Buckskin

They call this type of horse a buckskin and they are mighty purrrty.

One of these fine days I'm gonna wake up and buy myself one. And then I shall saddle it up and ride away into the wilderness... never to return...

As a child, I lived down the street from my redneck grandparents and grew up around their horses. However I didn't really learn to appreciate the joy of riding until I was in my high school years. As a sophomore I began trail riding with my grandpa in the summers and fell in love with it. There is truly something wonderful about the feel of leather between your fingers, your feet in the stirrups, feeling the horse breathing from beneath you and ascending higher and higher into the trees. Smelling the pines, closing your eyes and feeling the breeze of the mountain air kiss your face. There is nothing, nothing else like it.

I will not pretend to be an accomplished cowgirl. I have never ridden the rodeo, I've never been on a cattle drive. I can't rope and I can't barrel race, but my love of horsemanship and riding has and continues to grow each day and I hope that as I grow older I will be able to continue to immerse myself in the lifestyle.

Horses are something very deep and personal to me. It seems a bit silly I guess, but in a lot of ways they represent changes and choices that I've made that have shaped me into who I am and have brought me to where I am today.

I'll try not to get too cheesetastic on you guys, but honestly horses brought me closer to my grandparents and through riding with them I have been able to spend more time with them and become closer to them than I ever would have otherwise. It has brought me a lot closer to my family and has helped me figure out who I am and what I am to become.

Ok there's my cheesy tidbit.

Alright yeehaw! Giddy up ya'll.

Huckleberry

Baby, I'll be your Huckleberry

You don't have to double dare me

If the storm gets wild and scary

Count on me to be right there

You're so extraordinary

Sweet like maraschino cherry

We'll grow up and we'll get married

I'm gonna be your Huckleberry

-Huckleberry by Toby Keith

All I Want

All I want is for a really really handsome man (preferably blond, scruffy, blue eyes, broad chest, cowboy boots, wranglers and maybe like a white t-shirt stained with motor oil, around 6'2" - 6'4". I'm really not asking much, guys) to ride up to me on a motorcycle of the Harley-Davidson variety, say "Hey there sweet thing," grab me by the hand and pull me onto the back of it and ride away with me into the sunset.

I mean come. On. Seriously.

Dreams come true, right?

Escuela

Ah yes, the sounds of summer are in the air. The college children are let out of school. The birds are chirping, the rivers are flowing with cold water goodness to relieve the tired, sandaled feet of the weary traveler. Box upon box of otterpops are being opened and tongues are being stained by the flavors of grape, lime and strawberry. Each morn the sun arises from between the mountains and rests its rays upon your face as you think to yourself what sort of shenanigans your day might include.

Meanwhile Hannah arrives at school. Beginning her second semester. Thank you BYU-Idaho for your awkward schedule. I dress in black and refuse to shower or come out of my room for days. Why must I must go to class once again, why must I continue going to class well into the month of July. Oh such cruelty. Such injustice.

Well, truthfully it's not quite that bad. Coming back to school will be nice I suppose.

Bah.

All I can say is, God, I really hope you know what you're doing.

Cuz I sure don't.

And I'm sorry that I really really struggle sometimes with listening to you.

And right when I think I've figured things out I realize that I totally haven't, but I trust you know what's best for me.

I trust you.

Roses are Red

My love of flowers began when I was just a wee young lass, picking dandelions and braiding them into halos, taking the lilacs and roses from the yard and putting them in mason jars to set on the kitchen counter.

But the real love affair didn't begin to blossom (pun intended hehe) until three years back when I walked out onto my balcony one early summer evening and said to myself, this roof could use some fixing up.

So I drove my recently driver's licensed self to the nursery, and with quite a limited knowledge in the floral world I simply picked out a couple cases of stuff that looked the prettiest and easiest to manage. It was a wild success.

My dreary balcony was transformed into a secret roof garden, that I loved most dearly. Many nights I spent out on my roof, admiring the pansies and geraniums. Sitting in my lawn chair reading books and eating otter pops.

So I continued that tradition for the next two summers, and my love affair of flowers soon turned into a secret ambition to be a florist.

I spoke of it to no one.

Then college came and half way through my first semester I decided my elementary education major was not really the path I wanted to take. I can barely remember what I learned throughout my public schooling days, let alone try to teach it to a bunch of little kids. They'd leave elementary school not even knowing how to read if I was in charge. I mean seriously.

So I said to myself, dang it Hannah, you make that old secret ambition of yours a reality! It's time to follow your dreams. Chase the stars. Reach for something better.

Soft, soft tears sprang from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I thought of my future ambitions and the steps I would take to make them come true.

I walked into the counseling office of the Ag and Life Sciences department, I slammed my books on the desk, looked that secretary in the eye and said to her:

"I'd like to change my major!!"

Taken aback by my ferocity she quickly punched a few things into her computer and told me to wait just a moment.

And just like that I changed my major to Horticulture, with an emphasis in floral design. I was beginning to realize my dreams of being a florist. It was finally coming true.

The semester's end crept up on me, I moved to the midwest, and found a job (conveniently?) at a flower shop. Don't ask me how it happened because I have no idea. Seriously no where else called me back except for the flower shop. It was weird.

Anyway, the ladies there taught me to design, wash buckets, process flowers, and various other flower shop responsibilites. It was a bit surreal that I was there, working at a flower shop, learning the tricks of the trade. After three months my desires to be a florist were only solidfied and strengthened. I really feel like I am on the right track. Yes indeed.

So someday, my friends, I will be a the lady who arranges those beautiful bouquets you send to your friends on their birthdays or to your mama on mother's day. That's me. Hannah Abbott the Florist.

Perhaps I shall even have a flower shop of my very own.

And that is the story of my flower love affair.