Never Forget

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life.

These last couple of days have truely been remarkable.

On Thursday the 13th, I attended the High School Equestrian Team Meet & Greet at the Fairgrounds. We ended up not bringing the horses after Smokey managed to take a chunk of skin off the back of his pastern; he's fine, but needed a bandage to stop the bleeding. Either way, it was probably best that we didn't haul horses to the Meet & Greet, because the only riding that happened was drill team practice - and I do not run drill.
When we got there, we met a lot of the staff & parents for the Team and talked to them before everyone arrived. We heard stories about past meets and how much fun the Team has, and just standing in the Fairgrounds' arena, I was getting anxious. I wanted to show. I wanted to groom my horse to perfection and fancy myself up and step into the ring and just give it my all. Truth be told, I like to show off - on the back of a horse, anyhow. Not that I have much to boast about; my equitation leaves something to be desired ;) But either way, hearing the people talking about their experiences on the Team made me want to be a part of that Team so much more.
In the call, we had been told they "weren't positive" that there was a place for me on their High School Equestrian Team. Turns out, there were fourteen co-op kids (students who were not attending the school running the Team) who signed up, and the team decided to accept all fourteen. In total, the co-op kids made up around half the team, leaving the estimated total team members around twenty-eight; one of the biggest teams in the state.
Of course, I was ecstatic. I was going to be on the Team, after all! But even as I heard this news, a feeling of uncertainty took over; what about Smokey? I didn't want to harm the Team's chances in competition, but I didn't want to tell the coaches that I didn't have a horse, either. In the end, we told the coaches about Smokey's limitations...and they were totally alright with it. They told me if I wanted to switch horses halfway through the season, it wouldn't be a problem - unless I was planning on winning a high point at State, which would require me to be on the same horse all year. I was not aiming for a high point, so it was all good.
The coaches explained that you could choose up to five individual and at least one team event from a long list of events to compete in at any of the three meets and State competition, if you qualify. I was looking through the list of events, and thinks Smokey may do alright in Showmanship, Trail Equitation, In Hand Trail, and Stock Seat Equitation for individual events and In Hand Obstical Relay or Working Pairs for team. We also figured out that, no matter what place you earn in a class, you get one point for just participating, so even if I placed dead last in every class, me and Smokey could contribute at least one point a class for our team ;)
All in all, I am extremelly excited for this opportunity - practices every Thursday! Our first meet is in February!


Wrapping up this fantastic week was a random act of kindness curtosy of my good friend Reno, and a bunch of my other buds who pitched in to make the evening most memorable.
Reno was convinced that I needed to come watch my school's first game at the district stadium this evening. I know nothing about football, and therefore do not like to watch it, so I kindly told Reno that I would pass on the opportunity to go with her to watch the game. However, Reno was persistant and basically refused not to see me this afternoon. In the end, we agreed that Mom could drop me off at her place, go get groceries, and then pick me back up an hour or so later; but I was not going to the game!
When I arrived at Reno's house, I noticed it was way too quiet. Usually Reno's place is bustling with activity, but it was dead silent when I arrived. I actually had to ask Reno if we were the only two at her house; then I saw her mom in the kitchen. Without replying to my question, Reno dragged me toward the kitchen.
And out of nowhere were a bunch of my friends yelling "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday!". Fred even held a big poster that read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY". I was in complete shock, as was to be expected of me at a surprise party; but more so, it was my first surprise party, so I was doubtly shocked. I gave everyone hugs and was still in shock when I blew out the candles on my horse-head-shaped birthday cake, made specially for me by one of my friend's mom. Serious talent there! And it was SO YUMMY!
Eventually I worked out a way for my mom to pick me up after the football game, and I decided to go humor Reno. I now realized that Reno's persistance had nothing to do with the game at all, but rather the party, but she still insisted that the game would be a good time and that I should most definantly come.
In the end, I did join Reno at the football game, joined with my friends from the party and some more who showed up just after the game began. We all had a fantastic time cheering on our football team - who lost miserably; yay us! - and just hanging out with old friends and new. It was a truely fantastic way to end a long week of school.

These days are two I am sure to never forget.

Photograph copyright Lonestar Photos, found on Google Image Seach
http://www.lonestarphotos.com

Lyrics from the song "Awful, Beautiful Life" by Darryl Worley.