Mayhem

May is creeping up, and with it, insanity...

This weekend I volunteered at the Potomac Hunter Pace and a horse management clinic for Pony Club kids, and in between attended my bachelorette party in DC. All fun, but I was so exhausted I practically had an out-of-body experience driving home from the farm on Sunday.

One of the larger hunter pace teams

I left a trail of bachelorette party dick straws in my wake Saturday night. Here's one at Board Room.

As the wedding approaches though, I find myself caught between excitement and dread. It's fun to complete all the final details like spray-painting candle votives and designing the programs, and I felt so much happiness welling up when I went to get our marriage license from the Baltimore Circuit Court. My hand was shaking as I was filling out the form just thinking about beginning my new life with Byron and all of the things we have planned, from riding and ballroom dancing to the less glamorous (but still exciting) things like how we will manage our money together. It felt so momentous and official, and that was just paperwork!

But I have so much anxiety about how the day itself will go. Both of our parents are divorced, and between us, we have a total of eight parents with their new significant others, not all of whom play together nicely. I know it is just one day, and that it's just a party, and that the important part is our new life together, but ever since I was little, having both sets of parents in the same space just freaks me out. I've seen how fast it can turn from completely fine to you'll-be-reading-about-this-in-my-memoirs levels of crazy.

I've already informed family that they need to be on their best behavior, and alerted a few key people that if any drama goes down, I want to remain in blissful ignorance. But what with people insisting on inviting new people last-minute, and parents wanting to change around details that have already been decided...it's not helping my stress level in a time that should be full of happy anticipation. I just can't stop thinking that I know something is going to happen because obviously, it's life and things go wrong. I'm just not sure how to keep it from bringing me down on my special day...

If anyone has advice I'm all ears!

So is Salsa.

I found a pretty TB mare under all that winter hair!

The Anonymous Foxhunter

I have good news but that will have to wait for a later post...in the meantime, I've been writing a lot and riding consistently(ish). Gotta prep for my D rating in Horsemasters Pony Club! In short, all of my rides could be described as: 1) transitions and 2) STOP PINCHING AT THE KNEE GODDAMMIT! Not terribly interesting to write about.

But what IS interesting (and hilarious) is my new favorite Youtuber, the Anonymous Foxhunter. And as spring begins, it's the perfect time to take her advice to heart and start that long, slow distance work on the trails...

In other news, I am super pumped for our hunt ball this spring. I will be wearing this black dress because I already own it, and thus it is already paid for. Byron, on the other hand, will be testing out his brand-new wedding tux.

Not Byron in the photo, to avoid confusion—that's my little brother and me

My hair is about twice as long as in this picture now though, so I will be doing my own updo and reliving my Homecoming and Prom days when I would have a bunch of my friends over and do their hair for them!