A Visit From My Parents

For the Fourth of July weekend my parents came to visit. In the three short days they were here we ate some amazing food which included spiced pear pie, mango fajitas, lasagna and juicy steaks. We hiked the lava tubes which are just outside of Flagstaff. The lava tubes are a mile-long lava tube cave was formed roughly 700,000 years ago by molten rock that erupted from a volcanic vent. We also went to Walnut Canyon National Monument - the site of cliff dwellings from the Sinagua people whom lived here over 700 years ago. We also had time to relax and celebrate the 4th of July.

While they were here I had asked my mom to help me sew an apron with some fabric I bought. My mom is a professional seamstress. I have absolutely no paitence for the details that sewing requires. I can bake pies all day long but sewing will make me immediately into a mad woman. She miraculously whipped up three intricate aprons in less than 24 hours. Now every time I bake I think of her amazingness and have a stylish apron.

West Fork Canyon

Spring is slowly fighting off the prolonged winter. This very thought makes my heart sing. Yesterday I didn't have to wear a jacket for most of the day! I just want to be outside but find myself inside inside organizing everything that became unorganized during the semester. This week Jared and I finally escaped and drove the twenty minutes to Sedona. After getting new bladders for our Camelpacks we were ready to hike. Last summer when both our families came to visit we took them to West Fork Canyon in Sedona. We hiked about a mile in and then found the perfect stream-bed to lounge on before turning around. Jared and I always felt an intense drive to finish the hike. This week we satisfied that drive and finished the eight mile hike. It was a gorgeous canyon and we took full advantage of our tripod.

Fields of wildflowers surrounded the trail

Jared and I braved the cold water until our feet when numb

I let Jared take all of the pictures of this trip (minus this one).
I am highly attached to my camera.

Lakes and Legos

Wow. We have been out of school for almost a week! I have been so busy with trying to catch up from the semester that it feels like forever since I was in school. So far this week I have managed to organize our apartment, clean out the cupboards, lounge around on our giant love sac and bake some delicacies. I am happy to note that after organizing the apartment our rouge brownie has not been so treasonist. It must be happy with the acknowledgment from my last blog entry and the extra space I was able to find for it.

Sunday Jared and I actually had time to go on a scenic drive without feeling guilty. We headed out to Lake Mary (which is just outside of town). After sitting along the banks of Lake Mary for a while we starting getting frustrated because there were no rocks to skip. We then decided to head up the road to Marshall Lake The views of the San Fransisco Peaks were heavenly from there.

Marshall Lake & the San Fransisco Peaks

The rest of the week consisted of working random hours, enjoying the beautiful chilly weather and socializing with the outside world. Wednesday night a friend asked us to watch her two year old son. Immediately Jared saw this as a opportunity to dig out his tub of Legos. I think Jared had more fun than the kid we were watching, but that is why I love my husband.

Our next adventure will begin in a few minutes when Jared finally gets off of work. We are heading to the Frisbee golf course to perfect our Frisbee throwing skills. You never know when skills like that might come in handy. Wish me luck.

A quick glimpse of my sexy husband

Chocolate Falls, AZ

Jared and I are on a continual quest for adventure in our lives. With the new addition to our family (the amazing Canon EOS Rebel) we feel that we need to capture the beauty surrounding our lives. Last week Jared had some down time at work and was leafing through some magazines. In a nature magazine he read about Grand Falls which is about 45 minutes east of Flagstaff on the Navajo Reservation. To get to the falls you drive on unmarked, unpaved roads. This sounded like a perfect Saturday afternoon activity and so we convinced some friends to come with us and we went.

Before we left I preformed some scholarly research on the these falls. We discovered that the rock face of these falls is 185 feet. This is higher than Niagara Falls. Grand Falls feeds from the Little Colorado River which is fed from snow melt and rain. This is why the water is so muddy. With all the snow this last winter Grand Falls is flowing quite heavily but during the summer months the falls dry up to solely a trickle. My reliable internet sources tell me that it is also called Chocolate Falls, Mud Fall or the Niagara Falls of Arizona. These falls are absolutely stunning. I tried to capture the magnificence with my camera but that was near impossible.

Easter Part 2: The Rebel

As I mentioned in my previous blog I organized an amazing Easter egg hunt for Jared in celebration of Easter. He had promised to organize one for me but was waiting for "something" to come in the mail. He seemed super excited about the hunt and was finally able to put it together yesterday when I came home from work. As I walked in the front door I saw a beautiful Easter basket with Peeps, Reeces peanut butter bunnies and a plastic egg. Inside of the egg was a clue. These clues then led me all over the house in circles, to our mail box and then finally the trunk of our Honda. The last clue I found was a description of a date we had been on where we went up to the Snow Bowl and ate Burger King cheeseburgers. He then told me to get into the car. Sitting on the front seat was the burgers and some fries. My taste buds immediately started going crazy. As we drove up to the Snow Bowl I had to distract myself from eating all of the food. We got up to our favorite look-out, over looking most of Northern Arizona and devoured our food.

After eating I wanted to play with our Aerobie, the high performance frisbee. Jared then asked me to grab it out of the car. As I went to grab the Aerobie I spotted a professional camera bag sitting right next to it. Feeling weak I looked at Jared with unbelief in my eyes. Sitting in that bag was the EOS Canon Rebel XS that I had been wanting. I just recently registered for a photography class in the fall and really needed a new camera for it. I did not dream that I would really own the camera I wanted. The ironic thing about the location where Jared choose to give me the camera is that this is the exact location where my last camera died. Now I will always remember this place as where my new camera came to life. Tears came to my eyes as I realized what an amazing husband I had. I tell him all the time that I spoil him, but the truth of the matter is that I am beyond spoiled.

On the way home from the mountain, and after taking a plethora of pictures Jared then told me that if I ever wanted, I could surprise him with a Nintendo Wii. Maybe one day I will. Until then, all I know is that I am the luckiest women on the face of the earth.

The view of northern Arizona from the Snow Bowl.

I love this man.

I love my life.

Ducks

Yesterday as I drove my bus I saw the first ducks of the season. They were swimming in a canal. Upon seeing them I almost missed a stop sign because I was so excited. My passengers got a little nervous. If only they understood the significance of the ducks. I wanted to share my excitement but I held off for some unknown reason.

The last ducks that I was privileged to see were sighted last fall. It happened on a crisp beautiful day. As I walked out to my car I heard quacking up above, looked up and saw a flock of ducks flying in the perfect flying V. The "Mighty Ducks" would have been proud. I felt as though they were telling me goodbye. But now they are back, and my heart is once again complete. This is going to be a great spring.

The death of my camera

About 2.8 years ago I bought my first nice semi-cheap digital camera (a Canon Powershot A560). It has gone all over the world and has captured many adventures in my life. This last week Jared and I drove up to the Snowbowl (the local ski resort) which overlooks all of Northern Arizona. We wanted to capture the beauty of the fresh snowfall and the sunset. I took gorgeous pictures of the sunset, Jared and I and the dollar cheeseburgers we picked up for dinner. In the middle of all this picture taking my camera started flashing MEMORY CARD ERROR and beeping a pitiful little beep. It took a moment to realize that my camera was slowly dying. The next day I went back to upload all of my pictures from our latest adventures and there was nothing there. It was like I had never taken the pictures. My heart was crushed. It actually still is. I am now in the market for a new camera. If any of you photographers out there have any suggestions on which camera to buy I would love to have them. I dedicate the rest of this blog entry to some of my favorite memories that I have been able to capture with my camera. Enjoy.