A Letter To 2010 & 2011

Dear 2010 & 2011,

You rocked me hard. You shook me violently like a ragdoll for months and showed no sign of letting up. You pushed me to my physical, emotional and spiritual limits. It was to the point that I was numb to any emotion and there wasn't any other place to go. I visited multiple counselors, doctors, family, friends, priests, nuns and churches. My job wasn't even a safe zone. I walked in everyday with hate and fear and walked out with self doubt and tears. I felt betrayed and beaten down. I was sick. It was an emotional sickness that cut so deep it made my whole world ill.

I was scared to leave a job in a bad economy because it was required of me to bring my husband in from Mexico. But my happiness was on the line.

Then I got all Eat, Pray, Love up on myself. I decided to get the hell out and dedicated all my time to looking for a new job.....and then, I was laid off. No surprise there. The hatred was written all over my face. Usually losing a job means spiraling down into a deeper hole but this was a blessing from God. I then went to a retreat for 3 days and it was my chance to heal. My wounds slowly callused over and the bleeding slowed down. A month later I was offered 4 different jobs. I picked the best one and it's amazing how different it is. I'm treated like a human. A human with a soul and a mind.

I am thankful for my new job and the retreat. I can only hope that 2013 is way better.

Sincerely,
Christy

I am also thankful for these following happy moments that happened in the past year:

Traveled to Mexico City and stayed with a wonderful family.

Added two new ruins to my "been there done that" list.

Saw my first bull fight in Leon, Gto. Mexico

Became a Godmother at my first Mexican Baptism.

Took a stab at a dream and started a photography business called PhotoBox Studios with my sister. 

Took a girls trip to Belize with a good friend after I was laid off.

Ran right into this guy - Gene Simmons on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Let my sister experience the hipster vibe of Playa del Carmen and the beauty of the Riviera Maya.

Discovered how much I'm in love with cenotes and underground caves!

Took an express trip to Chicago with my mom and sister.

Had a fun anniversary road trip to Kansas City for an art fair. 

Took my dog Rico Suave to his first Woofstock. Then we made him do a dog race and he lost bad.

Just Horsing Around

Since I no longer own my horse, I have found some creative ways to fill that void. A couple weeks ago I was able to snag a polo lesson. It started out on the wooden horse in a "batting cage", then on foot in a 4 on 4 game, then right up onto a horse. The whole next week my right forearm was dead and useless but the experience was great!

On Labor Day weekend I found a horse race here in Kansas! It sure wasn't anything I expected. It was about a 20 min drive out into the country. Then out in the middle of some open fields in Halstead, Kansas there was a quarter of a mile race track. And these weren't just any cow poke horses....they were the real deal racing kind. Bets were shouted from side to side across the track and the horses flew by every 20 min throwing dust into the air. I just sucked on my Egg-Nog ice cream and enjoyed myself the whole afternoon.

Sunday Chukkers

On Sunday afternoon expensive cars lined up and rolled in. Ladies in their sun dresses, big floppy hats and heels grab their small dogs and sipped their wine. Men adjusted their hats and smoked their cigars. Miss Kansas even decided to show up.  It was the opening game over at Fairfield Polo Club and the first chukker (period) had started. My mom had grown up on a polo field and had worked alot with the horses as a young girl and I had yet to even see a polo game. The Thoroughbreds (or as they say - ponies) raced from either end of the 300 yard long field and the mallets swung from side to side, hooking others and clubbing the ball up into the air. At halftime everyone stormed the field and stomped in the divots with champagne center field. It was a scene straight from the film Pretty Woman. I walked through the trailers and met a player on her break. She just happened to be a graphic designer at my old college. They even had some talented players from Argentina, one of the top countries for polo. Thank goodness the heat wasn't in the three digits because I had a blast. Maybe on another lazy Sunday I'll stop by and enjoy some more polo.

Interested in a polo school in Argentina? Learn from some pros and check out this link I found on this weekends magazine rack: http://polodays.com/

Quirky Kansas Roadside Attractions

On Memorial Day weekend we had a good old fashioned family reunion to attend. Actually it was the first one ever. To add to the fact that it's a family reunion and they are known to be a drag, it was also going to be held in Ellis, Kansas. Ellis Kansas what? Ellis is located in NW part of the state and is about 3 hours from Wichita and 15 minutes outside of Hays. Still not sure where? Well, it's not all that important.

To spice up this road trip we decided to keep an eye out for any kind of roadside attraction. No matter the lame factor, we were going to do it. The one thing we were able to find, before our GPS decided to crap out, was Cornado Heights located in Lindsborg, Ks. It was a short drive into the country side and then up a 300 foot hill with 360 degree panoramic views. On top the hill was a park that included a castle. Inside where 2 stone tables and fireplace. A small staircase led to the rooftop. Musicians of all kinds love to come here and play inside the castle. Who knows why, maybe it's the acoustics? Outside the castle doorway was a large fireplace with round seating. And flanking the edges of the park were stone picnic areas jetting out from the walls and overlooking gorgeous views of endless flowing fields. Perfect for an afternoon picnic.

Cornado Heights really didn't have any historical meaning to it except that it was named after Francisco Vasquez de Cornado, who visited central Kansas in 1541 in search for gold. Yep, I believe this castle was made for pure fun. Actually, I think it was the best part of our whole 2 day road trip and family reunion.

Looking for some other roadside Kansas attractions with a quirky twist? Here are a few:

• Try the Hutchinson Underground Salt Museum. I think you'd be surprised at how many odd movie memorabilia is stored there. For example, George Clooney's Batman outfit or the sunglasses from Men In Black.
• The world's largest ball of twine located in Cawker City, Ks. If anything, this 12 foot ball is required for some good laughs on a boring road trip. Story is a farmer didn't know what to do with the extra twine found in his barn so day after day, he just kept rolling it up. Enough said.
• The Garden of Eden in Lucas, Ks. We saw the sign for this place heading West but missed it heading home. But from my research, it seems to be a house with ivy-covered concrete figures of Adam and Eve and children all around. This creepster house will for sure give you some nightmares. Great for the children!
• The Worlds Largest Easel & Sunflower Painting in Goodland, Ks. As an artist myself, this is at the top of my list of odd things to find on the side of the road in Kansas. The sunflower is the state flower and Goodland is the center of the sunflower industry - fitting I suppose. So be sure to take an "I've been here photo" and look dwarfed next to this piece of art.

If anything, these roadside attractions are good for a laugh or even to just realize how many strange bored people actually do live in this world.