…and Blue Sky

^One of my favorite quotes from The Alchemist + pic from my first time riding Capri, a 5-gaited American Saddlebred, earlier this week. 

It’s already been a few weeks since my trip to Kansas & Kansas City and I still haven’t found the time to start writing about my adventures, so I thought I’d just tell you my top 5 favs from my shenanigans on the way to & in KC instead! (I’ll still be doing at least one whole post about Equifest and one about Topeka, as well as one about the insanely huge suite I stayed at in Kansas City!)

Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Best. Groupon. EVER. 

I just started riding horses again after a 10+ year break, so  knew that I wanted to try to get some riding time in while I was away. I browsed through the deals available on Groupon and after some super nerdy research on the stables with offers, ended up buying the one for two one hour lessons at Stutts Performance Horses just outside of KC. The $45 price was a pretty good deal since I usually pay $30/hr where I currently ride, but it was an even better deal since I found a promo code for 20% off that dropped it down to $36, and then I got 72 Swagbucks because I purchased it through their link! (Yes, that’s basically 72 cents, but it’s something!)

The stable was about 20 minutes from my hotel, but thank goodness I left early because I missed a turn and got way off track. The following conversation ensued:

Me: (whining) Hey Siri! I’m lost!

Useless iPhone: I don’t know where you are, Crystal.

Thanks, Siri, you’re a real pal. (I lost count of the number of times I asked “Siri, are you drunk?” on this trip.)

2. An awesome lesson horse.

For my lesson, I rode Remedy, an awesome Quarter Horse with a background in reining.

A video posted by Crystal Ward (@crystalward11) on Feb 25, 2016 at 4:20pm PST

She was exactly what I needed at the time – Not only was she really fun to ride, but she was super responsive to my legs and seat, so if I got off balance at all or was squeezing with one leg more firmly than the other, it would show. I had to really focus on riding correctly!

A video posted by Crystal Ward (@crystalward11) on Feb 25, 2016 at 4:26pm PST

I was only able to fit one of the 2 lessons I got with the Groupon into this trip, so I’m hoping to head back up next month for the second one! (I have until August to use it.)

3. Braving the Goodwill Outlet

It’s no secret that I love thrift shopping, so of course I checked my map app for thrift stores near my hotel. I was excited to see that there was a Goodwill outlet about 10 minutes away, and it was even on my way to the stable I talked about above. YAY!

I’d heard of the notorious Goodwill “bins” where stuff is sold by the pound, but this was my first time actually going to that kind of store. Definitely an experience!

The entire store is filled with these huge blue bins of stuff. There’s definitely not much organization – all sizes and genders of clothes are mixed together in the bins you see here, but you’ll also find stuff like sheets, pillows, curtains, etc in those. I dug around for about 20 minutes and found an almost new bag, a cute t-shirt, and some fabric, but the line to check out was crazy and I didn’t want to be late for my riding lesson, so I ended up abandoning them. Fail. At least I can now say I’ve survived the legendary bins!

4. Finally Seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Yep, even though I’m a Star Wars nerd, it took me until February to actually make it out to see the new movie! I stayed at Ameristar Kansas City, which has a movie theater in it, so after my riding lesson I ate a quick dinner and then ran downstairs just in time for the movie. (Loved it, obvs.)

5. Osceola Cheese

If you ever find yourself driving through middle of nowhere Missouri, you must stop at Osceola Cheese Co. They have something like 250 different kinds of cheese, and samples out for almost all of them. Plus, it’s about halfway between where I live and KC, so it’s the perfect place for a break from driving!

Just one of two long shelves of cheese & samples. 

After an entire hour of poking around, I ended up with cheese, fudge, and honey. 

I’m headed up to Springfield today to help run the horse event booth for the stable I take lessons at, and then will probably be up there again tomorrow to actually enjoy the event myself! (Bye, what’s left of my money!) Any fun weekend plans?

Linking up with these lovely ladies!

Happy Friday, all! I can’t believe that I haven’t blogged since I returned from my trip. I’ve been working on posts, but they’re still all half finished! Lots of fun stuff coming soon!

Here’s what I’m digging this week:

1. I’m publishing this post late on Thursday night because my actual Friday is going to be super busy! I have a riding lesson at 10 a.m., but given all of the rain we’ve had, I have a feeling I’m going to need to get there early to clean Gambit up! Especially since he looked like this on a non-muddy day last week:

2. Taking along the awesome massagey brush that I got at Equifest to scrub him up and give him some love with! (I found them on Amazon here, if you’re a fellow horse person! They come in three different colors.)

3. After my lesson? Oh, just going up to Springfield to hang out with former President/future First Husband (First Man? First Bro?) Bill Clinton. No big deal.

4. I’m taking a free course on Forensic Science & Criminal Justice through Future Learn (Love them!). I’m way behind, but did some catching up yesterday.

The instructors discussed a case where they were able to take a DNA sample from an autopsy slide made in 1930 to find out if the murder victim was the disappeared relative of a lady researching her family history. Science! It’s nifty!

5. I found a new pet supply store in Springfield that I’m kinda in love with. Not only do they carry horse treats (I got some carrot & spice flavored ones to keep in my car. Way easier than keeping carrots or apples fresh in the fridge!), but they have free sample bags of dry cat food! Free cat food is my love language.

They also have a store cat. Being the cat lady that I am, I went up and scratched his chin and such. He was loving it for about 30 seconds, and then pulled away and sniffed my hand. I guess I smelled like my cats because he hissed and growled! I apologized for smelling like a strange cat and went off to keep shopping, only to notice him lurking at the end of the aisle I was in a minute later.

But then, over the next 15 minutes or so…

I could not stop laughing. He followed me EVERYWHERE. I tried to win him over with a mouse from the toy aisle, but nope, he still hissed. He followed me all the way until I checked out and left, always keeping a “safe” distance between us.

I think I’ve leveled up as a cat lady.

 

Friday Link-Up Time!

Happy Friday, everyone! Here’s what I <3 this week.

1. THIS GUY!

I’m working on a post about my return to riding after over a decade off, but I can’t imagine anything else topping my list of favorite things right now. Hanging out with horses again makes me super happy.

2. These socks!

I got these at Target this week – I think I’m developing a sock addiction! They’re designed to match that cute octopus sleep top that was in my Target post from last week! (Nope, haven’t bought the top yet since I’m waiting for a sale, but the socks were only $4. Even I have that to spare!)

3. I’ve been loving the Rude Tudors history podcast. No idea how to link to it, but I trust that you guys are smart enough to use the iTunes search box! It’s hilarious and educational and covers great topics in renaissance history. (There are episodes on cats, coffee, and contraception – all right up my alley!)

4. Yoga – As I mentioned in this post, I’ve been trying to do yoga every day this month. In reality, I’m actually making it onto my mat about half the time. (I do some kind of stretching every day, but I’m not counting it unless I get in at least a good 10-15 minute practice at the very least.) I’ve learned a few new poses that I love, and it’s really helping with the ouchies that come with starting to ride horses again! (Actual conversation with my trainer the other day- Her: “Focus on using your thighs and lower back muscles.” Me: “It’s adorable that you think I have those.)

On the achy muscle topic – my decade old foam roller (with lots of knicks from being scratched on by cats and dents from use) probably needs replaced asap. Any recommendations?

5. I’m not a fan of the original “Out of the Woods”, but I really like this cover:

Don’t forget to enter my Bath & Body Works minis giveaway! Just click the image below to visit the giveaway post!

Linkup time!