54-Years Young and Back In The Saddle Again! YEEHAW!!!

Another year has passed and I am almost halfway through my sixth decade on this giant rotating ball of gases flying through space! As I look around, I can’t help but wonder, “Where has the time gone? When did I live for 54 years?”

Whenever Dad asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I always say that I don’t know. Usually, I buy the things I want, so I honestly don’t know. This puts Dad in the position to come up with something on his own. Last Christmas, it was tickets to see the Atlanta Symphony perform “The Planets”, which has always been a favorite of mine, and Abby needed to learn about it. This year, for my birthday, he came up with another fantastic idea that I would not have thought of on my own…

I spent my birthday doing something I had given little more than a passing thought to in recent years – I went horseback riding! I had to do the research to find a place that we could go, where we weren’t either forced to take lessons first or where we weren’t just being led around a paddock. I was amazed at how many places require lessons first! We are in horse country, so you might think that it would be easy to find places to ride, but it wasn’t. I didn’t get discouraged, though, and I stayed up late into the night to keep looking. I finally expanded my search into Southern Virginia and lo and behold! What did I find?! I found a ranch just 45 minutes from here that offered experiences ranging from a short ride to all-inclusive riding vacations!

I reached out to the ranch owner and although it was somewhat late notice, they were able to schedule us on Sunday, which was my birthday. I opted to do the four-hour trail rides with lunch included, and I am so glad I did. When we got there Sunday morning, the owner met us and I did our waivers before Julie turned us over to her husband, Gary, and her daughter, Melody, who were our trail guides. Abby and I, along with a very nice woman from Richmond, were the only riders that day. We went out for our first ride, joined by Brownie, the family’s chocolate lab. We rode about 4-5 miles through the woods, crossing creeks, and just relaxing as we allowed Gary and our horses to guide us.

After the first ride, we returned to the Pack House for lunch. Julie had burgers on the grill, and we were able to enjoy a nice lunch with the family, in the coolness of the Pack House. After lunch, Julie even brought out a cake for my birthday while they all joined in to sing. It was really special, and the whole family made us feel as though we were part of their family too.

It was time for the second ride, and this time we rode different trails on the other side of the driveway from before, through forests, creeks, and green meadows. Gary told us about a gentleman who had been born in an old shack on the property, who had come back to visit and see the house. We talked about what great mental health therapy riding provides. Shangri-La is the perfect name for this ranch, as it was absolutely blissful.

Later that evening, Abby took me to dinner with John and Derrick, Tom, Sherrie Lester, Sheri and Janet. I’m so grateful for these friends – the ones who have been there all along, and who celebrate life with me, as well as the hundreds of friends in Facebookland that took the time to drop me Happy Birthday wishes!

John brought cake from Maxey B’s in Greensboro, and since he couldn’t decide which flavor, he chose to do a half German chocolate cake and a half mocha buttercream! They are delish!!! Since we were at Texas Roadhouse, and in keeping with the day’s activities, I even got on the Birthday Saddle and let the restaurant see me in all my 54-year-old fabulousness! No, I don’t hide my age. Yes, I said 54, and I am proud of the fact that I’ve made it this far, when so many don’t get the chance. That said, I am still going to rock the blue hair for as long as I can, along with my skinny jeans and cute tops, because I refuse to look my age, and I probably won’t act it either, especially if there are straws around…