Ranch calls and bulls

I usually have them schedule ranch calls on wednesdays for two reason.  One, that is the day that Jenna pants works and she is my best helper with the horses and cows and knows where most things are in my truck.  The second reason is that wednesdays are my off day from the gym and so i dont have to miss a workout    One has to make the most of their time and plan ahead!

Todays ranch calls were to the Bayo Telles ranch and the Antelope ranch.  Jennas husbands family owns the Antelope.  We had trich testing to do on the Bayo Telles ranch and some colt castrations and then at the Antelope ranch we had semen testing and trich testing.

We stopped at the Bayo Telles first.

There was only the help present and they really didnt know what was happening.  One of the guys was walking out when we pulled up with a 12 pack of coors light and a box of tomatoes.  Breakfast of champions there!

We did the horse castrations first and the owner of the grey was so worried about the horse hitting its head on a rock or laying on a rock.  I imagine he cares way more for the horse than he does his wife!

Booba was very interested in seeing how the castration was done.  I think his girls are starting to get to be high school age so he probably wants to know how to take care of such things if the need arises

I HATE a teco chute!

 

There were 3 “cowboys” but for some reason i still had to help with the chute.

The cutest thing there was this mini.

 

Done there and off to the Antelope.

We pull up and within about 50 yards of the chute they have this bull roped and pulled down looking at his foot.  LOL Here in arizona they still do things the “real” cowboy way!

Jenna collected semen, Ryan worked the probe, Phil gave vaccines and Dalin kept the chute loaded with bulls.  It all went smoothly, well mostly smoothly.

Phil tipped the horns on this young hereford bull and he showered Jenna pants with blood.

Im not a huge braham fan but they are a beautiful animal.

This one learned quick that if he dropped in the chute, we shad to stop messing with him.  He got to go without a full test because he was going to hurt himself or someone and it wasnt worth it!

The drive home was uneventful and we had a few dogs waiting here and a few sick ones that are scheduled to come in soon.  Overall i think it has been a pretty darn good day!

The Dawn of a New Day

 

No matter the trials that one goes through there is always the dawning of a new day to which one can make the choice to see the sun rise and its glory brighten ones life!

This morning Zac and I were sitting at the kitchen table and we were talking about Oliver.  Zac was very devastated to have lost his beloved pet.  He had been watching a video on my phone and he was laughing at how cute Oliver was.

I looked at him and said, “Zac, arent you so glad that we got to know Oliver for those few short weeks!”  He looked at me and said, “yes, mom, I loved Oliver for those 6 weeks.”

Even though our time with Oliver was short, the joy and simple pleasure that he added to our life for those few weeks will be with us all for a lifetime!  We have a choice.  We can look at the negative, Oliver being killed tragically, or  look at the positive, he made our lives better by his time with us!  We got to have great joy watching him and loving him and nothing can take that away!

The sun rises each day!  Will you let it shine in your life or will you elect to shut it out?  I want the beauty to wash away my tears and show me the way to a new day!

 

Life Lessons

“The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.”
— Aristotle

Accidents happen.  Bad things happen to good people.  There is often no reason for what one has to face at certain times in their life but that doesnt mean that we should let it defeat us!

It seems to me like most people take the bad things that happen and they make them worse by allowing themselves to feel like a victim.  Instead of using the circumstance to grow them and to strengthen them, they allow it to tear them down.  How we respond to anything in life is a CHOICE that we have to make!

I know people who have had terrible things happen to them or their family and they bore it with great dignity and grace!  They grew and changed and were better at the end of the trial than they were at the beginning.  They used the difficulty that they faced like concrete to strengthen and enforce the walls of their life.  Yes, it was messy but they made the best of the mess!

I also know people who have done just the opposite, they allowed it to destroy them and everything that they had!  They let pity and sorrow undermine the foundations of their life so that the walls came crumbling down!  They let the mess become messier!  They took no action.

I know it is not easy to go through difficult times!  I have been through many of them myself and i have gone through them both ways.  I can tell you that the self pity and woes me and the whole world hates me so im going to go eat worms way, SUCKS!  You want to prolong your misery, do this!  If you want to tear down everything in your life then accept no responsibility for what happened or for your response to it!  Choose to live defeated!

You see, regardless of the circumstances you have control over how YOU are going to respond to it!  Sure there is a period of grief and mourning but dont stay at the place!  Get up!  Stand tall!  Wipe the tears away and move on!  Use the pain to strengthen yourself!  Use the pain to give you purpose and life!  Continue on with dignity and grace!  The choice is yours!

I heard a message once where the speaker said that the past is a painting on the wall, you choose to leave it there and stare transfixed into it or you make the choice to take it down and throw it away and start a new painting!  Think about that for a few minutes.  What paintings do you have up in your life?  When people come to you, what do they see?  Ugly and dark pictures?  Are you holding on the pain and the bitterness and making your life miserable?  Or will you make the choice to throw those pictures away and start to paint new ones?  It isnt easy but the reward is great!

Morning Devotional 2.29.12

Working for the Lord

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.  For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”  Colossians 3:23-25

How many of you have a job that you hate?  I am blessed to have a career doing something that i love and enjoy and is not like work at all for me.  Most people are not that lucky however but as christians we are called to work heartily regardless of whether we love our job or not!

This passage was written to the slaves.  I have to tell you that i would think being a slave would be a very bad job!  One had no rights per se, you were owned and you had to do whatever you were told!  There were no rights and no equality in the work place and no anti discrimination laws in place!  You did and you received whatever your master instructed!

In todays world we are very lucky in that even though at times we may feel like a slave to our job or our boss, in reality we are not!  Life in Christ is not about FEELINGS!  It really doesnt matter what you feel, it is about what you are supposed to be doing and what the word of God says!  If you have a job you should be doing it heartily as to the Lord!

To me that means that i should work like Jesus was in the main office watching everything that i do!  I mean, really, that is what it really happening!  He is there watching everything we do!  If you knew Jesus was watching you, would you be spending time on the internet instead of doing your work?  Does your company pay to spend personal time on the internet or to work?  If Jesus was standing there in the room would you take something that didnt belong to you?  Would you steal from the company if Jesus was watching over the inventory?  Of course not!

If you have a job and you agreed to work that job for a certain wage, the company or your boss doesnt owe you anything more than that!  We need to get off thinking like the world and that we are owed more than what we agreed to!  Jesus died for our sins, He bought us with His blood!  If He never did another thing for us it would be ok!  He doesnt owe us anything!  Your boss doesnt owe you anything!  You owe your boss your best work!  You owe Jesus your life!

We wonder why the world view us christians so poorly and everything is going against us but think for a second, what are we doing any different than the world?  In your workplace are you the same type of employee as everyone else around you?  Or are you trying to be like Christ in the work place and working and doing your best?  Not because you are paid to do it but because Jesus asks you to do that?

You cant pick and choose which parts of the bible you want to follow, it is all or nothing!  You OWE your boss your BEST effort!  That is how that works.  Your boss doesnt owe you anything more than the pay check that you agreed to work for!   For he who does wrong will receive the consequences!  If you are miserable at work it is your own fault and you are reaping the consequences of working for yourself and not for Christ!

Hard words I know and i understand that i am blessed to not be in such a workplace but i worked very hard to get to where i am in my life and my career!  I did not do a lot of things so that i could put that time and effort and finances into my career!  As with anything in life, you are where you are based on the amount of dedication and determination you put into getting there!

Jesus, forgive me for the jobs that i did where i was a bad employee!  thank you that you have blessed me with a career that i love!  help me to do all things as if i am doing them for you!  regardless of the difficulty of the client, help me to love them as you love them!  fill me with compassion and love!

R.I.P. Oliver

 

I just ran over my puppy OLIVER!  We were waiting on a client and i had to run to walmart to pick something up.  I was pulling away very slowly because there are seven dogs that run loose around there and 3 of them are very bad about getting around the truck.  I was trying to keep my eye on everybody and i didnt even realize that oliver was on the other side of the truck.     Im so sorry my faithful friend!

 

DoggCrapp training B-1

We had a busy but a good day yesterday.  At the end of the day even though i was tired i was in a pretty good mood!  There was a beautiful sunset but i was too lazy to get in my truck and go where the dang wires were not in my way but the colors are still impressive.

Got to bed early and slept great.  Out of bed at 4 and 2 sets of 20 hanging leg raises. I have decided that im going to incorporate the DC training into my hanging leg raises in the morning. Meaning im going to do one set, rest for 20 secs, do another set etc etc. I think it will be a good change up for the ol abdominals.

The sun rise this morning was pretty cool.

treadmill warm up 5 mins

B-1 training day

flat bench
*bar wu for 15
*95# for 20
*95# for 10
*95# for 5
20-30 sec rest between sets. need to bump weight up to 115#

DB shoulder press
*25# for 15
*25# for 8
*25# for 5
20-30 second rest between sets. need to bump weight up to 30#

seated DB french press
*30# for 16
*30# for 10
*30# for 8
20-30 second rest between sets. need to bump weight up to 35-40#

*sorry for the long video but im too stupid to figure out how to work the damn edit and trim program!

overall a pretty good workout. I need to SLOW DOWN!! That is my most difficult thing to remember. In general i am not a slow person at anything! I eat fast, i work fast, i drive fast, i walk fast, i talk fast. Im hoping by the end of the program i will have gotten the whole slow down thing under control! The boss tells me to count my negatives but without a partner, im counting my reps and when i try to count my negatives i get all confused and lose count of reps. I will get it figured out one of these days!

The morning surgeries went smoothly.  We had a bunch of them though and i had to finish after i went and picked up zac.

The afternoon is about as full as it can get on the books so we will see how everybody does and if today ends as well as yesterday.  We have not had any really interesting cases in lately.   total bummer as i like the ones that keep me on my toes.  maybe next week will be more interesting.  although it is only tuesday so i guess this week could get better
Have to go do some ranch calls tomorrow with trich and semen testing so if nothing else i might get some pretty pictures.

 

Life Lessons

“It isn’t the incompetent who destroy an organization. The incompetent never get in a position to destroy it. It is those who achieved something and want to rest upon their achievements who are forever clogging things up.”

— F. M. Young

How many of us carry around our past achievements and never let them go?  Certainly they might be something to be proud of but once they are behind you, what good does it do to pack them around with you everywhere?

When you describe yourself what do you say first?  Do you use something current or do you use something that you did in the past?   Do you think because you achieved something great 5 or 6 years ago that that is all that you ever have to do to be someone?

Honestly, who cares what one did in the past if they arent doing anything to make the future better!   Regardless of what you achieved yesterday or years ago, it doesnt mean that you have to stop trying!  It doesnt mean that you are anything more than a has been!

I think the people who get hung up on past achievements grow bitter and angry because everything that they every wanted has come and gone!  They are so hung up on what they did that they never try and do anything better!   Instead of their great achievement growing them and molding them to achieve better things it is like an anchor that holds them back!

If the first thing you use to give yourself credibility is some achievement from your past and not your present than maybe you need to cut away the anchor!   How is that past achievement doing anything for you anyway?  The speed at which the world moves today, one who was something 5 years ago is probably nothing today!

I dont ever want  to define myself by some set time in my past!  Each day i want to try to achieve something great!  To be better than i was yesterday!  To make a difference in today and not live on the difference of yesterday that holds me back!

Morning devotional 2.28.12

Are you anxious?

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-8

Are you worrying about things in life?  Does it cause you to stay up at night?  Does it interrupt your life?  How many of us when worrying are in the worst moods?  Maybe you get tense and short tempered; or maybe you get overly emotional;  or maybe you get withdrawn and shut yourself off from those around you.  Why?

The bible tells us to be anxious about NOTHING!  But in everything with prayer and supplication and THANKSGIVING!  Our God has a perfect plan for everything in our life and the lives of our loved ones and for His church!  Us worrying and being upset about things regarding those that are Gods is against the word of God and therefore against the will of God!

The bible tells us that He works all things together for good for those who are called according to His purposes and that love Him!  Do you love God?  Are you called according to His purposes?  Then why are you stressing and worrying about what He is going to do?  We need to let God work and stop getting in the way with our hesitations and worries!

Have you experienced the peace that surpasses all comprehension?  It is an amazing thing!  I am very blessed to have been given a great gift of faith but like all things, if we dont use it, it does us no good!   Faith is believing in the word of God and acting upon it, no matter how i feel because God promises a good result!

A few things we need to understand here, first is we need to be in the word of God!!!  Stop making excuse and start reading your bible!  Secondly, we need to act upon it!  How many times have you doubted something that you felt God wanted you to do?  I have done it many many times.  I am quickened by the Spirit and then i let my mind start working and i start questioning whether it was from God or i dont want to screw anything up so i dont act at all!  Regardless of the reason, i am wrong!!

We christians need to stop thinking that God needs our help!  He doesnt!  His perfect plan will be carried out regardless of whether we participate or not!  What happens when we hesitate and doubt is that we miss out on the blessing!  If you are waiting for something and the opportunity comes about and you are wishy washy and dont want to commit because you are afraid of whatever, you are going to miss out on something amazing that God has planned for you or your family or for your church!

The peace that comes from saying, Ok God, im going to give this a go because I know that you have something great planned and i want to be a part of it, is so amazing!!   Stop rationalizing!  Stop worrying!  Stop getting in the way of God working because you are afraid of something bad happening!  Gods will is perfect whether He makes everything amazing or whether He allows a trial to come!  Who are we to get in the way of God!?

What are you worrying about?  Why?  Are you doubting that God knows how to take care of you or His people?  God is in control, we are not.  When we try to take control from God we lose His blessing and His peace!  Is it worth it?

Jesus, I love you Jesus!  thank you for all that you have done for me!  Thank you for ALWAYS coming through when i put my trust in you!  Thank you for the great peace that i feel constantly in my life because i trust you completely that you will work all things together for good for me!  All that i am and all that i have belong to you and you always take perfect care of what is yours!

DoggCrapp A-1

Sunday afternoon was spent sitting on my butt having my nails done.  Devri was very chatting and it took 4 hours!  Holy moly thats a long time to sit in one place.  Devri had already picked out yellow so i went with it.

Made oliver spend the night at the clinic as he was already whining and carrying on by only 8:30 and i was in need of some sleep.  Slept pretty decent and got up at 4.  Back to hanging leg raises and did 2 sets of 20.  Nothing too exciting.

I was a bit apprehensive going into the gym today for the first day of DC training. I had taken a week off and i was feeling pretty good all around but starting a new program that i am unfamiliar with always makes me kind of nervous.

I spent about 10 minutes on the phone with the boss going over how the program works and what exactly i was supposed to do. I have to say that i felt a bunch better after our discussion.

This first week will be a bit of trial and error because well, it is the first week and we need to figure out what weight i am at for each exercise.

treadmill warmup 5 mins

A-1 day

EZ bar curls
*wu bar for 15
*45# for 15
*45# for 7
*45# for 4
approx a 20 – 30 second rest in between each set

widowmaker spyder curls
*25# for 22 reps

reverse grip cable curls
*20# for 25
need to bump this up just a bit

wide grip rack chins
*4
*1
*1
I SUCK at these, huge learning curve! Will do better next time!

V bar seated rows
*70# for 16
*70# for 10
20 second rest in between.

And that was the end of day one DC training. Overall i think that once i get all the lifts figured out i will get in the groove and enjoy the program. I need to learn to SLOW down on the negatives for a 2-3 second count! And breathe well during rest and keep my mind focused on the lift!

It will get better, i promise

Thankfully things at the clinic were not a crazy busy today as what they were last week.   There were only about 6 or so surgeries and they went pretty quick and all my staff was present!
Picked up zac from kindergarten and took him to get some lunch then back to school for tutoring.  Thankfully we are now down to only one day a week on tutoring.  Zac told me before he went in “mom, i dont want to go to tutoring but in going to go and do my best and make Mrs Hart proud of me,”  What a good boy!!

The afternoon has been plum crazy!  The reception area has been completely full for almost 2 hours with no end in sight!  My last appointment consisting of two horses to look at just showed up an hour early and the waiting room is still crazy    I have to say that i love it like this although i think im the only one who does!

Life Lessons

“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.”

— Michael Korda

It is easy to blame other people for our mistakes.  As one who owns my own business it is my job to run the business and to lead those under me.  I have to be willing to accept my responsibility in EVERYTHING that happens!  I am the leader so therefore when things go wrong or they blow up in my face, no matter who the party was that might have been involved, I am the one ultimately responsible!

Part of being a good leader is letting people develop themselves and learn by making a few mistakes but I should still be taking the time to look ahead and see where it is going!  If i just assume that they will figure it out, what happens if they dont?  What happens if all hell breaks loose?  What happens if instead of working out to be a good lesson, it turns in to a very very bad lesson where people are hurt?  One cant turn back the hands of time and wish that they had taken a more active role!

As a leader, it is my responsibility to work all things for good!  If i have an employee who is sometimes slack in paying attention to small details and i never address the issue, whose fault is it if an animal dies because the anesthesia machine was turned up too high or the wrong medication was given?  Certainly that employee has a role but i am the one at fault because it is my responsibility to be making sure that they are doing their job!

It is my responsibility to keep my employees and those under my authority all working towards the same goal!  There have been times when i have had an employee that came in and worked everybody against each other!  Often times these are very good employees and one is reluctant to step in and make the right decision but it doesnt matter how good of an employee or member or friend they are, if they arent on the same program or are working against others, they need to go!

Great leaders make tough choices!  Great leaders dont lead passively but rather they lead with authority that allows those under them to perform at their best!   Great leaders take responsibility for everything that happens under their leadership!