This has been another pretty great week! To me things feel so normal, unexciting and ho-hum, but I'm living in another country, working a dream job and surrounded by tropical waters and palm trees ... so strange how the abnormal becomes normal!

I got some really, really nice rides on Makoto this week. Our dressage is getting so fancy-schmancy! Love him to absolute pieces. Really need to get some shots of him in action sometime soon.

I had great lessons this week and my students are just blowing me away lately. They have all come such along way. It will be very hard to part with some of them once PCS season starts this summer. This is my student Haley jumping Rocky:

I love my work friends so much. We all met at my favorite bagel place to talk and take care of some business. Probably the most fun work meeting ever. And of course Madie brought little Addison and her adorable, ruffly, pink bottom. She also had this hot pink flower headband and was too cute for words as usual. Baby fever alert!

Two of my co-workers and I are really excited about this weekend! We are having a photographer do a shoot for us with the horses at the beach!! I have never had professional photos done except at my wedding. Thrilled!

So of course I have nothing to wear to this photo shoot. Alexis happens to have her wedding dress here and is going to trash it, in fact it is this reason the whole thing got put into motion. Madie and I don't, so we went out shopping around the meager options on this island. I didn't have high hopes, but I decided to try some new stores. I went to Demure Ladies Boutique and went straight for the dresses, but didn't have any luck finding one full enough that would allow me to sit on the horse. But, the sales lady was oh-so-wonderful and helped me pick out a very beachy, flowy outfit. Here's a sneak peak.

Next I went to American Wave vintage shop and even though the store was pretty tiny it was packed full and constantly reminded me of a grandma's attic. Madie and I took turns in the dressing room putting on classic after classic. Unfortunately, most of our initial favorites were itty-bitty and it's true that people were just smaller way back when. Both of us however came away with vintage dresses to ride our horses in. My dress is far from my original vision, but given the options on this island beggars can't be choosers and Brad even said he liked it, and I know he'll tell me the truth. I tried on ALL my dresses for him and at the end he said "ehhh, no. Go buy something." And buy I did!

And here is Jade, stuffed into her dress that is now too small for her. It feels like just yesterday that it fit her. Getting big too fast! Looks like I need to do some shopping for her too. ;)
And we made some exciting plans for the end of the month! Here's a clue... we are going to the country where pho is from!