New Media

Media is constantly changing and evolving. It is different and there are jobs that college students are in school for that don't even exist yet. Such as social media jobs that require someone to manage Facebook and Twitter sites for a company.

Changing Times

New media is evolving and changing and will have a great impact on the world. Everything we have talked about in class up to this point and read about, and studied comes down to new media. According to our textbook the definition of new media is the use of digital technology to communicate with a target audience. People that work in the industry are challenged to come up with new media which makes me wonder what will happen in the years to come. 

All of this has happened in the past few years, Web 2.0, mobile apps, smart phone technology and tablets. I wonder what kind of apps we will have this time next year let alone jobs in the industry.

Mobile Media Trends

Trending

Mobile media is overtaking our world, it's more common today than it ever has been in our past. We literally have everything at the touch of a button on our phones now, the latest game scores to the newest Facebook friend request. All of it is at the touch of a button on our phones. In some ways I think mobile media is more common than regular internet in today's world. Especially among the younger generation.

Mobile Apps & Internet

On a website I found while researching mobile media http://www.m-trends.org/ it talks about the latest trends in mobile media as well as upcoming "next big things." It also talks a lot about how mobile apps and internet are globally becoming more and more common. Tablets, and smart phones are used more now for research than regular computers. 

Hatfields & McCoys Campaign

In 2012, the History channel teamed up with Horizon media to create the mini series Hatfields & McCoys that retold the story of the family feud that became an American legend.

Marketing Challenge

They needed a way to "revamp" and emphasize the importance of the 150 year old family feud so that people would actually want to watch it.

Marketing Plan

Horizon media and the History channel used the UFC superfight of the year Cotto Vs. Mayweather to help recreate the Hatfields & McCoys feud. The superfight aired before the show did so they labeled each corner of the fight with a Hatfield or McCoy sign to make it like a feud. This combined with tv advertising, and online advertising was in their plan.

Results

The first broadcast of the show had 52 million viewers making it the most watched entertainment telecast.

Hatfields & McCoys Campaign

Future of Magazines and Newspapers

Magazine and newspaper advertising are sources that have been around for a long time and carry a high amount of prestige. They remain popular among different genres of audiences and there are many advantages and disadvantages of both.

Advantages/Disadvantages to Magazines

According to the magazine media sheet we went over in class magazines are very visual and eye appealing because of the color schemes and creativity that goes along with the medium. Personally, I am always drawn to looking at the magazines in a checkout line at a grocery store just because of the catchy headline and color scheme. Some of the negatives that go with magazine advertising is a longer lead time, which doesn't always make it the most current source of information.

Advantages/Disadvantages to Newspaper

According to our newspaper media sheet from class, newspapers are thought of with a lot of prestige in a local market. They don't have much competition locally and have a short amount of lead time (specifically the Amarillo Globe News according to amarillo.com) which makes them very current. The biggest disadvantage is that they are becoming outdated. Subscriptions are decreasing and the content is easier to find online in one "click" as opposed to waiting to read it in the paper. Currently, online or digital copies of newspaper are more likely than an actual subscription to the physical copy. Personally, I am way more likely to read online to find out news and information as opposed to picking up a copy of the paper.

Both magazines and newspaper are measured by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. It connects advertisers, advertising agencies and publishers to discuss challenges and how to best advertise in their mediums. http://www.auditedmedia.com/

Broadcasting

Radio and TV remain one of the most popular forms of advertising. According to Bryce Edwards of KGNC, there's 19 commercial radio stations in Amarillo alone. Approximately 97% of people in Amarillo consume radio weekly and for TV it's about 74% consumption. Radio and TV are one of the biggest advertising mediums not only at a local level but also a national level. It still astonishes me at how high the consumption percentages are but it just goes to prove how crucial the broadcast area is to the media world.

Radio and Ratings

Arbitron is the measurement company for radio stations and it is vital because it provides information about the success of each station. It does this through surveys, and charts and various tools in an effort to increase consumption and to help make better advertisements. Radio is a great source for advertisement, it's a cheaper way to promote a product or service however it has one major enemy. The "easy click," or the "channel switch." I am notorious for sitting in my car and only wanting to hear my favorite country songs and as soon as a commercial comes on during my short drive to campus I change the station. That is the one flaw in radio advertising, it is so easy without colorful or visual "leads" to ignore the ad. http://www.arbitron.com/home/content.stm

TV and Ratings

Nielson is the ratings company for TV and follows certain techniques to measure consumer behavior. Once again, this is crucial in order to determine how to advertise to best reach a certain market. TV's biggest ally is the fact that it has the ability to reach a large market of people with colorful, creative and very visual tactics. In today's culture though, factors like DVR had taken some impact away from commercials and advertisements because it's made it easier to skip over the ads. In all honestly though, I believe that TV is one of if not the best advertising mediums and will continue to evolve with the changing times and remain successful. http://www.nielsen.com/us/en.html

OOH and the future

Out-Of-Home media or OOH is a subject we have spent a lot of time discussing lately in class. It mostly included billboards, street furniture, transit and alternatives. According to Brad Tully, president of Choice Media which is located in Amarillo, OOH media is growing at a rate of 8.2% per year which comes in second to Internet which is growing at 11% a year. Additionally, digital advertising is also growing very quickly. The digital aspect of OOH includes primarily digital billboards that can be found in large cities such as LA, and Dallas. Although sadly, Amarillo will not allow digital billboards, formed from the belief that it will be a dangerous distraction for drivers. Personally, I think digital advertising would be a very successful outlet in this area.

Endless Opportunities

I think one of the best things about OOH is that it's very creative and allows room for out of the box thinking and advertising. Especially when it comes to billboards. Choice Media is one of the local businesses in Amarillo that is making large advances in creative advertising. http://www.choicemedia.biz/

These billboards are just a few examples of the endless creative options with OOH advertising. 

With digital advertising there is even more room to be creative and develop unique ads. Another benefit to according to marketing scoop.com, OOH is the fact that it is easier to reach your target market on a 1 on 1 basis and figure out their needs and how to best reach those needs. People can't just turn off the TV or change the radio station it's almost a guaranteed audience.

These reasons and many more are what have helped jump start the excessive growth rate of OOH and the bright future it currently has.

Stairway to Success

The word "analysis" just makes me cringe because it makes me think of math equations or algebra. Which essentially makes me want to be sick. However, media analysis is something that is crucial to the industry and has an art to it. It truly is a stairway to success and unlocks everything in media.

The Process

According to the textbook, there are three crucial "steps" or success tools that make for good media planning and analysis.

1) Matching media with Markets

As Azzaro so clearly states in the textbook, you have to understand your market inside and out in order to come up with a detailed analysis. It is crucial to know the needs, strengths and weaknesses of the company you're coming up with an analysis for. This way, it will send the right and accurate message to your demographic and the market you're trying to reach. After doing some online research, I came across 

2) The Local Market Profile

It's important, as Azzaro so clearly states, to know your market and research their strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can have a better understanding of how to reach your market and how to best reach the demographic. After some online research, I found a media analysis company called Carma that creates custom media analysis on a global level. Which is a bit different then the "local" profile but still gives the same idea. http://www.carma.com/customized-analysis/

3) Research on a Local Level

This is a continuation of the previous step, essentially it is knowing your market inside and out. Eating, sleeping and breathing your market and knowing everything about it. Knowing everything about them will help you know what to fill in on your profile and how to reach your demographic.

Media analysis is an endless road of opportunity that leads to incredible accomplishments. It helps you know your market and how to reach them in the most effective way possible. Once you know their needs and wants you can come up with creative ways to ignite their interests and evoke emotional responses that will increase advertising. Media analysis isn't boring math equations but instead a stairway that leads to success and an open road full of opportunity. 

Media Buying & Opportunity

There is more to media advertising than meets the eye. A large portion of successful media begins with media buys and eventually sales. According to the textbook there are three basic job functions when it comes to buying and selling media.

1) Media Planning (creating a successful plan)
2) Media Buying (buying media that will work for your demographic)
3) Media Sales  (presenting information to media buyers)

Out of Home

I'm going to focus mainly on the buying aspect of media in this blog. We have spent a lot of time in class focusing on the media buying aspect especially out of home advertising. According to president of choice media in Amarillo, TX, Brad Tully OOH media has one of the fastest growing rates each year at 8.2% increase per year. It comes in second to internet which has a growing rate of 11% per year. OOH media is endless in the opportunities it creates, it's allows for a variety of buying options and can be "personally" tailored to meet clients.

The Buy

The textbook states how crucial the actual media buy itself is. The whole point of the buy is to target specific media that will effectively carry out the media plan. The textbook goes on to say that it's very important to have good skills in analysis and negotiation when making the buy. This way it's easier to find better prices for the client's money. Media buying seems to be an art in and of itself and is crucial to the industry. OOH seems to be one of the areas where media buying is definitely excelling. Choice Media is one of the local Amarillo companies that is making huge strides in making buys and taking on clients and advertising in creative ways. OOH gives the opportunity for more creativity and unique ads for clients. Choice Media specializes in billboards, directories and banners in the Texas area. They are a perfect example of a company making smart local media buys for clients. http://www.choicemedia.biz/

Creative billboard advertising

Make it or Break it

Media lives and dies by its audience.

Media is all connected and influences each other. But audiences make it or break it

Audiences "make or break it" for media. In all forms.

Culture's Influence

 Without an audience media wouldn't exist or have the impact that it does in daily life. I'll be completely honest, I really wasn't sure what media measurements were prior to researching it and I never thought about how crucial ratings are to media's existence. I think the biggest challenge today for media is adapting to how consumers view or utilize the content. For example, it's much more common in today's culture to watch TV from a mobile phone or the internet than from an actual television screen. That changes ratings and how ratings are measured. For the purpose of this blog I'm going to focus mainly on television measurements.

Television (Nielson Media Research)

Network television viewings are managed by the Nielson Media Research measurement service. They use a people meter; a meter that is attached to about 5,000 homes across the country, every time someone tunes into a program it's measured and tells the network. This whole idea of being "measured" is crazy. It's like a whole new world I never knew existed! According to the Strategic Media Decisions textbook 2nd edition, the findings from the meters are used to project program ratings, audience size and characteristics for network shows. According to the textbook there has been some controversy with Nielson and their practices, evidence has shown that their ratings measure programs and not commercials. The whole point is for advertising commercials to be seen and truthfully how many people really sit and watch commercials? (unless it's Super Bowl Sunday!) The textbook also states that advertisers spent between $60 and $70 billion on television ads alone. Quite a bit of money for commercials! Personally, I know I am not one to watch commercials, I change the channel as soon as an ad shows up. 

Problems?

The textbook mentions some issues that Nielson has with their measurements and the impact of them. Truthfully, I think there are some good points that get brought up. (all of these points come from the textbook which was published in 2008 so these issues are pulled from that year)

1) In 2008, Nielson was making some changes in how they used their meters, every change that is made in how viewings are measured has a great impact. It can increase ratings or decrease them. This begs the question, can a measurement company "play" or "tweak" the viewings to their benefit so they can spend more money on advertising? How reliable are the ratings? 

2) In some cases, it's programs that are rated not commercials. The commercials is what is advertised not the actual network show. People (like myself) are more than capable of tuning into their program and as soon as a commercial comes on they change the channel. But because of how Nielson measures the ratings the meters count when a remote clicks into a channel even if it's when the program is on. Not the commercial. This leads to another question, are advertisers really utilizing their money wisely on where they place ads?

I don't have answers to these questions but they're very thought provoking about how reliable the measurements truly are. I just thought it was interesting and definitely made me think beyond just retaining information! I also think it can help us get more creative in how we advertise and where commercials are placed! 

Changing Times

I think it's interesting to also consider the changing times that we live in now as it relates to media. According to a study on Nielson's website they show this image which states that only 50% of viewers actually view programs from a television. 30% use a computer or a mobile device, 9% use mobile and 11% watch TV and use mobile. Half only watch TV from their homes. I think that definitely influences ratings because there's more to measure than just homes. In my mind, media is the best industry because it constantly evolves to match the changing times.

Nielson's website has this information on their website, the top 10 television shows (prime time) each week. A great resource for advertisers and knowing where ads fit! http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/top10s/television.html

Audiences make or break media. The industry is a puzzle of constantly evolving and adapting to ever changing viewing audiences and achieving success.

The "Big" Stage

Ravens' Quarterback Joe Flacco

49ers Quarterback Colin Kapernick 

49ers 

Vs.

Ravens

Football's Biggest Stage

February might mean the hope of spring for some people, or basketball season beginning in full swing, but for people like me, it means the Super Bowl and all the hype that comes with it. As a true football fanatic, everything about the sport's biggest game excites me. The ads, the players, teams, coaches and fans. The game has evolved into a part of America's culture. The Super Bowl is where dreams are captured or lost, it's where football players compete for sport's immortality. I love everything about it. This weekend on Feb 3rd, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens will get the chance to play on football's biggest stage and become a part of one of the biggest media events of our culture. It truly has become more than a game. It's a time for ordinary men to chase greatness, and for dreams to come true. It's also when media is shown at its finest through commercials, sports commentaries, coverage and advertising. It's greatness.

The Commercials & Hype

The Super Bowl is by far more than just a game. Not only do sports teams get to compete for glory but media takes on a whole new competitive edge. The hype is unmatched. The commercials themselves are their own form of a "super bowl" it's like the media is competing in its own game to win the public's attention. It's gotten increasingly more and more expensive (almost outrageously in my opinion, but of course that's what keeps the industry in business) as the years have gone by. According to a website called "Business Insider" in the sports page section, 1995 was the first year the a 30 second super bowl commercial slot cost $1 million! Since then it's increased to $3 million last year! This picture breaks down the costs from year to year for a 30 second slot.

Super Bowl Ad costs throughout the years.

Okay, so now that there's this breakdown chart of what the Super Bowl ads cost. Here lies the question. Why? What's the point? Well, the Huffington Post states that last year's game was one of the highest rated with 111.3 million tuning in for the major sporting event. The four quarters of football clearly have become one of the best advertising outlets for media today. With that many viewers how can media not get their message across? It's really a perfect sales pitch if you ask me. Personally, I am WAY more likely to pay attention to commercials when it's during my favorite game of the year cheering on some men in football uniforms!

Media's Big Stage    

The Super Bowl is immortal. It idolizes the players who play the game, the coaches who teach it and the commercials that help make the game complete. Media doesn't only use their ads as a way to capture the game but the coverage and commentators. I think in a lot of ways the Super Bowl demands attention and the audiences are way more likely to pay attention during those ads then any other day. It's the biggest stage for football, sports and media. It's immortalizes those involved. One of our biggest days in America. I mean every Super Bowl Sunday, my phone is turned off and I am locked in for the duration of that game. It's like time stops. Maybe that makes me  a crazy sports fan or maybe I'm just one of the millions who get caught up in all the "hype." 

I don't think any Super Bowl blog post would be complete without some commercials. Without further ado here is the top ten Super Bowl commercials from 2011 on superbowlcommercials.com. I have to say endless entertainment! It's not all about football on Super Bowl day! http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/2873.html

Through the Years

    Media is a crucial part of our culture, especially social media. It's become our way of communicating and truthfully it's become one of the most persuasive and influential aspects of our society. We thrive off of staying "in the know" and having information at a moment's notice.

   Media and our culture wasn't always this way, we used to be elated over talking on the telephone or listening to a radio broadcast. A textbook called Strategic Media Decisions explains major changes that media has experienced through the years. It's changed, it is more accessible and it's a social outlet as well as an information source. We survive off of media. Through the years it's evolved from creating the printing press to Facebook, and Twitter taking over. In a lot of ways, media has become more and more influential.

   I will be the first to admit I love media and social media specifically. I love having access to information in the blink of an eye and I love the "popularity" social media gives you. However, I do think that media has more of an influence now than it ever did years ago. Today, advertisements, daily news, and television have become major ways of influencing homes and decisions. A yahoo article called "media influence in our society," talks about how our culture is so accustomed to technology, and media and the way it is a major aspect of our society. It's ironic how something like the printing press opened the door for mass media becoming en-grained in our everyday lives. We can't even turn on the tv or listen to the radio without media having some impact on thought or action.

  I love media. I love that it impacts our culture, however sometimes it's interesting to take a look back through the years and see how media has developed into a major aspect of our culture.

This youtube video really captures where media started and what it has evolved to throughout the years and paints a picture of how much of an influence it has over our society. We thrive off of media and our culture has been built around it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm5Zgkwnp_g

Life Lately...

God is constantly so unbelievably good and faithful. I can't get enough of His love! Lately, things have been adjusting back into a semi-normal routine with school starting back up. Zi is back at school with me which is great since I need to get him back in shape for show season. This is my last semester at BHE which I really can't believe.

I was thinking a lot about that today... for three semesters I have been at this school where I have faced one of the most difficult trials of my life and yet one of the most beautiful seasons of my life. God has done more than I ever could have fathomed and He has refined me and grown me in ways I never imagined. As I look to the future and what next year holds, I don't get scared or overwhelmed because I am so confident in the fact that God has a plan and will give me the strength for wherever He calls me to go. All I desire is to be where He wants me to be.

On the horse front, things have been fantastic... Zi is coming along better than I had hoped and I'm really excited to see about some shows this summer and trying to market myself as a trainer. I just want to keep working unceasingly in this horse industry and see what God does. If I am confident of anything, it is that He has called me to be a light and a witness within the equine world and that is where He has gifted me. I often feel so unworthy of being used by the Lord and I am so thankful for His amazing grace and unending love. This is the desire of my life: If I have to go through trial or critiscism or hardship and God is seen through that and someone comes to know Him then everything is worth it. That is eternal. That matters more than any horse show or training job or colleg because at the end of my life all I want is to be in my savior's arms and be able to worship and praise him constantly
. I am so thankful for what God is doing and I am so excited to see where He takes me in these coming months! Surrender is beautiful.

Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

I Am not my Own

I am officially on Christmas Break! A whole month away from school, I get to be at home with the family and I also get a blessed chance to catch up with friends whom I haven't seen for a few months. I love this restoration and rejuvenation period God blesses us college kids with! :)

Lately, most of my time has been taken up with riding and working Zi (He needs to stay in shape with the month away from school, next semester starts our show season!), working out, hanging with the family and dear friends, working, and spending time in the Word. I love having no time contstraints and able to sit with my Bible and journal and write, pray and read for endless minutes. In addition to this semester closing out... there is the overwhelming and ever present question of "what am I going to do next year?" Blackhawk is a two year program school and next year I am either transferring on to another 4 year university to get my bachelor's degree in animal science (equine emphasis) or going straight to work in the training industry. Needless to say, I have absolutely no idea what next year is going to encompass. But I do know this. I am not my own. My choices are not going to be made based on what I want but on what God has for me.

I've spent a lot of my journaling time and time in prayer reflecting on my life and on the passions God has given me and on what God is doing in my heart. Right now, this is what I know. I am passionate about training horses and teaching people and horses...I love working with horses others don't always understand and I love the complexity and beauty of the discipline of dressage. I love being around people, I love loving people.. I love being there for others and I love doing whatever I can to help others. I love to love! More than anything else, I love Jesus Christ and everything I do reflects Him and the call He has placed on my life. I live to glorify Him. I am not my own.

Currently, I am planning on applying to West Texas A&M and Oklahoma State University for next year and hopefully being apart of their horse judging and equestrian teams. However, I have no idea where I will actually end up. Just as the Israelites laid out their fleece overnight prior to battle to see what God would do; I am laying out my fleece and waiting to see what God reveals. I could end up at another college far from home... yes, being away from home would be so incredibly difficult. However, my infinate fear in life is that I make choices to live comfortably, to do what is easy. I know God calls me to be uncomfortable, to trust Him so completely that I am unafraid to put myself in situations that cause discomfort. Wherever God calls me to next year, I will follow. I long to be a woman who is so lost and consumed with the Lord that I without hesitation go where He leads me.

He has opened doors for me in the horse industry in ways that I never would of imagined... I pray to one day have a ministry where I can work with people and horses and serve the Lord. I want to be used by Him. I have been placed at Blackhawk to be used by Him and to be put in an uncomfortable situation so that He can refine me. There is no part of myself that is my own. All of me is completely and utterly Christ's.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Trust

I know I have been bad at this whole updating thing, which is my fault because I have allowed myself to get way too busy at school. I think everything that God did in my life when I was in San Diego this summer has completely carried over into this school year.

I started this semester with an excitement to see what God would do, I was focused and ready for judging at the two biggest contests of my career the Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA World show. Looking back.. it makes me so sick to my stomach to think that I doubt God sometimes and His plan. At the beginning of the semester, I once again allowed fear and doubt to creep into my mind and I kept listening to satan's lies of "you aren't good enough; why would you even try?" I tried to do things on my own and I was consumed with the idea of perfection. In my mind, in order to be used I had to be at this amazing perfect place spiritually and I had to have it all together.

I wonder if God finds humor in our human ways of thinking. How could I ever try to be enough for the creator of the universe and pretend like I am capable on my own? How ridiculous is that!? Anyway, at the Congress I completely caved and crumbled... I made everything about me and lost my focus. After that trip to Ohio, God showed up in ways that I still am in awe of. He used my judging coach and his wife to minister to me and speak to my heart in a way that could only be the Holy Spirit. It was as if this curtain was lifted from my eyes and I realized who I am and why I'm here. I am Christ's. I have been living in the shadow of doubt for way too long... now is the time to be and to choose to be who God has called me to be. I don't have to be in a "perfect" place spiritually to be used by Him. The truth is, I don't have it all together and I am absolutely nothing without Christ and that is why I am so content. Because of my Lord:) This semester has been refining my character and brought me to a new intimacy with the Lord that I never knew was possible. I've learned to rely on Him in ways that I've never had to before.

I don't know where I'm going to be next year... I don't know where I'll end up. I don't know how I'll pay for next year. But I trust that God has it planned out and I know He will provide and no matter what I will be more than okay because I am His. I feel like right now I'm really being called by Him to go and try to find a job working for a trainer near the Chicagoland area next year...which is so different from what all my peers are telling me but who am I to doubt God's call for my life? I will give my all and work my butt off in this horse industry and to try and find a trainer to work for and establish a business and allow myself to be used in the horse world because that is the passion God has given me and where He has called me to be. I will not be moved. I am standing on the Rock of Christ and I work, I breathe, I live, I love, my heart beats entirely for serving Him.

I love how God works. I love this constant and beautiful journey of life that constantly brings us closer to His heart.

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

How He Loves

Today was just entirely God filled and beautiful. A perfect summer day.

I woke up at 7am went and rode Zi (who was amazing today! He's been having a lot of mental moments lately and I'm learning more and more how to ride with the sensitivity and precision he needs which is a great learning experience for me) and then I went and spent the rest of my day with Courtney and Elizabeth. Those two girls are blessings in my life. God is just so evident in our friendship and I see elements of Him in both of them.

I can't put into words how overwhelmed with God's love I feel right now.. it's like I'm bubbling over with passion, excitement, and joy of how He loves, how He works. who He is and how He blesses. It takes my breath away. As we sat in Elizabeth's backyard, soaking up the sun's final afternoon rays; we spilled our hearts and just talked and talked about what God is doing in our lives and how blessed we are to have each other. It's in moments with dear best friends like that that I think to myself how incredible heaven will be! As we sit in the LORD'S prescence surrounded by a fellowship and community of believers and bask in His love. It gives me chills just thinking about it :)

I was reminded today of Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am GOD." or in other versions: "Cease striving and know that I am GOD." How powerful is that scripture? Cease, be still and know who our Savior is and bask in that. I feel like life's pages turn so quickly.. I just got back from working in San Diego...I come home and I go back to school in two weeks.. football season is starting so Dad and Nathan (my brother) are busy (my dad is a head football coach at a large high school in Naperville, IL and my brother is a sophomore in high school plays for him) with two-a-days starting tomorrow and the first game being two weeks from Friday.. my mom is busy at her new job as a women's ministry director at our church. I am realizing how crucial it is to take the time to just cease all striving and be still before my Lord. His voice is all that matters and He longs and desires for us to seek Him, to bask in His love, and just be with Him. He fills us and when He fills us He uses us as lights to a dark world. I just love it. I love to love. I love His love. I will constantly be striving to be closer to Him.

I also think as I continue pursuing my career in the horse/dressage industry where I feel the Lord leading me.. I desire to have a ministry and to be able to share my faith and passion for God. I just love Him. There is no other words to use to describe it, I love horses because that is where God has gifted and called me and when I'm riding or working at the barn I see it as a form of worship. I desire to work at it, to give my all, to learn, to never give up because it's what God has called me to and it's just another way to experience intimacy with God and His love. I will never stop being in awe of His love.

How He loves :) Praise His name for that!!

As I head back to school a week from Thursday I just pray that God gives me the strength to keep my focus on Him, on growing in Him and on working hard to pursue dressage and continuing to train Zi.. including working out on a regular basis and staying fit enough to ride him with the precision that dressage requires. I just pray for that focus. And more than anything I pray that the schoolyear doesn't become about me.. as I compete in horse shows, judging contests and go to class, ride Zi, send out resumes for a job with a dressage trainer I pray that it does not become about me. That all of my desires remain rooted in the Lord and where He is calling me. That is my heart.

I just love how He loves :)

Pressing On

Today the verse Philippians 3:14 has just resignated in my heart.

I've been back in good ol' Aurora, IL for three days now and in that time I have just reflected my summer in San Diego and what God did and how He is continueing to work in my heart. I was thinking today how crazy it is that after my last year at Blackhawk I'll be 20 and trying to pursue training, dressage, horses and possibly being a working student for a big name trainer somewhere. I was thinking how I so desperately want a ministry reaching people in the horse industry and around the world and how is are all of those dots supposed to connect together!?

I think sometimes I really just need to be slapped upside the head... I praise God for His patience with me! God knows the plans He has for my life. I should be unashamed of dreaming big and chasing after those dreams with everything I have because He is the one who has placed those dreams of making a difference in the horse industry, of having a ministry, of serving Him, of training and riding horses and loving and reaching people in my heart. He has given me those dreams. Who am I to start worrying about what others may think of that? It doesn't matter. Only God's call for my life matters. That is what I cling to continously. So as I was reading my bible today Philippians 3:14 just echoed in my soul:

I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I press on, I dream, I live, I desire, to be with my Savior and I press on towards the dreams He has given me. I don't care what anyone else says... I'm listening to the only voice that matters :)

A heart's desire

I apologize for not keeping this updated the way I was intending before I left. Unfortunetly I didn't have internet access at the place I've been staying in San Diego. Well, after 5 weeks I am sitting in the San Diego airport waiting for my flight back to Chicago. These past weeks have gone by unimaginably quick and the Lord has done work in my life that I didn't expect... and a heart's desire has become even more ignited.

To start, Steffen and Shannon Peters' 60 stall facility is beyond gorgeous.. my kind of heaven on earth :) everything is state of the art yet horse friendly and people friendly. The people who board, train, and work there are genuine and inviting and loving. The goal of the facility is about becoming one day better every session and about making average riders and horses into something that is fantastic. The horses are incredible. The calibur of training and riding is inconvievably great. I spent everyday Mon-Fri waking up at 6am to go to the barn until 4pm .. my trainer had two horses at SP's barn (her up and coming Grand Prix horse and a lower level client's mare) so I would groom, handwalk, tack up, bathe, clip, clean tack ect. I also took care of the horses' feed everyday and supplements. I basically did whatever was needed for Nichole (my trainer) and the people at the barn. I also got to watch Steffen, Shannon and the other three trainers at the facility ride every morning. The first morning I as there I watched Steffen ride Weltino's Magic (his I1 horse) and Ravel. Needless to say it was amazing. I just love how Steffen and Shannon train.. it is so natural and makes so much sense. I think I've learned more about training and dressage in the last 5 weeks than I ever have! I can't wait to start working with Zi on everything I've learned :)

From the very first day I set foot in the barn I was overcome with temptations and desires. Temptations of making everything about me and what I wanted out of this and desires of success and the opportunity to ride, and train with these people. The desire and jealousy of wishing I could afford a fancy, flashy moving horse like other girls my age who rode at Steffen's barn. I felt myself succoming to these thoughts, desires and temptations and then about 2 days after I had gotten to san diego I had a phone conversation with my dear friend Elizabeth and I as telling her all of this and she said "Kayla I have never heard you sound like this. where is the passion? since when do you care about fame, ribbons or money? Why are you limiting God?" I listened absolutely stunned. She was right. God used her to give me a wake up call that I so desperately needed. That night I read John 11:4 When he heard this, Jesus said "this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified through it." It suddenly hit me that I had been called to San Diego and SP's barn this summer to only glorify God, work my butt off, give my best every single day even when I didn't feel like it, and love and serve those around me. My prayer going into the trip had been that it wouldn't become about me and I realized how difficult that was truly going to be.

Ever since I was little horses have been the one area of my life where I have been tempted to not put God first. This summer was so much more than just being around horses and learning from the best rider in the dressage industry. It was learning and choosing to keep God first and have my desires wrapped up in serving Him alone.

After that phone call with Elizabeth my focus changed. It was as if God has spoken through her and filled me with Himself and reminded me that the only reason I exist is to glorify Him. Every day I woke up and read scripture and made a minute by minute choice to put Him first NOT my desires. As the weeks wore on I experienced ups and downs.. encouragement, discouragement, fatigue, exhaustion, elation, homesickness. But about two weeks in to the trip I realized how much I loved what I was doing. I loved being around horses all day. I loved the people I was around. I loved San Diego. I just loved being able to be at a barn all day and work with horses. I loved the opportunity God had given me. It was as though God brought me back to the simplicity of a little girl's love for a horse. That was all it was about. Yes, I was still tempted to put my desires first but God molded and worked on my heart and I can truly say that I learned what it meant to consciously choose to put God first. He is enough. He is my life. I am so passionate about that.

I have missed home and am so glad to be with my family but I feel like these last 5 weeks I have learned to rely on the Lord in ways I never have before. He is all I have. He has sustained me. I have had thoughts recently of "where will things go from here? Lord I feel like you are calling me to a career in the dressage industry but where do I go after this year? Is my horse even good enough to be successful in this?" And the answer that I keep getting back is God saying "Kayla no you don't know everything.. you don't have the answers. But trust me anyway." That is what I am clinging to.

I do feel as though God has used these past 5 weeks to teach me how to be around horses 24/7 yet still put Him first and He has affirmed that this is the industry and ministry and call He has for my life. I don't know what that will look like a year from now... I don't know if my horse will make it to high levels of dressage. But this is what I do know.. what has become so infinitely clear this past month: God is bigger. He has a plan. He has given me a horse that is perfect for me because God gave him to me and I am so thankful for that and will work everyday to be one day better, my horse means the world to me... I trust in the Lord's plan. I have a heart's desire to serve Christ and be used by Him no matter where that takes me or what it will look like. Who knows, I could end up back permanently in San Diego, CA. But my heart's desire is first and foremost to seek after my Lord and become one day closer to Him all the time and the rest of my life will fall into place as I seek His plan. There is no room for doubt anymore.. for too long I have been living in fear and afraid to admit what I am passionate about and afraid to run after it. No more. Once again God has taught me another lesson in being fearless :) That is my heart's desire that has ignited into a burning fire this past month... to glorify God and serve Him and be used. I am alive with passion and ready to go give my best at Blackhawk this year. Because I am called to.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart

Rainy days

Today is a rainy, dreary day and I love it.

I always love rainy days because it gives me an excuse to stay in the house armed with a journal and a pen and spend time talking with God and writing out my feelings. It's just awesome. There is nothing better than resting in the Lord's prescence. I've been realizing how important it is for me to spend daily time in the Word.. and not just "read it just to read it time" but reading the Word and seeking after the Lord and hanging out with Him. God just wants our heart and too often I find myself too busy or not taking the time to just hang out with Him. I mean honestly think about it, the creater of the universe wants to hang out with US!! How crazy is that!? I know that I am so undeserving. I am realizing more and more that my devotions need to be so much more about spending time with the Lord instead of just putting in my bible time for the day. I was thinking about it this way... God is everything.. He is my friend, father, lover and what makes me who I am.. it's a relationship. Every relationship must be invested in. I want to invest my all in growing in my relationship with God. I want to take that quiet time every day to acknowledge who He is and rest in that.

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am GOD

On a different note, I had a pretty cool session with Zi today. It was too wet to ride so I decided to spend some time playing with him. He has been wanting to start cantering or go fast everytime I ask him for the circling game. He'll rush off and race around me but everytime I'd ask him to yield his hindquarters away from me he would stop and prick his ears and get so excited. For some reason the past two days it just hasn't clicked as to why this new behavior has started.. he's normally such an introverted horse that I was surprised at this outward show of extrovert. It hit me like a brick today. He's playing with me. I felt like I'd just been hit over the head with a 2x4.. he just wants to play and so I started making things more interesting and letting him canter off during the circle and he loved it. For the first time this horse actually let me see his play drive that he has tried for so long to keep hidden. He is a very complex horse that has many layers to his personality and is so sensitive.. and the way he tries to play is almost "awkward" or "different" in comparison to the LBE Magi. I'm learning more and more how to have the feel and precision to play with a horse like Zi and today it came true on the ground and it's all carrying over under saddle. I love it!

...rainy days are my favorite :)

Psalm 46

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Sweet, Beautiful, Surrender

I apologize for not updating this for so long. To say things have been busy is an understatement.. but I need to update this. I must write about how God has and is working, how He has grown me and changed me and the doors he has opened have been incredible and humbled me.

This past school year has been difficult, heartbreaking, amazing, revealing, and full of new beginnings and moving on from the past. At the start of the year I went to Blackhawk and really struggled with the environment there.. I felt alone like no one else respected or shared my faith and I got lost in being scared and shriveled into a shell of fear. I could not be confident. It showed. I did not improve as much with Zi.. my horse judging seemed to be held back because I couldn't confidently mark a card and more than that I felt stagnant in my relationship with God. I remember calling my parents.. my brother and my closest friends and pouring out feelings of lonliness, frustration and confusion. How could God be asking me to stay somewhere where I was all alone? I wasn't improving with horses.. I felt like a failure and fear had taken over every part of me.

Over Christmas break I thrived being surrounded and fellowshipping with people who shared my passion for the Lord. As break drew to an end I really struggled with not wanting to return to school. I didn't want to go back to that feeling of discouragement and lonliness and the feeling of not being close to my Lord. I wanted what was comfortable and safe. Then it was as if God just woke me up and said "Kayla, listen to me. Trust me. I am with you and that is all that matters." I had been reading through Hebrews and as I read Hebrews 11 a chapter that talks in depth about faith, God spoke to my heart. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we do not see. It hit me like a brick that I had only been thinking about me, I needed to walk by faith. God had called me to Blackhawk but not for the reasons I had originally thought.

I returned to school second semester with an entirely new perspective. My circumstances were not changing. However, God has opened my eyes to the fact that I am at Blackhawk to be used by Him, to be a light and to let Him grow and stretch and refine me in ways that I had never imagined possible. He called me to Blackhawk to be different and grow closer to Him. I learned to be alone and to find comfort in that because God is enough. He is my everything and even if I didn't feel it, He is always with me. That changed everything.. because of Him I can let go of my fear and when there is less of me He is able to work in ways that make me in awe of who He is. I choose to walk by faith and when I do my perspective changes. My heart is burdened for those who live their life in sin... I want to plant eternal seeds and live my life for Christ so others can see who He is. This school year I have learned what it means to live in the world but not be of it. I have learned once again how to be fearless and have reached a place of complete surrender. My life is God's. I relenquish control. He is everything to me and has filled up my heart and I have fallen so much more deeply in love with Him. I never want to be stagnant in my relationship with Him.. I always want to want to be wanting to be closer my Lord. That is my prayer and heart especially as I return to school in the fall.

God has opened many doors for me this semester... It has always been my prayer that if the horse industry is where He wants me that it would be affirmed and that He would give me a ministry. I do not want this to become about me. I pray that if it does He would take it away. This summer... God has given me an opportunity that I never expected, my trainer Nichole is going to San Diego, CA to train and work with Steffen Peters one of the most decorated dressage riders right now. At first, I didn't think that I would be able to intern or work with Nichole over the summer like I had originally planned. I had no idea what to do, I was upset.. so thrilled for her opportunity but unsure how my summer would go. I sought after God's plan and committed Jeremiah 29:11 to my heart and waited for what He had in store. A couple weeks after learning of Nichole's plans to go to CA she called me and asked me a question I'll never forget, "do you want to come with me?"

Since then.. God has worked out every detail and plainly showed me that this is what He has in store this summer. I will be going with Nichole to work with and learn from Steffen Peters in San Diego, I leave in two weeks. I am so excited, humbled, scared, nervous, and giddy. Yes, there are doubts and uncertainties that threaten to overtake my mind but God is bigger. I am choosing to walk by faith and pursue the path He has laid before me. There is no room for fear. I want to go and do my best for Him because that is what I am called to do. This is a dream come true and I am so thankful for what He is doing. I just want to go and give my best, this is a chance of a lifetime to learn from one of the most elite riders in the world right now. I know that this is only of God and who am I to allow fear to overtake me? I choose to let go of fear, there is no room for doubt. I no longer want to give in to the "what if I'm not good enough?" because I want to be confident in who I am in Christ and allow Him to give me the strength to pursue this opportunity. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Zi will be staying at home for the five weeks I am gone, hopefully a friend will be riding him for me to keep him in shape. He has improved dramatically.. in some ways he isn't even the same horse I bought a year ago. His muscle pattern has changed and his personality is more pronounced. He is a very emotional horse (typical right brain introvert/extrovert) but is so sensitive and rewarding to work with because when I get it right he tries so hard. Under saddle, he carries himself in a rounded dressage frame and is able to stay light in my hands. Hopefully, there are some big things in store for him :)

These past several months God has grown, matured and stretched me. I have come to a place of surrender... sweet, beautiful surrender that allows for more intimacy with Christ. I am thankful for the hardships and trials of the past months because brokenness brings us to our knees and to a state of surrendrance. I love that. If my trials bring me closer to Christ, then I am thankful for that. I am so excited to see how He continues to grow me in the upcoming months. I am not called to be comfortable.. as Francis Chan would say, we are called to trust God so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through. That is the kind of faith I am striving for and will always be seeking.

Jeremiah 29:11

Hebrews 11:1

2 Corinthians 5:7