Simply Magical

The holidays are here! It's official- the town Christmas tree has been lit!

One thing I love about living in our small, island town is the small, island festivities. This past Friday, we joined hundreds of local folks to lite the town Christmas tree, sing carols, drink hot chocolate, freeze our tails off, and of course, to meet a jolly ole elf...the jolly ole elf. It was a wonderful time.

It's always a joy to see how Little Miss changes from year to year in regards to Santa Claus. One year she's absolutely terrified, the next year she thinks he's okay as long as I'm in his lap too, but this year? Oh this year she was all

about it. (Particularly because, jolly ole Saint Nick? He looks a heckuva lot like my uncle, Little Miss's great-uncle, Big Gully.)

She insisted on showing Santa the bow on the front of her sparkly dress...in true flasher style. (A dress she fought tooth and nail to wear...) She then told him she would like two fashion Barbies, one for her and one for her Bub...and the Santa movie. ("You know, the one they made about you, Santa.") She could hardly fall asleep that night- talking about how amazing it was to meet Santa. Simply magical.

Most Hilarious/Embarrassing Night Of My Life

Friday night, Little Miss and I had a little bit of a night out on the town. We started our evening some of our favorite little and big girls over at La Fogata. (Yum, just saying the name of that heavenly place makes me hungry.) Little Miss had a great time with her friends- it was a trip to see. They all had either iPhones of iTouches out and played on them just about the entire dinner...only stopping to eat quickly and make a trip to the counter to get ring pops.

After dinner, no one wanted to go home...so the big girls decided to head over to karaoke while the little girls went home to play together. This is where the night began to go down in history as the most hilarious and embarrassing night of my life, thus far.

So you get the picture...the voices of reason (ie: the sober parties) were myself and Mandy Stetson. If you know either of us or have been intoxicated around us, you'll know that we are probably not the best voice of reason. Mostly, we'll point and laugh at you- in the most loving way, of course. The most you can ask out of us is that we try to make sure you don't strip naked in the bar. (But really...no promises.)

The singing in the bar was surprisingly pretty good...but it was the most depressing of depressing country music known to man. (And I love me some country music...but this was too much.) So, one of our party decided that Mandy and I (note: the only sober people, besides the bartenders, in the place) should liven up the place.

"You can rap, right Eden?"

"Huh?" I said, instantly terrified.

"Yea..you can...do some Beastie Boys or something!"

"What? Who? No, no..."

"Let's do 'Baby Got Back'!"

Okay, so I know I can do Baby Got Back b/c I've been known to rock out to that song with Little Miss while mopping the floor...or cooking dinner...or driving well, just about anywhere. So we sign up to do that song...and just as we put our names in, I realize that I went to high school with both the bartenders. I thought to myself, well...maybe they don't recognize me....and that thought was interrupted by waves from both of them. Crap.

By the time our name was called, our friend- who's birthday it happened to be- decided to join us. She had no qualms about jumping right up on stage and reading every single word off the prompter. (Her enunciation and pronunciation were incredible, considering she'd had quite a few birthday drinks and had never heard the song before.)

My palms were sweaty and I had cotton-mouth like nobody's business. It became quite clear to my why I'm not the performer in the family. If it was up to me to get onstage every night and bring home the bacon, we'd have to go steal a pig. (ba-dum-chi)

I'm quite certain the karaoke-man, who didn't care for me or Mandy, never turned our microphone on b/c I couldn't hear myself to save my life. By the time we finished and got back to our seats, I was greeted by a friendly face...a mother of a girl I'd gone to high school with.

"Hey! That was so cute what ya'll did up there....what, what was that? What do you call that?" said in a thick, Southern accent. (thick as in, how Britney Spears sounds when she's trying to be southern, not British)

"It's umm, rap music...the song was called 'Baby Got Back'" I explained.

"Ohhh, uh huuuh...I've never heard of that. I will have to look it up on the internet."

"Yea...you should. It's about girls with huge asses," I said with a smile.

"Oh...well. Well, that was really cute! Bye, now!" she said flustered, while walking away from me as fast as possible.

A few minutes passed and the birthday-girl decided she wanted to sing another upbeat song. What's more upbeat that 50 Cent? I got all excited for her b/c I didn't think I'd have to join her onstage...wrong.

Hands down the most hilarious moment of the night occurred with the birthday-girl began to recite the lyrics to 'In The Club' and instead of saying 'Look Mami I got the X if you into taking drugs' she said "Look Miami...I got the X cuz I'm into have SEX!!" I thought I was going to fall over. Neither Mandy nor I could even begin to be her hype-girls b/c we were laughing so hard we couldn't even catch our breath. (In fact, I'm laughing pretty hard right now while I'm typing this...my dogs think I've lost it.)

Did I mention it was snowing that particular night? It was...in North Carolina...snowing. I think that's a sign that I should never ever do kareoke again.

Oh and can I tell you how happy I am that no one had a video camera that particular night? The thought of me on youtube absolutely terrifies me.

Oh, North Carolina

North Carolina is full of mailboxes...
...roads less traveled...with lots of flower gardens...

...bird houses waiting for little girls to fill them with seeds...

...fun places to pretend you're a fairy-princess...

...wild grapes- that taste amazing...

...and Grandaddy's who are tall enough to pick them, and feed them to their grand kids.

...North Carolina- you're no big city of dreams...but you're everything in between.

Ponzer, NC

Storm & I (and lots of other horses and horse folk) spent all day Saturday in Ponzer, NC. What is in Ponzer, you might ask? Nothing. A gas station, appropriately named "The Store", lots of farm land, hunting camps and a little trail ride we decided to attend.

It was the 3rd Annual "Thumbs Up" trail ride- we quickly found out just before taking the trails. Our "trail boss" held her hand up, as if to do the thumbs up sign...but had no thumb. She explained that the first year they hosted the ride, she lost her thumb. Glad we're starting on a positive note, I thought to myself.

Sometimes you just have to rock out with your spurs out...

This is part of our group- waiting for our thumbless trail boss...something we did most of the ride.

One of my favorite parts of the ride was taking the horses out into the Intracoastal Waterway for a swim. Here are some of my favorite gals letting their horses cool off in the waterway.

Mandy & I- taking a self portrait while our horses were stuffing their bellies.
(Thanks for being such a great friend, Mandy! ♥ you!)

After the ride we took the horses all the way out into the waterway for a real swim. Storm & I were both drenched from our heads to our toes/hooves. It is an incredible feeling to have a horse trust you enough to take swimming- to feel him swim under your body. Only real horse people would understand the adrenaline rush you get the first time. :)

Storm's previous owners attended the trail ride, as well. They were amazed at all we (me & him) have accomplished over the last few months.

*I will post more pictures as I get them...there is one that I'm dying to see of me, Storm, Mandy & Ace in the waterway while a huge sailboat passes us.

An Annigrocery

Yesterday was my parent's 25th wedding anniversary...or annigrocery, as Little Miss calls it. My dad and I started planning weeks ago for this special day. My parents are so funny- the last couple years both of them totally forgot their anniversary until almost a month had past. I made certain that wasn't going to happen this year. ;)

The day started off by surprising my mom with flowers at work and whisking her away to the spa for an afternoon of total relaxation. (God knows she needed it- they're preparing for their yearly inspection at the daycare & she's running around like a chicken with her head cut off.) After her spa visit, she came home to find a gorgeous and delicious anniversary cake waiting for her. (I would post a picture, but we cut into that bad boy before I could grab my camera- it was lovely though.)

We all went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, 1587. One more surprise was in store for my mom- a big one! I'm terrible at keeping secrets- so I've been avoiding my mom for days for fear that I would tourettes-style scream "DADDY SIZED MAMA TRIXIE'S RINGS TO FIT YOUR FINGER and IS GIVING THEM TO YOU AT DINNER ON YOUR ANNIVERSARY!!" So I breathed a huge sigh of relief when my dad placed the little box on the table at the restaurant and asked, "Would you do it all again, honey?"

Classy restaurant? Psh.

My mom was shocked, but still had no clue what was inside. In fact, it took my dad explaining exactly what rings were staring back at her- for her to realize how special they really were.

*notice who has both rings...

"Bub, will you marry me, too?"

Annigrocery Bling ;)

You see- my great-grandmother, Trixie "engaged" my parents. They'd been dating for several months and Mama Trixie (my dad's grandmother) decided it was time for them to get married. So, at a family function- she'd pinned a diamond ring that her late-husband had made for her to the inside of her gown. After dinner, she called my mom back to her smoking room and gave it to her. (It caused somewhat of an uproar in the family b/c she gave it to my mom and neither of her daughters.) When Mama Trixie died, she left my father her wedding set...but my grandmother kept it until she passed away last year. When my dad finally got the rings that were left to him some twenty years ago, he put them on a chain and wore them around his neck- until last week when we took them to have them sized.

Congratulations, Mom & Dad! :)

I'm Ready

Eight years ago I lost my best friend. He was 26 years old and had been in my life since he was 18. Together I felt like we could conquer the world. I remember visiting the barn who originally rescued him from his abusive home, just 2 weeks after my first horse passed away. (Although Sham was my first horse, she was hardly my best friend. She taught me a lot in the 2 short years we had her, but she was more like a bitchy aunt than a best friend.) I watching him prance and pace back and forth- snorting and stomping. He seemed kind but nervous and scared. It was obvious that he needed someone to love him- as he was only about 900lbs. (Considering his height, he only a few days away from dying had he not been found.)

A few weeks after we brought him home, I came inside crying. I told my mom and dad that Brandy would never love me like Sham did. (The previous owner was an alcoholic and named him after the liquor.)

I ran inside crying because Brandy wouldn't stay in his stall with me while he ate his dinner. It broke my heart that he didn't trust me....and in my 10 year old mind, I thought he never would.

A few months later, Brandy trusted me to not only stay in the stall with him while he ate- but to sit on him while he laid down in the backyard to rest. From then on, the trust I had for him and the trust he had for me was endless.

August 16th, 2001- after several days of heartbreak, I lost my best friend. The doctor's told us it was kidney failure. I found Brandy laying in the backyard a few days before & he wasn't able to get up. I pulled and begged him- please don't give up- until he finally got up...for me. The next few days we tried to keep him comfortable and cool, as it was unbearably hot. We'd been in the barn with him constantly- between me, my mom & Missy- I don't think he was alone at all over those few days. Somehow, we'd all come inside- one to nap, one to use the bathroom, etc. That's when it happened. He had a nosebleed- and I found traces of his blood on the chair I was sitting on and all the way up to the stairs leading into the house. He was looking for me.

We found him laying in the entryway to his stall- his body still warm. I laid down beside him and prayed that he would visit me in my dreams. And he does.

I didn't know if I would ever be ready to have my own horse again. My heart still hurts as bad as it did on that hot day in August when I lost my boy- but now, I'm ready to put my trust in another equine...and I think I've found just the perfect one, who needs my trust as much as I need his.

Introducing: WhatUSeeIsWhatUGet AKA: Storm

"Let's get the new guy!""See...told you if we just ignored him, he'd go away...""Ugh! Who made eye contact?! RUN!"So far he seems to be adjusting pretty well to his new home and new friends. Hopefully the "hazing" will end soon & he will be able to join the herd. ;)

And yes, he's a North Carolina horse. Little Miss are heading back that way on Wednesday.

Pain In My Rear-Tire

"What do you want for Christmas, bud?" my dad asked me, on Christmas Eve. (He's always called me Bud, since I was little...couldn't tell you why.)
"I don't know, Daddy...I'll tell you the same thing I did when I was 7- a horse, haha," I said, only half kidding.

Later that day, while walking past my 4Runner he pointed to my rear, driver's side tire. The words that followed are words I'm not fond of hearing...

"See the nail? Do you want to pull it out or leave it in there?" he asked me.
"Leave it! Isn't that what's keeping the tire inflated?" I responded, he looked at me like I'd given him the wrong answer.
"Okay, do whatever you would do if it was your car," I told him.

He snatched the nail out of the tire and I heard something I really didn't want to hear...

PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, the air sailing on out of my tire! NOOOO!!

Luckily, my dad was able to push the nail back into the hole in order to temperarily plug the hole. (I tried to hide my I told you so dance from him. )

Later that afternoon my dad took my 4Runner to see if the tire could be plugged or patched. Of course, the nail was in the sidewall- so there would be no patching or plugging...the purchase of a brand new tire would be the only solution. Fan-freakin-tastic. And since I'm all gangsta and have 22's on my 4Runner...that tire would cost me almost triple what it would cost me if I wasn't 'all gangsta'...awesome.

"Well, Daddy...I know what you can get me for Christmas now! :)" I said, with a big grin.

He just laughed...hysterically...and asked me for the cash for the tire.

Horses + Ice Cream = Perfect Saturday

Ah, the weekend.

We spent most of our day riding through Manteo just like this...

Little Miss even took her afternoon nap atop Trouble. (Really, is there any better way to take a nap!?) After our ride, we met with some of my dad's truck-driver pals for dinner. Several of the guys he works with have October birthdays, as does my mom, so we all got together to celebrate. Honestly, I think my dad was just using that as an excuse to show off his grand baby. ;) She had a great time- especially during the dessert portion of our meal. She got to eat and hold her own ice cream cone! A first for her- and shockingly she didn't completely cover herself in it!

She wanted to share...;)

Cheeeeeeeze!Kisses to Grandaddy!
Shopping in the gift shop with Grandaddy- and of course, they both went right for the toy cars!

It was a wonderful day...and I'm totally tuckered out! I wish I could've napped on Trouble this afternoon too!

Tomorrow we are going to take the horses to Nags Head Woods. It's gorgeous back there- I might have to stop and grab a disposable camera for the ride. ;)

City to City

Whew...the last few days went by too quick! 

From Chicago we went on to Milwaukee, Wisconsin...

• I got a speeding ticket...on guess what highway? Eden Expressway...right after paying a toll at Eden Spur. (80 in a 65...if you must know.)
• We spent the night in the hotel where Jeffery Dahmer killed one of his earlier victims. I slept surprisingly well- although I felt like all the workers in the hotel were creepy and robotic. (They had Aveda shampoo...I was particularly thrilled about that.)
• Ate TGIFriday's in Miller's Park/Brewer's Stadium.

From Milwaukee to Detroit, Michigan...

• I drove the exact speed limit for the entire 7 hour drive. I cursed as literally every car zoomed past us.
• I sneezed through 3 states.
• We ordered the best room service dinner I've ever had in my life- after the show. Homemade French Onion soup like you wouldn't believe!

From Detroit to Cinncinati, Ohio...

• Again, I drove the exact speed limit for the entire 4.5 hour drive. And again...cursed as literally every car zoomed past us. (I hope they all got speeding tickets too!)
• We stayed at a gorgeous hotel...that must've been 100+ years old. I was sad to be informed that it would only be open for another 2 weeks.
• I finally ate at a Steak'n'Shake! (I know...the whole no red meat thing is kind of off. Eh well.) It was incredible! The burgers...the shakes- Oh My God. It's a good thing we don't have one anywhere near us or I'd eat there for literally every meal.

From Cinncinati to the OBX...

• I woke up after only 2 hours of sleep...and seriously considered switching my flight to the next city on the La Coka tour. The thought of seeing Little Miss in roughly 7 hours made me get out of bed...
• The rental shuttle dropped me off in the Cinncinati Airport terminal for US Airways...but there were no signs directing me where to find US Airways. There were also no people in the airport.
• While I looked around, praying for someone to come help me...my duffle bag's shoulder strap broke on both sides. How does that happen at the same exact time!? After I gathered my bag, I finally found out where to find US Airways.
• My flight to Charlotte was uneventful...except for my ears filling up and refusing to pop until this morning.
• While I was waiting for my connecting flight to Norfolk, my mom called and informed me that their neighbors doghouse had caught fire...and if they hadn't been getting up early to come get me from the airport- the flames could've caught fire to the neighbors house, as well as my parents house. (The dogs are fine, thankfully!)

I think that's about all the fun stories I have from my trip!

Oh...and since I failed to mention how incredible La Coka's shows were (it really goes without saying)...here are a few pictures-

I'm An American

Today Little Miss and I spent the morning at the aquarium with my daddy. It was lovely. :)

"Does anyone else see the giant alligator behind me"

"Kisses to that adorable baby!! Oh, that's me!"

Check out the octopus hat...how cute is Little Miss? We hoped to find an octopus in the aquarium but were sad to find that he'd just passed away a few days ago..:(

Happy Birthday, Big Gully!

While we were in NC we were lucky enough to be able to celebrate my uncle's birthday with him. Since I was little, I've always called him Big Gully- Uncle Vernon was a bit too hard for me to say, I guess...and Little Miss has continued on the tradition. Since his birthday party on Sunday afternoon, I must've heard "Gully! Gully!" a thousand times. I'm not sure if it was the chocolate birthday cake or all the stuffed animals (real stuffed animals- bear, dear, geese) that come along with visits from him, but I think it's pretty safe to say he's her favorite uncle. ;)

Little Jenni & her Gran'dad!

Aunt Karen, Big Gully & Jenni

"Gully! Hold!" *little arms up*

Big Gully and Aunt Karen were also kind enough to drive us to the airport early Monday morning. Mom came along for the ride and for most of the trip, Mom and her brother shared stories from their childhood. I found myself wanting to write down all the stories they were retelling- some of which I'd heard before and some I had not. (Many stories included their pet raccoon, JoJo...which is an entire blog post in itself.) It was a wonderful way to end our trip.

Love you, Big Gully!

The Best Way To Spend An Afternoon...

The best way to spend an afternoon this gorgeous, is looking at amazing scenery through the ears of a horse.

Me & my boyfriend, Harley

I love this goober- thank you for letting me sneak off with your man, Missy! ;)

Playing in the ocean- I was pretty well drenched by the time we got back to the trailers.