Okie Dokie - I'm off to the barn.  Have a blessed and wonderful day !

Nardeen

May 3, 2009

Today the SHSA was suppose to be holding a benefit horse show at Amazing Grace Stable.  We were really looking forward to it.  As any of you know who have put on horse shows, a lot of work goes into getting ready.  We wanted everything to be just right. Well - around 5:15 this morning I got a phone call from Kim, the manager of the show, to tell me they had decided to cancel due to the weather forecast of rain and thunderstorms.  I was still in bed with about ten minutes left until my alarm went off - so I just figured it must be raining outside.  I made a few phone calls, got up and showered and headed over to the barn in case anyone showed up.  Mark was already there working the footing in the ring, but ironically enough Donna and Ryann both OVERSLEPT.  Weren't they blessed !    And what are the odds of them both over sleeping??? That was crazy.  Well - sure enough several trailers came in - and needless to say they were all very upset that the show had been cancelled.  We were all very upset about it.  My goodness - it was gorgeous out.  It had rained a little bit the night before which made it really perfect for the driveway and all around the grounds.  We ran the sprinkler system several times so the rings were in perfect condition.  It was sunny, cool, and an absolutely perfect day to have a horse show.  We were all moaning and groaning about what a bad call had been made by cancelling the show on such a gorgeous day.

Well, Jackie was at the barn - all decked out in her pants and britches - ready to show.  I told her and Donna to go ahead and tack up and we'd have a "mock" horse show.  They jumped around the course one time and they were both absolutely perfect.  Jackie was riding Stretch and Donna was riding Rex.  They were such good boys and Jackie and Donna had a blast.  Both of them were smiling from ear to ear !

One good thing about the show being cancelled was we were able to go to church.  I was dying about missing today because I LOVE CHURCH.  I sure wish these shows weren't on Sundays.

After church we went to El Burrito's for lunch.  And - while we were there the bottom dropped out of the sky.  It poured and poured and poured and poured.  And it thundered and carried on.  We were truly blessed because by the time we finished lunch it had stopped raining, so we didn't get a drop on us.  When we got back to the barn the place was FLOODED .  There was standing water everywhere.  The rings and the parking fields were a mess.   If they had had the horse show we would have been pulling them out of the fields with the tractor. 

Sometimes we may "feel"  disappointed when things aren't going the way we want.  But sometimes things turn out  for the best.  I'm sure Kim agonized all day over the beautiful weather we were having.   I'm sure she thought she made a bad call.  After all - the rest of us certainly thought she made a bad call.  And to the people who would have been done showing by 2:00 it was a bad call - but only for them.  Kim had to make a decision that would be good for the entire group of people showing today. And she was also concerned about tearing up our facility with all the trailers, etc.  Hindsight is so easy, isn't it?  After seeing what happened out here this afternoon I will be the first to say Kim made a great decision this morning at 5:00.  She got out of bed, watched the weather forecast, saw what the radar was predicting regarding the thunderstorms and made a tough decision.  She was brave and wise, and I thank her for having the courage to do something that I'm not sure I would have been so wise to do.  Good job Kim.  You are to be commended. 

So - out of this situation the SHSA has decided to come up with a system of contacting people when a show is going to be cancelled.  And - this is another situation where PRE-ENTERING is a good thing.  Everyone should get into the habit of Pre-Entering at these horse shows.  It would be a good thing for all involved. 

Soooooo - I am off tomorrow to manage the James River Hunt Horse Show in Fredericksburg from the 6th thru the 10th.   I'm looking forward to seeing my friends who I don't get to see very often.  The last time I saw most of them was last September at the Middleburg Classic.  So, this will be a nice week for me. 

God bless you guys, and thank you Kim.

Nardeen

May 13, 2009

I have had the best week.  The weather has been wonderful, the barn is so peaceful and I am so blessed with my wonderful family, friends, horses and dogs.  God is good ! 

Remember me telling you about Kristin - our customer who is from Hunterdon?  That girl is something else.  She attends Christopher Newport College and with that winding down she is able to spend more time at the barn.  Well, she has decided to "motivate" everyone into taking on more projects besides just the everyday barn chores.  HOORAY Kristin !  I love it.  You know, being the "leader" is a hard job - but Kristin seems to be up for the challenge.  Donna and Ryann are soooooo laid back so they are both loving the "motivation."   The project this week has been to sand, scrape and paint all the OLD jumps.  Kristin even went to Lowes and found all sorts of bargains on the "OOPS" shelves.  I've never even heard of the "Oops" shelves.  She is a thrifty little thing.  I have given her the title of "Project Motivational Manager."  

It was so good to be back in church tonight.  I missed last week because of James River Horse Show.  I love church.  Unfortunately I'm going to miss this Sunday too because of the horse show at our barn.  I sure wish the SHSA didn't have their shows on Sundays. 

Speaking of James River - it sure was fun seeing so many people I haven't seen in a long time. Michelle Orphanidys and her mom Sandy White were there and I always love seeing them.  They are two very special people to me.  Michelle and her husband George are adopting a baby from Russia.  I'm so happy for them.  Michelle showed her precious horse Romeo and was the Grand Champion Amateur Adult - which was extra exciting because it was their first show back in a long time. That Romeo is something else.  He knows his job perfectly and Michelle rides great.  So that is a team to contend with.  And I LOVE Shannon Bartlett's new horse.  He is the cutest thing.  And of course, Shannon rides amazing - always has.  They are going to be a hard team to beat.  Savannah Jenkins was her usual great riding self.  She was Champion with Grand Cru in the Small Juniors and champion with her pony Wellen Goldsmith in the Large Ponies.  That child is an amazing talent.  I absolutely love the Shearin's horse "Rejoice."   This was my first time seeing her and she is something else.  They were Grand Champion Junior Hunter.  And Bob Crandall's horse Casalla is very, very special.  I love him.  Carol Hawley - one of my favorite people.  Of course - the entire Garnett gang.  It's so nice having Annie back in the area.  Scott Williamson and Shaw Price.  Diane Burt - my dear friend who I love to pieces.   Pam Herman and her nice group.  I love those guys.  They come to some of our Amazing Grace Shows and are always such a pleasure.  Katie Huber and Winn Alden - both GREAT riders, beautiful equitation, and both taught when they were children by the great Pam Baker.  Pam is one of the most amazing people I know.  You'd be hard pressed to find a harder working person.  And talk about producing great riders, year after year, after year. 

So this has me thinking about Pam Baker and all the riders she has worked with over the years.  At James River Horse Show the following are people that I know about that she has helped. And these are only the ones I know of. I'm sure there are many others:  Winn Alden (Pam taught as a Junior and is now a Pro), Ann Garnett (Pam taught as a Junior and is now a Pro), Bob Crandall (he rode for Pam), Pam Herman (Pam taught as a Junior and is now a Pro), Wendy Hagadorn (she rode for Pam), Katie Huber (rode as a Junior and is now a Pro), Peg Seals (Pam helped her with several horses), Chris Wynne (Pam taught as a Junior and is now a Pro.)  WOW - Pam sure did something right to make all these people want to pursue careers in the horse world. And they are all successful at it.  QUITE AN AMAZING WOMAN, wouldn't you say. God bless her - and he certainly has !!! 

Diana and Butch Burris' precious pony "Trinket" is doing so good.  She's cantering now and is so good.  Donna has done a great job.  If you know of anyone that needs their pony broken tell them to give us a call. 

Denise Luckey brought Sydney over on Monday and Donna started her jumping.  What a cute horse.  She is so sweet.  She jumped a cross rail, then a little wall, then a gate, then the gate with flower boxes.  She jumped great and never thought about not jumping them.  She is so trusting.  Denise has done a GREAT job with her. 

I'm possibly going to cancel the Saturday show. I'm hoping the entries we've received can come on Sunday.  We don't have that many for Saturday.  Plus the kids from the Master's Commission are going to have a party at my house and spend the night.  So, there's a good chance we will not have that show.  If you are thinking about coming please let me know first thing tomorrow morning so I can make a decision about what to do.  Call me at 357-7471 or 846-8176 because I don't read my e-mail during the day. I'll definitely let you know tomorrow evening by posting something here.

God bless,

Nardeen

May 14, 2009

We received a few more entries today for the Saturday show, unfortunately I had already cancelled it.  PLEASE be sure to enter by WEDNESDAY before the show.  The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for rain - so Sunday is looking questionable.  Please be sure we are having the horse show before you come out.  I'd hate to have an instant replay of the last SHSA show at our barn.  I'll post something here on Saturday evening if we are planning to cancel.  I hope if we have to cancel we will know on Saturday.  I always hate having to make those early morning decisions. 

Kristin and Ryann are just about done scraping, sanding and painting the jumps.  Jackie is painting the wash racks.  Mark has been busy mowing and weed eating.  Everything looks beautiful.  Lori cleaned the wash racks and bathrooms to perfection.  Donna trimmed the bushes.  I helped weed eat, mow and doing the paper work for the Sunday show. And, as busy as we've been we've been blessed with our Bible studies on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Today Josh (Carr) led the Bible study and it was wonderful.  Psalms 61.  Josh did a great job. and we had a lot of group discussion regarding it.  It was about how important it is to pray and read the Bible - especially when we are experiencing trials in our lives.  A lot of times if we aren't SEEING God working in our lives, we turn away and skip our Bible, prayer and church time.  That is the time we need God the most - so let's all be sure we seek after him.  Satan is so good at convincing us it won't matter if we miss one Bible study, or one Church service, or one day in prayer.  Then one time turns into two, and two into three, and then we lose count and give up completely. Don't let him trick you.  He's the master of trickery.  Keep seeking God, especially in the hard times. 

B.G. got bred today to Meadowbrook's Special Edition.  We are all so excited.  It should be a beautiful baby.  Diana and Butch (Burris) are partnering with us and we will own the baby together.  They are as excited as we are.  Now we have to wait fourteen days to see if she is in foal.   We'll be praying - that's for sure !!!  

I'm off to bed.  I'm falling asleep at the computer.  I'll check in with you tomorrow.

God bless,

Nardeen

May 15, 2009

What a busy day it's been today.  Lots going on all day long.  Then at the end of the day the bottom dropped out and it rained, and rained and rained.   Aren't we sick of rain? Anyway, whatever happens regarding the show will be fine.  We sure have a lot of pre-entries - fifty seven as of right now - and they have several hours left.  And that's just the pre-entries.  I would imagine some people just show up.  Anyway - please be sure to check back here to see if we're having the show.  Susie and I will decide tomorrow afternoon.   It's going to depend on if things dry up some tomorrow.  We got a lot of rain this afternoon and my main concern is parking.  Even if there is standing water in the ring the footing will be fine.  I just don't know if we are able to park people without them getting stuck.  So definitely check back here tomorrow. 

The Master's Commission is having their new students for next year visiting Saturday. They are having a party and a sleepover at my house and Ryann's house.  Girls with Ryann at my house, boys with Hunter at their house.  And I love those kids and would love to spend some time with them. So if the show gets rained out I'm not going to be too disappointed.  The rain date will be next Sunday.  Ryann wasn't going to be able to be at the show because of this get together so it is all working out beautifully.  Isn't God amazing ?

Speaking of our amazing God.  Today at the barn Jackie lost the keys to her truck.  She was so upset.  It was crazy because she unhooked her trailer and never even walked away.  But she looked and looked and couldn't find the keys.  Donna and I went over to help her look for them but we couldn't find them either.  Jackie was so upset, so I said - "well, we haven't done the most obvious thing we need to do.  Pray."   With that I said a quick prayer - out loud - asking God to help us find the keys - and as soon as I said Amen, Donna found the keys !!!   I mean the second I said Amen !!!  What an amazing God we serve.  He just wanted to remind us all that He was there with us.  It was just a gentle "nudge" from Him that prayer works and we should do it for every need we have - even if it seems unimportant.   Sometimes we think we should only ask for God's help for the "big" things in our lives, but that is so wrong.  He is there to help us in every thing we do, all day long.  He is sooooooooo good.  

Take care, and God bless,

Nardeen

May 17, 2009

Cappy's show name is "Swiss Air."  In his younger days he was a great Grand Prix horse and competed in the World Games.

Thank you everyone for being so caring and generous.

God bless you all.

Nardeen

If you know of someone looking for a place to live I would love to rent out one or even two bedrooms.  They both have their own bathrooms, and of course the rest of the house is also available.  I would love to have some help paying this mortgage payment.   I actually enjoy living alone - which if you had told me that a year ago I would have said you were crazy.  But that is another one of God's wonderful things He has done in my life.  I have no fear at all of being here alone, and I'm totally at peace about it.   But I would LOVE to have some help with the mortgage.  So please, keep it in mind and let me know if you think of anyone that would be a good house-mate.

May 22, 2009

Cappy is the most spoiled horse in the world !!!   You wouldn't believe the love and attention he is getting.  Therese Camp gave him a gift certificate to Sesroh.  Sven not only ordered him special brushes he also had them engraved with his name !!!  He gets groomed and taken out to graze SEVERAL times a day.  Jackie is so head over heels about him that she is making her own horse crazy !  Jackie's horse Stretch lives in the stall right next to the wash rack so he has to witness Jackie fussing over Cappy and he doesn't like it much.  He stands at the front of his stall grinding his teeth.  It's hilarious. 

Remember our show on Sunday.  It's VHSA/SHSA rated and it starts at 8:00 a.m.  Edee McGregor is the judge.  And - it is going to be a BEAUTIFUL day.  So come on out and spend a wonderful day with us.

Be blessed,

Nardeen

May 26, 2009

Denise brought Sydney out again today for another "jumping" lesson and that horse is AMAZING.  She is so willing and quiet and GOOD !!!   We LOVE her and of course we love Denise.  I am so happy Denise has such a WONDERFUL horse.  And I love that Denise did so much of it herself.  She even broke her.  The only reason she isn't doing the jumping is that it's been a long time since she herself has jumped and she felt it would be better for Sydney to have Donna get her started.  Donna is doing an incredible job.  She loves the horses and is sooooo kind with them and they want to be good for her.  Sydney has jumped most of the jumps in the ring - flower boxes, walls, gates, and today she jumped the roll top.  She jumped outrageous. It does my heart good because Denise is so deserving.  Here's a link to YouTube with her jumping the roll top for the first time.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI74NiDflgE .  Isn't she cute !!!

Our show yesterday went really well.  It was a beautiful day for a horse show.  There are soooooo many people I don't know who show at these shows. I'm just now starting to put names and faces together.  The SHSA sure has a lot of classes. Sixty seven - yes, 67.  Most of them are Pleasure classes.  There is something for every rider and every horse.  AMAZING !

Cappy is doing great !  Diana and Butch brought him out more hay today.  Brittany Davis brought him some hay on Saturday plus she gave a cash donation to whatever he needs.  He also got a cash donation from Michaela Witten which was very appreciated.  Patrick took him out today to graze.  And that Jackie spoils him rotten !   She grooms and grooms and grooms him.  And, she's getting his feet done the next time the blacksmith comes out.  I think we'll start riding him after he gets his feet done - and I think Jackie should be the first. 

Entries closed today for the Deep Run Horse Show.  I'm getting ready to start putting them into the computer. I love Deep Run.

This Saturday is "Community Day" at Healing Waters Church.  Ryann and Hunter are playing an important part in it with the Youth Group.  They love those kids, and the kids love them.  If you get a chance please come out. Healing Waters is on Smith's Neck Road - about 1/2 mile from Titus Creek Drive.  We originally had a show scheduled but we cancelled it because of Community Day and because Donna's son Kyle is graduating.  WOW - graduating !  Where does the time go. 

May 30, 2009

Our God is so good !   This past week has been AMAZING.  It has been one answered prayer after another.

The most wonderful answered prayer was for my niece Denise. She's been having quite a bit of abdominal pain. The doctors found a cyst and a polyp.  She went for surgery yesterday and the cyst was easily removed and they couldn't find the polyp, even though it showed up in their earlier tests.  We give God the praise for that answered prayer.

The other "big" answered prayer is so amazing but I'm not going to be able to tell you about it now. I need some time to be able to put it into words correctly. 

Right now I'm really busy with working on the entries for the Deep Run Horse Show and I'm getting ready to go out of town on some Middleburg Classic business.  PLUS on Monday I'm going to Washington D.C. to spend the evening with some of my wonderful friends at the Chef's Best Dinner to benefit "Food & Friends."  This is always an amazing event.  The top 60  Chef's from the D.C. and surrounding areas set up food stations in the amazing Hilton Hotel.  And there is a fabulous Silent Auction and Live Auction.  It is always exciting !!!   The food is incredible.  You just walk around from station to station eating whatever you want.  And when 60 plus chefs get together - with each one trying to outdo the other - the food is incredible.  We have a blast at this event !!! 

Anyway - next week sometime I'll fill you in on the goings on at Amazing Grace Stable.  One quick exciting thing is that we took all of the jumps out of the main ring and worked on the footing.  The footing is always good but it had gotten a bit deep in places and a little shallow in other places.  Our wonderful Jason - who knows a lot about footing - worked on it these past few days and we are really excited about how it turned out. 

We had a fun party last night at Jackie's house.  That girl can cook !!!  Thanks Jackie for a great time.  It was Donna's birthday (Happy Birthday girl), and Jackie baked her the most incredibly rich and delicious cake.  Yum, I wish I had a piece right now.  If you read this Jackie before you come out to the barn today PLEEEEEEEASE bring me a piece. 

Monday night Ryann, Hunter, Josh, Jennifer, Jacob and I went to Chrysler Hall and saw "Wicked."  We had fabulous seats in the arm of the balcony.  This was Ryann and my second time seeing it.   We saw it on Broadway two years ago and you know what, it was quite good here at Chrysler Hall.  We are very fortunate to have that venue in this area.  Anyway - it's here through Sunday and if you get a chance you should go see it.  It is FABULOUS.  Don't let the name deceive you.

Today is Community Day at Healing Waters Church.  It's from 4 - 7.  If you get a chance please come out.  It's right on Smith's Neck Road, about 1/8 mile from the turn to our barn.  Ryann and Hunter are playing a big part in it and I know they would love to see you.

Thank you Kristin and Jackie for diligently sanding, scraping and re-painting all the old jumps.  They look soooooo good. You girls are THE BEST !!!

Cappy is FLOURISHING.  He is one happy horse.  And it looks like he's gaining a little weight.  We still haven't gotten his feet done so he hasn't been ridden yet.  Hopefully in the next few days.

We think B.G. is in foal.  Dr. Karen checked her yesterday and she wants to come back on Monday and re-check her to be certain.  She's been such a good little patient !!!  We bred her to Meadowbrook's Special Edition.  We're in "foal partnership" with Diana and Butch.  We are all so excited.

Okie Dokie - I'm off to the barn. 

God bless you,

Nardeen