What's in a name?

As I've mentioned once or twice before, we have some very lovely friends. And two of them decided to give us a present for our newly built stables, three years ago. They had two nameplates made out of wood, one with the name of hubs's horse Willem and one with the name of my horse, Naloma. For their stable doors. A wonderful idea and highly appreciated by us.

But since Naloma's foal arrived in April last year, we now have three horses. And since a couple of months now our foal is big enough to occupy the third stable. So we decided to ask one of the aforementioned friends, if she could perhaps ask the person who made the other nameplates to make a similar one for Naloma's foal.

Hubs was the first one to speak to said friend, so he asked her if she could ask the nameplatemaker to make one for our third stable occupant. "What name do you want on the plate?", friend asked. Hubs frowned. "I don't know", he said. "I'll have to confer with Carolina. She might have another idea about that than I have. We will come back to you on this." "Okay", friend said. "Just text me the name you want on the plate and I'll take care of it." So when hubs returned home, he asked me what name I wanted on the nameplate. The trouble is, you see, that we have named Naloma's foal Eavanaloma (Eavan = Irish for 'fair radiance', Aloma = Naloma's mother). Eavanaloma is the name that she is registered under in the Royal Warmblood Horse Register, but we call her Evie. It rolls so much easier off the tongue. We thus had to decide if we wanted Eavanaloma on the nameplate, or just Evie.

Something told me that we were asking for trouble if we chose Eavanaloma. So many mistakes waiting to be made with all those letters. Besides, it would be a HUGE nameplate. We decided to go with Evie. The safer and shorter option.

So I texted to friend that we wanted EVIE on the nameplate. Last week friend called that the nameplate was ready and if I wanted to pick it up. We hadn't asked her how much it would cost, but I made an uneducated guess, checked my purse if I had enough money and went her way. Actually, she had a riding lesson so I went to see that and she would bring the nameplate with her. She is a horserider and trains together with another friend of ours. And their trainer is another very good friend of ours, the one who helped us bring Evie into this world as you may remember. I regularly go to watch their training, not only because I find it very educating to watch other peoples riding lessons, but also because all three friends are mad as hatters, so extreme laughing guaranteed. As I arrived they were just mounting their horses. "The nameplate is in the tackroom", friend said. So I went to the tackroom and found the lovely little wooden nameplate for Evie's stabledoor. It made me chuckle. I went back to the riding hall. "Ah, let's see", trainerfriend said. "Will Evie finally be having her name on the door?" I showed him the plate. "Lovely!", he said. "What a short and simple name she has in fact. For such a big girl." "Well actually", I laughed, "we first wanted to have her full name on the plate, E A V A N A L O M A. But somehow I thought that thát would be too difficult perhaps." "Haha", friend who had nameplate made laughed. "I think so too!"

"It's wonderful. How much do I owe you?", I asked. "Nothing!", friend said. "It is a present!" "Oh, but that is so sweet of you. But I asked you for it, so are you sure? I brought money. I really want to pay you." "No", friend insisted. "It's a present." "Well, in that case...thank you very much."

And this is it. We haven't mounted it on the stabledoor yet. But we will. Because we love our friend. And it makes us smile. And you should never look a gift horse in the mouth.

What's in a name eh?