Pedis, a Hair Salon, and a Gala...oh my!

About a week after TROT had received notice that they would be receiving the Angel Grant Morgan and I were at her usual Wednesday lesson when the director called me into her office. She thanked me again for speaking at the presentations and then told me that they were busy preparing for their annual Hearts and Horses Gala. A big black tie preferred fundraiser. She wanted to know if David and I would be their guests for the evening and if I would be willing to speak at the event. I told her that I would be honored, but that I had one request. I wanted to know if Morgan could join us for part of the evening. I explained that there was NO WAY David and I would be able to make it out of the house dressed up all fancy without Morgan coming too. They said they thought it was a great idea and we all agreed that Morgan would come for the silent auction-cocktail hour and then go home while David and I would stay for dinner, the presentation, and dancing!

So with plans all set Morgan and I spent the next several weeks looking for the perfect dress, shoes, and accessories. Morgan was easy. She pulled into the little girl's section of K.ohl's in her wheelchair and drove right up to the dress she wanted. "How 'bout this one Mommy?" She asked. I had replied that it looked a bit itchy but agreed that she could try it on along with several others I picked out for her. Well, my little girl knows herself already. The one she picked was the only one that fit well and it was totally Morgan; HOT PINK! As for me, it was a little harder to find the right dress and not at an extreme price. In the end I found three and then couldn't decide. It wasn't until the day before the event that I finally made a selection and returned the other two dresses.

Then it was time for all the final details. A young lady can't go to a gala without first having a great pedicure, so since Fridays are my day off and we only had one appointment for the day, so Morgan and I stopped at the nail salon. I was by myself so unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but Morgan loved it. She sat on my lap the whole time and starred at the lady doing my toes. She kept asking "What's that for?" with each new tool or cream she pulled out. Then about halfway through Morgan started saying "My turn now, Mommy you're all done." In the end we walked out with beautiful matching HOT PINK toe nails. Can you guess who chose the polish color?

Saturday was the big event and Morgan was very anxious all day. She knew that we were starting our day with a visit to the hair salon to get our hair done. So around 12:45 we headed out as a family (I dragged David along so he could take pictures, hold Morgan during my turn, and also because one of us needed to watch her on the way home to make sure she didn't mess up her hair in the carseat). When we arrived at the salon Morgan insisted on going first. She was so excited to get her hair done like a princess.

Morgan holding very still while she got her hair curled.

Look at all those adorable curls! Her hair is getting so long!

How do you get a 3 year 11 month old to hold still long enough for this? Easy, play Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

I asked Gretchen to spray the (pardon my French) crap out of her hair so it would stay.

Looking so beautiful!

After getting our hair done we grabbed some take out and headed home for a late lunch/early dinner. Since we weren't sure what was being served for dinner and that dinner was not until 8 we figured it was a good idea to go with almost full tummies. From the moment we got home Morgan kept asking nonstop if it was time to get dressed yet. She couldn't wait to put on her dress. As soon as I pulled it up on her she said "I'm a princess Mommy!" And that she was. She looked so beautiful; just like a little princess.

Morgan all ready to go!
Did I mention that it was a whopping 43 degrees yesterday (Yes, it is April and pouring rain and 43, are you kidding me!)

The best we could do for a family picture since there was no one else around to take one.
There was a photographer there last night and he took a family shot...so maybe we can get a copy.

When Morgan spotted her therapist, Jess, she lit up! She was so excited and thought it was hilarious that they were both dressed so fancy!

After about an hour of driving around and saying hello to person after person Morgan was exhausted. We found Jess again so Morgan could say good night and then headed out front to meet Donna. Morgan was very excited to show her how fancy she was, but also was ready to go with Grandma and start her sleep over!

David and I then headed back inside to enjoy the rest of the evening. We walked around for a few more minutes checking out the silent auction as it was about to close. Just before entering the dining hall we stopped to see if anyone had sponsored Monty. They had set out plagues of each of the horses with their name, picture, and horseshoe and were asking for people to sponsor the horses for the year. The money donated as a sponsor would provide enough hay to feed them for the year. Well, as we walked past we noticed that in fact Monty had been sponsored. We were both very excited and then a moment later a very nice man name Mr. Merrill, one of the TROT instructors father, came over to let us know that he had sponsored Monty for Morgan. He said that he was very impressed with Morgan and had actually observed her ride this past Wednesday. He wanted to sponsor Monty for her and will be asking that they put Morgan's name on Monty's stall so that everyone knows he is "her horse." David and I were so incredibly grateful. And later he stopped by our table to give us the plague of Monty. He thought Morgan would enjoy having it. It is just amazing the impact she makes on people after just meeting them for a few minutes. She is such an amazing little girl and we are so thankful that there are wonderful people in this world like Mr. Merrill who are willing to go out of their way to help.

The rest of the evening was nice. We had a delicious dinner of roasted red pepper soup, Filet Mignon, Salmon (which I of course left on my plate), twice baked potatoes, and veggies. The speech went fine (I was nervous so I stumbled on a part or two). David says it was perfect and no one noticed the stumbles, but I did.

All in all it was a great evening and we are grateful to have been a part of it. TROT has made such an impact in Morgan's life in just 8 short months. We are so thankful for such an amazing organization.