Memorial Day in New Mexico!

Sculptures at the entrance of the Hyatt Tamaya

I took two extra days off over the Memorial Day weekend and headed to New Mexico to meet my mother, my sister (again, technically, "ex-step-sister") and her mother at a resort called the Hyatt Tamaya in Santa Ana Pueblo. It's a gorgeous spot, and Christine (my sister) and I have been there together before.

Having an iced coffee at an outdoor cafe after lunch

The weather was spectacular! Really sunny and gorgeous. I was able to start almost every day with a 75 minute yoga class at the resort's gym, which was a wonderful way to get centered, get some exercise and begin the day in a nice frame of mind. One day, I did that class, played tennis for two hours with Christine, then went to the pool. . . IN MY BIKINI (!). . . then had a 90 minute hot rock massage (phenominal), then a dinner that started with rose champagne and ended with dark chocolate fondue. Not too shabby!! :)

Here is a shot of the pool where I spent most of my pool-time. There is a great slide in this building!

Me, coming out of the slide!

One of the biggest NSVs for me on this trip was that I had bought a bunch of new outfits. Obviously, the bikini was one of them, but I also bought the cute tennis outfit shown below, some new dresses (including the one in the first photo), and a bunch of really cute workout clothing. It felt so great to be able to wear those cute outfits and to just feel good. I was comfortable in the heat, my tennis game and endurance is SO much better after a year of boot camp (!), and I just really enjoyed feeling fantastic and being comfortable in my skin.

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One day, I was sitting next to a very heavy woman at the pool. She was really well dressed, had a nice family and was reading Laura Bush's biography. But she sat out there fully dressed, despite that it was really warm. I really wanted to tell her about the band, but I didn't because I did not want to upset her and/or make her feel bad about her weight. I have the impulse to tell people about the band all the time, when I think it's something that could help them. But I do know that hearing that you're heavy enough to be a candidate for WLS probably is not welcome news to everyone. So, I hold back almost all of the time.

My new tennis outfit!

One night, we went over to the casino and bowled with my nephew and his grandfather (his dad and grandparents live in NM, so they were able to visit with him while we did more grownup stuff during the day).

Bowling togs
Helping my nephew bowl! I was so stressed that he wanted to put his fingers in the ball! I thought he might get hurt, but it was fine!

Me, channeling Mary Catherine Gallagher! Hey. . when you make as many gutterballs as I do, it's wise to do it with flare!

Christine and I had actually planned this trip to celebrate our mutual 40th birthdays. One night, the moms took us to a really nice restaurant (Prairie Star) near the resort for a celebratory dinner. Here we all are, on the restaurant's terrace. My hair looks crazy, but whatever!

Here my mom and I are at the dinner of the champagne and fondue! I wore my cougar dress. . . partially in honor of the very cute 25 year old guy at the spa who we spent a lot of time talking to and who wanted us to meet him for a drink at the casino! I'm pretty sure that was directed right at me, so. . rar! :) LOL