Horse Work

This past weekend Matt and I had to go to Ohio for him to do some injections, vaccines and teeth on a few horses.  Since I normally don't get to see what all he does- I just hear about it- I was able to take some pictures.  I've decided I prefer to hear about it, because it makes me nervous... especially when there is a particularly jittery (in my opinion jittery) horse... I'm sure it doesn't make Matt nervous since he's used to it. 
Anyways, here are some pics of the weekend.  The person holding the horse (I will NEVER be taking that job) is his dad. 

First things first... before injections the area has to be scrubbed down A LOT! There is a risk of bacteria getting in if not properly scrubbed...

Next, the needle goes in....  Just like me, this horse was not a fan of needles.  I can't imagine doing this on a thoroghbred because they are MUCH larger and that potential to kick the vet is always there. 

Who wants to go to the dentist?  Not this horse...  Matt explained that a horse's mouth has uneven upper and lower teeth.  This causes the teeth to become really sharp after a while.  About once a year those sharp edges have to be shaved down.  This is Matt just feeling around for the sharp edges, making sure that's what was needed.  Yes, the horse is drugged just a little to make it easier, but still fully awake... thus, the many cuts on Matt's hands when he comes home.

So then, this sharp tool is used and Matt shaves down the teeth.  This is NOT the tool I want to see my dentist ever pull out!  It's all done manually too, this is not some electric tool that does the work for you... and trust me, it was hard work (for both the vet and the holder with this horse!)

After working on a few more horses, Matt needed his Dad to help build a platform for his truck.  This will be used for the ultrasound machine, so that it can't roll around in the back. 

Putting in the finishing touches....

And.. Voila!  The finished product... no more rolling around for this expensive machine!

Fall

This past Friday (Sept 23) was officially the first day of Fall!  I can't even believe how quickly the months have been passing.  I am very thankful because we have had some rough months of transition, but things seem to be smoothing out.  Still... I can't believe Fall is officially here. 

One good thing about living in Kentucky is the changing of the seasons.  I am not particularly fond of colder seasons, so I am really not looking forward to what is to come.  For the time being, I am enjoying seeing the beauty each new season brings.  People say this year has been colder much quicker than normal- of course, the year we move here!  But despite the rain and 60 degree temps we have had a few nice days in between... mid-70s and sunny, just about perfect weather to be outside.  The other day, we had one of these days so I took advantage and went to the Arboretum at UK campus.  It's a very pretty place and they keep it landscaped nicely.  They have walking trails, people picnic, dogs are allowed and it's overall a very family friendly place to visit. I was hoping to see some fall foilage and was able to get some pictures!  The trees have not yet made their complete transformation, but that's what makes it so neat. 

Here are some pics of the trees beginning to change colors for the fall....

    This pic is the overall landscape of the Arboretum... obviously, there is still plenty of green. 

I love these trees because you can start seeing the transformation.. (that is UK stadium in the background)

This tree is completely transformed to a bright yellow.  The yellow trees are great for all the cloudy days we have here, they brighten things up and help keep it from looking too gloomy.

I couldn't find trees with bright red leaves- those are my favorite- instead, I found a tree with these bright red berries.  Not sure what type, but they make the tree so pretty. 

This is a closer picture of the trees changing... orange is probably my least favorite of the colors, but it is still pretty-- especially blended with the yellows and reds. 

I had to throw this in... we have LOTS of clouds in Kentucky-- too much for my liking-- but occassionally there are gorgeous sunsets because of the clouds and the way the sun goes down.  This was Saturday night as Matt and I were driving home through the farm....

Midway

This weekend was gorgeous outside! Well... Saturday was beautiful, Sunday not so much.  So I took advantage Saturday of the 70 degree, sunny weather and headed over to Midway.  Midway is a quaint Kentucky town supposedly with antique shops, fun places to eat and just an overall cute place to visit.  This past weekend happened to be their Fall Festival!  I LOVE Fall Festivals... I love the way they smell... kettle corn, funnel cakes, bbq... and I love the sights... all the people, cute crafts, fun jewelry, animals etc. 
Here are a few pictures of the festival.... I hope to go back soon to go into all the shops too...


*When there are not so many people, I will try to get better pics of the town... it is SO cute!

*Llamas and alpacas... strange, but cute :)

*Music, courtesy of your Kentucky Bluegrass Band! 

*A train track runs through the middle of town... this train was on display for people to see.

*First signs of fall!! You can see the yellow in this tree.... as the trees change, I will take lots of pics and have a fall post soon to come :)

That's all! I really enjoyed walking around Midway and the Festival.  Hopefully, this will be a fun place to take visitors on a nice weekend when people come into town!



For Sale!

For the next two weeks Matt will be super busy here...

No...he won't be hitting the books, but he will be at the 2011 Keeneland Yearling Sales.  These books contain listings of over 4,000 yearling horses that will be sold here in Lexington over the next two weeks.  As a vet, it's his job to take x-rays of these horses, make sure they are healthy etc.  Many of the 4,000 horses should sell for at least $100,000 or more (and they've never even set foot on the racetrack yet)!!!  Towards the end (horses listed in books 4-6) the prices will drop some, but overall- still way out of my price range.   Last night, I was able to go to the sale with him... it was very cool.  Let me preface these next pictures with these statements:
    *This was quite the social event of the year
    *There were dignitaries, sheiks, celebrities and such at this event
    *No one was taking pictures or bothering these upperclass people, so therefore, I had to discreetly use my phone to take pics!  This being said, the light was terrible, so the pics aren't great, but hopefully you can get a good idea....


The horses start their sale journey here.  This is an outdoor pen where handlers walk them around for people to look at and preview before entering the sale ring.  As you can see there are TONS of people- again, this is not just a place for the upperclass to purchase horses,but a huge social event for the year.  Many men were in suits, women in cocktail dresses, lots of drinks and a wide variety of food being served and no kids running around for sure!



If you missed the horses being walked around outside, you can then see them in this ring.  This is an indoor ring and I prefer it to the outdoor ring.  It was still extremely crowded, but you could avoid the smoking.  This event is for people all over the world to attend and smoking in many cultures is still the thing to do... I am not used to it at all, so having an indoor ring was very nice!

Finally, horses are led to the sale ring.  As you can see, not all seats in this area are full.  They are reserved for actual buyers.  You can't just go sit and observe, there is a glass window around the area for observers like us who could never afford such horses! 

Once a horse is purchased the work begins for Matt (if the buyer wants).  The farms that Matt does work for around here have about 400 horses in the sale.  They do the work mostly for those 400 horses.  They are not the only vets around, since some of the higher ups prefer to bring their own vet.  If I were a Sheik of the Arab Emirates I'd bring my own vet too- I mean, really, what is one extra person on my private jet?!? 

I did run into Chef Bobby Flay last night!  That was very exciting for me, and I did try to take a picture, but the lighting was terrible and he kept turning around.  He was intently looking at several horses in the outdoor ring, so maybe there is still a chance for Matt to give his professional opinion to him! 

Last night, the high horse of the night sold for $1.2M.  The best horses sell first, so tonight should be another big night and the crowds should be huge again.  I won't go each night, just wanted to see what all the fuss was about... and see why on earth Matt has to be there each day from 6a-7p.  I should be thankful, because the partners of the clinic stay until 11p or later, but they were gracious and let Matt and 2 other guys head out early, last night anyways.. :)  It will be a long two weeks.... but at least it's not every week!

Are you hindering God?

I have started a bible study at church called "Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted" by Priscilla Shirer.  It's really great so far and I highly recommend it for others to study on their own or with a group.  This hit me today and it was so great I had to share....

*Oftentimes the greatest hindrance of a new move of God in your life

is the last move of God.*

Read that again, slower this time.

Ok... now let me back up in our lives and share a few things to have all this make sense. 

The first year Matt and I were married was our last year of undergrad.  We had some pretty big decisions to make that year about the upcoming year.  The biggest decision would be where Matt would go to vet school.  For a while, this caused quite a stir in our marriage because we wanted different things.  Then, we wised up and began praying for clear direction from God.  Well... God certainly gave us clear direction because that February we received one rejection letter and one acceptance letter.  It was very obvious that God was moving us (or rather, keeping us from moving) to attend Texas A&M Vet School.  The very next week a job interview was set up for me by a friend (unknowingly to me).  I went to the interview not thinking much of it, but grateful because since we had decided on staying I knew I'd need to find work.  Again, God clearly moved.  I began working at Central Baptist Church and all of our needs had been provided for (financial, insurance etc)... it was like everything was falling into place.

Fast forward a year and many of you know the trials that Central faced with the Children's Ministry through that year.  Well, I was approached about taking on the Director's job full-time.  I didn't want the job- at all.  However, given the past year and the way we had been seeing God move things around we felt that I had no other option, so I accepted.  This turned out to be one of the best decisions we had made!  I loved the job immediately-- although it was very trying and difficult at times.  I grew in areas I didn't realize God wanted me to grow in.  I made very close friends through work that I would have not have had the chance to otherwise.   Overall, God had placed a calling on my life that I did not even realize I had- I often joke that God pushed me into that job.  :) 

Fast forward again to these past few months.  Matt and I fully intended on starting a family in Texas, raising them in Texas and enjoying the comfortable life we had made.  We had a great support system, we had a house, Matt had a job etc.  We definitely were more blessed than I think we even realized.  Suddenly, everything changed.  God clearly shut doors we thought were open, He clearly planned me getting pregnant when I did, and He made it clear that staying where we were was no longer an option.  Talk about big changes all at once!!!

So... back to the above quote... I realized today why this move has been such a problem for me.  It's not that I don't want to follow God's will, but it's that His previous call on my life had been so great that I did not want to change that.  I was struck to realize that God calls us to places, jobs, a way of life etc for periods of time and sometimes we are not called to stay there.  Even though we are doing God's will in that place He might have something else, somewhere else for us to do or be.  That is a hard concept to grasp.  The idea of giving up God's previous call on your life for a new call... especially when the previous call is so comfortable.

I don't know why we moved to Kentucky, though I have some theories, and I don't think it's forever.  I feel that this will be a growth year for Matt and I- a chance to get out of our comfort zones, re-prioritize our lives and figure out God's new calling.  We've seen His calling clearly before and I know we'll see it this time too, but the other times were easy compared to this change.  The other times it didn't seem like we were really giving up much.  This time it feels as though we have given up a LOT!  However, I can't let our previous calls hinder our current call..... 

The question for you is:
** Are you being called to something or someplace new, but you are too comfortable in your current calling to make the change? Is your previous calling hindering the new calling God has for you?  If so, you won't be happy in your current calling because that is no longer what God wants for your life.  Making changes is NEVER easy, but I feel this will all be worth it when we reach the other side of the situation.... from past experiences I have seen that God never fails us and His plans are always so much better than what we have planned for ourselves.