Step One: Write a Blog

The first step to creating a blog is to come up with a name for said blog. I will probably write mostly about Goose. Goosebackriding? Done. The next step is to come up with a first post. Um… This is way trickier. Let's maybe start with a picture.

Featuring Goose's ears and Zuzu's profile

That's better. Now let's see. I could go with an intro of myself, and more importantly, Goose, but when I tried that it led me to a long, drawn out story of how I came to buy the big goon and about all our adventures since. Nope. Way too long for a first post. What about my recent move to NC? No, that leads into how Goose broke himself right beforehand, the voyage of the HMS Valium to bring him down after surgery and rehab, and the new farm we moved to. Too long and would take far too much explaining. What about my childhood obsession with horses and how it all started? Redundant (yet relevant) to every horse person’s life. But further to that thought process…

Let’s begin this adventure on a high note: I am living my childhood dream. Yes, I know that sounds cheery and peppy (I promise I’m neither of these things) but pretty sure if I told my eight-year-old self that when I’m 25, I’ll have a horse, a dog, be living in North Carolina, have a great job and an apartment all to myself, I’d probably shriek with delight. Heck, I’m shrieking with delight now, my life sounds so good! Oh wait, gotta go pay some bills really quick… And do the dishes… And maybe some laundry… Wait, I don’t get paid for another WEEK and I just paid board and rent?! *Sigh* Back to my childhood fantasies about unicorns and puppies.

As this 25 year-old, sometimes it’s a lot harder to see my life as “living the dream,” unless of course I’m being sarcastic. Person: “Hey Alyssa! How’s it going today?” Me: “Oh you know, just living the dream!”

While I’m not an overly positive person when it comes to my own life, I had one of those cheesy life moments a few weeks back. It was a quiet Sunday night, just a bit before sunset when the sky is still bright enough but every second counts because you know it won’t last. I was at the barn with no one else around. Everything was peaceful, and the heat of the day had finally started to dissipate.  The Foul Beast had just gotten a bath and I decided it was too nice out to just go home. Grabbing Zuzu’s toy from the car, I figured we’d go out to the front field where Goose could graze while Zu got some of her crazies out in preparation for the long week ahead at the office. As the sun was dipping lower, with my horse grazing and my dog bouncing around the tall grass, I took a minute to revel in the evening air and just be. Then, it hit me. Holy shit, I did it. Surrounded by my little furmily (don’t judge me) in the setting sun, I suddenly felt so complete. It sounds so silly, but the past six months of change hit me and instead of being stressed or upset, I realized that I’m okay. In fact, I’m better than okay, I’m doing freaking awesome. I’m standing in a giant field in South Carolina with my own personal unicorn (he prefers Unigoose) and my bouncy best friend who never ceases to put a smile on my face. This was living.

Be still my heart

While it’s easy for me to get caught up in bills, schedules, and general panic about being in my mid-twenties and ohmygodwhatamIdoingwithmylife, it was so nice to have a moment of peace to appreciate all that I’ve achieved. I wasn’t happy with my life in New Jersey, so I buckled down, found a great job in Charlotte, and moved to the Queen City with my two best friends, Goose and Zuzu. I have an adorable condo all to myself in a great neighborhood (gag me that sounds so adult), found a fantastic barn for Goose, and Zuzu gets to come to work with me every day. Yup, I’d say I’m living the dream, this time, no sarcasm. I hesitate to post something like this to start with, but hey like I said, why not try to start out on a positive note, right? Plenty of time to delve into the reality of my life at a later time. For now, I’m going to sit back and remember the feeling of peace that night while sipping my margarita and paying some bills.

I’m not sure where this blog will take me, but writing has been missing from my life and I’m excited to have a place to document my thoughts and adventures. Formal introductions will come next, and I promise they will be full of details you definitely don’t need to know about the two most important beings in my life, Goose and Zuzu. Guzu? Zugoose? Zugoosebackriding? I suppose I’ll work on that too.

Note to self: write a blog on that incredible trunk Zuzu is sitting on