What Airplanes Can Teach Us

What Airplanes Can Teach Us...

Last December, I flew for the first time in 10 years. I don't typically like airplanes because I don't like trusting someone else for my well being. Also the "what if's" usually come to mind and I get a little nervous. But there is one thing about flying that makes it almost worth the fear of being off the solid ground: the views. I love window seats, and every time I look out that plane window, I am AMAZED. Flying up in the sky, watching the clouds that God has created and admiring the painted masterpiece is just breathtaking.

But let me tell you a little about my experience.

We boarded the plane after navigating through the busy airport. I was praying hard as I stepped onto the plane. It was icy/snowy so they de-iced the plane, which was kinda neat to see.

As soon as we took off, the grey smog flew past my window. I was praying even harder. But then, as we got higher and higher, we passed through a layer of clouds. As soon as the grey clouds cleared from my view, I saw something beautiful. And when I saw the clear sky and sunrise, I felt a peace. I'm not joking or just saying that ya'll. I was so nervous and then all the sudden, I was just peaceful because I was so in awe of the view.

Then we accelerated even higher and my peace went away. I saw yet another layer of gray cloud my window and I couldn't see the peaceful sunrise any longer. I was tense again and started praying. Since I was just sitting there, there wasn't really anything else to do. But to observe those around me (can't help it, I'm a writer) and eat the snacks I brought. The snacks helped with my ears popping for anyone new to flying. Skittles were especially good! *winks*

But then, as the clouds cleared, my praying ceased because all was good again. The view I saw was even more amazing then before. The sun was so bright and I couldn't help but to think, "Wow, God." Not to mention how fluffy the clouds below us looked. It was a perfect ocean of clouds. Soon after, I saw a "rainbow" that the sun had made. I don't know about you, but rainbows bring a sort of promise to mind. A promise that through and after the storm, God is still here with us. The rainbow calmed me further and I couldn't help but relax and enjoy the view. That's when I took 83649857 pictures out my plane window.

The scene out my window kept changing from blue skies, bright sunshine, patchwork clouds, and then the clouds cleared to be the ground below. The water, trees, rough terrain, etc! I literally got the birds eye view. Overall, my plane experience was a good one. But it had me thinking about my reaction to the unknown of the flight.

My outlook changed as quickly as my view. One moment, when the gray clouds covered my window, I felt more anxious. But as soon as the sun pierced through the clouds and we were above the clouds, I was ok. I was more than ok, maybe even enjoying the ride.

The point of this post:

Prayer is so important. But it's important all the time...

I found myself only truly praying when the plane ride got scary. And I think God desires a relationship with us that goes beyond the emergency prayers. Sure, He is right there with us when we go through tough times, He's even there before we utter a single word of prayer. But what about on the good days. The days when life is not scary, how often do I pray and talk to God?

This plane ride has showed me that God is with us through it ALL. Every passing moment, He is here. On the bad days, when we earnestly need His peace, He is there. On the good days, when we get distracted by life, He is still there. And He has given us prayer as a way to have a relationship with Him.

(Our world right now is in a constant state of uncertainty and fear of the unknown. We need to be praying for all affected by this virus, and know that God hears those prayers. When this is all over, He still hears our prayers. Although this grey cloud is over out window right now, blue skies are coming. Keep looking up.)

My challenge today, is to talk more with my Heavenly Father in all areas of life.

In both the gray skies and the blue ones.

Is there a time when you found yourself focusing more on the fear than on the faith? 

Have you flown before? What's your favorite plane ride snack?

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse 

10 Pinterest Quotes I Find Encouraging

Today, I thought I'd share with y'all a few Pinterest quotes I find encouraging! Check out more of my encouraging quotes I've saved HERE! Whenever I go through a rough time, I like to find good quotes. Quotes and pretty words won't fix the problems, but maybe they will give you a small bit of encouragement today. <3

Lets talk quotes! What's your favorite quote?? Tell me in the comments below!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

Never Have I Ever...

1. Link and thank the blogger who tagged you. (Technically, I stole this tag from Kassie!)
2. Include the graphic somewhere in your post. (^^Up above)
3. Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.
4. Tag 3 bloggers. (Tagging the the first three commenters who call themselves writers!)

Never have I ever…

…started a novel that I didn’t finish.
Yes, I've started a couple, actually! *headdesk* Someday, I'll finish the most recent ones and someday, I might dust the older ones off and try again.

…written a story completely by hand.
Yes. It was a short story, nothing too long.

…changed tenses midway through a story.
On accident, yes!

…not researched anything before starting a story.
Yes... I don't know if I recommend it. But whatever works, right?

…changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft.
Changed it's spelling, yes. But not their name.

…written a story in a month or less.
Nope. Unless you count flash fiction. :)

…fallen asleep while writing.
No, never done that! Guess my stories aren't too boring after all! *winks*

…corrected someone’s grammar irl/online.
*slowly raises hand* guilty as charged.

…yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel.
Um, not yelled. But I do write notes to myself in neon green, don't know why I chose that color.

…used “I’m writing” as an excuse.
Haha, yes!

…killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.
My lips are sealed! jk

…used pop culture references in a story.
Not much, but I might later on.

…written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Uh, not very frequently do I find myself writing this early.

…drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.
I've never had a entire pot of coffee ever. :)

…written down dreams to use in potential novels.
Maybe some dream have inspired different scenes, but no, I've never written my dreams down.

…published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpad.
I've posted a couple stories I write when I was younger and tried to keep them closest to the original story. But I usually read over stories 230393898 times before I post something like a story.

…procrastinated homework because I wanted to write.
Not really.

…typed so long that my wrists hurt.
Yess! Sometimes I have to take brakes because my hands start to cramp.

…spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.
Thankfully, no!

…forgotten to save my work/draft.
I remember a time when I lost a whole short story I had written for a contest. Actually my dog stepped on the delete button I think... yep, good times.

…finished a novel.
Actually, no. But this is soon to change!

…laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.
No, but I can relate to this a little. :)

…cried while writing a scene.
Almost.

…created maps of my fictional worlds.
I once drew a map of the Oregon trail. But that's abt it.

…researched something shady for a novel.

Haha, maybe maybe not.

I hope y'all liked reading more about me as a writer! 

Have you ever written between the hours of 1 AM to 6 AM?

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

My March // Blog Update

March has been a whirlwind, ok more like a hurricane of events. But through it all, I know that God is making a way for us. And that promise is what I choose to cling to.

I'm trying out a new monthly wrap up style with some highlights and some things that filled my March, hope you like it!

~Wisdom teeth surgery~
I got my 3 wisdom teeth removed on March 2nd. Guys, I won't lie and tell you I was totally not scared, because I was terrified. Waiting in the waiting room was pretty much torture.
But, I did it y'all. I didn't pass out. I didn't run out. I didn't have a panic attack in public. I made it. And it was over fast. I wanna thank those of my online friends who encouraged me through this. Trust me, it helped a ton! Recovery was fairly smooth as well. Basically I survived off of mashed potatoes + crushed ice + smoothies for a few days. Watched lots of movies (Sue Thomas!!), and had my sisters do my animal chores! First two nights were pretty rough, but by day seven my stitches had come out. Thankfully, I didn't need any big pain killers. I'm just glad I'm on the other side of it all...

~Soap making~
We made soap a lot this month! A total of 6 batches (I think?) I completed a huge order that is now curing for it's 4-6 weeks. I love the soap making process! Making soap with my mom is so fun! And a little stressful if you realize halfway through that you don't have enough ingredients to finish... but hey, we made it work eventually. Cutting the soap the next day (we let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours so it doesn't overheat and scorch) is my favorite part! I get to be surprised at how the swirls and designs turned out!

~Beta reading~
I have another beta reading project! And why is this so cool? She reached out to me because I was recommended from my last beta reading gig! Word of mouth is so important and I'm just beaming to know that people find my beta reading to be helpful for them. Also, I find that beta reading helps me with my own writing. :)

~Nature walks~
Spring is here and I've been taking advantage of going outside more! I love nature walks, exploring the woods. I feel at home there. It takes me back to a time when we were younger and would traipse around up in the woods, playing games, playing shows, etc. Plus, I love finding the first blooms of spring to photograph.

~Walks~
We've been walking more since out gym is closed. We went 6 miles in 2 hours. That was our longest walk so far. Usually we only do 2 or 3 miles, or just down to the mailbox.

~Organizing~
I took this opportunity to do some organizing of our kitchen/pantry. idk why, but I kinda find it enjoyable.

~Going through family history antiques~
A spontaneous search through old antiques resulted in a walk down memory lane with nan and pop about family history. If you didn't know this about me, you know it now: I love antiques! I love thinking one the stories behind it all. The smell of old books, the pretty penmanship that is almost unreadable, the old coins and clocks, everything has a charm to it that I'm drawn to. And you'll never believe it, but on March 21st we found a old deed that was written on March 21st 1908!!! To the very date, on the very day, that was a little more than 100 years ago!

~Photo shoots~
So, since I have a couple projects underway, I needed my dearest lil sis to be my model. We had a lot of fun dressing her up and going outside to do a photoshoot! It was cool out, but I love photo shoots so didn't mind much.

~Texts~
Heres a couple that stood out to me... XD

 ^^ Sometimes I reply with pictures and those who know me know that this picture means "I'm doing really good because I'm looking through books!"

^^ When life is as crazy as my hair...

^^ Those emojis describe my emotions while watching that movie to a T! lol

~Bookmail~
I LOVE book mail! I was so excited to receive four books in the mail this month!

~Planting seedlings!~
Can't wait to have a full garden again!

~Building horse fencing~ 

Since my dads been off work for the most part, we decided to tackle the project of building horse fencing! As exhausting as it is, I kinda like the teamwork aspect of things. We pounded the posts in two full days, and then yesterday we put a little over half of the slats up (I ran the nail gun until I got a blister). Today, we'll finish it!

~I let my sister cut my hair!~
Sorry, not details yet. I'm going to be doing a blog post about it! Stay tuned for a cool video (if I can figure out how to upload one to the blog...)

~Goals for April~
I have a couple goals for April: survive Camp Nano, groom/ride Rosie, workout more consistently, and start gardening!

::Blog Update::
We haven't done a update in awhile. I have a few announcements and also I'm just checking in with y'all.

Since May 2019, I have posted twice a week. Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping it up, but unfortunately, I'm going to need to back down to just posting once a week again. Life has been keeping me on my toes and it's been hard to keep up with post ideas. I really want this blog to have quality posts. So, I've decided to post every Wednesday again.

Another thing I wanted to touch on is your input. What are some posts y'all would like to see? Do you have specific questions you've been wondering about me or my blog? Are you interested in more devotional style posts, more poems, more tags, more life updates, more about my small business, more about cover design, more about my writing, tutorials, day in the life posts, etc?

It's important to me to create blog content that my readers will find encouraging, helpful, and fun. So to help me customize it for y'all, comment with some post suggestions!

Lastly, I may be doing some blog changes to the layout, design, and "look" to Showers of Blessings, so if you notice things slowly looking different, then that's why.

What's up? Comment below!

Many Blessings,
Brooklyne Elysse

Ten Book Genres // Yay or Nay

Today I thought I'd mix things up a bit and voice some of my opinions on one of my favorite topics: books!

I would definitely consider myself to be a bookworm and love to talk about literary pieces of art. But the best thing about being a reader is, you can form your own opinions about the books you read and they can differ from other people. Cause that's what makes the world go 'round! And even though we all have our own unique thoughts about books, us bookworms can all agree on one thing... ok, a couple things: Libraries can be dangerous to TBR piles, and sifting through a paperback is just pure amazingness!

But lets talk about top ten book genres that seem to be the most popular. And i'm going to either vote "Yay" or "Nay" depending on my opinion on each genre. Then explain my reasoning behind my vote.

So lets dive in!

Biblical Fiction

Vote: Nay

Why: I have never been big into Biblical Fiction because I feel like the real truth of the Bible can be tweaked depending on the writers view point in the Bible. I try to keep the Bible separate from fictional characters so I don't get confused.

Historical Fiction

Vote: Yay

Why: Well, for starters, who doesn't love to think back into History and imagine all the stories that could have taken place! Historical Fiction gives me the little bit of western, vintage, simple life picture that I just love. Now, I will admit, some historical fiction books can have way too much historical details or become too preachy, but most of the time there is lots of adventure.

Contemporary Fiction

Vote: Yay

Why: I use to not care for contemporary fiction, but now, I love it! Why? Because I can relate to it, and it's usually easy to understand. And fun.

Non-Fiction

Vote: Yay-ish

Why: It depends on the non-fiction book for me! Non fiction is harder for me to stay focused because it looses my interest, but every once in awhile, I will come across a great non-fiction! Lmk if you need recs! Both self-help or writing related...

Fantasy

Vote: Nay

Why: Truthfully, I've never been into fantasy novels. Maybe my imagination just doesn't stretch to dragons, magic, and make-believe worlds/scenarios. Plus, I can't handle the dark themes and double meaning attributes that usually come with a fantasy book. Now, this doesn't mean that I won't ever pick up a fantasy book, I have actually considered trying some that my trusted friends have suggested. So if you have any good fantasy that wouldn't scare me off or make me feel uncomfortable, feel free to recommend some in the comments!

Action + Adventure

Vote: Yay

Why: I love a good adventure to keep me turning the page. When adventure and action are joined, sometimes it can get iffy, but usually if it is Christian Fiction, you should be safe. All depends on the book though.

Classic

Vote: Nay

Why: Ah, I don't want to dislike classics so much, but I do! The writing styles are usually so complicated. Which is a good thing. People back then had such a way with words! But-- they can be excruciatingly long, thus boring. I like the idea of classics, but when it comes down to actually reading them, I'll pass.

Mystery + Suspense + Crime

Vote: Yay-ish

Why: Give me some good, mysteries that aren't "messed up" in the bad guy/gal department, and I'll be set! Plus, books that keep you in suspense are pretty awesome. Obviously, with this genre, you have to be carful, but I've been able to find some great ones!

Sci-Fi

Vote: Nay

Why: Sci-Fi (aka Science Fiction) is speculative fiction that typically deals with futuristic concepts like technology, time travel, worlds, etc. No, just can't do it. Books like this are so not my type. In fact, they creep me out. Definite "Nay" for me.

Romance

Vote: Yay

Why: I fight this, I don't like to admit it, but unfortunately i'm kinda a romantic at heart. I'm a fan of sweet love stories. Pure relationships. Stories of how fictional characters find the "one" for them. *sigh* I can't help it. Plus, it's even better when there is a obstacle that the couple has to overcome.
But-- there are two very different sides to the "Romance" genre. There's the kind I like, the kind of romance that is just right and not "mushy" or "steamy." And then there's the opposite of what I like. And I don't have much experience with that kind of romance besides seeing some, shall we say, interesting in a not so great way book covers. Take my advice and steer clear of those kinds of romance fiction.

What's your favorite book genre?? Talk to me in the comments below! <3 

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

Would You Rather // The Amazing Race Tag

Calling all adventurers and adrenaline junkies! Today's post is going to be all about exciting/crazy/dare-devilish things! 

I don't know how many of you have watched The Amazing Race, or even if you have heard of it at all. But today, Rebekah and I are going to be doing a super fun Amazing Race Would You Rather Challenge/Tag! 

But first for those of you who don't know what the Amazing Race is: "The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "Pit Stops" at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and to avoid coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg. 

...Clues provided in each leg lead the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task, either together or by a single member. These challenges are related in some manner to the country wherein they are located or its culture. Teams are progressively eliminated until three are left; at this point, the team that arrives first in the final leg is awarded the grand prize." 

So basically it is a race around the world, doing many crazy challenges along the way. I personally, have enjoyed watching most of the Amazing Race seasons, but sadly I can't recommend them because of two things: the language and the drama. The majority of the show is fun to watch, you can travel the world without leaving your couch (sad, I know, but we aren't millionaires.) Although, because it is a reality show, things can get over dramatic and eyeroll worthy. 

Despite the Amazing Race's downfalls, we have chosen to look on the bright side. The adventurous side of things for this blog post. Rebekah and I have taken a few challenges, tasks, roadblocks, and detours of the show and decided to do a "Would You Rather Amazing Race Challenge!"

So here's how this is gonna work: 
We tell you a little bit about each challenge, then both of us will pick the task that if we were in The Amazing Race, we would have chosen to do. Make sense? Sort of, I hope! 

Would You Rather // Amazing Race Challenges 

1. Sandcastles vs. Hay Bales 

Sandcastles explained:There are 400 sandcastles on the hot beach. The clues are hidden under the sandcastles. You must look under the castles to find your clue, but if it’s not under that one you must rebuild the sandcastle before moving onto the next one.
Hay Bales explained: Searching through 186 giant hay bales you must find your clue. The clues are hidden inside the hay bales and you have to unroll them one at a time to see if your clue is inside.
(It may not sound too hard but once one team struggled for nearly 10 hours and never found the clue).

What would we rather do?

Rebekah's Answer: I think I would choose to do the sand castles. Both could either be quick or they could take forever, but I’d choose the sand castles because I don’t think I’d have enough strength to do too many hay bales. 

Brooklyne's Answer: I choose Hay Bales. I'd rather take my chances with the hay than burn in the sun trying to find and remake new sandcastles. I'd probably get a rash from the hay, but I'd just wear long sleeves and make sure to bring a pocket knife for the "twine."

2. Shaving Your Head vs Bungee Jumping 

Shaving You Head explained: This task is very self explanatory, though would take some amazing dedication to the Race in order to complete it. 

Bungee Jumping explained: This was a task quite a few times, but one specific time it was jumping from a 364 foot bridge. 

What would we rather do? *drumroll* 

Rebekah's Answer: As much as the thought of bungee jumping terrifies me I’d try to find my courage, because I really wouldn’t want to shave my head!

Brooklyne's Answer: I'm gonna have to go with Bungee Jumping! It would be terrifying, but at least I'd have my hair... XD

3. Tea Tasting vs Flags of the Countries Memory Challenge

Tea Tasting explained: Basically all you do is taste a flavor of tea then you search among hundreds of cups of different/similar teas to find a match to the one you tasted earlier.
Flags of the Countries Memory Challenge explained: Throughout the season teams were greeted with hello and goodbye in the language of whichever country they were in. Now you must match all nine different hello and goodbyes from the country you visited to the corresponding flag for that country.

What would we rather do?

Rebekah's Answer: Both of these would be quite tough, but I’d really have to go with the tea tasting. I feel like I’d have an easier time trying to find the right tea then trying to do a memory challenge of the flags. 

Brooklyne's Answer: Tea Tasting. Why? Because I'm observant, and might be able to pick out the right taste. Also, I don't think I could do the other flag challenge! 

4. Eating Fish eggs vs. Eating Snake

Eating Fish Eggs explained: Eat 1 kilogram of caviar (just over 2 pounds).
Eating Snake explained: You must eat a portion of cobra meat. Not only do you just have to eat the meat you’re eating it in front of a glass cage with live cobras in it.

What would we rather do?

Rebekah's Answer: Umm…this is disgusting, but I’d definitely choose the eating snake meat because I think it would be easier then trying to eat that many fish eggs. 

Brooklyne's Answer: Yuck, neither! That sounds disgusting! I might have to take a 4 hour penalty on this task... 

5. Dancing Routine vs. Choir Boy Sing Along in a Different Language

Dancing Routine explained: Learn a choreographed dance routine and perform in front of a judge.

Choir Boy Sing Along in a Different Language explained: Basically, you learn a song in a language you have never heard before and perform it with Choir boys. Sounds hard, I know! 

What would we rather do? 

Rebekah's Answer:  It takes me awhile to get the footwork down for a new dance but I feel like I could do it faster then trying to learn a song in a different language…

Brooklyne's Answer: Ah, I'd have to go with the first one... As clumsy as I am, I think I could do a dance routine faster than I can learn a song in a different language! 

6. Synchronized Diving vs. Kayaking Rapids 

Synchronized Diving explained: Both you and your teammate complete a dive in exact tune with each other. Diving from a tall diving board into deep waters below, one must have perfect timing and be on the same page with your teammate. 

Kayaking Rapids explained: Although this might sound like a easier task than up above, trust me, it comes with it's own challenge. One must complete a timed course through man-made rapids and turns. All the while collecting colored flags along the way.

What would we rather do??

Rebekah's Answer: I’m not a big fan of being in the water, but I’d have to choose the kayaking. 

Brooklyne's Answer: Sign me up for the Kayaking challenge. Sounds hard, but I think I might be able to do it! ...with a lot of practice.

7. Repelling from a Bridge vs. Tightrope Walk

Repelling form a Bridge explained: Up on a high bridge dangled above the water by one rope? Sounds adventurous to say the least. 

Tightrope Walk explained: One team member had to cross a tightrope between the San Francisco Bay Towers, 35 stories high and 65 feet across!

What would we rather do?

Rebekah's Answer: I’d choose to repel, because that just sounds way less scary! ;)

Brooklyne's Answer: Repel from a bridge... that, over a 35 story high tightrope walk any day.

**If anyone thought this was a fun tag, feel free to steel this post idea (or make up your own would you rather challenge!) 

~~~

I had SO much fun planning this tag with you, Rebekah! Thanks for virtually traveling the world with me. *wink wink* We each picked pretty similar tasks. <3

What is a dare-devil thing you did and lived to tell the tale?

Comment Below!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

True Cowgirl // Once Upon a Time

I was dubbed a "True Cowgirl" one decade ago. Some of you may have heard this story before, but the majority of you haven't. And all of you haven't heard it with this much detail. I thought I'd share this story with you today: The story of how I became a True Cowgirl.

I didn't realized the quote "If you climb into the saddle be ready for the ride" was talking to me one day when we were out with the horses.

I have always had a healthy caution for 1,000 pound animals, but my love for them have always overcome that fear. I went to horse camp, took riding lessons, posted a trot at age five, and had fallen off my fair share. But that day was different. That day, I didn't just get thrown over a horses head. That day I didn't just slide off because I couldn't ride a bareback trot. That day... that day I was taken on a out-of-control, wild ride ending with a hospital visit. Well, I won't spoil the rest of the story for you.

(All pictures for this post was taken out of a old photo book before I became a "cowgirl." I was eight.)

Bucking Brooklyne 

Written by a nine year old me

"Wednesday, Sept. 29th (2010) started out like any other Wednesday. We did two days worth of school and it seemed like we were in the "home school room" forever. After lunch, we went to the barn. (At the time we were boarding our horses.) We started on the stalls while the moms went to the pasture to  get the horses. It had rained this week and the horses were really muddy so we had to spend some extra time cleaning them up. Knight (at the time, we also had just the two older horses: Knight and Shawnee) was being a good boy and let us groom him. J, L, and Auntie had Shawnee saddled up with a bareback saddle. We put the Western saddle on Khnight and headed outside. (Note: our old Western saddle was just that-- old. Very vintage with a long horn.)

We walked the horses around the playground pasture and stopped to tighten their saddles. K and L rode first. Mom lead Knight through the hay pastures and through the first part of the trails. J and I walked behind everyone and made a map of the trails we were going though. We got to the second hay pasture and sissy road by herself. It was fun to watch Khnight and sissy trotting around free in the pasture. We went back into the trails and then it was G's turn to ride for a while. We walked and walked and then it was my turn. Shawnee had gotten a bit ahead of us during the time it took me to get on Khnight. (Lol, Idk why it took me so long to get on?) Mom lead me for a bit and then I said I wanted to ride by myself.

Knight was still a ways behind Shawnee so as soon as mom let go of the lead rope, off he went at a trot trying to catch up. I tried to stop him as he was running me though tree branches. (Poor baby!) He finally stopped when he saw Auntie on the trail. She had to get "big" with him to get his attention. Auntie hung onto Khnight's bridle through the rest of the trail and out into the hay field. Knight became very aware of his herd that was out in the pasture bordering the hay field. Auntie stopped Knight and let him see the horses from his herd that had ran over to take a closer look at what we were doing.All seemed well so I asked Auntie to let me go so that I could ride by myself back to the barn. J was almost to the barn when Auntie let go go the bridle.

I don't know what was going through Khinight's mind at this point. Maybe he just wanted to catch up with Shawnee. Maybe he thought he was being left behind, but whatever it was... he totally stopped listening to me. He began to trot and started going faster and faster and faster. I was pulling back on the reins as hard as I could, but he just kept going faster. I started yelling, "Mommy help me." And Mommy started yelling, "Dear God help her." (As dramatic as it sounds, it was very scary at the moment...)

Knight rounded the corner at a gallop (to me it felt like a gallop, he could have been just going at a fast canter, idk) and started bucking. I have never felt so scared in my life. (Poor me again!) He bucked three times and on the last buck, I flew through the air and landed on my head. I had no idea how hard the ground was. 

When I hit the ground, I was sure that I had a bloody nose, but it was just snot. (?) Mommy, Auntie, and Sissy ran up to me. Mommy held me and I told her that I thought my head was really hurt. I started feeling like I was going to throw up. Mommy carried me to the barn and we went to the bathroom to check out my injuries. While Mommy, Auntie, and Nannie were tending to me, Khnight had ran over to where J was standing with Shawnee. Knight started to run towards thee road so J grabbed his stirrup and tried to stop him. Sissy ran up to help. They took the horses and put them in their stalls fully tacked.

This was before out western saddle...

Mommy had talked to Daddy on the phone and he was on his way. When he got to the barn, Mommy and I were sitting in thee lounge and I was feeling quite sick. They decided to take me to the ER at a Children's Hospital in big town. Now I felt hurt and scared. (Just to let everyone know, I hate hospitals.) Nannie took Sissy and G to her house. Daddy, Mommy, and I headed to the hospital. I was so upset the whole way to the hospital. I was scared that there was something wrong with me and of what they would do to me once we got there. Daddy dropped us off at the door and went to park the car. Mommy carried me in and put me on a wheelchair. (Can I just say how my mom rocks? I don't remember this part about her carrying me so much.) I didn't want to be in a wheel chair, but I knew that she couldn't carry me for long. Once inside, Mommy got a mask for me to wear and we stood in line with lots of sick kids. We got registered and the nurse gave me a ID bracelet. This bracelet had my name and birthdate on it. The nurse was very nice and took us back to a room. Another nurse came in and asked me tons of questions about what happened, and how I was feeling. She asked mommy if I was allergic to anything. Mom told her the names of a couple drugs. She wrote that on a red bracelet and put it on my arm with the other one. They were talking about putting a neck brace on me, but a doctor came in and looked at me really quick and said that I didn't need it. I was glad about that because it really looked like a uncomfortable thing to wear. 

They said it was time for us to go to another room. I felt weird because Daddy wasn't using me to the other room. It was a man that worked at the hospital. I wonder if he had been doing this job for very long because he ran me into a door and a chair. (Oh my, I'm dying of laughter over here while I type this up!) 

This room was quieter because it had actual walls and a door, instead of curtains. (Does anyone else thinking I'm being super observant with my young writing style?) This room we pet the rest of our time in. Two different doctors came in and examined me, and a nurse brought me Advil. The doctors said that I had a mild concussion, whiplash, a bruised sternum (my sternum had hooked on the saddle horn during Khnight's bucking...) and leg. But other than that, I was going to be ok. We stayed in that room for several hours and I really started to get hungry. About 10pm, they finally let us go.

We all were starving so we went to McDonalds and got sandwiches, french fries, apple pies, and water. Then Daddy saw a Dunkin' Donuts with a drive thru. So we got donuts too, but they weren't very good. I was really tired and fell asleep in the car on the way home. When we got home, Mommy carried me to her bedroom and let me sleep with her. The next day, I was really sore. My legs and head hurt the worst. An my sternum felt worse than it did at the hospital. I took cdcil and did feel a bit better. Mom let me watch movies all day, which was fun, but it got boring. Auntie, Nannie, J, and L, brought lunch over and we all talked about what had happened.

I have to say that was the scariest thing I have ever been through. I know that my angel kept me from getting hurt worse than I did!"

The End.

Wait, there's more... my cousin J, wrote me a poem!

True Cowgirl

Written by a 10 year old

My friend Brooklyne

Rode the trails

This time was scarier

Then riding the rails

You see, I heard her shout

And there came Khnight 

Running about

I grabbed his stirrup

To stop him

Then my thoughts 

Grew very dim

She fell on her head 

With a bump

Laying there in a small

Little lump

She's a true cowgirl in 

My mind

A concussion, whiplash,

And a bruised hind

I thank God she will be 

Alright

For she really did 

Put up a fight.

I'm so cute!

(Then she drew me a little picture of a girl with a bandaged head.)

I have this story I wrote, J's poem, and a hospital mask with my "bracelets" saved in a special folder. I will forever remember the day I became a True Cowgirl.

"Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway"

Have you ever been bucked off a horse? Have you ever had a concussion? Tell me all about it down below in the comments! (P.S. This is my 150th blog post!!)

Many Blessings,

A Thankful Little Cowgirl