stealin' a young girl's heart.

it's not something new, i've experienced vacation withdrawals before, but this one seems different.

it's not just that we have to return to real life--laundry, grocery shopping, etc., it's mostly that while i'm busy folding those freshly washed clothes, there aren't horses grazing out my window, and that there are buildings getting in the way of my clouds. it's that when i want to get somewhere i can't just hop on a four-wheeler and that i'm back to wearing sandals instead of cowboy boots. i miss picking carrots straight out of the ground and being okay with eating just a little bit of dirt. i liked having a house full of family and country music playing in the background.

life was 'simple' and yet there was so much more to do--there were wildflowers to look for, campfire songs to be sung, country dances to attend, fences to mend, gardens to till, open skies to admire, and horses to ride.

 for one of the first times in my life i wished that instead of my dad moving to the city when my parents got married, he would have taken my mom back to the country and continued in his cowboy ways.

i'm not quite sure how long it would have lasted, but this weekend had my convinced...i should have been a cowgirl.

cold, clear, water.

when we pulled up the blue skies were full of fluff of the very best variety.

the horses were grazing and the porch was packed with people we love.

after hugs and hello we mounted pickel-pepper and penny and went for a very unsuccessful ride--apparently i do not have natural equestrian skills (or can we blame it on the fact that i hadn't put my boots on yet?), claire on the other hand is a total natural and thanks to tips from her and a mid-ride horse trade, i made it back to the house...slowly, but surely.

as beautiful as those big creatures are, i must admit, i really do prefer the four-wheelers.

there's just nothing quite like holding tight to your lovers waist as you go flying through those wide-open new mexican spaces. it's no wonder this place is the land of enchantment.

even if in the middle of your ride it starts half raining, half hailing and your face is pelted all the way home--still something magic about this place.