Day 8 and 9

Day 8 was uneventful and full of riding, nothing really special took place beside the riding of course.
Day 9 on the other was full of excitement and adventure!!! We went to a training show, someplace in the Netherlands, but this farm was owner by Dennis's family, it was a riding school. And it was absolutely beautiful, it had two indoor arenas, and a nice size outdoor arena, and we meet Dennis's mom, whom was incredibly nice to us (us being the american girls that probably looked like we didn't have a clue!!!). But I was the first of the four of us to ride, so after getting on Sambo, Alan and Andrew went for a gallop in the woods, and Brandon was going to give me a lesson on the flat (THOUGHTS: oh here boy, this is going to be fun), but it the lesson turned out to be great Brandon really help me understand a lot about how they ride and what to do wth my hands and legs, which Alan wasn't able to do, not he is not cable, but didn't explain to me they ride the way they do and when i was told it made sense. So I finally made it out to the arena to start jumping where Alan and Wendy are finishing up with their horses, Andrew has gone back to get another horse (Andrew today is not feeling well :-( and he won't feel better for several more days), but this is the first time i have gotten to watch Alan live in person and not on youtube, he was amazing, I don't understand why he doesn't ride more often but I could really see the use of his hands and legs getting the horse in between them, so another helpful.
So finally it is my turn to start jumping and Sambo was such a good boy, Alan said I was starting to get a hang of the riding style (or he was just being nice), but I had a blast even though I think i only jumped like .60 meter jumps, but hey we all have to start somewhere LOL!!!!

Okay this has nothing to do with riding but it was a fun part of my day, after we get back to the farm, and Nikki, Karli and Andy were going to meet me back at the farm at 7 and we invited the guys to come along too, if they wanted too. So at 7, the girls pull up ready to go since we have all gone back and taken showers and what not. And i go and put my purse in the car and they ask if the guys are coming and I tell hold on and I will go see if they are ready or going at all. So I make my way to the door to the upstairs apartment that they live at in the barn, and yell hello, then I find myself saying hello back and forward with Dennis 20 times, so i just climb the stairs to ask them if they were coming to dinner, and they said that they were coming. So finally I get them done stairs and I notice that they are heading out the door with me and not to their car that is at the back of the barn. So they must have noticed the same thing too, because they were asking if we were all going in the same car so now we are discussing ow we are all going to get to the restaurant, so instead of me riding with the girls like planned.
So Brandon hopes in the car with the girls and Dennis an I take the smart car. So the car ride over with Dennis consistent of short conversations, what was to be a short ride dragged out a little bit, but we arrived at the restaurant, where Brandon and the girls got out of the car laughing, thanks to Brandon's entertainment!
After a terrific dinner and fun conversations, I suddenly realized two hours have gone by and we need to start heading back to our respected living quarters. But on the way back Dennis acted more weird than when we went over there, i swear if he pressed any harder against the passenger door it would have flown open, so i was sitting there wondering why he is pressed against the side of the car like I have some awful disease (THOUGHTS: do I stink, I swear I put perfume on after my shower this evening???). So I guess the answer to that question will remain unanswered. But the day was also Steff's birthday so i go in to tell her Happy Birthday and we end up talking about all sort of stuff for 2 1/2 hours about the boys, the horses, difference in cultures and much much more and final i go to bed at midnight. And hope that things don't continue to be awkward.