365 People Photos: Number 128 -- A Horse and His Girl

Kirsten and Magic are off to a great start. Today she rode him for the first time since we bought him. God is so very kind!

365 People Photos: Number 110 ~ A Girl's Best Friend

God has made our Kirsten (age 20) such an animal lover that recently she lugged our long, lanky mutt, Bella, out on the deck to view a particularly beautiful sunset.

365 People Photos: No. 73 ~ An Orphan's Dream Come True

When we adopted Kirsten three years ago, she communicated through our translator while we were still in her homeland of Russia that she yearned to have horses be part of her new life. We didn't immediately know how to make that happen, but we certainly knew out hearts longed to make her dream come true.

After we got home we started asking around and learned of a wonderful trainer. Kirsten began taking periodic riding lessons before she could even speak English.

Today I was blessed to have the opportunity to take some of Kirsten's senior pictures with the horse she rides for her lessons. Although this photo doesn't have the usual qualities of a senior picture, it is one of my favorites from today's shoot. Kirsten is a deep thinker and a courageous young woman. For this mama, this photo captures my beloved daughter's willingness to dream big dreams.