A Home Tour and a Horse Ride

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids out to visit my old college roommate, Jessica. She was visiting her parents, whose house is about an hour away (she's one of the few lucky ones who gets to stay in SLO after graduating). Jessica's parents live way out there, at least relatively speaking. Their custom home is up on a hill with amazing views & landscape, gardens, horses and a pool. It's beautiful to say the least. I thought I'd give you a little tour of the grounds...

the house

This is  the front of the house. They also have a guest house for family, friends, visiting missionaries, etc.

antique dishes in a cool wall-mounted display

Such a sweet collection of antique dishes, displayed in an open window-type wall display.

stove love

I love, love, love this stove. And the girlie in front of it, too.

sola lanterns

I could totally picture one of those BBQs that Martha Stewart always features in her mag here {note the solar lanterns in the trees- genius!}.

the pool and view

On a clear day, they can see all the way to the coast from up here!

garden

I'm dreaming of a garden space like this {complete with a li'l vineyard and orchard}.

Oh, and Jessica also happens to be quite the equine enthusiast. She let my little animal-lover go for a little ride on Shemaiah.

snack time!

First, a little get-to-know-you snack. Here, horsey, horsey...

my little rider

Safety first!

she got up!

Gigi was nervous at first, but after watching Jess do it, she decided to be brave. She loved it! {Note the death grip though.}

what a big girl!

She warmed up after a little walking around. Look how little she looks way up there!

Brody and Jenna

Brody got to have a little fun, too... his first playdate, with cute Jenna.

Here are the rest of the photos.

Right now we live in a basically suburban area, but David and I really think we are suited to a slightly more urban style. I dream of an urban homestead, most realistically, but sometimes I do fantasize about living on a farm or just a bit out in the country.

What's your dream living style? Urban, suburban, country, farm, urban homestead?

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Silver and Gold, Vol. III