2017 is over… and a lot of people, myself included, went through a lot of trials and tribulations over the last 12 months and are more than happy to show 2017 the door. We lost my husband’s father, grandmother, and great-aunt this year. My own family got dealt a major health blow in regards to my mother. I came to the realization that Smitty was not going to be the forever horse that I had hoped. Our beloved German Shepherd, Drake, spent several days in emergency care and scared the bejeezus out of us.

2017, let’s call you Felicia.

But…

Even with all that, I would prefer to focus on the positives. In many ways I have become so much closer to my family than ever before. I was able to sell Smitty to the absolute perfect buyer, and somehow not record a huge financial loss in the endeavor. My photography side-hustle grew in a way that I had hardly dared to hope for. I found Jack, my barbie dream horse, and despite his own “looky-loo” tendencies (I’m stealing that from a friend), he is making me a braver rider than I have ever been as a result. The husband and I were able to take a lovely trip to Savannah for Christmas. And I met a great handful of amazing bloggers and continue to feel so blessed to be part of this community.

Even saw this pretty lady TWICE!

I have been marinating on what goals I’d like to set for this year, but I think I’ll save that for a separate post. The only one that I feel pretty certain about is that if I am to continue my photography pursuits, then this blog will never be able to be the daily exercise I had aimed for. Instead, I think it’s more appropriate to expect ~3 posts each week. Not being able to blog daily was a stressor last year, and honestly, that misses the point of blogging. It’s always meant to be a chronicle of the horse and house journey, and a way to have open dialogue with equestrians from around the world. More on this soon!

Until then, I hope everyone is feeling optimistic about what 2018 will bring. I know I am.