When I was growing up I rode and showed Western Pleasure and Trail (trail is an obstacle course for horse and rider) my best friend Cindy was a barrel racer and a pretty darn good one. Many of our afternoons were spent either riding trails through the orchards and countryside or training poles and barrels at her house, after homework of course...... maybe not always after..... ok ok maybe mostly before.
We did almost everything together. When I found myself grounded during song leader tryouts, I gave her my routine and cheered when she made the team. She became Rodeo Queen and I 1st runner up Miss Antioch. Her show schedule was busier than mine and I went with her to quite a few of hers. I cheered her on when she raced at Nationals in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. Together we admired the "assets" of bull riders and ropers while waiting for her events to begin. We wore moccasins, we wore boots, and finally we wore high heels. Even as we grew and found ourselves busy with life we still managed to do things in tandem and our daughters were born just weeks apart, even giving them similar names.
We managed to keep in touch for many years. When my husband and I moved to Arkansas we knew we'd still find time together as the rodeo circuit came our way and she and her husband could stay with us. When the girls started school, the decision was made to cut the circuit out here and though we didn't get to see each other we traded school photos and Christmas cards. When she moved I figured I'd get the new address with the Christmas card, when the card didn't come I decided I could call her Mom and get it, but kids and PTA, volunteer work and housework and a new construction business took up a significant amount of time and I could always make the call tomorrow.
Tomorrow in fact, turned into several years. But, she was still a large part of my life as most of the stories I told my children about growing up involved Cindy and her family. Then last week I ran across her brother on Facebook and was devastated to learn she had passed. It was if I suddenly had a hole in my life, I cried and mourned my loss, and then a realization hit me. She had been with me in my heart and memories even though she was no longer of this earth for the past several years, the only difference was I was now aware. I took solace in that, knowing how alive she felt in my heart.
This morning Amy of Modern Outlaw on Etsy contacted me. The idea she had was to cross promote each other and I thought that was a great idea. As I poked through her shop I thought a Polyvore type collection could be fun and pulled together some of her vintage finds with my jewelry and then started filling in the outfit from a few other shops creating a treasury that breaks all sorts of Etsy rules! As I finished pulling it together I realized I had actually pulled together an Homage to Cindy and our friendship with an outfit for each of us fitting of our personalities.
It offers a small glimpse into our friendship and I hope I have managed in some small way to honor her memory. If you see anything that strikes your fancy please visit the shop, I know they will be absolutely pleased to have you shop with them.
Since the original idea started out as a sort of self promotion/cross promotion collection of our two shops I opted not to make it public on Etsy but to take screen shots to share on here and on Facebook. It does no good as a promotional tool if not clickable so I'll include the shop names in a list and make those clickable.
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| Best Friends = A Modern Vintage CowGirl |
Horseshoe Hearts = Rustic Designs by Riley
Long Sleeve Shirt = Fae Aura Design
My Jewelry = Wind Dancer Studios
Vintage Clothing = Modern Outlaw
Blinged Out Cowboy Hats = Time Two Change
Moccasin Boots (Love these!!) = Bastets Closet
Tooled Leather Accessories = Delos Leather
Horse Photography = Wild Hoofbeats
Leather & Crochet Bag = V and H
Vintage Wranglers = Beta Apparel
Barn Photography = Feng Shui Photography
Thanks for stopping by and more importantly, indulging me!
We'll see ya next time!
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