Southern Detour
SHOP. BLOG. GATHER.
The Wilder Journey
You’re probably wondering where in the world I’ve been. MIA, missing in action, really. Between keeping my clients beautiful + happy at the salon, helping my mom run the Southern Detour Boutique, starting a jewelry/leather goods business with my husband {SD Originals}, and braving the SC moody winter, things have been a blur. I hope you didn’t miss my last post! After we got home from Kentucky, two weeks later Erik and Kirsten got an invite to do the Mustang Magic Competition. It’s another mustang makeover {invitation only} in Texas! Pretty exciting opportunity and an even “wilder” journey for us.
The decision didn’t come easy. Erik’s passion and desire to train horses has grown tremendously over the past few years. He works a public job that consumes the majority of his time, energy and keeps tabs on his vacation days. However; his heart and mind always remained focused on horses. We were both so excited when he got the invitation, but knew he wouldn’t have the time and days to be able to fulfill his obligations with this competition. The desire for Erik to quit his full time, public job grew. How great would it be to pour every ounce of energy, eagerness to learn, and heart into something you love? We began praying consistently and specifically about the situation. God answered our prayers and opened doors.
Erik took the leap of faith and quit his job. He will be doing odd + end things to make ends meet, but we’ve taken the responsibility of cutting down bills and plan to live simply as possible. As I’m typing these words, he’s progressing daily with his new mustang, Carolina Chrome, for the Mustang Magic.
God works, y’all. It may not be at the time you want it to be and work out exactly like you had planned. For goodness sakes, nothing has panned out like I had planned 10 years ago. We’ve got to be willing to bend, shape, mold into the person He would have us to be. God knows what’s best for us when we can’t fathom tomorrow. We’re letting Him work in our lives and through us. He can make your days brighter, dreams bigger, and hope endless if you’ll put forth the effort.
We know the upcoming days, weeks, years will not be easy. Heck, they’ll be the farthest thing from easy. At the end of the day, we will be living the lifestyle we chose and making the most of it. Sacrificing now and hoping it pays off down the road. Noah didn’t survive the flood by sitting on his bum.
Long story short, I may not be posting weekly. Life is a journey, we took a detour, and things are about to get wilder.
Prayers appreciated,
Fallon
The Wild Journey {Part 5}
For starters, I’m still contemplating how I’m going to move to Kentucky. Y’ALL, every single time we visit this beautiful state I fall in love all over again. The Wild Journey was coming to an end and the mustangs went from being undomesticated to gentled, willing, and beautiful in 112 days. If you missed the previous posts, you’ll definitely need to catch up here. We went to Kentucky a few days early to give the horses time to settle and for us to enjoy the town. A sweet, dear friend let us stay at her farm. Her hospitality was overflowing as soon as we pulled in the long driveway. This farm was glorious. The greenest, most lush grass everywhere. The barn was the perfect setup anddd she had a covered arena to escape the heat of summer. I could go on, but I’ll save you the time. Our stay there was wonderful. Horses, dogs, and humans happy.
The first day we ate lunch at our favorite local spot, Wallace Station, {it’s tradition}! So delicious. I highly recommend the ETR Fish Sandwich and potato salad. Then we explored downtown Midway: unique boutiques, handmade shops, local finds, and the railway goes straight through town. We ventured to the visitor center at The Kentucky Horse Park. The gardens and grounds are so nice there. When we got back to the farm they got the horses out to stretch a leg. We found ourselves eating dinner at Mezzo – Italian Cafe. It was a great day sightseeing and takin’ it easy.
The next day was rainy and cloudy. I had already calculated how far we were from The Ark Encounter. I had been wanting to go there since they opened. And…so, we went. The experience was incredible, amazing, informative, and fun! Also, I rode a camel, so what more do you need? We were thankful to have the extra time to enjoy ourselves before the heat of the competition started. We would move to The Kentucky Horse Park the next day.
The Kentucky Extreme Mustang Makeover Competition consisted of three preliminary classes over the span of three days. They combine scores and announce The Top 10 Finalists. Then the Top 10 have a compulsory class and a freestyle class which combine to determine winners. Let’s just say, the three days were a roller coaster. We had very little time to eat, sleep, or relax. In some ways it felt like three weeks and others, like three minutes.
The experiences and lessons learned over the past 3 months paid off when the competition began. They both ended up Top 10 Finalist {hallelujah}! BUT, they didn’t stop there! Erik and Partner placed 8th overall and my sister, Kirsten, and Tux won the Kentucky Extreme Mustang Makeover Champion! My heart almost burst from excitement and an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness! What a journey.
Speaking of journey…the past three months has definitely been one heck of a ride. These mustangs went from wild to mild in 112 days. The process consisted of a whole lotta patience, willingness, sacrifice, long days, sleepless nights, working together, and laughing so we didn’t cry. These two mustangs have left a mark on our lives and Kirsten + Erik’s horsemanship. They wouldn’t be where they are today without Tux and Partner. It was a wild journey, but worth it, no doubt.
Love,
A Cowboy’s Tired, Proud Wife
Birthdays and Bible Studies
I recently had a birthday. The big thirty is getting closer each year. Where does the time go? If you know, let me know. I gotta say, my favorite gift I received this year was a devotion book from my sister-in-law, Jennifer. Unexpected, but totally needed. Life gets busy, hectic, and sometimes just hard. As a woman, daughter, wife, sister, and friend, expectations are high and responsibilities are overflowing just like my laundry. We give so much of ourselves to everyone else, organizations, our church, our jobs, the list goes on. This birthday gift simply reminded me to take a moment and make sure I’m giving back to myself. We are spread so thin in the everyday hustle + bustle. I needed a “check-up” on my relationship with the One who truly matters. That my friend, is Jesus.
So I begin to dig into this bible study, Finding I Am by Lisa Terkeurst. Gotta be honest, it took a few devotions until I really began to relax and enjoy the study. My heart and my eyes began to open to God’s presence in my life. Grace and healing was poured over me for the next 6 weeks. I loved doing the study with Jennifer. Not only was she an accountability partner, but someone to share my favorite verses with, my weaknesses, and how it was growing + challenging me. This birthday gift turned into a gift that kept giving for 6 weeks, y’all! I absolutely fell in love with God all over again.
When the study was coming to an end, Jennifer and I were both somewhat sad. This had become a healthy routine to our day. I loved having my cup of coffee and starting or ending my day devoting time to God’s Word. We decided we couldn’t stop there. We went to our local Lifeway and picked out another bible study. This time, Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer. Over the past couple months, the devotions had become regular conversation with my clients, friends, and family. We now have some of the girls in our community doing the studies! Isn’t it amazing how God works?! Something as simple as a birthday gift has chain reacted into encouragement in our community and friendships. If you would like to be a part of our Women’s Bible Study Group, please message me on our Facebook page HERE and I will get you connected, gal!
Also, isn’t this floral top so precious!? I love the print, colors, and material! It’s one of the softest shirts I own. During the sweltering summer, I’m all about light + comfy material! I’ve had lots of people ask about my Journaling Bible. All these details can be found below! I hope you’ve been encouraged, felt like you’re not the only one struggling in your faith walk, been motivated, and enlightened on some great new devotions to dive into! Girlfriends, life is tough, we’ve got to stick together! I’m praying for you this week!
Floral Top {Cleo Madison} | Jewelry | Journaling Bible
Love,
Fallon
Hey y’all, I’m Fallon!
Carolina gal who loves Jesus, my cowboy, traveling, and a good cup of coffee. Spreading encouragement and my life's journey, southern style.
