No, "Bonnie" has nothing to do with "Yvonne". My father was Scots, and I'm a "bonnie lass". I grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles when the boom of the space race brought engineers like my father to what was still orange and walnut groves, horse ranches and wheat fields. So it was only natural I entered UCLA as a physics major. But after the first of the engineering downturns, I graduated with a degree in psychobiology. Then I joined Volunteers in Service to America (now AmeriCorps), and returned to graduate school in computer science, which led to a long career in technology. 

 

In 2007, I  returned to grad school, this time for a master's degree in Information Technology. For two years all I did was work, study, write papers and take exams. But it's done ! I graduated in May 2009 with a 4.0 GPA. I don't know how I'd have done it without David's incredibly patient support.

 

Through it all there have been horses. My high school buddy and I would scour the neighborhood for horses needing exercise. I cleaned stalls for riding lessons. I braided and groomed for show fees. I finally owned my first horse in my early 20's, an Oldenburg first half-leased from a friend. After riding other people's green horses in 14 years at Foxfield, I started my own Thoroughbred, and left hunter/jumpers for Three Day Eventing. That led to dressage, working our way up to USDF 4th Level.

 

Along the way, I met and married my wonderful husband, David, and we raised an imaginative and highly gifted son, Quinlan. When our tiny tot wanted to ride my 17h Trakhener colt, we faced the inevitable and bought him a pony, which also made inevitable years of grooming for him at horse shows, from pony classes to Pony Club (I even became a District Commissioner), to eventing Beginner Novice through Young Riders and Preliminary.

 

Now Q is grown and on his own. I have his wonderfully talented Thoroughbred and my young Irish Sport Horse. Life has thrown us a few challenges recently, but I'm hoping to get back to them soon.

 

David and I have found a beautiful spot in the San Antonio Valley in south Monterey county to one day retire with our horses. The Valley I knew is gone, but we have a new valley where we can ride again without traffic or encroaching development, at least for a while yet. Come visit when you have the chance.