Stuart Little drove off into the sunset and Admiral Boone marched his way into our hearts.

After six years of faithfully walking and trotting with countless children, Stuart has just begun the latest chapter in his lifelong adventure.  His new home is a beautiful farm in the North Georgia Mountains.  His family came complete with 7 horse friends, 5 dogs to pal around with, and 6 smiling children to love! Even though he is no longer at Storybook Farm, he is still doing what he does best – teaching the little ones to ride. 

Stuart quickly made friends with the farm’s beagle/toy poodle puppies.  He noted that they are intelligent yet quite comical looking.  One of them in particular was very interested in Storybook’s ministry.  Stuart told him, “You just have to go there and see it for yourself.” As we were waving goodbye, a face appeared in the rearview mirror.  Enter Admiral Boone, who wagged his tail all the way to our home. 

Through the snow on our white Christmas, Stuart was able to send his love and some highlights of the past few weeks. He has been happily trotting around and wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s a little bit chilly for him being up on top of that mountain, but he has finally overcome his fear of heights.

Check in later for the next installment in Stuart Little’s drama.   

Breaking News:

Atticus Finch has filed his last brief at Storybook Farm.

After five years of serving on Storybook Farm’s legislative counsel, Atticus Finch took his law degree down to Auburn University’s Vet School to assist those with legal trouble. His last case at Storybook Farm involved Captain Hook and Tinker Bell.  Although the records are sealed and we don’t know the exact details, we fear there was a domestic dispute between the two. Atticus calmly settled the matter and all remains well at Storybook Farm. We know Atticus will be a valued member of the vet school staff. We will miss him dearly, but we know he will still be there to help on a case by case basis.

P.S. Atticus did leave the number of a family counselor in the off chance Captain Hook and Tinker Bell should ever need it.

Ho Ho Ho  - It’s Christmastime!

It was December 4th   and all of Auburn was abuzz with football fever. (For all you non-football fans, this was the day of the SEC Championship which Auburn won with flying colors of orange and blue.) Somehow Santa was able to negotiate through the traffic in the skies straight to Auburn.  He needed to check in and make sure all the children from Storybook Farm were on the Nice List.  And of course, they were!  While he waited for the reindeer to eat their lunch, he sat down in a big comfy chair at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.  The kids jumped in his lap and shared their Christmas wishes.   

We were fortunate enough this year to receive the North Pole’s coveted e-mail address.  With this, we had a direct connection to all of Santa’s elves and could make sure each Christmas list was received.

You could hardly hear the clamor of reindeer hoofs on the roof because there was so much joy!  Thank you to The Hotel, Santa and Mrs. Claus, dRMagic, and all the Storybook volunteers who made Christmas real that day.    

• Auburn Kiwanis Club for their $500 grant
• The Chambers County 4-H Club for their hard work and generous donation
• The children of Premier Spirit Academy for items from our wish list
• Beta Alpha Psi for their time and items from our wish list

We are so excited about 2011 at Storybook Farm. In the month of January, we have already made several new friends, continue to share our story with others, and are paving the way to another wonderful year of serving those with special needs.

As you pull into Storybook Farm, you will immediately notice our beautifully paved driveway! We are so grateful for East Alabama Paving, Chris Clark Grading & Paving, APAC, Opelika Quarry, Jonquil Garden Club, and the generous individuals who spent time, money, and effort to pave a clean and accessible way to our 4 legged friends. What a blessing!

While Storybook is able to change and enrich lives, we are often, if not always inspired and touched by those that spend any amount of time with us. One of those groups of people that graced us this month was ten Ukrainian orphans ages 6-15. Through an incredible ministry called Bridges of Faith, these children are able to experience love and are taught that each life is significant, especially in God’s eyes. During their visit, they each got to groom and ride, create their own special keepsake, enjoy a yummy lunch from Longhorn Steakhouse, and learn about the power and obedience of horses.

Our friends from East Alabama Mental Health brought ten eager students ages 9-12 to our farm where they met all of our animals, groomed, rode, and painted horseshoes. It was a great experience for all and the students loved getting to ride Captain Hook, Humpty and Gus Gus!  Gus Gus even received a big hug and a kiss from a new friend after a successful ride.

We are very thankful for Dr. Mark Wilson, College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University for bringing his class out to the farm. His students got the grand tour and got to hear our story. These college students are working on a grant to help fund some of our activities. Dr. Wilson, we value your support!

Lucy Little shared Storybook Farm’s mission and ministry with the Auburn University Horseman’s Club and we appreciate anyone that will simply listen to our story and what we do! Thank you for spreading the word!

Storybook is always welcoming new friends and opportunities to its program.  We are pleased to introduce our two Spring interns, Victoria and Jessica. 

<<< Victoria is a senior at Auburn University pursing Human Development and Family Studies.  She has a passion for kids and horses, so Storybook is the perfect end to her college career! 

Jessica is a senior at Columbus State University finishing her degree in Exercise Science.  She has been an advocate for equine assisted activities for the past six years and is ecstatic to spend her last semester of college serving at Storybook. >>>  

Our Newest Horse...

We are thrilled to welcome Gus Gus to our Storybook family as well. Gus Gus is a 15.2 hand paint horse who is especially sweet and just goes with the flow! And of course, we can’t forget his knack for helping Cinderella meet her prince!  Please visit our MEET THE HORSES page for a picture and complete bio of Gus Gus.

<<< Our good friend, Linda Blakely is working this Spring as our “Hope Assistant.”  Linda is brilliant and if there is something you’re not sure about, and Dena’s not around, Linda is your go-to-girl. Thank you Linda!  

We are overflowing with volunteers, riders, and the continued hope that we can make a profound difference in the lives of others.  Thank you to our new friends, our animals, and all of you that work hard to keep our program running.  We are excited about what God is doing and look forward to another great year!  And please don't forget to contribute to our 650hope campaign.