Hillbilly livin'

First and last swimsuit photo of
me anyone will ever see.
It's important to hot-plate your hair,
paint your nails, and have your
eyelash  extensions retouched before
 paddle boarding on the lake. 

Six months ago I lived in a lovely Tuscan home in a prestigious gated community in the foothills of Mesa, Arizona. In the afternoons, I would pull my hair up into a French twist, smooth extra emollient creme over my legs followed by a sprinkling of bronzer with a hint of summer shimmer, push square cut diamond earrings into my lobes, pull a tangle of metal bangles over my wrist, paint my face for 20 minutes to look like I hadn't painted my face, and step into my swimsuit followed by a designer cover-up followed by strappy sandals and heavy sunglasses bumping against my eyelash extensions so I could prance over to the country club pool with the kids. I don't really like to swim. Mostly I would just sit and read magazines or text friends while the kids played with neighborhood friends. I swear, most of the hours I spent jogging in the heat or pounding the treadmill at the gym were just aimed at the hour a day that I had to walk the catwalk at that pool! Now my pool is a pond and I've exchanged my chaise lounge for handmade folding chairs and my Anne Cole maillot for cutoff sweats from college and a Wal-Mart T-shirt. It's like the Beverly Hillbillies in reverse, and it's pretty fun. Hillbilly livin' Arkansas style.

The beautiful Las Sendas Trailhead Members Club behind our home in Arizona