How excited were you for your first horse?

Hello! My life long dream has come true- and turned out way better then i ever hoped for. I love horses and live on a dairy farm so there is plenty of room, but my parents are so stubborn! All my life they tell me they are just hay burners, bring in no income like cows and are costly. Well i found out [since we make our own hay] its not THAT expensive. Recently i started getting back into horse lessons and was offered a GREAT deal! An elderly woman had just got brain surgery and was looking for someone to take care of her horse. Her husband has had back surgery and cant ride anymore and hurts to clean the stall. So everything is set up that if i clean the stall 3 times a week, i can ride and groom their beautiful 15 yr old brown and white paint mare whenever i like after i take a few more lessons. It's like owning [more like just caring for] a horse without having to pay for ANYTHING! They pay the vet bills, shots, feed and board, farrier..everything! I've read so many horse care books, learning all i could [and still learning more] just out of fascination and really wanting to know how to care for a horse incase it was possible to ever get one. She's such a beautiful girl and i fell in love with her already. I'll stop ranting now but i'm REALLY excited! I want to take the best care of her as humanly possible =]. So tell me, how'd you feel when you first got your horse? Any stories to share?