Ruidoso | It's Great To Be Home

Wow, long time no see! I’ve missed you guys!

For the past two weeks, Jason and I have been all over the place. First we had a repeat of this fabulous trip, and then we jetted off to Mexico for a few days of sun and fun. Life is rough, let me tell ya. :)

{ The glorious view from our hotel room in Playa del Carmen. }

In the past two weeks, I have . . .

sat in the stands for 25+ horse races
read 5 books (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, The Secret Life of Bees, The Writing Circle, The Elegance of the Hedgehog & Secret Daughter)
watched 2 men (my husband and his grandfather) love spending time together
flown on 4 airplanes
visited 2 Mexicos (New Mexico and regular Mexico)
had a fabulous time with 7 of Jason’s family members, from sisters to father, aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandfather
eaten my weight (not tellin!) in Mexican food (and loved every second of it)
fed the 800 fish frolicking around me in the ocean with rolls stolen from the buffet
floated on 1 raft in a ginormous pool
imbibed 2.5 pina coladas and 2 mojitos (and looking back I’m thinking that wasn’t nearly enough!)
applied 1 gallon of sunscreen (to no avail, I still got burned)
missed 2 kitties more than I thought possible
enjoyed 9 days of relaxing with my hubby
loved getting back to our 1 home (and no joke, as we walked through our front door Jason actually said, “It’s great to be home.” Ha!)

What have you guys been up to?

A Not-So-Laborious Weekend

Did you guys have a great Labor Day weekend?? My hubby and I got to sneak away for four days to Ruidoso, New Mexico – and even though I’m playing catch up like crazy today, the relaxing weekend made the craziness totally worth it!

Every year, we spend Labor Day weekend in Ruidoso with Jason’s family at their cozy house right on the bend of the river – I can’t tell you how awesome it is to sit on their huge front porch, listening to the water and catching glimpses of deer strolling by:

The hummingbirds and gorgeous flowers aren’t too shabby, either:

One day, we moseyed over to the Inn of the Mountain Gods for a little paddle-boat action – it was a beautiful and fun way to spend the morning!

And you really just can’t beat the view:

When we weren’t relaxing or stuffing our faces, you could find us at the race track. Watching horse racing has always been a huge way that Jason and his grandfather bond, and Jason’s grandfather even had a horse racing on Saturday! We didn’t get to take a trip to the winner’s circle this time, but a second place finish isn’t too bad!

All the fans in the crowd were super excited because this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, lead the post parade for the All-American Futurity, the big million dollar race of the weekend. Good stuff!