Hiking in the Desert

When hiking in the desert there are some things that we are quickly learning.

1. Drink, drink, drink...water that is. Even when it isn't hot it's so dry that dehydration comes on fast. Which means you drink on the way to the hike, while you hike, when you rest, while your hiking more, on the way home and when you get home. Even then you sometimes don't pee for a while, it's totally crazy. But worth it.

2. Always carry pliers just incase someone miss steps and gets a visit from some cactus thorns. Usually this is Olive but occasionally David or I get attacked by the lovely "Teddy Bear Cholla" a cactus that's name would make you think "how soft and cuddly" but be forewarned.

3. Sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses are a necessity even in February!

4. Watch out for the many poisonous creatures that blend into the background - scorpions, rattlesnakes, tarantulas

5. Keep your eyes peels for the fuzzier but just as dangerous animals - bobcats, mountain lions, mule deer and the list goes on

6. Different from New England, almost everyone here will strike up a conversation with you so plan extra time for your hike

7. Check the weather even though 99% of the time it say it's going to be sunny, dust storms blow in quicker than we ever thought.

8. Bring a map, even though 99% of the time you can see your car the whole hike and see the trail in the distance all the way to your destination because the vegetation is so low to the ground. But a map is necessary because there are so many random trails that pop up it can be hard to stay on the one you planned to.

9. Hike in the early early morning in the summer (get off the mountain by 8am or you will burn to a crisp), and in the late morning/afternoon in the winter

10. Names to all different types of desert vegetation - teddy bear cholla, joshua trees, saguaro, organ pipe cactus, barrel cactus, prickly pear, ocotillo, yucca, rainbow cactus, hedge hog cactus, pin cushion cactus and so many more.

Come visit and we'll take you on some pretty mind blowing hikes!!!

Spring Is Here

So it has been cool here the last 6wks, meaning high 30's or low 40's at night, 40's to 50's during the day, not that cold compares to home but cooler than usual. At this time of year there are specials are car dealerships usually if the temperature goes above 90, not even close this year. But today...today it has been beautiful!

I started my day with 'truck pull,' which today was a car push because we had no truck available but the weather was perfect. 510 yards each, we pushed this car through four different suicides and it was 55 degrees out!


I then enjoyed a couple hours outside with Emmett, running to the library and hardware store, eating a mid morning snack at Mesa Arts Center and curling our toes in the grass at the MAC gardens.

Emmett is now sleeping while I clean the house, airing it out before my in-laws arrive tomorrow for the week.

The zoo!

We are so excited about receiving a year pass to the zoo from my parents as a Christmas present. The zoo here is a lot of fun and Emmett just thinks it's grand to see all the different animals!

Pumpkin Spice Walnut Pancakes Anyone?

Emmett helping mom flip the pancakes

Saturday mornings are always a big deal for us, we are all home, we get to spend breakfast together and  enjoy each others company, which means we usually take a bit of time for making our meal. Today I made an extra special meal, pumpkin spiced pancakes with eggnog lattes. David had is midpoint review yesterday and after the review they announced that he has progressed to candidacy for his masters degrees!!! Congratulations David, we love you!

Dad and Emmett staring each other down on who likes the pancakes better!!

Sick Day

Emmett was sick yesterday and it always breaks David and my hearts when he's sick. I really do believe the Lord should prevent babies from getting sick until they are able to understand why it is happening. Yesterday I was trying to explain to Emmett, 19months old, why he was throwing up. His look on his face was so sad, how could this be happening to me?, why is this happening to me?, how long will this happen to me?

Thankfully the vomiting part of the sickness ended mid morning so we relaxed the rest of the day and enjoyed each others company in quiet activities: reading on the hammock, reading while swinging in his swing, watching movies, cuddling, going on walks, and napping. It turned out to be a lovely day. And this morning Emmett is back to his fun-loving, energy filled self, singing and playing drums with a spoon while eating his toast.

Funny little tid bit of what Emmett just did. He is playing with one of my hair clips and opened it up just enough to get his finger stuck in it which of course scared him a bit and Dad came to the rescue. I then took my clip and opened it up, Emmett pulled his hands to his chest and growled at it :-) What a great kid!!

A typical Saturday turned atypical

Emmett and I had such a wonderful Saturday filled with friends and exciting adventures.

In the morning we enjoyed a walk with our friends Charlene and Rainea, the statue walk as we call it. In old downtown Mesa there are about 20 statues and we walk from one to the next reading the historical plates while Emmett climbs on them and chats in his own wonderful creative language.

We also discovered the Asian Culture Festival where there were amazing traditional Japanese style drummers performing. Emmett was mesmerized.

After a couple hours of napping for Emmett and chores for myself we got to enjoy our friend Ashley's company who joined us for an afternoon of baking. We decided to take on the challenge of Lemon Meringue Pie and it was amazing! The recipe is from Flour, a wonderful bakery in Boston.

Emmett and his back-up dancers

Us in the attic of the fire truck

Floating lanterns, about 40 from the north

At the end of the evening we had a wonderful surprise, a block party!!! that included lots of dancing and a visit from the fire department with a fire truck as well as the police department with a police car and motorcycle. Emmett was so funny studying all of the different buttons in the vehicles and asking the guys questions in his own language. The men were great with him, they even took him up on top of the fire trunk into the attic of the ladder which he thought was the greatest.

What a delight

Ok so I know I have been very bad about posting blogs but today I realized I was going about it the wrong way, I don't need to update it and write everything down and make a big deal. I am going to treat it more like a daily journal to my friends and family. And this starts today.

I just want to say tonight was such a delightful surprise, David and I were sitting around thinking about what we were going to do and decided to call our friend Jane who is facing some challenges right now and invite her over for dinner. It was wonderful, uplifting and a pure delight. An evening filled with good food, drink and stories always puts a smile on my face and my heart.