Hawaiian Sunburns and Summer Reminisces

Good sweet freaking jesus! Everyone should scold me for my gargantuan absence. Okay, okay, no need to scold but I really wish I posted more throughout the summer. Shame Emmi, shame...

Ever since June I have been packed full of busyness. Work was mainly what kept me from doing what I love. I worked as a kids camp counselor the whole summer and although it was mentally and physically strenuous job I loved it over any other job I've ever had. Having gotten to know all of the children, their stories, and becoming close to them I feel as though my family enlarged a great deal. Along with the children I got to know a lot of other people such as the other counselors, parents, and new bosses. They were all a joy to work for. I am missing that job right now and hopefully when school is out next summer I'll work there again if things allow.

After work ended my cousin, her friend, and I all headed out to Hawaii for ten days. This was my first "big" trip that I've ever taken and boy was it the experience, a tiring, fun, stressful experience.

Sunrise hike out the Pillboxes, it was stunning!

About to jump into Maunawili Falls, so cold and scary!

One of my goals was to see a wild gecko and I saw one!

Baked my skin to a crisp, so so soooooo painful...

Now that I am home I have been quickly getting ready for vet tech school. Getting extra volunteer hours at the clinic, getting shots, a physical, and having my living situation situated. I am so excited to start this new chapter in my life and I feel it was a good path to take. If this works out I'm definitely becoming a full fledged equine veterinarian.

As for miss Ava, she had only been ridden three times the whole summer but I still kept up with her exercise and made sure she didn't get too flabby. To tell the truth, I am scared for my life to get back on with a saddle. After I fell and hurt my wrist really bad the last time I am terrified of using a saddle again. Bareback I am fine enough with but I don't want to go flying every time she makes a funny move. Ugh, the struggle of being a busy horse person.. As for right now though, I am loving just being on the ground and working on our relationship, she's basically like a big puppy dog now.

I also noticed on Ava and Poco that they had these enlarged lymph nodes under their jaw. I'm curious if they are allergies or not. Does anyone have an idea of what it could be? Ava is tender if I try and touch it, Poco is a little bit.

Anyways, I hope those are some good updates. I'll try really hard to post some vet tech stuff and Ava news when I see her but as for that that's about it!

Updates

Hey everyone,

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't been posting at all! I'm just going to say that it looks like I'll be taking a hiatus for a little while. I haven't ridden Ava for some time, I'm preparing for vet tech in the fall, preparing for Hawaii, work is kicking my butt, and the weekends are jammed with activities before the weekdays start again. I hope all of you been well, I'll do my best to post every now and then.

Wordless Wednesday

Future Vet Tech!

For a while I have pondered over becoming a veterinary technician. I actually ponder a lot about what I should be doing with my life but vet tech always kept reappearing. So, a little while back (like two months ago?) I contacted the vet tech program at my school and asked if they were accepting applications. They were accepting them but the priority deadline was ending within a couple weeks! I had to get three letters of recommendation, an essay written, and attain quite a few hours of clinic observation (I could do that in the summer though). I had my work cut out for me, the letters took a while to get and the essay had such a tricky question. But in the end I got everything in on time. When I turned it in I was lucky enough to meet with the veterinarian who'd be training us. We spoke for a while and she already sounded very enthusiastic about me getting in. So, we set a date for an interview with the acceptance committee and then all I had to do was anxiously wait.

About a month later I had the interview. I wish I had somewhat prepared but all in all I didn't know what to prepare for (they said I didn't really need too either). Some of the questions they asked me I had never really thought about before on an in depth level. I send a thankful prayer to the almighty Buddha who got me through that interview, I felt as though I totally failed. But in the end they told me that I was accepted. I was so thrilled and so relieved. After that things happened fast. I got all of my classes scheduled and they told me all of the things that I would be expecting towards the beginning of the program. Holy biscuit! I am totally going to have to be working my butt off!

I am so excited to start this new chapter of my life and I can't wait to see where it takes me.

One of the most exciting things I get to do is wear scrubs and workout shoes all day! What gets better than that? I am so exceedingly excited for this.

I can't wait to pick some out.

Stuck...

I have been having a lot of trouble with Ava lately, a lot.

We were doing fine until I started getting back into riding with her. Maybe I hadn't prepared her enough or what but all I know is that after I fell off everything fell apart. It could be because of the spring weather and it may just be hard for her to concentrate right now but she just feels so distant from me. She really wants nothing to do with me either unless I have food (even then she will just walk away after I give her something). I know that she is a horse and I must remember that she isn't a dog and will never think that way. I'm just really disappointed that for the last six years we are still not at a good point in our relationship, or anything for that matter. Maybe it is just too late to do anything about it, she's almost eight and maybe she's just too set in her ways.

Even catching her is building into a chore, she used to just walk right up to me. Then when I'd get her to the round pen I'd have to work her forever until she wasn't zoned out and focusing on me. I feel that it is always a fight with her and I almost feel that I always have to be rough to get her to do anything (or if not, she throws a fit)... She just... I don't know, I am so lost. I'm afraid to ride, I can't get hurt again (my wrist is still isn't healed from the last fall), and although I can't live without horses, I feel that I'm getting no enjoyment out of it anymore (at least with Ava). It is just becoming a chore and it is really depressing me.

I hate to be a downer about all of this but I truly don't know what to do. I feel if I sold her then I'd be selling apart of myself, she and I have been through everything together, I can't just give up on her now, right? We always hit huge rough patches when we get back to riding, maybe I should just stop. I wish this was easier.

Despite the Ava debacle I have some good news about school in the fall but I will leave that for a another post in the future.

Anyways, that's all.