Last week at the beach I noticed a girl close to the ocean with her tripod set up and her camera recording. She had long brown hair and was wearing a dark bathing suit. Each hand had a different colored ring that she was spinning on her arms, all around her body, and through her legs. I could tell she was practicing a routine. As she dropped the rings she would lean down and flip them back up… it was fun to watch and she wasn’t bothered with the crowd or surroundings. She just did her thing and kept working on her technique.
Later that evening I ran into her as we were both crossing paths to head inside for the evening. I almost second guessed saying anything, but I smiled at her and said hi. She smiled back so I continued to tell her how much fun I had watching her practice her routine. My heart swelled with joy as I watched her face light up like a light bulb. She grinned as I asked her about how long she had been doing her act and if she shared it on social media. It was obvious I had made her day as she enthusiastically shared details and even showed me the girl who inspired her to start spinning rings.
For the rest of the week I watched her every day and she would grin at me when she would spot me. We didn’t become besties or anything, but I would smile back with support and to send her a quiet message that she was looking good doing her thing. A short conversation had given us a connection last week. I could tell she felt seen and I felt so much joy to see her excitement each time she spotted me. I have since learned that her act occupies her time to help keep her sober. I’m so glad I opted to be kind and didn’t shy away from speaking to her. 💜
Our words can be so powerful. I get caught up in training my body, but today I am reminding myself to focus on continued training for the power of my mouth and mind too.
I think doing my panty posts are fun and today’s was kind of playful. You get a little peak into my bedroom and to see what I choose to wear … my selections definitely vary based on how I feel or what I’ve worn lately. I do also try to consider if what I’m wearing on top of my panties is going to match at all. I thought that since I had worn a lot of beach-themed colors lately it was time do something a little darker today with some extra straps … 😏 💁🏼♀️🖤
I still have not figured out how to put a number on my exposure … sheer bras even when worn in a relaxed, playful settings deserve a certain amount of recognition …that is, if you ask me 😍🤷🏼♀️🤭
Boss mare: the mare who leads the herd, she decides when to stop for water, navigates from danger, and sets the mood
There is always a mare who rules the herd. Roxy may be the biggest horse in the mare’s pasture, but Alley runs the show.
Sometimes people look at me and ask how I handle horses being that I’m such a “tiny thing.” Being a boss is sometimes more about the attitude than the size.
After a week of vacation it’s nice to be back home. I’ve realized as I’ve gained more life experience that excessive sun tanning doesn’t support the process of gaining experience gracefully. Seeing evidence of living a life in the sun has convinced me that sunscreen is a wise option to counteract the negative physical effects of this proponent of my life.
What I’m getting at is that I do have some tan lines, but I try not to over-bake my skin these days. 😆 Now that I’m home I thought I’d take a few minutes to show off some of the lines I did acquire. 👙🌊 ☀️🏖️
I think beaches and pools both have pros and cons, but if I had to choose a favorite …
The beach can have better views of wildlife and the appeal of the sound of waves, but the sand can be irritating and marine life hazards can impinge upon leisurely swimming.
Pools are convenient and you don’t typically have to tote chairs to relax around them, but the chemicals can be harsh on the skin and the view is confined to a small space, which can also mean limited room for swimming.
If I had to pick my favorite … it’s the beach for me! I’m content not swimming if sea life is active. The ever changing views and vastness of the ocean are infinitely intriguing. Pools can be fun, but the ocean wins for me. 🌊vs🏊♀️
Moment of truth … posing in public feels so awkward to me.🤭 Let’s be real, the beach is almost as hard as a rock (near the water) and the sand is rough, but those aren’t the discomforts that bother me most. Even when people are not that close to me I still feel like I have hundreds of eyes watching me. 👀 The reality is that everyone is doing their own thing and nobody really cares if I want to roll around in the sand, dance in little circles, or just sit with the seagulls peering out over a vast ocean sparkling from the sunrise, listening to the music of the waves.
Now, I do hope that if there are eyes on me that they like what they see, 😏 but why do some of us have such a self conscious demeanor?! I suppose that it ties to some sort of negative attention from days past and maybe a little bullying mixed with ridiculous judgements and/or comments instilled into our minds by people who have unjustly been allowed to influence my thoughts, then actions. When I reflect on what makes me self conscious I find myself frustrated that I’ve allowed this insidious cultivation of embarrassment over my feminine freedom.
My wish for today is that I can start to set aside the perceived restraints and guilt that I very often feel from wanting to be visually attractive. There is much more to being attractive than superficial appearances, but that’s a different topic for a different day. Today’s point is that I don’t have or need to be ashamed of the body I live inside of and/or to feel shame for wanting to look good. 💜
It’s ok to stretch out on the beach if you want, to sit on your feet, smile with private thoughts, and to feel proud of the body you possess. Beauty is not solely defined by our looks, but women should never feel any shame in loving their body and protecting the mind that runs it.
We have a choice to build up or tear down ourselves and others. Circling back to beautiful things: It’s my belief that building is a beautiful thing. I hope you choose to build too. 😉😘
Sometimes I wake up with a song in my head. It's wild how much music can sway what you feel, how you move, what you want to do... I prefer when my mind picks something from an upbeat and positive playlist 😆 Today's choice seems fitting ...everybody around the beach (listening) will probably hear me singing this under my breath all day long. 🎤💜🌅
🎶🎶 "Cover me in sunshine, Shower me with good times, Tell me that the worlds been spinning since the beginning, Everything's gonna be alright. Cover me in suuunshiiiiiiiine...." ☀️💗🎶🎶🎶
And now if this gets stuck in your head, you're welcome 🥰😉
I have no idea how that dog hair got onto the condo's furniture 🤷🏼♀️🤫💜
This vacation could only be better if Haley and Janie could have come too. BUT, Haley isn't exactly stanger friendly and Janie is a nervous wreck when she leaves the farm. The only other way would be if my O was here for a ride across the beach 🏝️ 🐎💭
Many people find that by keeping their surroundings clean they feel less anxious, emit a more pleasant mood, they feel more content to relax, and even enhance their long term health secondary to reduced stress. Since a healthy lifestyle and stress management are huge priorities for me I thought I should clean my condo room up a little. Honestly, I don't have too much longer before I have to pack up and head home, but I'll be able to savor the last bit of my visit more thoroughly by keeping my space tidy and organized. 🤍😏🖤
Tucking in the bedspread at the footboard reminded me of the string tucked between my legs 🤭
In a commmercialized area I think it feels a lot more private to get out during the early morning hours. You can get ahead of the crowd by being the first on the beach. It's during the silence of the morning that you'll see the most wildlife, be able to focus on the sound of the waves, and witness a spectrum of colors highlighted by the rising sun on one side and the moon on the other, before the intense sunshine will dilute out the subtle colors of the early morning.
Sometimes the softest and quiet parts of life radiate the most energizing beams. 💜
I think I should make a PSA that you guys have all made me feel so special with all of the extra likes on each of my posts, photos, and for all of the message love since I made it back. 💜 🫶🏻
Thank y'all for helping "me live that fantasy.." 🎶🥰👸🏼
I’m a day late, but it’s worth mentioning yesterday, September 15, was National Day of the Cowgirl! 🤠
I’ve never considered myself a “cowgirl” since I don’t work cattle with my horses, but I found a more modernized definition that I proudly strive to embody. 💜🐎💜
“To be a true cowgirl is to demonstrate love openly; give encouragement and take criticism; be a shoulder to lean on; catch others when they fall; give all you can give; be humble, helpful, and honest; be truthful but kind; be a leader; be strong but sensitive; be a role model for the here-and-now as well as for the future of society; and be a human with compassion, concern, and care.”
It’s Saturday 🙌🏻 ….And starting to feel a lot like Fall. 🍂 This time of year is bittersweet for me. The cool weather feels amazing after a hot, dry summer. Lower temperatures and decreased humidity makes for ideal outdoor climbing weather. Lastly, winter presents the best opportunities to see the northern lights with prolonged darkness to allow for star gazing. 🧗🏻♀️🌟
Winter also means a cold Shelly, frozen water troughs, and the added chores of blanketing horses, feeding hay, and managing mud. 🥶🙃
I’ve also been contemplating what to be for Halloween 🤔👻…
How are you spending your Saturday? Hopefully with me for at least a few minutes. 💁🏼♀️😏🥰
National Day of Encouragement!! Y’all should know I’d be all over this … just think about how much more wonderful the world could be if we shared messages of encouragement with each other every single day! If we can train ourselves to consciously share uplifting words to at least one other person a day, what a way to impact our being. We all are … right here … right now… and we can be more than just “being.” We can be encouraging! This implemented behavior can lead to all sorts of other satisfying things while positively influencing your day and those you sprinkle with meaningful affirmations.
You know I don’t want anyone to ever feel pressured to unlock my posts, but if you want to encourage me by watching me bounce around this morning while sharing my enthusiasm for this idea… well, then I’ll be very thankful … and encouraged to maintain my focus. 🧘🏻♀️ The sheer fabric of my top “encouraged” some leniency in the privacy of some of my endowments.💜🥰😘
“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” —Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl
Instead of a morning video on the porch I made a late night video. I don’t think it is news to anyone who has been around any length of time on my page, but I LOVE looking at the sky on a clear night. There are so many stars that I can always recognize and rely on to be glowing for me overhead. Even when I can’t see them because of cloud cover, I know they are still twinkling in their spots up there amongst a galaxy of unknown. I’ll never get to see them up close or touch them, but I’m still comforted by their presence, mesmerized by how they decorate a cloak of darkness, and I am encouraged by their persistent twinkle.
The video doesn’t really pertain to stars at all … it’s just me rambling again about after hours intricacies of my life before heading to bed. 🤭 Did I mention I start out in a dress, but I don’t go to bed in it … I just wanted to sort out some of my newer things to share. 🩲👗👠
The sun is coming up on another luminous day. 🌞 Not only am I digging down for moxie to be a better equestrian, but I’m making a point to focus on what a wonderful day I can and will have with O. 🐎💜
Today’s reminder is to start your morning with gratitude and a positive outlook on what YOU do have.
The trailer bed is cozy and comfortable with the sun shining in on me in my pink. Considering you guys on the other side tempts me to keep lying around with you, but O also gives me a very real and fine reason to get out there and ride along this journey. 💖
Just wrapped up a looong day of horse showing and I am winding down by reviewing some photos from throughout the day. I’ve always heard if you’re nervous about getting in front of people to just imagine everyone around you in their underwear. Well, I didn’t get that nervous, but I was thinking that I could help you guys out with providing some example photos of how that would have looked for me today.
Unlock to see what I looked like minus my show belt, breeches, socks and shirt. 😏🤭
Most of the time I’ll start my days at a horse show in something that I don’t mind getting dirty. Some riders have helpers who do their dirty work for them, but I’ve always loved the horse care just as much and sometimes more than the actual horseback riding. I am also fully aware that I’m a control freak who likes to clean her stalls the way I like them cleaned. 🤷🏼♀️🙈
Step inside the horse trailer with me if you want to see a little bit of me getting into one of my typical show outfits. 💜💖🏇🖤🤍
I spent my morning with one of my favorite creatures. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and makes me feel like I can fly.
Today, O and I worked on walk to canter departs, then did a little jumping through a grid. A grid consists of a series of fences spaced for ideal stride lengths. Usually horses enter the grid and take the first fence at a trot, then canter through and away from the remaining obstacles. While grids can be done different ways it’s common to allow 1 full canter stride between each jump. The jumps grow in height and can consist of as many elements as you’d like or as space will allow.
Exercising over grids can help train or refresh horses on finding ideal take off distances and helps contain them between fences to encourage a proper stride length between the fences. These techniques carry over into jumping courses where take off, pace, and stride length become vital for jumping clear courses and gaining necessary points for clean jumping in hunter classes. A horse who gets too deep or takes off too soon in front of a fence may cause dropped rails. It can also be nearly impossible to hold a steady pace when a poor jump distance soils the fluidity of a course.
For those who are curious, an average sized horse has a working canter stride length of around 10 feet. Most horses will take off about 4-5’ in front of a jump and land about the same distance away from the base on the other side. As the jumps grow in size the take off and landing will become slightly further from the base of the fence. This means the first fence and second fence of a grid should be roughly 18’ feet apart. The second fence about 20’ and the third about 24’ from the second. In this snippet I had already removed the trot poles in front of the fence and only had 2 elements up, but you get the idea.
Since the trot is a 2-beat gait the trot rails are placed 4-4.5’ apart and the final rail in front of fence 1 should be 10’ from the base. This setup gives your horse the correct footing to help them find all the best places for a smooth and fun jumping partnership between horse and rider. 💜🏇💜
I like to build a grid before shows and/or when I feel like my eyes or my horses eyes just aren’t finding ourselves where we want to be in front of fences.
Ever type something really long (that you put a lot of thought and time into) and then accidentally delete it? I know I’m not alone in this… 🙄
In summary, I pretty much said that I hate how we can’t control everything. I talked about how sometimes things might feel one way, but a situation was completely different from what we thought. Next, I rambled about how I felt like life cheated me out of several weeks here. I reviewed numerous ideas I had about what I had planned to share, achievements I wanted to accumulate, accolades I desired to add to my life … but none of it got to happen. I couldn’t control the course of events that whisked me away. Sure some of them had to do with me and it could be argued that my decisions alone lead to the cascading effect that ensued, but it wasn’t one thing that I did that could be undone or one thing that caused the absence. Anyways….I ended the (accidentally) deleted text with another thank you to all who stuck around. It feels nice to be welcomed back, offered support, encouragement, and to have been missed. Even women who claim to be independent and strong thrive on receiving feelings of desire and admiration. 🥰
I can’t control or predict every upcoming storm in life, but I can eventually control my reactions, my thoughts, my expressions, my internalizing, my reflections, and then my actions.
It felt odd to make this video today (scratch that, this was yesterday and I just couldn’t click post🤷🏼♀️), but I still wanted to do it. I was a little hesitant, maybe embarrassed even. It reminds me of how getting back in the saddle after you’ve been thrown off feels; knowing you really should get back on the horse, but cautiously, as to not repeat the situation.
Well, for those of you who missed my panty porch time.. here you go. 🏇🤷🏼♀️💜 It’s nothing exciting really … just a little bit of me and a snippet of the day (in my panties). Nothing fancy, just a clip of another girl trying to do life.
And now, I’m off to ride 🐎 because “no time spent in the saddle is ever wasted.”
