Saying Goodbye
I never imagined that losing a horse would be as difficult for me as it was to say goodbye to Bullseye. It's amazing to think that he has been a part of this family for over thirteen years, (I can't remember exactly when Deb bought him) and part of the scenery in our pasture for two. This post is overdue and I've been putting off, not able to find the right words. Although he was not technically my horse, I loved helping take care of him (except maybe when the ice in the tank was 6 inches deep) and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Nick and the kids ride him. He provided kids (and adults) happiness that was very visible any time I looked up at the smiling faces on top of his back. I don't know what it was like to ride him full speed or cantor around the ring, but it was the best thing in the world watching Nick ride like the wind or use him to teach our kids about horses and riding. Nick said it best in his facebook message to his family, that we are only given a certain number of days on Earth, and unfortunately for us, Bullseye's have come to an end. He was diagnosed with cancer early in June and it rapidly spread, leading to all of the things that no animal owner wants to think about. I'm thankful for the time we had with him and the peace that he provided to Nick when they were together.
Gracie leading Bullseye around
Gracie's last ride. She has become so comfortable on a big horse. She doesn't like to go fast like Owen, but she loves being up there.
Owen's last ride. Owen did not want to get off. Bullseye hadn't been ridden for well over a month and the kids were aware that he was sick. I think that even though we didn't tell them, they knew it might be their last chance to ride him.
This was Gracie's first ride on Bullseye. I think she was maybe 7 months old. Needless to say, the ride didn't last very long. :)
Gracie's first true solo ride. She was 2.5 years old.
They sure look good together, but I might be a little biased.
This might have been Owen's first solo ride on Bullseye. I think he was just over 2 years old.
Pretty happy little boy.
This was from Gracie's 3rd birthday. Every girl needs a horse.
I wish I had more pictures of Nick riding, but Nick would take him out and disappear for awhile by himself. And, most of the solo runs with Nick were before the digital era, so I'm sure I have printed pictures somewhere. Nick took a final ride with Bullseye which, I'm sure, was enjoyed in solitude. I have never considered myself a true horse person, but I can see what these beautiful animals can do for people. While it is so hard to lose a pet, they can teach us so much about ourselves and we are lucky to have had Bullseye as part of our family for the last two years. Thank you, Deb for sharing. We are so grateful.
And other news from Missouri...
I finished up the summer session for Mizzou and now have a couple weeks off before the fall semester begins. The kids and I have done some back to school shopping and they will find out their teachers at the New Haven open house on Thursday this week. They are pretty excited to get back to school and see their friends. They have finished up swim lessons and I have started coordinating fall activities. Gracie is enrolled in Dance, tumbling, and soccer right now and will begin soccer the first day of school. Dance begins after Labor Day. She wants to do gymnastics, too, but we'll see how these go first. Owen will be participating in flag football this year and is SO excited to start. Hopefully this goes well for him. I would also like both of them to get involved in the New Haven Elementary Choir, which meets after school once weekly. It won't be long until we're pretty busy again.
We also had visitors from Iowa! My friend Traci brought her kids down for a mini vacation. That was a lot of fun and I had a running partner for a couple days! They stayed with us in Columbia one night and then down in the Ozarks a couple nights. I took the kids down after I was done working for the week to join in the fun. We spent a lot of time in the water and visited the shops along the strip during the evening.
Gracie and Skyler at the strip in the Ozarks
Dancing Queens!
The kids and I were home last week for a few days before we headed up for a really short visit to Iowa. We intended to stay longer, but I had forgotten about having swim lessons on Thursday evening and then Owen was invited to a birthday party on Saturday afternoon that we wanted to get back for. However, we accomplished a lot in our short trip. We arrived late Thursday night at my grandma's and were able to spend Friday morning with her while Nick went up to Ames to have breakfast with some colleagues from ISU. He also stopped through Huxley to finally close an account before coming back to my grandma's to pick us up to meet his grandparents for lunch. After that, we headed to Newton to meet Sawyer and stay with Josh and Julie for the evening. Then we left by 8:30 Saturday to head back home. Hopefully next time we'll be able to stay a little longer.
Owen meeting Sawyer
selfie!
Gracie holding Sawyer with Nick
First birthday party here!
Awesome water slide!
We were invited to the birthday party of one of the boys (Gibson) who was on Owen's baseball team. Nick also works with his mom, Ashley, at Mizzou. It was a really fun afternoon and I'm so glad that we made it back. The kids needed a day to play with some friends, here in Columbia.
Gracie playing on the slide
There is just over a week until the kids start school here (Aug 16!) and then Mizzou starts on the 22nd. Then there are the birthdays at the end of the month! We haven't quite figured out what we're going to do yet, but the kids agreed that we could have a combined birthday party for them, Phew! Hopefully that will make it a little easier than having parties two weekends in a row! However, they have requested what they want for cakes already, so I'd better get going on that!
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