Desert highway.

During my Starbucks days, I was plugged in for the majority of my day- morning till eve, weekdays and often, weekends.  Plugged in to my laptop, to my phone, to my employees- peers- employer ("partners" as Starbucks affectionately calls them), to my job.  And when I say "plugged in" I mean "unable-to-unplug-plugged-in"- otherwise known as "workaholic."  While part of this was the nature of the job- and the new position I was either aspiring to- or adapting to at any given time... a lot of it was simply the nature of me- my nature.

And although I am no longer plugged into any job, that tendency still exists.  

And although I have the best little family any girl could possibly dream of - sometimes it takes something beyond them to detach the chord- wherever it may be- Twitter, exercise, Facebook, shopping, Blog posting/reading. Something like...

...a trip to the desert.

                                                  

My SIL invited us to stay with them at her parent's home in Joshua Tree this past weekend.  Nothing like the desolate roads, the intense sunlight, the laid back cowboy-biker-hippie-desert-vibe to snap you into full-on relaxation mode.  It was a weekend of rock climbing, thrift store shopping, pool playing, star gazing, rib eating, and even napping.

Exactly what I needed... and a 1:00pm post to show that I'm clearly still in the "dessert-frame-of-mind."

a few vacation pics...
 

{date shakes (despite how they sound, they were delicious!) & ostrich (& emu!) eggs}

   

{the beautiful home we stayed in... with a perfect back yard for sunsets, sunrises, and a way to enjoy it inside if it gets a little too hot}

  

{2 places that we could (and will) visit again and again: Pappy & Harriets & The World's Biggest Dinosaurs}

      

Since these types of places always remind me of my grandpa (who definitely had the dessert/country vibe goin' on), I can see why "Take it easy!" was one of his many favorite phrases.
     

Well, here's to a week of 'takin' it easy'...