Miss Emma Claire

I chose to post this picture of Emma because she is at the Wild Animal Park, a place she'd live if it were up to her. She adores (almost) all living things, especially horses and dogs. The only thing she hates are scary sea creatures, but that's because over the summer we spent a lot of time at the beach, and we had two nasty run-ins. One was in Encinitas, where an eel washed ashore. It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen. (Remember the bad eels from Little Mermaid? Now I know why they were the villians.) This eel had razor teeth and mean little eyes. Emma was appalled. Later over the summer, it was attack of the jellyfish. When one washed ashore right in front of us, we looked in wonder at its pulsating tentacles...and Emma didn't forget. She's pretty sure that any body of water could be dangerous, especially the toilet! She likes me to wait in the hall when she uses the restroom just in case a jellyfish tries to bite her in the bum! Poor girl! Other than some nasty sea creatures, Emma believes the world is full of animals meant for her to adore. Her career ambitions include vet, horse trainer, and dog walker. She rides with my mom (Grandma Toni), and amazingly she rides Boquet, the horse I rode growing up (also the horse I fell from, fed carrots to, rode bareback, bathed, etc.) Boquet is 35 1/2 years old and still loves kids.

I'm so glad my daughters love animals. I grew up with four dogs, two cats, three horses, and various birds, not to mention a chicken I "won" at the rodeo (though that was short lived!) I'm grateful to have passed this adoration on to the girls, especially to Emma. Look her up in about 25 years at Emma's Animal Sanctuary. :)