Palm Springs with the Richmans

Last week we joined Brian's family in Palm Springs, California. It was a much needed vacation! Even though I love my life in Virginia, I always feel like I need a vacation every couple of months to break up the monotony (does anyone else ever get that way or do I have major ADD?). When I found out Palm Springs didn't have a beach, I was somewhat skeptical. What's California without the beach? In fact, as we flew into the Palm Springs area, located in the middle of a vast desert, and stepped off the plane into 100-degree heat, I was still skeptical. But by our last day there I didn't want to leave. Our condo was set on the edge of a golf course and had a beautiful view. I loved going out on the porch every morning to eat breakfast, watch golfers, and read.

Even though vacationing with Brian's family is a different experience from my own family, I still love spending time with them. I think I got lucky in the in-law department. I can't imagine having better in-laws! Going to Palm Springs without golfing at least once was not an option for Brian. So while the guys went golfing, the girls went shopping. That's what I call a vacation! The guys had a great time sweating it out in the heat. Brian says he did pretty well, but by the looks of these pictures it looks like he spent some time in the sand!

My favorite part of the trip was taking an aerial tram 2 1/2 miles up the side of a mountain. The atmosphere on the top was completely different than what we left on the bottom. It was about 30-degrees cooler at the top so we spent a few hours hiking around and enjoying the "cooler" (75-degrees) climate.

I don't know that I'll ever go back to Palm Springs -- I like the beach way too much -- but it was great while it lasted!