{ These boots are made for...Riding! }

The only pair of shoes I love more than my GUESS stilettos are these...

...my cowgirl boots!

Lately, with all my school work, our crazy schedules, and being a full-time wifey and momma I've become so burnt out! So today I skipped class and went horseback riding instead. Just what I needed. Anyone who really knows me knows how much I LOVE horses. Good thing I married someone who loves horses just as much as me..er...well..kinda...ok, not really. Just to clear the air -YES, my husband is Tongan so YES, my husband LOVES (to eat) hoosi. YES, I am part Tongan so YES, I have tried hoosi too. Honestly, it's good -but I just can't get past the fact of what I'm eating so no thank you!

Anyways, so back to what I was saying....As far back as I can remember I've been riding horses. My grandparents, who live in Utah, own  and bred horses so every time I'd go visit them I'd ride -either in their arena or up the canyon. I can remember waking up at the crack of dawn every morning (even if it was the middle of winter and below 0 degrees-Antarctica-weather) just so I could help my grandpa feed and water the horses. I have pictures of me when I was two or three years old with my frizzy blond hair blowing in the wind while riding a pony by myself with one hand holding the reins and the other holding my whip. I was so small my feet couldn't even reach the stirrups so I would squeeze me legs as tight as I could around the belly just to stay on. My grandpa said I had no fear. Before climbing on the pony I'd tell him "Gimme mah whip so I can whip him!" Later on I graduated from ponies to riding the 'big horsies' to the top of mountains. Being in Utah with my grandparents is where my passion for horses began and grew...

When I was younger I grew up with the mindset that there were only horses in Utah (because that's the only place I saw or rode them), then once I got older my mindset changed to "It's too expensive to own a horse in California" or "I don't have time to go riding" or "I don't know where I'll ride"....so I kind of just put my passion on the back-burner, especially after I got married and had a kid. On the occasional times I went back to Utah, I'd usually catch a ride with my grandpa....but riding only a couple times a year wasn't enough.

A couple months ago I finally threw away that mindset and those excuses  -and I started riding again....aaaand I'm hooked. I started going every Friday. Those couple of hours every Friday turned into {me-time} and through out the week when things would get hectic or I'd become overly exhausted I would remind myself of the couple of hours I get to myself on Friday and my excitement and anticipation would get me through the week. This {me-time} turned into something that I didn't know I needed so much! When I go and ride I just forget about everything...like my endless list of things I need to get done, the taxes we owe (lol), and whatever else was bothering me before I got there.

I realized I had, in a way, lost my sense of self and of the person I once was before I became a Mrs. and mommy. And I mean that in the 'best intentions' kinda way. Anyone who is a wife and mother knows how much you are NEEDED on a constant basis and how everyone walks around with their heads chopped off if you're not around. (at least mine do) But I just discovered this secret...

The secret to happy wives and mothers are those who know where "we" ends and "me" begins.

Some may think that's selfish...well, it's not! How can you take care of others if you don't take care of yourself first? My husband LOVES when I go riding every week because I come home feeling refreshed, happy, and most importantly -in a good mood! It's just like the saying "Happy wife, happy life" or "If momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy". Taking some {me-time} and doing something I'm passionate about keeps me fueled emotionally and mentally and it makes me LOVE being a full-time wifey and momma that much more. (c'mon...any woman who says she's ALWAYS chipper and full of energy waking up through out all hours of the night, cooking every meal, cleaning toilets and other nasty things, etc., etc... is lying!) I'm grateful for my husband in supporting me in this and understanding that I need my {me-time}. It makes me fall in love with him all over again when he takes on babysitting duty and tells me "you deserve it babe".

For now I'm ok riding other people's horses but once we're a little more established and we can afford it I'm going to own my own. I promised myself I'm going to always ride...because that's 'my thing'...that's my passion...that's me.

Riding with Grampa.

On one of my favorite spots on our ride -This always reminds me of the Sacred Grove.

The view.

Please, don't mind the bad angle of my thunder thighs and that I look like a hot mess in this one..it was early in the morning -I still love this pic.