Challenges, Beginnings, and Reunions

Today was a pretty laid back day.  I didn't go in to work until 4:30, and I just got home about twenty minutes ago (which translates to finishing up around 9:30).  It was a fairly steady night once the customers started coming in for dinner.  Most of the people were nice; I had one couple who were particularly tough though.  They made me so nervous.  I was doing everything they asked and got everything right, but I constantly felt like I was doing something wrong from the way they were acting.  Oh well.  I was forewarned the minute they walked in the door that that's how they would be, so I just had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't really because of me.  Next time, I'll just be that much more prepared for them, now that I've waited on them once.  I saw a bunch of people I knew, including one of my cousins and his son.  I swear, I'm related to so many people in this town that I see one of them every time I work.  It's crazy!

I slept in until around 10:30 this morning.  Yes, I am aware that I was a bit lazy. :P  After I got up and got ready for the day, I headed to the computer and started looking up prices for horse stuff and researching a little bit on different kinds of tack (for those of you non-horse people, that's bridles and saddles and such - and if you don't know what those are...well...go look it up. No offense. :) ).  I think I've decided that I'm going to ride English rather than Western.  I've never ridden English, only Western, but I want to learn.  And English is what Orion is used to from what I've heard.  I'm pretty sure that's how Liz always rode him.  So there's no rush to get a saddle since he won't be able to be ridden for a while, but I want to at least know what kind of money I'm going to be spending on the stuff so I have an idea when the time comes.  Plus, it helps my decision knowing that English saddles seem to be a bit cheaper than Western saddles, at least based on the ones I've looked at.

I bought some grooming stuff and leg wraps and a lunge line last night to get started.  They won't be here for a couple of weeks because I chose the cheaper shipping rate to save money.  But at least it's a start.  Oh, and I ordered a French link bit too.  Liz uses it with Orion, and he seems to respond well to it, so I decided to stick with it.  I don't want to change things too drastically on him, since he'll already be adjusting to me and being moved back to Linda's, away from where he's been staying in the first place.  Just seems logical to try to keep as many things as possible the same for him - the bit, the English tack, etc.

I'll hopefully have him out at Linda's sometime in the next couple of weeks.  It just depends on how much I get to go out and see him beforehand, and that depends on my work schedule, which determines when I get to go home.  I already know that this coming week is probably out, and I'll know the schedule for the week after that at the end of this coming week...... So it's all kind of up in the air right now, even though I'm trying my best to get things planned out.

This weekend I have two family reunions, so even though I don't work, I won't be able to get up to Elkins then either. *sigh*  I am excited about seeing my family though.  And on Sunday, my Grandma gets to go see everybody.  The last time we had this particular reunion was two summers ago, only a couple weeks before she had her stroke.  She pretty much only leaves the nursing home for doctors' and dentist's appointments.  She leaves her room for physical therapy and showers.  She takes  her meals there and only goes down to the dining room if it's someone's birthday or a holiday and we come to eat a meal with her; then we make her go to the dining room, pretty much whether she wants to or not.  It will definitely be good for her to get out of the place and see everyone on Sunday.  She's been telling us that she's "excited but nervous".  I think she's going to love it once she warms up to being there. :)

With that being said, I probably won't be back here until Sunday evening at the earliest, so don't expect any posts tomorrow.  I'll be staying with my other grandfather tomorrow evening, and sadly, he's never gotten internet. :'(  It's nice not to be wired into the world sometimes, but other times, it's just downright annoying.  And if I still don't have a cell phone by the time I go there, I can guarantee it will be annoying. Blah.

Anyway, I'm exhausted and have a headache, so I'm going to end this ramble here for the night and go get ready for bed.  It's going to be a lonnnnng couple of days.  Good night!