We had an action packed weekend planned! Carrie dropped Shane off in the front office of my school Friday, so that she could get an MRI done on her knee. I collected him when class ended and then we drove out to the dairy market.
Shane proceeded to dance for all of the cars driving by.
He was excited. And he's a super-extrovert.
Yet he was surprisingly unhappy with the thought of being recorded!
We were waiting to meet Nana and Pop! Shane hid behind a sign to try and ambush them, but Pop was on to him!
Nana and Pop were driving through to celebrate Shane's birthday before they continued on to see their new grandbabies!
I wanted to get a picture of everyone eating.
Shane likes to be over dramatic in general, but even more so if it can be caught on film!
Nana wasn't happy. Shane wouldn't stop making faces, so I didn't get any pictures with everyone smiling.
Shane had to finish the meat in his ramen to get ice cream. Shane had been sickeningly full (he made puking gestures), but he rallied when ice cream was on the line.
But then the idiot kept eating! And eating! He packed his mouth full of food and eventually said he couldn't swallow. Nana was nice and let him spit it out and he still got birthday ice cream before they took him to their hotel to play (They'd wanted to let him swim, but the indoor pool was closed).
I wasn't there for the ice cream, because it was the first wrestling match of the season. By choosing to eat with everyone I was already late (That freedom is why I volunteer to help for free rather than sign up for a paid position).
Most of the kids got killed. Sadly, that wasn't a big surprise. Save a couple they're very new.
I hung out and videotaped a few matches. I got to say hit to some old friends from CHS. The team captain was Xavier, one of my middle school wrestlers!
Carrie was asleep by the time I got home. I went out and did horse chores in the dark before turning in.
The next morning, Shane had a riding lesson at 10 AM. Carrie and I did AM chores and then met Nana, Pop, and Shane where the lesson was. Shane acted like he was mortified to have to change clothes in the van, but everyone else was matter of fact and didn't see the big deal.
A few minutes later, the trainer walked over to greet us with Shane's ride in tow.
"This may be rude to say...," Shane started.
Personal experience: "This may be rude to say...," is almost always followed by something rude to say.
Thankfully, this time was an exception to the rule. Shane asked about the spots on the horses butt. Carrie and the trainer both laughed. The horse was an Appaloosa. The breed is known for their colorful spots!
The lesson started with Shane giving his ride a brushing. No one else caught it, but the turd ducked under the horses belly to go from side to side! That's a big no-no and he knows better. I called him out on it quietly.
Carrie spent the pre-lesson chatting with the trainer while Nana and Pop chatted away with the property owner.
The barn owner's daughter was getting a lesson with Shane. Carrie positioned herself in the ring to watch while the rest of us stood further back.
The property owners were from DC and wanted to get away from the craziness (especially with COVID now on the scene). They felt like everything was calmer and nicer here. One of the kids even went to my high school.
I moved back and forth between the groups. I'd watch the lesson, check in with Carrie, and head back to hear the conversation.
Shane looked like he was enjoying the lesson.
He looked fine enough to me, but Carrie cringed at how active his hands were! I think he does quite well for only riding a few times a year even though we have our own barn!
Shane's attention was on everyone around him as much as the riding. He likes being on the stage.
I got a screen capture with a big smile as he came trotting down the side near the end.
Though Shane didn't like seeing my camera out. I don't know if you can lip read, but in this clip Shane said to stop!
Shane helped unsaddle his horse when the lesson was done.
After that we all went into town. There was a festival of sorts. We were surprised to see Sarah and her family with some animals from their rescue at the Farmer's Market!
We were even more surprised with Shane's friend Peter showed up to look at the animals, too!
The boys started off looking at animals, but ended up watching Halo videos on a phone.
I chatted with Peter's mom about audiobooks and invited Peter to Shane's bday party. Unfortunately, they had other plans, but we swapped phone numbers.
Carrie had left the riding lesson to pick up Shane's cake, but she met up with us while we looked at the animals.
Where were Nana and Pop? Nana lost her purse. She realized it when she wanted to make a donation to Sarah's farm. Pop searched the car without finding it, so Nana had to start calling and canceling credit cards in case it was stolen.
I have the advantage of foresight as I write this. Nana's purse fell out somewhere on the street or sidewalk. A good Samaritan turned it in to the police office on Monday with everything still in it. We didn't know this at the time, so Nana and Pop had to go through all the motions of calling and cancelling credit cards which led to some headaches with a hotel later on.
But at the time, we took a short break from phone calls to enjoy lunch as a family.
I wasn't sure which picture I liked better of Nana and Pop laughing so I included both!
Shane was impatient about getting his food. The closet we'd had to a restaurant experience post-pandemic with him was eating out with Kim and Ryan (
Wow...was that really JULY!?!?).
After lunch, we went home to the barn. Shane and I rode with Nana and Pop.
Carrie went ahead to panic clean and let Loki out to greet us.
They must have expected Carrie to be cleaning, because they wanted to see the barn first. Jess was there getting Indy ready to ride.
Carrie came down to chat with everyone while we poked around. When we all went up to the house it looked great!
Nana and Pop used their time at our house to rest and make more phone calls before heading out. Their next stop was Staunton to see Shelby, Patrick and baby Nathaniel! Shane ran to open the gate for them and give a final goodbye.
God blessed me with great parents who stay active in my son's life. Shane got used to seeing them monthly during the pandemic, but this was his first time to see them in person since the summer. This visit made him feel loved and will have to tide him over until he get to see them again over Winter Break!
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