New Chapter

I had been working at a barn near my alma mater cleaning stalls as well as working at a chain pet store at this point. It paid Cappy's board and my gas money, but things were tight, and I wasn't happy.

You're a smart girl. You need to be doing better than this.

I started looking for something else. In The Chronicle, there was an ad for a working student at a small event barn. It paid very little, but there was housing for me and Cappy, and the chance to start pursing what I wanted to do.

Who I wanted to be.

I called the woman, sent her my resume and a recommendation from my riding coach, and she hired me. I gave my notices at my jobs, made arrangements for Cappy to be shipped, talked a fellow boarder into caring for him until his transport came for him (about a week after I would be up there), and packed up my belongings into my little car. The night before my scheduled departure, I was so excited I could barely sleep. At 2 in the morning, I decided to head out.