Yeeeehawwww!

It's Rodeo Week in Tucson! School is closed for 3 days, Western Warehouse is having a huge sale on Wranglers, and I even borrowed a pair of cowboy boots to look like I fit in. :)

After church today a group of us had lunch at Pico de Gallo...I even got pico de gallo (fruit with chili powder, salt, and lemon sprinkled/juiced onto it)...I know some of you may be saying, "That's not what pico de gallo is...it's salsa!, but we asked the woman who owns the place and she said that the salsa like stuff is technically pico, although it's a regional thing and it can vary from place to place what what is called. ...mom you would probably like the type of pico de gallo that I had today! :)

(Eileen, David, Melissa, Chris, Randy, Lanie, Ryan, and me)


Then, we headed down to the rodeo grounds, only to see...


This is how that made us feel...


Even though we were looking like cowboys (Ryan in his Wranglers, I in my boots)...


The most we got to see was...


Next year we'll be buying our tickets in advance! :)

Hike-a-luca!

This past weekend we had gorgeous weather and took advantage of it by going for a hike with Chris and Melissa at Sabino Canyon (the telephone line trail). Part of the trail was closed due to the monsoon damage from last summer, but what we did get to hike was beautiful and gave us a great view of the mountain ranges south of Tucson. And, it was a very special occasion...the very first day of Chris and Melissa's 6th year of marriage! :)


After the hike, we went back to their house and had a great dinner followed by Scrabble! :)

Over the weekend, we also saw the movie, "God Grew Tired of Us", a documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan. It's an incredible movie, that I highly recommend for everyone to go check-out...for those in Tucson, it's playing at the Loft right now!

Our friend Owen is in town, and Ryan, Cameron, and Owen are lounging on the couch right now listening to/playing music...I always love it when they play their guitars together!

Craftastic!

The world-famous Gem and Mineral Show has finally arrived in Tucson! I've been hearing about this big occasion since before I even moved out here, and even though I've had a year to digest it and prepare for it, it has still succeeded in completely overwhelming me! Imagine a LARGE expo event, such as at a marathon, food show, car show, etc...and multiply it by 25! No joke, this thing is spread throughout the entire city of Tucson. It has taken over hotel conference rooms, actual hotel rooms, parking lots, mansions, convention centers, etc...it's out of control...and lasts 2 1/2 weeks! I've gone down there twice so far to get some items for making jewelry with, but both times I've reached a point where I can't buy anything anymore because I'm too overwhelmed. Our friend Liz has told us her survival plan for going ot Ikea, and I think I'm going to have to attack this in the same way when we go back next week, by bringing snacks and a list of exactly what I need to buy and how much I can spend.


Wednesdays I go to a Bible study (BSF) at a church down the road, and afterwards a group of us go to lunch and knit/crochet at Christina's house. They are hardcore knitters...making sweaters, ponchos, bags, socks, etc...I like to stick to the easy stuff like blankets, scarves, and washcloths. :)


This morning I went to tumbling class with Naomi (Ryan's cousin), Elijah, and Isaiah (her two kids). Then afterwards we went to Naomi's sister's house to visit her and the new baby! Baby Naomi was born on Sunday weighing a hefty 9lbs and 12oz!


This weekend we will be honoring Grammie with her very own Grammy Award!! :)

S'mores, Sabino, and Saguaros!

Hello!

We are FINALLY experiencing the Tucson winter weather that I had been hearing about...no more of that snow, freezing nights, and slow starts for the car...(well, that's not true about the car...she'll always need a little extra rev in the morning). Oh, speaking of the car...have I even shared a photo of our new car with you?? Here's a picture I have, it's kind of dark, but her beauty shines through...

It was an amazing deal and a huge answer to prayer! It's a 1987 Nissan Sentra with only 57,000 miles...and only had one previous owner! Her current name is Gray Beauty, but feel free to post any other possibilities, we don't feel like this name is final.

Oh, back to weather...it's currently about 75 degrees. It actually made Ryan and I think of going camping the other night...so we went out and bought fixings for s'mores!




Yesterday our "Boston" (none of which actually live in Boston anymore) friends came to Tucson for a beautiful hike in Sabino/Bear Canyon! We hiked the Seven Falls Trail, which looks quite a bit different after the monsoons we had over the summer, but still beautiful!


(ErinStacy, Natanya, Paul, Abby, Ryan, and Cameron)


This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn, which for us is 6:20am, for a 7.6 mile trail run out at Colossal Caves! It was a gorgeous park with saguaros everywhere. The course was another hilly one...we gained 1300 feet of elevation within the first 4 miles, then turned around and pretty much repeated that same gain again. It was fun to run on the trails, although a little slow because they were very narrow and single file, so you could only run as fast as the person in front of you, and choosing to pass meant that you were committing to passing a whole line of people and staying at a speed ahead of them. The post-race party was at a ranch with a bonfire and a hearty southwest breakfast of eggs, beans and tortillas! :)




(Yes folks, we had pop-warner cheerleaders guiding us through the finish line!)


Well, we're off to a Super Bowl party/card playing party...Go Patriots...j/k. :)