What's in a Name?

I changed my blog name, and I still may change the actual domain name.  I'm more worried changing my domain name since I'd be losing 3 followers.  That's right - 3 whole followers!!!  I appreciate people reading my blog, and when they follow it I feel like I'm not just talking to myself, so those 3 followers are a big deal to me.  Regardless of my impending domain decision, I went ahead and changed the blog title.

Why did I change my blog name?

To be perfectly honest I read all of Viva Carlos' blog hop posts about how people came up with their names, and it made me realize that most blog names were descriptive, and they really told a little story about the rider, the horse, or both.  The Happy Rider is a bit generic, and it certainly didn't have a story behind it.  I am a happy rider, but I think a lot of riders are.  I just wanted to start putting my voice out there, and so I didn't think too long or too hard about the name.  But, after reading everyone's blog name story, I decided I had to change my own.

Why An Optimist, a Pony, and a Pug?

I actually had a lot of other ideas, including:

1. The Accountant and the Cob
2. How To Train Your Gavin
3. Horse Child in the City
4. Girl on the Cob

 But I decided to go with An Optimist, a Pony, and a Pug for a few reasons:

I'm an optimist.  People comment on my cheery mood on the regular.  Sometimes I fall into the complaining rut just like anyone else, but I really prefer to be upbeat and cheerful.  I find it to be much more productive.  I've also found that by focusing on goals and what you want out of life, you're more likely to actually attain those things.

I have a pony.  He's a Welsh Cob and probably of horse height, but I love that he has such a pony look about him.  I never call him "my horse" it's always "my pony".  That pony and my interactions with him are the epicenter of this blog.

I also have a pug.  He is a wonderful dog - a total cuddle bug, a therapy dog when I cry, a dog to take for a run (so long as the run isn't too long), a dog to dress up in silly costumes, a dog to teach new tricks to continuously.  He is my boyfriend and my dog-son and we love him dearly.  So I thought it was fair to include him, especially since I have billions of cute pics of him that'll likely show up on here.

And that's my blog name story.  :)  *sigh of relief* that feels better!