Riding Diary: 11

Horse: Quiz

Time: 1 hr

Ride: ... ugh. I had one of those, "goddddaaaamnit" rides, you guys know what i'm talking about?

I just, couldn't.figure.my.shit.out. and to top it off I was having a "dumb day", just one of those days when you are not an intelligent person - these days rarely occur in my life, and when they do I become a train of stupidity, derailed and mowing down buildings with nonsensical babble. Jesus.


Anyways, I began with our typical warm-up posting trot. Sometimes I feel like Quiz tests me in the warm up, sometimes she's whizzing around the arena waaaay too fast, and then I ask her to slow down because, "frick child, this is a warm up", and she breaks down into this painfully slow trot that makes me look at her like, "Quiz... wtf.. are.. you.. doing?" Say that real slow, because that's how fast my bum is rising out of the saddle.

We then trotted some pole-bending style poles that were set up, and for the most part we did good. Aside from the fact that I get so absorbed in my body, and Quiz, that I become that aforementioned train, about to bulldoze other arena-users, "oops, sorry, didn't mean to get so close to you, woops, sorry, eek" - that's me. I know it's getting especially bad when my trainer is like, "LOUISA, stop passing so close, look where you are GOING"... eep, okay, i'll try, i'm sorry.


From our warmup we went into the lope, I thought that it was going to be one of those beautiful loose-rein easy-peasey-lemon squeazy days. I was wrong. Quiz was rushing me like a quarter back (.. is that what QB's do, they rush right?) and I was seemingly never prepared. So, we worked on me checking her back... again...

Can we go back to jogging? I can do that. Remember? Quiz and I turn into the WP queens with the sparkly jackets... let's go back there.

We attempted the pole pattern... yeah, that was disgusting. It was frantic, and I atleast thought she would just rush the shit out of it, but then at the very end, she broke down into a trot. Facepalms all around.

My trainer commented that my releases were simply too big and Quiz was taking advantage of them. So, lesson #1 - dial down the release, a simple wrist flick is all she needs right now. To counter Quiz's breaking down into the trot when I ask her to slow, we get lesson #2 - use a cap, aka your left leg. Every time I ask Quiz to back off, and slow down, my left leg has to be engaged to keep her consistently moving forward. Finally, Lesson #3, have a better hold on the reins when asking for a lope!

Then, Quiz all of a sudden turned into a noodle... right infront of me! All of a sudden I was riding a noodle. Her head was going one way, her bum the other, her legs were splaying about and for a minute (okay... more like 20...) I thought for sure that noodley little horse was trying to noodle me right into the rail. I'd tried to correct her head, and away her chest would go, I moved her hip back, her head would go the other way... all of a sudden my knee was getting glaringly close to the rail...


wtf noodle horse? stop that. 


We finished up the lesson with a nice, slow lope that felt much better, and more relaxed, but that was after an hour of me feeling like an unbalanced sack of potatoes with iron-hands, and my horse morphing into a noodle... so, yeah, we probably should have had a slower lope at that point in the ride.

For Next Time: .... do everything right. duh..

Uhm, smaller releases, and continuing to push Quiz when she attempts to break down on me. Don't be afraid to use your hands! You aren't going to break her face off with your small midget hands!

Oh, and mainly... don't write about how good your lesson was last time, because then you get noodle horse extraordinaire.

A Glimpse: 2

This week's "glimpse" into the life is going to be words only.


 

I didn't realize you were waiting on my call. I had left you a note my last shift.

This is a little bit of a glimpse of me standing up to the big bad wolf (of sorts... atleast in some of my nightmares lately). I was a pretty precocious little kid, I could talk my way out of anything. When you're on an even playing field, like the jungle gym, that generally means you win the fight. Except for if you get punched, and in my younger years I managed to out-wit, and sneak around that aspect of middle school as well. As an adult, you learn about a whole different ballgame of bullies, and meany-pants, and sometimes the big bad boogie man is hiding in the dark, but sometimes he's right infront of you, acting like your good friend, or mentor... All of a sudden the rules are drastically different and unique to every situation on how you deal with this style of villian.
Now, we just have to wait and see if the big bad wolf does the right thing, and doesn't blow my house down.

"So, you're going a little stir crazy, huh? Ya sure, you can come out."

Words that make my heart hurt from happiness. This sunday I get to go home and have some alone time with my favourite sky.

I'll send Quiz's splint boots out with her

My lesson was cancelled monday due to snow, so I get to go out tonight, that means some Quizzy time! :) I feel like I haven't rode in years, hopefully my lesson doesn't turn into a complete wreck - i'm talking about me by the way, not the ever-fantastic Quiz.

Me: "Well I sent her a message full of niceities so I could get an answer out of her..."
Them: "Do you think this is how Louisa keeps us around? Just so she has some friends."

Athough this last quote may seem negative, it reflects on three wonderful, amazing people I have in my life and how their humour, support and love have picked me up so many times in the last 4 years. Marley, Brig, Laur, I know you creepers read this blog, I love y'all.
I know, I know, this blog has been one big bag of emotion lately. But what can ya do?!

Home.

This is going to be a hard one.

On March 3rd I found out that the ranch camp, Bates Bar J, I have been attending since I was 8, and working at since I was 16 - first as a camp counsellor, then as a riding leader, was up for sale. I don't begrudge anyone the burden of owning a place like that - completely privately owned and operated, it's the only camp in Alberta that isn't subsidized or helped by a government or outside organization. It's a second generation owned ranch, with a fourth generation now living and growing up there. It's hectic, and I am sure, hard to manage at times. Not only that, but people walk away from businesses all the time, for a plethora of reasons... it's just hard that this particular business is grounded and built on emotion. Yesterday, an official email was sent out to parents of campers - young, and old. My mom received the email, which is so strange because at one point she was such a big part of my camp process, and now I disappear there every summer on my own accord.

Obviously this blog post has been brewing for a long time, and it is probably the first of many, but I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was saying, that I wasn't going to emotionally spew out things that I would later regret. Also, I wanted everyone to find out on their own accord, and process it themselves.

It's hard to explain in words what Bates Bar J means to me... BBJ encompasses my entire soul. Not only is it where I discovered my love for horses, i've made lifelong friends there, and for a greater part of my existence on earth it has been the one anchor in the turbulence that is life. It is pure, beautiful and wonderful. Essentially, in the summer months, it is home. More so, in my heart.. it is always home.

The day after I discovered that camp as we know it will forever be changed as of fall, I wrote down all my feelings. I'll share some of that here...

Where is my mind right now?

I guess i'm in a bit of a mixed up place. I know certain things that I need to do in case of the unforeseeable - the ranch falling to someone who doesn't value the camp's virtues and traditions, or just plainly doesn't want the camp.

- I need to be out there for the entirety of the summer. I need to soak in every single moment of BBJ, and live in every second. I need to walk across the bridge every morning being thankful for what this place has provided me. I need to understand how blessed the land is, and how blessed I am for having experienced it. I just need to breathe it all in, because I love it so.

- I need to buy Jingle. It's funny because in my gut I knew that by September I would have him, but now it's definite. I need to find somewhere safe for him, and somewhere that makes him happy. This is so worrisome, I know that he's my "forever horse", that no matter how many horses I own, or how expensive some of them may be, I will have to keep him, maintain him and love him.

This is a gigantic leap.

I don't want the ranch to change hands, I just want it to stay forever the same. Forever my childhood, forever my adolescence, forever what it is. I want my kids to attend Bates Bar J, my grandkids... it's not even a camp to me, it is so eternally my home, the place where I have found the most happiness year after year

... to think what life would have been like without this place.

All the comments "when are you going to grow up?" etc. all along I knew that none of that mattered, that this place was where I belonged, more than any other place in this world.

& what if i'm to wake up and it's all gone?

i'll be so lost.

I want to treasure the shed, I want to remember the grease river front, the far lookout, all these places where i've left so much of my heart.

Bates Bar J... is my home, my life, my soul and spirit. It is where I leave behind so much of myself and it seems ridiculous because it's only 2 months out of 12... but all of a sudden I find myself realizing more and more that no matter what lofty goals, no matter how high my aspirations are, I always want to return to that place. I always want it to remain whole. Physically, not just in my mind.

I feel as if someone is tearing me apart.

Where will I call home if not beneath this big, blue sky?

Re-typing that I expected to cry, I expected the raw flood of emotions to reappear. To be rocking back and forth just sobbing.. but I didn't. Some days, are better than others, I think. I akin this experience, that of my spiritual home being sold, first to a breakup. When I first found the news I felt like the love of my life had suddenly got up and walked out the front door, leaving me alone and confused. It has now morphed into the process of watching something die, I feel as if I am nurturing every moment, picking carefully through my memories, reliving moments... because, it might all be gone as of September. That is an exceptionally morbid statement, but, I hold it true to myself.

I am trying to stay positive, but, it is hard. Even optimism is a hard pill to swallow sometimes.

So for now, I am very contemplative about the whole situation, but it has encompassed my entire heart and brain as of late. I feel very disconnected, and at times alone in my thoughts... thinking about a future without the place I love so much. I suppose I just wanted to be able to walk away from it myself, as so many people seemingly have. Those people seem happy, and functioning in their older lives, and I'm sure I will be as well. Yet, there is always just that thought in the back of my mind... what would have been?

I'm not sure if any of you reading this, aside from those fellow BBJers that read this blog, will understand this feeling, as I know it is a very particular and hard to place one. It is as if someone has shut a door on my childhood, is slowly shutting a door on my future and is telling me, "just stand there, just breathe, don't move." It's suffocating.

Anyways... that is where I am right now.

If we are lost, then we are lost together. Bates Bar J forever.

Season of Spending: Tack!

In this episode, your hero continues to spiral into depression due to her bank account slowly approaching the red, day by day.. but has two new bridles to show off, so she manages the depression by smelling the new leather smell.

horse people, you know what i'm talking aboutttttt!

The headstall and bit were actually gifted to me (best friend eveeerrrr), so I just bought the chin strap and reins for this simple, basic snaffle bridle.

I think having a simple snaffle is a must in every tack room. It's just a "go-to" piece of equipment, new horse that you don't know much about - snaffle. "bringing it back to basics" day - snaffle. & for a lot of people, everyday use - snaffle.

The headstall is pretty plain jane and once my winter classes finish up I think it may become my test-run headstall for attempting to bling out my own tack. Obviously a blog post will follow with results! I'm thinking really tame though (as I tend to get ideas of grandeur-craft projects in my head that only end up making me sad and disappointed). I'm thinking of swapping out the conchos that are already there for something with a bit more pizzax and maybe doing some conchos along the browband, nothing too fancy.

Next...

Next up - my new favourite bridle. It's an "Outlaw collection" Weaver headstall. I'm obsessed with weaver - they get me, tack wise. They really do. I paired it with nice thick 5/8" X 7" Reinsman reins.

The bit is a Reinsman 3" Dee 5" Mouth, Offset Dee 7/16" 3 piece with copper roller.

From the Tag: "Designed to apply pressure to a horse's lips on the opposite side of the face to help him turn. mouthpiece breaks over the bars at an angle to contact new nerves and add some tongue for better control. Copper adds a sweet and sour taste for moisture and will also act as a pacifier for horses that chew on the bit."

The story behind this headstall is that last summer I was riding my boy in an Argentine snaffle***, (so a broken mouth piece with shanks). Now, if you frequent horse forums like I do, this style of bit is pretty controversial... a lot of people love them, a lot of people absolutely despise them. 

*Note - this is not the same bit as a Tom Thumb - which is, by my standards, the most hated bit (that is in regular use) in the world at the moment .

**He is wearing that particular bit in my header images

Anyways, he was going fine with it but then I was starting to have issues with his turning, and we realized he was shying away from the leverage, and basically wasn't ready for it. Now, whether or not it was the bit, or the rider, or the horse - my philosophy on bits is that whatever they go happily, comfortably and successfully in, is the bit for them. (Obviously this is a very simplified statement, a horse could go well in a bit that straddles the harsher side of things with soft hands, etc. etc. but you get my point) 

So, towards the end of summer, around the same time I decided I was going to buy that damn horse one day, I decided that I was also going to find the best bit for him. Then, as the story goes, he went away to winter pasture and I was left with a big 'ol void in my heart and a lot of time to research bits on my hands.

Earlier this year I rode at my old trainers in a bit VERY similar to this, but with copper rings, instead of rollers. I really liked the feel and design behind it. I couldn't find that exact bit, and found a couple that I toyed around with until I found this particular bit, and decided to choke back the slightly high price, ($94.95) and go for it.

It's a decently mild bit, but the 3 piece with the combination of the D cheek pieces adds some control, tongue pressure and applies pressure to slightly different nerves than a single jointed bit that has the "crackerjack effect". Of course, it doesn't have leverage, which he was evading, and the sweet iron/roller combo helps with salivation and pacification. I'm hoping this is the bit he ends up really liking, but if not, we'll continue searching... and i'll continue buying. (Of course)

However, I think this will work as a really good "back to basics" bit for me and my boy come spring.

So, this is how my riding closet is decorated at the moment. See?! such intelligent buys! Decorative and functional!!

Until next time - happy spending.

What bits do you have that you love/hate?! Let me know!

"Oh, you ride a horse?"

So, I recently had to go to visit a cardiologist where I had to get a halter monitor, do a stress test, an ECG, an ultrasound/echo... you know, all those really fun tests that everyone always wants to take on an average day! (... not.)

As I was jogging on the treadmill, after being paraded around the clinic in my sports bra in front of multiple little old ladies, the cardiologist came in to talk to me. He asked me about my exercise routine and I confessed that in the last month I haven't been working out at the gym much because of school and the new job, but that I ride once or twice a week, whether or not i'm busy.

To which he responded, "oh, you count that as working out?" and his stupid assistant giggled.

Me: "Yep, I do. But I know I should be going to the gym more regularly as well."

Him: "Is it really working out to sit on a poor animal, who is doing all the work?"

Me: ... at this point I was getting annoyed at stupid british man.

"Ha-ha-ha, yep, clearly you've never ridden a horse!"

Him: "Yes, it must be very hard work to pull on their mouths as they go around."

...

what do you even say to that?

It's not like this is the first time people who ride have been told that our activities are not a sport, and that the animal is doing all the work, etc. etc. But at the same time what really annoyed me was that this is a CARDIOLOGIST, concerned with my heart, basically telling me that my physical activities are menial... Shouldn't he be encouraging my active, healthy lifestyle? Apparently not, apparently his big heart-studying brain lacks any sense of intelligence.

In the end, the trip to the heart doc was a very trying test of my patience. Mainly because i'm 100% fine and my general doctor is an idiot who just loves to ship me off to specialists for no reason & those particular specialists loved to tell me how stupid it was that I was there, but then proceeded to put me through all the tests anyway... all the while being general stupid-faces.

However, there is a new tumblr that i'm loving... Equestrian Memes.... and they have quite a few hilarious horse relates memes.

So, in response to that stupid doctor...

Riding Diary: 10

Horse: Quizzie

Time: 1 hr

Ride: Quiz makes me happy. Our ride went really well, we didn't do anything too out of the ordinary. I thought she was loping out nice and slow to begin with. I had rode on Sunday (my lesson was yesterday - Monday) and didn't do much, just a lot of slow, calm loping and hanging around and I think it helped. She wasn't tired, but she felt a little more focused, and a little less frazzled, or, one the other hand.. a little less ready to race around the arena at mach speed.

My trainer put down poles and I had to really focus on keeping my body aligned, and my chin and eyes up, and straightening her out over the poles. I kept coming off the rail too soon and then arcing her over them, causing her to rush through. After we slowed it down and I worked her through them at the jog I think I got more of a physical feel to what I should be doing. Sometimes that really helps for me, I like to think things through, and then physically map out what I should be doing. This method generally helps me gain some physical memory for next time. Nothing feels better than your body just doing what it should be doing without you having to really think about it. Y'all know what i'm sayin' over here?

Anyyyyyways... For example, when I finally figured out the poles, I mentally remembered the leave more time on the rail, then physically picked up a bit of a bend and then remembered to physically straighten out my hands and let her go through in more of a straight and forward fashion.

After all that loping, poor baby was a sweaty puddle, and we finished up with more of my fav. the slow jog. I think that perhaps when I am older I will just be a "slow jog trainer", as it seems that is all I have been doing for the last two months.

(I'm only being sarcastic, I truly don't mind the slow jog. I honestly truly don't mind anything about lessons - no stirrup work; love it. slow and steady; love it. fast and checking back; love it.)

After a big long lesson Quiz went beautifully on a nice loose rein and around the rail we went. My trainer commented how improved I keep getting, AND how well I've done with Quiz. Big smiles all around.

For Next Time: For the first time I'm back to my old - how much is too much contact/checking back? issue. I always just assumed my trainer wanted me to keep a bit of a contact but she doesn't if Quiz doesn't need it, so, I want to work on a lot more loose rein stuff. Reeeaaaalllyy releasing when Quiz slows down and backs off, but on the completely other side of the coin, really being forceful and checking her back when I need too. I also need to remember to do a momentary heavy-check before the poles to get her really soft and easy going over them.

ps. Like my new header? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
--> Trying to figure out this whole "blogging" thing slowly but surely.

The Season of Spending: Attire!

... to continue on my series of "Louisa, why do you spend so much money all the time you big idiot?!"

A friend & I got these shirts (Panhandle Slim's) together, we plan to get them customized with the name of our ranch down one of the arm (Wrangler shirt style), and the logo on the back. Possibly with our job titles on the other arm? Not sure yet.

I'm very excited, we're already planning the photoshoot and perhaps trying our hands at blinging out some tack?! (Obviously that will be featured in said photoshoot). Pictures to follow!

Anyways.. this brings me to another point, finding plain wrangler shirts for women is THE HARDEST THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD at any of the western stores in Calgary. I don't want Wrangler & Jack Daniels. I don't want Wrangler and Justin Boots (... or whatever). I just wanted Wrangler. I also don't want to have to wear a man's XS that still makes me look like a child attempting to dress in big boy clothes.

Impossible.

This is a Rock 47 shirt, I got a wicked deal on it - like 50%, it'll be a nice summer shirt - loose and sheer.

The white may be a deal breaker though... I'm not exactly the tidiest, cleanest person in the world.

Finally, because I love looking like cowgirl barbie, (hahaha.. only kind of joking) a Justin hat with camo-ventilated back. This hat was super cheap though, and it'll beat my pink rhinestone John Deere hat I sometimes sport in the summer...

It's fun, to be a redneck idiot sometimes.

Riding Diary: 9

Horse: Quiz

Time: 1 hr

Pre-cursor to Ride in which I ramble about nothing: ...I have some stuff going on that has been severely messing with my head as of late. (Blog post to come about that one of these days) So, along with being an emotional, unstable wreck at times... I'm in the centre of hurricane midterms, quickly approaching the Tsunami otherwise known as Finals, more specifically... term papers. & to top it all off, I started a new job and although it's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezie, i'm now busy Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings. I'm busy and I'm sad and I'm in a bit of a mess.

So, what does this have to do with my weekly lesson you ask?

Well, I rode Wednesday than bailed Saturday because I felt sick, and knew that I had to be "responsible" and study. (Even though, in times like these I am prone to mentally shutting down and doing absolutely nothing) So, once Monday had rolled around I was feeling all stressed out, and was worried that my mental state at the moment would really affect my riding. Plus, it felt like I was lacking in Quiz-Louisa time.

Good news is that going riding was probably the best thing for me. As always, spending time in silence with horses can cure a lot of my mental mania. I got out to the barn earlier than usual and Quiz had been rolling in our new-found springtime mud (apparently she only rolls on her left side). So, I spent some decent time featuring a curry comb and the shedding blade and got her nice and shiny clean again. I actually love grooming, it's just that mental down time for me. I like picking and fussing and brushing, zen time.
Now, without further ado.. the actual ride..

Ride: So? Remember all that talk about my own mental mania, apparently Quiz had some too. Usually she's a little feisty to begin with but she would not check back at the jog or lope for me. I've never had to use so much rein on her to attempt to get her to check back and relax into the gaits. Furthermore, if I left the small circle and attempted to lope or jog the rail she would shut down when I asked her to check back and either stop, or walk. My trainer attributes this to the fact she has a foundation of reining training, and that when they got her she was used to doing extremley fast, small circles, and not a lot of long, rail-style loping. Still, nonetheless, I can sense it's frusterating for her, and it is for me as well.

My trainer got me to lope her in a small circle, for every half a circle we would lope, for the other half I would transition into a jog and back again. She explained to me that attempting to check Quiz back with just reins was clearly not working and that she was getting too tough on the bit and that this exercise would help her understand the point of checking back, while also asking her to work with the bit, not evade, or push on it. It seemed to help and Quiz was better to check after that... but still not great. I'm not sure if it's me, I'll ask her to jog from a lope and more often than not she either screeches to a halt, or breaks down right into a walk. I suppose that's a sign that I need to be using more verbal cues with her, and then asking for specific actions in more consistent ways.

Other than our issues with checking back, Quiz didn't have as big of a stop as i'm used to with her. All of a sudden she was evading and leaking out of a stop, so i'd back her after stopping.. but by the end of the lesson I still wasn't feeling like she was 100% stopping like she usually does.

I also have to watch my position at times, when loping a circle I tend to let her cut in, thus causing her to speed up and cut corners. We've figured out that when asking her to lope I shouldn't cluck to her, it causes her to rush the transition, so I've been working on asking in a more calm, non-verbal way. Also, again in those damn circles, I drop my shoulder and kind of angle into the centre of the circle - I need to focus on sitting up straight, with evenness in my body. Finally, when asking for a rollback, for example a rollback to the left, I'll drop my left hand/rein halfway through the turnaround, I need to keep both hands more consistent.

This was the first lesson with Quiz where I felt like our communication was really off. I can't help but wonder if my riding, with the addition of my mental state was causing this hurried, gross mess that was the outcome of our weekly lesson... it can be a bit of a confidence blow.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, keep riding, keep learning. Everyone, including horses, have their bad days.
For next time: Work on checking back without shutting down (utilizing different methods such as the circle jog-lope technique), and focus on keeping an evenness in hand and body posture while loping circles.

Most importantly, leave the stress and agitation of life in the truck before entering the barn. =)

A Glimpse: 1

a little glimpse into my life lately...

Little Miss Quiz in an XL cooler after a sweaty ride today... isn't she the cutest?!

A piece of an email I received yesterday, very bittersweet.

Today, much like every other day...

... I am thankful for growing up in summertime heat, amongst trees that touch the stars at night, horses that are always accepting of hugs, cuddles and kisses, and people that have shaped the person I am today.

A very little me, riding a very big (and at times, very scary) Minnie.

Here's to good 'ol boys, who still jump logs & crow hop at rivers, just to make little girls laugh.

A favourite quote that Lisa Mallory wrote and taped up in one of the dorms,

"for all that has been and all that soon will be, I saltue the people that continue to enhance the vibe and dream that encompasses this place. Heaven is hard to find, and even harder to keep."

Here's to fires that threaten to burn down buildings, and nearby trees

generally, here's to the insanity of summer

& of course, as always, the boy that stole my heart and his goddamn crazy eyes.

To lifelong friendships.

To a sky that has captured my imagination, and all my dreams.

& to so many miles in the saddle

... and here's hoping, and praying, and dreaming, and wishing for many, many more.

Today, I am trying to remember to always cherish the people dearest to you, and the time you have at the places you love.

The Season of Spending: Belts!

So, I got a job (non-horse related) because the other day after going on what seemed like a year-long spending-spree I realized that my bank account was getting closer and closer to the red, and although I have two small, one day a week type jobs, that just aint cutting it - so, I got a third! (but this one is 3 days a week, so a little more on the serious side)

I'm going to make such a wonderful wife one day. :) Now taking applications for a man who will allow me to spend all our money on horses, and things that have to do with them. And clothes... and definitely cowboy boots, (and all other types of shoes that exist) Appealing? I know!

So, I thought I should probably document all the spending i've done in the last couple of months here... *disclaimer* this spending wasn't all in one day - i'm not that insane!

So, first up is belts..

Belts:

So, there is this random little liquidation store by my house and the other day I went in just to check it out. Uhm.. they have Wrangler and Rock 47 by Wrangler belts there... for 9 dollars

They also have (cheap) belt buckles for... 5

and plain leather belts in black and brown for... 3

... my mouth was on the floor.

(My mom got this for me, because as I have mentioned she is the best! But I bought the black belt to go with it. I had it on the brown belt two pictures up but it looks way better with black)

I'm obsessed with this one, blingy bling bling.

This belt buckle is ridiculous, but I think it's too perfect not to have, it's MASSIVE. Plus I bought two for two friends of mine so we can be matchy-matchy with our redneckness.

So this is one is a little over the top for me, but I tried it on with a plain black tank top and dark jeans and actually really liked it, so we'll see if I ever end up wearing it.

Now that I know I have the mecca of cheap belts beside my house I'm thinking of trying my hand at blinging out some stuff. I know you can buy pretty cheap swarovski crystals and conchos wholesale online, it might be fun to play around with some stuff and bling it out.

... I sound like a barrel racer.

Stay tuned for more stupid spending habits!