110 lb Weight Loss truly an All Grit...No Quit Story

Just last week I found an email I received from a lady I met at the Cowboy Christmas event we attend each year in Oakdale, California.  A tall, slim woman, she was looking at an All Grit…No Quit shirt to buy and simply asked about sizing.  As she made her decision, she looked at me and quietly said, “Sorry, it is taking me a bit to decide.  I am just not sure which size to go with".  We talked more and she shared with me that she recently lost 120 pounds.  120 pounds! You would have never known.  I’ve heard of and seen the weight loss stories in the news, but I never had the chance to meet someone in person who had such great success. I was amazed.  I asked if I could share her story and she agreed.  Although, I will not mention her name. 

Today, the 5’ 9” woman, now in her fifties, weighs 140 pounds but, just a year and  half ago, she weighed close to 260 pounds!  She was admittedly a compulsive eater who ate fast food for lunch every day and just couldn’t quit with one sweet. (I can understand that!)

She grew up a horse lover and as a young girl she spent her time riding horses, mules and even driving teams of ponies.  At one point, she even lied about her age so she could harness race.   At home, she had a horse and like most horse loving young girls, she spent most of her free time riding. After high school, she sold her horse, went to work and moved on to other things.  Nevertheless, she kept her saddle and knew that someday she would get back into horses and riding. 

As time and life went on, she struggled with her weight.  But then one day, she received some startling news.  She had 100 % blockage in a heart valve and on the 17^th of that month, she had surgery to put in a heart stint.  It was a wake-up call.  That very day she knew she needed to make a change.  Within the week she started walking. She decided to change her eating habits too.  As the weeks and months went on, she did not give up.  She walked every day, rain or shine and soon went from struggling to get up and down the stairs, to walking a minimum of an hour a day.  She made the choice each day.  By the end of the year, she had lost nearly 100 pounds!  When I visited with her on the phone, she told me there were no surgeries or drugs and most important, no excuses! She now sits in any chair she chooses and is happy to shop for new clothes.
 Even with Asthma and difficulty breathing, this woman has only missed walking a handful of times.  A little over a year ago, she could not even picture herself ever riding a horse.  Today, she is actively looking for a new horse.  Here is a lady who, simply made a choice and, succeeded one day at a time, one step at a time.  Her story is amazing and is just one example of the all grit...no quit philosophy that is a Cowgirl's Promise. 

California Cattle Gather

Well, I’m back in the saddle, how about you? I pushed my Gone with the Wind hero, Scarlett O’Hara’s words out of mind and got my all grit...no quit on instead.
For me, there are more things to do in a day than the hours allow. But to be outdoors, horseback is one of my greatest joys. Over the past few weeks I spent many days gathering cattle. That is a highlight for me. I love it and wouldn’t trade those days for anything. It is the perfect opportunity for me to get my horse, Cisco, out of the arena and on the trail. Even though the country is steep and rocky and Cisco has to work pretty hard, I think he would agree with me, the days spent gathering together are good ones. At five years old, my little horse can start out fresh, but he settles in quickly and we go along, most of the time, low headed and peaceful. To gather the cattle, you must first find the cattle. Now you might just be thinking (like I did)…how hard is it to see a cow? Well, in the steep, brushy, tree covered country, it can be pretty tough and in such pretty country, some days it’s hard for me to stay focused. I look for anything that moves; coyotes, bobcats, eagles, deer, pigs, oh yes…and cattle. In the end, I see more logs and branches that look like coyotes, and rocks that look like calves than anything else. 

There are days when I am absolutely convinced the big granite rock in the shadows is a cow and the blackened log on the hill, just below, is her calf! After several bluff sightings, I've learned not to say anything too soon. When I see cattle (real ones, not rocks!) before anyone else, I’m thrilled and I sit as tall as John Wayne! Yep…for just a minute, I’m the Duke. But, the minute goes by quick as I am suddenly faced with the task of gathering those I spotted, keeping my herd moving in the right direction and making sure I’m in the right spot to hold them at any given time.

It’s a great day when the cattle end up in the corrals!

It's a New Year. Time to Get Back in the Saddle!

The months of winter, where the days are short and the nights are long, can be a procrastinator’s paradise.   The holidays come and it gets busy with family, food, parties & gifts.  It is an easy time for me to live by Scarlett O’Hara's rule, I’ll think about that tomorrow from the classic movie, Gone with the Wind.

With the New Year, I realize the things I left undone or goals I did not quite achieve from last year.  One side of me wants to get going while the other side turns into Miss Scarlett and would rather think about all those things left undone tomorrow.  Until one day, I wake up and my get going side (all grit)  rises to the challenge and kicks me out of neutral and into gear (no quit).

The motivator might be a new goal or a challenge that I set for myself or a new look at a past goal that I haven’t exactly reached.  Sometimes the motivator is a simple phone call from a friend, a story I read or a quote that I see.  Whatever it is, I am thankful for the kick start.
When it comes to my horses, some days I’m great at getting out and getting them ridden or going to a show.  Other days, not-so-much.  It’s those not-so-much days that I am happy to have the help of a good trainer, good friends and others who are motivated at times when I might not be.  They put me back-in-the-saddle on those days I’d rather just think about that tomorrow.

To all those like me who have days where you find it tough to get back in the saddle…it’s a new year!  Go for it! Whatever it is and no matter how old you are.  Think about that cowgirl's promise and get your all grit on and don’t quit!

Happy New Year and thanks for visiting!

Walking... A Great Time to Think!

I love to walk.   It is good exercise and relaxing.  It is a great time to think.  Those that walk would probably agree. Some that know me best would say I think way too much on those walks!  Nevertheless, I am happiest to walk with my dogs in some of the prettiest country in Northern California.  It is a great attitude adjuster!   Last week, I stopped to watch my horses  and how they followed each other around the pasture.  As you would imagine, one is always in the lead.  He makes sure of that.  The others seem content to fall in line.  They grazed peacefully and without a care.   In all the craziness of the world, it was a calming sight. 

When I got back I found an email that was passed along to me.  It was simply titled “I Believe”.  I don't know who wrote it, but the parts I liked most are shared below;

I Believe...

• That it is taking me a long time to become the person I want to be. 
• That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
• That we are responsible for what we do no matter how we feel. 
• That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. 
• That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated. 
• That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.
• Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• That we must always have hope and faith. 
• The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything.  They just make the most of everything.

Happy Holidays to all those who I have had the opportunity to meet in person and to all of those who stopped by A Cowgirl’s Promise online.  

P.S.  Take a walk.  It is a great time to think!

Bulls...The Coolest Dudes in the Field!

As much as I love cows and calves, I love the bulls!  From the time I was a little girl, alongside my grandpa, it was a thrill to get the chance to help him with his Angus bulls. They were big, tough and I really thought they were well, cool.  I admire my mom (pictured here on the back of one of my grandpa's Angus bulls) as she gave me the love for horses and a no-nonsense attitude.  She was my hero farm girl and also a wild one, riding just about anything including calves, cows and yes, the bulls. 

Early November is well, “full of bull”.   It is time to gather, sort, and put bulls out with the cows.  That takes some work and the bulls can be easy or not, depending on their mood.  Through the summer months, the bulls hang together in fields, eating, fighting and basically laying around.  Kind of like one long Sunday afternoon during football season!   But now, it’s time to get busy.  And you’d think they’d just jump at the chance to get out there with the lady cows!  Well not so much.

Since most are the size of a horse (or bigger), and some have a bit of an attitude, things can go any which way when moving them.  But this year, with a little help, they managed to get where they were supposed to go and they found the lady cows!

Just a few weeks ago, while I was taking these pictures, someone asked, why I was so interested in the bulls.  I remembered what I thought when I was a little girl and I said...

 “because they are the coolest dudes in the field!”

California Cowgirls

October, November and December are a busy time of year for everyone. For California ranchers, it’s far more than just the holiday season, it's branding season. That means, friends and family gather together to help each other in the ageless tradition of gathering, doctoring, branding and vaccinating cattle. And amazingly, with all the technology today, it is still a community where a simple phone call brings many hands to help. What a thrill to watch loop after loop, thrown seemingly effortlessly. It is technique, patience, a good horse and etiquette. I admire all those I know with such talent, but most of all, the women. These California Cowgirls are every bit as talented (and in some cases more so) as the cowboys they rope with side by side. It’s a skill not easily learned. These ladies are grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters and yes, friends. Hats off to each one of them, they are All Grit…No Quit!