Tag: horse show

Paris Part Un: In Which I Did Not Sleep

On By AveryIn Horses, Life8 Comments

My plan was to sleep on the plane, but we all know how the best made plans can go…I got nada. The flight was pleasant enough though. I watched a couple of movies (one bad, one good), listened to some music, stared out the window, twittled my thumbs. Normal stuff.

After a quick flight change in London and a jump across the pond, I arrived in Paris at my hotel around 12:30 PM local time. Still with no sleep, but honestly, who has time to sleep. I was strangely not even tired. I kept thinking about what a friend told me once. “I can rest in the nursing home!”

I stayed at the Hotel Eber Mars and quite enjoyed my stay. You should look it up. Conveniently located, wonderful staff, quaint, and full of stories.

I took a quick shower after checking in and set off exploring. With only about 24 hours to take it all in, it was hard to determine what exactly I wanted to do. I fit in as much as I could before dinner.

My hotel was right by the Eiffel Tower. That was easy.

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I zig zagged my way through the streets from the Eiffel Tower to the river and walked all the way to the Lourve. I ate a croissant and watched all the people. It was very busy. Everywhere. And everyone had dirty shoes and feet.

I stopped at a café across the street from a packed bar of some sort where there were several people enjoying the afternoon and the World Cup game. There were no seats left on the sidewalk, so I settled for one right inside, close to all the action. I had a couple of glasses of bubbly and a cheese tray while I watched and listened. It was fun to hear all the shouts and cheers throughout the game.

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I considered going straight back to the hotel and crashing, but I could not let myself do it. Instead I walked through a quiet, pretty neighborhood enjoying the long shadows of the buildings until I found a decent enough spot for dinner.

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Interestingly enough, the Longines Global Champions Tour just so happened to be in Paris at the Eiffel Tower for the Paris Eiffel Jumping during my short stay. (If you happen to be coming to this region this weekend, the next stop on the tour is Chantilly, not very far!) After dinner I walked straight to the show grounds to have a look see. I could not help it. The plan was to go Saturday evening to watch the Grand Prix, but I just had to go sooner than that.

I sat and watched the warm up for a while. The warm up is my favorite thing to watch at competitions. Then I grabbed an ice cream from one of the vendors as I checked out all the things for sale. Trying with all of my might to find something I had to have. Something I could not live without. Try as I might, I could not. There was nothing for me and I was extremely disappointed. Perhaps I would have luck tomorrow.

I made the short walk back to my hotel, took yet another shower, and fell fast asleep around 10 PM.

Walk in love, dear readers!

Time & Everyday Life.

On By AveryIn Dogs, Horses, Life, Uncategorized2 Comments

Was it not just yesterday that I was excited we had entered the ‘ber’ months? Elated for everything fall? Now we are less than one day shy of March. It is crazy how looking back over the last few months it seems to have gone by so fast. So fast in fact, that today feels like Wednesday. In the midst of it all, it felt terribly slow.

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So much has happened in such a short time. Or maybe not so much has happened?

It feels like a lot.

Not too terribly much to report over here. Pretty boring, actually. Do you want to know something? I am OK with that at the moment. Work is chugging along. I have many loads of laundry to do. I no longer have any clean riding jeans and I am running out of boot socks. Who cares about work clothes. The situation is dire on the home front. Priorities. I loathe doing laundry. Anyone else out there also really dislike laundry? Sure, a stack of neatly folded clothes is oddly satisfying, but the process of getting there? Not really. Darcy needs a bath. Darcy always needs a bath. Every weekend she finds something nasty to roll in. It is a gift she has.

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We are entering the last month of the first quarter of the year. I am happy to report that I have so far made good on my riding goals for the year. The other things, oh well, maybe not as good, but I have not forgotten them and am still working on them. That is a win in my book.

I do not think I waxed poetic earlier this week about how awesome Lito is. Do not worry, I am not going to do that now. Well, at least I do not think I am. Anyway, I am planning his first off property ride with a friend for sometime in the next two months. I am pretty excited about it. I am glad to be making progress with him. I also spoke with my Aunt and Cousin about getting them on the farm schedule so I can have the support to continue to ride him regularly (Sorry for the repeat vid, but honestly, I can’t get enough of it!). Cheetah is doing well and I am excited about taking some lessons and going to a show in the second quarter of the year. I am also more than ready for the time to change back. Give me more daylight so I can ride more! I am planning to increase my rides by at least one more during the week. The next thing on my execution list is getting lessons actually on the calendar.

I have been listening to Midland this week. I like their older country feel. I also have a serious thing for 70’s fashion. I want a whole new wardrobe of just 70’s. Strange, I know.

So many words and not much said. Makes me think of this Jason Eady song with the line “words that come too easy sometimes tell the bigger truth.”

Anything exciting going on? A calm, everyday life is pretty comforting for me right now. How are y’all doing on your new year resolutions?

Walk in love, dear readers.

Setting Yourself Up For Success

On By AveryIn Faith, Horses, Life2 Comments

I read something recently about setting yourself up for success that really resonated with rawme and I figured I would share it with you. Setting yourself up for success helps you to have…success! Gold star for me! In all seriousness though, that is the key. Success leads to confidence and/or confidence leads to success. AHAmoment. It is that whole coming full circle concept that life is all about.

I have been working on my…‘resolution’ plan for the year, if you will, and how to best execute it. To be successful.

I have been pretty darn good about all the general, daily items on my list and I have even added a few things to it. Those are not overly important at present. What I want to discuss is my main ticket item, my riding related goals, and how that may help you with your big goals. Your 2017 goals. Your riding goals. Your cooking or baking goals. Your parenting goals. Your getting healthier goals. Your writing goals Your fishing goals. Your dancing goals. Anything. Your life goals.

No matter what it is that you want to accomplish, to be successful at, you have to set yourself up for it. To have some sort of execution plan or, let us be honest, more plans/adjustability/fluidity, since we all know how plans can go. Hello, life. To break it up into manageable bites and have a few benchmarks. All of this to me means preparation.

I have scoured my sources and filled my calendar with all the clinics and schooling/working equitation/dressage/SHOT shows in the general area. I am still doing some research on the clinics and thinking about who I want to take lessons from. The point for me is not what I do, it is that I do it, both my horse and I have a good, positive experience, and we learn something. To grow and never stop learning. To continue striving and searching. To always try and be better. It is the quest.

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My last time in any show ring over 5 or 6 years ago. I have done one clinic and zero lessons in that time.
I think I have landed on my plan outline that will get me prepared and set me up for success. I have not settled on specifics or looked at where things fall on the calendar, so the plan will likely change and that is OK. The first quarter of the year I am going to just focus on riding as much as I can to get us both back into shape and back in tune. Second quarter will be for lessons and making progress. I might add a show in here based on focus and progress. Third quarter will be for possible more lessons and a clinic closing with a possible show. Fourth quarter will be my rainy day quarter given it is the busiest time of year. Yikes, that feels like tomorrow!

I open the floor to you, dear readers. Do you have a better way to break the year’s plan up into acceptable bites? What is your advice for setting yourself up for success? What are your plans to set yourself up for success in your goals/resolutions, whatever they may be?

Walk in love.