Average Jane's Weekend Looks Up

If I may quote the immortal words of George Peppard, "I love it when a plan comes together."

After I thoroughly screwed up and double-booked this Saturday evening while underbooking the afternoon, yesterday everything magically worked itself out. My sister e-mailed to invite me to go horseback riding right after I'm finished gardening. Then, the evening birthday party had to be rescheduled, so I no longer look like the mean, selfish wife who can't help her own husband celebrate his birthday. Life is good!

I'm very much looking forward to the horseback riding, even though I'm told it'll be a short excursion. My sister and I grew up riding ponies and then horses, so we're both very comfortable in the saddle. We make a point of seeking out riding opportunities as often as we can.

The last time we went riding together was on a trip to Mexico about five or six years ago. We stayed at the Rio Caliente spa. The spa offered quite a variety of activities, so we managed to schedule in some horseback riding around our massages, yoga classes, pedicures, hikes, etc.

Wow, was it fun! Clearly the concept of "liability" did not have the same resonance for our innkeepers as it so often does for their litigation-shy neighbors to the north. The horses were relatively young and frisky - definitely not the shambling plodders you so often find on trail rides in the U.S. Toward the end of the ride, my horse decided that a little cantering was in order, which quickly developed into a gallop. My sister's horse followed suit, and we were having a lovely time until we realized that the less comfortable riders in our group were right behind us, clinging to their saddle-horns in white-knuckled terror. We reined our horses in and resumed a more gentle pace.

That was a great vacation in general, except for one thing: the spa serves only vegetarian food. When we booked the trip, it sounded like a fantastic way to get rested and healthy, blah, blah, blah. Maybe it was just their chef, but the sameness of the meals became apparent after two days, and we quickly got to the point where we were skipping some of them rather than face yet another salad with fresh sage leaves lurking amongst the lettuce. Breakfast was the high point, mainly because they had good granola and fresh fruit, but after nearly a week of no caffeine, sugar or meat, we both started craving all that is evil about American cuisine.

The instant we made it through customs in Houston on our way home, we made a beeline for the Wendy's at the airport and stuffed ourselves with hamburgers, fries and Diet Cokes. I'm pretty sure we followed it up with something containing alcohol once we'd caught our connecting flight home. The spa is very close to the town of Tequila, but we had made the unwise decision to forego outside trips and remain at the resort throughout our stay. Sigh.

So with that tangent fully explored, and my weekend plans secured, I'll move on and start getting ready for work. (And yes, I believe I have seen every episode of the A-Team. But then again, if you've seen one...)

Comments

[Pharmgirl]

Don't forget to mention the immense intestinal distress that quickly follows "clean" eating for a couple days. Even the lithium-infused spring water doesn't ease your embarrasment when your roomate sits on the other side of a thin bathroom door! There are only so many "Uh, sorry"s you can utter before you just give up & deal.

[Rita Arens]

Nice blog - have finally begun to re-emerge from the fuzzy haze that is new motherhood. Book club was fun yesterday. Even though I love our "evil whores of literature" theme, I'm looking foward to a little walk on the Orwellian side, too. Talk to you soon.