Rainy Tuesday

For some reason, my mind thinks it should be fall. I love fall. Okay, so I guess September technically qualifies as fall, but it's Texas...and fall doesn't come until like Thanksgiving or sometimes even Christmas. But goodness, this rain and cool weather today has got me dreaming of Halloween. I have a serious obsession with that holiday. I hate that some people make it all demonic; I for one only like the things I associate with it - like jumping into a huge pile of orange, red, brown, and yellow leaves in Chicago that my dad had just raked in our front yard (and then getting tickled for doing so!), drinking spiced apple cider and hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows, and going to a pumpkin patch and picking out my very own pumpkin. I remember having Halloween parties at the barn, dressing up horses and then riding around in the crisp October air. Bonfires at the barn after our Halloween horse show is one of my best memories from middle school. I remember sitting at football games and cheering (even though I had no clue what actually happened in football until college). I love carving pumpkins and I especially love seeing all those adorable kids in their Halloween costumes. I think I have an obsession. And I'm so excited for October to get here!

Mmm...I miss horseback riding. I miss so much the rush of flying over 3' jumps on a powerful horse. I miss the sweet smell of grain and hay at feeding time. I miss spending hours upon hours in a grooming stall brushing my horse until he was bright as a penny. I miss the sound horseshoes make on a concrete floor. I miss taking trail rides in the field and galloping down the hills. I think most of all, I miss that connection that a girl can only have with a horse - that complete trust. One day...one day soon, I will ride again. It is a passion, and if you are passionate about something, you know that you never can never be 100% content unless that passion is in your life.

Work was work...again. I'm trying to stay positive about my crappy schedule. Trying so hard and getting so, so frustrated at the same time. I'm trying to shut up while I'm there. It would be too easy to just shut my mouth and not complain, but for some reason I like to make things difficult for myself. It would also be too easy to not eat work food. I swear they are trying to make me fat - all those greasy, buttery, fattening foods that they feed to the kids. And then they make us sit down while the kids our eating and my stomach is growling and I fall into the temptation of taking "just one bite" of whatever it is that we're having for lunch or snack and then it's all downhill from there.

I'm done for now...well, almost. One picture to share. Wherever we're going, Riley wants to go too!!


Goodnight, sleep tight,