Catch Up Post #1

And we're back!

Hi and Hello!

I took a hiatus from blogging starting last fall.

For over a year I've been struggling with a number of symptoms which at first appeared to be due to the concussion from my epic fall. After a series of evaluations and tests, it turns out the issue was not a brain injury, but rather mental illness.

My lack of blogging (and decline/sporadicity in reading others' blogs) has been due to anhedonia. That is is a common symptom of depression, where you lose interest in things that normally bring you joy, such as hobbies. So its a good sign that I'm looking to get back into blogging and other things that I know make me happy.

I left off on the blog preparing for mine and Hannah's first horse trial together. We had a great time and even earned a pretty pink ribbon. :)  Here's a few photos and below are the videos.

I'd like to give a special thanks to Karen of Not-So-Speedy Dressage whose friendship and support has been invaluable. Go check out her blog for a fabulous Dr. Schacht clinic recap! I'll be writing a recap as well sometime soon.

I'm Alive

Just a quick post to let you know that I'm alive. Hannah is great. I'm reading your blogs, though I'm behind. I hope to get back to a regular posting schedule soon.

Get it together now

Firstly, congrats to DIY Horse Ownership for 200 posts! Check out the giveaway to celebrate. 

And congrats to 'Fraidy Cat Eventing for 1 year of blogging!

In my perfect world, the 2 weeks leading up to a horse trial is filled with extra barn time. A few more "serious" rides are substituted in for our casual hacks or bareback rides. More tack cleaning, boot cleaning, trailer cleaning, everything cleaning.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to swing it this time due to some medical and family stuff going on. Even so, I feel ready and excited.

Hannah, please stop finding ways to scratch your face in turnout.
I wash your face daily - it really shouldn't be that itchy.

Our last jump lesson before the show was a good 2'3 - 2'6" course.
The max height at the show is 2'.

I removed the ears from her fly mask because they were rubbing.
She looks hilarious in this mask!

Lovely evening pink clouds lately. And that's a bird on the tree branch. =)

Show Prep Fun!

The Happier podcast reminded me that part of enjoying an event is savoring the lead-up.  So I'm diving into the preparation for the Shepherd Ranch Horse Trials in a few weeks.

I've printed my dressage test and I keep in my purse to review when I get a free minute.

Hand drawn arena not to scale lol

Time to get down my show binder, update it with the event info, and start a prep checklist.

Hannah needs to try on my black bridles for dressage. We're also training the mane to lie flat.

As for goals, there's 15 people in my division (Open Intro A), so going home with a ribbon would be lovely but improbable. Our goal is simply to get through all 3 phases and have fun.

XC #3 - Meadows of Moorpark

Exciting news - Hannah and I are entered for our first horse trial!! Its in 2 weeks at the beautiful Shepherd Ranch in Santa Ynez!

This past weekend we got a final cross country schooling in, at the Meadows of Moorpark.

Unlike our previous schoolings, this one as more of a supervised ride than a lesson. Hannah and I were off on our own and jumped whatever we wanted. They have a plethora of tiny jumps so it was the perfect opportunity for me to take it slow and only jump as high (low) as I felt comfortable. I didn't pressure myself, and my nerves stayed quite managed.

My wonderful husband came and took photos on his fancy new camera.

It was a fabulous outing. I feel much better now about the upcoming horse trial.

Strad Farms Jumper Show Recap

The other week Hannah and I competed in our 2nd show together and had a really fun time. We did 2' and 2'3" jumper classes at the beautiful Stradivarius Farms in Santa Paula.

We did 3 rounds total. The first went well. 

I was happy with how forward and relaxed we were for the entire round. We ended up 3rd out of 5. 

Our next round didn't go as well. I was first to go in that class and I made a wrong turn. I ended up doing a series of awkward turns  to get to the next jump. The judge thought we crossed our tracks (I disagree). However, one of the jumps was "backwards" (the fill and ground line was on the wrong side) so the judge allowed my round to count and they fixed the jump for all the other riders. Besides all that, I thought I rode okay. We got another yellow ribbon.

Our last round was also mixed. We started off totally in sync then we started chipping to the jumps, so I put my leg on and we finished strong. Only we didn't finish. I again forgot the course and stopped after the second-to-last jump! So we got disqualified. Womp womp.

Overall I had a wonderful time. Hannah was foot perfect the entire day. I love that all our problems were with me, not my mount, and are totally fixable.

VCBH: Cubicle

Fun blog hop time! Because it's taking me forever to do a measly show recap post from 2 weekends ago. Anyone else have post procrastination issues sometimes?

From L. at Viva Carlos:

Most of us work for a living, some of us in way swankier places than others. I am curious for a pictorial tour of your office or cubicle.

I have neither an office nor a cubicle, but a quasi open office setup with wing walls and no door. 

View from the hallway.

The first thing you notice is my shiny shovel. This is from the groundbreaking ceremony for the Volkswagen Test Center California, the first build-to-suit I worked on. It's a fun decoration, and I use it to adjust noisy AC registers and buzzing light fixtures.

Panorama view of my area. No one sits at the chair on the right currently, so I have it all to myself.

My work space has lots of counter-top area, which is great for spreading out, organizing papers, and reading full-size blueprints. 

My desk. On a tidy day.

The blue bag on the bottom right has my riding clothes as I go straight to the barn after work. Besides that, the only horsey thing is my lovely business card holder, which I bought at a fundraiser event for Debbie Rosen to go to Rolex.

Love this!

My time with the company is coming to an end in a few months. They're moving their offices quite far away and it's the right time for me to find a new opportunity.