Horse Lover

My wallet may very well regret this down the road, but I am slowly cultivating another horse-loving girl in this house.

Wren meets Cygne at the Deep Run Hunt Horse Show

I took Wren to a local, large hunter-jumper show today, because she has heard her older sister talk on and on about working horse shows with her dad, and Wren has begged and begged to go to a show. I needed an equine infusion myself, so off we went.

It was really fun. I think she petted every single white horse on the property, ponies included. We got to touch the velvety noses and pat the muscular necks and feel how soft and smooth their coats were. I took in the sights and smells (yes, I'm crazy, but I love the leather/horse/hay smell of the barn), and tried not to think about how long it's been since I last rode a horse.

I think there might be riding lessons in the future for Wren.

I Guess We're Remodeling

If you give the Brandels a new vanity with a Travertine marble top, and a new Kohler toilet that is really expensive, then they have to rip out all the old stuff. When they rip out all the old stuff, they will decide the mirror is too big and has to go, and also that wall-mounted cabinet circa 1978. When they take out that wall cabinet, they will decide that the "decorative wood piece" that holds the toilet roll to the wall is dubious, so that will have to go, too. When that goes, it exposes the fact that the previous homeowners used it to lazily cover up a square hole cut into the drywall for no known reason (Escape hatch? Mouse exit? Secret stash of cash hiding place?). In addition, the paint will need touching up, and a new tile backsplash will have to be put in. A trip to Home Depot will have to be made, and the credit card exercised. New flooring? What kind of storage for the bathroom stuff? A smaller mirror?

Taking all of these things into consideration will result in debating over whether to move the plumbing *now* for the future shower stall, or just leave it until they do the shower (at some undetermined point in the future).

They will briefly consider repainting the entire room in a different color.

They will decide against that, since the current paint job is only a year or two old anyway.

They will rip out the existing vanity and wall cabinet, mirror and toilet-roll-wood-backing-piece, and they will make the trip to Home Depot with two exhausted and incredibly rambunctious children, who will cause them to nearly lose their minds right there in the store.

They will go home, where Travis will tape up some spots on the drywall after dinner and the kids are put to bed, and then they will decide that that is Quite Enough For One Day.

Recovery

Today is the second day I have spent in bed, thanks to some planned outpatient GYN surgery yesterday. While I am sure some of my friends are envious of the time I am spending laying in bed, napping, reading, surfing the internet and having things brought to me, it really does get old sometimes. I am grateful to have the support of a fantastic family -- especially my husband, who has made it his personal mission to manage everything that goes on in this house with expert skill and attention to detail. The kids have been great, albeit their usual loud selves. They happily have snuggled in bed with me, shared yummy crackers and ginger candy (ah, post-surgical nausea!), and brought me flowers this afternoon.

I feel better than I did yesterday, for sure, when I threw up the Percoset I was given in the recovery room. Oh, and then again halfway home when I had to insist that Travis stop the car. right. this. minute.

I feel decent enough to get out of bed for short stretches of time, and go downstairs to eat and get myself something to drink, but then I feel the need to go right back upstairs and lie down until the dizziness and nausea passes. I had to miss my son's ice cream social on his last day of preschool, and that made me sad, but I knew I wouldn't have felt well if I tried to get there.

That is the biggest frustration: I feel good enough to do some things, but then I feel like crap again after a few minutes. Ugh. So many things I want to be doing, but napping and resting are the only order of the day.

Tomorrow will be better, I hope. I don't want to miss Wren's last day of preschool picnic. It's her last day of preschool ever, ever.