"Ditch Day"

Tuesday, I did a very random thing. I decided not to wake the kids up for school, I called in to work to use a discretionary day, and we ditched work and school. It was a totally beautiful day! I had been wanting to do this for several weeks. We went to Rondaleen's over in Sun City and she took us on a miniature golf tour. It was so much fun!

Rondaleen is definitely the expert and beat us all hands down.

We had a great lunch at Furr's Cafeteria (yes, this is an old folk's cafeteria, but the kids loved it). I also got the kids' bathroom painted and the shower curtain up. They can now officially use their bathroom again. Yea! The only down side is that I am so dang sun-sensitive; I absolutely ROASTED my arms. I was in serious pain when I went to bed Tuesday night. I wore long sleeves Wednesday so my sunburn would not show at work. The tops of my feet were also slightly lobsterized. But it was worth it. Rod was too dedicated to take a "Ditch Day" so he went to work. He missed out! I think I will make this an annual tradition. It was really fun!

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

I can't believe my little guy is three years old (4-24-07)!He was born with the most amazing hair - adult hair. I got to give him is first haircut! He loved his 1st birthday cake - an elephant cake that I got to make for him. He loves to dig in the dirt and experience whatever the out of doors has to offer him. I remember when Katie called me to tell me he was eating bugs one day. I was there when he was born, and it was one of the most precious moments of my life! He came out screaming, and kept right on going. At least the crying has subsided now and he is full of fun and life. I have always felt such a special bond with Cooper. He will always be my little "Buzzy Boy!" I love his sweet nature, his extreme intelligence, his desire to be good, his beautiful eyes, his joyful smile, and his endless energy. What a precious gift from God this little boy is to our family!

Shooting

In the past, Rod and his boys have enjoyed shooting. The boys all have their own 22 rifles. We went the shooting range in Layton a few times after we first got married. We have also been to the Ben Avery shooting range, just north of Phoenix. Yesterday, we took Becca and got her a bolt action 22 rifle. She was quite excited. She got one that has a clip that will hold ten bullets, so she doesn't have to stop and reload for every shot. She just has to pull back the bolt and the new bullet will pop up into position. We went out to the hills around Lake Pleasant (yes, that is where we went on the hike from hell) and found a hill for some target practice. Here is Becca taking her first shot. Aim carefully! BANG!!! She did great. Rod said if she had been shooting at a coyote, she would have brought it down with any of the hits on the target. She only missed with one shot. She hit home on all the rest. Good job, Becca!For the past several months, Rod has been saving for a muzzle loader, which is like the muskets used during the civil war. They are also called black powder guns. He finally got his gun, and wanted to shoot it. When we got to the appointed place, he set up the target and got Becca shooting her new rifle. He then loaded up and tried out his new muzzle loader. Click - nothing. He put on a new charge - click - nothing. Very disappointing! He couldn't get the thing to fire. He decided he may have soaked the patches in too much oil, and that the oil soaked into the powder. The ball is stuck in the barrel and he has been working on getting the ball out for HOURS! He is grinding it down with a little fitting on the end of the ram-rod. I hope he can get it out and get the glop of powder out of there. I'm sure that next Saturday afternoon, we will head out to the hills to try out that new gun again. He decided he will just try the dry shots using the bigger ball - no oil soaked wads to screw things up! SIDE NOTE: Becca let me try her gun for a few rounds. I really enjoy some target practice. There were some other folks there that had some metal targets that spin around when you hit the marks. They invited is to use their targets. I couldn't resist. I hit it on the first try. :0) I hit it a few more times. One of the other guys was shooting a repeating rifle. BAM, BAM, BAM, and he just wasn't hitting the target. Dust was flying all around it, but no spinning. I teased him, and said he surely couldn't be out done by a girl. That got them to laugh! Then I said, especially by a 50-YEAR-OLD. Then he got serious. It was kinda funny. I didn't hit it every time, though. I certainly am not a perfect shot, but I do enjoy shooting the guns, and I'm not too bad - for a girl!

New Bathroom!

About a week and a half ago, handyman John was able to put up the new drywall and get the bathroom all patched up and ready for the new fiberglass walls. this is what it looked like: Friday night, John finally came back and finished up for us! He got the tile laid in the front of the tub, and I grouted it up Saturday night. Not bad for an amateur, huh? It is still drying, so the new grout is still just a shade darker, but it will lighten up to match the rest when it is dry. Here is a shot of the whole shower. If you look closely, you can see the reflection of a photographer in yellow (yup, that's me!). The shower looks really great. As you can see, Becca has already put shampoos and her razor on the shelves. All that is left is priming and painting around the new fiberglass. I will get that done Monday night, and the kids will be able to use their new tub/shower on Tuesday morning. They have actually been using the tub from the first night it was installed, yucky walls and all. It will be nice for them to shower in their own bathroom instead of mine and Rod's. It has been quite a project, and I am glad it is almost done. The new tub is fabulous - it is very DEEP and just a little wider than the old one (that is why the tile had to be redone - the footprint of the tub did not match the old one). Once it is complete I fully intend to take a LONG and luxurious bubble bath! I think the tub will be deep enough that I can actually be submerged. That will be nice!

Easter Egg Fun

Becca and Nick still love to color Easter Eggs, and so do I! So even after the Hike from Hell, I boiled the eggs and the kids did the coloring. Just let me tell you, I love these kids. They are awesome and fun!

The Hike from Hell

Early Saturday morning, we decided to go to Lake Pleasant and hike in to some Indian Ruins that Rod had heard about. He tried to find them a couple of weeks ago with Nick and Allen, but did not make it. He downloaded a new map and got some way points on his trusty GPS. I was eager and willing to go on this expedition. We filled our water bottles, got a granola bar and off we went. We parked the car inside the park so we would not have to walk as far. We set off in the direction of the ruins. The terrain was not too bad at first. However, we had to walk through a few campgrounds that were so crowded and noisy I couldn't believe it! We had to dodge ATVs and wild kids driving around like there was no tomorrow! Once we got past that nightmare, the terrain started getting interesting. We walked through trees, with very grassy ground. There were cattle and we just happened to find a dead one. It had been dead for some time - all that was left was "skin and bones". Some of the trees were literally alive with activity. If you stopped to listen you could hear the buzzing of busy bees - and then you could see them hovering over the sweet smelling blossoms. After the dead cow, the terrain got very challenging. We were walking on a very rocky, sandy, and steep hill that went directly into the lake - no shore whatsoever. There was a ridge above us that looked like it was much more hiker friendly. I asked Rod a couple of times if it wouldn't be easier if we hiked on the ridge than on this slope. He thought we would be fine. I slipped and fell right on my butt and almost slid into the water. Needless to say, that was a little scary. Rod slipped on a huge slick area and went down - all the way into the lake. However, he was not alone in the water. There was a huge fish, belly up, waiting for him. I don't think I have ever seen Rod scramble so fast. He had to go back in to get his water bottles that fell out when he landed. After our falls, we decided to climb to the top of the steep slope and hike along the ridge. I fell a couple more times and cut up my hands a little on stickers. We made it to the treacherous top only to find that there was actually a 6 foot cliff we would have to climb to be on the top of the ridge. I was not excited about this. I am afraid of heights and I have short legs. Rod climbed right up and offered to help me. I thought I could find a better spot and started going back and forth along the edge of the cliff, trying not to slip and fall down the slope. (I started a few rock slides.) I finally ended up back at the spot Rod picked. I did not want to let go of my hand holds but finally made the leap of faith and grabbed hold of Rod's trekking pole. He helped pull me up over the edge. "WHEW" I was elated to have made it that far. I mean really, look how steep that is and we had to avoid all the cactus on the edge as we climbed over the top!We took a look around and found that we were in a HUGE field of CACTUS. Several kinds of cactus were growing all around. Oh boy! And lots of rocks and sand and holes to step in. We decided to bag going to the ruins and just try to get back to the car. We had already gone over 2 miles of very rough terrain. We picked our way through the cactus, trying to avoid the inevitable of getting snagged or stuck by the spines. Rod hit one with his knee, and a piece of it broke off and stuck right through his pants into his leg. OUCH! I got snagged a couple of times and had to stop to pick out the spikes. Let me tell, you. That stings like crazy! We to make a long story short, we spotted the fence and followed it back to the road where the campgrounds were situated. We had to weave through the cactus. The prickly pear variety were almost ready to bloom. I'd love to see that whole area when the cactus are blooming. I'll bet it is amazing. Just imagine all those little buds fully in bloom! We had to go down and extremely steep hill right at the end and landed on the road. We made it back to the car and when we got home, I told the kids I was glad to be home, alive, and in one piece. I think I prefer a more traveled trail for my hiking experiences. Especially in the dessert.

BECCA'S BUMP!

Here is a conversation I had with Becca today. She called me at work at about 12:30.

BECCA: Mom, you will never believe what just happened! (kind of a panicky voice)

ME: (thinking to myself – what on earth???) (trying to be calm) Okay, so tell me.

BECCA: I got hit in the head with a rock and now there’s a bump the size of a golf ball.

ME: WHAT?!? How did this happen? Are you okay? Are you bleeding?

BECCA: Megan threw a rock at Justin because she likes him, and he threw a rock back at her and hit me. It doesn’t hurt, honest.

ME: (thinking to myself – stupid Jr. High Kids!) Where are you?

BECCA: In the parking lot at Safeway.

ME: (trying to be a good nurse) I want you to get home as quick as you can and put ice on it. Can you get home okay? I’ll call Trudy to see if she can come over and check it. If she can’t, then I will come. Okay?

BECCA: Okay.

We hung up and I called Trudy. She was traveling home from being gone all week and wasn’t going to be there for a while, so I let my office manager know I had to leave for a while. I hopped in the car and headed for home as fast as was safely and legally possible. I immediately hit some bad traffic. As I was battling this obstacle my phone rang. It was Becca.

BECCA: (crying hysterically) Mom, I’m scared. This bump is REALLY big. (sobbing)

ME: (trying to stay focused on traffic) Becca, did you put on the ice yet?

BECCA: No. I looked in the mirror. This bum is REALLY big and I’m scared. (more sobbing)

ME: (still maneuvering traffic) Okay, Becca. This is what I want you to do. Calm yourself down. You will be fine. Just calm down and get the ice on it. The ice will help the swelling. (she is sobbing) BECCA! If you don’t get ice on it right now, I will have to kick your butt when I get there. Now get the ice and lay down. I’m on my way and will get there as soon as I can. (I am no longer trying to be a good nurse or a nice mom, I just want to get home to my hurt baby.)

BECCA: Okay. (sobbing and hang up)

After about 5 minutes I am finally clear of the heavy traffic and on to some fairly smooth sailing. I try to call Becca to stay on the phone with her until I get home. No answer. (Thinking to myself, okay she is still getting situated with her ice pack) Called a few minutes later, no answer. (thinking to myself: Okay, maybe she is not okay and can’t answer right now.) Called a few minutes later, no answer. (Thinking to myself: I am going to find her in a heap on the floor, unconscious. Should I call 911 now, or wait to get home to see if she is breathing. Will I have to do CPR? I wonder how fast the paramedics can get there. Oh…..I hope she is okay!!!) Step up the acceleration a little, and am now traveling at not so legal a pace. I get home, walk in calling her name…she is laying on the couch talking on her phone, with an ice pack on her head, with very red puffy eyes and sniffling. Immediately she hands me the phone – it is her dad. He wants to know how she is. I haven’t even had a chance to look at her and check her out. I tell him I will call back when I have had a chance to look at her. Hang up. While looking over the bump and checking her overall condition we had the following conversation:

ME: Becca, why didn’t you answer your phone? I’ve been trying to call you!

BECCA: I called dad and was talking to him.

ME: Once the traffic was better, I tried to call you to stay on the phone with you until I got home. Didn’t your phone beep when I called? I wanted to make sure you were okay.

BECCA: Yeah, but I didn’t know that’s what that beeping was. (sheepish laugh)

ME: Okay, now you know. How do you feel now?

Etc., etc. Hugs, kisses, pats, looking at the bump, hearing the whole story again. Of course, it was not quite as life threatening as we thought and she is fine. She started getting a headache, so I gave her Ibuprofin. I did not want her to stay home alone all afternoon, so I asked her if she wanted to come to work with me. She decided she did not want to be home alone all afternoon, so she packed up her guitar and went back with me. It was great to have her there, and she got lots of attention. She has a wonderful bump (almost as good as some of Cooper’s), and I think it will be multi-colored before it is all over. But see? She really is okay. She just has a Beautiful Bump with a little broken skin, and a little bump right on the end of her eyebrow.

Know this – I would truly like to kick Justin’s butt!!

Bathroom Blues

A few weeks ago, I noticed that the kids' bathroom was starting to smell really bad - like musty, moldy, mildew. I scrubbed the tiles around the tub. I bleached. I used tilex. I scrubbed the whole floor and around the toilet. And still the smell prevailed. I started taking a close look at everything around the tub and noticed that some tiles in the corner were loose. I showed Rod and we decided be better take action, lest we be consumed by BLACK MOLD!!! I did some research in the Internet and was not comforted. Black mold is not something to be taken lightly. We decided the kids had to shower in our bathroom until we got the problem fixed. I sprayed the corner with Lysol, and finally found something that would kill the odor. While the girls were here with the grandkids, we had to use that shower and tub, and the Lysol kept the bad smell under control. We have a friend that is a handyman, so we had him come and look right after the kids left. Sure enough, when he pulled off one of the loose tiles, you could see the moisture and the black mold. We pulled off about 3 rows of tile and sprayed the mold like crazy. John said to let it dry out for a few days and he would come and re-tile for us. Well.... we looked for tile to match ours and after looking at about 5 different places found NONE. So we decided to take out all the tile and put up fiberglass walls. This is what we are looking at now: The mold did not damage the wood, so we don't have to replace it. We just treated it and let it dry out. We also had to cut away the green board that was wet. It should all be fine once the green board is replaced and the new fiberglass walls are installed. What a mess!!! But it will be beautiful when it is all finished.

You can ALWAYS find beauty

Last weekend, it was the end of our spring break, and after the grandkids left Thursday, it was a little boring around our house. To pass some time, we went for a couple of hikes. The days actually cooled down and we had some rain. We were lucky to find a break in the precipitation and enjoy some out door time. I couldn't help but think that when we are out in the desert, things are thorny, dry, rocky, stickery, and very dead looking. At the start of the trail, some of the bushes were sporting beautiful orange spring flowers! Then, just as we rounded a bend on the trail I saw a beautiful blaze of color. There, in the middle of all the stickery and dead looking cactus, were these gorgeous magenta flowers. WOW! There is always something beautiful. You just have to be aware of it. There was also another really cool thing - there is a bird that nests in the cholla cactus. They build these really beautiful, woven nests that look like a little hive. I spotted one and got close to take a picture. Just as I was focusing, the little bird exploded out of the nest! It scared the spit out of me and I wish I had clicked the camera, but oh well. At least I did get a photo of the nest. The sky was beautiful and we spotted three different storms around us. We did not get rained on, but had an incredible hike - actually cool weather - and saw the beauty of the desert. The air had been washed clean from the rain, the dust was at a minimum, and the desert plants smelled sooooooo good! There is one cactus that is our favorite. It is a Saguaro, with many arms on it. When I first learned about this kid of cactus, I was told that a Saguaro has to be at least 50 years old before it can sprout an arm at all. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I have really grown to love the desert. There are many things that are different here, but it is amazing!