Ok... where do I start? I have lived a pretty amazing life so far and am grateful for it every day. The best memories started on my sixth birthday when I got horseback riding lessons thanks to my grandparents. From the minute I sat on that horse, mine nor my parents' life would ever be the same. I am still riding ten years later with the same passion and love that got me started (actually, it's grown). "I am releasing a horse!" That's what I would tell everyone because I had no idea what a lease was so I assumed that's what the adults meant. After leasing multiple horses, my parents caved in to getting me my own when I was nine, and Murphy was the best teacher I ever will have had. Every mistake that I made, he would fix. But sadly, after 2 years and colicing for the third time, it was time to say goodbye. I remember the morning we got the call as we were leaving for church. I figured it would be like every other time; the vets would tube him, and he would be fine. When we arrived, my mom did not even recognize him because he was so dull and dirty. Both of my parents told me not to stand next to him in case he fell over. It was all so surreal. I couldn't understand why God would take away my best friend and put me through all of that hurt. One day he is perfectly healthy, and the next he's gone. A month later, I found a new horse that nobody could ride, but my trainer told me we had a connection, so I started leasing Blue. We definitely had our ups and downs, including a few mouthfuls of dirt. He was more of a try-and-fail type of teacher, but I learned quite a bit with him as well. This past year, I moved barns, and my new trainer said we were no longer a fit for each other. I donated him to a lesson barn, where he became a beginner horse, but that was short-lived. Now he is retired and goes on casual trail rides every now and then. A month after donating Blue, my trainer, Mary, found me another horse. Vinny was purchased and shipped from Chicago a week after Mary went to look at him. There were some obstacles at the beginning, but now he is a champ. We had our first show two weeks ago, receiving two firsts and a fifth. He is mine until college, and then a new chapter will start in my riding career.
My life was a lot simpler before I was eight. In June, my siblings, mom, and I went to Elitch Gardens with some friends. My mom had noticed I was constantly thirsty and had to pee every thirty minutes. We got home that night at about ten. After talking to my dad briefly, my parents decided to take me to the E.R. I clutched on to the balcony, screaming and crying because what kid enjoys the doctor's? My dad promised I would not get any shots. Needless to say, that was the complete opposite of what happened. The doctors poked me and made me do urine samples for hours before they came to a conclusion. I was type 1 Diabetic. "Could you say that in English please?" is what I was thinking. After getting a nice ride in the ambulance from Littleton Hospital to Children's, I learned I would be getting shots and finger pokes every few hours for the rest of my life. (I thought parents weren't supposed to lie to their children? Good job, Dad!). I got a pump when I was nine, which made life simpler until I became a teenager. I get yelled at about my blood sugars constantly because at about thirteen, I decided I knew how to deal with it on my own. My mother threatens to send me to community college because she doesn't want me going off on my own unless I figure this out. It is a working progress, but that was God's plan for me so I will learn to deal with it.
So yep... that's my life in a nutshell, or at least the most important things.
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