He Was And Still Is, The One...

To be daring one must be more than a little crazy at times, mixed with courageous spunk.

In a earlier blog I wrote about my dear 5'11" Aiden, whose horse Sierra had bonded with Patches and brought us together.  Sierra had been a challenge
for Aiden to catch...that is, until Patches and I came along.  Sierra became attached to Patches and since Patches always came running to me, Sierra did too.  So Aiden timed his visits to the farm with mine.  It wasn't long before we were deeply in love and became each other's "THE ONE," before he tragically died in a drowning accident.

One day we discovered a mile long horse trail with many hairpin turns.  On each sides of the trail were trees, rocky cliffs with high drop offs far below and a rushing creek in places.  At the very end of the trail was a huge fence with a major highway just beyond.

When we reached the end and turned the horses around they became excited knowing we were heading back.  And that's when Aiden had an idea.

"Adelaide, let's gallop all the way back!"

"But honey, what about those turns?  And did you notice those drop offs?!!"

You see by then I was older and just a bit less crazy.

"Aww common, let's try it!  I think it will be FUN!"

"Okay, I'm in...so let's do it!  We should take..."

Before I could finish Aiden took off on Sierra with Patches leaping into a fast gallop right behind her.  It was one of the wildest, most thrilling rides I have ever had.  I am not kidding, on some of those hairpin turns Patches and I were going so fast when he leaned into the curve my face was inches from the ground.  On one of the curves I saw nothing but the depths far below the edge.

Since Patches was smaller than Sierra he was galloping very fast to keep up so our ride was indeed thrilling.  Certainly different than fast gallops across fields!

After we finally came to a stop Aiden let out a huge,
"WOW!  THAT WAS SO INCREDIBLE!  Sierra was really flying!  Yet Patches stayed right behind!  When I  glanced back once he was leaning into the turn so fast you looked like you were hanging over the abyss!"

"Because I WAS hanging over the abyss!  This was AMAZING!  I LOVED it!"

"What were you trying to say to me when we took off?"

"We should take care around those turns..."🤣

On Christmas Day around two years before Aiden died, there was about a foot of snow on the ground.  He was especially anxious we take the horses out for a ride to a clearing beyond the fields into the woods.

"Now?!!"

"Especially now."

So off we went and the scene was magical.  It was late in the day with the bright setting sun shining through the trees on the snow.  When we reached the clearing Aiden suddenly dismounted Sierra.

"Why are you dismounting?  The snow is so deep here..."

"THIS...is why."

And that is when Aiden took a ring out of his pocket, placed it on my finger and asked if I would marry him.

He said my daring spirit was one of the things he fell in love with.🥰

I still wear the ring and also our wedding bands which we were to exchange on our wedding day a month after my soul mate died and I always will until my last breath.💕