Fiance Snuck Behind My Back To Tell My Daughter "She's Ruining Our Wedding!"

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER_00] Hey Waffle Gang, I do hope you are well. My name is Mark B and today we're checking out some more Reddit stories and if you do love a Reddit story why not consider and the like, subscribe, maybe that notification bell too. Let's crack on with today's first story. Much love guys.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00] Now today's first story comes from LifeSlice4362 from the Am I The Asshole subreddit and it says Am I The Asshole for blowing up on my fiancee after what he did to my daughter's table favours. My fiancee, male 37 and I, female 35 are getting married in September and everything has been going perfectly until now. My daughter, female 16 and yes I know I had her young, had recently found an obsession in paper origami.

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_00] She started with making dollar hearts and moved on to making full on beautiful lotus flowers and paper butterflies and asked if she could help with the table decorations by putting paper butterflies on them with our wedding colours. I love my daughter and want to support her hobbies any way I can so I said she can and even bought her the paper she needed with the colours. The issue lies what happened today and even typing this still has me feeling a little anger. My fiancee with the addition of my daughter,

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00] I went to check the venue and stopped at a family friend's house who's making our table decorations. My daughter expressed how she couldn't wait to put her paper butterflies on the tables for the guests to enjoy. Our friend thought it was such an adorable idea but I could tell my fiancee made a face about it. When we came back home he expressed his concerns about what my daughter said and said that it seemed childish and that he wouldn't have it at his wedding.

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00] I reminded him that it's our wedding and that I won't exclude my daughter's wishes after I already bought her the materials. We argued for a bit more but I had to go to my sister's to help her move. But when I came home today my daughter came crying to me, telling me she's sorry that she's ruining my wedding with her ideas and said she'd pay me back for the paper. I asked her what she meant and she said that my fiancee told her I was only including her idea and wasn't going to really go with it.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_00] I was enraged and when he came back home I blew up on him and called him a jerk and an asshole for what he said to my daughter. He yelled back saying that we should have found a compromise and just making this idea without consulting him first was terrible. I do agree I should have consulted this first but he didn't express any discomfort with the idea and going behind my back to tell my daughter lies isn't a way to get back to me that he felt that way. I feel conflicted and not sure what to do.

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_00] Am I the asshole? An absolute not the asshole from me. This isn't about the paper butterflies or the origami. It's about him going behind your back and making your daughter feel like she's ruining the wedding. She was excited to contribute that and it was something that I thought personally is meaningful and lovely and makes her feel a part of it as well.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00] And instead of discussing it like an adult he undercut the both of you which for me is a huge fucking red flag especially when it involves a 16 year old who's about to become his stepdaughter right? Weddings are supposed to bring families together not make kids feel excluded and anyone who's sneaking around in the background targeting kids in this way gets an automatic side eye from me. Smart Bake says is your fiancee that's involved in other aspects of the wedding? The cake? The food?

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00] Flowers? Tablecloths? Chairs? Music? Or is he only trying to control the part that involves your teenage daughter? Opie says we're both involved in many things together but he said he wanted to be in charge of food because he wants catering and for his uncle to cook some things as well. Which I don't mind because I love his uncle's cooking. I have no idea why he did what he did but I plan to ask him and have a talk hopefully.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_00] Basic says I hope you can resolve this but don't forget that he deliberately and willfully lied to your daughter in order to cause her pain. This wasn't a mistake. This wasn't an error. Edit I would suggest that you speak to your daughter first alone and ask her if this is the first time he's treated her badly. Opie says I plan to ask when I pick her up from my friend's house today. Another commenter says has your fiancee seen the design your daughter plans on creating? Have you?

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00] While I do agree that this should have been discussed between the two of you it sounds like a simple and at worst a harmless idea. It shouldn't have been an issue with your fiancee and it sounds like he's blowing this issue out of proportion. Also he is not only insulting your daughter but he is also insulting the art of origami itself. There's nothing childish about it. It's been around as an art form for centuries and master artists are able to create incredibly intricate and beautiful designs.

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00] Now I don't know what level your daughter is but properly done origami is anything but childish. Shame on your husband for exposing his ignorance. But before you continue this argument it is best that both of you actually see what your daughter plans on making. If she can make a convincing butterfly that alone can help convince your husband that it should be displayed at the wedding table. And if it is indeed childish then you can take it from there.

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00] Opie says my fiancee has seen many of her designs and even agreed that some are good. She started making test runs and they're absolutely beautiful. She always takes simple things and adds her little own flair and touch of brilliance and putting it together with the other things on the table makes it look so pretty. It's far from childish in my opinion. Polly Fuckery says you're the arsehole for not immediately sitting down with your teenage child and asking if this is the only thing he's ever told her you were mad about.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00] Has he been asking her to keep minor seeming secrets that make her uncomfortable? Has he intruded on her space or privacy? This is a massive waving red flag. He lied to your child about you being mad at her. This was not a misunderstanding. This was grooming or bullying. You need to find out which. The wedding should be placed on hold until you know your daughter is safe with this man as a step parent. Opie says I couldn't ask her because she came to me crying and begging for me to take her to her friend's house.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00] Entire car ride she wouldn't speak but told me she's ready today. I'm worried about what he can be doing when I'm at work and I'm going to ask her everything. So Opie did come in with what was titled as their final update and says wow. I was shocked this would get the attention of so many. But I'm thankful for all the comments. I'm at work but I will give a clear update tonight of everything that happened and is going to happen. Thank you again for all the comments. But for the one who wished me death for wanting to talk to my fiance about what happened.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00] I'm sorry I angered you that much. Bloody hell. I'm finally off work and I've been able to talk to my daughter and fiance. I took my daughter out to eat at her favorite restaurant and told her she could tell me anything that was bothering her. I made sure to tell her that I'm proud of her hobby and would love to support it more. She told me that while I was away there were many instances where he would tell her that her art was horrible. And said that if I wasn't her mother I'd agree.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00] I told her that was never and will never be the case. I love her art and always show it to my co-workers. I told her that she was my top priority. Not a stupid wedding and had made sure to spend time with her. Then I spoke to my entire family on call. Including my fiance being in the room and I told him that the wedding was off. I confronted him about everything and told him that he will not shame my daughter and dishonor her amazing work and that we need a break. We broke into an argument and I said some things I didn't mean.

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_00] And he said some things that looking back I'm ashamed that I almost let him ruin my family. He packed all his bags and I'm not sure where he's staying now. His family asked what happened and I made sure to tell them. I got a few negative messages that my daughter is sensitive but his mother apologized on his behalf. I also made sure that he gave my daughter a sincere apology. And she didn't accept it which she doesn't have to. I showed my daughter the post and from her and I thank you to everyone who supported her art.

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00] And I make sure to use her butterflies as decorations for around the house and her room. Feeny Bear Boo says to OP. Your fiance sounds like a bit of a shitty human. Especially to impress on your daughter his opinion in that way. I'm glad you blew up on him. Your daughter sounds absolutely adorable. I would love to have her origami butterflies at my wedding. If she wants to post to the UK. OP says, and there was a redacted image I think, that says this is the closest thing she would send me regarding her paper origami.

[00:08:37] [SPEAKER_00] I'm not sure the link will work. Since I'm not used to this but it's heartbreaking thinking about what he might have said to her more about her hobby. I'm missing her from work. Kitchen Classic says, I think that's the worst part in all this. What if she doesn't want to do this hobby anymore? He could have now ruined her love of origami because he's an abuser who didn't get his way. I hope he's an ex now. Marrying him will harm your relationship with your daughter for sure. OP says we're taking a break but yes, he is an ex.

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_00] A parent of a communist says, tell her, as a fellow origami lover when I was in my teens. I'm 39 now. Learn the box. It's simple. You have no idea how often in my life I've used it for practical reasons. OP replies saying she just learned how to do triangle boxes. She uses them for everything too. Oh bloody hell, I can feel myself wanting to do another hobby all of a sudden. But I'm so glad that the mum took the daughter's side in this because we've read so many stories

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_00] where that kind of stuff, sneaking in the background, you know, planting little poisonous seeds here and there can do so much harm in the long term. But what do you guys make of this situation? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below. Let's move on to another story. Now before we do get into this next story, if you're eating or anything like that or just don't like talk of poo, you might want to skip this story. Please feel free to do so.

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_00] I'm only judging this based on the title by the way. You'll get it as soon as we read the title. But timestamps are always down in the description and along the timeline below. Thank you. And just coming back in after I've read the story, this is future mark right here. Please take that warning. It's a lot worse than the title. This is from April Fall Turds from the Off My Chest subreddit. And it says, My 20 female boyfriend 30 male pranked me by saving up his turds in the litter box.

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_00] Ah, deary me. Just another day on Reddit, right? This morning, my boyfriend did this fucked up prank on me and don't want to come home. I moved in with him a few months ago because his roommate of a few years moved out. I've been wanting to move out of my parents' house since I graduated and work a job where I can afford to pay the roommate's rent. So yeah, my boyfriend is a total sweetheart. Always the way, right?

[00:11:00] [SPEAKER_00] But sends me kind of mean prank TikTok sometimes. Stuff I'm not really a fan of, but whatever. I warned him if he ever did anything really mean-spirited to me as a joke, I would just leave because why would you treat someone you love like that? He has two cats and usually cleans the litter every day. But he's been sick lately so I've done it the last couple of days. I hate cleaning the litter box and I'm not a fan of his cats, but I love him so of course I'm going to do that for him, even if it makes me gag or whatever.

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_00] He reminded me to clean it today as I was putting my scrubs on and I told him I would after work, as I have been. But he said one of his cats had a really gnarly one and he could smell it through his vapor rub on his chest when he passed the kitchen and to pretty please bring him a bowl of cereal. Lol. So yeah, title. I went downstairs and I smelled nothing but check inside the litter box. It's in a cubby with a hole cut out.

[00:11:57] [SPEAKER_00] And god, there's multiple huge turds in there. It's funny saying that now, but it was fucking nasty. One poking right out barely covered by the sand and I can see one more like kind of buried in there a little and I start gagging like crazy and get up. I really, really already knew this did not come from a cat but wanted to be wrong and no. He asked me where his cereal was and started laughing. I was still gagging and kind of tearing up. I asked him, what the fuck was that?

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_00] Because I still wanted to believe it just came from our neighbor's dog or something. But he told me laughing through tears that he had been collecting his own turds for like a week now just to prank me. He really is sick though when he was trying to find an excuse for me to clean the litter because he read about someone doing this as a prank before and thought I'd find it funny. But I thought he knew me better. Guess not. Anyway, I'm at work now on a break and I told him I'm moving back in with my parents.

[00:12:55] [SPEAKER_00] I don't really have many problems with him besides the fact that I feel like I'm doing most of the housework sometimes. But this was too much and I don't want to be bluffing by saying I would leave him if he did something mean spirited. So that's what happened today. By the way, no, I did not clean it. He can clean up his own shit. He said because I work in an elderly care home, I should be used to it already. Now he's apologizing. Oaken Stem says saving his turds. Where? Yeah.

[00:13:24] [SPEAKER_00] Opie says in his mini fridge in his room. No fucking no. Electrical says is this story real or did you just traumatize us for no reason? Someone says look at their username. Opie said I made this account to post because my main username is my name on everything and don't want this tied to my digital footprint a few years down the line when I'm not with them anymore. Posted here is a ram because I don't want to tell my friends right now because they already hate him.

[00:13:49] [SPEAKER_00] Commodore says not only was he cruel to you, he was cruel to his pets. As a cat lover, I'd like to point out litter boxes are territorial spaces for them and he could have just caused his cats to start having issues using the box because it no longer smells like them. He also only has one litter box for two cats which generally isn't recommended. I'd wage a fair bit neither cat used that box until it was scooped meaning they just held it in or went elsewhere and maybe still avoiding it.

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_00] Pray and hope they're more easygoing than some because I can guarantee if I shit in my cat's box, she'd start shitting on my rug. Opie replied saying not even a fan of cats but that is very sad. I think he placed them there yesterday or this morning after I scooped it yesterday. I didn't think of that. Commodore says if you don't leave then you're signing yourself up for a lifetime of cruel pranks. And one more commenter says I by no means mean to insult you but babe there's a reason

[00:14:45] [SPEAKER_00] women his own age don't date him. You're better than this. But I don't want to paint too many mental images on the back of this but I have to say it. The fucking logistics behind this as well. They need to be transported to and from place. I just I'm not even I've had enough. Just no. I'm gonna have to go back to the start of this story and put a heavier trigger warning on it as well now. So Opie did come in with an update and says I realized I'm still logged into this account

[00:15:11] [SPEAKER_00] instead of my main one so I thought I'd give an update before logging out forever. I've officially moved out back to my parents house and they're very glad I'm back. I haven't told them why we broke up but they think he cheated and that's fine by me because the truth is honestly more embarrassing. He kept texting me all day while I was at work and I ignored him the whole time until I went home. When he was texting me that's when I learned he kept them in his mini fridge in his room

[00:15:37] [SPEAKER_00] because he said that's why I told you so angrily not to take my Red Bull from there. He usually didn't care. When I got home I saw that it was stored in a Tupperware container because it was in the sink along with an assortment of other dishes he left for me with like assorted brown streaks inside. I didn't clean it and I think that's when he realized I was actually so pissed. I slept in my own room instead of his and when I woke up all the dishes were done and he bought me flowers.

[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_00] I packed up for a couple of days and he knew I was leaving. He was really sad and helped me pack one day and broke down crying. He said he made his old roommate leave too with his antics and I didn't push further though. Now I really really wonder. I understand why some would find it funny because this is something I'd laugh at in a sitcom or something but not in real life. It just felt disrespectful and disgusting and while at work I just kept thinking about honestly how often he made me feel that way.

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_00] We've been trying for a baby for a month. Some at my age I know. I was thinking about him talking to our future son or daughter like he'd talk to me sometimes and just felt this full body cringe slash chill. To everyone that thought it was a prank from me to Reddit for April 4th. What would I gain from that? Have more karma on my main just for sharing pics of my Tamagotchi collection. I know it doesn't matter overall and that someone calls every story fake and I do that too.

[00:17:03] [SPEAKER_00] It's good to suspend your belief when reading things on Reddit etc but it still kind of hurt my feelings. I felt I had to defend myself. When I got home by the way it was already cleaned up by him otherwise I would have gotten a picture. Thank goodness you didn't. I wish I did when I first saw it and I regret not doing it so much but I wasn't thinking of that in the moment. Anyway, yeah, we're broken up. A commuter says the fact that he left his poop smeared Tupperware in the sink for you

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER_00] to clean up was intentionally done to upset you. He knew you were mad. He wanted to keep prodding you. Think about it. That Tupperware didn't have a use anymore. He wouldn't use it again. Neither would you. Cleaning it would be useless. It belonged in the trash. That was trash and he put it in the sink to fuck with you. And it shows the prank was never a prank. It was abuse. Abusive people will do horrible things to you to entertain themselves under the guise of it being a prank. Good for you for not putting up with this literal shit.

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_00] I'm so glad you didn't accept this pathetic dish cleaner pact and that you got out of this horrible situation. Supermite says she said in an original post that it feels like she's done most of the housework after only being there a few months. I bet I can guess why his previous roommate left. That's a prank I would expect from a couple of 20 year old bro types. Not a 30 year old man towards his SO. Gingerbread Houser says praying for your period my love. What a lucky break he did this now and not further down the line when it's harder to escape.

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_00] True Believer says and now you know why a 30 year old is dating a 20 year old. Women his age wouldn't put up with his shit literally. So now I'm just going to turn this one straight to you guys if you actually want to comment on it. Feel free not to of course. But let us know your thoughts down in the comments below and let's have another story. Now I spotted this one. It's a bit different. It was in the donkeys subreddit from Comprehensive Hope 644.

[00:18:57] [SPEAKER_00] It made its way to the best of redditor updates and was put together by the user GardenGeo. Titled A Donkey's Tale. Ripley Goes to Church. It starts off with a picture of Ripley. Which for the podcast users is just a small grey donkey standing on the side of what looks like a quiet road. And he's geared up like a little pack mule. Wearing little black boots on all four hooves and bright neon yellow bands around his legs.

[00:19:26] [SPEAKER_00] And the first part of the post says help. I'm not sure what I agreed to. So a couple of weeks Ripley and I were picking trash on the side of the road. It's pretty much all empty beer cans which geez don't drink and drive guys. Anyway my neighbor and his pastor asked if I and Rip's could help them with something for their church. The Sunday before Easter. I agreed thinking it was like a petting zoo type event. Ripley is a therapy donkey so getting mobbed by lots of little

[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_00] It says gots but I think it means tots. It's right up a rally. Let's call them gots. It's a low effort high reward. The kids expect nothing from her and just give her scratches and cuddles so she loves kids. But here's the deal guys. It's not a petting zoo thing. They want me to walk Ripley down the aisle of the church or something. I think it's Palm Sunday. What is that? It's like a ceremony thing. I'm not religious. I don't know what this is. I already agreed to it. I think it's this Sunday.

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_00] A commuter says yes exactly. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. And on that day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. People cheered for him and waved palm branches. I love the celebration as a child because we made palm branches in church out of twigs and colorful paper. There was also a procession outside in front of the church. I would have loved it as a child if there had been a real donkey there. Now you should ask again whether it's inside or outside and whether there will be plenty of fresh branches because those could be pretty distracting for a donkey.

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_00] Opie says do they hit the donkey with the branches? I can't imagine they're scarier than a big tarp and she isn't scared of tarps but I don't want her to get slapped with branches. The commuter says they do not hit the donkey. Another one says no one is going to hit your donkey. Palm donkeys are used in my mostly catholic region as well. They are usually just walked down the aisle of the church and stand there and walked as part of the procession which is similar to a parade. Sometimes the donkeys wear flower crowns or ornaments.

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00] People will admire and cuddle your donkey and that's it. Opie says good because I would hit them back. Nobody is hurting my donkey. Someone replies saying why would anyone want to hit him though? Are there any traditions like that in your location? Opie says I didn't actually mean hit. I meant like wave the palms in the air and brush the donkey's sides with the palms. I guess I'm kind of imagining the super energetic evangelical dancing and singing I've seen on TV only with everyone waving palms around.

[00:21:49] [SPEAKER_00] The commuter says people are focusing on somebody trying to harm your donkey but you're asking the right questions. Clarify with the pastor what people are going to do with the palm fronts. Is your donkey comfortable walking over something thrown in front of her? For horses that would take quite a bit of training. It just moved and now she's supposed to walk on it. If people are waving them maybe train it a couple of times with her. Anyway it's a cute tradition that celebrates the donkey instead of a horse. Jesus rode the trusty and lowly donkey.

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_00] Instead of flowers people threw palms from the roadside. Opie says that's a good idea. You make it sound really cute. I don't think she would care about things getting tossed on the ground in front of her and I agree my horse would care more. Horses are gonna horse. Donkeys are much more reasonable. The commuter replies that's funny. Donkeys are much more reasonable. I've never heard anyone say that before and I dare say that most donkey owners even though they love their donkey for their life would not utter that statement. Opie says really?

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_00] I think Ripley is very reasonable. The worst thing she's ever done is stop. The commuter says the palm fronds are part of the commemoration because the bible says people of Jerusalem threw tree branches and their cloaks on the ground in front of Jesus on his donkey as he rode into the city. Basically honoring him as they would a king. No hitting the donkey. There's some people today and maybe then may wave them around. Given Ripley is a therapy donkey used to having people around. This may be something you're comfortable with.

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER_00] Or sit down and have a conversation with a pastor about what they are thinking of. How many people are expected to be there? A church can vary from having tens to having thousands in attendance depending on the type, popularity, etc. Look at the space. If you want to help them but are uncomfortable with something in their plan you can ask them to modify it. Move that part of worship outdoors or shorten the time Ripley is there so she's not standing around bored, etc. They'll either figure out how to make it work so you're comfortable or just go with her original no donkey plan.

[00:23:47] [SPEAKER_00] If you do decide to do this the pastor should definitely make an announcement to the congregation about good behavior and not startling Ripley. Because people are just so clueless about most animals. The background I'm pretty much atheist now but grew up in a small liberal congregation in New England so familiar with the church year. Opie says super helpful thank you. I do need to sit down with the pastor and have a chat. I think they're under this assumption that I know something or anything about their religion or even any Christian religion.

[00:24:16] [SPEAKER_00] When in reality the only times I've been to church are for funerals. I know nothing about all this kind of stuff. Another commenter says my donkey went to church once. Our farrier asked to borrow her and have complete trust in him. He said she pooped in the church which makes me giggle whenever I think about it. She was just led down the aisle as part of their holiday church program. Another commenter says we've taken our donkey to church for Palm Sunday before and have booked again this weekend.

[00:24:42] [SPEAKER_00] If they want you to walk through the church, set boundaries to most importantly keep you and Ripley safe. Have a quick entrance and exit and do not allow anyone to touch or be near her as she comes through. Also, shit happens. Bring along a trusted friend as a pooper scooper should Ripley leave an offering at the altar. When we took our tonto, we also took time a couple of days before to come practice at the empty church.

[00:25:07] [SPEAKER_00] This allowed him to not only practice going in and out but gave his senses a chance to acclimate the sights and smells and feelings of a church. Ultimately, it comes down to your comfort level and confidence in your donk. If you decide to kindly bow out, I would imagine the church would be understanding. And one more commenter says, A friend of mine who is a pastor asked if they could use mine in the outdoor processional. They put blankets on his back and led him along to represent the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem during Passover week.

[00:25:37] [SPEAKER_00] It went great until Charlie, thinking the palm a little boy was waving in his face was a gift, took it and swallowed it up in one gulp. The child wailed that the mean donkey stole his palm branch. I was mortified, but luckily most of the congregation thought it was pretty funny. The OP came in with an update on Palm Sunday and says, There was a lot of comments on my original post, so I wanted to share an update for those who were interested. I really appreciate all the helpful information. Thank you so much.

[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_00] I spoke with the pastor and we went over the ceremony in detail. Here is a breakdown. The congregation stands to sing a hymn. While singing, the congregation aisles out of the pews and walks in front of the chapel while waving palm fronds. The congregation places the palm fronds on the ground at the front of the chapel and returns to their seats. Once everyone is seated, the pastor says something along the lines of, I ask that everyone remain seated while I recite this scripture.

[00:26:33] [SPEAKER_00] At a particular part of the passage, the back doors of the chapel will open and cue donkey. Ripley makes a grand entrance through the rear doors, walks down the aisle and continues exiting at the front doors of the chapel. I passed the time the route several times and said at a slow pace the walk should take about 42 seconds. Since the congregation will remain seated, no one will be touching Ripley during that walk. A very quick in and out.

[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_00] I also acquired a bun bag, so if nature happens to call during our short walk through the chapel, we won't make any unsightly messes. I took Rips to the church yesterday. We walked around the church and my friend played the piano really badly and Ripley didn't care about anything. Well, that's not entirely true. Rips did care about the bowl of peppermints by the front door. She cared very much about those delicious peppermints.

[00:27:23] [SPEAKER_00] Ripley's role in the ceremony is going to be very small, but I think it's going to make a lot of people happy. I love bringing Ripley out and having people meet her and hear her rescue story. I just want more people to care about the world and all the animals we share with it. And Opie shares a couple more pictures of Ripley. And Ripley is looking beautiful in one of the photos with a flower crown on. In fact, both the images, Ripley's wearing his flower crown and just looks stunning.

[00:27:51] [SPEAKER_00] And five days later, Opie comes in again with the update and says the church was packed. Way more people than I expected. It was standing room only. Some people had even gathered in the lobby, listening over the intercom because there wasn't any more room in the chapel. This isn't a mega church either, but there were over 150 people packed into a modest-sized building. Because some people had gathered in the lobby, Ripley's walk actually started at the main entrance to the church instead of the chapel doors.

[00:28:19] [SPEAKER_00] The signal was given, i.e. someone opened the door for me because it was a little heavy and kind of awkward, and Ripley made her entrance like a queen. Ripley sashayed into the church through the lobby and past her admiring fans. Then through the chapel doors and down the aisle without hesitation, like she had done it a hundred times before. Everyone was excited but very respectful. The small crowd in the lobby parted so we could pass, and no one reached out to pet Ripley during our short walk through the church.

[00:28:47] [SPEAKER_00] My neighbor had asked if I could stay after the service so the kids could pet Ripley. So, after the ceremony, we did a quick wardrobe change, and I put Ripley's saddle on and filled her pannier with candy so kids could grab a few pieces when they came over to meet her. Again, there were a lot of people there, over 150, and I'm pretty sure close to 100 lined up to meet Ripley. Maybe 10 or 12 were actually children. The meet in Greek was Ripley's favorite part.

[00:29:13] [SPEAKER_00] Rip's soaked up the attention, collecting hugs, scratches, and treats like it was a full-time job. The event was live-streamed by the church, but I didn't get to take any videos and hardly any pictures. I did get a picture of Rip's with our neighbor, a former BFF. Ripley's face of utter disdain at our neighbor's lack of peppermints? Well, they say donkeys never forget, and they are known for holding grudges. I do believe this photo was taken at the exact moment our friendship ended.

[00:29:41] [SPEAKER_00] So, in the end, everything went well, and Ripley handled it like a professional. Opie also came in with some more donkey tacks. And of course, again, Ripley just looking absolutely gorgeous in the photos. Opie also said she was a big hit, and we survived. No animal sacrifices. Although, your last comment lit a small flame of horror, and now I'm on a scary movie kick. So, I feel I should thank you. Opie also says you're right. No one smacked her.

[00:30:12] [SPEAKER_00] I was shocked at how small the palm fronds were. They're tiny. I was thinking there'd be these giant leaves you see in the jungle or something. I was expecting the leaves to be as big as Ripple's. They aren't. They're like eight inches long. And Opie says, yep, we stayed after the service. And that was definitely Ripley's favorite part. Tons of ear scratches. And that is an absolutely lovely story about Ripley. And Opie as well for being so awesome with Ripley at the same time.

[00:30:41] [SPEAKER_00] But now, I'm going to turn this one to you guys. What do you guys make of this story? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below. And that's a bit of a different one. And also, just a huge thank you for being here today. Getting involved in the stories, your love, your support, your time. It always means the absolute world to me. So thank you so, so much for being here. And hopefully, I'll see you in the next one. Take care. And much love.