Welcome to my personal favorite section of The Wandering Homesteader, Women of the West! In this part of my blog, I am going to share with you the stories of women who embrace the western lifestyle, love Jesus, and encourage and inspire me. The goal of Women of the West is to encourage and inspire you by sharing the stories of real women and how they celebrate life and overcome the hardships. Saddle up my friends, this is going to be quite the journey!
I wanted to start this section by giving you a bit of a preview of what it will look like by introducing me, The Wandering Homesteader, Sara Sanderson! Going forward, I have questions I send to all of the ladies featured to use as a way to get started telling their story. I went ahead and answered those questions myself, so if you're curious about where The Wandering Homesteader came from, keep reading! =)
Where do you live and how long have you lived there? Where did you grow up?
I have been living in Scottsdale, Arizona for about 4 months now. It was actually my move to Scottsdale, living in a city that made me finally take a step towards creating The Wandering Homesteader! Blogging had been a dream for a long time and when I hit a point where I felt further from my dreams of having horses, my own land, ranching, and all of those things than ever before, I realized that homesteading is so much more than the things you do, but the attitude you have. I grew up on a farm in northern Illinois. As a kid, I spent the summers running around outside, playing with my cousins, and attempting to help dad on the farm. I lived in the country outside a small town until I chose to move off for college. Those small town, country roots are something I cherish. I wouldn’t be the Sara I am today if it wasn’t for my upbringing.
What does homestead mean to you?
In my opinion, homestead is so much more than its definition. The idea of a homestead lifestyle is more than being a good cook, using things of the land, stewarding what we have, taking care of our families, etc. To me, a good homesteader is someone who has embraced where God has planted him or her, planted roots and thrived, whether they are smack dab in the middle of a city or have thousands of acres on a ranch. Homestead is a spirit of doing all the things I listed above, but to me, the location doesn’t matter. It’s about opening our homes and our hearts to people, to share God’s love, and to love people well. It’s a spirit of tenacity, strength, grit, and grace to live abundantly for Christ.
What are some of your favorite things about living a western lifestyle (on a ranch or in the country, small town living, with horses, farming, the community, etc.)?
My favorite thing about the western lifestyle, is just that, it is a lifestyle. It’s what you do. It’s your livelihood. You don’t work 40 hours a week in an office on something that pays the bills and then try to do your hobbies on the side. When you farm, ranch, raise livestock, rodeo, show livestock, or train horses, it’s what you do. I feel closer to God the more I am focused on stewarding what he has given us. The more I am interacting with nature and animals, the more aware I am of God’s goodness and glory. Stripping away the hustle and bustle and noise of the city to sit and listen and smell nature just as God created it is so refreshing to my soul. Whether its horseback in an arena, sitting on a back porch or hiking, I can feel God’s presence so closely when I just stop and listen.
In what ways do you see God in your homestead?
I see God so much in the little things at my current homestead, a duplex in the center of Scottsdale. I see God in the rose bushes outside, so delicate, and yet hardy against the desert heat. I see Him in the artwork of cowboys and horses hanging all over my house. I see Him in the smile of a neighbor when I take a walk in the evening. I see God in the time that I now have, to cook on a daily basis, keep my house clean, and to always have fresh flowers on my table (thank you Trader Joe’s!). I see God mostly in the little details that my dreams are coming true, because He has molded my heart to a place where my dream most of all is to serve Him and love others as Christ loves me.
Who did you learn the most about life from?
There have been many people in my life that have shaped me. I learned to work hard from my parents, both entrepreneurs, care takers of land, and parents who were present at every sports game, play, club activity, doctor’s appointment, and music lesson I ever had. I still am not sure how they managed it all, but they always, always loved my brother and I. I learned about perseverance from my grandma. She helped raise all eight of us grandkids without even breaking a sweat, she’d go from cooking meals, to wiping tears, to gently admonishing us, to giving us a hammer and nails to help us work on a project. Her and my grandfather have always cheered me on, even when I said I was going to ride a horse 3,000 miles across the country. I’ve learned grace from my beautiful friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin, the ones who have loved me unconditionally, even when I’ve been really hard to love. They know who they are, and I am so, so thankful for them!
Who has inspired you?
There have been so many people who have inspired me. My family for sure, the trainers and employers who have taken a chance on me, the people who have encouraged me to chase dreams whether or not they think I am capable, the women I follow on Facebook and Instagram who are out there chasing their own dreams, all the while glorifying God! If you’ve made it this far through this post, you inspire me too! To have such a supportive community keeps me striding forward for the Kingdom of God more than anything else!
What is your favorite memory?
There are many things that stick out in my mind, but I will say two of my favorite memories are:
First, when I was going to a community college back home. My sister in law and my brother would ride with me over to a local ranch and watch me ride a horse I had leased for the semester. I barely had any experience, was terrified to lope, didn’t know what I was doing, but my sister-in-law would patiently coach me, encourage me, and cheer for the little progress I made. My brother, who really doesn’t know much about horses, he excelled at sports all through school and into college, he coaches now, but horses, ehh not his thing, yet he sat patiently for hours, day after day and cheered me on! He would be so excited regardless of if I was doing good or not. I was putting in the effort to learn and that is what mattered to him!
Second, another pivotal moment for me was down in Canelo, Arizona. Mustangs on a Mission was officially launched! We had ridden two days on the Arizona trail, and that weekend we had a send off from the border. My parents flew to Arizona for the event and drove down with my grandparents. Our biggest Arizona cheerleaders and supporters were there. Three of the women had driven down from Tucson, one of whom was letting us stay at her ranch in Canelo. One of the ladies also brought her granddaughter with, who is a photographer, to capture the event! The local cowboy church pastor and his wife also joined us! After our ride that day, we were blessed with a chance to listen to Pastor Steve’s cowboy poetry, his wife Naomi’s music, and just enjoy the beautiful day surrounded by the love of the people who had helped us get started on our journey!
What is a life challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?
Oh boy, I tend to learn the hard way on most things. I’ve made some bad decisions and gotten myself into some bad situations. The hardest challenge I have faced for an extended period of time has been a battle with my health. All throughout my childhood I acted out. I was emotional and did not know how to express that I never felt well. After years of going to the doctor, I was diagnosed with Hoshimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that effects the thyroid and consequently hormones. Once diagnosed, I was not given help on how to manage a disease that caused massive hair loss, weight management issues, and fatigue to the point of not being able to function. Over time, I gave up and felt like it was something I just had to deal with. About 3 years ago, after doing a lot of research and praying for God’s intervention and help, I was at an all-time low. I weighed more than I ever had, was having frequent migraines, and health was not a priority. I wasn’t going to a doctor or on medication. I was out of control. Two friends approached me about the Whole 30 plan, an elimination diet that helps you to find foods that do not react well with your body. For the first time in my life, I stuck to a diet plan. I did the 30-day elimination and found, during the reintroduction phase, that a lot of things cause my thyroid disease to act up! In the past 3 years, I have lost 60 pounds, found ways to exercise that help me feel better, not worse, and find new energy through nutrition. I still take medication and stay under the care of a doctor, but this is the first time I have maintained a decent health status for any length of time. Now I get to use my story of God’s grace and goodness through the trials to help others with autoimmune diseases find ways to manage their triggers!
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from horses or from living in a rural place?
Horses have taught me how to be honest with myself and others about how I am feeling. Young horses, especially mustangs, need to be able to trust us, and if we aren’t consistent or congruent with them, they just won’t. I’ve learned to manage a whole variety of emotions from working with horses on the ground and from their back. Our relationship with them often reflects our relationship with God, so as I train, I often have revelations about who God is and how good He is to me.
Tell us one or two of your favorite stories about ranching, horses, or life in general.
One of my favorite memories being horseback was the first day I rode my horse, Earl, 23 miles on the Arizona Trail. He was the first horse I ever owned. We had more downs than ups it had seemed. Earl was not meant for an arena, and since that’s where I rode him most, I ended up on the ground a lot in the early days. Overtime, I saw that he excelled on the trail, so when it was time for Mustangs on a Mission, he quickly became my go to horse. He never balked at anything and kept right on trucking up the mountains. He was born for it and it was so awesome to see him excel so greatly at something after all the hard times we had.
My second favorite memory was the first time I worked with a young colt for the first trainer I worked for. I was still nervous as all get out around horses, especially ones that didn’t know what they were doing. This trainer always new just how much he could push me to help me grow in my confidence without me totally balking. One day he told me to saddle Earl so we could haul him out with the colts. Now at this point I was confused, because I never rode my personal horses on the job. Well, I saddled him up and we hauled him out and when we got there, he handed me the lead rope for the colt and said okay now pony him around, but whatever you do, don’t let go of the lead rope. At this point in my life, I had no clue what I was doing trying to pony anything other than an old horse. This young stud colt tried to set back and the first thing I did was let go of the lead rope… oops… Instead of getting mad or saying anything at all, this trainer simply walked over to the colt picked up the lead rope and handed it to me. He said okay try it again. From that point on, I was hooked on the training of the colts. I wanted to know every detail and help with everything! His confidence in me allowed me to be confident in myself.
What is your favorite recipe?
I love cooking and baking in general, but lately I’ve been loving cooking up breakfast skillets. One of my favorites is really simple:
1 tablespoon of walnut oil (or avocado, olive, or butter, whatever you want)
1 pound breakfast sausage
2 potatoes diced (I use sweet potatoes a lot as well)
1 bell pepper diced
9 eggs (use more or less depending on how much you’re wanting to cook
¼ cup salsa (again use more or less depending on your preference)
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat the oil or melt the butter in a skillet. I prefer cast iron but it works on anything.
Add the bell peppers and potatoes to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes. Add the breakfast sausage and brown.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add any kind of seasoning you would like, usually I just do salt and pepper.
Once the potatoes, bell peppers, and sausage are cooked, pour the eggs into the skillet with them. Stir constantly while eggs scramble in with the mixture.
Right before eggs are finished cooking, add salsa and stir until salsa is heated through and eggs are cooked.
Enjoy! I love to top with avocado, but you can add sour cream, more salsa, cheese, crushed tortilla, chips, or anything else you’d like!
What is the name of your all-time favorite horse?
It's a toss up between Earl & 99
Alright yall! That's a wrap on me. Thank you so much for joining this journey! I hope you have as much fun with it as I do! As always, I am here if you need me, and please, if you have a woman that has inspired you, let me know so we can celebrate her together on Women of the West!
xo,
Sara
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