Monthly Archives: November 2014

Maui in November.

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(Keanae)

For Thanksgiving, my family takes off to Hawaii each year to spend the holidays in an un-traditional way.  It’s a nice time to rest up and re-charge the batteries before we head into winter time.  Each year we try to see friends and family on the islands and also spend as much time as possible outdoors.  So far this week, with Amanda visiting from Oahu, we’ve spent lots of time in the ocean.  Amanda, Darrin, and I also spent a day cruising the road to Hana.  We didn’t go the entire way but we made some great stops.

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Twin Falls.

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Hawaii sunsets are the best.

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Amanda and I were reunited after a year apart!

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We made sure to do lots of ocean swimming.

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Amanda in her tube.  We bought inter tubes and swam out to get rolled over by the waves.  It was hilarious!  Probably because the waves were very small 🙂

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We decked ourselves out in Flash Tats.

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Went on tons of long walks.

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My attempt at tree pose for the first time all week.

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The ocean blues, it doesn’t get any better.  I’m still on the island for the rest of the week with my family but I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving week.  It’s a time to be thankful for all the blessings in your life and to remind yourself to not take anything or anyone for granted.  Pay it forward this week at random times and be kind.  It’s not everyday we stop and really focus on things we are thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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Sometimes, it’s nice to jump on with no saddle and no worries.  It’s not very practical to train bareback but I do love a ride every now and then sans saddle.  My friends recently got me this awesome duster sweater that I just love.  It’s a great sweater I can wear casually, riding, or even dress it up.

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Taking an evening ride.

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Galloping bareback up the hill.

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A winter storm is coming in but very much welcome with the drought we are in.

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In a week full of thanks, I’m thankful for horses among many other things.

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Boot Crop.

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I’m a big fan of comfort and while I was in Copenhagen last month, I picked up some awesome short boots from H&M.  I’ve worn them a ton and they are so easy to slip on with some boot cut pants or even over some skinny jeans (like shown here).   Naturally, I love that the “riding” look has come to be a part of fashion and it’s very easy for me to bring into my daily wear.

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Magenta Midi.

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I’ve grown quite fond of the 50’s mixed with new age style skirts that have started to make an appearance in the fashion world.  They are classic, stylish, and a nice way to change up your wardrobe.  I recently spent some time at Banana Republic trying to update my work wear and this was one of my new finds.  Of course I ended up with slacks and blouses as well but this skirt was an additional great find.  They are having a huge sale right now so if you are looking for some new work wear, I’d suggest hitting up Banana.

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I paired the skirt with a low backed, short sleeved body suit.  For colder weather, I will add a cardigan to complete the 50’s spin.

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Throw on some simple black sandals/heels and call it a day!

Horse Hugs.

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After returning from my trip, I was excited to be reunited with Maz (the horse I ride at home).  I was really inspired by my trip and I couldn’t wait to get back in the saddle or shall I say no saddle!  I can’t tell if he even noticed I was gone or had been horse cheating on him but it was nice to get out to the barn again.  Horse hugs are the best kind of hugs!

Neon Trim.

IMG_1360My friends in the retail fashion world sent me off in style before I left my last job.  They sent me off with a bunch of nice cover ups to wear at my new job and this one I love especially.  I’m a very simple person but do love to add color when I can.  This little pop of neon is a nice way to add some variety to my everyday jeans and tank.

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IMG_1368This is a perfect light jacket for warm work days.

Images from In the Saddle.

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I hear from so many friends and family that they would love to know what it is like to be in the saddle but are a tad too timid to try.  For those that ever want to know what it feels like, it’s pure freedom.  It’s the only sport where human and animal work so closely together.  It’s amazing the power the animals have yet don’t choose to abuse it.  In Bosnia, we rode in a different direction each day and each direction was full of different views.  Here are a few photos from in the saddle 🙂

DCIM101GOPROFall was in full swing.  I love the changing of seasons and I loved hearing the leaves crunch under the horses feet.

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In some deeper water.

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Above the clouds.

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The first frosty morning before the snow came!

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Sunset rides.

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Riding through a creek.

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Riding by ruins.

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Snow ❤

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Everything was perfectly dusted.

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This is one of my favorites.

I have sooo many images to share and I love to look back at them.  I’ll try to swap some fashion posts in between but there are many more horse photos to come!

Brittany in Bosnia.

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I’ve just returned from the most incredible horse adventure in Bosnia.

IMG_1652Thanks to my wonderful friends Brian and Hanne (Hanne in the above photo) for telling me about these riding holidays you can experience all over the world, I was able to see what one was like for myself.  It was an added bonus that Hanne was available to join in Bosnia as well, I can’t imagine the trip without her!  There is an agency called Far and Ride that connected Hanne and I to this most amazing farm in Kupres.  The Kupres Farm was full of amazing people and they led us on a new adventure every day.  I thought I’d do an intro to the farm post since they made the experience so great.

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First there is Fred!  He’s the farm dog and amazingly smart.  He came along on every ride with us, running alongside for hours on end.

IMG_1509Big Marko and little Marko, both excellent horsemen and trail leaders.

IMG_1568Here’s Petra and her favorite horse, Nur.  She was very helpful around the farm and was a great trail leader as well.

IMG_1717Following Slaven through the snow covered forrest!

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Mate!  Owner and such a fun loving rider.  Had so much fun racing him and riding through the snow.

There are a few more people from Kupres farm that I don’t have photos of but the farm was filled with excellent people who took great care of us.  I’m so appreciative to them and Far and Ride for matching Hanne and I with Kupres Farm for our riding holiday.  They cooked hot lunch and dinner for us everyday and always made sure to check that we were satisfied with our experience.  We also got incredibly lucky with the weather.  The first half of the week was beautiful and sunny. The second half of the week, a storm rolled in and we were riding in the snow!  I couldn’t have asked for more.  Each day, we rode somewhere new with no fences to hold us back.  We rode through historical places and climbed mountains.  I have so many photos to share, can’t wait to get them all up.  I figured this is a good start :).

Wild Horses.

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I’ve just returned from the most magical trip to Bosnia.  It was a dream come true to be able to get to spend an entire week surrounded by horses.  I was on a week long riding holiday in Bosnia at Kupres farm which I can’t wait to share all of the details and photos in the coming days.  One afternoon during our stay our host, Mate, offered to take us out to find some herds of wild horses and of course we were ecstatic to go.  We drove far out into the plains to find them where they were living as free and happy as can be.  This was one of the most memorable moments for me because seeing these horses surviving on their own in the wild just showed me their strength and independence.

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One of the stallions making sure no other stallions got close to his horses.  He was gorgeous.

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So many of them just grazing.

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They had no interest in us but they had no fear of us either.

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They had all the land in the world to call home.

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When we left, we even saw an eagle or a falcon.  It was hard to tell but both resided in the area.

I hope I get to observe wild horses again, it was peaceful and inspiring.