Scott and I have been planning to take the kids up to a small town at the base of the Appalachian mountains to go horseback riding for a few weeks and the kids knew there was a surprise, but didn't find out what it was until we pulled up to the ranch:
Gracie and Lydia are going through the "horse phase" that most little girls go through.
They were more than ecstatic when they realized what we were doing.
Henry loved the friendly cats.
Gracie led her horse out of the stable and she was just a natural.
I was shaking like a leaf out of fear for these large, unpredictable animals I had never met and she just turned into a young horse whisperer.
Scott and Henry rode on Rambo.
Bless his sweet heart he is so old and slow.
But we wanted to be sure my baby was safe on a mellow horse.
Most of my pictures while riding are blurry.
It takes a lot of talent to not drop your iphone while riding.
And that's Gracie up there ALL by HERSELF!!
I had a momentary panic attack when her horse, RedWolf, decided he didn't want to climb up a rocky area that was slick from a little stream. She stayed so calm and just did what she needed to do and he eventually did his thing.
I was so proud.
Lydia was my riding buddy.
She spent a good amount of time pretending to shoot arrows, like Merida from BRAVE, and complaining that her bum hurt.
Our trusty steed, who was much more interested in grazing on the grass than going for a hike, was named Cody.
Gracie kept saying she wanted to come back every day.
She got one more moment to connect with the horse before we left.
Afterward we drove into town to eat lunch and wander through the shops on main street.
The Fudge Factory did not disappoint!
So many choices!
I am stoked about this awesome phone I found in an antique shop.
It's not nearly antique...a major counterfeit, but then again, I'm a wannabe too so we go together.
When we got home this awesome guy welcomed us at our back door.
I wouldn't get close enough to him to get a picture that shows you his size.
Seriously 6 inches long!! The web was enormous.
Turns out he was probably a harmless banana spider, but yikes!! Not at my house.
I love all the small towns in the country here...but not the spiders!
