When I was in high school, I said “Howdy” a lot. I used it as my default AOL instant messenger greeting (these were pre-texting days). I wrote it on my notebook. Howdy was part of a horse lover, upbeat, awkward identity my adolescent self was struggling to find. Because of my howdy’s, my friends would joke with me that I belonged in Texas. Back then, fourteen-year-old Lauren would never have guessed that she’d end up living in the Lone Star state…
If it seems like all I’ve been talking about on the blog lately is moving, that’s because all I’ve been doing in real life is moving. Well, that and going out with my friends as much as possible which makes for interesting-but-not-exactly-for-this-blog content. While Saturday I spent the entire day hungover and unable to move resting, yesterday I was as productive as can be trying to pack up the last bits of my house. It made me think of some…
I know I’ve already shared a lot of big news, but this is probably even more important than all that. More important than me moving to California. More important than graduate school. Guys. GUYS! GUYSOMGGGGGUYSSSS!!! Simon — My beloved, nerd horse… IS DOING LEAD CHANGES! Now, he’s always done some lead changes. My trainer would get the occasional clean change when she asked, but it was never consistent. On course, Simon would do a clean change when he really needed to…
As long as I can remember, I’ve been a planner. With many things, this is an asset. For example, I’ve planned the shit out of my upcoming move which is now two weeks away. Every week had a to do list and a timeline for goals, so now even with unexpected bumps in the road… I haven’t crawled into a fetal position with a bottle of wine for the mental breakdown I’m pretty sure I’m do. Actually, I’ve been clipping along…
I’ve been competitive my entire life. I’m not sure if the figure skating started it, or if I was drawn to figure skating because of it but I’ve never known a period of time where I didn’t want to be the absolute best at something. First it was double sow-cows and flying camels. Then it was riding horses with 4H shows and much later, IHSA equitation. When I took a break from riding during my time in MA, I turned…
Home ownership being single has been a lot different than it was with him. For our first house, we took what one might call a lackadaisical approach. All of the paperwork, insurance and mortgage business was up to him and I just assumed things got done properly. Sometimes it did, and sometimes it didn’t. Lawn care was up to me, but I tended to focus on little projects versus the big picture. About once a quarter, I’d get inspired and…