Ummm....Wow

              That's right, 117 degrees. Thankfully we were up in Sedona at Slide Rock, where it was only about 110 degrees, and of course the water is about 10 below freezing.  I didn't do any sliding, I basically just watched all of our things and got roasted while everyone else was running around, jumping off too high cliffs and whatnot.  There were 15 in our group, just family, so there was a lot of stuff to watch.  The people watching was unparalleled, and of course the place lived up to its name, with people slipping and falling down all over the place.  It was such a fun day, especially since we had so much family with us. 

New Purchase

Since I was able to pay Andrew back for financing our trip down here, he was able to spend every penny he had on a long board.  He bought one especially made for hills, i.e. at home.  But he has been practicing every day here in flat flat Arizona.  It is very pretty and already kind of banged up, I just don't want Andrew to get banged up.

More boring drive

We usually make the drive in 22 hours (and when I say "we," I mean ME.)  We made it to our usual stop at Harris Ranch, in Coalinga, by 8 pm, which wasnt bad considering the forgotten purse and whatnot.  We passed a horrific accident scene outside of Santa Nella, which made the whole purse thing seem trivial at most.  We got to Phoenix by 1:00 pm the second day.  Whew!  It was odd not having the dogs with us, but I am sure they are keeping Ted company.

Boring Drive

A Bad Start

Before we leave, I always pray for a safe and uneventful trip. I pulled over in Salem for some 5 hour energy and realized I had forgotten my purse. We had no money, no credit cards and most importantly, no license. So, I called Ted at 7:30 in the morning and asked him to drive for three hours to bring me my purse... and I was crying. But then we realized Andrew had his ATM card and also his 239 dollars of "on the road money" with him. But then I was worried that wasn't enough money to pay for the hotel and gas all the way to Phoenix. So we told Ted to get on the road again, as we got ready to take a three hour nap. However, Isaac calculated that we could perhaps make it on the money we had, and so we called Ted and told him to drive home. We got back on the road, and had Ted overnight the wallet to Phoenix for a one-time charge of 90 dollars. We ended up only losing one hour due to the calculating and crying.

On the trip to Phoenix

Mount Shasta

More Graduation

So proud! 

An odd brother 

Family picture,  Ted and I the midgets with our ever growing men.

The grandparents, the grammas are very midgety. 

Jack with his ninos, Uncle Ruben and Aunt Emily. 

 So handsome

Tearful goodbyes. The younger classes will really miss Jack, they would follow him around like he was the pied piper.  When I would be at school around the little kids, I would hear whispers "That's Jack's mom!"

Graduation!!

 Jack was chosen to give a speech, and contrary to what he has always believed, he did not burst into flames while being the center of attention.  He really gave a good speech, did not speak mumble, and even made some eye contact, at least this is what I am told, I was a little busy crying.

Got it!, its official.  Fr. Rowan officiated as our school priest was on retreat, it was a great night.

That Time of Year Again

It is time for Jack to graduate from 8th grade, our last primary schooler.  I made these candy mortar boards for the 8th grade barbeque, what they lacked in looks, they more than made up for in taste. Jack's Godparents are coming from Tucson, grandma from Phoenix, and more grandparents from Bothell.  I can't believe these are our last days at Holy Family, after 10 years.  It will be weird not to drive there 2, 3 and sometimes 4 times a day, EVERY day.

Seattle Bouldering Project

Isaac checked out indoor free climbing, thank goodness the ground was very padded.

Nap Time

Schnitzel likes to gather his toys and pillows around him, in order to take a nap, this time he gathered up one of his boys too.