this morning i woke up to a winter wonderland.
snow everywhere, the sun shining.
and narnia in my front yard!
the lion, the witch and the wardrobe….
and a little angus.
the "lamp post"
i went out and was certain i would find a faun
walking home through the snow. and he would offer
to take me to his home for tea…
instead of a faun i found an angus.
he invited me in for cookies 
the less the resistance, the softer the give, the deeper the impression will be.
my mantra when playing with billy blaze.
i’ve been having quite a struggle internally. it centers around billy blaze and our journey.
we have hit some bumps in the road and i haven’t been weathering them well.
but it’s funny how just when we need it support comes along in all different ways.
here is an email i received yesterday…
Dear Mindy,
You know how the right person sometimes comes into your life to tell you exactly what you need to hear. Today, I’m hear to tell you, “I know it has been a struggle lately, but you are on the right track. Keep moving forward and you will see the light soon!”
then today an internet friend shared this blog with me…
handsome hubby has been very supportive as has a horsey friend that is on this same journey with me.
i am blessed. sometimes i just forget.
again with comparisons.
i couldn’t help it.
i got a great picture of billy today that really shows his body.
and when i went back looked i was once again amazed at the changes he has made!
a lot can change in 9 months…
top may 2011, next june 2011, next september 2011, bottom january 2012
look at how much his rear end has changed! his tail set is getting lower.
his croup is getting more round and less pointy.
Parelli is amazing.
and so is billy blaze.
randomness. randomness.
is that even a word!?
you know how when you repeat and repeat a word and it starts to sound weird?
well randomness sounded weird the first time i said it!
some randomness from the last few days…
the other day i took some wheat grass out to billy blaze as a special treat.
i figured it’s green grass right!? and it’s winter so green grass would taste really great.
as you can see…. it did. he gobbled that right up! i’ve put it in my kitchen window
to see if i can grow it again.
one of my horsey friends and i went out on saturday, during all that great sunshine and blue sky
to take some pictures…
billy blaze with my friend and her horse in the background.
this is her arab gelding, azad….
they are doing hill therapy to strengthen his back. it’s going very well! not only is it working on his back…
it’s also strengthening their relationship.
and she took some of billy blaze and i.
i love these! and just for the record i have on two pairs of pants and 6 shirts, plus my vest.
and here is a picture of an umbrella after two LBE (left brain extroverts) are done with it.
we used it for the pictures, then billy got a hold of it and it was all over!
time for a new umbrella 
today i had a lesson with jenny trainor, shared with a friend of mine, kelly robinson kelly.
it was a wonderful lesson and brought up lots of interesting things for me to “lick and chew” over…
and sent me home to do some research of my own.
i found several very interesting articles that linda parelli has written over the years.
two things that really jumped out at me after our lesson today were:
(LOVE that last one!!)
love love love doing stuff like this!!
photo shoots….
with horses.
billy blaze with my friend's horse, pearl, in the background.
Pearl, a buckskin Morgan mare.
Kisses!
billy blaze and his saggy lip...
pretty pearl!
i’m so thankful for the year 2011. it was full of beautiful things.
wonderful life changes.
and we bought LAND!!!
i can’t wait to see what the year 2012 has in store for me and my family.
here is the past year….
in photos!
a buffalo in mammoth...
my little leprechauns!
crazy boys!!
easter candy... yum!
easter girl!
i first meet billy blaze!
cheese!!
curly ears!
our drive home from bozeman...
my little helper
billy learning about BIG orange balls!
sweet angus
little L and big B at target practice.
the mustangs...
mustang butts....
yellow belts!
the flower shed
weddings!
walking with billy blaze... leaving the stable yard.
deputy schroder
beautiful summer in montana.
undemanding time with billy blaze
billy totally LOVING his parelli ball.
whiskey visited us in september!
she brought teresa!! yay!!
we went to yellowstone national park...
the boys LOVED it
hiking with billy blaze and angus.
angus looking up at billy...
totally LOVING my iphone!
totally AWESOME photo shoots
LOVE
my handsome boys...
little D...
big K!
peek a boo
billy LOVES his ball....
little L rock climbing.
christmas time!
sun shiny day!
our land!!! (picture by Mom aka Loree West)
out at the arena we have a new “toy”. it’s a teeter totter for horses!
billy LOVES it. he also loves to stand on his pedestal. and on his bridge…
so much fun!
billy standing on his pedestal.
billy standing on his bridge.
"what's that noise!?"
today was so beautiful. the sky was blue. the sun was shining.
billy and i went for a walk! we needed a little time outside of the arena…
then i remembered how much i LOVE black and white…
so. much. fun.
and yes. billy does NOT have a tail.
and yes. that is normal
