M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Minus the mouse part! Haha! So today I had my weekly horse riding lesson- I rode Mickey, an Arab gelding. He's great and we work together well. I had a great ride, lots of work in the canter. And...I got moved to a more advanced class! Hopefully I'll be able to learn lots of new things. The new time is Monday at 7pm. I'll have another report then! :) Also, my friend Kayla is staying over tomorrow night- yay! We never seem to hang out much anymore, so that'll be fun.

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Photos from Today

Daily Photo

Horse's Eye View
Click the image to see the reflection in his eye!

~Peace Always,

Kristina/Saphire

Flight

I'm so sorry for neglecting the blog for a few days! I've been busy! Sorry for all the short postings- I'll expand later.

Today was pretty boring:just another day at school. When I came home, I rode around the neighborhood and went down to the pond. Lots of Canadian Geese- they flew right over my head! (They make a funny noise when they fly! Sort of like pushing on silly putty. Hah!) Also saw blackbirds, robins, finches, killdeer, mallards, and mergansers.After that, I spent some time at my friend Taylor's house, (ate popcorn, talked about seasickness and spring break...hahaha!) then came home.

DAILY PHOTO

Hooded Merganser

~Peace Always,

Kristina/Saphire

Wild Goose Chase

Fun time this afternoon with my brother and his friend-- snowtubing on a 5 foot high hill (didn't work out too well), crashing my bike into a sharp snow drift (yes, sharp...), snow ball fights, eating Girl Scout cookies on the driveway, missing the perfect photo of a Goldfinch, and more.

And then we rode down to the pond and that's where we saw the giant mass of geese! You could really tell who was boss- he/she was honking up a storm, tongue out and wings flared. Quite a sight!

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Photo Of The Day

"Airplane"

please click on the image to make it larger!

~Peace Always,

Kristina/Saphire

Daily Photo

Sorry for no actual blogging today...

but here's a photo of my shadow I took while on a walk around the neighborhood with my mom.

Giddyup!

Quick report on my horse riding lessons yesterday:

I rode Frankie, a brown Quarter horse. (who, by the power invested in the barn, is now married to me. Kind of. Hahaha!) It was a stressful ride, really...we did this pattern and Frank was just being trouble. Plus I was already stressed from all the work I've been having to do around the house because my mom can't do it, and, I was hungry and had a headache. Ack! But before the ride, I got some pics of Frank doing the "Flehmen response", in which male horses curl back their upper lip to see if a mare is in heat (ready to mate). It was funny to watch, kind of awkward, but made for an interesting photo!

~Peace Always,

Saphire/Kristina

*Updates* edit.

Attention: New Photos and Links added! That's right! Check the sidebars for related links / my other pages, a monthly "mystery" image, my profile, and more. Scroll all the way to the bottom and find a collection of my photos (always being updated.) Just so you know, I will post at least one photo and a blog entry every day, so keep watch!

Thanks for looking everyone! :)

Update on Mom: She is doing a bit better, but can't keep food down because of her pain medication. Everyone keep her in your thoughts and prayers, please!

Today's Agenda:

• Weekly Horseback riding lesson at 5pm
• Cleaned out my closet and room: wow I didn't know I had that much stuff in there! ;-)
• My camera is found!! I will now be able to take *new* photos.
• Pizza for lunch (my grandma is making it right now!! Yum!!)
• My brother has an eye appointment, which he is at now.
• Off of school today!! 3 day weekends are the best.

And that's about it for now. Just check back in later in the day to find some new photos!! :)

Peace Always,

~Kristina/Saphire

DAILY PHOTO:

UPDATE.

Went out and did a photo shoot with my brother. Got this photo,

boosted the colours a tad, and I love how it turned out!

Prayers

UOM: (Update on Mom) She has a broken wrist, and is in lots of pain. She can't drive (on pain medication) and cannot go into work. (She's a nurse- see the irony.) Anyways, we need your good wishes! Please pray/think of her today. She needs it! :)

And now on to...the blog. Not that long today, sorry!

Last night I prayed. Sort of. I'm not a religious person, I'm more of a ...spiritual one. I believe in totem animals (animal guardian/messenger spirits); that each animal has its own message to share, to help us through life. I've seen Deer (who symbolize family/[motherly]love/awareness) when I've been in a hard point in my life with my family, I've seen Goldfinch (new beginnings) when I was about to start high school, or travel to another country. Today I was thinking about seeing Deer, maybe having her assist me with helping my mom (Deer being motherly love.) and...what do you know...as I thought that I spy a deer in the woods. Amazing.

So, last night, I asked the spirits to help my mom...and today I wake up to the mostbeautiful sunrise ever, and a female Goldfinch sitting neatly in the tree outside my window. I felt my wish had been granted- someone, something, somewhere, was watching over my family. I looked around and saw the shining yellow-peach sky and I just smiled, taking in the beauty. I went into school fresh and happy and thats' how I came out. And that's when I saw the deer on the way home, and I felt even better.

And then I came back home to my mom and her pain.

Sometimes life is hard.

That's what makes you great.

And now for some photos. Not taken today, but awesome nonetheless.

Morning Dove. Taken January 9 2010.

Male Goldfinch. Taken June 2009.

Doe at the Lake Erie Nature /Science Center yawning. Everyone gets tired! :)

~Peace Always,

Saphire/Kristina

A Messy Start, No?

I know I'll look back on this some day...and read it, and say, "How did I not know how to start?"...but that'll be a while from now. For in this moment, I don't have a clue how to start this. All I know is that I love writing, animals, nature, music, and my friends, and I want to share my best with all who read this. So...now...get ready to dive into this crazy, sometimes boring, sometimes fun, and always inspirational journey with me.

First: I have a headache. Second: I'm listening to the radio. Third: My mother's in the hospital. Fourth: My friend and I are Instant Messaging about her boy trouble. Besides the thing about my mom, it sounds like a normal 14-year-old's day, doesn't it? Well, trust me: it's not. My mind's distracted with thoughts of wide open skies, the wild howl of the wind and the wolf, the red dusty landscape and the scarce sagebrush that is the American "wild west". I'm wishing to be there right now, watching the vibrant sunset, or an eagle flying high, or a herd of deer run in the distance. Not the usual thought process of a teenager, is it? (Maybe it is, but by my understanding and observations, my classmates have only three things on their mind: homework, friends, and sleep. ) Whatever the "norm" is, I'm far from it. My head whirls with thoughts of things like the fate of the Earth, where I'll be in 10 years, what I want to do before I die, where will I live, wow what a good book I'm reading, what's the meaning of life, totem animals, what each animal's meaning is, what can I do to help others, what animals will I see today, how could someone do this to an animal, and so on...

I hope this summary of myself isn't too boring, but it's hard for me to talk about myself...I'm so complex. If I had to tell you one thing about myself, I'd say I think way too much for my own good.

Sorry that I'm all over the place in these first few paragraphs, I'm just sorting my thoughts out. That'll happen a lot, don't worry.

Oh, my name! I haven't told you my name. I'm Kristina...I live in Ohio but my heart's in the San Juan Islands with the wild Orca whales, where it's been ever since June 2009. (More on that later.) My parents are divorced, I live with my mom, brother, and gerbil, where my dad lives with my cat in Washington DC (and I still don't understand what he does at his job. Something with government, I'll give you that.And something important!). BUT! Enough about me and onto what you came here for: an inspirational blog entry about being "wild at heart." But what does that mean, "wild at heart"? I'll tell you.

"WILD AT HEART" can mean many things: how I always wish to be free, living on the range in the American west, or how my life is crazy and so am I...but most of all it can symbolize how I feel connected, deeply connected, with the natural world and its creatures.

And it can also be inspired by the song "Wild at Heart" by Gloriana, which I was listening to when I had the revelation of naming this blog what I have named it.

Now! Onto the important things.

Today I came home from school, watched some TV with my brother, then turned on the radio, sat down on the couch, and read. For a while. Something I haven't done in a while. I was telling myself to go a day without the computer, but reading the book ('The Daily Coyote' by Shreve Stockton' , go buy it, it's incredible.) inspired me to blog and so here I am. I then did some homework, and then read some more of that amazing book, and started writing this. Outside. I don't know why I went and sat outside, but...I just felt like I had to. Had to get out of this house, to breathe some fresh air. And it was great! :) Sometimes its nice to be out there, to taste the cool night air, to get the glimpse of the end of winter before spring...just to realize what it's like to be alive. To hear the birdsong, to see the sunset...To...

My mother's home from the hospital. She's in lots of pain : and it takes a lot to make her say that. I've got to go help her. More later.

~Peace always,

Saphire/Kristina