Wise Words

Once upon a time, I went to China.  Through a series of adventures, I ended up living in the home of a family from New Zealand which also doubled as the LDS church in Shanghai.  There was a girl in the family who was a couple of years younger than me, and we got to be pretty good friends.  She talked a lot about things she had done in her past.  Often, such things included sneaking out of her house and going to parties where drinking was involved.  As we sat up late talking one night, she was admiring the life I had lived... clean, obedient, and good.  She said, "The only things I regret from the past are the things I didn't do."

I have lived a good life.  Obviously I don't mean to brag; of course I've made my share of mistakes.  In the major things, though, I've followed the prescribed pattern.  I tried to do well in school, dressed modestly, went to Church, stayed away from drugs and alcohol.  I got married to the best man I've ever known, bought a house, started having children, and generally live a very happy life.  I have always tried to do my very best in the things I have set my mind to.

At the same time, those words have always stuck with me.  Perhaps it was because they were said by a girl who had done some less-than-reputable things.  It was so interesting to me that, given her past, she only regretted the good things she had neglected to do.  It was a testament to the idea of continually moving forward, of being true to oneself, and of learning from the mistakes that will inevitably happen.  I'm not as good at this as I'd like to be, but I love the idea of delving into life with all you have to offer.

With that said, here are a few things I regret from the past:

1. I missed doing the Disney internship because I thought it was silly.  I later had friends say they had done it and loved it!  As it turns out, the Disney internship would have fit in perfectly with my major and prepared me better for the life I want to live.
2. I didn't learn how to make friends until I had lost the opportunity for many many friendships.  I still struggle with this, and had I learned earlier, I would struggle less now.
3. I only traveled to a place I didn't like as opposed to finding other places and cultures I might have enjoyed.
4. I didn't ask to be in gymnastics or dance classes when I was younger.

And here are a few of the things that I don't want to regret in the future:

1. I want to write a book.  Actually, I want to write several.  Even if I never get published, I would love to have stories to pass on to my children and others that I love.
2. I want to feel that I am fluent in a second language.
3. I want to wear hats.
4. I want to get in shape and feel strong and lithe.
5. I want to be successful at my own business.
6. I want to cuddle and be warm and motherly with my children.  I want them to know that I am somebody they can count on in any trouble, be it emotional, intellectual, physical, or otherwise.
7. I want my husband to come home every day knowing that he is loved and welcomed and wanted.
8. I want to make and cut out and bake and decorate cookies with my kids, probably over and over and over.  I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to make this desire fit with number 4.
9. I want to raise and train a foal from the very beginning of life.

"The only things I regret from the past are the things I didn't do."  Wouldn't it be wonderful to never have to say that?

Pretty Pony

 Well, after over a year of having a horse, I finally gave him a bath and took some pictures.  In all his 16-hand glory, here he is, our very own Mr. Cruise!

 

 He's a Kentucky Mountain horse, which means he is big, hardy, has tough feet, and has five gaits rather than the typical four.  I'm still figuring out how that fifth gait works, how to access it, and how to ride it.

 

 We've been doing a lot of Parelli work, which has improved his already fantastic ground manners.  See the soft look in his eye?  It makes me happy.

Technically, he's considered a Blue Roan, but in all honesty he has a different color for every season of the year.  Sometimes he's grey, other times he's reddish, and occasionally he looks almost white or black.  Regardless, he's a pretty good-lookin' horse, I think.

Summer Means Go

Remember yesterday, when I posted about the surfing?  That was a good day.  It was a long day.  I swear, it feels like it's been weeks since that happened.  I could swear that we've had family come stay with us at least 3 different times, that we've worked in the yard for two long afternoons and one long morning, that I've taken a test for my class, that we've taken the kids swimming, that we've taken walks and watched movies and read books between the last post and this one.  Of course, that's not possible, because there's no way I could fit all that into one day.  And of course, because I have decided to post every day and there's no way that I would sluff off in that committment, there's no way that we've done all of that.  None.  :)

Is anybody else really busy this summer?  Just asking.

Does anybody else feel like they're always moving and never really getting much done?  Again, just asking.

Hey, here's something fun!  I've been trying to take time out of each morning to play with the Schprid.  We build with her blocks, or color, or play with stickers, or take pictures.  I always let her decide.  Today, she wanted to do pictures.  I had a lot of fun with it, but I actually get more fun out of editing pictures later.  Here's one of the pictures this morning, and a few of the edits I came up with.  The first is the original.  The others have been tampered with.  Which one do you like best?