Since I can’t find a decent bakery, one that will keep a meeting at least, I’m considering making my own cake for the reception! Below is a picture of my cake prepared without proper tools so give me a real spatula and a few decorating nick-nacks and I’ll be stacking those tiers and icing with the best of them.

Iron chef? How about Iron baker! 🙂

We got invited to watch some friends compete at a local show here in North Carolina. It was held at a cute little place called Equine Country. They offer cabins for rent and sweet little tack shop with friendly employees.

Janette, Jenny and Angelea rocking the HorseGirlTV tees!

One of the equitation classes. Future Olympians in the making!!!

HorseGirlTV fans come in all shapes, sizes, skill levels, AND ages! I imagine this is our littlest fan though! This picture was emailed to me and was just way TOO cute not to post!

HorseGirlTV not only had two fabulous interviews at the 2008 United States Equestrian Drill Championship but we had some nice arena banner coverage as well. Thanks so much to all the folks at SportsQuest.tv for you help to HorseGirlTV. We look forward to many future shared projects with you! Yee-haw!

We’ve moved yet again! We now live in the ultimate gated community complete with tennis, golf, swimming, grocery, shopping, cleaners, STABLES, florist, liquor store, gas station, restaurants, hospital, USPS, movie theater, several gyms, fresh AND salt water fishing, ocean front beach, marina, Ex’s job and the list goes on and on.

We’ve moved aboard Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and it is SO great for Ex to have only a 4 minute commute to work, living in a nice quiet neighborhood. Our first night here some of our neighbors came over to bring a home-baked loaf of bread and say welcome to the neighborhood. It’s like we’re living in the 1950s again but it’s GREAT! Apart from the occasional helicopter passing over, distance machine gun fire and boom from mortar rounds it’s simply perfect. 🙂

Our Home ↓

Signage @ Residence ↓

It’s about 5 o’ clock in the morning and I’m dragging myself from bed still reminiscing about the homecoming dance the night before. So I finally get the energy to get up and start rushing around, brushing the 10 pounds of hair spray out of my hair from my up do and ironing my show attire. Before I know it everything for the day is loaded into the car and my mom and I start our long hall to Fields and Fences in Roscoe, IL the location of the 2005 Northern Illinois horseback riding finals. Since I spent most of the car ride there sleeping next thing I know we’re at the show grounds and unloading everything we had just put into the car. After we get all settled my nerves kick in.

I had only been invited to compete in Mini Medals for my division, which means that I hadn’t actually qualified by winning, but had scored well enough to be considered. This put a lot of extra pressure on me because I would be competing against the best in my division and a girl on my own team who was leading everyone in points. It was only my second year on this circuit and I had no idea what to expect. I finally meet up with my trainer who was equally tired and reluctantly decides to walk the course with me and the other girl on my team. Now since my teammate, was currently winning the division the whole time we’re walking my trainer pays most attention to her giving her extra tips and telling me to just try and get through the course. Now as if I wasn’t nervous enough I’m told the order of go will be reversed so the person with the least points, me, will go first and the person with the most will go last. On top of this they need someone to sing the national anthem, so my friend knowing that I sing volunteers me. After I sing the national anthem in the announcer’s booth I run back downstairs to hop on my horse and ride into the arena scared out of my mind with tons of people watching. I’m thinking to myself I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell to not embarrass myself, but I finish my course anyway and it’s not half bad. I listen for my score, 76, and as I keep listening I realize I’m beating girls who have been doing this since they could walk and are riding horses ten times the expense of mine. By the end of all the trips I’m in fifth place and who would have guessed it, my trainer’s prodigy is trailing me in sixth. We are both called back with five other riders to compete in the call back test. After all is said and done I wound up in fourth place year end and the previous team leader in sixth. It was supposed to be, her year to win it,  everyone on the team had said. To them I hadn’t even been an option. I didn’t even expect to place. I just wanted to leave without making a fool of myself. Fourth felt like first to me, but to my teammate being sixth and below her inexperienced teammate made her furious. It taught me a lot about myself and other people. You should never underestimate people or yourself and even when others don’t believe in you it is okay to go for what you want.  Who knows you might just surprise everyone, even yourself.