Yay! It's my first post on my new blog! Thank you to everyone who is stopping to take a look at this blog and read what I write. I am excited to be sharing it with you all. :)
First things first, I would like to say a big thank you to my good friend Shelby for giving me the idea for the name for my blog and for the beautiful banner that she designed for me to go on it. I did not have any ideas on what to call this new blog but she came up with the name "Life in Cowgirl Boots" and I found it very fitting because I love to wear cowgirl boots! I wear them nearly every day right now. I have an old pair that I wear for working outside in and a new pair that I wear when I go out and about. I think that cowgirl boots are beautiful and I like how they make me just a little bit taller, as I am only about 5'3. ;) I also like to wear them because for about seven years now I have had this fascination with horses and cowboys, ranching, and rodeo, westerns and country music both old and new. In fact, it is partially because of the fascination that led me to want to work at ranch camp this summer.
Let me explain. When I was about 8-11 years old I watched several different classic westerns. Most all of them were in black and white and were made in the 30's, 40's, and 50's. They included Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and the Lone Ranger. I thought that they were very cool. I especially liked Roy Rogers and as I got older I watched every movie of his that I could find with him in it and read every book I could about him. This Christian cowboy, and his cowgirl wife, Dale Evans, who both stood for everything right and good became one of my heroes both onscreen and off. And I thought that Roy's horse "Trigger" was pretty awesome too.
My siblings and I played out pretend western stories that we made up in our backyard together after seeing movies like that. We thought that it was lots of fun.
My real introduction to horses and cowboys came when I was 12. We started going to a Bible study called "Cowboy Church." There were several ranching and farming families that went and we made several good friends there. I thought that all of those cowboys and cowgirls there were pretty cool. One of those friendships that we made there was with another Christian, homeschooling family who did ranching and rodeo and they invited my family and I out to their ranch to ride horses with them several different times. I loved that so much! They taught us how to ride and saddle properly, they gave us tips about handling horses, and instilled in me a greater interest in farming and ranching. After meeting them I wanted to be like them and do the things that they did with horses. I knew that I probably never get my own ranch with horses and cattle on it, but oh well it didn't hurt to dream and I was hopeful that maybe I would just marry someone who already did someday and then I could help them with it.
When I asked for cowgirl boots that Christmas when I was 12 and got my first pair I was thrilled!
Then, in 2011 I was blessed with the privilege of getting to attend Kidder Creek Ranch camp as a camper at age 15. I had a blast that week and made some incredible memories to last a lifetime. My sisters also went at the same time and I had some great counselors and cabin mates, good lessons from God, and a beautiful horse named Shawnie to ride all week long. After going there I dreamed of being able to work at camp someday for myself and give other kids the same great experience. So, finally here at New Years here in 2015 I prayed a lot about it and applied for the job. I was so happy to hear that I was accepted!
So, that is how I am going to be spending my summer this year. I will be at Kidder Creek from May 29th to August 15th. It is only about 20 minutes from my home but I will be there nearly all week long everyday from Sunday afternoon at the beginning of the week to Saturday at noon at the end of the week.. I will be sleeping in a cabin on a sleeping bag nearly every night or out under the stars, I will be taking care of girls of all ages from second grade on up through highschool every day at camp, I'll be teaching Bible lessons to them, and I'll be loving them through Christ and hopefully being an encouragement and friend to them. I know that I am going to be exhausted a lot from late nights, early mornings, and tons of excitement, exercise, and fun, that I will miss my family during the week and yet I am so excited to be able to share the gospel with kids who may not know Christ, to experience new things, to work in the outdoors, to be able to ride horses and be around them, and to make new friends. I also know that God will use whatever I do to teach me more about Him. And I am going to have fun dressing up in my western clothes and boots all the time as this is a job that is definitely appropriate for that!
I won't be able to post on here too often when camp starts as I will only be home for a short time on the weekends but whenever I have the chance I will let you all know what has been going on and post some pictures.
I thank God that He is opening up a brand new chapter of my life and for my family and friends who are supporting me in this new adventure and encouraging me to do this. Thank you all for journeying with me. ~Anna
