Thank you.

The days and weeks passed us by in a flurry of activity. It seemed that our lives had finally begun to level out. In the middle of November we celebrated Remi reaching four months old. Teri and I each spent quite a bit of time reminiscing and talking to friends and family about the colt and our experiences with him. Every day brought a new cute or funny or frustrating story to tell. I spoke to my great aunt over the phone (she and my great uncle live in a small town in Iowa) and told her about Remi. My mother sent her photos and we talked about his life and my struggles. I confided in her that money was a problem, simply because we did not anticipate having to pay for all the extras that a new baby entails.

Although a foal certainly is not as expensive as a child, they do come with additional financial liability. There's the cost of all the vet bills, extra feed they both consume, an increased farrier's bill, and the cost of the vaccines and boosters Remi would require, since Rose was not inoculated properly as a pregnant mare. And those funds don't even include all the money we spent on lumber, hardware, paint, and labor hours to make both the foaling and now the weanling stalls safe and livable.

My wonderful aunt, whom I refer to as Auntie, offered to send us some money to help.
"Oh Auntie, I couldn't take anything from you. I really didn't mean to insinuate, I just needed to complain."
"Honey I want to be involved! I live so far away that I think this is my only opportunity to help you right now. We're not sure if we'll be able to come out for Christmas this year so please let me help." she assured me.
"Well, it would be very helpful... Thank you, thank you so much." I assented gratefully.

As much as things have appeared to happen easily for us concerning the horses, I can tell you with confidence that we have had a difficult time. We could not have possibly hoped to make it through Remi's birth and first few months without the support, time, and money that our friends and families have contributed. My aunt is only one of many people who have offered us help. I feel so very fortunate to have such wonderful people in our lives, truly every bit of assistance has made a big difference - not only in our lives, but in Rose and Remi's lives as well. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you to my wife, Teri. Teri has been forced into this situation even more so than myself, as I bought Rose without Teri's knowledge over a year ago. Teri accepted this major purchase with grace (and some well-deserved anger directed at me). Then after we purchased our home, I discovered the pregnancy. Again, Teri showed me what unconditional love really looks like. She was in disbelief at first, then anxious and afraid of the consequences we were about to be faced with. Both of us were scared. Instead of withdrawing into disappointment and despair, Teri dove headfirst into preparations for the baby. She stayed with me at the barn every single night - enduring scary evenings filled with packs of coyotes, the heat of a Tucson summer and monsoon season, countless insect bites and sunsets punctuated by the smoke from citronella candles. She woke up at four o'clock in the morning every weekday, as my work schedule dictated that I arrive at work at 5:00am. She lifted straw bales and bags of feed, she spread bedding and hauled stagnant water barrels out of the stall to be washed out - my surgery was not even a week before we found out Rose was pregnant and I was not allowed to lift anything. She walked and bathed Rose, she checked on Rose while I was at work. She brushed and combed and picked out feet. She cut plywood, drilled holes and installed it around the foaling stall. Teri put up three box fans around Rose's stall to help keep her cool. On the morning Remi was born, Teri made a five am trip to WalMart to purchase baby bottles, snacks and drinks to keep us awake and a baby name book. When I had to leave for work, Teri stayed with the horses and was able to successfully bottle-feed Remi for his first four hours of life, as he would not nurse. She called the vet out to treat Rose for her retained placenta, she mucked out the stall and replaced all the bedding after the vet had gone. Poor Teri even had to place the placenta into a bucket for later examination. When I panicked and started to believe I wasn't going to be able to raise this foal, she comforted and reassured me that I could do it. She has put herself into countless situations where she was unsure and maybe even nervous - but she has always done herself and me proud. A true "natural", Teri has been able to remain cool-headed under fire and use common sense to get her through the struggles. For all these things and countless others that would fill a book, I will forever be grateful. Teri, thank you for sticking with me, even when I'm less than perfect. Remi has been an exercise in humility and you've made it easier. I love you very much.

Thank you to Gene and LeEllen. If Teri was an innocent victim of my reckless impulsiveness, you two are victims once-removed. You both are angels on earth. For countless breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, I am in your debt. You offered to stay at the barn for us when we were spent with exhaustion. You came and spent so many evenings with us and Rose, keeping our minds occupied with laughter and conversation. You were so excited about the baby, even when I was apprehensive. You bought us plywood when we couldn't agree on how to utilize too few pieces of it, you brought another gallon of primer when we couldn't afford the last one we needed. You've transferred money into Teri's account to help us when we couldn't quite make the electric bill - and maybe a little extra (don't think I didn't notice!). You came to visit the morning of Remi's birth and took photos - and you still do that! You have both provided an ear when I needed to complain and an extra hand when we couldn't do it alone. For all these things and more, I will forever be grateful. Thank you for being involved in our lives.

Thank you to my mother and father. Thank you for giving me the gift that started it all - a little grey mare named Dreamer. I was the twelve year old girl who wanted a horse more than anything in the world - just like most twelve year old girls. You were the parents who saw that my obsession was more than passing fancy. You were the parents who used all their extra resources to give me my first horse. When my abilities surpassed Dreamer, you bought me Rocky. When Rocky went lame, you took him to the vet and listened to the doctor tell me that he could never compete again - and when I ran sobbing from the office, Mom followed me while Dad had to pay the bill with tears in his eyes. You bought me a project horse to take to college, you bought me a horse trailer that Zeke would actually get into, and you paid for the farrier and board while I lived in Tucson. When I bought Rose, you were excited for me. Mom came down to visit and took photos of us. You both came to visit and Mom was the first one to comment that Rose was looking a little 'fat' - even when I refused to see a pregnancy, Mom saw it. You both were so excited when we determined she really was pregnant! You encouraged us to try and keep him, and supported me when I cried because I thought we couldn't afford it. You drove the two hours to come see Rose and Remi on the day he was born, and you've made so many visits since then, always making sure to take some of my very favorite photographs. You call Remi your grandhorse. You've slipped me gas money and looked the other way for the past six months when I couldn't pay you the truck payment. You helped me pay doctor bills leftover from surgery when we didn't have the funds. You stood by us and told us we could do it, even when we were full of doubt. You've encouraged me to keep writing and helped me edit entries. For all these things and more, I will forever be grateful. Thank you for having confidence.

To Berto, Katie, Julie, Becca and Mya. Thank you all for going the distance. Berto, Becca, and Mya all slept next to Rose at some point during the infamous 26 Tucson Sunsets it took to get us Remi. Everyone spent innumerable evenings outside Rose's stall with us. All of you have donated your time and effort and love to these two horses, and to me and Teri. None of you have horse backgrounds, yet all of you have stepped up to learn how to help us. Berto has come to visit and work with Remi, and spent eight hours helping us paint and put up plywood in the weanling stall. Katie brought a router from Centennial Hall and also spent the day working in the hot August sun. Becca and Mya consistently come to play with Remi, taking hundreds of pictures and watching him grow. They even have ridden Thumper! Katie has taken a number of lessons on Thumper and is becoming quite the accomplished rider, and Julie has begun learning how to ride as well. Berto spent that first anxiety-ridden evening working on Rose's foaling stall with Teri, running back and forth from the house to the barn with forgotten items and helping put up the plywood. He drove out to the barn at 2:00am to see Remi when he was brand new, he struggled alongside us to get Remi to stand and nurse on his own. He took some of the very first photos of the baby and new mama. For all these things and more, I will be forever grateful to you all. Every single one of you has been so vital to Remi's little life, and you've been a support network that I could have only dreamed of.

Thank you to Catherine Carlson. A good friend and a veterinarian who I had the pleasure of working with, Catherine spent many nights on the phone with me when I was worried about Rose's pregnancy, or vaccinations, or care. She was the first to respond after the foal was born, even at 1:30 in the morning. She came from Casa Grande to visit Rose and Remi, and offered to come down to stitch Rose's nostril up when she cut it. For answering all my questions, commiserating with my annoyances, giving me sound advice and convincing me that everything would be fine, I'm so thankful. I also want to thank Catherine's mother, Ruth Carlson, for supporting us and coming to visit Remi and Rose.

Thank you to my cousin Nathan, Venus and kids, Metal, our old family friend Blake Bedell, Katy, Virg, Bionic Barb and kids, Tiffany, Kian and James, Pat from LeEllen's work, Bat and Pat, Katejordan, Rebecca, Berto's girlfriend Tiffany and her mother, my great aunt and uncle, Becca's parents, friends and their daughter, Boom, Iva, Shannon, Eric, Ben, Aunt Claudie and everyone else who came to visit us and the horses.

Thank you to Grandma Nan, my grandparents, Dennis and Carrie, Dave, Christina, Jill, Erin, Jen, Jocelyn, some of my first horsey friends Merlena and Kayla and Melissa, Sam and Matt, Ryan, my brother Hayden and his girlfriend Jen, and all those others out there who have wished us well but been unable to come and see Remi.

A big thank you to Linda MacDowall, the woman who adopted Rose out to me. She has been so wonderful throughout this ordeal, helping us figure out who the sire is and get in contact with those people, as well as expressing her sincere sorrow that she inadvertently sold us a (secretly) pregnant horse.

Thanks to everyone at the barn who has helped in some way. Our good friend George donated a mist system to keep the horses cool, and offered us his ear for sorrows and complaints. Our friend Kate checked on Rose every day and happily let me yammer on about pregnancy and birth at every turn.

I'm sure there are so many more people who have been involved and need thanking, but my brain is burned out and I cannot remember any more. If anybody knows of someone else who deserves my thanks, please PLEASE leave a comment and remind me.

Throughout this experience, I have been overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of spirit that have been shown us. I simply can't thank everyone enough. I appreciate every single ounce of support, every single cent, every minute of labor, every precious photograph, every smile, every kind pat given to the horses, every comment and note of encouragement. I am full of gratitude.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!