This weekend I am going to do something I haven't done since I was about 12: go horseback riding. Do they make padded saddles for women on the shady side of their thirties?
I doubt it, which is why my packing list consists of 1) Advil, 2) Tylenol, 3) Homeopathic muscle rub and 4) possibly Ben-Gay, except I think the smell would embarrass my family and my uncle told me the one time he used it, he had to jump into the tub to stop the burning sensation.
We will probably go on one ride Saturday and one ride Sunday. Saturday will be fine. I have tried to do some yoga stretches to loosen the ol' thighs, but I have the grim feeling that Sunday morning will not be pretty. Hopefully the stable has a really high mounting block (and tackle to physically lift my leg over the horse because I am not sure I will be able to).
The phrase "swimmin' with bow-legged wimmen" pops to mind. But I will sacrifice my tailbone, my thighs and possibly my dignity to do something fun with the family. And I have a question for you: what's the wildest family activity you ever got yourself into?
I'll pick a winner Monday and send her a copy of my newest book My Sexy Greek Summer. In the meantime, pray and/or think kind thoughts my way as I reenact the Illinois version of City Slickers. Yee-hah!
Marie
Friday, May 22, 2009
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19 comments:
Good luck, Marie!
Good luck, Marie...Sounds like fun. Please don't enter me for the book. I just won Juliet's prize :)
Katie
Thanks, Tracy. Hopefully they won't put me on some horse called Spitfire or Lightning.
Katy, if you change your mind, just post again. I don't think we have any rules about winning again.
Marie
Wow, Marie, I hope you end up having a fabulous time! ;) I'm not sure our wild family activities are very wild--I guess I'm thankful that no one's particularly daring or athletic ;) The most we've done is mild hikes! Take care!
Oooh yeah good luck Marie! Sounds kinda fun and then again kinda not, LOL. We went on a hike with my husband's family a few years ago in Yosemite and I thought I would die. Just literally collapse on the trail and kick it. I was exhausted. It went to show just how out of shape I was. Ugh.
I hope you have fun!! :)
The last time, and only time I went horseback riding was when I was working in a camp for children with disabilities. I had to ride the horse so I could understand what the kids were experiencing. I ended up coming back the next day walking as if I was in a split! I was so sore! (But give me a cowboy read anytime, LOL). I guess it just didn't work for me, but I love seeing the horses!
Just going to stay home this weekend with the my kids here (They say I should not call them kids anymore). We'll just cook out in the backyard and I plan to read under the tree if not too hot (the heat suddenly went way up these last two days! Have a great weekend Marie and all! Its been a blast visiting the blog here!
I'm in my middle 40's and last summer the kids talked me into waterskiing with them. I haven't skiid since my late 20's and I felt like I was flying across the water. I'd much rather stay in the boat and video them skiing!
I did a 12 mile hike with my dad and fell on the only tick awake in the state of New Jersey in March. I totally freaked and my dad had to pull it with tweezers while I was hyperventilating. The next day I could hardly move. On the other hand, I did sleep well that night. Oh, and we had to construct a bridge across a raging torrent of water caused by snowmelt. My dad had to carry the 100 lb shepard-akita mix across the damn bridge, too.
My dad loves to hike. I don't even like sitting in the back yard.
We went on a "family vacation" once. Our friends dog was hit by a car when we were packing to leave (but was fine.) My son got a staff infection in his finger and ended up in the ER. And some kid threw up in the pool at the campground. My daughter, who was about 12 at the time said, "this vacation sucks, it shouldn't even count." I had to agree, but we still talk & laugh about it. Just not at the time!
Marie...you are too sweet... (I actually have your book, but I also feel badly about winning again....Others should have the chance to win the Sizzling pens stuff, too!).
Katie
love your blazes
got sick and lost brotehr favorite blanket on teh a tripto vancouver bc but other than taht is was great trip
kh
Marie, I hope you have a good time.Have a great weekend.
My worst experience was camping for the first time. It was a cool September weekend.Started to rain. No one told me not to touch the tent. I touched the tent because I couldn't believe it was dry. It leaked there all night. At 2:00AM I got up to go to the bathroom & it was so cold I couldn't get back to sleep. Yes I'm a wimp & proud of it!!
Good luck and have fun Marie, the last time I went horse back riding I wore a old pair of jeans and when I got off the horse my jeans tore right down the back side Everyone around me took one look and laugh my back side was open they got a good look at the pink undies I wore, that was the last time I been on a horse.
Penney
Hi everybody, I'm back! I've actually been more sore after a yoga class, except when I got down from the saddle and staggered over to the fence to clutch it before my legs gave out. I wasn't the only one, though. We all looked drunk as we stumbled around getting our land legs.
flchn1, I am not usually the adventurous type but when duty calls, etc., etc.
Karen, I can identify with the hike from hell. A word of warning: what the 24-year-old pretty park ranger tells you is an easy walk--don't take her word for it. We went two miles, sure--straight up!
Caffey, I hope you had a nice time this weekend. Here the rain held off until today at least.
Lisa F, water skiing? At least there is no danger of drowning on a horse. You are brave.
Annecalhoun, a 12 mile hike? We did a five miler and that was really rough. No snowmelt, ticks or heavy dogs either.
Geez, Jennifer--infections, car accidents and vomit? Sounds like Saturday night in a city ER, not a vacation.
kh, I am glad you have not had any rough vacations. They tend to stick in the mind more than the good ones, unfortunately.
Katie, thanks for picking up My Sexy Greek Summer. I hope you enjoy it!
Emma, thanks for the good wishes.
tennismon, tent camping is a real roll of the dice. I never understood why it would stay dry if nobody touched it. I spent a really stormy night in a tent at the edge of a bluff in Rapid City. We were lucky we didn't get swept off.
Wow, Penney, sorry about the undies. Have you seen the photo of the soldier in Afghanistan fighting in his I Heart NY pink boxer shorts? Great picture, so don't feel bad. If it's good enough for our fighting men, what's a little horseback accident?
Marie
If anyone would like to read the follow-up to my weekend, I posted some of it at http://www.blazeauthors.com.
You all made it very difficult to pick a winner so I picked two:
annecalhoun--12 mile hikes, ticks, dogs, snowmelt flooded streams--it's like a Lifetime movie!
Jennifer--bodily fluids, infections, dogs getting hit by cars--you deserve more than just my book. You deserve a spa weekend and some fruity alcoholic beverages.
So Anne and Jennifer, please email your names and mailing addresses to marie@mariedonovan.com and I will get those out to you this week.
Thanks to everybody for their tales of adventure!
Marie
Congratulations ladies!
Penney
wtg winners
Congratulations winners.
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