There was a lot going on this weekend…so much competition. Newt Gingrich wins the South Carolina primary, Giants win the NFC, Patriots win the AFC, our very won Oakcrest team loses to another farm in the horsey meet. There were some tears all around some of joy, some not.

These horses were out in the cold this weekend – along with all the girls and their support. I spent a lot of time in the car with the engine running but I saw these horses in the field and decided to brave the cold. I hope horses fare better in the cold than people do…

The meet was inside, the lighting was awful and I had to climb some hay bales to get a good vantage point of the girls. We shared hay bales so to speak.

The man had a camera as well.

I asked him if he was the official photographer.

He said no, “My wife rides and I take photos. How about you?”

I said, “My daughter rides and I take photos.”

“I hear ya,” he said.

“I”m running out of light,” he said, as he lowered his camera.

“I hear ya,” I said.

The collection above is the result of lighting and staging challenges but – it’s the stuff photography that I love. Not perfect, but captured and documented just the same. These girls make me so proud.

And they scare me too.

She’s alright, she recovered without falling off. And I thought that what I was doing was challenging! Yikes!

I – I will stay safely behind my lens.

She never brags about her equestrian accomplishments – she leaves that to me – so when I read the text (at a red light), I knew exactly what she meant.

She fell in love with another animal that she wants to bring home.

I had an hour to reminisce about what animal I was going to say no to. Was it another donkey? Or perhaps a cat with only one eye?

When I got there, I saw this beautiful dog.

And I knew… he was a young dog and had a really sweet and gentle nature, you just wanted to hug him. He’s up for adoption and needed a new home – but not our home.

He was introduced to big horses for the first time that day and this is how he reacted.

“Hmmm…I wonder what that big animal is?”

“Yawn…boooorring…”

“Wait – is she going to fall off?”

“Oh well…how long is this meet going to last anyway?”

We’ve asked that question quite a few times ourselves! What a lovely dog – and no we didn’t bring him home.

My resolution? To be more centered in His will. To be more spiritual. And to eat less.

In that order…Happy 2012!

It’s the craziness of the Christmas season. It’s getting to him too!

Don’t let it get to you! It’s Friday but Christmas Eve is tomorrow night. Everything is still and bright. And it will be alright.

Madness is a relative term. Say Merry Christmas to someone today!

A wonderful artist, musician and friend, Daniel C Palmer painted this watercolor piece of art for the girl. It was a year ago that he offered to do it. And four days before Christmas, he delivered.

It’s beautiful! It’s the girl and jumping Joker and he captured the movement and power of Joker perfectly. I will frame it and hang it above her bed. The girl is thrilled.

Daniel also sings, and plays the guitar – and the piano – and the bagpipes.

And he’s also quite handsome. Here’s his website – http://danielcpalmer.com/.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I spent most of my time getting ready for – everything – and I may have lost sight of the fact that it’s a day of worship and a day of competition and good sportsmanship. I was too engrossed in finding a hair net and programming a GPS that I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

And all I saw were trees. They were always in my way.

- And fences too. This is the girl protesting my lens again.

I dropped the girl off with a friend for a ride up to the farm. Then I went to church for an extra special service with baptisms. After church was an hour drive to the farm where the girls’ were having their meet – therefore the GPS.

We got there just as the girl was starting her course. I didn’t have time to find the perfect vantage spot so I just started shooting where I was standing – apparently in front of a bush.

I couldn’t find any of the girls from the farm either. If I didn’t see the girl in the ring, I would have thought we were at the wrong farm – again.

After the meet was over, one of the trainers approached me as we were leaving and said, “There you are! We didn’t think you were here.”

Of course we were there. We were just behind a tree.

Ahhh…the life of a photographer mom. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Posted on Photostory Friday.

So I’m glad for him.

I am turning my thoughts to Thanksgiving dinner. We will be traveling to my parents’ home but they won’t be there. They are in Thailand, where they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving and on top of it, there has been historic flooding. The last time they were in Thailand there was a coup so we’re looking on the bright side.

We’re celebrating Thanksgiving in their house anyway. Thanksgiving will come one way or the other, thank goodness!

For Outdoor Wednesday.