Guest Blogger: Carrie Lalande!

Today, I am pleased to have my friend Carrie as Guest Blogger, she's going to talk about some of the passions in her life. Thanks for being here, Carrie!

Thanks so much Julie for letting me on your Blog. I don’t know if you’ll have many people reading your blog after this but hey I’ll give it a shot.

I guess I’ll start off with a bit about myself. I’m Carrie, 31, from Canada, mother of one active little six year old. He is a handful. Wife to a wonderfully amazing man who loves me even with all my issues.

So when Julie asked me to be a guest blogger I wasn’t really sure about it. Mostly cause I wasn’t sure what I’d blog about. I mean I’m not anything special. Not an author, not a big hot shot equestrian, or even a photographer for that matter, (yes I love both of those things.) Had just started writing again after having not been writing for awhile, ok since I got out of high school, and that includes when I went back to upgrade( not that it did much good. I haven’t done anything with it. ) But Julie said to talk about whatever so that’s what I’m going to do. I apologize now that I may ramble on about some things and it may not make any sense at times. You may even want to stop reading if it really gets to you. I won’t mind.

Anyway my topics of choice are-drum roll please- HORSES and PHOTOGRAPHY. Now I wouldn’t say I’m very good at either, of course I’m my own worst critic. I got a new camera just two months before Christmas. I consider it another child of mine. It’s my baby.

I have always loved taking pictures of, manly horses, but I do prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front. (Yet I love Drama, weird.) I’ve taken a few online Photography courses and I love getting out there just to snap pictures of whatever. Some different courses I’ve taken are Horses and Humans, Horse Head Shots, Holiday Lights and Decorations, just to name a few. They were all great fun.

So far I’ve mostly shot my friends riding their horses, my number one passion coming back again, in horse shows this summer. Well up until I injured myself and couldn’t drive for at least two months. They were all eager to get pics of their ponies.

As far as anything special going on with my photography, nada, zilch, zip. Nothing is going on with it at the moment. Though it’s been too darn cold to get out and do any shooting. Hopefully winter will leave and I can get out to do more. Though we did have a mild fall and I was able to get out and play around with the camera a bit on some of those warmer days.

Those are just a few of the examples of some pictures I’ve taken. And now onto the things I think are the best thing in the world. Horses, are my true passion. Photography, writing, music-I play piano and Violin- those are just something to keep me so so when I don’t have the horses. Granted I have found a way to combine photography and horses together so that’s just an added bonus.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved horses, I was your typical girl playing with My Little Ponies, dreaming of having a white Andalusian Stallion, little did I know then that Stallions aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Don’t get me wrong. Stallions are amazing, but it takes a certain kind of person to handle them. Trust me, I’ve handled them before. I grew up begging my parents to let me give something up in exchange for riding. It never worked. I always got told “You don’t have a horse, there’s no sense”. I got so tired of hearing it I stopped asking for riding altogether. Eventually I was able to pay for it myself and so I did. It didn’t last long cause I lost my job but the point is I worked hard for it. I work hard even to this day to be able to ride. And I get really down when I can’t ride, like now. I’ve been dealing with depression since 2003, horses, amongst the photography and music, are my therapy. They’re my number one therapy. Yeah I take the anti-depressants, but if I had a choice I wouldn’t be on them. I don’t have that choice ‘cause I know that my depression is really bad.

Since meeting my husband he’s always been very supportive of me, even after breaking three bones due to falls, from horses. And I love that he is. He’s never asked me to work, though I know that he can’t afford to pay for me for riding lessons. He’ll come out and watch me, once in awhile, when I am taking lessons. He’s sort of become a horseperson by marriage. He’s found himself doing things that he’d never done before. And he doesn’t gag when he walks into a barn.

Told you I’d probably ramble. Getting back to talking about horses.

I love how they can honestly help you, and sense when you’re feeling down. I was at a show once where I’d asked my dad to come. He didn’t show up. I was literally in the horse trailer, minutes before my class crying into my mare’s neck and she just stood there. By the time I got into the ring to do my class, I’d calmed down again enough to concentrate.

I love how they can do so many things, and mean so much to people. I think back on all the different horses I’ve ridden and I smile thinking about the lessons I’ve learned. They haven’t always been good lessons, but they’ve been lessons.

As I write this, I think of a friend and coach who had to make the hardest choice she’s ever had to make up until this point. On Monday she had to make the final choice to let her beloved friend go over the Rainbow bridge to pastures that are always lush and green. He wasn’t mine but I still loved him along with her. I’ve been tearing up a lot this week over it all, and keep looking at pictures of him that have been taken over the four years she had him. Trying to keep the memories with me.

I’ll leave this with a few pictures of one of the horses that made a huge difference in my life.

This is the horse that got me over my fear of riding bareback. I miss him everyday.
And now some of my two passions together. My horse photography.

And lastly, thank you so much for having me Julie and I hope I didn’t bore anyone. I’m so not good at this.