Monday, December 13, 2010




I feel like I keep posting quotes from this book "Searching for God knows what" by Donald Miller but only because it is truly fantastic. I highly recommend this book to anyone. He shows a beautiful perspectives on Christianity. Here is another quote that I loved:

"My friend John MacMurray tells me the first book written in the Bible is the book of Job. Moses wrote Job before he wrote Genesis, most scholars agree, and so the first thing God wanted to communicate to mankind was that life is hard, and there is pain, great pain in life, and yet the answer to this pain, or the cure for this pain, is not given in explanation; rather, God offers to this pain, or this life experience, Himself. Not steps, not an understanding, not a philosophy, but Himself"

If you haven't read the book of Job, it is basically about a man that loses everything. I mean everything you can imagine and not imagine. His life pretty much is the crappiest and most difficult. This book really brings forth the point that God understands our pain and is in control. At the end of the book, Job still stood faithful to God which I know that I could not do. But

God is in control.
God understands.
God is the only rescue. 
God can be trusted through every life experience. 
God is here, there, and everywhere. 

What a beautiful story of Job and Donald Miller's book. 

"And so from the beginning, from the very first story told in Scripture, God presents life, as it is, without escape, with only Himself to cling to."

Greater Miracle

"Religion is a big, beautiful, ugly thing. I read recently where Augustine said, 'The church is a whore and it is my mother.' And for reasons I don't understand, Jesus loves the church. And I suppose He loves the church with the same strength of character He displays for His love for me. Sometimes it is difficult to know which is the greater miracle."


-Donald Miller


Perfectly and beautifully describes the way I think about religion and the church. 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

To all the single ladies

This weekend a simple prayer was placed on my heart. It was a prayer to all the women out there who are still looking for the one or the right guy for them. I was thinking about how truly blessed I am for my husband and I only want that for everybody. 


This is the prayer that I prayed this weekend to all my wonderful friends that are single and I thought I would share...


I pray that you find someone who adores everything about you. Not just that your beauitful on the outside, but somebody that sees through that and admires your past, present, and who you want to become. 


I pray that you find someone who always trying to better themselves. I pray that you find someone who knows they are not perfect but strives to make your whole relationship stronger and healthier.


I pray that you find someone who fears God. I say fear because that is what it really means to love God is to fear His all-mighty strength and power. I pray that he strives to strengthen himself by finding himself in the Lord. 


I pray that you find someone who compliments and challenges you. 


I pray that you find someone who believes in your dreams, your goals, and your mistakes. I pray you find that person that encourages you in your dreams and never doubts your ability to achieve them. I pray that he is your biggest cheerleader


I pray that you find someone who is your best friend. 


I pray that you find someone who suprises you. I know sometimes I am amazed at Philip's ability to truly know me and even does the cleaning, which is the best gift to me. 


I pray that you find someone you can let your guard down with and be vulnerable to. I pray that the walls that surrond our hearts today, slowly go down around him. I pray that he encourages you to be vulnerable and not hide everything. 


I pray that you find someone you feel safe to argue with and know that it is a healthy part of any relationship. 


I pray that you find someone who you can serve and it feels right, not like your independence is going away. 


I pray that you find someone who you feel that intense chemistry and romantic connection with. I pray that he will be a wonderful lover to you. (Notice this is not first but it is still so important in any healthy relationship) 


I pray that you find someone who respects you.


I pray that you find someone who accepts your mistakes and knows that he will make mistakes as well. 


I pray that you trust in the Lord that he will come in God's perfect timing so there is no need to rush. Trust me you will know in your heart when that time is right.







Saturday, December 4, 2010

Bucket List

I love having a bucket list of things I want to do in my life. It's just fun to have goals and then cross them off my list. 



  • Go to a Superbowl and the Cowboys win
  • Own a Fresian horse 
  • Live in another country 
  • Adopt a child(ren)
  • Train a wild mustang 
  • Go on a mission trip to Africa
  • Marry the man that God created just for me- done :)
  • Visit Bandon, Oregon 
  • Be a New York Times Bestselling author 
  • Go Skydiving 


to be continued :) 

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Mmhh.. Love a good book

This week I have been reading the book "Searching for God knows what" by Donald Miller. And what a fantastic book so far. Donald Miller is by far one of my favorite authors, if not my favorite. He has such a way with words that makes you feel like he is a real person. 


I have read a lot of Christian novels and most of them have some great points but I don't really enjoy them because I feel like they aren't a real person. A lot of Christian authors write as if they know all the answers and give you a list of things to do so you can know God like they do. And for me, I might remember one or two things but rarely nothing. The reason why I adore Donald Miller is because is perfectly and honestly real. He is real with his emotions, his relationship with God, his doubts, his life, and everything in between. I read his novels and actually think that I could be his friend because he gets it. I think the best way to put it is that he is not intimidating and makes God seem close and not a list away. 


In this novel, Miller talks about the Christian religion and God. He writes so beautifully about what he has discovered about faith. I am only half way through right now but here are a quote or two of things that really stuck to me and make perfect sense. 


"The very scary thing about religion, to me, is that people actually believe God is who they think He is. By that I mean they have Him all figured out, mapped out, and as my pastor, Rick, says, 'dissected and put into jars on a shelf.'"


I love that because it holds so much truth to it. I think a lot of Christians, including me, walk around thinking that we know God so perfectly. We think that we get Him. Yes, we can understand that He is loving, compassionate, redeemer, and such and such. But He is so much bigger than that. And I completely agree with this statement because I have seen it first hand. 


I went to a Christian school for just a semester of college and thank goodness it was only that long. Before I went to the school, I was so excited and could not wait to be surrounded by loving people who were open and non-judgemental. I was excited to have roommates that wanted to walk by me through struggles and have grace over my mistakes. I dreamed of learning about God everyday in a community. I was beyond ecstatic.


To the say the least- those dreams and wishes did not come true. 


I think that there is a dangerous problem with Christians school no matter what learning grade because I have gone to a few over the years. The dangerous problem is that most people in the community think that they actually have God figured out. Many people (not all by any standards) in those situations feel empowered because they think they understand everything and are closed off to new ideas or views. 


I went to the school having big dreams and I think in the beginning, I thought I had God mapped out and I completely understood Him. But boy did He show me, through that semester, that I was wrong. 


I don't know God because I never will know Him completely. I mean come on He is God, the creator of everything, the breathe of life, never beginning and never ending, all powerful, all mighty, and the list could go on. So how could I know Him? How could I understand everything about Him? 


My journey is about discovering Him and exploring these new ideas about Him. That's what it's about because that's when other people will actually want to know the God we serve. That's how people stopping hating religion and learn to welcome it because it doesn't seem like a list of perfect statements followed by perfect feelings followed by perfect friends followed by perfect life. 


Today, I am finally thankful for my semester at that Christian college, which took almost a year to be thankful for. I realized that I am wonderfully and fearfully made. I understood that we are not meant to be in a community judging everybody else and never ever ever ever forgiving. I discovered that Christians, including me, are far from perfect so we really need to stop acting like it. 


The best thing I finally understood was why people don't want to join the Christian religion. 


I get it. I understand it. I can completely relate why people are turned off. 


I finally understood that it's us that turn people away from Christ because we think we actually completely understand God. 




"I am only saying I think I know who He is, then I figure out I don't know very much at all. For instance, and as I have said, a lot of people believe God responds to formulas, but He doesn't. So that is one example of how our idea of God is always becoming a bit more accurate. And that's one of the things you notice about Jesus in the Gospels, the He is always around saying, You have heard it said such and such, but I tell you some other thing. If you happened to be a person who thought they knew everything about God, Jesus would have been completely annoying." 


Brilliant. 





Side Note- I do not hate Christian schools or churches. I believe there are many positives to them but I was the girl to see many negatives. These negatives have made my stronger in my faith so I am grateful. However, I hope one day I can go back and enjoy a Christian gathering but today is just not that day. And I am okay with that. 







Tuesday, November 30, 2010

FAVorite Movie




The ultimate and best best best best movie ever made to me is The Lion King. 


I know I am a huge kid at heart. My husband laughs at me everyday because I always want to watch some animated Disney movie when we choose movies. And it's one thing I can't wait to do with my kids...in about five years of coarse. 


There are about a billion reasons why it is my favorite movie. I literally could go on and on but there is one reason why it really sticks with me. It's about a journey of a person going through a difficult moment in life and with the help of others, overcoming it. Not just overcoming it but allowing that difficult moment to empower you to be a better person. To me, that's just beautiful and it's always a goal for me. 


Another huge reason why I love this movie is the lions. I have an odd obsession with lions but really only male lions. It's a weird obsession, I know. I love male lions. When I go to the zoo, I literally can and have sat in front of the lion pen and just watched them for hours. I really don't care about any other animal. I love Narnia movies primarily because of the lion. And the best gift my husband ever got me was a huge lion stuffed animal. 


And honestly I hope one day that I can come back and be a male lion not a female for sure because they are just lame. Hopefully God can make that happen :) 


Just watch The Lion King and trust me you will understand why I adore it and why it will always and forever be my favorite movie. 



Monday, November 29, 2010

Hard on the Inside

Today as I do my normal routine of stalking people on facebook and on certain blogs (which is a bad habit because sometimes I think I define the word "facebook stalker"...it's a sad truth) I came across a quote that really sunk deep. 


My wonderful and beautiful friend, Jessica, put this quote on her blog today:


"Women are soft on the outside and hard on the inside, while men are hard on the outside and soft on the inside."


For me, the women part describes me perfectly. I honestly don't believe their is a more perfect yet short way to describe me. It's not necessarily something I am eager to announce to the world but it's the honest truth. I feel that inside my heart. I feel that hardness inside my bones everyday.


The biggest challenge for me spiritually, emotionally, and mentally is to be vulnerable. It's beyond difficult for me to just sit down and open up. I know that is my number one problem with my relationship with Christ. It aches inside because I know that I hold a wall up with God. I know I do and it brings tears to my eyes as I write these words. 


God's desire from me is my heart. Not just pieces of it that I show Him on occasion and not bits that I show every once in a while. He desires every bit and piece that I try to hide from Him. He desires and patiently waits for me to slowly give them over. To me, God is so big and beautiful when I realize just how patient He is with me. Because I honestly don't always understand why He stays around but He does. And it's so overwhelmingly beautiful. 


I am very good at not showing my brokenness. I am the queen of covering up my fears. And it's not something I want anymore. I don't want that crown...I just want to worship the Heavenly crown of Christ. 


Day by day and prayer by prayer, I am slowly giving it away. For me, it's a process because it's not something I can do overnight. It takes time to give up my hardness especially when it comes to my dad. There is no subject or time of my life that I am more hard about then my relationship with my earthly father. It's the most difficult, most painful, most devastating, most heart-breaking, and most special. 


I have a Great Wall of China surrounding that subject. Probably about twice the size of that wall. And one day I know I will be able to tear those walls down but honestly I have come to realize that might only be when I am in Heaven. In Heaven, there will be no pain or hardness for women to hide behind. There will just be joy and praise for our Creator. 


I desire to tear down those walls on Earth.
I desire to be free of fears and free of hardness.
I desire to overcome everything.


And somehow and someway I will. 


Someday I will be soft on the outside and the inside






To help me conquer this goal and not just let it sit aside and wait. I have made a plan that instead of my first thing every morning to be check facebook, it will be to grab my bible and my journal. I will sit down and just breathe with God before I start my day whether that be 10 minutes or 2 hours. It doesn't matter to me or Him...I just want my heart to be in it so I can work on this Great Wall of China. 



Thursday, November 25, 2010

Blessed.

I am sitting down right now after putting my 25 pound turkey in the oven and waiting for my dough to rise for rolls. I am finally just sitting and it's the first time this week that I can think about what I am thankful for this year. Today is Thanksgiving which is my third favorite holiday (behind Christmas and Valentine's Day :) and I love it because we are all able to sit and just be with family. 

This week has been full of long days as I prepared for my first Thanksgiving meal done by myself. I wanted to do it all because I think the big meal is the best part and of coarse I am a little bit too independent. But hey at least I can admit that :) 

Today is not just about the turkey cooking in the oven for a billion hours, the homemade pies, or even the football games. Today is about my blessings. As I type away at this, I have a huge smile on my face because I am blessed. Beyond blessed. 

My life has been wonderful. And I can say that with pride and full thankfulness to my Creator because He had His hand over everything in my life. He careful planned my life and looking back...He did a decent job :) More like a marvelous job that still takes my breathe away. He gave me my blessings and that's even more reason to praise Him with my life. 

To be short and sweet here is my list of my blessings this Thanksgiving:

My Creator and my ever learning friendship with Him
My wonderful, strong, and fun husband
My family back in Texas  
My old and new friends :) 
My sister- Courtney Parlin




I am blessed and that's the best gift. 

Now let's pray that my turkey turns out wonderful...fingers crossed. 


Thursday, November 18, 2010

M.W.S.

There has been something that has been placed on my heart recently to write about...but I have done everything to avoid. It's somebody that I don't really like talking about because it's just plain difficult for me. It's hard for me to talk about my cousin, Michael. 


Michael was my beautiful younger cousin by just a couple of moments. He had a wonderful soul and such a peaceful state. He was adventurous and spontaneous. He loved being outdoors and every activity that dealt with being outside. He had a kind heart and was a complete gentlemen. I don't remember a day growing up that I didn't see that boy smile. He always put what I wanted in front of him. And that is just the beginning of what I could say about it him...


I think there comes a point in some peoples lives when they feel like they can't keep moving forward. I know that countless days in middle school, I would wake up pleading to escape this world. I was depressed and could not see a light at the end of my tunnel. All I saw for a few months or maybe in years was darkness. I had many suicidal thoughts and wondered what life would be like without me. It was one of the most difficult moments of my life and I know the feeling of just giving up. I know what it feels like to have the weight of the world on my shoulders...or so it seems. 


I don't really know if that was the feeling my cousin had on January 15, 2007. I don't know if he felt that feeling or something stronger. I don't know what his last thoughts were or even what his last day or weeks were like. I don't really know how he came to his decision to move on past this world. I don't know and I know that I never will (which took many years to accept.)


Suicide is one of the biggest problems that face the world today. To me, it's bigger than any cancer, teen pregnancy, or any other social issue. It's the issue where people decide that there is no other way but ending their way. It breaks my heart every time I hear a story about it. It's heartbreaking and those words just scratch the surface on how it affects everyone. 


I miss my cousin everyday. I miss him and I loved him to pieces. I pray for him and that I know I will see his huge smile again. And I can't wait to hug him again. Gah...I can't wait. 




I am writing this not only in remembrance of my wonderful friend but also to express something that I learned and I want to share. It's so simple but so meaningful. 


Tell your loved ones that they are loved...every moment you can. And believe with every fiber of your soul that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 


That it does get easier...


Trust me. 


I love you Michael. I literally carry you on my side everyday- what a blessing. 
And I will be seeing you. 

Friday, November 12, 2010

Screwtape Letters

Recently I have been reading the C.S. Lewis books (because he is ridiculously amazing). I started reading The Screwtape Letters yesterday and so far it has been such a great book. It's by far nothing like I have ever read.


For those that have not read it- It is a book of letters that Screwtape, an experienced devil, is writing to his nephew, Wormwood. Screwtape gives advice to his new devil nephew on the human race and their enemy which of coarse is God. It is full of fascinating and somewhat true statements of how we think and act. 


While reading it, I came across a passage that really spoke to me:


The human race was in a stage of war at this point in the novel and Wormwood is trying to secure the damnation of young man. He is trying to find the best way but Screwtape gives him very interesting advice. Screwtape writes that " The Enemy's human partisans have all been plenty told by Him that suffering is an essential part of what He calls Redemption; so that a faith which is destroyed by a war or a pestilence cannot really have been worth the trouble of destroying."


That passage literally blew me away. Even devils recognize that a faith that wavers during hard times or war, is a faith that is worthless to them. It is worthless because they really don't have any faith in God. They know that faith truly demonstrates itself when a person stands strong and holds Christ's hand even tighter during troubled periods instead of running away. 


How fascinating is that? :)


I know that this novel is completely fiction and C.S. Lewis really didn't have a conversation with devils but I think it holds so much truth to it. Faith in Christ is such a beautiful thing but I think it's even more spectacular to see someone going through the hardest of times and still having that faith. That's exactly what faith is to me and I believe that is the kind of faith that God desires from us. He desperately wants that unwavering faith that says "OK hard times- bring it on cause I have God on my side." :) That is what countless verses in the bible say and I know He desires that from all of us.


Is it extremely difficult to have that kind of faith? Yes. Do I have that faith yet? Um.. of coarse not. I still doubt God in times of trouble but that kinda of faith is my prayer to have. It will be so uplifting to finally have that. I wish that when times of trouble came my way, I did stand by God but that hasn't always been the case. When my father left my family, when my cousin committed suicide, when I lost my closest friend last semester, when I had no clue where I was going, when I was attacked on a Christian campus for who God made me, and there literally a billion other examples of times when I didn't have that kind of faith. 


But I want that. I want the devils and everybody to know that when hard times come, I will stand strong in His image. 


I want Screwtape to tell his nephew to stay away from me because they know where my heart truly is. 


(Anybody that has not read C.S Lewis really should dive into them. They are wonderful and I plan on reading all of mine (which is about six or seven) by the end of the year...just a personal goal :) His mind is amazing and completely captivates Christ.) 

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I have been living in Hawaii for a few months now and I thought it would be fun to make a list of the things that I LOVE about it here and ugg not so much. 

Pros:
  • Ocean. Living on so close to the water is the most wonderful thing. There is snorkeling, spear fishing, laying out, boarding, surfing, and the list goes on and on. 
  • The weather is fantastic all the time. Everyday I wake up and the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Yes, there are some ugly rainy days but most of the time it's always a cool 70 degrees which is perfect. 
  • Shaved Ice here is the best in the world. Guaranteed. 
  • The native culture. It's amazing to learn about the Hawaiian culture and how they live their lives. The people are completely different than mainlanders and it's fascinating to see that. 
  • Aloha. To most mainlanders, that word just simply means hello and goodbye. But here, it means so much more than that. It's away of being not just a word. Aloha means love, being joyous, helpful, and everything that means wonderful. I love the word Aloha now and pray to be more like it. 
Cons:

  • Traffic. Seriously ten times worse than any Dallas area traffic. It's awful. There are six lane highways and still nobody moves. 
  • Being literally an ocean away from family and friends back in the mainland. We can't just go home for a weekend or anything close because we only have to cross the Pacific to get there. Can be so annoying. 
  • Limited number of stores and restaurants. Here is just a few places that I miss back in the mainland: RaceTrac, Olive Garden, Joe's Crab Shack, Jcpenny's, Sonic, Chick-fil-a, and many others. And if they are on the island then most likely they only exist on the opposite side. 
  • The Hawaiian Language is so hard to understand because they use a very limited amount of letters so pretty much everything looks the same. It's the most annoying on street signs. Beyond annoying. 
  • Always having to have a bikini ready body. Enough said.

Overall I love it here and feel so blessed to live here for the next three years. 

And everyone needs to visit :)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

End of March

As the days go by here in Hawaii, I come to the realization that the end of March is coming closer and closer. It's the time of next year that I am dreading more than you can imagine. It's the time for my husband to get deployed for one year. 

My heart aches every day we get closer to that time. I feel a sense of of sadness and loneliness that is slowly creeping towards me as he begins to leave. I know it is still months away but how can I prepare my heart for the man I love to leave me and fight for his country for a year? I think any woman that is as much in love with a man, as I am with Philip, would dread the day of his deployment. 

I know that this is something that I signed up for by marrying somebody that was already enlisted in the Army. It's expected that they will get deployed at some point or another. Every wife knows it's coming, but it doesn't make it any easier. It doesn't make it any easier knowing that he will be missing our one year anniversary, Christmas, 21st birthdays, and many other wonderful days ahead. 

I have already began praying for that time ahead. It might be months away, but trust me I am literally going to need every single prayer and so will my husband. I am going to need God more than any other time in my life because I hate being alone. I hate the feeling of being alone and feeling like nobody else is around or close. I hate the feeling of knowing my husband is putting his life at risk for a country that needs to support our troops more. But my wonderful husband has the courage and honor to still protect something he believes in- which still takes my breathe away about him. 

I think the hardest part for me is that I am so independent. All I know in my life, growing up, is that you have to be independent. I am slowly starting to learn that sometimes or more most of the times, my independence is something I use to protect myself. I know I use it as a way to not get hurt by others and so I don't depend on anyone that will hurt me. It's extremely difficult for me to be dependent on somebody. It's a daily challenge of putting my walls down around my husband and not acting over independent. Because the truth is, I am  dependent on him. I love my husband more that I ever thought I could anybody. He is the most wonderful solider and man. 

But soon he is leaving for a year and soon I will have to face the fact that I am alone in this home again. And soon I am going to have to have find strength for him. He is going to need me during this deployment and we are both going to be leaning on our faith to carry us. 

"He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak. 
 
Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall; 
 
but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Being Me

So I have decided to try this whole blogging thing...finally. 


I have hundreds and hundreds of saved writings, letters, journals, and my thoughts written out in my computer from over the years. Writing has always been my way of expressing my thoughts and venting about the craziness that goes on in my brain. I love writing and everything about it. It lifts my soul to see my thoughts on paper and now I want to share them with others. So I thought blogging was the perfect way to do that. 


Writing is all about me being vulnerable. It's all about me showing my true colors with no fears. It's about me being free. And that's why I adore it. 


I have always had the hardest time being vulnerable with others. I learned at such an earlier age to build strong thick walls around my heart and my ideas. I learned that these walls were safe. As a girl and still somewhat today, I think that holding everything in is the best thing to do for me and for the people around me.  I learned to not show fear, sadness, dependence, and nothing that resembles weakness. I knew that I had to be strong. I had to always show happiness and joy.  


Sadly, I think most of that influence, growing up, came from church. I grew up in a wonderful place that truly blessed my soul but I grew up in a church where I believe it was difficult for anyone to be vulnerable. I saw that it was hard for teenagers and kids to just break down and weep from their pain. 


Every Sunday or whatever day church was, I walked in with a huge smile and saying hello to everybody. I looked happy and wanted people to think that I was that happy because of my amazing and incredibly strong relationship with Christ that was just perfect. I wanted people to think that my relationship with God was perfect, like I believe many of people walking into church want to demonstrate. For some reason in the church atmosphere and even on Christian school campuses (which I know first hand about), everyone has to seem perfect. 


It's a deadly problem that goes on in our culture that I am trying my hardest to break. You see, I am no where near perfect. I do not have a perfect relationship with my family, my husband, and especially Christ. I have doubts that I question God about daily. I have countless fears that I pray daily will slowly fade away and that I can conquer them. That's my day- mistakes in being a person, a friend, a wife, and a Christian. I am a mistake-making and fear-driven Christian. That's me. 


So I have made a pact to myself these past few months- to rediscover God on my own terms. What that means is that I am so tired of acting perfect and I am even more tired of seeing my brothers and sisters in Christ do the same. I think it is a deadly problem in our culture because all it does is draw people away from God. It brings nobody close. I know I don't want to be part of something where everyone has to be perfect and I know God doesn't want that either. 


So I am taking time to figure Christ out by myself. I am discovering, searching, questioning, and listening to what He has for me. I am sitting down with the Bible and letting it impact me the way God meant it to. 


I don't want to be apart of something perfect right now...I want to be imperfect with God holding my hand. 



Saturday, October 30, 2010

My husband asked me a few weeks ago, why I love horses so much? 


And the first thought in my mind was how can you NOT love horses. 


But after a few moments, I was able to sit down and really think and absorb his question. I really did not know how to put my feelings towards these beautiful creatures into words. They are majestic, enduring, loving, and always changing. 


I started loving this animal when I was a very little girl. I always knew that I had a connection with horses- that I could almost understand them immediately. I was blessed to be able to get my own horse many years ago, Rembrandt. At first, I was upset to have him because I wanted a full black horse but instead I got a white and black paint. Little did I know at the time, that Remmers (As I call him) would bring me the greatest joy. 


To take a step back..


At the time I got Remmers, I was going through the biggest heart break a young girl could go through. My parent's divorce and having to deal with the idea that my family was broken. I had to face the fact that my relationship with my father would never be the same which shattered me. I was a lost, lonely, and depressed young girl. I had no body to turn to until I met Rembrandt. 


My horse, Remmers, was a young and crazy horse. He had a lot to learn and so did I. He challenged me everyday with his stubbornness and resistance. I realized early on that he wanted nothing to do with listening to a young girl that was so lost. He needed somebody strong and loving to show him how to learn more. I desperately wanted that connection with him so I started learning from other trainers, watching T.V. shows, and reading articles just trying to figure out how to connect with him. 


I learned that what he needed from me was so simple...trust. He didn't know how to trust me because I didn't even know who I was anymore. I didn't even know how to breathe some days with all the pain I had gone through and my horse knew that the first moment I was around him. 


Remmers and I began a journey of learning from each other. I began taking risks with him and pushing him to learn new things and slowing day by day he began to trust me. I began to feel confident in my ability to just interact with horses so he began to trust me. The next thing I knew we had an incredible relationship based on trust and his respect for me. And I felt strong again as a young girl. 


Some people might find this story silly and it might not make any sense....


but your missing it. 


You have to understand that my horse is the one and the only one that gave me the strength to overcome my depression. My horse inspired me to keep learning and exploring into new possibilities and never give up on my dreams.


Rembrandt gave me my life back. 


He gave me joy, which is the biggest blessing a broken little girl could have ever asked for. 




I know now that my Savior reached through my horse. I know today that God spoke to me and comforted me through my horse because that was the only way to reach me at the point in my life. God did everything in His power to rescue me through my majestic Remmers. He gave me this gift and talent to work with horses and love EVERY minute of it. God gave me the desire to work with horses forever. 


It's my passion, the thing that makes my heart race, the thing in this world where I feel complete, the place where I want to be till the day I day, and the dream to teach others about this wonderful animal. 


So how could I not love horses? 


Now that seems like the silly question to me.