My senior year bucket list

My senior year bucket list!!
This is my last year as a minor. After this I could go to jail so I want to make the very beat of this year. These are just some of the things I want to do before I graduate in June. 

• Laugh until I cry
• Stand on Lady at a walk
• Don't get pulled over (avoid cops) 
• Go clubbing
• Reject a guy
• Date a guy
• Live to 12/22/12 
• Randomly drive to Oregon with a friend for no reason
• Go to state with Cupid
• Get student of the month
• Get closer to God
• Don't die
• Spend the night with Lady
• Graduate without a baby
• Say yes to everything for an entire day
• Go a week without Facebook
• Hang out with friends all night at our elementary school
• Get a tattoo
• Get a piercing
• Leave a note somewhere random
• Go to 2 proms. Aw yeah!
• Dance with friends in the rain
• Grow out my hair
• Spend the night in Seattle and go to the space needle again
• Go ice skating
• Have a "Tami's Day Off" day. (like Ferris Buellers Day Off)
• Have a water balloon fight
• Go to Scotland
• Donate blood 

Letter to a teacher

I spent the last few hours thinking about my choice in community service. I thought about if it really is community service. I drove away from school that day believing that giving free horse back riding lessons was not. However, the more I thought about it and talked to the mom of the girl who I would be giving lessons to, I realized it was. I was helping out a random stranger, a 9 year old girl reach her dream. Her mother can't afford lessons and me giving her free lessons has made her really happy and has made her little girl reach the dream of being a cowgirl. You mentioned that teaching mentally disabled kids would be community service. How is teaching a little girl who cant afford lessons any different? You also mentioned that I shouldn't choose a community service that is a profession. 

While looking for other things to do, I realized that pretty much all community service is a job. When I attended emerald ridge high school, I was in an interact and key club and did lots of community service. I sold hot dogs...hot dog vendors would say its a job. I cleaned horse stalls...a groomer would say that is a job. I cleaned up our school campus...the custodian would say that is a job. 

You also asked me what I think community service is. I didn't have an answer. I thought about it and I believe that community service is helping out our community and feeling rewarded, but not being rewarded. Taking time out of our busy lives to help someone else that we don't know. I feel like if I gave lessons to this little girl, her dream would come true and I would be part of that. I am taking every Saturday morning off for the next 2 and a half months to help this girl reach her dream. That means me asking my boss for Saturday mornings off. It means not staying up late on Friday nights with friends. I am making sacrifices for this girl.  Google defines community service as, "Voluntary work intended to help people in a particular area.

Unpaid work, intended to be of social use, that an offender is required to do instead of going to prison." I believe my idea for the require 10 hours covers this definition. Obviously, not the required to do instead of going to prison part, but I am voluntarily working to help a 9 year old girl reach her dream. Not getting paid, but feeling good about myself. Now, you may not believe that giving free lessons is real community service, but I believe that it is. You aren't the only one who signed my paper, but you are the only one who had a problem with it. The only one who lectured me on community service and made me walk away, thinking about calling the girls mom to tell her "no." although I couldn't do it, so wether you allow me to do this as my community service or not, I will give this girl free lessons, because I can't break a little girls heart like you can break a seniors heart. 

Horse Slaughter: No bueno

Horses have personalities whether you believe it or not. They have good days and they have bad days. They get happy and they get sad. They are part of the family. They are innocent. They dont mean any harm, if they do it's probably human's fault.

In recent news it says that congress is going to be lifting the ban on horse slaughter. I am one who is against horse slaughter and I am very happy that it is currently illegal. I understand that some people will buy INNOCENT horses from auction and sell them to slaughter houses in Canada. I think that's wrong too.

I understand when it is better to put an animal down than to let them live a miserable life, but the horses that are going to slaughter houses are INNOCENT. They did nothing. How would you feel if nobody wanted you and suddenly you were on death row, about to die when you did absolutly nothing to deserve it.

Some people are for the congress lifting the ban because there is a high population of horses, but that could be prevented. Not every mare should breed and geld your stallions. I think slaughter houses should take older horses or horses that have to be put down anyways and let them die peacefully. That is the ONLY way I see slaughter houses as a good thing.

When i think of the word "slaughter" I dont think of good things. It's an ugly word. You cant describe something as "slaughtered" and make it be a good thing. I dont think horses should be SLAUGHTERED. They are seen as a little girl's wish. A beautiful, free creature. Horses dont deserve to die the way they die in slaughter houses. I am AGAINST congress for trying to lift the ban on horse slaughter.

A dream come true

If you have read my previous blog about my beautiful, horse, Lady, then you should know that I love her soo much and she means everything to me and since the last time I wrote about her was back in May, things have changed. She isnt at the same barn anymore. She's at a new one, to me a better one, one that I can see her EVERYDAY!!!!

We moved from city to country. 5 acres where my sweet baby girl can live with me. I can wake up in the morning and see her outside my window. I can go on midnight rides and go brush her first thing in the morning. I have learned that its harder work then I first imagined, but when I see that beautiful horse of mine grazing in my front yard, I know that this is worth it. I can make my own rules and ride with nobody criticizing me. I have met great and wonderful and not so great or wonderful people while boarding. I have learned more about Lady and taking care of a horse then I would if she had lived with me. Im glad that I got to board her and be able to learn all I have while boarding. Why such things are bad like standing in mud or why you should clean hooves almost every day. I am so thankful for the people who have helped me and taught me what to do if Lady's leg bleeds, if she gets an absess, if I fall, get right back on. And now about 4 years after owning Lady, I can have her in my front yard and I know that if I need any help or have any questions, I have some amazing facebook horse friends that can gladly help me. My dream of having Lady come live with me and we can canter together every day has come true! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 I love my sweet Ladybug!!!

The Interview

In my last blog, I talked about how hard it is for a 16 year old to get a job. I have applied everywhere and while applying I knew I was doing this to get a job....the interview skipped my mind.

I got an interview at Jack In the Box. Sure, not the best place to work, but its a job and they got me an interview! Now Im scared to death. What if they dont hire me because my fingers are painted purple or if my shoes are the wrong kind. My hair isnt in a bun, I misspelled something on my resume! I stutter or I give a wrong answer! Now Im scared...Im afriad they will ask me questions like Why do you want to work here? My reply is I need a job and I like your food. I believe thats the wrong answer. And What are your weaknesses? My reply, Im perfect and dont have any...oh except for im clumsy and often lose things and break things. What am I going to do.

Well my interview is tomorrow so WISH ME LUCK!!

Jobs...

What do you do for a living? That is the question. Its something EVERYONE must have at least once in their lives. My mom is a stay at home mom, but she used to work at Arby's. Then she worked somewhere else and from there, somewhere else.


I recently turned 16. I knew at 16 I was gonna get a job. I just didnt realize how hard it was going to be. Classifieds, Help Wanted, Applications. All these words seem so familiar to me now. There are no jobs in the classifieds I'm intrested in, I havent see any 'help wanted' or 'now hiring' signs that I think I would be able to get. Applications are all over. My hand hurts from filling them all out. Online and paper. I have memorized the address and phone numbers to my school, my references, and my community service info. I always thought filling out an application was easy, but most my answers consist of N/A. I mean, some have a huge part just for your past employment and I dont have any besides some community service. Dont leave any blanks so N/A fills all the blanks. Then questions that I dont understand. I even had me do math and not use a calculator. I suceeded in doing it without one, but dont cash registers do the math for you? c'mon, this is 2011!!


A friend of mine is homeschooled so his availability is much higher than mine. I cant be flexable with my schedule besides in summer. I need to get a job NOW.


Then there's that question on Why do I need a job? Why am I going through with this? I'm 16. I live with my parents and have school to go to and horses to attend to. I got food to eat and a roof over my head. Why do I need a job??? Then reality catches up with me and maybe if I had a job I wouldnt be in debt with my parents. I owe money on grain for my horse that I needed to pay for myself but didnt have the money. If I had a job I wouldnt have to go to my grandmas to make a little cash. I would have money to buy my horse things, myself things, and gas for my car, and I could pay off my car.


Soo...I guess what Im trying to get accross is that I think someone should hire me because if I get a job then I am really hard working and Im sure a lot of others are too.


Thank you for lisening to my job problems :) <3

Horses 05/20/11

Horses. What do you think when you hear the word horses? I think of my life. My world. My whole future. It wasnt that way my ENTIRE life, but since 3 years ago, it has been.


October 15, 2007. 12 year old girl. its about 2:30ish after school. I receive a text from my mom asking if I wanna take horse lesssons. Of course I do. Later that day, I meet my soon-to-be trainer and she introduces me to Duke. Duke is a 12 year old stallion. A strawberry roan. Yet, he's a beginner horse and calmer then any horse I will have ever known. I start taking lessons and I fall in love with riding.


November 10, 2007. 12 year old girl. about 11:20ish on a Saturday. Im in Tanino picking up a beautiful 16 year old sorrel and white paint Quarter Horse/Throroughbred. The horse that will change my life forever. I'm riding in the truck with my mom and my horse trainer with a horse trailer on the back. I am more excited then I have ever been in my life. For that 16 year old sorrel and white paint Quarter Horse/ Thoroughbred was going to be MINE!! Her name is Ladybug. Lady for short. A week ago I rode her for the first time and she was perfect. Or so I thought.


November 10, 2007. 12 year old girl. about 1ish on a Saturday. We get to Trail Gate. The barn that will be the barn I am boardig at. Lady's stall is a small 3x6 stall next to a older horse named Tootsie and another paint named Dock. The arena is enormous and its beautiful. big important barn.


November 15, 2007. I want to ride Lady again and as I try to tack her up she keeps moving around and its hard to do so. Once I get her tacked she is hard to ride. I'm thinking I might regret getting her. I cant control her.


January 21, 2008. Since the unpleasent ride on the 15th, I only rode a couple other times, still afraid to ride. Only when I do lessons do I ride. Is this the same horse I test rode and thought she was the best horse in the world?! Im always thinking. My grandma paid a lot of money for her and so I keep my thoughts to myself. She has reared and bucked and scared me more then once. Besides that, the barn Im boarding that is driving me and my mom crazy. We have decieded to move to a new barn.
So here I am at a barn with about 30 horses. Lady's stall is 12x12 and has a HUGE paddock. My friend rides here and it has an indoor arena. Its beautiful and as I bring Lady out of the trailer...I...can...handle...her! She is calm! I take her to her stall and she trots around and rolls. She seems happy.


February 2008. I ride Lady. I love riding Lady. Lady is the best horse in the world. These are the things that I never said back at Trail Gate. Im even thinking about bareback.


April 2008. Im sad. for 2 whole months! I cant ride! Our farrier, Jimmy, has trimmed Lady's hooves too short. We have to wait for them to grow back. 2 months. 2 WHOLE MONTHS! The barn owner has let me ride the other horses there, but its not the same.


April 2009. Its a year later and I love my horse. Its no more bit or saddle for me. I ride her bareback with a halter or hacakmore. Depends if I want to spend time getting out the bridle. The barn is getting busier and...more dramatic. I love the indoor arena, the 12x12 stalls, the people who are here, the trails near by, the wash rack, everything! Well...except...the DRAMA! Soooo...we are moving her to a new barn in May. A smaller one. A more private one.


June 2009. There are 3 horses in the pasture grazing. The whole land is pasture. Just lush green grass. Im loving it. Sitting high in the hay loft watching Girl, Sarah, and Lady eating. in a week we'll have 3 more horses! Its summer and I get to see Lady elmost every day! This is the first barn that I have done full care. They clean, they feed, they do everything. All I do is ride. Buuuut the thing is that I only get to see her once a week when I go back to school. When I was in school, the best day of my week was Saturdays. I even fell off Lady. Im still riding bareback and bitless. Its amazing here.


October 2009. If there is ever a barn I regret boarding at then its that stupid full-care-with-lush-green-grass-and-few-little-horses. Lady has gone from weighing 1200 pounds to 800. Once I started going back to school I could only see her once a week (not my choice) and we notice her loosing weight. They took her off grain and hay and said the grass was enough. Obviously it wasnt. So now we are at Brick House Barn. Once again its full care and I can only come once a week. the stalls are 15x12 and has 2 horses. Paddocks are huge and large riding area. Lets see how this barn goes....


March 2010. Lady. Has. Mud. Fever. Turns out that they dont have a poo pile. They dont have wheelborrows. They take a pitchfork and go into the stall and fling whats in the stall into the paddock. Now my baby girl is suffering the conciquences. We are out of here. Looking at new barns. People are nice, but Im tired of this mud! Its up to her knees!! I have fallen in the mud/poo 5 times too many. 


April 12, 2010. New barn today! Her stall is 12x12 and her paddock is HUGE! Small barn with 7 or so orses. People are good christian people. <3 Arena is huge and everything is organized. I <3 it!!


May 12, 2010. The barn is great! Although, its back to saddle and bit because Im back into lessons with a new trainer. My trainer left for Alaska. She makes me work hard and Lady harder. Its going to be a long summer. 


May 20, 2011. And now, we are in present as this is being written on this day. My horse is happy at the same barn as last year. Not much happens. We come, we clean, I brush, I longe, I ride, I untack, I put away. Im not really in lessons right now, but I ride western mostly and every time im riding with a bit. I love it. Occasionlly on nice days I will ride bareback. Have a nice relaxing ride. I love her and she really is the best horses the world has ever seen!! No matter how many times I move her, how many hats I put on her, How fast I make her move, how many circles I make her longe, she is with me every step of the way! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3