Photos from Home

Visited my Dad and sisters for Thanksgiving this weekend. Here are some pics from S and I horsin' around. Felt really good to be back in Texas, and even better to be around Max, Matilda, and our horses (and the fam of course!). Hope you enjoy 'em.  More on the way!



Maximus Rex





Just A Little Too Close




Barn Doggie Dog




Ssh.




Baby's Winter Coat




Best Buds




Matilda




Big "Bear" Hug




Let's Fly Like The Wind




Standin' Tall



Life as a Monochromatic Mouse Master

From chasing virtual mice, to tangling with a mean ball of string, to hiding under his favorite basket, Milton is always on the go! Here's some pics I snapped of him doing what he does best. Enjoy!



Don't Treat Me Like I'm Broken

This is just something I wrote after a conversation with a friend yesterday. We were talking about the pain of my past, and the chore I am facing of confronting and dealing with it all. He was intrigued that I didn't want to be pitied, and this is what came from that discussion. I make absolutely no claims to be a poet or a writer of any kind, but as this is from the heart, I thought I would put it out there for discussion. Hopefully a better photo will be by in a bit, after I get home from work. Let me know what you think. Blessings to you all.


Broken
Don't treat me like I'm broken,
An object to be pitied.
You see the cracks, the wounds,
But I am so much more.
My hands though scarred and shaking,
Still serve joyfully.
My guilt and pain are evident,
My shame plain to see.
But they do not define me.
I am more than my scars.
They will heal with time.
Your love and care surround me,
Your listening ear my strongest comfort.
I need your friendship, your patience,
As I wrestle with my past.
But don't treat me like I'm broken,
I'm afraid I will not last.
I cling to hope,
A plan, a purpose.
I know I am not alone.
My life, though streaked with pain,
Is overwhelmed by grace.
I'm scarred, shaken, beaten,
But I am free.
I am me.
-R. Bryan


"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

Pieces

Here's a poem a friend of mine wrote about her parent's divorce. It describes a lot of the same way I feel about some things that are going on in my life right now. I got her permission to put it on here, and I think it's definitely worth sharing. Took the pic on my iphone so it's a little blurry, but i thought it was cool. Hugs to all of you who read this! I hope you have had a good week, and if not, well, tomorrow's FRIDAY!!

Pieces:

There’re cracks in the façade I show to the world,

Screams shouting silently, yearning to be heard.

But I’ll play my role a bit longer.

There are shattered sharp splinters of broken-down heart,

Piercing through the costumes that keep them in the dark,

But I’ll stitch up the tears a bit longer.

There are tears running silently down the walls of my soul,

Longing for the day they burst forth, break a hole,

But I’ll bottle them in a bit longer.

There are words yet unspoken, lurking there in my core,

Waiting deep down inside, for the day they’ll spill out,

But I’ll keep them stored up a bit longer.

There are moments of sadness, of grief and of pain,

There’s no time to deal with them, to watch them spill down a drain,

So I’ll shore up the dam a bit longer.

There are tiny, twisted, terrors that peek through my eyes,

Trying to show the world I’m pretending, that it’s lies,

But I’ll blink so you miss it a bit longer.

There are nights wasted sleepless, unable to dream,

Circles beneath my eyes are not just what they seem,

But I’ll cover them up a bit longer.

There are days when the mask I wear slips from my face,

When I look as I feel, tired and failing in the race (to look okay),

But I’ll wear my mask a bit longer.

If there’s an end to this tunnel of darkness and hurt,

Where the pain should all stop and the words not seem curt,

But until then I’ll hurt a bit longer.

There’s a hope springs eternal, or so I’ve been told,

Where grace heals up the wounds that until then bleed cold,

But I’ll stop the bleeding in place a bit longer.

There’s a place where the scars of what’s happened so far,

Fade into the background and don’t show somehow,

But until I get there, they’ll show a bit longer.

There’s a time when this struggle will end in a draw,

When everyone’s lost and they’re at the literal last straw,

But I must not be there yet, it’s a bit longer

But to make it there, I must last a bit longer.

God is it close? I can’t do this much longer.

© Ananda M. Boardman 2010

New Jeans

I'm not a big shopper...okay, I actually HATE shopping. I can never find stuff that fits my body type, and since I grew up shopping with my Dad (who, bless his heart, did his best but loves to walk around in overalls and cowboy boots), I have absolutely no fashion sense. But the one thing I love about shopping is when you finally find something that fits. Something that I feel I look good in (even if it may not be 100% truth that I do). I really love when I get a pair of jeans that has the perfect fit. I don't have the money to shop at places that would get me stuff that really fits well, I'm more of a TJ-Max and Wal-Mart shopper, but occasionally I find something that just makes my day. I've been needing to buy new jeans for a while, but have been putting it off because of how traumatic shopping normally is for me.  because I tore a hole in my favorite jeans a little while ago and it had finally gotten so big that I couldn't wear them, I decided that on my lunch break I was going to see what the local store had that would come close to fitting. I found one pair that was okay, but not great and on my way out saw some that looked comfortable and were my size so I went ahead and bought them. When I got home I tried them on, and they were great! Comfortable, and loose fitting, but still somewhat stylish. I just love the feeling of jeans that fit. Just makes my whole day better. So I sit here bored at work, but content in my new jeans. No one else has a clue that inside I'm just like a little kid jumping up and down for sheer joy. I normally hate shopping, but new jeans just put a smile on my face and a song in my heart (especially when they're on sale!).