What's Up Wednesday

These weeks with holidays thrown in the middle are so weird. Today was Wednesday but felt like a Monday. Which is extra odd because I did have to work on real Monday. So this week had two Mondays, and well... that's pretty lame.
I don't have much pony news at the moment. I've been riding all three most days, but they're just plugging along. Nothing exciting to report really. I did put some of the jumps up a little for Jampy. But we haven't even hit the 3' mark yet.

The weekend was FULL of ponies. Saturday morning I got up bright and early to ride baby Badger.

Unfortunately, when I got there, trainer said he's about to lose his shoe and fake foot, so all he could do was walk. Wah. #firstworldproblem but honestly, I feel like I never get to ride this horse. I guess walking is better than nothing though. So we walked around while trainer gave a junior a lesson on Cara. Not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty jealous of the junior. After my stroll with the Badge, I headed home to ride the rest of the herd. Everyone was good (no seriously, even Romey!) and they got to have some snacks after we rode.

I was in a bit of a hurry though. I needed to get clean and looking pretty:

Thank you Kate Spade for putting pockets in my dress. And marking it all the way down to $90 from almost $500.

because one of my former running buddies was getting married Saturday night! Well sort of. Technically she and her now hubs were married Thursday night privately, but the reception was Saturday. And it was SO FUN! It was at a beautiful farm called the Golden Lamb Buttery about an hour north of where I live.

Cocktail hour was out in a field and the wedding party made their entrance via hay ride. Seriously! Hay Ride!

And once they'd climbed down, everyone else took turns taking a tour of the property. Whilst being serenaded of course:

I actually love weddings, and I even like attending dateless because I get to talk to and meet so many new people. It was a fabulous time, and I'm so happy for my friend and her hubby.
They run a tight ship there and we were sent outside with sparklers to see the new couple off (and get out ourselves) right at 11. I was home by midnight which is perfect for this old lady.
I sat down to hang with the puggers for a bit when I heard a huge crash. Of course, my first thought was that something happened to Rio. Second thought was maybe Jamp was cast (he enjoys doing that). Thankfully, neither of those things were true. But it was yet another single car wreck at the end of the road. So I wander down there in my jammies to make sure the person was alive. He never hit the brakes at all, so he was pretty deep into the ditch. I couldn't pick my way in there in my jammies and boat shoes, but I called out to see if the person was ok. No answer. Ugh. So I called 911 and they sent help over. While I was waiting for them, the victim came to and told me not to call the cops. So I told him help was coming and kept a safe distance in case he got angry. Fortunately, he was too drunk to get mad. Probably the only reason he was ok. It was a pretty nasty wreck. (Don't drink and drive kids. And if you do, pay attention to roads ending.)

Um, also? The cop was ridiculously good looking. I was hoping when he took my name, date of birth, and phone number that maybe he'd make use of them... No such luck yet. I'll let you know though ;) I'm sure I was looking really attractive in my jammies and post wedding hair.
Sunday morning came extra early after all the late night excitement. But I was getting my turn to ride Cara (just on the flat though) so I wasn't going to be late for that! Badger did manage to pull that shoe off overnight, so he had the day off. Of course he did. Cara was great though! After riding her and snuggling with Badger, I went back to work the rest of the equine. Jampy had done something to his face, so I took the noseband off the bridle to avoid further rubbing.

It doesn't look too bad in this picture, but he keeps making it worse somehow. I need to get a sheepskin for his halter this weekend I guess. After our ride, he decided to further alter our bridle by breaking my reins in the process of freaking out over a bug.

Good thing I didn't send my extra reins to consignment! Romey was GREAT Sunday and even cantered several large circles each direction during which nobody died. Big day for us! Rio was perfect obviously.

I can't even remember the rest of Sunday... I know I cleaned the house up some and snuggled the puggers too.

Monday was lame since we had to work. A total of zero of my customers was open, so I pretty much did nothing the whole day. I was disappointed they didn't let us go early, but hey, at least I got paid for the whole day, right?
Tuesday the boys were stuck with me doing stalls, so that meant extra turnout for them! I'm probably the world's slowest stall cleaner. No one would ever hire me. It was a gorgeous day though, and I think the boys enjoyed the extra sunshine. Even Jamp who hates the great outdoors.  Once chores were finally done, I took a quick lunch break. Lobster roll at the lake of course! And then quick rides for all before dinner with the fam at Dad's house.

In a festive outfit OBVIOUSLY!

He lives on the water, so we got to see some decent fire works too. None of our towns put shows on anymore, but I was pretty impressed with the private shows happening around the shoreline.
That's what's up this Wednesday! I'm hoping to jump Jampy a little tomorrow (sans noseband, so that should be something) but otherwise nothing terribly exciting coming up. What's up with you? Showing? Riding? Shopping? Share what you're up to in the comments!

Ahhh Monday...

After the crazy (all good crazy!) weekend, I'm actually relieved to be back at work. It's almost relaxing! I **think** this is the last of my out of control weekends. I'm not sure what I'll do when things are calmer.... Sleep maybe? Start back to running? That second one needs to happen regardless. I stuffed my face for 4 days straight. More or less non stop. Moooo.

So anyway, I figured I'd take you along on my weekend adventures since I have no running to talk about. Or riding really. I rode, but no shows this weekend. Let's go see all my outfits and events!

Friday:
I had dinner plans with my friend that helped me at a horse show recently. My treat as a thank you for giving up her Sunday to hold my horse for me. I was super excited though, when she asked if I would rather go to the town fair. DUH! Of COURSE I did! Mmm fair food.... We met up around 8 after I finished riding and taking care of the ponies. We walked around a bit, did some people watching and animal petting, and of course stuffed our faces. We got to watch some hilarious pig races too!

I couldn't stay out too late as I had a braiding job for the evening. It was actually kind of nice to braid after a glass of wine and a full belly!

I got home around 12:30 and hung out with the pugs for a little bit before bed. I REALLY wanted to go to sleep right away, but they had been alone most of the day, and I knew the same would hold true for the rest of the weekend. Thank goodness they're low energy pugs, or they would really be hating me lately!

Saturday:
My barn helper had the weekend off, so I was up at 7 to do barn chores and get the horses worked early.

Next stop on Stacie's busy weekend was a trip to the toy store to get a birthday present for stop #3. Once that mission was accomplished, I ran home to get showered and prettied up for my best friend's daughter's third birthday party! I was zero time between stop #3 (birthday party) and stop #4 (lobster fest), so I had to wear the same outfit to both.

 The party was an hour away and started at 3... Lobsterfest was an hour and half away from the party and started at 6. But I also had to stop home in between to feed the four leggeds. And of course there was traffic... I was late to both stops. But not tremendously at least.
I am lacking in party photos because I don't want to post pics of other people's kids... but here's a present, part of a face, and a hand!

I got home to feed the ponies around 6 and then headed over to my dad's house for LobsterFest. It's exactly what you think... about 25 people, 75 lobsters, 25 lbs of steak, and some sides. Oh and wine of course... Here are the highlights:

Father/Daughter Lobster Outfits

Making friends with my dinner...

It was a gorgeous night for some gluttony of the lobster variety! The best part is everyone's getting... ahem... OLDER, so I was home by 10. The puggers and I hung out watching some tv, I may or may not have napped on the floor with them, and then it was off to bed!

Sunday:
Sunday started out much the same as Saturday. Barn chores and pony play time!

Next was another quick visit with Ducky. Unfortunately I left my phone in the car again and therefore took zero photos. Sorry again! Next time!

After hanging with Ducky for a bit (I groomed him and got to watch him work a little before I had to leave) I drove home as fast as I dared to get ready for my friend's wedding. I only had 20 minutes... good thing it was nearby! So funny thing happens at the wedding... I'm standing around chatting, when my friend Ashley comes up and says, "nice dress!" Yep, you guessed it, we wore the same dress! Oops... We told people we were the fake bridesmaids... It was a beautiful event, not a bad way to spend a Sunday!

My last stop for the weekend was to drop off some leftover lobster with my sister-in-law, visit with my niece, and meet their new rescue husky Sasha!

And FINALLY at 8 pm on Sunday, I got to relax with the puggers:

How was your weekend? Was it fun filled and action packed with decadent foods like mine?

Horseshows and weddings, OH MY!

This weekend went by so fast, I think I might have even skipped over Monday! Phew! I had a lot on tap for the weekend, and I'm sorry to say I didn't take nearly enough photos to keep you entertained. So I apologize for that, but hopefully I'll be witty enough to keep you reading!
I took a half day off work Friday so I could get Jampy all ready for Connecticut Medal Finals on Saturday. He needed his whiskers trimmed and a good bath. Plus some exercise of course. Rio got a lunge and some grooming, and I got the trailer hooked up, packed, and ready to go! All before 7. I should take half days more often!

I made every effort to get bed to early, and was up with the sun at 5 am. I had to get Jamp's mane and tail braided before we left at 7:30. He looked great when I got him on the trailer, but I could tell he was a little nervous. (He usually is when we travel.) We arrived right on time at the show, got checked in, and went off to find a place for him to lunge and calm his nerves. He was actually great to lunge, and didn't seem terribly fresh. Good sign! I still had some time, so I put him back on the trailer to have some hay while I watched a few riders go in the class before mine. I also learned my course. It seemed easy enough, nothing very tricky. Finally, around noon, it was time to get on! My trainer worked Jamp first to give him a little tune up for me. He was definitely a little more energized than he had been for his lunge in the morning, but he was working well. I got on and jumped a few practice jumps and he was perfect as he's been all year so far. I was starting to relax and thinking this was going to go just fine!
I had been a little all kinds of anxious leading up to finals, because we do not get any practice time in the ring. Jamp is a good boy, but he really likes to check out his surroundings before he has to be judged. In years past, I've always brought Rio to this final for that reason. He doesn't require orientation! So all week, I talked to Jampy about the weekend. I told him, all I really could ask was that he be brave and not spook at the jumps. Well... I should have been a little more specific.
My turn in the arena was approaching, so I took a couple more practice jumps in the grassy area near the show ring. (We were showing on grass, so it's good to give them an idea of how that footing feels versus the sand we had previously warmed up over.) This is when the nerves came back for Jamp. He even landed off one jump bucking! Naughty! But after jumping a few more, he was back to his old self, and I was feeling pretty ok about going in the ring.
Lining the one long side of the arena was a tent full of tables and spectators. They were kind of a noisy bunch too! I made sure to walk Jamp that whole length of the ring so he could take his time and see what was going on in there. I've had trouble with him and tents before, so I knew that could be an issue if he didn't get a good look. He walked somewhat politely, but was VERY tense. Normally I wait for him to relax before asking him to pick up his pace. But I was running out of arena, and had to put him to work. I asked for the trot and he let out a buck! <<Sigh>> That's enough to lose the class. Not a good way to start. He got that out of his system though, and cantered along nicely to the first jump. He landed strong, but came back to me. Jump two I made a little mistake, but he was right there for me (good pony!) and the rest of the course was mostly smooth. He did land and get strong here and there, but he never once spooked at any of the jumps. He did exactly what I asked him to do. Clearly I need to be a little more specific with my requests next year!

Riding horses is a lesson in humility pretty much every time you get on. Last year Rio and I were second at this final. And this year, I didn't even make the call back. It's really disappointing, but I am also very proud of Jamp for mostly keeping himself together. I can't blame him for not being perfect. He's never been on that show grounds before. He didn't get to practice first like he has been able to do at every show he's been to with me. And he didn't try and get me killed. All in all, despite being disappointed, I am really proud of my boy. He gave his best effort despite his anxiety and technically did what I asked of him. There's always next year!

Traffic was miserable on the drive home. I-95 north on a summer weekend in CT is painful. PAINFUL! I think our max speed heading home was 45 mph. We arrived home around 4 pm and I had to clean out the trailer, unbraid Jamp, and spend some QT with Rio. Then some scavenging in my empty kitchen for food and some much needed pug snuggles! At 7:30 I had to head back out to braid some horses at a local stable. They came out great!

I was home at midnight, but needed to stay up with the Pugs for a little bit. And by stay up I mean fall asleep on the floor with them.

Next thing I knew, it was Sunday. My schedule for Sunday was supposed to start out with a 7 mile run. But I didn't do that. I was far too tired to even THINK about it. I'm thinking the September half is coming off my calendar. Hartford Half in October here I come? We'll have to see. Anyway, back to Sunday! I got to sleep in a little Sunday until 8 since I nixed the run. That was actually pretty great. I then had a couple errands to run (almost out of dogfood!) followed by a visit with Ducky to say hello and bring him some more feed. After a short visit there, I rushed home to grab a shower and get ready for my friend's wedding reception!
The party was held at different friend's home that sits lakeside in a nearby town. It was GORGEOUS! The Bride is a HUGE Pinterest fan, and you could see she really did her research for wedding ideas. Here are some highlights:

Best Photobooth I've ever seen. EVER:

I really should have edited that photo, so you could see better... Sorry. Anyway, how cute is that?! An actual wall, complete with molding, and framed photos of the happy couple. If I ever throw Rio a retirement party, I'm stealing this idea.

It was impossible to get a good photo of this chandelier from down low where I stand, so I'll explain. It's mason jars, frosted purple hanging at different lengths. I love the concept, and really hope they make use of it in their home!
I didn't get any photos of the views nor of the pizza truck (the same one I used once for a party, and hope to again!). But I did snap a quick pic of the lake as I was walking to my car. It was a random home though. Not wedding party related:

I was home by around 7:30 since I had to feed the kids. Did a little straightening up in the house and then was off to bed. And here we are, back to the work grind!

How was your weekend? Do anything fun and exciting? Run any races? Tell me about it below! (No seriously, tell me about your weekend!)