grown ups

My Memorial Day weekend was filled with several grown up moments.  The first grown up wasn't even me - it was Dutch!  Baby Dutch and I have had a very long relationship since we bought him in 2007, with probably more downs than ups, but thanks to Kris & Heather of Heather Ridge Farm (HRF), he is finally growing up!  We sent him to So Pi almost three years ago to basically retire him because he was struggling in Raleigh, and I was totally frustrated with him.  In those 3 years, Kris, Dr. Garrett, and Billy Pope the farrier worked with Dutch to get his body working as good as possible and figuring out the best work schedule for him, and I can tell it has all paid off.  He is the healthiest and happiest he has ever been, and although he isn't the 3-foot hunter we bought him to be, I couldn't ask for more.  I've had fun riding him these past two weekends, because he has been so good, and riding him is just easy and familiar, like a well-fitted glove.  Some days he plays (a giant) school pony, or this weekend, he played show horse.  We went to a schooling dressage show with my mom and HRF, and he was a total pro.  I still can't believe how good he was, and although it wasn't perfect, it is such progress from where he used to be.  I'm so proud!  He even won our class (and won me a wine glass woohoooo!)

#winning

I was also very proud of my mother and her leetle QH dressage machine, Cowboy!  They haven't been together very long, but they are so fun to watch, and I love seeing my mother progress.  Cowboy is more suitable for her than Dutch at this time.  Dutch and Cowboy are best friends, so they watched each other show this weekend (no seriously, they both watched the other one do his test).

On Sunday I went and rode Ranger, and while I was out there I visited with Fannie.  Since I haven't really said anything about her since she was doing so poorly in the vet school, I want y'all to know she is fine!  They aren't 100% sure what happened, but they think that since she is from Ecuador, she had a weird allergic reaction that affected her neurologically.  She lost at least 200 pounds while at the vet school, mostly all her muscle, so she is really skinny now and is still recuperating.  I visited with her some, and then gave her a bath because she was sort of grungy (y'all know I'm OCD like that).  Hopefully she will be back to normal in a few more months.

On Monday, was when I was all grown upish.  I did errands and yard work all day!  It sounds pretty boring, but Sienna and I had fun out in the yard because the weather was so nice.  I ripped up almost all the ivy in my backyard, which took about 3 hours.  Sienna just wandered around and played with her ball, she was no help at all!  Now that I have most of the ivy up, we need to bag a bunch of old fall leaves to make the yard look better.  I'm really not that fond of yard work, but I get really excited about what it will look like when everything is all done.  Who knows? Maybe next I will actually plant something!!  HA!

From Friday night....

....4/7ths of the iContact PreSales team!!

not yet.

A few days ago, the most perfect little (remember, who recently returned from Italy) sent me a text asking if the sadness from missing Europe ever stops, and I wrote back, not yet.

For those of you who were with me when I wrote my Euro blog, I promised I'd write my reflections of being back in the States at some point.  You may also recall that this never happened.  I guess this is it.

So, I just did the math.  In a life time (we are estimating that at 85 years, hopefully, if not more) a person has 1,020 months to live.  I lived in France for 7, almost 8, months.  I'm just rounding down for today.  I lived in France for .69% of my life...that's not even one whole percent of my life people!!  So riddle me this, why is it that somewhere I spent so little of my life, consumes so much of my thoughts on a daily basis?  I used to get SO frustrated with people who went abroad, and then came back and they literally could not have a conversation without talking about like.... this one time in Greenland..... but now that person is me! I try really hard not to talk about being abroad all the time, but I do have to work not to mention it.  I probably still fail a lot.  I had a professor last fall who talked about when he studied abroad and how much it changed his life.  Now, he was not old by any means, late thirties/early forties, but I wonder if that will be me?  Will so many of my thoughts be consumed with nostalgia, even 10+ years down the road?

I think France has been on my mind so much lately because of one reason.  Sunday was May 19th, the day all my friends left me in Montpellier to travel or come back to the USA.  It really weighed on my mind a lot last week, but in the midst of telling y'all about my fun weekend in So Pi, I sort of glossed over that part of my weekend.  That was a monumental day for me last year, because it marked the end of my adventures with all my new friends, and started the fun with my family in France.  I just cannot fathom how an entire year has gone by since then, and I'm already 10 months home in the USA.  I've been home much longer than I was there.  So why can't I stop thinking of my life in France?

When you leave to study abroad, they make sure to tell you that you will have reverse culture shock when you return.  That's a load of horse shit.  They need to tell you to mentally prepare to have your whole world you knew in the States so turned upside down that you literally can't even go out to eat without getting annoyed with how freakishly cold the American restaurants are, and they need to tell you that even though you SWORE while in France you would never eat and drive at the same time, that you would take the time to enjoy your food, you would one day find yourself late to work, eating in the car.  They should tell you that you will hate yourself for compromising on all the promises you told yourself you would uphold upon your return to the USA, because they are just not possible in the American lifestyle.  They should tell you that you better say sayonara and au revoir to the old you when you say goodbye to your family when you leave, because that person won't be waiting for you at the baggage claim when you get home.  I'm not saying the new me is bad, I love myself (probably too much), but just telling me to "expect reverse culture shock" just has not cut it.

I'm sure the love for France and Europe has to do with the situations because it was all new and fun and I had no obligations other than not to miss the train with the nonrefundable ticket.  It is so hard to work a 9-6 job and not reminisce about the days when all I did was eat, drink, and socialize.  That's not real life, even for the French, but it was a happy, easy time that literally everyone should kill someone to experience.  I'm running out of steam folks, there's not much more.

I just find myself wishing there were more times in the day where I felt connected to France.  The most frequent of those times I do feel a little like the French me is when I walk Sienna at night.  My neighborhood is so quiet some nights that it feels like I'm back in my secluded little room in Vert Bois Bâtiment B.  Which I also miss a lot.  Its amusing because of how much I hated that room when I first got there, and now I sit daydream of sitting in my bed, looking out my window, and just being 100% content with my life.  I love North Carolina more than any place in the world, but some days France snobbily intrudes on my NC life and takes over for a day or two, and NC just seems so incorrect.   Its times like these I could kill for an espresso and a pain au chocolat, and I'm not talking about those gross ones from Panera that looks like a hippo used it for a stool.  How many days until WEG in Normandie?  456.

This is not the extent of my thoughts regarding being back in the States, but its all for now.  I've worn myself out.  Bonne nuit, my loves.

In case you want to know the millions of things I miss about France, here is my Pinterest page of just that!  France Pinterest Page


Shout out to my friends from Montpellier.  I'd say I miss you more than you can imagine, but I think you have an idea of what I'm feeling.

Southern Pines in Springtime!

I loveee the weekends I get to go to Southern Pines.  I happily took a half day Friday so I could get down there at a decent hour, and it was a beautiful drive (maybe more beautiful because I wasn't inside answering the phone?).  Once I got there, Mother gave me the grand tour of her condo down there, because I had not yet seen it.  She started renting it in February, and its really cute!  Once we had baby Sienna all settled in the new place, Louise, Mother and I all set out to wander around the "downtown" area of Southern Pines.  I love walking around that area because there are so many cute stores and everything is so quaint.  The Monkees in So Pi is the best one - I literally want everything in it!  We stopped at one of my favorite cupcake stores for a quick snack and relaxed in the shade for a little while before going back to the condo for a while before dinner.

Downtown So Pi

All the children on the daybed 

Our friend Rachel came over for about and hour and a half before dinner to have some drinks and catch up. Rachel moved to Middleburg, VA two or three years ago to work with horses, so unfortunately we see her very infrequently.  We had so much to catch up on and talk about that an hour and a half was nowhere near enough time for visiting!  We hope to go up there sometime in the future, to visit Rachel, but also Middleburg, which is heaven for the horse person.  We bought Dutch from a farm in Middleburg way back in the day, and the whole Upperville/Middleburg/Warrenton/The Plains area of Virginia is absolutely gorgeous and totally horse-centered.

After Rachel left, we went to Rhett's, my favorite restaurant in So Pi.  It is always amazing, a great atmosphere, and their bread pudding is k i l l e r!  Mother and I walked back to the condo because it was a perfect evening, and she's not but around a half mile from town.  A very happy end to a great day!

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Saturday morning, we all woke up and headed out to the Carolina Horse Park to watch some of the show going on this weekend.  We got there just in time to watch the division I used to show in, so it was fun for me to watch people I used to compete against.  Also a little nostalgic, but I daydreamed about showing in the future whenever I can afford my own horse!  Hopefully in a few years that will be possible for me.  It was great fun to see horse friends from all the different barns that I see infrequently, and the weather could not have been better!

Once the Adult Amateur division finished, I went to ride Dutch, who lives just down the road from the horse park.  I watch my mom ride her little lease horse, Cowboy, and then I rode Dutch.  He can be opinionated and lazy sometimes, but he was a superstar on Saturday, so it was great fun!  He was so good, my mom mentioned showing him in a little dressage schooling show this coming weekend, which I think I'm going to take her up on.  I guess there is no guarantee he will be as well behaved as he was this past weekend, but it will be fun to do something different nonetheless!

Olivia & Cowboy

Olivia & Cowboy

Olivia & Cowboy

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Dutch & I

Dutch & I 

After watching the show and riding in the sun, I needed a little nap before dinner at Chef Warren's!  It was another great meal with lots of good food and conversation.

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We didn't do much on Sunday because it rained off and on.  I just drove back to Raleigh and watched some Downton Abbey with Kyle before he went to set up for Billionaires at a music show.  Sienna and I snuggled and tried to catch up on our Vampire Diaries.  I think she and I did some bonding this weekend, because she was much more of a snuggle bear last night than she usually is.  Or maybe she was just tired from all the excitement of the weekend.  I'm going to pretend its the prior!

*OFFICIAL* New Family Member

So, starting today, Sienna is officially part of the family!

She has been at the rescue organization for the past two days getting her last round of heart worm medication, so when we pick her up today, she will legally be in my name, and not that of the rescue organization!  Hooray!  Only one more month to go until we can run and play and go to training classes!

(Sorry for the poor photo quality - they are all phone pictures)

She LOVES her antler

Silly pup

Car rides!

Eating a pancake from Kyle's mouth!

23rd Birthday!

I had a busy, fun weekend!

On Friday, after work, I quickly stopped by the graduation party for one of my Tri Delta sisters, Rachel.  She just graduated in foreign language education, and it was a party for several foreign language ed students, so I actually knew more people than just her!

From Rachel's graduation party, I went out to dinner with people from Paramount!  It was nice to catch up with them, since I only see some of them on the weekends now, since Fannie is still in rehab from her episode in April.  We ate at Irregardless in Raleigh, which is just as good for dinner as it is for brunch!  Hanna and I grabbed cupcakes quickly after dinner, because the flavor of the week was Mimosa (orange cupcake/champagne buttercream) and there was no way in hell I was about to pass that up!

Mimosas!

To round out the end of a great Friday, the most perfect little of all time (Emily!) and I went to see the Great Gatsby.  I read the book my junior or senior year of high school, and was not super impressed by it, but I also really hated English as a class.  Emily however, loves the Great Gatsby, so she got me excited to see the movie.  It was excellent.  Leonardo DiCaprio totally steals the show.  From what I remember, it was very true to the book (bonus points for me), but the movie was beautifully done.  I know technically cinema is considered "art," but the directors really thought about the aesthetics of the movie, and it was a work of art in my opinion.  I loved it, and will probs try to go see it again in the theater, which is rare for me.

***

On Saturday I had the best ride on Ranger!  The weather was absolutely phenomenal, it was warm, not super humid, and breezy.  All I could think was that it felt like Florida in March or April.  It was just perfect. Ranger was a superstar too, which just added to my good mood.  He was a total punk the last time I rode him, so I was happy for good behavior.  I felt so silly, but we jumped around some baby stuff and thankfully he took care of me because I just never jump anymore, so I get a little anxious about it when I only jump once every month or two on horses I don't know well.

Since it was such a nice day, my dad and I went to lunch at the State Farmer's Market restaurant, before going to scout out the best strawberries.  The Farmer's Market was ridiculously busy because of Mother's Day/graduation weekend/the first nice weather in 2 weeks.  It was a bit of a nightmare, but I still really enjoyed spending some time with my father and being outside.

The strawberry pro.

For dinner, we all went to Kanki to celebrate my birthday, so that the mom's could have Sunday all about them!

Kyle and I at Kanki

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Mother's Day/23rd Birthday!!

Sunday was a pretty lazy day.  Kyle and I went over to my mother's house for a bit, and then Louise, Mother, and I all went for a walk around Lake Johnson with Daisy and Paige.  It was great weather, and surprisingly the lake wasn't incredibly busy.

I need to make a shout out to my wonderful mother.  She has always been so amazing through the years with supporting me in whatever I do, and she is always there to help me get through tough spots in life.  She and I are so similar that we rarely disagree, and can get along no matter what the situation, and I love that we have that sort of relationship.  I am so lucky to have her as my mother!!

Daisy and her mom.

So pouty.

Beautiful Lake Johnson!

In the evening, Kyle and I went to his mother's house for dinner and drinks with her, Michelle, Gerry, and Andy.  It was fun just hanging out with them (and drinking fresh strawberry margaritas!)  Thank you to Michelle for making an amazing almond/coconut cake!

Weekend Summary!

Some fun points from this weekend!

1) Clean truck (first time since August... oops!)

2) These guys watching the Kentucky Derby

3) Going out for dinner and drinks with Kyle and some of his friends.  No pictures, but we went to the new restaurant, Cowfish, in North Hills.  I do not get easily overwhelmed, but I had an impossible time choosing from their menu (Check it out! Menu )

4) Brunch with some of my favorites!!  

MRK - STG - GH  

5) Sunday was so rainy and dreary, Kyle, Sienna, and I sat around and watched movies for the rest of the day, because being productive was absolutely impossible.

6)  Louise is home from HPU for a few weeks, so we went to dinner at my fave - Coquette, with Kyle and my mother!  #PretendingImStillInFrance

7) A woman who rides at Heather Ridge Farm in Southern Pines with my mother, writes a blog as well, and she wrote a post after the Rolex Kentucky, and her post went viral and some major equine news outlets picked it up, which was very exciting for Jen!  She is an excellent eventer, and very committed to the sport, so I am very excited for her!

Jen's post (published by Eventing Nation): Walking in the Hoof Prints of Greatness

Jen's blog: The Journey Begins

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Fun thing from today - Mother and I went to the DMV this morning....after 6 years, the baby Taco is officially in my name!  Happy early birthday to me!