andie-stew.

there is nothing like one hundred and ten degree water to test your endurance. when i think about water that hot, i usually picture it in my cute little kettle, rapidly approaching boiling, in its oh-so-urgent-squealy-voice. sidenote: it appears there is nothing more insistent than my kettle when it boils. as it squeals though my apartment, it indignantly commands that you come pour it. right now. in its urgent quest to reach my waiting packet of tea, it somehow has the ability to take what should be a very relaxing experience (drinking chamomile tea) and sprinkle just a bit of annoyance into it. i'll have to work on that... 

seeing as how i did not intend to write a full blog post on tea tonight (most of you are probably sighing with relief, as your mouse clicky hand hovers dangerously above the little red x in the corner), i should probably cease and desist my grievances against my kettle. 

i had the opportunity to spend approximately twenty four glorious hours in a lovely little hot springs resort in truth or consequences, new mexico. lets take a minute, and recognize that there is a place in the universe actually named "truth or consequences." i still can't get over it. i had a great time in "t or c". what a quaint little western town it is! full of history and interesting things to look at. it felt like such a reminder of the wild wild west that i half expected the sheriff to swing down main street with his giant horse and his six shooter. "listen, yew new yorkers. there ain't enough room here in t or c for both of us. so i reckon ya'll are gonna hafta to git up on outta here. y'hear?" ah! that interaction would have been the only thing that would have made this trip better. 

desert beauty. pretty, but dangerous.

even with the absence of the proverbial lawman, it was an amazing trip. only about two hours away from our little zozo, t or c is equipped with one of the most beautiful displays of natural hot springs i have ever seen. obviously, the resort business has capitalized on this, and dozens of places to soak have popped up all over this beautiful town. m and i arrived at t or c with four friends of ours. we drove up with the happiest married couple i have ever met. they seem to have so much love and fun in their relationship. his dreadlocks perfectly compliment her passion about recycling (she was working on crocheting a bag made from old plastic walmart bags! awesome!). and the best part is that they get to spread their loving and generous energy to the their two children. it's always a beautiful thing to recognize that two amazing humans are parents. rock on, friends. at the springs, we met another friend of ours and her mother at the resort. and what lovely ladies they are. i am indeed learning alot from all of my interactions with these people. 

our relaxation location was riverbend hot springs (check it out if you have a chance), which is a mostly outdoor facility, all snuggled up on the banks of the rio grande. it features five public pools, which range from 100-110 degrees. the water is piped in to the first pool and then gradually flows through the other pools, slowly descending in temperature, before it completes its journey into the rio grande. it also contains three private pools that you can rent for an hour at a time for an extra fee. there are tons of places to lounge about on the grounds, all different types of chairs, tables, and one of those circle chairs that i very ungracefully launched myself into, spilling my coffee and giving the ladies who were watching behind me a very good laugh. the six of us piled into a three bedroom apartment, equipped with living room and kitchen. for the rest of the day, and into the evening, our lives consisted of soaking in the pools, getting out to drink wine, soaking again, playing a game of scrabble, soaking some more, you get the idea... 

after eating my first completely vegan meal (delicious, by the way), we enjoyed some more wine and hopped in for our last soak of the night. the next morning, the universe smiled down at us in a big way. apparently, a careless employee had left one of the plugs open and alas, the water decided it wanted to rejoin its friends in the rio grande and we awoke  to empty pools. as andiepants sleepily strolled around the grounds this morning at about 7:30am, armed with my caffeinated best friend, the owner sheepishly admitted his predicament. he then stated that since we were not able to use the public pools, he would open the private pools for the guests. score! i quickly realized that i was one of the first guests out and about, and quite possibly the only person that knew about this opportunity. andiepants quickly scurried back to the room to inform the troops, and within fifteen minutes, we were awake, dressed for the springs, coffee in hand and kerplunked into one of the most beautiful hot springs i have ever seen. woo hoo! i'd like to offer a big thank you to the hurried employee who mistakenly left the plug open. you made my morning. for the next hour or so, we soaked in a private pool, aptly named "rio" overlooking it's namesake, the rio grande and the beautiful mountains of new mexico. bliss!! 

a view of the rio pool, its namesake, and the beautiful mountains

a close up of the beautiful construction of the rio pool

so i repeat, there is nothing like one hundred ten degree water to test your endurance. yes, it was relaxing. my bones and muscles signed with relief as my tired stressed out body sunk into the mineral-rich water. but damn! it was hot! at certain points, i began to feel like andie-stew, slowly simmering while some evil being prepared the pesto sauce that would accompany me. if someone would have walked out with some sliced carrots and paprika, i would have been very alarmed. i had to make sure that i did not push my body, as i am a new hot spring-er. so i made sure to stay hydrated, and give myself plenty of breaks from the steaming water. as i became more and more relaxed, my mind was free to let go of its obtrusive tensions and anxieties and to just ramble around in my head, exploring. ideas about the wedding just came pouring out of me. and let me tell you, columbus-day readers, how exquisitely excited i am about our wedding. colors for the ladies dresses, types of foods, pictures we'd like, my dress, so many exciting ideas swirled around my sedated brain in a flurry of anticipation.

unfortunately, they made us leave this afternoon, because we have to get back to pesky work. i'd like to explore the possibility of doing counseling sessions from the hot springs, connected to my little dudes via satelite or internet. "ms. wright, i know we're talking about bullying, but why is there steam rising off of you?" i'm not sure the school would go for it. 

so in closing, thank you for this beautiful and relaxing weekend. it does wonders for my mind and soul to be rejuvenated in this way. i'd also like to extend the warmest congrats to cousin val and her new fiance, rob. and a very happy birthday to two of my "brothers", rob and dave. and though i am not particularly thankful for columbus, he who rampaged through an entire continent, spreading disease and misery, and disrupting the lives of millions, i do have to begrudgingly give just a bit of thanks for the day off of work.

be thankful, 

andie.