I admit, I am awful!

Hey all.

Sorry - AGAIN... Yes, I have been super busy and I guess that is a good thing 'cause otherwise I might go crazy.

First, some housekeeping news... I got a job! Not a permanent one, mind you, but a temporary one which will do for now. Cross your fingers, people... they are keeping me through December and it's possible it could turn into a real job, which would be the answer to my prayers and a way to finally get my life back in order completely.... Secondly, things with the new person in my life are also going really well (for those of you who are asking)... I haven't been this happy in a really long time and I am choosing to enjoy it!

So, now that you know what is new with me, I have an adventure to tell you about. Lisa and I have been talking lately about doing a "trash the dress" session with her photographer... so finally we managed to pin him down and he nicely agreed to meet us at SUNRISE at the beach so that we could have the opportunity to capture ourselves running down the beach - our once prized gowns flowing behind us like runaway brides!

We decided (wisely) that it would be a good idea to go the day before to not only scope out the best place for photos, but to get our horses used to the ocean! SO, we truck down there one Saturday and, once crusing the Hampton Beach strip, wonder where the hell we should park where we wouldn't be leading our horses down stone steps to the beach! .... AH, illegal parking on a dead end side street - awesome! The funniest part about that is that we really had to pee when we got there and I chose to find a spot between two cozy summer rentals - relax, people, they were empty!

So, Sky was super alert getting off the trailer and was seriously interested (and by interested I mean - HOLY CRAP THAT"S THE OCEAN!!!).... Yeah... she had her eyes and ears on that big, noisy, body of water for a while!

We walked the horses down the beach and tried our best to get them accustomed to the idea that the ocean was _gasp_ RIGHT THERE!

SO, we hopped on and headed down the beach, doing our best to ride out the spooks every time the waves crept up the beach.... Lisa worked very hard to get Onyx to stand in the water which resulted in, of course Onyx standing in the water, and Lisa getting a bootful of ocean and sand to take home!

A good ride under our belt (double hours for APHA as Hampton is a park!) we headed home to prep years' old dresses (which, FYI, didn't quite fit right anymore!) and get some sleep before we had to get up at 330 AM and go right back to the beach.

Let me tell you - 330 came early! Coffee in hand, we packed up our confused ponies and trucked out again. Dan, the crazy photographer who agreed to this, was already there proclaiming he hadn't slept!

Ok. For those of you who have not had the experience of hoisting yourself up onto a thousand pound animal, who is extrodinarily worried about the ginormous body of water to her left, while wearing a very heavy gown - let me tell you, it's an interesting event. Lisa chose to climb up on a nearby picnic table and mount from there, but me, I hopped up from the ground. Geeze, I love my horse! She moved a little but took it well... for the most part! I was actually most impressed by her acceptance of the train of white fabric draped over her butt!

We spent about two + hours doing different poses and set-ups, running in the surf, down the beach, and all around. We got amazing photos - well, at least from the few I've seen so far... can't wait to show you all the rest when we get them!

So, this might be a weird idea. I know, for one, my mother nearly fell over from the thought of my soiling my precious dress! But honestly, where else am I really going to wear it again? And could I have sold it, sure, but it's MY wedding dress - I am the one who fell in love with it and starved myself to fit into it and suffered the rash it caused from all the dancing at our reception. I am the one who put it on in my apartment all alone just for shits and giggles when Karl was in Korea.... and I'm the one who has to let go of it and embrace the idea that it's only a dress and it does not hold any powers to tell me exactly why my marriage didn't last or make things turn our happily ever after....

It's just a dress - just a pile of fabric that is beautiful and glorious and made for me and I got to wear it one more time and it was great. In it I felt free and alive and like it belonged only to me... It made beautiful photos and it was a great time.

Since I have not ridden. Poor me. Sky is fine. She still has her shoes from before East Corinth, and we'll pull them off soon. She is fuzzy and happy and dirty out in the pasture. I am proud of her and will ride her at least a few more times before the snow flies. This winter I am looking forward to riding snowmobiles with my new love and working hard at my new job (pray, people, pray!!!)

Ok. I miss you all - I love you all - that's all that's been going on. Keep in touch, people.

C