Montezuma's Revenge - I mean 'Castle'

 You know how you go on a trip, somewhere you've been before a hundred times, and you pass places that you think, "Sometime, I'm gonna stop there and check it out!"?

Well, that's what happened on Easter weekend.

We've been going to southern Arizona for YEARS!

And there's a few places along the way that we've thought it would be fun to stop at.

One of those is Montezuma's Castle.

They're Indian cliff ruins (which I am nearly fanatical about).

They were extremely cool.

 Plus, the area was just beautiful, down in the valley near the Verde river.

 Plus, it was a great photo op - great lighting and cute daughters and hubby.

 Definitely worth stopping for!!

Phoenix was phine!

Daniel in front of his newly purchased home!!

We recently returned from a 5-day trip to Phoenix.  

Dan had some training from work to do down there, so Mary and I tagged along.

It was so nice down there - sunny and warm.

We got to see lots of Daniel III and meet a girlfriend of his.

We also got to eat at several of his favorite restaurants, which is always fun!

And, another bonus, Daniel closed on his house while we were there.

It was really fun to get a good look at his home-to-be and see all the possibilities there.

I only took a picture or two while there (shame on me) but it will have to do.
 

Besides missing Jess and Rachel, it was a great week with lots of R&R, good food, and being with an awesome son!  

Can't wait to do it again!

Sedona - 4 months late

With the cold weather - I like to think back on warmer days...

September 12 (2010) was our 29th anniversary.

(I forgot to blog about it.) 

Let's face it.

We don't have tons of money for fancy trips.

Plus, we live in the southwest - where some of the most beautiful places are!

 So, we decided to go local - somewhat - for our anniversary trip.

Cool shop had lots of crazy stuff hanging around!!

Dan's mom had a timeshare that she let us use.  

Thanks mom!

And we thought Sedona would be nice.  


A little cooler and higher in elevation.

A great place to try out our new camera, and...

Not too long of a drive, but far enough for the kids not to show up!  :)

We took a sunrise hike.

 

Went on a 1/2 day train ride up the Verde River Valley.

Handsome Dan!

Visted Bell Rock - home of a major vortex!?!
(and we climbed it the next day!  - the rock, not the vortex)

 Visited Chapel of the Holy Cross - pretty cool how it's built into the rock.

 Visted the Ghost Town of Jerome.

 I LOVED this town (and the sign)!!

 One evening - right at dusk - we wandered into this sculpture garden.  It was magical!

All in all - a wonderful anniversary - except that we had to end it a few days early.  
Can't wait to go back!!

San Diego T-Day

My next most memorable Thanksgiving was 8 years ago.  

Memorable because it was my first Thanksgiving without my mother - she had passed away that spring.  

And Dan, being sensitive to my missing my mom AND Danny who was on his mission, 

 

thought we should do something out of the ordinary.  Something a little more fun.

So, we went to California for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We loaded up the car with all 7 of us (Danny was in Russia) and made the 7-9 hour (depending on # of potty stops) to Escondido, CA.

 The STAR of this memory is NOT Amelia - but she is one of the STARS.  

(Sorry baby girl!  Gotta share the spotlight once again!)

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Stone.

I even tried to make a low-fat pumpkin pie - but it bombed. 

(Don't try to worry about low-fat on Thanksgiving.  

Just go for the good stuff and repent later.  Or not.)

 
 After stuffing ourselves, we drove down to the ocean for a walk on the beach and the pier.

 

That's part of what made this memorable.  

It was just so much fun to be together and enjoy the beautiful day.  

 (plus, getting away from all of Amelia's boyfriends was nice!)

Even Mary was enjoying the water!

And we got to listen to some "hippies" playing their guitars on the boardwalk.

It was a pretty darn good Thanksgiving!!

(can't figure out why Loren isn't in any of the pictures - unless he stayed behind with his cousins?)

State - Soccer and XC

I have only 2 girls left at home in school.

Yet, somehow, those 2 girls keep me busier than when I had all 6 in school.
Recently,we made 2 trips up north in less than a week for:
State Playoffs in Girls Soccer
and
State Cross Country meet.
Very different outcomes.

Jessica played in the soccer playoffs - 2nd round.
Bonneville vs. Pine View
Warming up...
Although Jess saved countless goals
from being scored on us
they still managed to slip a few in.
We were unable to score on them
It was a rather brutal game as we were defeated 6-0.
Jess did an amazing job as keeper. No one could have done better!

Next, Rachel ran in the State XC meet.
Pre-race jitters
PV Varsity girls - at the start line

Mid -race concentration & determination

Post race happiness!
L to R: Kaylee, Rachel

Kaylee finished 1st and Rachel 2nd for PV. Overall, Rachel took 29th in the race with a time of just over 20 min, and still had plenty of energy left.
PV girls placed 10th!! And PV boys took 1st! An exciting day.

On a philosophical note, you know what I like about team sports?
It's the word TEAM.
It's great to see your kids "get it".
To put the team interests over the interest of the individual is something we try to teach our children from day one - TEAM WORK
But, I also LOVE how the TEAM can develop the character and talents of the individual.
So, as I said before, "very different outcomes", YET, they were very similar outcomes.
My girls are better individuals (and so are their older siblings) from being a TEAM PLAYER on a TEAM and working toward a common goal with that TEAM.

So, while I take a breather, and feel blessed that it's over for a bit and life can slow down, I know it's temporary. There will be TEAM sports in the future - cuz it's a great thing to be a TEAM PLAYER.

Autumn - Oh how I love thee!!!

I count "the ranch" as one of the blessings in my life.

It includes the wonderful cousins that have "adopted" us into their Red Cedar Lodge family.
There to greet us are cabins, wild turkeys, a clear trout-filled reservoir, green grass, tall pines, deer and snakes, and pink cliffs towering above it all.
Fishing with friends
Also included are loved ones, great conversations, and lots of good food.
Oh, how I love this place.
It heals my soul to be up there.
It is even more beautiful and heart-warming in the fall.
The colors this year were amazing and the weather was perfect! All by itself, Autumn is my favorite time of year.
I love the crispness in the air, the whispers of change as evidenced in the bright-colored leaves, the smell of wood stoves burning, and the cooler weather!
Dear cousin Misty invited us up for UEA weekend!!
We packed up the car and our family and our visitors on Friday afternoon and stayed until Saturday night. (We wanted to stay longer....)
We sure appreciate the invite!!
We LOVE you Misty!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
This is the life!!!