I went riding!

I was worn out!
I had the greatest blessing yesterday! I used to ride horses semi-often when I was young. I cooled down roping horses at rodeos and sometimes got the chance to just go out into a field and take off. I LOVE running horses.
So, yesterday, a friend of K and I was off work and on his way to work with some horses who were getting fat and lazy in the pasture. I wanted to go, so K and I hopped in our friend's (He was third in the world riding bulls in 2006) big 'ole pickup truck and drove about twenty minutes away from town.
From here I will sound like a total redneck, but that's ok. I have no 'parts' cars in my yard, no mud tires on K's truck, and no horses in my 12x20 yard and I don't have a 'tin can station' on my back fence for target practice. That doesn't mean I'm not country though! I've been muddin' (google that one if you're not from these parts..lol) I've gone deer, duck, squirrel,and dove hunting. I fish, in the river, lake or ocean, though I much prefer the ocean. Last year my whole family went to the beach. We had our kids swimming in the same water that others were catching all sorts of things including sharks and crabs. My dad caught a stingray and cut it's stinger off with it's pocket knife (it's ok bleeding hearts, it didn't hurt him at all) and had me carry it to a tide pool for L.O. and all of the other cousins to play with. They loved it! L.O. got pinched on her toe by a passing blue crab. I stepped on a baby hard-head catfish and still have a pock in the side of my foot.
Sound dangerous? That's just how we do it in the most southern part of North America.
ANYWAY, back to the horses.
When we got to the pasture, I was informed that there was a 'bait hog' ( a wild pig used for training 'hog huntin dogs') so I had to go see. I'm TERRIFIED of pigs mostly. Let's just say that I've seen every detail of how pigs are raised and made into bacon...uugh. So, I peek in and it jumps up to the rail putting it's ugly tusks right in my face. They told me to pet his nose...I passed...lol
So we saddle up and go ride. I ran across the field very uneasily at first, and then with a little more confidence. I really enjoyed myself. Our friend and I (and our horses) went to a boarded up little house close to the road. It got a little more fun from there. Both of our horses started rearing up and throwing their heads around. Our friend got his horse some feet away, but mine took me into the carport and started acting crazy. He reared back on his hind legs a little too high once and I jumped off, scraping my shoulder on the wall of this abandoned house.
I walked him out a little bit and got back on but he still seemed spooked and we had to split the reigns and let his horse lead mine out.
That was the only scary part, but it was pretty wild nonetheless. When we rode back around to the gate, the owner of the horses asked us what happened to my shoulder and we explained what they semi-saw from afar. He commenced to tell me that he bought that piece of property from the son of the man who shot himself in that house. I've always heard that horses have a sixth sense, or maybe they shy away from death as much as we try to.
I slept extremely well last night. I am SO sore this morning, but I'm itching to go back. I'm quite sure I'll take L.O. next time. She was bucked off of a pony at a carnival that her father took her to, and is now scared. The last time I put her in the saddle, she begged to come down, and that horse worked in a rehabilitation program for disabled children, and would not have hurt her. I'll have to put her in the saddle with me, so that her 'I can do it by myself' mentality kicks in, and she'll stay up there with confidence.
So, I'm doing things and trying to keep my head up. I'm still free of opiates(whoo-hoo!) and trying to get things ready for K to leave. His departure was delayed two weeks, imagine that. It worked out the way God wanted I'm sure, as I don't think I could have gone through some of the things I have since this journey stopping the pills, without K.
I thank God for His will, His timing, and His strength. Thank you Lord, for what you allow me to experience...good or bad.