All By Herself

The Princess spends a lot of time in a onesie these days.  Why, you ask?  Because she can take normal clothes off and streak across the house and pee on the floor.  Bet you'll think twice about asking me "why" again!

She also runs warm, like her momma.  In the dead of winter, I hang around the house barefoot in shorts and a tank top, except for the odd times when I catch a chill.  For her whole life, The Princess has been like me in this way.  99% of the time, she is perfectly happy to run around with bare arms and legs.

Today, though, it apparently got a bit chilly for my little one.  So, (drumroll, please), she dug through her room, found a pair of stretch pants, and put them on.  By herself.  Okay, so they were inside-out.  And they didn't even come close to matching her ever-present onesie.

But she put them on.  All by herself.

That was the best darned phone call I think I've ever gotten at work.  I'm so proud of my baby!

Chuggin' On Through

English class: done.

Math class: done.

Ethics class: done.

Just the art appreciation final to go, and then no school for a month!  Bit by bit, I'm chuggin' my way through this associates degree, and I'm feelin' pretty darned good about myself right now.

P.S. Check it out...I got through an entire post without babbling, swearing or bitching.

Real or Fake?

Real or fake: that's the question that's buzzing around my FB page today regarding this very picture.  I find it interesting that everyone's initial reaction is to think, "That must be fake."

Here I am to assure you all that, cross my heart, this picture is real.  I'd never seen such a well-defined snowflake in my life until this morning, which is why I immediately ran for the camera.  This photo has not been touched up, airbrushed, or otherwise faked in any way.

The beauty of nature is simply amazing at times, isn't it?

Omigosh...I'm Actually Posting A Blog!

It's been a while, I know.  For that, I apologize.

Rest assured that everything is going well at our little yellow house.  I'm working full-time now (40 hours a week), in addition to going to school full-time.  My current semester will be done within the next couple of weeks, after which I'll have about a month off from school.  A month in which I plan to relax and spend as much time as I can with The Hubbs and The Princess before starting it all over again.

The spring semester should hopefully go more smoothly.  While I'm maintaining good grades, this semester's schedule is a bit much for me.  In the spring, I'll switch to what seems like a better schedule.  I'll attend classes on campus on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with one online course that will be done from home in my spare time (ha!).

The good news is that I should be set to graduate next December if all goes as planned. 

***

Now onto the reason that you're all here...The Princess!  We recently had our first parent-teacher conference at her school, where she wowwed us with her progress.  The short version of the story is that The Princess is making leaps and bounds at school, which is also becoming apparent at home. 

Still no speech, but she has many more sounds now than she did even a few months ago.  Recently, she's been playing around with her "p," "b," "k," and "g" sounds.  Sorry, no sound bytes, but you can believe me when I say its a-freaking-dorable.

The grand Mrs. G. also thinks The Princess is ready to start transitioning to a longer school day, which we're all pretty excited about.

The Princess has been a cuddly little lady of late, and I wouldn't trade that for the world.  Her eye contact and demeanor have improved amazingly in just the last few months, a fact that became increasingly apparent at our last family gathering at Nana and Grampy's house on Thanksgiving.

This past Thursday, The Princess was a rock star.  She ran and stimmed, played and giggled, looked people in the eye, and even grabbed one of her great aunties - whom she has not seen in nearly a year - and pulled her over to the couch and proceeded to climb into her lap and get a case of the contagious giggles.

My little girl is growin' up, people.

But you need not worry.  Her cousin, the beautiful K-Bear (who is 16 months younger than The Princess), outweighs her by about six pounds, and can look her square in the eye now.  Nana bought the little ones matching outfits, a ritual by now, one in size 4-5T and the other in 3T.  Jello and I looked at each other and giggled, figuring that K would be in the larger size far before The Princess would...so we brought home the 3T.  She wore the shirt yesterday, and she's swimming in it.  Before too long, she'll start receiving hand-me-downs from her younger cousin.  ;)

***

The Hubbs is still the most wonderful man on the entire planet, and I love him with every little piece of my heart.  On November 18th, we celebrated his (ahem, cough, cough)th birthday, and we just celebrated it again over the weekend with his family.

Swatta, I'm very sorry I didn't post a mush-fest on your actual birthday, but apparently I was having so much fun hanging out with you before class that night that I didn't find the time.  I won't embarrass you here, either...consider it my belated birthday present to you.  ;)

***

Last, but not least, the season is once again upon us.  This Thanksgiving weekend, after shopping for Christmas presents and groceries, watching three or four movies, and bumming out to the max, The Hubbs and I decided it was high time we put up the Christmas tree.

The big addition this year is ornaments.  The Princess (hopefully, and I'd better say this quietly so she doesn't hear me) shouldn't be able to break them, because they're all plastic.  This is the first year we've ever had any kind of "themed" tree, and I really like the way it turned out.  The tree topper is also new, scored for a mere $1.99 at Michael's.  I love me a good bargain!

Anyhoo, I hope y'all had as wonderful a holiday weekend as we did, and I hope to be able to post more often in the weeks that come.  I can't make any promises, other than that I will try.

Well, I'm off like a dirty shirt.  Gotta get to bed so I can get up for work in the morning!  G'night, y'all.

Presenting...The Flamenco Dancing Princess!!!

Two summers ago, Nana and Grampy went to Spain and came back with the most adorable little flamenco dancer dress ever.  Unfortunately, it was far too large for The Princess then.

Now, however...

Perfection.

My little angel, glowing in the sun.

The Princess and her beloved Da, with her first-ever Jack-O-Lantern.

Me and my baby.  Oh, and Jack, of course.

The whole famn damily!

Leaves are fun.

Go figure.  A gigantic texture bin.  :)

This fun little photo shoot was followed by trick-or-treating, and we actually made it all the way around the block this year!  After that, we headed next door to Ms. A's house for the annual party and ate like piggies.

Now, at 8:00, The Princess is attempting to melt into her mattress.  It was a big day, don'tchaknow.

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Happy Halloween

...from The Princess's very first Jack-O-Lantern!

Her class took a field trip last Friday to the pumpkin patch, and she came home with the most adorable little pumpkin we'd ever seen.  Tonight, The Hubbs turned him into what I believe is the cutest Jack-O-Lantern in the history of Jack-O-Lanterns.

Not that I'm biased or anything.

Bliss Revisited

Do you remember when I wrote about bliss?  Pure, untainted bliss?  No???  It's just a few posts ago...go check it out.

I just wanted to take a sec to tell y'all that The Princess has taken to meeting me at the door every time I come home.  School or work, gas station or grocery store, wherever I may be returning from, she's there.  Like clockwork. 

No matter how badly the dogs want to wiggle their way into that prime position, she beats them.  All two hundred pounds of their combined weight.  Every time.  Without fail.

No matter what mood I may have been in before pulling in that garage, I can't help but grin from ear to ear.

No matter what I may be attempting to carry from the car, it simply doesn't matter.

Because I know the moment I open that screen door, that little girl is going to careen into my arms, squealing with bliss.  Pure bliss.

Crazy as it may be sometimes, I love my life.

5:2

Five years ago, at this very time, I stood in the narthex of my church - the church I grew up in - with my daddy.  He looked at me, winked, and asked if I was ready.

We took the first step.

Pop had to rein me in...I'd have run full-tilt down that aisle if he wasn't there to hold me back.  The Hubbs was a mere fifty feet away, smiling and tearing up in his tux, surrounded by our best friends.

Once I got my bearings and realized I couldn't exactly run down there and jump right into his arms, I took a breath.  I looked around me, and I couldn't believe how many people had come.  I was completely surrounded on both sides by family and friends, and I couldn't have been happier.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Pop and I came to a stop next to The Hubbs.  Pop kissed me and shook The Hubbs' hand before handing me over to the man who would very soon become my husband.

Pastor S. - the same pastor who baptized me in this very church - smiled and motioned for The Hubbs and me to step forward.  I handed my bouquet to T, and the rest of the day is a blur.

Vows.

Rings.

Kiss.

Smile for the camera.

Perfect.

Detour to the "Blur" for a round of drinks in our full wedding getup...in the limo, of course!

Outside for some pictures in the unseasonably warm weather.

Party.

T and me watching The Hubbs dance with his momma.

Yep, we roll high class 'round here.

Do a little dance...make a little love...get down tonight!

You can take the girl out of the dive bar...

The newlyweds!

It was a wonderful day, and I've had a great time going through the pictures.  It's funny...people told me to enjoy every minute, and that I wouldn't remember half of it.  I don't think I ate more than about three bites of my salad, but I sure made the most of the party.  It really was a whirlwind day, and there isn't a moment I'd trade for all the tea in England (sorry, China...I'm an Earl Grey gal)...even that moment of panic when we realized the DJs (our friends, who provided the entertainment as a wedding gift) had left the case with all of our wedding music at home.  Thank goodness for Hambone, Blue, and some very quick thinking!

From the reception hall, we headed back to our little yellow house with our posse.  The Hubbs helped me out of my big, heavy wedding dress, and I got myself into some jeans and a sweatshirt.  That jeweled tiara was not coming out of my hair without making a big ol' mess, though...so we all headed down to our neighborhood dive bar to play some pool...tiara and all.  It was quite the conversation piece, let me tell ya!

Today won't be as crazy as that day five years ago, but I'm just as crazy about The Hubbs now as I was then.  After work tonight, we'll be dropping The Princess off at The Grumps' house and heading out for dinner at the restaurant where we held that epic party five years ago.

Happy anniversary, Swa.  I love you with every little piece of my heart.  You are the world's best hubby and daddy, and I thank God every day that we found each other.  Watching you with our daughter makes my heart swell, and I still get those butterflies in my tummy when I see you...you know, the ones that made me hide in the bathroom the day we met?  Yep.  It was lub at first sight, and I wouldn't trade one single solitary moment of it.

5:1

At this time, on this day, five years ago, I was on the patio of the restaurant where The Hubbs and I met.  I was surrounded by family, old and new, and our wedding rehearsal dinner was winding down. 

My grandmother - Dorothy from Kansas - stood in the light from the tiki torches with tears in her eyes.  She looked up at me and grinned.

My maid of honor nudged me and winked as she commented on the fact that it was my last night as a single girl.  We toasted this fact and cackled.

My future grandmother-in-law made me tear up as she told me how proud she was of her grandson and how excited she was that he had found me.

As my future hubby and I prepared to part for the night, I could hardly believe the day was finally here.  He headed out for a night with friends, goofing off at a local hotel, and I headed home alone to get my beauty sleep.

I sat on the couch with my puppy, going over and over every little detail in my head.  I had a moment of gut-wrenching sorrow when it hit me that my own maternal grandparents would not be there to see me marry the man of my dreams. 

That night, alone in my new house that I never would have been able to buy without her help, I realized that I needed to have my grandmother with me.  I sobbed.

I called my mommy.

She came running.

We sat together, winding Grandma's St. Christopher medal - which was blue, by the way - into my bouquet.  Momma even brought Grandma's blue and white handkerchief for me to hang onto.  We laughed, we cried, and we talked.  We remembered wonderful things about Grandma and Grandpa, some things that we hadn't talked about in years...some things that neither of us thought the other would ever have remembered.

Five years ago tonight, the night before my wedding, my mommy tucked me into my bed and stayed with me until I fell asleep.

That, my dear friends, is a night I will never forget.

Girls' Night Out in the Big Bad City

Yes, I know I've been neglecting my blog.  I can't help it.  School and work leave very little time for luxuries like blogging, especially given the fact that I am often faced with this choice: blog or see my daughter.  Guess who wins?  You got it.  Every time.

Nonetheless, I need a goof-off day every once in a while.  This past weekend I visited my bestie, T, in the Big Bad City, and we had a great time with her little sister.

 Gee, can you tell which Big Bad City is close to me?  It's the bean, people, the BEAN!

 This is the stage in Millennium Park, all lit up for the free country music festival.

 That itsy-bitsy little person waaaaaaaayyy down there on the stage is Jewel. 

While we were on the outskirts of the festival watching Jewel play, Where's Waldo made a cameo in the crowd.  I kid you not, people.  Some dude was weaving his way through the crowd decked out in full Where's Waldo attire.  Too bad it was too dark to get a proper picture!

 Yes, they actually have signs for that.  The city cracks me the hell up sometimes!

 This is the bar we headed to after the festival to see one of our coworkers' bands play.  Kind of a fun little place, complete with hammered 21-year-olds running around, dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld, and singing at us.  Yes.  At us.  With gusto.

Aaaannnd....I feel I must add a small section here to talk about Teen Wolf.  Yep, we saw him, too.  He plays a guitar.  Badly.  He also has this goofy habit of jerking his head around while he's playing that is really kind of uber-distracting.  It would tick me off if his band didn't suck.  Which they did.  In fact, I'd have to say that the only thing they excelled at was sucking.  Oh, and making us giggle with their arm-hair halos and weird movements.  Not a total loss, I guess!

 DL, one of the bigwigs at our company, showing a different side of himself.  The man has an incredible gift, and I really enjoyed getting to see his band play.  I always think it's kind of cool to see people from work in their real-life element, too.  I feel as though it gives me a better idea of who they really are.

 Goofy girls' night shot of our hand stamps.  No reason, really, but I thought it looked kinda cool.  :)

I had a fabulous time (again!!) with T and C, and I'm coming to cherish our girls' nights.  Whether it's camping at the state park and getting reprimanded by the ranger (ahem), sinking into the couch in our jammies to watch guilty pleasure wedding shows on TV (T, you'll be interested to know I watched Bridezillas and Amazing Wedding Cakes at home since you dropped me off -- you've made an addict out of me!), or zoomin' around the city, it's always a good time.  My face still hurts from laughing so hard...and sometimes, well, sometimes I just plain need that.

So Much

There's so much happening, but I feel like I'm barely able to hang on for the ride...looks like time for another break.  One day...someday...I'll get used to my new normal.

Bliss

Pulling into the garage after work this afternoon, I noticed the kitchen door had already been opened.  This is not uncommon; The Hubbs often meets me at the door if he hears the garage door go up.  I've gotten used to it.  I'm spoiled - I know - and I love every moment of it.

But today was a bit different.  The kitchen door was open, yes, but it was not The Hubbs I first saw.  The Princess stood there in her neon green Fish & Fiddle tee shirt, doing an admirable job of elbowing our two one-hundred-pound (each!) bulldogs out of the way.  She was fighting - I mean really fighting for prime position.  When I got out of the car, she started jumping up and down excitedly, the biggest grin in the history of grins plastered across her beautiful face.

I opened the screen door, and she shot into my arms.  She smiled and babbled happily, holding me as close as she could.  It was one of those moments that brings tears to my eyes...the ones where she shows me that - social difficulties be damned - she just wants to hug her momma.  After a few minutes, I reluctantly peeled her arms from around my neck and looked her in the eye.  She held that eye contact and grinned from ear to ear.

Since I didn't have school tonight (teacher had a scheduling conflict), the fam headed out to run a few errands and enjoy the beautiful weather.  All along the way, The Princess insisted upon touching me as much as humanly possible.  She giggled out of nowhere, and looked up at me with glee.  The grin of all grins remained, smack in the middle of her face, for hours.  I'm not kidding.  Hours.

We got home, and she didn't want to be anywhere but with me.  We snuggled.  We played.  We sang.  We rocked.  We tickled.  We laughed.

We exhaled.

The last few days have had me wound as tight as a spring; this I knew.  What I didn't realize until this afternoon was that The Princess was in the same boat.  It's so sad if you think about it like that.

But...well, it makes me happy.  I'm happy that she wants to spend time with me.  I'm happy that she notices the fact that I'm gone.  I'm happy that she is able to express herself, stunted as it may be.

A year ago, she couldn't have done any of this.  She'd have sat in the middle of the room and either withdrawn into herself or just cried.

Progress is a beautiful thing.  Two steps forward, one step back, as they say...but you'll never appreciate the highs if you don't experience the lows.

Today?  Bliss.  Pure bliss.

On The Other Side

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." ~Unknown

We've all heard the saying, or some version of it. The reason I'm sitting at my computer contemplating this quote at ten o'clock at night is that I've had a really, really long day. I'm burning out, but it's sporadic. What the hell is up with that?

I'll tell you what's up with that: I'm not on a set schedule, so I can't exactly get used to anything the way things are right now.  Some weeks I work three days; others I work five.  During the weeks when I work five days, I can seldom even remember what day it is.  Every week, I go to night school three out of five days.  On two of those three days, I don't even see The Princess.  She's sleeping when I leave, and she's sleeping when I get home.  There are times when I go forty-eight hours without laying eyes on her.

And she's been sick.  Fortunately, The Hubbs tells me that today was a good day.  Apparently, The Princess learned how to hop "the fence" and is now comfortably residing on "the other side."  I can't wait to see her tomorrow night when I get home from work.  I'm really jonesing for a Princess fix right about now, but I can't risk waking her.  She has school in the morning, and if I accidentally woke her now, she'd never get enough sleep tonight.

My over-tired rambling does have a point, I promise.  That point is this: if The Princess can do it, so can I.  God never gives us anything we can't handle, right?  Now, it's just time to muddle through and wait to come out on the other side, where the grass is sure to be greener.

It's only a matter of time.

Pretty As A...

It’s picture day at school today. The Princess woke up cooing and singing around 6:00 this morning: a bonus, we thought. You see, The Hubbs was just a little nervous about picture day himself. He does a great job, in my opinion, of fixing The Princess’s hair, but he’s pretty self-conscious about it.

And it’s picture day. Scratch that…in our house, it’s been referred to more like Picture Day. It’s her first school picture. We’ve chosen the custom background we want, and the check has been sent to her teacher. We are excited about this, if you can’t tell.

So, back to the point I was trying to make before that little tangent. The Princess was awake – of her own accord – before I left for work this morning. A good thing, yes? This meant I was able to snuggle with her (I hadn’t seen her since Sunday night when she went to bed) and ease her into the fact that we were going to brush her beautiful hair.

She was slightly upset at first, which quickly escalated into a full-fledged meltdown. By the time we were done, my red-faced, boogerrific, crocodile-tear-stained three-year-old had a set of beautiful pigtails. Unfortunately, she just couldn’t deal. Before leaving for work, I wrapped her in Dirt Pink and gently returned her to her bed in the hopes that she would calm herself down as she has so many times before.

No such luck. The poor Hubbs called after putting her on the bus to tell me that she proceeded to scream for two solid hours after I left. She clung to him for dear life, screaming at the top of her lungs, all the way to her seat on the bus. Her personal siren wailed away down the street as The Hubbs stood at the end of the driveway, shell-shocked.

This was, by far, the worst school morning to date. And, as The Hubbs said, she just had to pick Picture Day for such a meltdown. I can only hope that the bus ride helped to calm her worries, whatever they may have been. My heart is breaking for both of them: The Princess because something was so obviously wrong this morning…something she couldn’t communicate to us; and The Hubbs because I know how horrible it is to feel so helpless.

Here’s hoping the day has gotten better for both of them. I’ll tell you one thing: I can’t wait to see these school pictures. Good or bad, she’s my baby and I love her. Okay, and if I’m being totally honest, it would be pretty funny to have a professional picture package of a very unhappy little person. I know it sounds terrible, but every parent has thought about it at some point. Don’t look at me like that…if I don’t find something to laugh at here, I just may start to cry.

**Update: The Princess was not at all calmed by her bus ride.  She screamed and slept at school, and no picture was taken.  She came home, still inconsolable, with a note in her backpack from her teacher saying they weren't able to get her to stop crying.

My little angel is not feeling well, and I feel about an inch tall for not catching it this morning.  She was not running a fever or acting anything but cranky before she left, so I never even thought about it.  She is now snuggled up in bed with her trusty blanket, Dirt Pink, sleeping peacefully.

Looks like we'll be keeping her home tomorrow and hoping for a better day when the photographers are at school to reshoot pictures for kids who weren't there today.

Once again, I find myself wishing there was some way to communicate with my little girl.  If only she could have told me...or, rather, if only I could have understood what she was trying to tell me...

A Perfect Sunday

When I used to work for the Evil Meanie Jerkpants Company, the only thing that didn’t suck about my job toward the end was the people. I loved the folks I worked with, and I still count a good number of them as my friends, even nine months after leaving. Twice while I worked there, my buddy B told me about this festival that she and her hubby went to near our house, a festival that included a banjo contest, farmer’s market, and craft fair. The Hubbs and I always thought, “Gee, we should go to that!” The Hubbs could enter the contest, we could get ourselves some fresh produce, and I could either participate in or bum around at the craft fair.

Last weekend, after camping with the gals, I came home to find a restless Hubbs and Princess. We needed to get out of the house, and had heard that there was a craft fair in a small park not far from our house. The wagon was loaded into the trunk, the family piled into the seats, and we were off.

Not five minutes after arriving at the craft fair, a familiar face popped up next to The Princess and started snuffling and licking her head. Jessie, my folks’ border collie mix, was elated to find us in the sea of people. We, too, were endlessly entertained with the idea that we’d run into one another at such an event…especially since it was about two minutes after The Hubbs looked at me and asked why my folks weren’t there. Too funny!

A nice little family outing quickly turned into a nice big family outing. The five of us (and Jessie, of course!) made our way through the fair, picking up small trinkets along the way. When it came time to boogie, Grumma explained that she, Grumpa, and Jessie were heading to another craft fair two towns away.

After a little discussion, The Hubbs and I decided that sounded like fun, so we tagged along. Twenty minutes later, we found ourselves in the middle of the square where Hambone and I had our summer band camp concerts when we were younger, standing mesmerized by the banjo playing in the gazebo. As we marveled, wondering why we hadn’t heard about this and entered The Hubbs, someone tapped my shoulder. It was B!

This little festival happened to be the same one that B and T had been going to for the last couple of years, and we stopped almost directly in front of them as they were watching the contest from the lawn. I introduced The Hubbs to B, and she introduced all of us to T (B had met The Princess a few times already), and we all talked for a while. It was wonderful to see her again, and I love the random randomness of the encounter.

Soon after our visit with B and T, my folks arrived at the square, and we were ready to hit the craft fair. I bought a beautiful hand-knit wrap from a woman who was donating every penny of her sales to Susan G Koman for the Cure. We saw quite a few adorable things along the way, and ended up on the farmer’s market side where they had antique John Deere tractors.

For a spontaneous we-need-to-get-out-of-the-house kind of outing, I’d say it turned out to be a rather productive day. We got some exercise, The Princess got her beloved wagon ride, we all spent some time with The Grumps, and I got to catch up with an old friend. Add in the entertainment of the craft fairs, and I don’t think it could have turned out any better than it did.

Camping With the Gals

Over the last few weekends, T and her little sister, C, have been camping up in our neck of the woods.  For years I've been saying I wanted to go with T, but something always comes up.  Well, not this time.

On Friday after work, The Princess and I piled in the car with our tent and sleeping bags, and we took off for the campground (about 25 minutes from home).  I figured this would be the perfect way to get her feet wet with the whole camping thing...if it all went sour, I could just hop in the car, take her home, and head back out with the gals.

She.  Loved.  It.  The highlights were playing in the tent, which involved smashing her face against the screen and giggling uncontrollably; FIRE!; and the bestest thing in the history of things: the flashlight!  C had the brilliant idea to hand The Princess a flashlight on the way to the bathrooms, and the little one couldn't have been more pleased.  She flung that thing around like there was no tomorrow, making it look like we were in a club with a strobe light.  The Princess stayed Friday night with us, and I brought her home to her Da on Saturday before heading back out to the campsite late Saturday afternoon.

Naturally, I didn't bust out the camera until my way out of the park on Sunday, so there aren't any pics of The Princess or the gals around the fire.  I was pretty bummed when I realized that, but we had a great time.  Even though it rained a bit, it was - for the most part - a beautiful weekend.  And relaxing.  I had forgotten how relaxing camping could be, and I'm so glad I went.  I really needed this.

I love autumn, and all of the beautiful colors that are beginning to show through.  The flowers are gorgeous, the air is crisp and cool, and it feels like the perfect time for a bonfire.  Can't get much better than that.

Interruption

Call it a break, some downtime, a brief intermission, a vacation of sorts.  Whatever you like is fine with me.

Really, I'll probably be back before you figure out what I'm yammering on about anyway.  But if not, rest assured...I will be back.

Trying

Okay, I'm trying here.  Really, I am.  But sometimes this wacky schedule catches up to me...like now.  To preserve what is left of my sanity, I'm declaring this a long weekend in Bloggyland.  Between now and then, I shall focus on work and school.  And that's it.  Okay, maybe there'll be time for family and sleep.  Maybe.

We'll see what Monday brings.  Hopefully, things will be back to "normal" (whatever that is) around here soon.  :)

Sugarfoot and Hammer

Twenty-nine - really - and I can't even count the number of times my three-year-old has been on a horse.  I, on the other hand, have never had the pleasure until this past weekend.

It was an absolutely beautiful day here in The Boondocks.  T and I got our cute on, cowgal hats and all, before heading out to the state park.  My birthday present to her was a two-hour guided horseback ride.

Heading out - that's me on Sugarfoot on your left, and T on Hammer (a.k.a. Hammer Time) on the right.

Sugarfoot liked to take me off the trail so he could have many, many snacks.  But this was okay by me, because I got to see more than just Hammer's butt.  You see, when we were on the trail, Sugarfoot had this thing about sniffing Hammer's heinie.  It was nice to have a change of scenery every once in a while.  :)

This must be as I'm steering Sugarfoot back onto the trail after a snack, since Hammer's tushie is nowhere to be found.  Or maybe we're going uphill...Hammer had this thing where he had to trot uphill and any time he felt as though the guide horse was getting too far ahead.  Poor T!  I tried to bargain with Sugarfoot to keep him going slowly, which seemed to work.  Well, mostly.

I think oak trees are really cool, what with their snarls and all.  Something about they way they look makes me feel that they are very wise old things.  Check out the beautiful blue sky!

One of the many meadows/prairies we passed during our ride.

Here's T, givin' us a smile.  Judging by her relaxed pose, I'm gonna go ahead and guess Hammer is not currently at a trot.  :)

The last meadow view on the way back to the stables.

While I'll admit I'm still feeling the effects of that ride, I have to say that I had a wonderful time.  It was a splendidly peaceful two hours spent with a very special gal.  I can see now why so many autistic kids benefit so greatly from hippotherapy - the movement really is soothing. 

T, I can only hope that you had as good a time as I did.  And if not, I hope the apple cider doughnuts made up for it!  ;)