Goodbye 2015! Hello 2016!!

Goodbye 2015! Hello 2016!!

Its almost 2016 and i find myself looking back over the course of this year. Its hard to believe how much can change in just a short amount of time. Its hard to believe how some things just play out. Coming into 2015 I never would have thought I’d be where i am now, and its just been one short year. I came into it as a new horse owner, very excited yet nervous on how my two year old would start out. I came into the year as a full time assistant trainer to my boyfriend. Hoping and praying I would remember everything he had taught me. I came into the year with hopes and dreams, not once thinking the year would play out the way it has. 

If you had told me January 1st, 2015 that the horse we just picked up from her vacation in Kentucky would trot in 54 flat i honestly wouldn’t have been surprised. But if you had told me that she would contract West Nile and end up dying, well i would have told you to shut your mouth. If you had told me that I would end up getting in a nasty accident and totaling my car and fracture my hand, i would have laughed and said no way.  Because this stuff doesn’t happen to me, or so i thought.

2015 started off with a bang. How could it not? Goldie had ended 2014 coming 2nd in the Sire Stakes final. We had bought some decent bred yearlings from the sale. And we had a barn full of new horses. 2015 was looking pretty decent for us. When Goldie started her 3 year old career she started it off with a win coming from last with Brad Hanners. To us that was a sign we were going to be alright. The next couple months were pretty good. My two year old trotting colt went out and won his first lifetime start at converse then came back two weeks later and did it again. It seemed like everything was coming together for a banner year.

Then Goldie went in 54 flat and we went nuts. We knew that we had another shot in the big final. We didn’t think we would beat Churita but we knew we had the potential to finish in the top three once more. So she got another couple weeks off and came back for an elimination then a final. That final was the worst she had raced. Luckily there was a couple weeks before she would race again and maybe she needed a little break.

Next thing we knew she was sick. What we thought was tying up, turned out to be West Nile. We exhausted all our options to try and keep our mare. Taking her to Purdue in hopes they could save her. But before we knew it she was gone. That was only three months ago and it feels like a lifetime ago. 

After she died it turned into a domino effect. One thing after another happened. We ended up having another horse get sick from West Nile, but by the grace of God we were able to save him. I thought if we were able to save him things would start to get better, right?

Nope. Next thing i know i got in a car accident that was bad enough to total both cars, fracture my hand, and leave with me with a constant thought on how it could have been so much worse. 

I’ve sat here and continually thought about how bad this year turned out. Ive sat here and thought how its not fair that all this has happened. Ive sat here and thought how we should have made sure she had been vaccinated, or how i should have stayed home that day. But in the end it doesn’t matter if you have these thoughts. You can’t change the past, you can only learn from it.

You can sit there and wallow in your own misery or you can get up and make a change. You can sit there and do the “what ifs” but in then end it won’t change anything. it just makes you hurt even more. 

I believe things happen for a reason and that it really is a part of God’s plan no matter how hard it is. We were blessed to have Goldie and all of the memories she gave us. I was blessed that the accident hadn’t been worse and that everyone was alive and okay. We have to look at the little things, even if our problems seem so huge. We have to keep our heads up, our hearts protected, and remember that everything will in the end workout.

So as I go in to 2016 i still have my hopes and dreams for how the year will go. Will it go how I plan, probably not. But it will definitely be a wild ride and I’m certainly up to it. So as you go into the New Year leave whatever has hurt you in the past. Your mistakes, your heartbreaks, leave it in 2015. Don’t go into the new year letting all of that drag you down. Don’t let those moments break you. Don't let them define you! This is it! 2016 is your year! Go out and embrace it!! 

Oh! and remember Jesus is the Wayy!! 

~Lexi