mocha's rehab update

t's been three months to the day since Kristina got Mocha back and started working to get him back to a healthy place.  When I went back to my first post to grab images showing how he looked when she first got him it almost hit me harder, knowing how much healthier he is now.  A few weeks ago I went to the barn with her to take some photos of his progress and it's just incredible what love and proper care can do to bring an animal back from the state he was in.  The sad part is, that while she did immediately take measures to reverse the path of neglect he was on, simply caring for him the way a horse owner should was all that was needed.  It's even more clear in retrospect how, despite the prior owners' assertions of how well they cared for him and fed him, that they were abusively neglectful.  To think that a 250 lb man was riding a horse in his bare bones condition... I just can't.  
At this point Mocha is gaining weight nicely.  His food ration was doubled, and then they doubled that amount, so he's gained a couple hundred pounds and is approaching his healthy goal weight.  The farrier has properly shod him and trimmed his feet to help them grow in to healthy hooves.  The dewormers worked and his system is completely free of worms, so he's actually getting nutrition out of all his food now.


 
I asked Kristina if she wanted to share anything with you guys and she did!  
You guys, if I was given the chance to talk about Mocha, this ongoing experience, my dreams for this horse, and the deep well of gratitude in my heart for every word of encouragement and dollar donated to us, I could talk for days. But first: thank you. Thank you for every form of support. Looking into the past, exactly three months ago today, the radical steps I took to rescue my horse didn’t even seem extreme to me, they was simply no other option in my mind. I am confident I would have found a way to make getting Mocha back possible no matter the odds, but all of your support not only made the process possible, but relieved enough stress for me to find space to fill with relaxing into joy. 

The first month Mocha gained weight excruciatingly slowly, though after one month the vet said his improvements rendered him unrecognizable in the best way, he actually asked me which horse this was when I led Mocha out. I has so many people asking me how Mocha was, often followed with “When will you get to ride again?” I know everyone had the best intentions with that question, but my answer was always “When Mocha lets me know he’s ready.” I spent the first two months with Mocha just sitting in the pasture with him as he ate, or grooming him, learning quickly he was not ready to be asked for more than taking steps to health. This gave me a lot of time to observe him, and to notice that the relationship we were building was much deeper than it ever had been in the past. We spent a lot of time doing nothing together, much like horses in a herd together do, just holding space together. There is a relationship with a horse one can have that is completely inexplicable until you’ve been forced to spend months looking at each other eye to eye, seeing the world together from the same level, learning how and when to ask and when to just let your own will be.

Rebuilding trust and a relationship with neglected and abused horse has asked for more patience, quiet observation, sensitivity, and intuition than any other experience in my life, and continues to ask me to go deeper as I ask more of Mocha. After a couple rounds of bodywork and an appointment with a chiropractor, professional insight was given on how to help Mocha feel comfortable in his body again, after all, losing that much weight causes the entire skeleton to drop, and he has to learn how to carry his body again with weight on it. He needs to be comfortable enough to be able to pay attention to his body  before he can pay attention to me, and we can begin to learn to dance together again (which is the foundation of riding: the exchange of energy and will). This works in much in the same way that if you are in a lot of pain, no amount of massage will be beneficial because you will not be able to relax enough for the process to be effective. Learning how to ask Mocha to pay attention, and sync up with me without any use of force, just my own energy and gentle touch, forces me to slow down in a way I never have been asked to before. 

The vet told me Mocha is a fighter, which is why he has survived so long, and now it is my job to help him learn to let the stormy seas of his soul calm. Any time someone attempts to tell Mocha what to do he responds with demonstrating how strong his own will is. This behavior may be seen by many as a negative trait, but I know what he’s been through, and I’m proud of him for being so strong. So Mocha and I are learning to play together again. He is praised for the smallest amounts of attention and collaboration with my requests, and is quickly gaining confidence and an eager spirit to engage with a human again. I look back at the photos of him from three months ago, and am humbled at how fragile he was. Today, as I write this, I am sitting in his pasture, watching him run around, eat, and roll, and I am just as deeply humbled at the majesty of this creature. I am humbled and grateful that I have to opportunity to be the person who gets to excavate her own soul to find that quiet place that can connect with a horse, and build a relationship on that ground. Thank you, each and every one of you. 

With his previous owners Mocha had been kept in a very small stall with no opportunity to hang out with other horses, so she's working on getting him more socially healthy.  Horses are herd animals and used to highly social lives.  He definitely feels a bit lonely, even though there are horses in neighboring paddocks, so right now she's searching for a local herd where he could go to run around and be social with other horses.  If any of you are local South Sound area people who know of a herd who could take on another horse, let me know and I'll pass it along to her!
Following my initial post about Kristina's journey to getting Mocha back and beginning his rehab, you guys donated over $3,000 to help with Mocha's vet, farrier, boarding, food bills and more.  I can't tell you guys how much your generosity has helped.  In the midst of working to rehab Mocha, regular life happens and along with that stuff like cars breaking down multiple times, bills, and groceries, which cost money.  Without your help it would've been really hard to make ends meet while getting Mocha the care he needs.  With the donations, Kristina was able to give Mocha all the attention he needed, from vets to farriers, to food and supplies.  A huge thank you goes out to all of you who donated money to help get Mocha back to his happy, healthy self.  There's still work to be done, but with the donations Kristina is fully able to give Mocha what he needs to make a full recovery.  
Kristina shared this video on her Facebook the other day and I thought it was a really great short film sharing what it's like to interact with horses on their level and how deep and meaningful the horse-human relationship can be.  For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to have a relationship with a horse, it gives a little insight into the profound impact horses and humans can have on one another's lives.

block party

Opera Alley is one of my favorite little spots in Tacoma.  It seems like there are tons of creative businesses and studios either on opera alley, or nearby, and there are also some amazing little eateries.  Every year Opera Alley becomes the home of the Downtown Block party, which is today!  I've got a family photo shoot to do this evening, but the block party goes until 10pm, so I think I might be able to catch the end of it.  It always features lots of local artists and there's a beer garden and live music, lots of fun.  It seems like every year there's a new mural painted on the alley for the block party, so it makes it a really colorful little block and a great place to take photos.
I've been doing a ton of photography lately and it feels good to be shooting a lot.  With three weddings, a couple engagement shoots and some family and portrait sessions in the next two months, I'm definitely going to be a busy bee!  I just finished editing my photos from the Brew Five Three festival last Saturday, which was a really cool event with so many breweries and great live music.  It's fun to capture people and events and see them through a different perspective.  I'm still booking for fall/winter weddings, and I'm always taking couples/family/senior clients, email me if you need a photographer!

 

top/thrifted (free people) :: jeans/courtesy of modcloth :: moccasins/minnetonka necklaces/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis One of my favorite things when thrifting is finding my favorite designers super discounted.  I once found a Dear Creatures dress at the thrift store for only 20 bucks and even though it wasn't in my size I had to snatch it up.  I posted it on twitter, hoping someone would be the right size for it, and found someone to mail it to!  When I bought this top I didn't even look at the brand, but when I got home I looked at it and thought to myself that it looked an awful lot like a Free People-esque top.  Lo and behold, it is a Free People top.  Booyah!  The same thing happened to me once when I found a pair of awesome leggings that ended up being Lululemon leggings.  Such a score!  What's been your best thrifting score ever?

peach strawberry basil pie

very summer around this time our local grocery story promotes peaches like crazy.  I went in there the other day to grab some ingredients to make an impromptu fancy dinner for Dan and they had fresh peach slices for people to try, so I tried one and subsequently decided peaches needed to be involved in dinner for sure.  I was already planning on making some bruschetta, so I had some basil in my basket, and I figured a pie would be so much more interesting with a bit of basil added in.  I'm not a pie aficionado, but this is definitely one of my new favorite pies.  I don't know if it will ever take rhubarb pie's top spot on my favorite list, but I think it might be coming in at the #2 spot, possibly pushing out pumpkin pie.  I'm sure come October/November Pumpkin will be reclaiming it's rightful throne.

Something I've been meaning to do before the summer ends is go blueberry picking.  I'd also love to go blackberry picking as well.  It's nice to stock up on a ton of berries and freeze them to last all through the winter when fresh berries aren't in season locally.  I planted some raspberry bushes in our yard this summer but they're still just little baby raspberries and probably wont have any berries until next year.  Our hop plants on the other hand, whoa.  Those are going nuts.  Maybe we'll get to brew some homebrew beer with our own homegrown hops this fall!  That would be pretty magical.  Anyway, berry picking.  We went to the blueberry patch a couple years ago and it was so much fun.  We picked so many blueberries and I vowed to return.  Of course I forgot the next year, but this year I'm not forgetting.  Hopefully this weekend I can get out there, and then maybe again a little later.  Then I will make all of the blueberry things.  Prepare yourself accordingly.  But first, Peaches.

PEACH STRAWBERRY BASIL PIE
Ingredients

3 c  hulled and halved strawberries
3 ripe, firm peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
A handful of basil, roughly chopped
1 pie crust
1 egg white, beaten
1 Tbsp. brown sugar


1. Place the oven rack on the lowest level and preheat oven to 400ºF.  Toss strawberries and peaches together in a large bowl.

2. Combine ¼ cup brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and basil in a small bowl and then pour it over the fruit, mixing well to coat the fruit. You can add more sugar to taste.

3. Pour the fruit mix into a 9-inch pie pan lined with pie crust. Place a slitted top crust round or lattice top over the filling, and crimp the edges together. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and then freeze for 15 minutes.

4. Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drippings. Bake for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees and bake another 40 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, tent the pie with foil and continue baking.

5. Let the pie cool before serving (The filling may not completely set if it’s still warm.). Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

strawberry bourbon julep

ummer seems like it might be starting to wind down, though it pains me to say.  Still, I'm not giving up without a fight, and a fruity cocktail sounds like the perfect way to ignore the impending season change.  I'm a firm believer that we shouldn't start thinking about fall until September at the earliest, and that's over two weeks away, so I'll be over here in summerland until then.
Still, September is still pretty summery in my mind.  I've been wanting to take a little road trip lately and my options are south or east (I still haven't updated my passport to my new married last name, so Canada is off the table), and south seems most interesting to me.  I haven't been down 101 since I drove down in the Winne and, while 101 is gorgeous, some of those twisty roads just aren't ideal in a 20 ft long 1973 Winnebago.  Little roadsters trying to zip along those roads were not my biggest fan.  Ever since I stopped in Mendocino in the Brave I've wanted to go back because the day I spent there it was totally socked in and rainy.  It'd be fun to be able to give it another try with (hopefully) better weather.  We'll see, though.  I feel like I booked myself solid until November, so it might be challenging to get out of town.  I've decided that I'm not booking anything in November, November is going to be my month.  Hopefully there'll be some fun for our third wedding anniversary and family time for Thanksgiving!


INGREDIENTS
4 hulled strawberries
2 tbsp mint leaves
1/4 oz simple syrup
2 oz bourbon
crushed ice
mint sprig

Muddle the strawberries and mint leaves in your glass and add the simple syrup.  Top with the bourbon and crushed ice and garnish with the mint sprig!  Enjoy!

my favorite lip colors

ost days I'm not a lipstick girl, I stick with swiping on some lipliner that matches my natural lip color and I'm good to go.  Over the years, though, I've come to really enjoy playing with the different looks I can achieve with fun lip colors.  I used to think that lipstick was super high maintenance, but it was just because I was using really low quality lipsticks and wasn't applying liner beforehand to help the lipstick last.  While I don't think I'll ever be a daily lipstick kind of girl, I really love how putting on lipstick can totally amp up my look and make me feel sexy, bad ass, or quirky.
Have you ever tried unnatural lip colors?  I don't remember what it was that made me obsessed with the idea of unnatural colored lips, but I ran out to the MAC counter and bought a stick of purple lipstick.  Since then I've added orange, florescent pink, and black to my repertoire and it's really fun to have crazy options for those days I need a little kick in the pants.

Tips for great lip color:
Start with a base.  Make sure your lips are moisturized.  I usually rub on some avocado oil with lavender essential oil a few minutes before I put on my lips, it helps them stay soft and moisturized under the lipstick.
Line your entire lips, not just the edges.  This will help your lipstick stay on and keep from wearing off when you eat/drink.
Apply your lipstick.  I swipe on the color using the tube to get the centers and then I use a small brush to get the edges so they're crisp and precise.  Some girls seem to have the skill to flawlessly apply lipstick straight from the tube but I am not one of them.  I have to carefully paint the edges on so I don't look like a 6 year old just coming from raiding her mom's makeup case.
If I know I'll be out and about for a long time with my lips on, or if I'm going out to eat or drink and think I might need to touch up my lips I'll bring my lip color and brush in my purse so I can duck into the bathroom and reapply if needed.  All of the lip colors I'm sharing here wear really well and I typically only have my lipstick with me for insurance, though I rarely find that I need to reapply.  

MOTIVES' GO RED
This is my absolute favorite red.  Bright, saturated, pure red.  This is a great pin-up red.  Motives was the first lipstick I really liked and felt good wearing all day.  Before that I'd dabbled in drugstore brands but they always felt gross and dry and didn't last.  I figured I just didn't like lipstick, but after trying the Motives stuff I realized that I probably just needed to start exploring some better makeup brands.  This stuff doesn't dry out my lips and feels creamy and rich.
 
RADIANT DAPHNE / LIME CRIME CENTRIFUSCHIA
I'm not a big pink girl, but I do like a saturated pink/fuchsia on the occasion.  This color from Radiant is perfect, and Lime Crime does a similar color, Centrifuschia, which I also like.  It looks like Radiant is no longer around (which is a bummer because part of their business was fighting sex trafficking!), but Lime Crime's color and texture is pretty much a match for this one.
 
LIME CRIME COUNTESSA FLOURESCENT 
If I'm feeling a little more playful, I'll go full on pink.  I don't much care for more pastel shades of pink but this bright, solid pink is just right.  Lime Crime's lipsticks are super opaque, so they're great for achieving bright colors
 
MAC UP THE AMP + LIME CRIME AIRBORNE UNICORN
For purple lips, I like to do a bit of an ombre from darker edges, to lighter insides.  I'll put on a darker purple first, like MAC's Up the Amp and then apply something lighter like Lime Crime's D'Lilac or Airborne Unicorn and then blend them a bit.  I don't do purple too often but it's super fun to play with!

LIME CRIME MY BEAUTIFUL ROCKET + MOTIVES TOMATO RED
Lime Crime's colors can be too intense sometimes, for what I want, so I like to blend them with other colors to get the look I want.  I like an orange lip, but Lime Crime's My Beautiful Rocket is like crazy orange, so to get it a bit more natural I top it with Motive's Tomato Red which is more of a regular slightly orange red.  The combo gives me just the right amount of orange which not being too unnatural.  Motives doesn't make that exact shade anymore, but their Red Coral is a similar color.
 
MOTIVES VAMP
This is one that Motives no longer carries, but I think their Berry Sexy looks closest to this color.  I like this one for those times when I'm feeling a little darker and moody, but don't want to go full on black.  Sometimes I'll ombre black and Vamp to darken it up a little bit more.
 
IMPULSE COSMETICS APOCALYPTIC
I secretly love black lipstick.  It's just so bold and graphic and it makes me feel a bit like a super villain bad ass.  Black lips are definitely for those more bold days, but I still love having the option in my makeup bag.  My first time doing black lips I used MAC's Blacktrack eyeliner to get the look, but upon liking it I decided I should invest in some real lipstick.  I knew Lime Crime had a black, but I asked readers to share their favorite black lipsticks and I went with one that was recommended, Impulse Cosmetics' Apocalyptic.  It's nice and opaque, but still feels creamy and light.