Riding Lessons, Watermelon & a Candlelight Concert

I heard Aislyn awake just after 6, though she quietly stayed in her room while I lay there mentally running through every random thought imaginable. My brain decided it was the perfect time to remember I had forgotten the “greenhouse effect” step for my rubber tree propagation project, brainstorm savings ideas for Renn, and reorganize half my mental to-do list before the day had even started.

By the time I was cleaning up my contact list on my phone, Ais wandered in after 7 to quietly pet the dogs and chat for awhile before we officially started the day.

The two of us headed to the kitchen after 8 to make breakfast and coffee. Eventually S joined us, followed by Ada, while the hot tub drained outside and S settled into his usual “internet browsing in the big brown chair” routine. Meanwhile, the girls took over hair styling duties while I tackled a few computer tasks, including posting a few more items to purge.

Eventually the sunshine became impossible to ignore.

And what a day it was — warm, sunny, and finally no wind.

Outside, S worked on rinsing and wiping down the hot tub while I dove into gardening projects. Aislyn happily floated between helping with plants, cleanup, and basically every job happening outside. My new pruners officially got their first real workout and worked beautifully.

Ada, meanwhile, opted for a slower, more relaxed start to the day.

Before lunch, S and I dumped the first tote of water into the freshly cleaned hot tub while the girls nearly demolished the second half of the watermelon. By the time we stopped them for lunch, only six pieces remained.

Honestly impressive.

Lunch was grilled cheese sandwiches, which everyone approved of, and then it was right back outside because the weather was simply too good to waste.

Soon B and Cooper arrived, which meant it was officially riding lesson time.

The girls started with grooming, tacking up, and helmet fitting before we all mounted up. It turns out Twinnie is very much like Safety B — Aislyn was incredibly nervous beforehand thinking she would be riding alone. But the second we got moving, the nerves disappeared and her nonstop excited chatter returned immediately.

Ada wore Grandy's boots and Aislyn wore Shaina's, a bit big but better than crocs :)

By the end of the ride, everyone was confident enough that we even headed down the road to the gate and back.

S pulled in just as we were coming home after partially filling the water tote at B’s place — apparently completely unaware they were under Stage 3 water restrictions. He snapped a few photos before we untacked, and both girls were already talking excitedly about riding again.

B hosed off Jimmy before feeding everyone and then joined us on the deck with a cold drink. S and I hauled four chairs down from the mezzanine so we could actually sit comfortably while the girls built a fort for themselves and Jenkins.

Eventually B and Cooper headed home to get ready for her birthday outing — the Best of Bridgerton Candlelight concert.

Later, the girls settled in with chips and art supplies while S and I made burgers for supper. Before long, B and Cooper returned to join us, and then the three of us headed into the city around 7:30 while the girls stayed behind as very proud “dog sitters.” watching some movies.

The concert itself was absolutely beautiful.

The string quartet performed inside a church with our seats centered up in the balcony. It was definitely warm in there after a mid-20s day outside, but an hour of gorgeous music by candlelight was worth every second.

Afterward we headed home to find both girls completely sound asleep. S dumped the Spa Marvel in the hot tub now that it was warm then settled in for the night, and after a little social media scrolling together, we called it a day.