Once upon a mom and a horse

When we moved to Fergus Falls almost 8 years ago we had several small children. Miranda was almost 5, Danelle had just turned 3 and Madison was 8 months old. It was December, I didn't know anyone and like most young families our income was limited. And here in Fergus Falls there really isn't much to do in the winter with little kids.
I had a few sanity savers in my arsenal back then. Having the missionaries stop by to visit on the (freezing cold) front porch, living room picnics for dinner and going to visit Sandy were a few of the things that kept me sane.

Oh yeah and talking on the phone to my sister in California about 5 times a day.

But anyway this post is all about Sandy. I recently became aware that Sandy is for sale. I had to head on over to Ben Franklin to snap a few pictures before it was too late.

I had almost forgotten this little snippet of my past but when I walked by and saw that for sale sign my memory was suddenly jogged. There were times where the girls and I would not leave the house for days at a time. When I couldn't take it anymore we'd bundle up and take a trip a few block south to Ben Franklin. With the promise of riding Sandy if they were good we could spend about 20 minutes looking at the things that I wanted to see like the scrapbook supplies and fabric. Then we'd wander to the other side of the store and visit the fish. We would end our little journey with a visit to Sandy. If I was making a purchase that day I would sometimes buy us each a little peppermint patty at the checkout for 5 cents a piece and then the girls would ride the horse.

Now as you can see Sandy is old. It still costs only a dime a ride but you have to consider the costs of chiropractic care for your dear children and maybe a neck brace as well.

It is kind of a crazy ride.

But so is parenthood.