Goin' once Goin' twice...SOLD!

Auction day came and went. Here is Becca showing-off her 2 ponies in the auction ring.

It was a sad day for her because she has poured her whole life (for the last 9 months anyway) into these 2 horses. But, the auction was always the goal. So it was good-bye to Boots and Whizard. Sniff. Sniff.

I don't know how you feel about auctions, but I like them. They are fun and out of the ordinary for me. It is like a different little world. The auctioneer is completely not understandable, the stuff for sale is usually interesting and then there are the crowds of people looking for a bargain.... just a fun time. As long as you are not buying, that is!!

And in this case I wasn't. I just came to see my baby and experience the fun of a good ol' horse sale. Auction style.

At least that is how I had planned the day.

Turns out my baby had registered me as a buyer and when I walked up to the barn she pressed this into my hand!

"Mom, I want you to buy Ticket for me!"
"What?!?!"
"I want you to buy Ticket for me! I already signed you up as a bidder".
"Oh man Becca, I was not expecting this," I say as my heart starts to race. So much for the fun little experience. Now I am up to my ears in responsibility.
"I know Mom, but I really love her," she says as her friend Melissa nods agreement.
"Ok, what is your top price?"
We discussed this for a bit.
Then we prayed about it. Becca was prayin' for a horse and I was prayin' that I would be able to pull this off.
And then I was thinkin' that auctions are not that fun at all. I mean really, it is IMPOSSIBLE to understand what the auctioneer is saying. And then there is all this stuff that may or may not be as great as you think it is. And let's not forget about all those people who also want to buy the same stuff you do. And the price just keeps going up and up and up. What is so great about that!!?? And if all of that is not bad enough, whenever I start bidding on something...I go a little nuts. My hand keeps going up and up and up, and the next thing you know my guy is dragging me out of the building and tearing up my number in an attempt to avoid refinancing our house to pay for a crockpot from 1962!!

Oh good grief.

So, in hopes of avoiding all of that, I applied myself to staying focused and trying to understand the auctioneer and the callers and all of their hand signals.

But the time my lot came up, I had learned a lot. The auctioneer always started by saying "Who will give 5 thousand, 5 thousand, 10".

At first I thought, good grief who is gonna pay 10 thousand when 5 thousand wasn't getting any hits. Then I realized that 10 must mean 1,000 because the next thing he said was " 12, who will give 12 hundred for this Blah Blah Blah horse.

Then it was the hand signals that I needed to know. Bent fingers, crossed fingers, thumbs up and down. So confusing! But I did not want to be bidding on some mysterious price. So I kept watching, and eventually it started to make sense.

When Lot #23, more affectionately known as Ticket, hit the ring I was ready.

And then just like that, we were at our limit. And then over it. But my baby wanted that horse. She loved that horse. Oh, what is a mother to do. Keep bidding that's what. Who cares if we are $600 over the limit!!

But, thank goodness it came to an end. Just as I decided to flash my number one last time, the auctioneer called "Sold", and Ticket went home with some other family.

And my baby, well she was fine with it. "It wasn't meant to be Mom."

But my guy...now that was a different story. When I told him what I had done....
"You did what!!??!!?? I can't leave you alone for a minute!!"

Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

Off to College

We are in the midst of a whirlwind of activity. Moving our baby girl off to school has proven to be a whole lot more work than sending our first-born off to the local university.

So here's the scoop. I am sitting outside of a little burger shack called the Polka Dot, at a picnic table under the shade trees and I actually have internet reception! I am also covered in little green bugs and yellow jackets, but the 2 little babbling creeks that run through the dining area sort of make up for it. And, I say dining area because that is what it is. There is only outdoor seating here!

Anyway, my guy is down at the college with Becca trying to get her financial aid problems worked out. She had received a very helpful little award, which was pivotal in her decision to come to this school. But now that we are here, it has been canceled.

That's right, CANCELED. Now that she has quit her job, relocated, rented a place to live, turned on the utilities, settled her horse in, started classes, and made this big giant commitment, now they cancel her financial aid. You can bet that I have plenty to say about this! Plenty. So, I have been banished to the Polka Dot where the only people I can talk to are my fellow bloggers. And the little green bugs.

Ok, on a lighter note.....

What does it take to move a little cowgirl and her pony off to college? A LOT, that's what.

First of all, you have to load up all of her earthly possessions....

Ok, almost nothing actually fit in her truck, but it was a start.

Then you load up the pony, which means you need a horse trailer.

Now, it is essential that you bribe her with plenty of food because you already know that she is going to hate this long trip.

And you have to have a vehicle to pull it with.

Now, she is gonna need a place to live for 10 days because there was a glitch with her rental.

And a vehicle to pull it.

And, most importantly, a vehicle to transport her guy who is definitely not ready to say good-bye.

I really wanted a picture of the whole caravan, but this was the best I could do. The other 2 vehicles headed back up the hill to get the 2 bags of rice bran that we forget to load up. Thank goodness we were a mere mile from the house!

Also of note, was a sobbing sister, whom I did not get a photo of.

Ok, off and running like a herd of turtles.

Lots of scenery. Or a lot of nothing as the case may be.





Then a little big city driving. Always fun with trailers!

Then a lot of beautiful.






And a horse who wanted OUT!

And time was passing....

And we were still driving....

And we were still driving...

And we got pulled over by the Fuzz...No front license plate on the Miata.
And it was really hot.
And there was the pink fruit stand fiasco.
And finally we were there.
Tired, and grumpy, and hungry, and sad, and tired.

And that was just the beginning....