maintenance chemotherapy... I guess it's okay that I'm still tired. My immune system turns two years old today, and it's finally time to share the rest of the story. I wrote a lot about cancer the first time, but kept things quieter during round two. This fills in a lot of the gaps, and how we watched my cancer slowly come back, even before it could be diagnosed. But the tone of this post isn't supposed to be depressing. My message to you is enjoy every good day, chase your dreams, and get outside. My cancer is not rare, but my situation with it is. I was diagnosed with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, six years after I completed chemotherapy. Since I had made it past the 5-year mark, my case is considered rare, as one doctor told me, this only happens in one percent of the patients. When you are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, the majority of patients are told, “Don’t worry, this is the best kind of

Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch

Image
Exploring new trails in other parts of the country or world introduces you to aspects of the place that you might not otherwise experience. When I traveled to Phoenix for a conference in February of 2016, I also stayed in Mesa at the Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch for a few days, just outside Phoenix. The ranch sits at the crossroads of adventure, with Saguaro Lake and Tonto National Forest both bordering the property. What interested me the most was High Mountain Trail Rides, based out of the ranch. Several different cabin options are available, depending on the size of your group. There is a large main lodge, with an oversized dining area, living room, den, and bar. Books lined the walls of the living room and den. There is no Wi-Fi or clocks in the cabins, making it easier to unplug and enjoy a real vacation. Family style breakfasts, with all of the options you can imagine, are part of the room rate. Outside, a pool and other recreational activities await guests. Water activit