Finally Made It!

Have you ever had that one place you've always wanted to visit?  To see some sight or do a certain activity.  Well....I have.  One of my dreams (haha big word for such a small place) was to visit the 4 corners and say that I stood in 4 states at once!

For whatever reason my Dad refused to take me as a child on vacation to the 4 corners.  I have no idea why?!  It's obviously a destination and a unique one at that.  Where else in the US can you stand in 4 states, that's right I said 4 STATES - at one time!!!  No where - that's where.

I had the opportunity one other time in my life to visit 4 corners, but instead chose the Grand Canyon instead.  Now 4 corners is less than 30 minutes from my current post in Shiprock NM.
So I finally went.

I phone - pic!

Finally there - 4 states at once!

   

I obviously have more pictures, but no internet where I am currently staying.  I'm at McDonalds using their free wii-fi and it's really really really slow at loading so these are the only pics you get for now!

More to come.

And I Thought Willows was Rural...

Disclaimer: I'm writing this post from my phone which means increased number o typos, I don't know what the formatting will look like on the page, & no pics until I buy the fancier version of the app.

Ok back to: And I Thought Willows was Rural...
At least until I went to Tuba City, which where i am now (Shiprock NM) makes where TC appear to be a thriving metropolis.
I drove 8hrs over the last 2 days through northern Az and NM only to realize there really isn't much out here.
Apparently Shiprock is so named for a nearby rock formation that looks like a ship. I saw said rock today and did not realize it was the namesake of these village (is there something smaller than a village). I googled shiprock so I could tell you the population and that's how I learned about the rock. So if you want to see the rock just google shiprock. Let me know if youre impressed.
Anyhoo - so the population is 8,000 - wait so what am I talking about being so rural?! Willows has fewer ppl than that. Well those 8,000 ppl are spread over 5,000+ square miles! Not a very dense population.
I have yet to find actual town! I've found the medical center but no town and I have yet to find this elusive McDonalds with free wifi.

So my first honest impression -not great. The scenery isn't even nice to make up for it. It's just flat open desert.
I hope the job part is good.

The redeeming qualities (or glass half full) side of SP:

1: it's only 30 mins from farmington which is 40,000 people big, has a mall, movie theater, wal mart, target, etc

2: the hospital is a very nice facility.

3: I can't remember the 3rd thing, maybe it's the McDonalds I have yet to find? I'll let you know if I Rene Ed or discover more treasures here.

Hello- culture shock!

Friday Night Lights

Based off of the pictures below - where do you guess I was last Friday night?

Is that purple you see?  

Versus Blue and White?  Honkers? Trojans?  The axe, the axe???

No your eyes are not deceiving you.  That is purple and white and the sideline of a football field, but...I was not in Willows.  Even though a bunch of high school memories flooded back into my consciousness.

I was at a local Tucson high school on the sidelines, acting as a physician with the athletic trainer.

Sarah and I are sharing a team for the season, since we'll both be gone on away rotations for part of the season.

So we spend the game on the sideline, thinking... please don't get hurt, please don't get hurt, please don't get hurt.

haha - sad, but true :)

Thankfully, no one was hurt.  Just a few cramps and a bump or two that needed some ice.

It'll be interesting how the rest of the season plays out.  

Hot Hot Hot!

So what do you do when it's summer and you live in a desert and it's Hot, Hot, Hot?!

You go to the mall of course!  Or the movies.  That's where free A/C reigns.
Which literally is what we did the other day.  We hung out at REI for a while.  Tried on some clothes, walked around, decided that....trying on toe shoes was a good idea. Climbed the fake rock they have in REI to make sure your hiking toe shoes are a good fit.  haha

Yup - it was awesome.  Ended up spending money that we really didn't need to, but spending money at REI is like saving money, because I am a member and get 10% back on all purchases at the end of the year in the form of a dividend.  So you see in buying these awesome shoes below (which are very very comfortable) I really made money.  ;)

What do you do when it's Hot, Hot, Hot out?

A Camping Adventure

I am 1/2 way through my 13 day stretch of straight work.  Today worked 7am-7:30pm, will repeat tomorrow.
Due to such hours and my level of tiredness, "A Camping Adventure" shall be mainly a picture blog.  I have added a few minor comments, but for a better story make up your own commentary :)

Last weekend, Sarah, Penny, Buster, Bart, and I all went camping at Mount Lemmon...

First night camping - Sarah's apartment.  Rain on Mount Lemmon

Guarding the ice chest.  

1/2 of my car full for one night :)

hiking

Buster

Penny

Bart (short for Bartholomew) or Bart Bart, or Bart-mew for short.

Bestest buds

Yup....that's right, boxed wine.  Oh and a bucket hat :)

Bart is a camping dog - LOVES the dirt

My dogs - they like camping too :)

family photo

Penny hiding from the rain (and by rain, I mean sprinkling - the kind where you're like, "I think I might have felt a drop")

"GOOD MORNING" wake up call - Buster style

Pretty Posing Princess Penny

Again perfect example of what a good camping dog Penny is 

pooped out on the way home

Dog Park Adventures

There are always adventures in the dog park, especially with 2 wieners, but with 3 it is guaranteed!  What's this talk about 3 dachshunds you ask?  Well...you see my friend Sarah just couldn't resist getting one after spending the past year with Penny.
He is a long-haired dachshund and his name is Bart, which is short for Bartholomew.

Anyway back to the dog park.

First you have to say hello...butt sniff.  (eww...)

Just hangin' out!

So Penny was making friends with a furry little white dog, who thought she was a bit aggressive.  Penny is smelling Jack (white fluffy dog's name) and he kept backing up and backing up until...he dropped his little bottom into the water bowl I brought for my dogs.  

Then Jack proceeded to sit in the dirt.

White dog, with a wet bottom, and dirt = not a good combination.

A little white later, Jack's mom comes over to ask if he is bothering us.  Nope.  This is after he jumped up on the bench next to me.  As Jack runs up to his mom, she notices his brown bottom.

"Oh no, you got into poop."   hahahahahaha

He didn't get into poop - he just sat in our water.  Sarah and I didn't tell her, shh...it's ok she washed his bottom off with some water.  And later I watched him roll his entire body in the dirt.

The spotted dog above was not as fun as Jack.  He liked to sniff butt A LOT and then he liked to try and hump!

tsk...tsk

Penny wouldn't have any of this and kept snapping at him.  Above is Sarah trying to save Bart.

We were trying to keep spotted dog off our dogs when spotted dog's dad asked if he was bothering us.

Nope...except for the humping.  As spotted dog proceeds to try to mount one of the wieners...

Spotted dog's Dad "BABY - NO!"  and grabs dog.

Yup the humping male spotted dog's name was Baby.  Baby?!  seriously, that's ridiculous.

He proceeds to bother us occasionally - and one point Baby's dad walked over and said - no humpies.  

hahahaha

Totally needed at the dog parks - signs indicating "No humping"

Below are some silly pictures of a hot Buster being carried by Sarah.  Silly Buster :)

Then and Now

Has much changed over the last 5 years?

You tell me...

Graduation May 2006

Now July 2011

Not much - we pretty much look the same.  Different hair, different jobs.  I mean we actually have jobs :)

After being close friends for 4 years in college, the miles and years between us does not change the comfort or flow of conversation with each other.  Lots of laughs and reminiscing about old times.

It did not matter what we were doing over the weekend as long as we were together.

But for those who are curious about our LA adventures here you go:

Friday night - stayed up talking until 2 am and then all 3 slept together in a king size bed.  Good thing we haven't put on any weight since college.  ;)

Saturday:

     -  am:  brunch at the Grove, sadly no celeb sightings

     -  pm: spend the afternoon at the X-factor taping.  X-factor is a new reality TV show coming out this fall.  It's a singing competition.  Grand prize winner gets a 5million dollar record deal.  We saw 35 of the final 70 contestants from 200,000.  The first few acts were so bad we thought it was a joke and that we were on candid camera .  They later redeemed themselves with some talent.  My fav was a little girl - probably 10 years old.  Guess you know what I'll be watching this fall.

Then dinner after the show and drove around to see Hollywood Blvd and Sunset - nothing terribly exciting.

Sunday:

   -  am:  bfast at Venice beach and then walked around Venice Beach - much more grimy than I remember, so we drove up to Santa Monica Pier - much nicer.  Did a little walking around, shopping, talking, eating, etc - before heading back to Tucson