monixoconnor

[monixoconnor]

Now I’m starting to feel like I’m just making a fool of myself. Can I blame ‘mom brain’ on this one? Probably not, but I’m going to try! So you’re a Newman — that makes you, what, town royalty almost? I swear I’m not trying to sound pompous or anything, I promise. There’s no judgement here whatsoever, just little old me and my sense of humour. Part of me always wondered what it’d be like coming from a big family, being an only child.

Just a bit, but honestly, not a big deal. Wish I could say I had the smarts to be an attorney but best I've got is bomb ordnance and mechanical engineering. Appreciate it. I do, there's a good few of us running around here. I'm a Newman, you probably know at least a few of my siblings.

[monixoconnor]

Happy birthday, @docolives!

It’s your special day; shout hip hip hooray! Thank you for being you, and all that you do! You are such a kind soul, with a heart of gold! (To match that golden mane of yours!) Freya and I chose these gifts together, to show just how much we appreciate your existence on this earth. I hope you enjoy them!

— Moni & Freya xx

[monixoconnor]

Heavy pours are only bad if you’re not here to get totally wasted; which I’m not opposed to, for tonight. God knows I need to let off a little steam…

I’m so excited, this is my favourite time of the year — sunshine and play time! As far as events go, I’m going to have to see what Frey’s already got booked for the summer, see what clashes and what doesn’t. What about you?

Who: Open Location: Anchors Away

Now that - that right there just tastes like straight up tequila. I'd say we're starting the summer off right, but damn if that bartender doesn't have a heavy pour. Are you excited for summer? Any fun plans or events you want to crash?

[monixoconnor]

Nothing makes me happier than seeing Frey make friends, having fun. She’s my greatest treasure. We definitely will, I’ll make sure of it! We could even take them to the upcoming Carnival if you plan on attending at all. The more the merrier, right?

They do seem to be getting along really well. Alina's been asking when she can hang out with Freya again. School's out so I'm sure we can figure out a good time for a picnic. I hope you're okay with at least one other kid tagging along. My oldest's going along might be a bit 50:50.

[monixoconnor]

“A couple of months —“ Monique almost laughed. Had she been so oblivious? But so much had happened, winter storm included, so perhaps it wasn’t the most surprising that the two hadn’t crossed paths until that moment. “Uh…” her brain was scattered. She never expected any of them to come and visit, let alone reside in the same small town in comparison to the city. “So… you’re living here?” She swallowed desperately. “Why didn’t you tell me?” There was a fine lining of defeat to her voice, knowing that this was partially her fault; it wouldn’t be the first time she’d ignored a text or phone call from any of them.

Siobhan felt as raw as Monique's voice sounded. The older woman understood where she was coming from and had a very small hope they could find a middle ground. Meeting here in the middle of Pride felt even more strange but somehow fitting. The bag of candy she had been picking out stuck to her palm which had gone clammy. "It's me," she said. It didn't need confirmation she just ... filled the quiet. "I just arrived a couple of months ago." Would that be reassuring or be worse? "A lot's happened since you left," which she could imagine it was the same for Monique. "You could say I remember when you last called me and I decided to come here for myself." She could explain it better but she was starting out slowly just in case Monique decided against speaking to her. She had never been this nervous not even when presenting evidence to the pharmacy board back in California. It showed her what really mattered to her.

[monixoconnor]

[monixoconnor]

This was the last thing Monique expected to have to deal with today. Frozen in place from the moment their eyes locked, barely metres away from the blonde, the brunette reminded herself to breathe. But walking away wasn’t an option, Moni knew that, as much as her heart willed her to run as fast as it would pump blood through her veins. Cursing under her breath, Monique could at least be thankful that Freya wasn’t with her in that moment. “Siobhan?” Moni’s voice was raw, uncertain how this interaction would sway. All she knew is that the grief she’d tried so hard to work through the past few months were flooding right back into the cavities they’d left behind. “What are you doing here? When did you get here?”

LOCATION: Pride Event around Cassidy's Candies WHO: Siobhan and Monique @monixoconnor WHEN: June 7

Siobhan was almost overwhelmed by the candy display. It wasn't in a bad way. It was in the way where she had too many choices. Just when she thought she figured it out another kind distracted her. The tie-dye lollipops kept drawing her eye. She peered at them and all of the different flags and spotted purple, darker purple, and white in the very back. She reached for it and despite being on the taller side she had to stand on her toes. "Alright don't be stubborn," she said under her breath. Finally the hook let the paper stem go and she got it with a victorious sigh. In the clear bag on her wrist already many different kinds of flag gummies awaited. To be honest she wasn't thinking of just herself but also her niece who might enjoy the brighter colors. As she turned she could have sworn she recognized her sister-in-law but surely not. She squinted through her large sunglasses and felt her heart drop. She almost felt like a kid again who wasn't sure whether to run off or stay there. She stayed there. "Moni?" She didn't yell. If Monique wanted to ignore her then she would have to accept that.

[monixoconnor]

Wow -- I was way off, huh? I'm so sorry! Forgive me. But a navy seal? Wow, that's... impressive. Thanks for your service, Tristan. Do you have a lot of siblings? I don't think I ever got your last name, last time we spoke.

Was a good course to run I think, wasn't easy but not too difficult either. Always think it's good to have those things that push you a little more like events like this. You could say I've done some team building stuff. Mean always kind of do when you have a family as big as mine. No, oh no, definitely not law. I'm retired from the military, Navy Seal.

[monixoconnor]

"God, I don't even want to think about how sore i'll be waking up in the morning." Monique laughed lowly, wiping away some sweat that dappled her forehead. She wasn't exactly the fittest person around, but she was always happy to challenge herself -- and, well, it was in the name. "I think we should book one the second we get back in town. I know I will, at least." though she was sure the thought would have crossed Kennedy's mind, as well. "How dare you even suggest you would?" Moni's brows drew together in disbelief, angling her body towards the blonde. "But thank you, for the compliment." she added more softly, bumping her shoulder fondly against the others. "Hey -- I appreciate s'mores, too! In saying that, she is going to be jumping for joy the moment she finds out."

"Oh, I know! Tomorrow I'll probably regret doing this, but for now I'm riding this high," she nodded, a laugh leaving her lips. The course had been on the back burner of her mind for the past few months, so she was happy to have said it was finally over, despite not taking it as intensely as others may have been. "That would've been perfect, I could've used a nice day of relaxation after, but suppose that could wait until we get back," something to look forward to as well. Making a slight face at the mention of a sing-along, she turned her head. "As long as you're the one singing the loudest. You have the best voice between us, obviously, and I wouldn't want to kill the vibe before the end of the song. I also brought stuff for s'mores, thought Freya would appreciate it."

[monixoconnor]

I think our girls are getting pretty acquainted now, huh? I swear, Freya would not stop talking about how much fun she had with Alina over the Challenge stay, wants to know when she’s going to see her next. Should we plan something? Sunday brunch, have a picnic with the kids? That way, I can get to know your wife a bit more, too.

[monixoconnor]

Happiest of birthdays, @lenavaz!

Thank you for being MOTHER to all of us at lupine lane! I hope these gifts bring brightness to your day, just as your presence does to us! A new piece of jewellery to add to your collection, some quality cosmetic brushes, and I couldn’t resist this stunning mug for the sake of, well, more mugs! We can never have too many, right?

Endless love from us both,

Moni & Frey xx

[monixoconnor]

“Really — I guess she went all horse crazy after we first moved here. It gave her something to fixate on, I guess, some new sense of normalcy maybe.. we were on the road for a bit beforehand… but hey, she’s happy, so I’m happy.” If she wanted to explore this endeavour, Moni would encourage that, rather than have her feel the need to do so behind her back. “A ranch, though — I suppose they’re more common back in Texas, but how cool! A lot of hard work, too, I’ve heard.” She’d give him points for that; it seemed the more she discovered about Aidan the more intrigued she became. At his question, her jaw dropped momentarily but the words didn’t flow after. “Yes, I’ve ridden a horse!” The slightest bit of defence lingered, a scoff of a laugh escaping at his next… accusation? “I’ll have you know —“ Monique began, her humility breaching to the surface in a soft shade of pink. “… well, it was actually on a lead, so… And I guess you probably couldn’t classify it as a horse, it was more of a… pony?” She laughed, brunette hair brushing over her shoulders as she did. “They had this town market event when we first got here — creek fest — it was a lot of fun!”

He nodded a few times over, still a little startled to hear that Moni had a daughter who was almost ten years old, but he thought that he did a decent job at not showing it, chin coming down to rest atop his folded arms while watching the horses go 'round and 'round. "No?" This time Aidan did sound surprised. "How'd she get interested in riding, then? I don't think I ever woulda looked at a horse if my family didn't run a ranch," he said with a huffing chuckle. He'd grown up alongside plenty of kids that came from oil-rich families, and the idea of wealth without all the manual labor did always seem pretty sweet, especially when it came with long weekends spent ATV-ing and dirt biking. "You have ridden a horse before, though, right?" he clarified, head lifting again as he turned towards Moni. Aidan's brows lifted, leaning away from the fence with a hand still holding on, teasing mildly, "And it didn't end in disaster? No wild bucking incidents?"

[monixoconnor]

I don’t know, are you? You’ll just have to wait and see, I guess! Just kidding! Yeah, I’m definitely going to be putting in my all for the course. It kind of reminds you of those school camps they used to send us on, which makes it that much more nostalgic. Do you do a lot of team building stuff? Or have you, in the past? You were in law, weren’t you? Correct me if I’m wrong!

Am I going to see you over doing the Challenge? Think this is the first event that I'm probably too overhyped for at the moment. Getting back out into obstacle courses, team working, it's just my thing. Which I guess shouldn't be a surprise.

[monixoconnor]

“I’m still so fired up, my body doesn’t know whether to finally let itself fall in a pile of exhaustion or not.” An internal battle that she was sure would come to pass, now that the course had finally come to pass. “The one thing this place is missing is a spa — or a hot springs! That would be incredible right about now. Oh well, it’s still so stunning out here. And hey, I brought my guitar in case Frey and I wanted to start a spontaneous campfire singalong. Don’t think you’ll weasel your way out of that when it comes around!”

[monixoconnor]

“I’m sure she’s dreaming of galloping in the fields right now, so fingers crossed we’re all good.” Moni agreed with a light laugh. “That’s a great idea, actually! I love letting her choose her own things, find her style and experiment as much as she can in all aspects, really. But yes, and hey — if you wanna tag along, you’re more than welcome to when the time comes.” The offer was out there now at least, but Mon also knew Lena was generally a busy little bee. Laughing a bit louder, Moni’s hands slapped against her thighs in amusement. “Yeah, I’m with you there. I don’t think I’d be able to keep on top of mucking out the stall all the time, so it’d really reek!” A small snort escaped her, stirring more glee though she couldn’t fight the yawn that followed. “What time is it?”

"That's exactly right," she smiled, nodding her head, "I actually bet that they would be less comfortable if they were in the middle of this living room. She can rest easy." Although Lena laughed as she said it, she knew that there was some truth to it, that horses, like any animal, had their place. "She'll feel a lot better once all this has passed and she can get out to the barn and see that they're all safe sand sound," and hopefully, that wouldn't take that long. Those winter storms could be miserable, but they didn't last forever. At least, not most of the time, anyway. "That's a tough one -- maybe you could take her just to look and sort of feel out how she looks at some of the options, figure out which one makes her eyes light up?" Elena would be willing to bet that no one knew Freya quite like Monique, after all, knew what she was into. "I totally agree -- but I think living with a horse literally one wall away from me might… not be the most appetizing smell on the planet?"

[monixoconnor]