Bestest weekend ever.

If ever I am old and alone, trapped in my bed or my body, if I am ever mortally wounded or lost far from the ones I love, these- these are the days, the moments that I will wrap myself up in my mind.

Truly there could not have been a more perfect sky, more perfect day, more perfect ride than yesterday's.  The main thing that was different for me as that Vi was with me.  If there is no disappointment like that of a child who refuses to pick up your joy and carry it, then there is no greater exhaltation than that of your child picking up one of the great passions of your life as her own.

But let me back up a day because it wasn't just yesterday that was great. Oh, no.  Saturday found us keeping out of the heat at the pool at the club.  I think the pictures say more than I ever could, but I'll try to do them justice.  We were just having way too much fun in the family locker room: Dean showing off his big muscle(s), Avery shaking her booty, Vi giving everyone rabbit ears.

Do love that my kids are such little water rats.  I have no idea what I would do with kids that were eithr afraid of or didn't like the water. (It's not like you can return them as defective now, can you?)  Luckily, Vi and Ave took like fish to the water.  Vi is especially taken with the water although Ave does her share of swimming on er own, jumping off the diving board and doing 'super jumps' from the side of the pool which usually result in that painful, belly-flopping sound.  Since the kids were being so goofy in the locker room, I started snapping pics with my iPhone and at one point caught a shot of Vi's nudie booty.  Of course, that's all she's been talking about since: "Mom took a picture of my naked butt!" So, now I figure I'm going to get investigated by CPS or hell, just hauled off, because of an iPhone and the family lockeroom at ClubSport. (See my "cat that ate the canary" face?)

We had a good swim, though.  I almost passed out in the hottub but that's just how I like it: hot!    Afterward, I went and picked up In & Out Burger which has the best burgers ever and we all sat around the kitchen counter and ate our burgers. 

We had a bit of a heat wave this weekend.  Love the heat because it means I can swim without freezing.  Don't love the heat when it means sweltering in the house and/or car waiting for people to get ready to go places. Also don't enjoy the fact that the neighbors air conditioner unit sits on a pad right outside our bedroom so as we toss and turn, sweating up the sheets, trying to get to sleep, we get to listen to that beast blow hot air in our bathroom.  Yeah, cause we need ore hot air around this place. Heh.

Sunday dawned a hot and glorious, blue-skied morning that had "perfect day for riding" scrawled across the horizon.  I shouted at Vi to get her riding clothes on and "Let's go!".  We threw it together, jumped in the car and were off.  Vi wore her pink cowgirl boots and her red cowgirl hat which later would make a perfect bucket for Foxy to drink from.  We had a small group: Shawn, Maram, Haylie, Vi and I.   No Liz, so Vi had the good fortune to ride Power.  She got a little toasty out on the trail so we kept the ride a little short.  Shawn was awesome and ended up ponying her from Foxy (my almost 3 year old filly) when she started looking like she was going to wilt.  Look at Foxy's ears pointing up and ahead as they are going through the water- she is so willing.  When she has a job to do, I think that draft side of her kicks in and she is ready to go to work.  At the water crossing at one pont and Tink, who Haylie was riding, didn't quite know what to do and got left on the far bank, not wanting to get into the water.  Apollo and I went back for her and as we got almost to her, she jumped in and then ran through and out the other side, completely splashing me in the process.  Woke me up for sure but felt good in the heat.  (Haylie is on the Palamino- Tink).  Vi had a great time but was glad when we got back to the parking lot and the water fountain and bathroom.  She has demanded I get her a water bottle for her saddle and a pad so it won't be so hard on her butt.  When she said that, Shawn totally laughed and said- welcome to my world..."  Yes, the life of the cowboy/girl... bruises and sore butts, shoulders that pop in and out at will, trick backs and knees and ponies, crazy horses and lazy, sun-drenched trail rides...  Lots of people refer to my horses as my hobby, my sport, a family activity, our pets... and yes, the horses are all these things but more, it is something that is bred in my bones and it is my life's passion.  It is also one of my great loves.  I know that I will ask on my deathbed to be carried out to my horses.  Someday, when I have my farm or ranch(depending on what part of the country we end up in, of course...) I dream of a place where all my horses will live out their whole lives in happy comfort and then when it is over, we'll all rest together as we played and rode together.  I guarantee you, there can't be a heaven without horses.