“Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.” ~ Bo Bennett

 

Sometimes we don’t need to look for inspiration, it will find us.  As a matter of fact, sometimes you only must open your mind and heart and that inspiration will come, knock on your door and say “Howdy friend.”  This is exactly what happened with my guest today, Marcy.  While she is the author and owner of a blog called “Hotrod Cowgirl.” Now listen up, and don’t be mislead that this is just a blog about fast cars and a talented photographer, writer cowgirl who helps her husband bring them to life. There is sooo much more to it than what meets the initial eye.

When you first meet Marcy on her blog, you will first be taken by her beautiful photos, many of which happen to by of one of the most beautiful places, Pendelton, Oregon.  Once you dig a little deeper you will find out that Marcy not only takes lovely photographs and shares her inspiring words ,she is a cancer survivor. But as I found out through this interview, it would seem that survival is in her genes as is the true spirit of a tried and true cowgirl, to always get back on your horse or as she says it, “Riding Through Life One Horse At A Time…Courage Is Being Scared To Death But Saddling Up Anyway!”. Her positive spirit, enthusiasm, faith and perseverance are a true inspiration, and I hope you will enjoy her blog as much as I do…

Circle up and join me as I welcome Marcy and if oyu are so inclined, please go visit her at Hot Rod Cowgirl.

1)  Shannon: How did you come up with the name for your blog?

Marcy:  I wanted to begin writing a blog and also sharing the various photography that I explore of life here…Hot Rod Cowgirl was a name that seemed natural to me…I have been a Cowgirl all of my life and my husband Wild Bill builds Hot Rods…Hot Rod Cowgirl. It was a fun sort of thing and still is 🙂

2)  Shannon:  Why and when did you start blogging?

 Marcy:  I started blogging a couple of years ago on www.holtonsecretlab.com for our business. I have always been a writer at heart from the time of being a little girl…I used to write short stories for fun in grade school. After losing my parents within a year of each other, I found that my creative juices were blocked and I could not write like I had. Last summer the writer’s spirit was back and so was the creative part. I bought a camera snapping all kinds of pictures with looking for the creative style that was fun…totally me…I wanted to write from my heart and not from a business sense. I talked it over with my hubby and he encouraged me to go with it.

3)  Shannon: Where would we find you now on your blogging journey from where you started?

 Marcy:  I am a bit more secure in putting words out there for the world to see…but I am still learning…I worry and fret at times about saying something right. There have been times when I accidentally post a photo that I already posted…. I do not like using the same image over and over. I love finding the next creative shot or finding the interesting creative style of writing a fun blog entry.

4)  Shannon: You are a survivor of breast cancer and are an advocate for awareness and research funding to battle the awfulness of the disease. How do you see and feel about the experience you have been through?

 Marcy: The morning of my biopsy on February 6^th 2006, I opened my One Year Bible and there in bold letters was the verse we were to take with us to think on for the day.

Psalm 30:2-3

Verse 2-O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.

Verse 3-You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

To me the pit of death was the pit of cancer. From that minute on I knew I would be ok whether it was cancer or not, that God would heal me and I would liveJ This year is my 6^th year of Surviving and Thriving as I call it and I feel great. I often forget that I ever went through breast cancer and the surgeries. It seems a long time ago now and when I hear the word cancer I do not think of myself with it. I see myself as giving hope to the newly diagnosed that yes we can live our lives without allowing cancer to control them. We can live beyond the diagnosis with full lives and declare victory.

5)  Shannon:  You have a passion for photography and the images on your blog are often breathtaking. How have you learned to take such beautiful images?

Marcy:  I have a creative passion with my camera and also with writing the words. I have never taken a photography class or had an instructor show me how to shoot pictures….it comes to me in a natural sense. I see things that others may miss…I find that I am looking for the unusual view or angle with artistic light or creative shot…it is part of me and how God made me to be. We all have individual gifts…often we may think that we do not but we do. Sometimes it takes time and exploring our lives to figure out what creative gift we have been given but it is there. I love to give people “Hope and Faith”…to believe and dream in the impossible…. always I have said under my breath to myself “Where there is a Marcy, Hot Rod Cowgirl, there is a way”…I believe in thinking positive and that God will work “All” things together for good and for us.

6)  Shannon:  Who or what do you find inspiring?

Marcy:  Growing up I found both my parents to be inspiring. My Dad was injured during his Senior year of High School playing football in the early 1930’s. He was the star of the team and was destined to go on playing ball in college. They did not have penicillin then and his leg became infected with ostiomalitus…he almost died from the infection and spent a year in the hospital in Portland Oregon. Without penicillin they treated the infection on his leg with several surgeries where they would scrape the infection off the leg bone. His knee in that leg became stiff and he no longer could bend his leg. Eventually he was able to go on to U of O and fell in love with my Mom…they married and here I am. Growing up I never thought of my Dad as having a handicap as he lived his life…no complaints or feeling sorry for himself. Instead he calf roped and competed in rodeos and he built a successful life running our 800 cattle ranch for over 35 years earning a reputation for being the go to cattle man. He rode horseback almost every day in the summer on the mountain ranch with me as I was either behind him on the trail or beside him moving cattle. I was over 30 years old when it fully hit me that Dad had a disability! He lived a good life with Mom and prospered in the family ranching and farming business and in his personal life. The last time we walked together was three nights before he died here at home. He was wheelchair bound then and we had a lift to help him out of bed. He wanted to go down the road a bit on a beautiful fall night with Bill and I…so we walked as he wheeled and looked at the horses and cows…he pointed out the evening star to us and Venus…it was a beautiful night. I loved my Dad so much….I was so blessed to be his daughter. Mom and Dad were both very tough and lived their lives with strength, faith and hope…I miss them both.

7)  Shannon:  If you were stuck on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring (all your loved ones are with youJ)

Marcy:  My Bible…Mascara…Pen & Paper

8)  Shannon:  What is one thing about you people might be surprised to know/learn about you (Funny or serious)?

Marcy:  My whacky sense of humor in various circumstances. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer…and we decided to do a tram flap reconstruction using my tissue from my lower tummy…I told my friends that I was going to have belly boobs! And when anyone was fearful or worried for me I would say, “Look, it’s just two bumps in the road of life and not a big deal really…it will be ok”.  A week after they performed the double mastectomy and immediate reconstruction they released me from OHSU. Since we lived over 200 miles from home we stayed the first night in Portland. I had several drain tubes yet that my hubby lovingly cleaned twice a day for two weeks…he was and is the most incredible man I knowJ…anyway, once we got to the hotel and in our room I ripped open my shirt and said to my man “Look, if anyone tries anything with us at all I will use these grenades and scare them off”…my drains looked like grenades! We laughed and then fell asleep in each other’s arms. I am a believer in looking at the glass half full and not half empty…and laughter is amazing in how it helps you deal with what ever you are given in this lifeJ

9)  Shannon:  What pearl(s) of wisdom can you leave us with that you suggest to make each day ‘anewfavoriteday?’

Marcy:  Look for the good in your life…the positive…. the humor of life so that you get a good belly laugh…no matter what, keep walking forward in life and know that you can do this. God has said He will never give us more than we can bare…so if we are going through hard stuff we can do it as God said we canJ

“Choose” to believe each day can be A New Favorite Day…My New Favorite Day!

Thanks so much Marcy, for your sharing with us and for all of your inspiration and enthusiasm!