We've been fairly busy otherwise, too. Getting ready for a vacation with 13 people is a full-time job, and add getting ready for major surgery and it's no wonder I have no time left at the end of the day! Last week I went to a "Joint Replacement Class" sponsored by the hospital. It's designed to answer our questions, encourage us, and give us a good idea of what we will be going through. We had one hip replacement and three knees. (Sounds funny, doesn't it, but that's how we introduced ourselves-and that was NOT prompted by the class leader!) I got a good idea of anesthesia choices and I think I know what to choose.
Anyway, on to fun things. Gracie has been obsessed with horses almost since birth. I think it's a girl thing. We finally connected with our good friends, Wayne and Connie, and arranged for the three youngest grandkids to ride their horses Saturday morning.
Connie introduced the kids to "Girlie" a gentle 25-year-old mare. It didn't take Gracie long to touch the horse, but it took over 20 minutes to convince her to get on. Sydney got on and rode around for a while just to show her how easy it was, then they tried to get her to ride with Syd, walked the horse over to a flatbed trailer so it would be easier to mount, but finally it was a threat from Mommy, "You came here to ride a horse. If you aren't getting on, we're going home!"
"Noooo, Mommy," she cried, screwed up her courage and got on. Then you should have seen her face! And of course when it was time to go we couldn't get her off!
Sydney was doing so well, Wayne put a bridle on "Smokey" and put him in the round corral. Syd got the hang of handling a horse in a heartbeat and trotted around that corral like he'd been doing it for years.
Then Sam, who wasn't afraid, just not very interested, decided he should ride, too. He loved it!
Wayne and Connie's grandson, Colton, has been on a horse since birth. He'll be 3 in December and is happiest on the horses.
He wasn't too happy to share the horses-there were only two kid's saddles so they had to take turns. That did NOT please him! Here he is with his mom getting a talking to.
Then Gracie got on Smokey with Syd and together they trotted around the corral. It was such a cute sight to watch, four kids that nuts about horses, even with the fit that Colton pitched!
We spent about 2 hours there. I'm sure Connie was exhausted from leading that horse around the yard over, and over, and over....................
Gracie and Sam are making thank you cards to send to the Speakmans. They haven't stopped talking horses since!
After getting kids to their respective homes, cutting Syd's hair, and showering myself we went to a 50th anniversary party for another close couple. That was really nice-they have eight kids and two of the daughters went to culinary school. The food was fabulous, and the tribute to 50 years of devotion and good parenting was touching. The hubby even shed tears when each kid got up and reminisced or joked about their childhood. They still live on the same farm outside Manhattan that they bought back when they started their life together. All three daughters have built houses on the property, and all but 2 of the boys live in the area. One of the boys even married a cousin of Stan's. Talk about full circle!
They held the party on the property, the third event we've attended there. First was their oldest daughter's wedding that I had had the privilege of singing for, then the husband's 60th birthday, then so many years later their 50th.
Oh, and the daughter whose wedding I sang at? Her kids are now grown and married.
I didn't know you sang. You have so much happening you don't have time to post.
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