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SilverFlameWanderer

I swear we were infinite...
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Alright. So it's probably no secret that I haven't been very active here over the past few years. In fact, I've been completely absent from dA over the past several months. Graduate school is a full time job. I spent the last year and a half planning a wedding...and then getting married! And, I spent the summer competing Nelson. 

So, for those of you I've been friends with on here and who still follow this account, I think my absence can be best explained by the fact that I've been having to adult really hard these past few years and make lots of adult decisions:

:bulletpink: I earned my MS last fall and am in my fourth year of graduate school with a full client-caseload.
:bulletpink: I'm working on my preliminary exam: a meta-analysis
:bulletpink: I'll be applying for internship next fall and need to decide on a career trajectory.
:bulletpink: I got married.
:bulletpink: I have a husband who is in his second year of law school.
:bulletpink: I have chronic back/shoulder pain and finally went to the doctor and will start physical therapy soon.
:bulletpink: I canceled my cable service.
:bulletpink: I bought Nelson in August 2016.
:bulletpink: I sold Finesse this past June.
:bulletpink: I won a USEA event this summer with Nelson and qualified for championships.
:bulletpink: We went to championships, and that's when I realized I couldn't ignore my pain any longer.
:bulletpink: I'm training to run my first ever long-format event with Nelson in two weeks.
:bulletpink: Nelson and I ran our first Novice USEA event in August.

This past year has been particularly busy, and except for the chronic pain, it's been amazing! Selling Finesse was probably the most difficult decision I've had to make recently, but it's also been the most liberating. We just couldn't support two horses on my graduate student stipend, and she wanted to be a fancy hunter anyway. 

I hope you all are doing well and living and loving life :heart:
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Not exactly. I've come to be quite happy with who I am and where I'm headed in life. So for the first time in many years, my resolutions are not so much about change as they are about continued self-discovery and growth. And although I am primarily committed to my academics, research, and career growth, the identity of equestrian remains central to how I identify as a person. Academics come first. And so in the remaining time in which I can choose to ride, sleep, rest, eat, read, or watch movies, I will always ride. Over the past year I have come to realize what my goals are in equestrian competition, and they are different than what they once were. Yes, I am still competitive and crave that perfect round, coveting that blue ribbon. But that's just fuel. There is greatness in everyone, and what I am striving for is my own type of greatness. That clear round, the thrill of flying, the feel of my mare giving 110% because we are finally a team. So it's that connection I'm truly hungry for. Without connection, blue ribbons and meaningful rides don't happen. My goal in my growth as an equestrian and a person: make every ride count. 

Because when every ride counts, when all sound goes silent, when we fly, when it's all left in the arena, I find my personal infinity.

Happy New Year everyone! :dance:
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Somehow it's February. Somehow I'm already a month into my second semester of graduate school. I have no idea how that happened. My first semester and the holidays absolutely flew by.

There's probably not much point in updating because I primarily lurk now, but I still enjoy the art that shows up in my inbox every day. I still sketch occasionally, but nothing complete enough to post. 

Finesse is doing very well and we're growing a lot together. We had our first adventure at a show last September. It started with her throwing a fit in the schooling ring and ended with us winning our last class of the day. Now that I've owned her for several months, I realize how sassy and opinionated she is. And I love it. She's challenging me to be a more confident and assertive rider. But I'm learning to trust her too. She's very reactive and sensitive to her environment and spooks easily. I'm learning to ride through it. She throws bucking fits occasionally. I'm learning to "yee-haw" it and push her forward and out of it. Although it can be frustrating sometimes, she's teaching me to not be so afraid of getting hurt--because, with horses, that fear is what gets you hurt. She's teaching me to believe in myself and commit to decisions--because if I don't, she's going to make a decision for me. And she's teaching me to be quiet, calm, and patient--because if I tense up, she's too overwhelmed. I love her for all these things.

And more news on the animal front: Tom adopted a greyhound last month. His name is Piper. He's a 1/ 1/2 year old light fawn color. Piper never raced, though the adoption organization did rescue him from the track. From what I can see over Skype, he's quite the goofy personality. He LOVES jumping onto the first step of Tom's parent's pool. He's very vocal and communicates with whines and "rooing." He's a super snuggly fella, and loves to give kisses. I can't wait to meet him next month when I'm home for spring break. 

I hope everyone is well and happy :heart:
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I'm about 2 weeks into my graduate program here at Washington State University, and I love it. My classes are great. My professors are amazing. And my cohort is beyond amazing! Everyone has told me how important a friendly and supportive cohort is, so I'm thrilled we all get along so well. I'm also excited to be studying and doing research again. Although, it is a bit of an adjustment going back to student life after taking the last couple of years off. But I feel like my life has more direction now, and it's helping me feel more settled.

Finesse is doing very well and enjoying the 10 hours of turnout she gets every day. I finally broke down and started her on SmartPak: Cosequin (joints), Farrier's Formula (hoof), and a B1 supplement for her skittishness and focus issues. She's amazingly calm in the barn or at the end of a lead rope, but once the saddle and bridle go on, she gets hyper-aware of everything going on around her and in the distance. She gets distracted very easily by things that might be scary, and that can make it hard for us to work on what we need to work on. I love her spunk and sass, so I'm hoping the B1 just helps take the edge off a little so she can focus on me without being so worried about the tractor on the hill across the road. Despite her little case of equine ADHD, we're making great progress building our partnership. We're entered for our first show on September 28. I'm so eager to get back into the show ring--it's been 6 1/2 years! 

Tom is visiting in a couple weeks too for my birthday and the WSU vs. Oregon football game. It's been almost 2 months since I've seen him. Distance has been tough, but we've been able to Skype every day, which has been a tremendous help. He's excited to meet my friends here and see Finesse again. It will be nice to finally introduce him to this new busy life of mine. 

Long story short, things are going well. I'm ready for a busy semester, but I'm determined to make it great!
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Reunited!

3 min read
She's here!!! :dance: Finesse arrived safe and sound this morning. We shipped her with the transport company Equine Express. They've moved horses for us before, and they're wonderful with the horses. The driver told me that Finesse travelled very well, drank plenty of water and munched at her hay happily. She got doses of Probios, a probiotic paste that aids in digestion when a horse is under stress, such as lengthy travel. She seemed very calm when I saw her, and she immediately knew me and wrapped her neck around me when I hugged her. Of course, the first thing she did when we unloaded her from the rig was drop her head to eat grass. So, I don't think the move stressed her too much.

I walked her up the road to the barn and turned her out in the indoor arena for a few minutes to let her stretch and roll if she wanted. Then I let her settled in her stall while I got her feed bin set up and rationed her feed for the week. She gets a half portion tonight before going back to her regular portion tomorrow morning. I love the stalls here. They all have small runs attached to the back, so there's space outside to stretch out, walk around, and socialize over the fence. She's next to a little paint mare named Sassy. The automatic waterer was an adventure though. The first time Finesse took a drink and the pump kicked in, she freaked out, but settled back down pretty quickly. She's a little spooky by nature, so I wasn't concerned. 

She also got a nice grooming. It's been a few days, so she really needed it. I have a bubble bath planned for her for the weekend. Now, I'm home and she's settling in. We'll have a light hack tomorrow morning to stretch out and explore the indoor and outdoor rings, and then get back to work this weekend. I'm targeting mid-October for our first show, so that's a short-term goal I'm working toward with her now.

It is amazing to have my sweet girl here with me. It's a dream come true, and I feel like my whole life is coming together now. Classes start on August 25th, so I have a couple of weeks to just relax and play with Finesse :heart:
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