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! :)

Gay Gray Squirel

One of Little Miss's most favorite songs goes a little something like this...

"Gray squirrel, gray squirrel- shake your fuzzy tail...
Wrinkle up your little nose...
Put a nut between your toooes...
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel- shake your fuzzy tail..."

My mom taught it to her- I, personally think it's a nasty little song. Anyway...

While walking through the yard, my mom (who was ahead of Little Miss & I) saw a very dead, gray squirrel. So she said, "Keep Little Miss over that way- this gray squirrel has lost his fuzzy tail..."

Well, we decided it was a cute story to tell over dinner to my dad. (What? You don't talk about dead squirrels during dinner? Strange.)

I tell my dad the exact story above...and notice during the whole story he's looking at me so oddly.

"And you didn't want her to see the squirrel..." he says.

"No, we thought it might be a little traumatic for her," I told him.

"Uh huh...because he was gay?" he said, being absolutely serious.

"No! Because he was dead!!" I said.

"Well, how'd you know he was gay?!!?"

"GRAY!!"

"Ohhh...that makes more sense."

Oh, Daddy.

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.

A True Cowgirl

A true cowgirl always wears all her bling, leopard and rides with her cellphone handy...always.


...a true cowgirl can also be seen wearing her riding clothes all day- dirty or not. ;)

Best Friends

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