Hello, Summer!

It's SUMMER!
I have a feeling this one's gonna be a long one, but I'm okay with that. It's been hot outside a few times already this year, so let's see what the year has to offer.

Last year around this time was Paddlefest, the river-based expo for vendors and adventure-lovers alike. We decided to attend again this year, so that meant gearing up for it today!

But FIRST..

Breakfast. Today that meant home made French Toast, because I love these people who live in my home and also because WHY NOT.. It's Saturday! :)

delicious!

Then...
A trip down to the farm, because there are baby goats! They're just a month old right now, but cute as could be. We had to see them.

hi, babies!

syd with the goats

mr. rob helping her ring the farm bell

We made a pitstop to pick up some organic feed, and there were more animals - this time bulls.

sydni the bull-whispering yogi .. ♥

bulls!

It was back to the farm to drop off the feed, and then back on our way to our main destination of the day - Paddlefest!

someone was ready to go!

Sad fact: Paddlefest this year - at least the daytime Saturday version - was a bit of a disappointment. We had hoped the reason was just simply that we came during the day, when the crowd was super light and there wasn't much going on. Most of the vendor stands had limited foot traffic, and the event as a whole seemed a bit sluggish, at least in comparison to what we saw last year.

Fortunately, Becky enlisted her and me with her tree-climbing group, an entity with which I'd apparently climbed before, years back, but not realizing it until the owner of the business mentioned it to me. Small world!

becky & me

Anyway, we hooked in, roped up and climbed our way into a half hour or so of air time in the beautiful Sycamore overlooking the river.

roping up

pardon that weird face.. not really sure about that look?

hello down there!

descent :)

Back on the ground, we ditched the harnesses and headed for the river. Sydni was being so good all afternoon, and for that we'd promised her some play time in the water.

running back and forth in the "boat waves"

And this guy:

look at those snazzy glasses! ;)

We finally decided to load up and head home; there was World Cup action to be had and we didn't want to miss any of it. I found these in Becky's car on our way back:

inspiration!

Starbucks is really stepping up its game with the new Teavana partnership [and apparently one with Oprah, as well...]. Speaking of Starbucks, Becky & I made a quick run to get some iced caffeine in oiur lives, and found a collection of donated Starbucks mugs from around the world.

Right in front? These:

awesome awesome awesome!

^ LOVE that!

Anyway, we're creeping up on the evening hours now and although it's been a great day, we... are.. spent! That's how a good Saturday is supposed to be, so I'm not complaining. Tomorrow it's church and Kara's graduation party. I'm excited :)

Happy weekend, friends!

xo | cmd

*@&!?? - Sunday Snow in Sedona?!

KP was already gone this morning when we rolled out of bed and got ready for church. Sam, Joe and I made our way over to the service at the church Sam & KP attend regularly. It was a unique experience, one that I'm glad we were able to have. As it turned out, the 'regular' senior pastor was out sick with strep, so one of the associate pastors was standing in. Apparently, the senior pastor is someone to marvel; I'll have to remember that and look up his webcast.


rainin dippin' dots in sedona

 Anyway, once church was out, we headed over to Grayhawk for a quick bite and to see Kalyn briefly before we decided collectively to make a run for it and go up to Sedona for a few hours. It was cloudy for the most part in Phoenix today, but we figured it might be a bit more clear up in Sedona. We couldn't have been more wrong.


snow day!



Gone were the brilliant red rock formations that mark then entrance into the heart of Sedona; instead, there was haze everywhere, and by the time we were nearing the central strip, it was flurrying. Yeah. SNOW. You can imagine how frantic the locals were when we pulled into the parking lot and it was coming down in sheets. You really would've thought the second coming of Christ was just around the next cactus judging by the looks of sheer confusion and hints of terror on the faces of these people. Snow in Arizona?!?! EVER?! ABSURD!!! Yeah. Well, it turns out it wasn't just an average blase snowfall; this was a shower of ice pellets, which in non-weather-nerdo terms look and feel just like dippin' dots, sans flavor. We know. We tasted. If you could do a farmer's market version of dippin' dots, this would've been it. The strangest part was, as soon as they'd come, the clouds passed on and they melted, almost instantly. So bizarre....



goofin' off in sedona

sedona olive oils!

We tried to wait out the clouds by busying ourselves with stops to some of the touristy spots; a cozy pub restaurant, and one of the artisan shopping plazas. We stopped in at one particular gallery, where the artist himself greeted us with warm welcomes, proceeding to share with us everything about his work, all the way down to the technique [using technical words, meaning that the whole shpiel escaped us, for the most part]. He was such an endearing spirit, I couldn't help but fork over $5 for a postcard of his work, simply because in the half hour we spent bonding, not one other person so much as passed by his entrance. I'm sure he's not a starving artist, since one of his larger pieces was mounted next to its pricetag of a mere $18,000. Yeaaah.


these two fools.......



The vibe of Sedona is one so eccentric and spiritualistic that it was nice to retreat back into Phoenix after a bit, if nothing else than to clear my head of images of my palms being read by a polar bear wearing a suede vest and an onyx navigation staff..... It was that type of thing. The good news: by the time we started our trek back, the clouds had dissipated and the truest reds of Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and all the other structures that Sedona hold dear, were clear for the viewing. Pretty incredible stuff. God has a flair for bold colors.

Anyway, back in Phoenix, we met back up with Kalyn; Fred joined us a bit later and the lot of us took off into Phoenix, finding our dinner spot at the Yardhouse. Talk about portion control! The plates at this place were enormous! Not a problem though; we went in with appetites, and satisfied them with brews off their in-house taps, oversized dinner portions, and good company. Sam's cousin was in town for a dentist conference; he, his wife, and another couple joined in the festivities. This was a first for Joe and me, to meet another couple named Joey & Corey. We savored that rare moment with a photograph :).



joe. cori. corey. joey.
yes. :)



my. best. friend.
xoxo.

We're back now, and completely spent. Kalyn's off all day tomorrow; about time for us all to relax!

xo | cmd 

THE GRAND CANYON!! [& Sedona, too!]

I officially ♥ Arizona.

Well, at least Sedona & The GC.

bell rock | sedona!

After sleeping in to a whopping 8:30AM [we’re crazy like that, *smirk], the three of us loaded up in the Benz [yeah, I said it] with first destination: Sedona. Kalyn drove us up there, and I had the liberty of riding shotgun in the White Spaceship [aka Mercedes C-Class] through the gorgeous landscapes of Arizona on the way to Sedona.



benz c class



delicious.



We stopped at the Sedona Olive Oil Company for an open tasting; I very well could’ve stayed there all day if it weren’t for the impending appointment with the Grand Canyon. We were educated on the truth behind vinaigrettes, their origins, and how to discern between a real vin and an imposter. Fascinating. I have a form for ordering, because although snagging a bottle of $16 vinaigrette was tempting, I have no desire to check my bag at the airport on Thursday for its sake. We lunched at one of the touristiest [new word, chya….] places around, meaning the food’s well-overpriced and pretty lame at the same time.

After choking down some weak margherita pizza and what I’m convinced was just a melted craft cheese square quesadilla, we set out for the canyon of grandeur, as it should aptly be credited. We rendezvoused with Aly and another park ranger, and tailed her back into the park. [[THANKS!]]

aly | our very own park ranger!

While I was absolutely breathless by the intrinsic beauty of this national park, I was sorely disappointed that Joe couldn’t have been there to share that moment. I made myself a promise that we would take another trip out this way as a family and we would go there together. Of course, throwing in a planned hike and/or a camping trip wouldn’t hurt, either. ;) As I stood marveling at this creation whose scenery reflects the inherent spirit of the one who created it, I was refreshed. I can’t explain it, but I needed this. Thank you, Lord.

the. grand. canyon. || thank you, lord.

Here’s a true story: we’re immersed deep in elk territory, yet are still waiting to set eyes on an actual elk. So we’re driving back from the canyon, conversing about horseback riding when I spot four very large silhouettes perched on a bank right along the roadside. Before I could spit it out, we had zoomed right past the largest bull elk I’ve ever seen. We turned around just to see them again, but, instead of intelligently reacting when we spotted them the second time, we screamed at them through open windows like 12-year-olds a Bieber concert.

Not my proudest moment.

BUT, it doesn’t change the fact that we did see them and they were incredible, from their towering body size to their massive antlers. Good stuff.

Long day. National park #3, in 3 days. Tomorrow I fly back to MO/IL. It’s bittersweet.

Time to dream about the Canyon….   

xo | cmd