Felicity

Hi there.

I am Mom's second doll but her first American Girl doll. Mom has read most of the books for American Girl's historical dolls. The Felicity collection was her favorite, so choosing me  was a no-brainer. I am not the same girl as the character in the books (if I was, I'd be roughly 250 years old by now!), but we do have a lot in common. Our appearances and birthday are the same. We both love horses and being outdoors, don't like to sit still for too long, and tend to be a bit stubborn.

Mom and I can't remember exactly when she got me because it's been so long. According to American Girl Dolls Wiki, American Girl pulled Felicity dolls from the catalog in 2002 when Kaya came out. Mom is pretty sure I was still in the catalog when she asked for me, which would mean she got me before that. Maybe May or December of 2001, but who knows? *Shrugs* At any rate, I arrived long before Mom got her flash drive, laptop, or digital camera, which have all made recording important events a lot easier.

Still want to know more about me? Well, here is this little fact sheet for your reading pleasure.

Name: Felicity Louise Merriman

Birthday: April 21

Hair Color: reddish brown

Hair Texture: slightly wavy, small face-framing curls

Skin Tone: fair

Eye Color: green

Instrument(s): French horn, beginning percussion

Favorite Color: grass green

Favorite Animal: dog

Hobbies: horseback riding, climbing trees, nature photography

Favorite Main Dish: Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes

Favorite Dessert: chocolate chip cookies

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: mint chocolate chip

Favorite Book: Holes

Favorite Movie: Mulan

Favorite TV Show: Mythbusters

Here is my personality as I think it would appear according to Horse Isle 2's system. (Confused? See our blog post from April 22, 2014.)

Personality: Unique
Skittish	|---------+-|	Brave	(9)
Stubborn	|-+---------|	Easygoing	(1)
Antisocial	|---+-------|	Social	(3)
Leader	|---+-------|	Follower	(3)
Lazy	|-----+-----|	Energetic	(5)

(9) Extremely Brave

Yeah, I suppose I’m pretty brave. Braver than any of my sisters, anyway. When something goes bump in the night, I’m the one who goes to investigate.

(1) Extremely Stubborn 

It’s no coincidence my zodiac animal is Taurus the bull. I have very strong opinions that don’t easily change, and I freely share them. Once I’ve decided I like you, you couldn’t ask for a more loyal friend. I also have a tendency to hold onto grudges… but I’m working on it.

(3) Moderately Antisocial 

I like hanging out with my sisters and friends, but I’m not exactly a social butterfly. I’ve been told that I’m not the most approachable person in the world. Lily has trained me to be more polite and friendly around new people, but it doesn’t come naturally.  

(3) Moderately Leader-ish 

I’m more of a leader than a follower, especially when the task/activity at hand is something I know well. I’m also never afraid to try something first, which often makes me the leader by default.

(5) Middle 

I am really lazy about things like schoolwork and cleaning my room, but I’m really energetic and passionate about things I like. I guess it all sort-of evens out.

My Pets

This is my Siberian Husky, Silver. She is very intelligent and loves people. Like me, she gets restless if cooped up inside for too long. She is always up for a walk and loves cold weather.

Kaya's Appaloosa, Steps High, was the only adult horse beside the bay horse who was available when I was looking, so getting the Appaloosa for me was another no-brainer. It took years - literally - to come up with the right name for her once she arrived, though. I considered Milky Way, Galaxy, Splatter, and even Sparks Flying (the Appaloosa foal's supposed name), but none of them seemed special enough. Eventually, I decided on Talia. Here she is:

Talia means "Dew of God" in Hebrew. I suppose her spots are a bit like dewdrops, but that's not why I picked the name. I actually got it from a book I read that was a spin-off of the Sleeping Beauty story. The beautiful princess, Princess Talia, fell asleep after pricking her finger on a spindle. The rest of the kingdom fell asleep too and was magically concealed from the rest of the world. Her "true love" didn't come to wake her and the kingdom up until centuries had passed. Quite a shock for Talia and her kingdom to wake up in the 2000's... But I digress. I thought it was a beautiful name, and a beautiful horse deserves a beautiful name.

As a Native American horse, Talia came with a fringed blanket and a built-in rope through her mouth. I may take the rope out someday, but for now I just keep it out of the way by looping it around her muzzle. I did okay riding her bareback when I first got her. It was probably a good way to learn even if I did bite the dust a lot. I was really excited when Mom got an English bridle, saddle, and martingale for her, though, because then I finally got permission to jump fences.

Talia is the most sure-footed of the horses. That's good, since I ride her all over, and we both like to go fast. Neither of us are big fans of riding in a boring arena - we'd much rather be outside actually going somewhere. Our best event is cross country, and water jumps are our favorites. We do like more leisurely trail rides from time to time too, especially when my sisters join us on their horses.