Unexpected Jetset Lifestyle

After hauling home from the show last Sunday, I finally made it home to sleep in my own bed. But before I could do that, I had to unpack, do laundry, and repack. But this time it wasn't for a horse show, on Monday morning, I flew out to Tucson, Arizona to stay at a ridiculous resort through last Friday. 

It was so weird to be at a place like this!

How freaking weird life has been the last two weeks as I've shown at a hunter show and then stayed at a resort (???). I am not a resort person, I am a camping person or a cheap airbnb person. But my family was all going to the resort for a somewhat distant family member's birthday and at the last minute I decided to go. 

Initially I had not wanted to go because I felt weird asking about yet another working-from-not-at-home-or-office week after they were so kind to give me DTO to go to Kentucky and then say sure about going to the horse show. I was also not entirely enthused about person being celebrated, but that's family drama for a different kind of blog (I do not have a secret family drama blog, but maybe I should?? Is that a thing? If so I want to follow other peoples' family drama blogs, please send them to me). We are also replacing the roof and so the SO wasn't going to be able to go anyway. 

Insanity

It was really cool to be there

One of the pool areas

Buuuut at the horse show I realized how much I missed my niece after seeing all these adorable kids on ponies (since without going on this trip it'd be a solid month between seeing her given their and my schedules) AND I realized that working from not-home and not-office was actually super doable and easy and no one at my job actually cared. My company has a Work From Anywhere policy and I was about to flex that shit for two weeks. 

Impulsively, I booked tickets and my SIL figured out a room situation for me. And then on Monday I got on a plane with my work stuff and a very differently packed suitcase. 

Seeing myself not in riding clothes
is always a trip lol

Breakfast

Hiking with the birders lol

It was a crazy weird week! Every morning I'd go down to either the Starbucks in the resort or one of the restaurants for breakfast. Then I'd either go on a hike, swim, or just hang out with the family before work. When I had to work, I did so on a lounge chair by the pool, or on the beautiful patio, or in a cabana, or up in the room when it was too hot to work outside. 

In between meetings and working, I would play with my niece, swim in the pool, float down the lazy river, or go on a walk. I booked a massage at the same time my SIL did, so we got to spend time in the spa and hang out. My dad and I also took an afternoon to drive out to the National Park! 

Work from pool

Work from patio

It was SO MUCH FUN to hang out with my niece so many days in a row. I'm turning into the kind of aunt who brings her things all the time so when I told her I had something for her, she was excited but seemed unsurprised. Sure enough, one by one, I pulled out a small figurine of each of her ponies at the ranch. I had found them at a Tractor Supply in Paso Robles at the horse show and figured they looked enough like the ranch ponies to get her obsessed with them. I was correct. She spent all week carrying them around and talking about them. Every morning her first words were something like "I'm gonna ride TC when I'm a big girl" or "Riot!" or "Sunny horse is a palomino" 

She even bonked her head really good and when my brother grabbed her to whisk her away, she SCREAMED and we thought she'd really hurt herself. But no, the screaming was exclusively "MY PONIES MY PONIES" and he had to bring her back to get them. 

On the night of said birthday party, I babysat her in my room so that my brother and SIL could enjoy themselves and I could get some space from someone I've deemed unhealthy to have in my life. We watched Frozen and I let her cut her own fruit with a knife... I never said I was a good babysitter. But she survived given that it was a plastic knife and she mostly used the handle to cut the fruit. It was fun to sit with her and actually really fun to watch Frozen again while I blogged about the horse show. 

PONIES!

It was actually really pretty there

It was such a great week to spend with my family. Getting home was a bit of a nightmare, but I did finally get myself home on Friday evening and then spent a pony filled weekend with my horses before going back to work on Monday! It was no fun to miss out on riding TC for ten days, but I am glad that I got to have two really fun and out of the ordinary weeks doing things that I love to do!