Friday through Sunday

Weekends.  

Are my favorite.  

Although in my current state of summer vacation, all days are my favorite.  But there is still something about weekends.  And a packed full weekend makes me fist pump and donkey kick.  

On Friday, my family hosted the second annual Hartland Showdeo at the farm arena.  They all do a ridiculous amount of planning and work to make it come together and I show up the night before to help set up a couple canopies and then take pictures the day of.  That's all I do.  They do the rest.  And they put on quite the event for those littles.  It was rainy and chilly, but that didn't stop the ear to ear smiles from finding their way to all of those cheeks.  

And on Friday evening, you want to know what I did?  Laundry.  Laundry while curled up in a handmade quilt on my couch to watch all of the DVRd Real Housewives of Everywhere that I never seem to sit down for.  It was a gloomy, chilly summer evening and it felt oh so good to simply relax  on the couch to the sound of the washer churning and the dryer burning.  

I really have a hard time relaxing but I'm working on it.  One time when my friend Karen {half marathon training partner} and I were out and about, this guy told me I sure was wound up and then he asked, "What do you do to relax anyway?"  And Karen piped right in with, "She runs.  She runs to relax."  

Then I realized that was indeed true and decided to work on learning the art of normal relaxing.  I'm still trying to get there.  So Friday night was good for me. 

Saturday night was a different story.  Not relaxing.  But FUN.  Moe {the nickname has stuck} is my cousin and she is marrying Joe this coming weekend and we had their bachelor/bachelorette party on Saturday night.  

It started with a bbq and ended with a party bus and in between there was lots of laughs, dancing, and more laughing.  The kind of fun I don't bring my big camera along for.  But I am glad I brought it out for the before part because these are my very favorite kind of pictures.  Unplanned.  Capture a funny moment.  Joe was being slightly ridiculous and would not take a nice picture.  It reminded me a lot of trying to take pictures of Brother.

And he wanted in on the picture of Moe and I.  With a puppy.  He felt the puppy should be in there as well.  Seriously, these are my very favorite kind of pictures.   

We quickly booted him out so we could smile and look alike.  Maybe you can tell we are cousins.     

Yes, Moe and I look similar, but she and her sister look real real similar.  I love sister pictures.  They make my heart happy.  

And after another glass of red wine out of plastic cup, my camera was safely tucked away in the back of my car.  Because we all know when ladies get together and wine and heels are involved, it's best to not have anything to keep track of.   

I have this weird syndrome that goes something like this...

I went out last night.  Therefore, I must wake up early and stay busy and not be lazy and go and do something.  MUST. STAY. BUSY.

Does anyone else have the "I went out last night and therefore I must be extra productive today" syndrome?  

Like I said, I have that.  So on Sunday morning I packed up my car with running shoes, ipod, cowboy boots, swimsuit, sweats, jeans, camera, a cup of hot coffee...and I hit the road to the farm.  Where first, I weeded garden while listening to Garth Brooks, wearing a swimsuit top with yoga pants rolled up.  I'm glad the farm is in the middle of nowhere because oh boy, I was looking stylish.  Let me just say this...dirt, music, and sun equals perfection.   Puts me in a state of this is a great life. 

Then, I traded in the rolled up yoga pants for jeans and boots to ride horse.  Let me just say this...horses, sun, and littles equals perfection too.  This summer, Sister Pister has been teaching Firecracker and Easy Rider to ride.  Really ride.  And it is freaking cute to watch her with them.  

I needed to find my riding legs back so I started out on trusty ol' Bandit.  He doesn't like moving.  It takes some convincing to get him to even walk.  I like him and his stubborn ways because I relate.   I also like him because he is the horse that saved my sister from being afraid after a bad riding blow up when she was a tiny one.   For that, he will always have a special place in all of our hearts.  Even though he doesn't like to move and requires a little tap tap on the rear every once in awhile.  

After I got my riding legs back on trusty ol' Bandit, I rode Sister Pister's big red horse Fox for the first time.  We loped across the arena when I only wanted him to trot and he doesn't like when I text and ride, but it was fun.  I was laughing.  Laughing out loud.  And anytime you actually laugh out loud it adds years to your life.  I just know it.  

After weeding garden and horse riding, I went to meet Somebody.  I figured it was time for him to see me with filthy jeans tucked in cowboy boots with dirt grime on my face and crazy wind blown hair.  It was time for him to see me with a smile of that was a great day with the dirt, in the sun, on a horse.  Because that's a big part of who I am.  He told me my hair smelled good.  Like clothes that had been drying in the sun on the line.  

Good answer.  It was a good answer.  

Weekends.  

Are my favorite.