We were in bed watching Tayshia’s season of The Bachelorette together. It was one of the times my boyfriend was willing to endure watching terrible television with me. She was on her one-on-one date with Brendan, and they were riding around LaQuinta on horseback. In that moment, I said, “You know, when I was in seventh grade, I asked my parents for horseback riding lessons for my birthday. My dad said yes, but my mom said no because she thought that it was something that boys do and thought that I would get hurt.” I think that’s where he got the idea for my surprise Valentine’s Day date.
It is so close to the weekend, but I’m still thinking about the last weekend I had with my boyfriend when he planned such a wonderful weekend for us to enjoy together. Keep reading to relive it with me.
So I say surprise date because that’s something we do for each other since the beginning of our relationship. We take turns planning dates for each other, and since I planned last Valentine’s Day, I made sure to tell him it was his turn.
He told me to pack some casual clothes and to make sure I packed a hoodie. I was also told that we would be near the beach, so I could pack flip flops, but I also needed to have closed toed shoes for the activity. He also said that we might not be able to do what he planned depending on reservations (which could only be made in-person and day of) and the weather. It was an interesting mix of things, and my anticipation level continued to grow the closer the day came.
The plan was to be with him the whole weekend, and on our travel day it was down pouring rain by us, and then it started to come down on us when we got out of the car upon arrival. We were at Obloy Family Ranch, which had a collection of offerings from a petting zoo, wine tasting, and a wedding venue. As you’ve probably figured out from how this blog post opened, we were here for horseback riding.
With the rain, we ended up taking the last reservation of the day, which gave us enough time to grab lunch and check into where we were staying. I had a delicious tortellini soup, and we stayed at a very cozy and quirky place.
Thankfully, the rain lightened up by the time our reservation came around, but it would’ve worked out anyway because if we called for a rain-check, we could use it at any point for a lifetime. Maybe you’ve already had this takeaway from when I shared what they offered, but Obloy Family Ranch is a very unique place. All the animals on the ranch are rescues, the property itself is historic and dates back to the 1890s, and the whole place serves as a wildlife preservation.
I have to say that getting on the back of a horse made me feel tall and powerful, which is not a combination I feel often as someone who stands at five feet tall. My very tall boyfriend made a comment about how high he was, and when I asked how he felt, he said, “This feels right, like humans and horses were made for each other.” There’s no way that I could explain how I felt better than how he put it, because it felt so natural and I felt so at peace with where I was.
Since we signed up as a couple, my boyfriend and I were given horses who were best friends, Buckaroo and Trigger. The horseback trail ride took us around the property several times, giving us the opportunity to see some cool aspects of the property and some really unique animals. Seriously, we even saw a donkey with zebra stripes on it’s legs, because a horse somewhere bred with a zebra. I never could’ve imagined that if I hadn’t seen it.
The ride itself was a great time, very tranquil and made me laugh quite a bit. Before we even got on our horses, the equestrian in charge told my boyfriend that Trigger was a horse with a black hole for a stomach. Therefore, my boyfriend was to pull on the reins to stop Trigger from eating. However, no matter how much my boyfriend would pull on the reins and say no, Trigger could not help but stop for a snack. It made me laugh a little as he lagged behind, but it also made me wonder if this was how it would be if we ever had a daughter.
It felt like the ride was over too soon, and I hope that I will be on the back of a horse again someday.
Afterwards, we went back to The Country Retreat, where we were staying for the night. It seemed that we might not have been aware how much energy goes into horseback riding, or we weren’t aware of how much travelling the distance had taken out of us, but we ended up taking a nice long nap after. Instead of going out for the evening like my boyfriend originally intended, we went out for a delicious Italian dinner and staying in to plan our next outing together. We were so tired that we didn’t even try to watch a movie before bed like we normally do.
The next morning, we went to Merritt Island Pancake House, where I saw someone else’s full waffle and thought that it was huge. My boyfriend ended up ordering two pancakes, which was as thick as my waffle. It is definitely a place where you can fill up on your food. Even as I say that, I ended up leaving leftovers on my plate so I could take my boyfriend’s potatoes.
From there, we went ice skating, which had been the plan for the evening prior if we hadn’t been so tired. It was something that put a smile on my face because I used to go on a regular basis when I was in middle school. My boyfriend was shocked that someone who was so clumsy on solid ground was so graceful on the ice.
On the other hand, he was slipping all over the place. At first he tried to attribute it to the fact that the ice skates were the wrong size, but even when we switched his skates, we was heavily reliant on me and the wall for balance. We eventually gave up after he ran smack into a wall. I reminded him as we got in the car to go home that he promised my baby sister that he would take her at some point. He mentioned that ice skates might make a nice gift for my birthday.
How did you spend Valentine’s Day? Have you been horseback riding or ice skating? What is your favorite surprise you’ve ever received? Be sure to tell me in the comments down below!
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Love Always,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 