TEPOZTLÁN.

"Can you talk right now?". Nicole's message popped up on my phone and a couple minutes later, she was calling me on Facetime from her car during the last bit of her lunch break. No, she wasn't calling to tell me she was pregnant, but she was calling to see about the possibility of planning a last minute visit to Mexico City. 

Also really great news. 

And that's when the idea started forming. 

What if we took a break for a couple days, rounded up some friends, and left the city to catch our breath for a bit? 

So that's what we did. 

We left behind our back-to-back-to-back marathon weeks and loaded our weary souls onto a little bus for a short ride to the pueblo of Tepoztlán, set in the mountains. 

We rented a house just outside of the town center where it was silent at night - and we slept like babies. 

We jumped in the pool even though the water was freezing and stayed there even when it started raining. 

We prepared big meals together and spent endless hours sitting around the big table eating or playing games as the fire danced in the background late into the night. 

We hiked up El Tepozteco, gulped the crisp humid air and marveled at the view in front of us as we sat with our legs hanging out over the edge of the pyramid. 

We explored the markets in town and ate itacates and nieves. 

We laughed a lot. 

Right now, Nicole is on her plane back to Chicago. It was a short trip, but filled to overflowing with joy. 

I'm thankful for friends who fly standby and travel crazy hours to come see me - to just make sure I'm doing okay and to love me. 

You're a gem, sweet sister. Thanks for the adventures. 

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