Horsing Around

I usually plan a little birthday tea for Carisa every year.

Then she usually makes everyone celebrate my birthday too.

Our birthdays are three days apart.

So it became kind of a thing for us to throw our own themed tea for each other.

We’ve done some fun ones.

Then Sumita looked at me over a meal at our women’s retreat last month and said that she and Julie were going to plan it this year.

Even though I really enjoy planning the tea each year, it was even better just attending it.

Carisa and I didn’t know until one or two days before where we were going.

Horsey Hall.

We were going to have lunch at a place about 40 minutes away called Horsey Hall.

Julie had been a few weeks before with her mother and sister and really wanted us to experience it.

It’s an old farm house turned into a restaurant and shop.
Even the rooms upstairs have stuff displayed that can
be purchased.

As soon as we pulled in we noticed the horse heads on the stone pillars. They were pretty much begging for a photo op.

These horses weren’t sporting a look of daring heroics. 

No, we decided they looked like they were the horse carrying Ichabod Crane when they first spotted the Headless Horseman.

Am I right?

We decided to do our own impression.

Me, Julie, Scared Horse and Carisa

Not to brag, but I kind of nailed it. 

If successfully impersonating a scared horse 

is something to brag about.

Julie did get the shock part.

Carisa, dear sweet friend, this will always, ALWAYS be the picture that I will seek out to make me laugh on days when I need a pick-me-up. That face. I’ve never seen it on you before. 

But then again, I’ve never asked you to pretend 

to be a frightened horse before.

Somehow I still look like the horse here:

If it looks like I’m trying to tame the wild horse I’m riding, let me assure you--

I was just freezing my thighs off because that metal horse sculpture was COLD!

And Carisa thought it was hilarious, apparently.

Carisa did think for a brief period that going to Horsey Hall meant actually riding horses.

 Judging by this picture, riding horses with her is going to be WILD.

Sumita couldn’t come with us since her daughter was in the hospital. We missed her!

The food was great and the peanut butter pie was AMAZING!! The owner took such good care of us. Her name was Julie Andrews. 

No, she wouldn’t sing, 

“The Sound of Music”. 

Of course, I asked. 

It was my birthday.

 Julie (my friend, not Andrews) did a great job. She made these adorable horse candy jars for favors.

Mine was filled with jelly beans. 

Everyone else got chocolate.

She later shared with me this picture of trying to spray paint in 40 degree weather with a little helper:

This is her dog Ruby, who decided to “help” by walking right in the wet black spray paint.

We were joined by our lovely friends who made the drive just to celebrate us. 

What a blessing to have them all in my life. 

There was a barn and a shed outside with furniture and bigger items to purchase.

Then it started to snow! I don’t know if you can see the flakes against the corn crib. 

When I was little I used to pray for snow on my birthday. 

It happened once when I turned 7. 

And then again this year. 

But I didn’t pray for it this time.

Sometime during dessert, I heard laughter explode from the end of the table. 

I don’t know about you, but if I see people in tears from laughing,

I want to know what the funny is!

Apparently, Julie,

who had been sitting right next to me, 

started to notice something feeling not quite right 

behind her knee.

She felt a bulge of some sort.

She slipped out of her chair and moved down towards the end of the table so she could sit on a bench and investigate further. 

In front of four of the ladies with us,

Julie shimmied 

and tugged 

and curiously dug

until she pulled out what ended up being 

yesterday’s underwear from her pant leg.

These were skinny fit pants, people.

I can’t believe she didn’t notice it earlier.

Or maybe she did notice. 

Right at the moment she snapped this selfie.

“What the?"

What I thought was her impression of a scared horse just may have been the realization that there was day old drawers in her knee pit.

Moving on…

It was the perfect day. 

Horsing around with friends. 

Eating. 

Taking pictures and getting a funny story to tell. 

About underwear.

It’s like it was all just planned out perfectly for us.

Sumita and Julie:  you are hired again for next year!