The warm Spring air was floating through the window in the family room, and I could smell the flowers in Mom's garden. I shifted my weight in the chair and couldn't concentrate on the TV show, even though it was my favorite, Barney. I wanted to get outside!
"Mom, I'm bored. Will you take me somewhere?" I whined.
Mom replied in a patient manner, "Well, Amy, where do you want to go?"
"I don't know. But I wanna go outside."
"I know of just the place!"
We got into the old BMW and Mom began to pull out of the driveway.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
Mom smiled. "It's a surprise," she said.
I hate surprises. Well, to be more specific, I hate waiting for them. With each bend around the windy road we were driving on, new questions popped into my mind. Where were we going? Would it be fun? Why were we going so far from the city? I didn't know anyone who lived here!
In one-half hour, our car pulled up in front of a little ring with scruffy ponies plodding around in it. The place smelled of the outdoors and manure. I took a whiff of the air and stood transfixed staring at the ponies. They were so big! Mom pointed out a sign in front of a ticket booth that read, "Pony Rides." She walked up and bought me one of those tickets. I went to the ring, trembling with excitement and nervousness. The man at the pony rides let me choose my pony, and I decided on a little black one. I got on, and my pony began to walk. I don't know what it was, but during the next few rides I knew I had found something that was to be an integral part of my life.