Baseball Tour: U.S. Side

This year Hubs and I slacked planning our yearly trip. We tossed around different ideas but nothing really stuck out to us the way Peru, Iceland, or our roadtrip did. The airfare to places we would start to look into, such as Croatia or Denmark, was more than we were wanting to spend. So Hubs started looking at airline deals and found flights to Providence, RI for $15! From there our trip fell into place.

We flew to Providence, stopped for a delicious brunch at Julian’s, and then drove our rental to the Bronx. This was my first time to New York and driving in it was TERRIBLE. I would NOT suggest it. I know it seems obvious enough, but seriously. I’ve ridden through Quito, Boston, Atlanta, but nothing compares to New York. Hubs was driving and even he, the calmest, most level-headed person I know, was getting stressed out. The AirBNB place was awesome and had free parking so that was nice. 

That night we went to the Yankees game. The new Yankee Stadium was pretty neat, but mostly memorable due to its massive size. It was no Turner Field, but you know, Turner Field isn’t even Turner Field anymore. The Yankees beat Tampa Bay which is good. I’d hate to see Yankees fans after a loss. 

The next day we booked it to Pittsburgh. That wass a long drive. Once we got out of New York and into Pennsylvania the drive was mostly passing scenic farms on rolling hills. That night we stayed with my brother and his family. We went with them to a little carnival at their church with their little girls. I love their neighborhood. They can walk to their church, playground, public pool,  and an ice cream parlor. Their town often has little parades and festivals for families. I hate that my family lives so far, but I love that the girls are growing up in such a nice place.

Our second day in Pittsburgh my brother, sister-in-law, Hubs, and I went to Maggie’s Farm Rum. It’s a distillery inside an old roofing business. It was a really cool place and the drinks were delicious! Afterward we headed to PNC Park to see the Pirates play the Reds. Again, another home team win! The view from PNC Park is like no other. We had seats in the upper section behind home plate and it was perfect. The sun was behind us; the bridge and the river and a beautiful Pittsburgh skyline in front of us. I would love to go back! After the game we went out to dinner and ate perogies and mac-n-cheese on a rooftop. I had never had a perogi before and had to ask what it was. Then we went back to get my brother’s car. He parked it at his work and so we got a tour of his office building. That was really cool! Mainly because the fridge is always stocked, you can work from home whenever you want, and you can bring your dog to the office. 

Our last day in Pittsburgh we headed to Church Brew Works for brunch. My sister-in-law and I drove there with the girls and the guys took the rental. The guys beat us there and went ahead and ordered appetizers for us. They got traditional and “non-traditional” perogies. Both were delicious! Once my sister-in-law and I tried the “non-traditional” perogies we asked the guys what was in them. I guessed black beans, and I was so wrong. It was RATTLESNAKE! And it was surprisingly quite tasty. 

Once brunch was over, we said our goodbyes and headed toward Niagara Falls. We made a quick stop at the Eternal Flame Falls in Buffalo. It’s a natural gas deposit so once lit it stays lit. Online it looked really amazing and my brother suggested it, so we figured why not? The hike to it was pretty easy since there hadn’t been much rain lately and over half of the hike is in a creek. However, that lack of rain meant lack of falls. What we saw was a little lighter size flame in a rock. Normally the water falls in front of it which I could see would be cool. Now my brother’s comment about bring your lighter in case it blows out made more sense. Oh well, it was nice to get out of the car and stretch. Time to continue on the Niagara Falls! 

Check back soon to read about the other half of our trip- the Canada side!

~Sarah

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

Growing up my elementary school was across the street from the local county library. We would take walking field trips over there and get to roam around the kids section. I remember checking out The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses so often my teacher asked me to try another book. I couldn’t help it; I loved the images on the pages, the story of a girl who felt more at home with horses than people.

By the end of elementary school I had cruised through all the horse books, Black Beauty and The Horse in the Attic to name two of my favorites, and started writing my own horse stories.

In middle school I started riding lessons. Yes! It was the barn across from the softball park, where I spent about 50% of my childhood, and I rode a beautiful gray dappled mare named Finesse. She was the horse I learned how to trot, canter, and jump on. I loved her. Eventually we moved barns and started looking for a horse to lease. We found Magic. He was a large, black quarter horse. He was trained Western style, but I wanted to ride English. In the arena he would always veer from the fence to go over the ground poles. I don't think he had ever really worked with them and he found them to be super fun. He was every girl’s dream man. 

Then came the boy phase, high school softball team, recreational tennis and basketball, and I lost the time and passion for horses. My sister kept riding and so did my stepmom. Occasionally I would piggyback along in their lessons and do a little walk/trot around the arena.

trail ride in the Andes in Quito, Ecuador

After college my dad moved to a neighborhood that’s a horse community. Trails weaving through the neighbors’ properties, pastures outside the houses, the works. I would try riding here and there. At the time they had a mustang mare named Braveheart. I was walking her around the arena and she spooked and starting bucking. I jumped off and slammed my butt into to ground. My stepmom was screaming at me to move so I didn’t get kicked, but for a split second I couldn’t feel my legs. Ends up I broke my tailbone. Oh well, comes with the territory!

A little later I wanted to get back into riding and my stepmom wanted a trail horse so she bought Trooper. He was a cute little dependable pony. Each Sunday my friend Lindsay would come over and ride Sim, the black mustang on my Instagram page, and I would ride Trooper on the trails. He would start to walk while I was mounting and it didn’t bother me and I didn’t have the knowledge to know how to fix it. One day as I mwas mounting he started to move, but not take a step or two, but bolt. I was half hanging off of him! One foot in the stirrup, one leg hanging over the saddle. I couldn’t jump off because he ran over to the fence pinning me between the fence and himself before my brain caught up with what was happening. Eventually Trooper steered himself away from the fence, which my back appreciated, and I was able to fall off without being trampled. At some point my calf got slammed into the saddle back or kicked or I don’t know. It immediately swelled to twice its size and turned a deep purple. I still have a scar and numb spot from it.

in the barn immediately following the fall

about a week after the fall

Trooper

Needless to say, I gave up riding after that. You can’t blame the horse; it’s an animal who still acts on instincts. So I spent my free time on the tennis courts and yoga mats. Then four and half years later Hubs and I booked our trip to Iceland. You can’t go to Iceland without riding the Icelandic pony! It was time to get over my anxieties and get back into the saddle. Thankfully, with the support of my stepmom and a paint named Tucker, I did.

attempting the tölt gait in Iceland

Last summer Tucker moved back to his farm and my dad and stepmom got another paint named Scooby. He’s 14.2 hands and has pony-tude to the max, but very loveable. Thanks to him, my trainer Melanie, and her quarter horse Pooh, my love for horses and confidence riding them has flourished.

cool down walk in the hay field

Scooby

before a trail ride

This weekend my stepmom, half sister, Melanie, and a family friend are going to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. I'm so excited to have some girl time gushing over some gorgeous horses! And I cannot wait to share the experience with you all!

I hope you all are able to overcome your challenges, no matter how big or small, and find the strength to achieve what you love.

A horse is worth more than riches. ~ Spanish Proverb

~Sarah

Stronger

Happy New Year!

I hope you all are doing a better job at sticking to your new year's resolutions better than Mayhem.

This year hubs and I decided to be STRONGER. That's it, our only resolution.

Last year at a faculty meeting my co-workers and I learned about picking one word to be our personal goal, one word or idea to strive for and let all your changes for the better happen around that word. The idea comes from Jon Gordon’s book One Word That Will Change Your Life. At that time I picked peace☮️. I needed to calm my mind and heart and let some things go. This year hubs said his resolution was to be STRONGER and I decided I wanted to reach for the same goal.

I love this idea. Notice how we didn't pick strength. I love that STRONGER has the connotation of growth and constant improvement. There's no idea of, “Oh, well I reached it by May. I'm done,” but rather it's “Wow! I got this far. How much farther can I go? How much further can I push myself, my mindset, my comfort zone?”

My faith

My mind

My body

My relationships

My will power

...can all be STRONGER.

Do you have a "one word"? 

Whatever your resolution is, best of luck with it this year!