A Year in Photo - Day 279

Heading for lunch, with "real" clothes, hair did and a wee bit of makeup. Feeling good :)

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, I'll always get up after I fall. Whether I run, walk or have to crawl, I'll set my goals and achieve them all." -Chris Butler

A Year in Photo - Day 278

Operation Distraction continues....I stuffed every hay bag on the farm, I think about 28, caught 2 chickens, prepped a paddock, prepared supplements, loved with some of the horses and just generally killed time at the farm. It was fabulous!

"Great things happen when you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go after life with determination and courage." -Billy Cox

A Year in Photo - Day 277

Some things just don't seem fair; the very meds that have made me well are making me unwell. I've finally got to the point where I am trying to decrease one of my anxiety medications, which is awesome. Unfortunately, in doing so, despite following the doctors orders and doing a very slow decrease, I'm met with withdrawal symptoms. Nausea, achy muscles, poor concentration, cement limbs, headache, UGH! 

The plus side? I'm not feeling anxious with the decrease so I know I am doing the right thing, I just have to remain headstrong and power through the physical symptoms. 

Distraction was my goal today and I finished my day with some fresh air and some time working with Gally. He begrudgingly allowed me to braid his tail and it's clear my tail braiding skills need some work, but it was fun and it provided some relief.

"You either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down.
The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you." -Josh Shipp

A Year in Photo - Day 276

There's nothing like a surprise message, scrawled on a Starbucks cup, from an old friend. Miss you too Rae! ©

"She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines.
She was beautiful, for the way she thought.
She was beautiful for that sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved.
She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad.
No, she wasn't beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.
She was beautiful, deep down in her soul.
She is beautiful"

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Year in Photo - Day 275

THIS, makes getting up early worth it every time. Another beautiful....dare I say spring?....morning in the Okanagan.

"Some things old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Year in Photo - Day 274

I had such a great workout today!!

"Strong is what happens when you run out of weak." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 273

Hung out with my two favourite guys tonight. They were having a talking about whether it was time to go outside...you can see Sig's concentration as this is a very important talk.

"It doesn't matter where you're going, it's who you have beside you." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 272

Ya, so this is what I got to do today. Amazing! Mr. Gally Man was full of spunk and personality today, we had some laughs for sure. So grateful to Mandy for allowing me to work with him :)

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."
-Winston Churchill

A Year in Photo - Day 271

I had a blast hosting my first Scentsy party with my sister and our fantastic Scentsy rep, Shannon Le Blanc. While we had a smaller turn out than we expected/hoped for, it was also really nice to just casually smell the scents and have some laughs. Good for the soul. AND, our house is going to smell amazing for....well for a long time :)

"Life is not a competition. Find the stuff that makes your soul sing and be your own uniquely beautiful self." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 270

Mud season isn't getting me down, today I'm solar powered!

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you."
-Walt Whitman

A Year in Photo - Day 269

Three days before the full moon and ooooo eeeee was it clear the full moon was on it's way. Things were hectic at the shelter, people were acting a fool on the roads and my mood was all over the place.

"One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you can't change." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 268

I had so much fun colouring with my nephew this afternoon. He would pick the crayon colour and I would colour.... this is what we created. He is such a cutie; he is saying "CHEEESSE" in this photo :)

"Life is about using the whole box of crayons." -RuPaul

A Year in Photo - Day 267

Just before Christmas my Mom gave me a book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing". She was super nervous because she didn't want to offend me....let's just say that my tidiness and cleaning skills are very different from hers. But I wasn't offended, I was thrilled. 

I read the first part of the book and I have been procrastinating over starting the first part of the process, clothing. But, today was the day. When I pulled every item of clothing from every part of the house, as the book instructs, I was a bit overwhelmed, to say the least. But I tackled it bit by bit according to the author, Marie Kondo's way. 

It took awhile and I'm exhausted but this is what I was left with. Only clothing that fits, that I wear and that makes me feel joy. My next project is books, which I look forward to doing, but I need a break first :)

Before

After
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"Start by discarding, all at once, intensely and completely."
 
"Keep only those things that speak to your heart."

"The question of what you want to own is actually the question
of how you want to live your life."
-Marie Kondo

A Year in Photo - Day 266

I had the best day playing in the sun at the farm. Gally and I had a great time working in the round pen, building trust, doing obstacles and cleaning all the mud off of him. He was in a great mood and we had some great laughs. 

To top it off, Rhianna offered to let me ride Revere. Up until then I had only ever ridden a horse in a walk but with Rhianna's coaching and Revere taking care of me, we trotted :) So much to think about but so much fun. I was over the moon!

I'm so lucky to have friends who let me play with their horses and ride them too!!

Mr. Gally Man

Smiling from ear to ear!
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"A barn is a sanctuary from an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear. When you take a step back, it's not just about horses - it's about love, life, and learning. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of personal battles. Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart." -Lauren Davis Baker

A Year in Photo - Day 265

Ugh, so I picked up my car yesterday after hours, only to find out it was doing the same thing, minus clunking through the gears, which they fixed, to the tune of $155. I brought Rhonda back in and I just got off the phone with them....my engine mounts for sure need to be replaced, $600, but they won't know if there is a problem with my transmission, or anything else (it's hesitant when I drive) until they can get everything to stop rattling around and back in the right spot. Oh and that doesn't include the $150 to replace the blower for my heating/cooling system when the part they ordered the first time Rhonda was in the hospital comes in.

 

So I'm eating cake!

 

P.S. 100 days of photos to go!

Chocolate comes from cocoa,
which is a tree.
That makes it a plant.
Chocolate is salad. 
-Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 264

A Valentine's Day tradition, started 10 years ago. A heart shaped pizza and a night in, perfection!

"I have a man who...
Loves me without restriction, trusts me without fear, wants me without
demand and accepts me for who I am." -Unknown 

A Year in Photo - Day 263

Just another rowdy Saturday night in the Miller Household...a fierce game of Rummikub and a cup of tea!

"A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you really are." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 262

And so we meet again....the same tow truck driver who towed Steve's car a few weeks ago, came to rescue Rhonda, and me. What we thought was going to be an expensive fix turned out to be a quick fix....or so we thought. When I picked the ole' girl up, after hours, the problem was still there (whole car rumbling, running rough, hesitant, shifting funny..... Tomorrow she will go back to the hospital and fingers crossed that she won't cost us a fortune!

"Don't give up. Normally it is the last key on the ring which opens the door." -Paulo Coelho

A Year in Photo - Day 261

This is my Papa. Sadly, he passed away when I was teenager and to say I was devastated is a huge understatement. Although he isn't physically here, I know he is always with me. I've talked about the butterflies in a previous post but there is another way I know he is around. 

Yesterday was a really rough day for me. I had some things going on, my anxiety was through the roof and my mood was low. After a day full of tears I headed out to the farm to feed. As usual, I plugged in my iPod and turned it on; I have been listening to the same playlist for weeks and didn't change a thing. Two songs in to my drive the song Angel by Sarah McLaughlin came on. We played this song at my Papa's service and, without fail, regardless of whether I'm listening to the radio or my iPod, if I'm having a bad day or if I'm thinking about him, this song comes on. 

My Papa was a big part of my life and I miss him everyday. My Grandma gave me this photo just after he passed and I love it because it is so him. Standing on the beach by the water, he loved to fish, wearing his Weyerhaeuser hat, he worked there for many years, and holding my Granny's purse. He may not be here in the physical world but when times get tough, he always reminds me that he is here, walking by my side, helping me through tough times, and good ones too ©

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There's always some reasons
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
...
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

-Angel (excerpt) - Sarah McLaughlin

A Year in Photo - Day 260

I spent some time working with Gally today. We've worked together a lot in the past but haven't for awhile, so we are working on getting reacquainted and rebuilding trust. So good for my soul ©

"My barn time is sometimes for your safety." -Unknown 

A Year in Photo - Day 259

The stars were so beautiful at the farm last night, but try as I might, I couldn't get a photo of them. I guess it's kinda like my anxiety, you can't see it, but it's there.

"Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly." -Hazrat Ali Ibn Abu-Talib A.S

A Year in Photo - Day 258

I'm so stoked with the shelf Steve built for me today. When I come home from the farm my jackets are covered in hay etc. and I need to hang them up to air out, but I don't want to hang them with clean clothes. Now I have a spot for them to go. My husband rocks! :)

"Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -Mark Twain

A Year in Photo - Day 257

Arnie came for a sleepover and, while he was excited, Sig....not so much. They look happy and peaceful here, and while they don't fight, Sig gets so restless and clingy, he never settles down. Arnie was happy as a clam, playing, chewing on sticks and cuddling. Sig, well he's just happy that his cousin has gone home and he can catch up on his zzzz's. 

"Just remember, even your worst days only have twenty-four hours." - 10 word story 

A Year in Photo - Day 256

Steve and I went to the Vernon Winter Carnival to see the hot air balloons and it was so cool. Although I'm terrified of heights, flying in a hot air balloon is on my Bucket List. We learned lots about the balloons, the baskets, how they fly and so much more. One day, I will check this item off my list :)

This was the biggest, and prettiest, balloon there.

View looking up inside the balloon.

The amount of heat that came off the flame was incredible!

Deflating the envelope, aka the balloon, happens surprisingly quickly and was really cool to see.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 255

Nothing helps my anxiety like puppy love. Sig always seems to know when I'm not feeling well and has been glued to me for days. 

"If I had a dollar for every time my dog made me smile, I would be a millionaire." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 254

After another anxious day I decided to get some Therapy...the wine that is. They say this Freud guy knows a thing or two about psych issues so I figure it's worth a shot :)

"You can't control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and just let life happen." -Kody Keplinger

A Year in Photo - Day 253

Nothing helps my anxiety like sunshine and hanging with my nephew, who thinks he's a parrot, at the dog park.

"Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it." -Buddha

Catch Up Time

Ooooo Eeeee, they say time flies when you're having fun....it also flies when life throws you a couple of curve ball days. Sit back and enjoy the ride as I catch up on Days 253-258.

"Sometimes, the hardest times of your life to go through are when you are transitioning from one version of yourself to another." -Unknown

A Year in Photo - Day 252

For the last 4 years I would be really struggling with my depression, anxiety and seasonal affective disorder at this time of year. But this year is different, and I truly believe it's my involvement with horses, being outside so much, good old physical labour and, of course, all the amazing support I have around me. I'm thankful that today my grey fingernails don't represent my mood, just the crappy weather :)

"Storms make trees take deeper roots." -Dolly Parton

A Year in Photo - Day 251

This is me, Farm to Table, haha! I fed the horses in record time and managed to clean myself up and make it to a friend's birthday party...I was just a little bit late :)

"She's a mess of gorgeous chaos, and you can see it in her eyes." - Casey Skye