Birthday Musings

Today is my birthday.  My wonderful friends and family wished me an awesome, blessed, fabulous, fun, fantastic day.  Even the Illini gave me a big shocker gift in a win against Indiana.  But the best thing I received this year was a card from my husband.  It says:

Picture this:

You and I, years and years from now, 

cruising along some coastal highway with the top down,

stereo blasting, the wind whipping our hair.

Whatever we want to do, we do it.

No agenda, no schedule, nobody else to worry about.

We travel the country, buying silly T-shirts and sending postcards,

stopping at tiny roadside cafes in search of the world's best blueberry pie.

No hurry. No rush.

Relaxing in the comfort of a lifetime of companionship.

You and I . . .

lovers, friends, partners on this road of life.

I am blest, and I had an awesome, fabulous, fun, fantastic birthday.

cindy

Surviving Super Bowl Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday.  You're not going to a party and you're not hosting one.  You know your husband will be checked out today and you're wondering what you will do with yourself (and maybe the kids).  Here's a few last minute (desperate) thoughts:

1.  Watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet (my personal favorite).  If you don't know what this is, you are really missing something fun on Super Bowl Sunday.  Here's what the Washington Post and L.A. Times say about it.  Your kids will LOVE this.

2.  Use your family as guinea pigs.  This is actually a reference to cooking, but not just any cooking.  Super Bowl is a great time to try out the recipes you've been afraid to try.  Your family (and maybe your football friends) will eat anything during the game so it's a win-win.

3.  Watch the Super Bowl commercials and halftime show.  Even if you don't like football, everyone loves the commercials.  They're usually the best/funniest commercials out this year.  I'm not sure I can say the same thing for the halftime show, but it's a spectacle, good or bad.

4.  Watch a chick flick.  I guarantee you will be able to get into the movie theater today.  Or, rent one and watch it on your other TV.

5.  Have a pajama party with the kids.  Play board games (yes, they make some even for little kids), watch videos together, eat junk food in sleeping bags on their bedroom floor.  You don't usually get a chance to do something like this, so have fun.

6.  Craft, sew, crochet, knit, scrapbook, BLOG - let your creative juices flow while the kids are in bed and your husband is otherwise occupied.  Most of us would give a kidney to have this kind of creative time.

If your husband insists that you watch the game with him or you otherwise must watch the game, pick a team and get excited.  Set up a series of gambling propositions (score at halftime, number of sacks for each quarterback, number of penalties) and see if that keeps you engaged.  Important to know - the San Francisco 49ers (gold and maroon) are playing the Baltimore Ravens (black and blue).

If you don't understand football, now is not the time to ask your husband to teach you - unless he really doesn't care about the outcome of the game and will look upon your request to learn as a bonding moment.  When I was a kid, I realized if I was going to get any attention from my dad or brothers on Sundays, I needed to understand football.  That doesn't mean I had to understand ALL of the nuances of football, but basically the idea of downs, punts, field goals and a few more.  Men love a woman who understands football, so it can be a valuable life skill.  (O.K., please don't send me nasty-grams about how sexist that sounded or co-dependent.  Just sayin'.)

Make sure you do something you enjoy today.  It's one of those few days when people stay put (wherever they are) for 3 hours.

cindy

Once in a Lifetime

Last Saturday my husband surprised me with a once in a lifetime opportunity.  He is a church music director and we both have been musicians for many years (that's how we met).  He arranged for us to meet this guy:

For those of you who don't follow Christian contemporary music, this is Michael W. Smith, who is probably one of the best known and prolific songwriters in this genre.  This alone would have been very cool, but we had a very unique way of "meeting" him:

That's us in the back - we're in the backup choir!!  There were 40 voices in the choir and we rehearsed all day with Michael's fabulous music director, David Hamilton

It was so exciting - and challenging!  Because my dear husband wanted it to be a surprise, I didn't get to see the music until that morning (on the way to the theater).  Still, the opportunity to sing in a concert with Michael W. Smith and a full orchestra was amazing:

What a great time!  Thanks Kent!  Thank you David Hamilton!  Thank you Michael!

cindy

Family Wedding

Sometimes it's good to go home.  I'm getting to that middle age when you only get to see your extended family at funerals.  Last weekend we traveled to Illinois for a joyous purpose - my brother's wedding.  My four brothers and sisters, husbands and wives as well as most of their children, were there to celebrate.  We are really quite the crowd:

I didn't realize my immediate family was so big until I looked at this picture.  Not only did my immediate family attend, a good number of my cousins with their kids (and a few grandkids) showed up.  I had 23 cousins on my mother's side growing up and counting their spouses, children and grandchildren, there were 21 family members there representing the original 23.  That might not sound like a lot of family members to some people, but my cousins are scattered from Boston to Virginia, from New Orleans to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and everything in between, especially southern Illinois.  The best part?  Because of social media, I feel like I still know what my cousins are doing most of the time.  Gotta love it.

We don't get too many chances these days to gather for occasions like weddings.  My mother was one of five girls and in the last four years, 3 of them have died, including my mother.  It's wonderful to know that even as my mother's generation is waning, their children still enjoy getting together and introducing new members of their families.  How ironic that probably the last wedding of the cousins is my brother's, the oldest cousin.

My kids were very surprised to find out how many "cousins" they have.  Here are the first cousins:

My daughter kept asking how she was related to all the other family she was meeting.  I kept repeating that they were all "cousins," some just farther removed.  During her week in Illinois, she also visited with my husband's family, including "cousins."  After we returned to Arizona, she missed being so far away from her extended family on both sides.  As the unofficial family genealogist, I was thrilled to see both of my children so interested in their family roots.

My cousins used to comment that such a large family came from the five "Wilbourn girls" (my mother and her sisters).  As we get older, our families have become very extended.  My kids and their cousins will now look to the five "Hendricks kids" as their source.

Mom and Dad would be so proud.

cindy

On the Go

I know my blog is called "Straddling the Gap," but these days my whole family is straddling lots of huge gaps.  The kids are so busy with activities, it's all Kent and I can do to keep up.  Mackenzie has religious education, choir, softball, Girl Scouts and martial arts.  Christian has religious education, Boy Scouts, bowling, Do-Re-Mi (music group), martial arts and youth group.  (And we were worried he wouldn't have enough social interaction with homeschooling!)

Kent and I do a lot of "hand-offs."  Because his days are spent teaching our son, he does his work in the evening and on weekends.  I come home, we say hello and goodbye, and I see him about an hour before bedtime.  It's not the easiest arrangement, but it appears to work best for the kids.  It's a little more hectic for Kent and I.  Kent recently told me "Welcome to the tween years."  I guess so.

The next 10 years are going to be interesting.  Our kids will go through the teen years into college and we will approach retirement.  I tell myself that our kids will keep us young, but in the meantime I might get a lot more gray hair.

Buckle up.

cindy

Verde Canyon Railroad

We were in the Verde Valley area of Arizona during Labor Day Weekend.  The Verde Valley is in Central Arizona, south of Sedona and about 90 miles north of Phoenix.  It's a bit overlooked in the shadow of Sedona, so I wasn't sure what we would do over the weekend.  But we found one of the best gems in Arizona - the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale.

Random Olympic Thoughts

We're getting closer to the end of the Olympics now and my DVR is full.  I'm sure I will miss it when it's over, although I must admit that I'm getting a little overloaded with all the events.  With only 53 medals up for grabs, the U.S. is in the lead over China.  I think we got past all the Chinese Olympic events.

After watching over a week, there are a couple of things that occur to me:

1.  Bob Costas is the next Dick Clark.

2.  If Tim Daggett or Elfi Schlegel says a gymnast "shouldn't have a problem here" or "she's absolutely the best vaulter in the world right now" or any number of positive things about upcoming gymnastics, it's the kiss of death.

3.  You can't help but smile at our fun Olympic swimmers (but you will have to click through to YouTube to see the video):

4.  Best quote from my husband:  "Watching the volleyball finals. Hoping the hot chicks in bikinis win."

5.  McKayla Maroney is not impressed

6.  Most photoshopped Olympic athlete - McKayla Maroney

7.  The German heavyweight weight lifter who dropped the 432 pound weight on the back of his neck - ouch!

8.  Not to be outdone, a German diver lands on his back.

9.  Did anyone else see that short piece of former Olympic gymnasts (Shaun, Nastia, Carly, Mary Lou & Nadia) right before the women's all around started?  They were so serious, saying things like "this is the most important moment of your life" and "this will change your life forever".  Heck, why not try a little more pressure: "If you blow this your life will be ruined."  "If you screw this up, don't bother coming back to the U.S.A, loser."  Excuse me, but no matter how important the Olympics are for these teenagers, I hardly think it will be THE MOST IMPORTANT day of their lives.  If so, everyone but Gabby Douglas would have hanged herself.

10.  Samuel Jackson is the most prolific (and profane) Olympic tweeter ever! (If you have sensitive eyes, don't go there.)

Wow, this has really been a fun Olympics!  AND it's not over!

cindy

Back to School

You would think when you live in one of the hottest places in the United States that schools wouldn't get started until after Labor Day.  Nope.  School started yesterday - it was 114 degrees.

Ahhh, well, summer in Phoenix.  Here are my lovelies on the first day of school:

Can you tell which one is going to a brick and mortar school and which one is going to an online charter school at home?

A year ago I wrote about my son's ADHD and his difficulties in school due to deficits in executive skills.  In January I wrote about how we were trying to address his issues through a 504 plan.  Those two posts basically summarized our difficult experience last year and our attempts at the beginning of the school year and the middle of the school year to find a way to deal with the problems.  It didn't work.  By the end of the year he was failing nearly every subject.  Funny thing is, based on his test scores in class, he was a B or C student.  He was failing because he couldn't turn in the homework we worked on for hours the night before.  He couldn't remember where papers were, or what he was supposed to do on assignments.  He had no organization, sense of deadlines, executive skills.  I'm sure it sounds like most boys, but for our guy it's making him think he's a failure.  If you want to understand more about what a lack of executive skills can do to a child, check out this article from WebMD.

This year we're trying a different approach.  He is starting 6th grade and we knew there was no way he would be able to handle different subjects with different teachers with different expectations and teaching styles.  By the end of the last school year, we made the difficult choice to take him out of a traditional school, opting instead for an online charter school.  It's a lot like home schooling, but with a very structured curriculum.  My husband is taking on the big task of being my son's learning coach, sitting with him every day while he goes to school.  It's a bold experiment, with the goal of getting his executive skills up to par in time to return to traditional high school.  This timeframe is not random - research shows that children with ADHD who have deficits in executive skills (also known as executive function) are usually about 3 years behind their peers in this important aspect of learning.  It poses a direct risk and obstacle to learning in a classroom environment.  In addition to the curriculum through the online charter school, we will be working on exercises and practice on learning executive skills - how to prioritize, organize, focus on a task, use notes, planners and a calendar to know what is coming and summarize what you have learned.

I hope this isn't going to be a post I have to repeat this time next year.  I do hope that by January I will be able to report some progress and a more motivated and positive kid.

cindy

Folding It Up

Everybody has household chores.  I'm lucky I have a great husband who does a lot of them.

One job that I was forced to do have is to fold the laundry and put it away after Kent washes it.

I hate folding laundry.  The only thing I hate worse than folding laundry is putting it away.  We are constantly doing laundry and it piles up.  We had to buy extra laundry baskets because we had too much laundry.  On the rare occasions when all the laundry is clean, I have nowhere to put all the clean clothes.  (How is it then that I never can find anything to wear?)

Did I mention . . .  I HATE FOLDING LAUNDRY!

Today I bit the bullet because Kent did ALL the laundry (in one day).  As of now I have all of it folded, but it's sitting on the living room floor while I "take a break".  In a minute I have to find a way to get all of our clothes crammed put away in our drawers and closets.  Gee, that's going to be fun.

I'll say it again . . . I HATE FOLDING AND PUTTING AWAY LAUNDRY!

It's keeping me from frantically running retreating to my craft room until I finish, and at the rate I'm going it will be bedtime before I get to go in there.

I REALLY HATE FOLDING AND PUTTING AWAY LAUNDRY!

Oh well, I better get back to it.  It's no big deal, right?  It's not like I hate abhor detest dislike it [wink]

cindy

I'm Naked -Where's My Phone?

The last week has been scary. I've been disoriented and disconbobulated.  I've been without a phone!

More accurately, I've been teased with a phone only to have it snatched away.  It started about a two weeks ago when my HTC Rhyme started to get hot - really hot.  After the guy at the Verizon Store burned his finger on the SD portal, he suggested we send it back for a replacement.  Two days later I had a "like new" Rhyme.  I meticulously reloaded all of my lost apps and thought the unpleasant experience was over.

No. Two days later my "like new" phone wouldn't turn on and it was hot.  I called Verizon and they agreed to send me a new type of phone.  After an endless holiday weekend, it finally came - another Rhyme?!?  I had to change SD card because the phone practically burns up with the old card.  It's still hot with the newer card, but not as bad.  I'm trying to deal with it.  Who knew this would be so traumatic?

My daughter thinks I grew up with cans strung on twine, but I can say as a kid I was excited when we got a phone on the wall with a long cord.  It was awesome because I actually talked on the phone with my friends.  The best game we "played" on the phone was the one where we pranked the lady down the street by asking her if her refriverator was running.  I remember being amazed in the 80s when I saw Michael Douglas in "Wall Street" walking on a beach with a shoe phone.  So rich!  So futuristic!  Now I can't go 5 days without a phone, and I don't even talk on it.

Definitely the worst part about being without my phone was my recent jump into all things social media.  I just started with Instagram and haven't been able to take a single picture because I didn't have my phone (15 years ago people would have looked at you funny if you said you couldn't take pictures without your phone).

I'm recovering nicely from my traumatic adventure, thank you.  I'm getting reacquainted with my "new" phone.  Hopefully this one won't leave me in the cold (wait, the problem was with heat so we should be OK).

It's a love affair I tell you. (Just don't tell my husband)

cindy

Scrapbook Sunday - Summer Splash

Here's a summer page to get you feeling warm.  I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of the entire page when I photographed this a couple of weeks ago, but you can get an idea of the layout.  I'm not thrilled with the pictures with Christian and Kent because of the shade.  However, I wanted that interaction in the layout.

The background paper is a blue and green dot vellum over a green patterned paper.  I like the pictures to have some progression in a layout because it seems to tell a better story.  Here, Christian was giggling about getting into the water, but eventually did and even trusted his dad to float on his back.  I loved using the "tape" on the pictures - great product!  The letters are stenciled and cut (when I had time to do that type of thing!).  They are outlined and layered over blue gingham ribbon so they pop a little more.  My favorite part of this layout is Christian's expression.  I miss that baby - he is 11 tomorrow (Monday).

Happy birthday baby boy.

cindy

The Happiest Place on Earth

There are some places that you know immediately by sound and smell even if you can't see them.  They instantaneously create feelings and memories that rush in like you just felt or experienced them.  For me, one of those places is Disneyland.

We made our first trip to Disneyland when our kids were 9 months and nearly 3.  They don't remember anything about that trip, but they do remember the subsequent trips we took nearly every year.  Now when we go back it feels like a comfortable sweater - someplace familiar.  Every ride, every store, every part of the park has a memory for me of my kids at various ages.

A couple of weeks ago we went there again.  The St. Bernard Choristers had the privilege of singing at Disneyland.  (This was the big trip we were fundraising for.)  It was a new experience and very special because it was a place we knew so well.  We did get to see a new part of Disneyland because we were able to go "backstage".   It seemed so . . . ordinary.  What was extraordinary was seeing my husband direct his children's choir and watch my daughter sing a solo.  Funny thing about that song - after the beginning of the song (which is my daughter's first solo) the music track suddenly stopped.  My clever and talented husband didn't miss a beat - he jumped over to the piano and finished the song!  Here's both parts of the song:

Life is not always perfect, but Disneyland is still the Happiest Place on Earth!

cindy

Fundraising Follies

This weekend, we are going on a trip to California for my husband’s business.  He is a church music director and his children’s choir is singing at a festival and Disneyland!  Being the music director’s wife is like being a pastor’s wife – you’re expected to lead in supporting the ministry.  Sooo, I became the unofficial chair of the fundraising committee – a committee of two with my dear Katie to help.  We both work full time outside of the home so we were a bit handicapped out of the gate.  In fact, we didn’t start fundraising until after the first of the year.

Our big fundraiser was a multi-basket raffle.  We assembled baskets with themes and sold raffle tickets that the purchaser used to pick the basket(s) he or she wanted.  I enlisted the choir moms to either create entire baskets or donate items to include in a basket.  Some of the “complete” baskets were 25 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, a tool set, a spa basket, and a cooking basket complete with fancy kitchen supplies.  The other baskets were assembled by Katie and I and included individual items we put together.  We made a “Mom Relief “ basket that included perfume, jewelry, picture frames and thank you notes and a homemade teddy bear.  We also assembled a “Scrapbook” basket where we broke into our stashes and came up with albums, stickers, paper, tools, embellishments and a certificate for a day crop at a local scrapbook cottage. 

I learned several things about basket raffles: 
1.  If you ask people to put together a whole basket, let them choose the theme. 
2.  Ask people to donate items, group them together and create your own theme.  We had a “Religious Items” basket (complete with reserved parking and a front pew for Christmas and Easter). 
3.  Don’t be limited by the obvious themes – restaurant, manicure, movie gift certificates (although those are great), but use your imagination!  Our baskets included, among other things, a Scentsy warmer, homemade booties and a bag of Dove chocolate. 
4.  “Regifting” is encouraged!  It's best use of a gift you don’t want/need. 
5.  Don’t be afraid to ask local businesses!  We had donations from salons, a scrapbook cottage, a well-known Nascar driver, a photographer and a casino. 
6.  Think outside the box – what about a gift certificate for dry cleaning, grocery store, house cleaning services, the local hardware store, even babysitting from some teens at the church? 
7.  You don’t have to have a “big ticket” item in the baskets.  We did have a couple of baskets that included tickets to sporting events and a trip to Cancun, but those weren’t even the most popular baskets.  The most popular was the “Foodie” basket with bottles of wine, wine glasses, snacks and local restaurant gift certificates. 

The best part was that over a three week period of selling tickets after our masses, we raised over $6,000!  That was before the “tried and true” bake sale we had on Super Bowl Sunday.  Tomorrow I will give you some of the best tips I learned for bake sales.

cindy

Movie Review - The Adventures of Tintin

We saw The Adventures of Tintin today with the kids.  First of all, Tintin is not the dog :)

 It one of those rare movies that appeals to both adults and kids.  Like every movie out today, it was in 3D.  They didn't use it for cheap tricks, but it did enhance the animation.  The animation was just beautiful.  It was reminicent of The Polar Express in that the characters looked almost life like.

It was a great adventure for both kids and adults.  Kids will enjoy the comedy and fast action, while adults will enjoy the mystery.  It reminded me a lot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, so the action is a bit fantastic.  Both my husband and I commented on that, but didn't think of the connection between the two movies in that they were both directed by Steven Spielberg.  

I also didn't know when I went to the movie was that it is based on a comic book series from the Belgian artist Herge.  Tintin first appeared in 1929 and had popular exciting adventures.

This movie was only one of the adventures, and based on the ending, there will be more.  Don't get me wrong, the movie did not leave you hanging at the end, but you could definitely believe where more adventures could be in the future.  Let's hope Mr. Spielberg believes too.

cindy

Dreaming of a Craft Room

In 2011, my craft/sewing/crochet/scrapbooking activities blossomed.  I think my husband would say they exploded.  Right now I have a large armoire in my bedroom filled with yarn and scrapbook paper.  I have two scrapbook carriers full of scrapbook supplies.  I have a closet full of fabric that has spilled over on the floor of the den.  I wasn't trying to use this clutter for this purpose, but Kentster has agreed to let me convert the den into a craft room.

I've been thinking about how to make the transition, but first it requires moving furniture and items in several rooms.  It's a little like one of those little puzzles you had as a kid where you slide the plastic pieces around in an effort to get the picture straight.

Here's where we start:

The couch is going and the weights too.  Notice my husband's beer can collection on shelves high above the window.  We're still negotiating those.

Everything in this picture is going.

That large (and very heavy) computer armoire is going and that will be the biggest task.  The TV and Wii has to stay in the room.

There's the closet with my fabric stash.  Not all of that is fabric, so it has to go.  The other side of the closet has clothes - those have to go too.  That big pile in front of the closet is overflow of my sewing stuff.

Yep, there is lots of work to do.  Hopefully the transformation will be complete before the end of 2012, but I will post it here when it's done.

cindy

New Adventures - Part 5 Stabilization

The last time I posted about my weight loss journey, it was right after Thanksgiving as I began the "stabilization" phase.  During the 6 week stabilization phase, you are asked to stay within 2 pounds of your current weight.  The first week went really well, but then the holidays kicked in and kicked my butt.

It's the sweets that kill me.  Wow, we had sweets.  It seemed as if Kentster received A LOT of chocolate tributes this year.  Let's just say that my "stabilization" wasn't very stable.  I've gained a total of 6 pounds, 4 pounds over my allowed weight :(  Not much more to say about it.  I did finally dispose of all the remaining chocolate, banishing it from our house.

I'm going to take the last couple weeks of stabilization to get rid of some of the weight and then get started in earnest again.  I'm trying to stay positive because that's been one of my biggest problems in the past - the "all or nothing" attitude that makes me a complete success or a total failure.  No failures this time, just setbacks and hopefully small ones.

Here's to staying positive in the New Year!

cindy

Rush, Rush, Rush

We're in the thick of it now.  It's like a tidal wave that will carry you away if you're not careful, and you'll end up on that desert island, but you will get beat up getting there.  Of course I'm talking about Christmas season.  Are you under the tidal wave or riding the wave?

My husband is a church music director so the pressure of December has a whole different meaning.  There is no such thing as Christmas vacation.  He's busy preparing for 6 masses for Christmas (including 2 that occur at the same time!)  He has five choirs and two cantors.  There's a concert on Sunday and he's been working like a dog on it.  He just finished producing a CD featuring the two cantors and it goes on sale this weekend.  In addition to the concert on Sunday (in which both my daughter and I are singing), my son is in a holiday concert on Saturday completely unrelated to church. Yep, it's a little hectic.

I am having fun, though.  My kids are enjoying the Advent calendar and are looking forward to adding a person to our nativity every night.  Santa is still a big deal, but they recognize that mom and dad also give them gifts (so they have two lists for Christmas).  I'm going to write a Christmas letter for the first time in years and I should be mailing my Christmas cards before December 23.  I actually get to eat Christmas dinner!  Oh, and Jesus is coming too.  It's going to be a blessed Christmas!

I may not be riding on top of that tidal wave, but I think I'm body surfing without getting tossed on the beach.  Ho, ho, ho!

cindy

First Things First

It's not going to happen this year.  I am not going to run like a mad woman doing for the sake of doing.  I will have a meaningful holiday season.  These are my mantras as the Season looms like an approaching storm.  Notice I capitalized "Season" as if it is a threatening entity instead of the joyful and spiritual time anticipating the coming of the Kingdom.

First things first


I will not be making gifts this year.  In previous years I have made many of our Christmas gifts, especially for extended family.  I love being able to do this, as I firmly believe a handmade gift is more meaningful and personal.  However, without more advance planning, creating items at the last minute can result in sloppy gifts that are made at a time when I should be enjoying the holiday season.

First things first


I will carefully plan and purchase gifts using online resources, especially considering so many of our family members live out of state.  The free shipping and discounts I expect to see in the next week should work well with this plan.  (Just writing this has resulted in several great gift ideas.)  If I can get that done soon without mailing or wrapping, I can focus my attention on family and home.

First things first


I will make a concerted effort to get the Christmas decorating completed by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.  In the past I have dragged out all of my Christmas decorations only to gradually put them up over a long period of time.  That has deprived us of the cozy Christmas home we expected because it was cluttered with storage bins and packing paper.  If it's not done by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, we will have a more simple cozy Christmas with fewer decorations.

First things first


I will get the Advent calendar out before Advent begins and fill it with quotes from the Bible preparing for the coming of Christ.  I will set up our nativity and populate it each evening with a new character in an effort to teach my children about the time and place where Jesus was born.  I will involve my family in decorating our Christmas tree together with ornaments that reflect our memories of times and places we have enjoyed together.

First things first


I will not focus too much on the things and tasks I need to do, including the items mentioned in this post.  The most important thing about Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas is to enjoy time with family and friends in joy and charity, so things and tasks are less important.

First things first


cindy

Just a Little Day Trip

For those who have not seen the variety of beauty in Arizona, it can be breathtaking.  Sedona is one of those breathtaking places.  It's nearly impossible to take a bad picture in Sedona.

During Fall Break, my husband took the kids up north to Camp Verde, Sedona and Flagstaff.  They did a little hiking in Sedona.

In addition to the flora and fauna, they met this little guy

Yep, that's a tarantula.  Better than a rattlesnake, I say.  

The contrast between Sedona and Flagstaff is amazing even if they are only about 30 miles apart.  Sedona is red, Flagstaff is green (white in the winter).

The best part of it all - these places are all an easy day trip from Phoenix.

cindy

State Fair

A couple of weeks ago when the kids were on Fall Break, Kentster took them to the Arizona State Fair.  Yes, the State Fair here is in October, because you couldn't bear to be out in the heat too long in the summer when other states have their state fairs.  Along with our two kids, Kentster took Kate's kids (Songs Kate Sang).  He wasn't too enthusiastic because the temperature was projected to be in the high 90s.  Again, it is October.

Petting zoos, ferris wheels, big slides and bumper cars

I, unfortunately, had to work.  I love the pictures, though.  It was really a grand day!

cindy