Where to start...I don't remember when the last time I blogged was, and I don't feel like going to look, so here it goes.

Grant is riding my colt for me so we can start riding him ourselves. I should be able to start riding him myself soon...YAY!

For my 17th birthday, Momma and Dad surprised me with an adorable puppy...He's now 4 months old(was 2 months when I got him) and very active. He's a border-collie/blue-heeler mix. He's currently laying on my lap and right arm.

Last night started the Fall Playday Series. For six 4-H nights(Mondays), I will be competing in barrel-racing, pole-bending, stake-racing, and goat-tying. Last night they cancelled goat-tying because of an electrical/major thunderstorm that was headed our way.

When we went to pick Sundance up for the competition, we found he was limping pretty badly on his left foreleg. Vet's was already closed, so we unloaded our other horse, fed them, and went to the Arena to see if someone would possibly let me use their horse so I would have a chance to compete...Of course, no one would until Dad asked a guy who just joined our 4-H group this year. He said it was fine, so we shared this little(14hh or less) mare that had never done anything like this before. When he rode her, he ran a 47 on barrels...He told me I couldn't and wouldn't get anything better off of her...Come my turn, I ran a 36...=D Needless to say, he was rather shocked that I got her to move faster than he did. I just told him it all comes with experience. He says I can't beat him next week when I get my barrel horse, Sundance, out there...Yeah, right. I'll be running low 20's next week.

So, this morning we took Sundance and Cherokee(my puppy, who, by the way, is STILL curled up in my lap like a little puppy...and he's far from little!) to the vet's office. Cherokee had to get a shot and wormed, and we took Sundance to get his feet/legs checked out to see what was going on. I had checked him very well the night before when we went to pick the horses up, and there was no swelling, heat, or tenderness anywhere on his leg or hoof. Tim, our vet, checked his hooves and found a stone-bruise on the frog of his left hoof(for you non-horse people, that's the V-shaped tissue on the underside of the hoof, it's the shock-absorber). Said he'd be fine to ride by this weekend! I'm SO happy it was nothing serious, in the 2 and a half years I've owned him, he's only had one other stone bruise. Sundance had me worried last night!

Anyway, all that said(which you're probably not interested in at all), I am a Senior in highschool and having major issues trying to figure out my collegestuffs(UGHHH) and all that other fun(NOT) stuff.

<3

Chynell

All I can say is...Wow. God is amazing. It feels as though God has hit me in the head with a two-by-four trying to wake me up saying "Hello? Remember me? I created all this, but you're not giving Me thanks!"

That is what Summer 2008 felt like...The whole Summer. He has blessed me with so many things, but I realized I haven't been giving Him the thanks He deserves. I feel like an ungrateful child who recieves so much, but never says a simple "thank you". How did this happen to me? I used to daily give God praise for all the things He has done for me, but...it's like I don't even care anymore. What happened? How can I get back to Him?

Church camp is always the hit-point of the year for me, it always just gives me an amazing chance to worship without anything to bother me, no worldly things, nothing. But, like my Dad always says, we get home from camp all pumped up and excited, but two weeks later, its just like "oh..yeah, sure, God. I'll do it later." We don't care, it's like we've forgotten what just happened to us at camp. Am I right? This always happens to everyone.

My Dad and I were playing the Wii the other day, when Mom started playing this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrnB4FZ-yc

Please watch the video. It will blow you away, I'm sure. When I watched it after Mom showed it to me, I started crying. I'm Irish, and some of this song was Celtic, but thats not the reason. This song has always made me cry, alot of the time I can barely sing it without crying, or even starting to.

God is opening my eyes. I don't know where He wants me to go, or what He wants me to do, but I do know He is calling me to do something and He will reveal it in His time. I just have to be patient and quiet enough to listen to Him speaking.

I am trying to be a better witness at 4-H, etc. Whenever I am riding with a bunch of people, I can, and sometimes do, get a bit uptight and tense, and alot of the time if someone said something to me, I'd snap an answer at them. Instead of laughing and talking with my friends, I would sit by myself, or ride somewhere away from the others until it was my turn to run. I don't want that anymore. I am learning to accept advice and try it atleast once before blowing it off and tossing it aside like I used to. I want to be more of a friend to the others at the arena rather than rude like I used to be. I want to be the rider they point to and say, "Hey, she's a Christian. You should go talk to her and be friends with her, she's awesome." I don't want them to point and say, "Hey, stay away from her, she's a Christian, but she never talks to anyone, and doesn't accept kind advice. She's not a nice girl." That second phrase, I think thats what they were saying about me before. I want them to be saying the first one. I don't want to be a bad example, much less for Christ, you know? The only thing that can help me with that is Jesus Himself. I want to be the girl they point to and say, "Hey, she can help you. Go talk to her."

Please...Pray for me...This is kinda hard for me.

eep! i hadn't a clue i was so far behind! sorry, all!

well, lets see...since i last blogged, i...don't remember all that i have done...

but i will tell you of what's happened in the past week or so(now i do remember that! lol)

well, since my 'wreck' with Sundance a couple weeks ago, things have been fine. i've played basketball quite alot at the small area we have next to my house. gotten sunburnt a few times(including yesterday...)

i'm gonna get off-track here, mmk?

yesterday, dad took me out to the arena(we got offered one just down the road from our pasture, we can use it whenever we want) to ride, right? yeah, all went well, had a blast even though the heat was blazing hot. well, thursday we had gotten my studcolt gelded. at the arena yesterday, dad saddled him up and drove him around the arena. not like a car, mind you!

anyway, i was riding Sundance, and they have a nice set of barrels there, so we were practicing. anyway, a little later on, dad asked if i wanted to get on Sam, the one we're training. well, i got on him and dad put a set of reins to his halter, and lunged us around a bit. then he led us, then lunged again. Sam has a niice trot and lope, let me tell you that, for a two year old!

sorry i never finished this blog, LOL...i am gonna make another, so watch for it. a ton has happened since this one, so yeah. this one was written May 25th..it's July 5th now...oops!