Happy.

Let me say, that Horses make you happy.

Or at least, they make me happy.

My Wednesday started out rather crap-tastically. Awoke with a bad headache.

Then, I enjoyed the fact that my dog has developed a stereotypie of obsessive elbow licking due to stress and while I tried to solve it using a bitter spray, when the last bottle ran out I bought a different brand as the store I was at didn't carry the old one.

Well, it turns out she LIKES the taste of this new bitter spray and enjoys licking it off. So I've now compounded the problem. Yippee.

So after being demoralized by the sight of her elbow, I dragged myself to work, where I discovered people still hadn't submitted work that was months overdue, and I now get email and phone responses of "You're fantastic" instead of anything useful. Yes, I work with professionals. Yes, it's exhausting.

Of course, the boss has moved up in the world and I, just before my life became chaotic and stressful, decided I wanted a little more responsibility. So he's been happily sharing his old managerial work with me. Which is great, except I currently can't mentally seem to focus on it, and so I go around feeling like a bit of a failure and experience daily deadline crunch. Go me.

So yesterday morning I was scheduled for 4 hours of training/work with my favourite co-worker to finish a project we started in March...yes, WAY past due. But since we had to let him go, we only get to sporadically work on the project. And I would be lost without him.

There were some other home things to deal with, some less then fun phone conversations and I was not in my best of spirits when I walked into the boardroom to meet this friend.

Let me say, everyone needs at LEAST one good friend at work. He looked at me, said one sympathetic and heartwarming thing with pretty sad puppy-dog eyes and I started to cry.

Classy.

Thankfully, good friends are okay with that, and he cheered me up.

We later went out for lunch together, enjoyed a HEAPING box of fancy poutine (this is deep fried french fries, smothered in thick gravy, stringy cheese curds, and in my case, bacon, pulled pork and italian sausage). Yes, it was bliss for a sad girl.

He had me smiling by the end of it, despite a wasp flying into my root beer. Boo-urns.

We chuckled over Mr. Gold Lammee who was wandering around entertaining people, and then he dragged me up the block to "Cakeology". This is an awesome little local cupcake shop.

And we bought 2 double chocolate cupcakes with a mound of icing, and 2 red velvet cupcakes with a mound of icing. In the late summer sunshine, walked back to his car while enjoying the chocolate ones.

Really, is life that bad??

At the office, I went back to work as we parted ways, each clutching our red velvet cupcake for that much needed afternoon break.

Much needed for sure.

The afternoon was chaotic, I was catching up on all sorts of projects, addressing concerns and questions and demands and it was just off the hook. Of course, everyone who passed my desk noticed the cupcake and inquired. Of course.

So I somehow didn't get out of the office until almost 4:30, which is SO late. So late that people wandering across the parking lot commented on why I was still there. Yeah, go me.

Then it was a speedy drive home, feed the dog, change and head over to a friends to help hay. Only they had an early start and of course, I was late, so they were nearly finished when I arrived. Boourns.

But, I did get to watch W give a lesson or two, and H arranged for the mom of one of W's new lesson girls to join us Saturday for a speedy ride. Yippee!

Then I tacked up Mr. Moon with a bridle in the paddock (arena was for lessons on Wednesdays) and rode him bareback in the field.

Wasn't his best performance, but we did a good job, I was proud of him, and for a good 20 minutes, it was all about him.

My puppy even sat in the middle of the field as we did circles and serpentines around her. I love these two.

Then H2 suggested I come join her and H for a dip in the pond (seriously, does YOUR barn have a HUGE lined swimming pond with a sand beach, diving dock and play structure? I didn't think so), and so over we went. H's little girl and the neighbours joined us, and after a good 20 minutes I managed to get up to my shoulders. It was cold!! And the sun was setting! And I'm a wimp. ; )

Of course, the little girls were catching frogs and giving them to me. The going joke was to kiss them so your prince would appear. I have to say, it didn't work... ; )

When it got cold, we called it a night. The dogs enjoyed running in the water and playing, the kids had a great time, the horses were in sight the whole time we were in the water, and we could even catch a glimpse of the lesson from where we stood.

Seriously, does life get better than this? I had thought, it was a crappy day. The headache, the dog-stresses, the work-stresses, the life-stresses. But here, at the end of the day, is good friends on a private beach a stone's throw from our favourite animals, together, enjoying what summer has to offer. Yes, I think life is alright. I think I'm going to be happy. I really do.