Welcome Home Ben!

We came over to Bainbridge Island last night so my Dad and I could get an early start in the morning to go up to Arlington to pick up Ben. We left the house at 7:30am to catch the 8:20am ferry to Edmonds. We arrived at Pacific Moon Equestrian Center right at 10:00am as we had hoped and were only there for a half and hour before we were on the road again. Ben was very willing to load into the horse trailer after he was able to sniff it a little.

We were so surprised how smoothly everything was going, but we may have spoke too soon because by the time we got to Edmonds the ferry was super overloaded and the wait line was miles long. Not wanting to sit waiting for the next couple of hours we decided to drive down to Seattle and take the Bainbridge ferry instead. Being such a sunny Saturday, everyone was wanting to ride the ferry to the Penninsula for the weekend so we missed the 12:20pm ferry there as well. We were all getting very annoyed of waiting, especially Ben. He kept stomping and swaying in the trailer, poor guy! Luck was handed to us at the last moment though, as we were actually able to sneak on the 1:10pm ferry as being one of the last cars on. Good thinking Dad for choosing lane #1 over lane #2.

By the time we got home the three of us were so happy to get out and walk around. Ben was pretty sweaty from the trip since the trailer made him a little nervous, but all in all he traveled very well. He was pretty surprised to see his new surroundings. He spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun, exploring his pasture, woods and barn, eating lots of carrots from the kids, munching on my parent's lawn while the hay was being loaded into the hay loft, and following us around as we did some finishing touches to his pasture area.

Ben is certainly a perfect match for our family. He is super sweet, calm around the kids and loves to follow you around like a big puppy dog. It was so great that the weather cooperated with us as well today.

One of the cutest moments was when Ben Horse met Ben Cousin for the first time. At first I thought it might be a too confusing for the kids to have 2 Ben's in the family, but Ben Cousin actually loves the fact that he can share his name with the horse, so we were very happy. We also found out that the horse's real name is Ben Crusin' so we wanted to keep his name since it's so cool.

It was truly a nostalgic day as I rode in the truck with my Dad pulling the horse trailer. It brought us back to all of the times my Dad had hauled me and my horse Toasted to horse shows, 3-Day Events, Pony Club Trials, and riding lessons. I am so excited to own a horse again. I have been waiting for this moment for the past 7.5 years and it still seems a little unreal. Thanks Dad for all of your hard work in helping to get ready for Ben! I had such a fun time driving and talking with you today.