A So Cal Girl in the Desert

Look, a New Post!

2006-05-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Where is the time to blog? Where is the time to sleep? Where is the time to eat? Where is the time to catch up with friends? I thought I was busy when I had the 9-5 job. Being away from the house the majority of the day...only having evenings and weekends to do personal stuff. Now that I own my own business, there seems to be fewer hours in the day. Maybe I just need better time management skills, though I've always considered that one of my strong points. It's tough to find the balance when my days are woven with personal and business, as are most of my relationships. Is it a fun social gathering where I can toss a few back and relax, or is it a networking opportunity in which I need to be in top form? I'm not complaining...I'm happier than I've ever been. Just making an excuse as to why I haven't posted for over two months.

I could probably write for hours (if I had the time) about all the thrilling stuff that's been going on in my life, but I won't. Instead, here are a few choice tidbits to summarize...

My business is finally booming. Looks like it's going to be a profitable summer. While that makes me so, so happy, I'm also getting a bit stressed and feel like I need a break. I haven't had a day off in two months.

Which brings me to the fact that hubby and I are going to take a break and go to Rocky Point, Mexico during the middle of the week at the end of the month. I found someone to help me with my jobs for a couple of days. I'm REALLY looking forward to it. Little B will be in CA visiting his grandparents, so it will be a grown-up trip. Muy bueno!

Tivo is one of the greatest inventions of all time. We just got it when we moved in. Ever since it came out, I thought I didn't want it. I thought I watched enough TV, and if I had Tivo, it would just make matters worse. That is so not the case. Now I can watch my favorite shows when I want to. Duh. Not like I have to tell you. Everyone on the planet has known this forever. So now I get to record all the Dog Whisperer episodes I want, watch American Idol after my evening jobs (though what's the point, now that Chris Daughtry is gone), and watch Big Love after the little one is in bed.

I am obsessed with the Dog Whisperer (and Chris Daughtry). Cesar Millan is a king, and I'm trying out all his moves on my clients, even though it says not to try his techniques without a professional. I'm a professional, right? His techniques are totally working. I got a major puller to walk nicely next to me, and now we can enjoy our walks together and I get the respect I deserve. Hail Cesar!

My doggies graduated from preschool! We had a teacher come to the house, and now they know how to sit, lay down, lay down on a mat ("place"), target my hand, come when called (when they want to), and stay. Now we're building on the skills we learned in school and I'm teaching Kermit how to roll over and N.A.S.H.A. how to walk on her hind legs. I selected these skills because Kermit has a natural talent for rolling on his back and exposing his belly for rubs, so why not take it a step further? N.A.S.H.A. is pretty much naturally like a circus dog, so she should be balancing on a ball and jumping through hoops in no time.

The dogs are loving the backyard as much as we are. The pool is now hovering around 80º, and it's so, so nice to swim in. Since the weather has been in the triple digits lately--and will only rise--we've been spending most of our free time in the pool. The evenings are nice, too...we use our grill all the time and enjoy the sunsets and warm nights in our backyard.

We're going to buy our first lawn mower today.

Can't wait to enjoy the backyard with visitors that will be coming soon. My mother-in-law will be visiting next week, and then some good friends of mine are coming for a weekend. I can't wait!

We gave out the first MWIB scholarship last week. It was $500.00. A great feeling. We're already on our way to raising enough money to give away a larger scholarship next year.

When I have time, I'm reading a book called "Don't Know Much About HIstory." It's a entertaining summary of American history told from colonization until the present. I love history, and it's been great to freshen up my knowledge.

Last night I spent $50.50 on a tank of gas. The first time I went over the fifty dollar threshold. Yikes!

I just completed my first ferret job. They are fun, but stinky, and one of them had diarrhea, so that totally sucked. I had to scrub it off the walls and the corners of the cage. They are a hoot to watch, though, so it was worth it.

I finally saw Brokeback Mountain. I really liked it, though I think I waited too long to see it, because those "most talked about" movies never live up to the hype. Awesome acting, I thought.

Oh, and the most startling news of all...I turned the big 3-0 on April 5th. I'm officially old.

Well, that's all the news I can come up with for now. Until next time...which could be tomorrow or six months from now...I like to keep 'em guessing.

Home Sweet Home

2006-03-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

We're in, safe and sound! It's been a week now, and we LOVE our new home. My back hurts, my heels hurt from standing on the kitchen tile for days unpacking, and the house looks like a box bomb went off, but we're still happy.

Just about every day someone comes to repair something or deliver something. Right now the pool company is here installing the trim tile, the pool alarm company should be here any minute to install the pool alarms, and the closet people are coming this afternoon to replace one of our closet doors. The dogs just love all the strange visitors! Ha!

It seems like when I unpack one box, two more appear. I always think the unpacking will go quickly and I'll be all settled and comfy inside of a week, but that's never the case.

I'm ready for more money to start coming in and less money to be flying out. We purchased our home theater system--a 50" plasma TV with all the trimmings--this past weekend, and it's scheduled to be installed next Tuesday. Then on Monday we signed with the landscape company, so there goes another ton of money. Aside from a couple of small things, I think we're done spending money. We better be!

One of my favorite things about the house is the view. In the morning, the sun lights up the mountains to the west, and they look purple and crisp as can be. You can see every ridge, and you can see the moon set behind them. Then in the evenings we watch the colorful sunsets from anywhere at the back of the house. I climb into bed at night and look out the window and see stars and lights from houses across the wash. They are near enough to where you don't feel isolated, but far enough away to leave your windows open and not feel like someone is staring at you.

I haven't gotten around to taking pictures, yet, because I can barely manage to look at the mess, myself, but I'm sure we'll have everything unpacked in the next couple of hours (um...yeah), so I can post something soon.

Movin' Along

2006-03-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I've been super busy with the details of moving. Though extremely exciting, it's also stressful and time consuming. Calling all the utilities, then confirming. Having them give you a new phone number, and then changing it on you. So and so trying to sell you cable when you want DirecTV maybe. Who knows? The last couple of weeks have been a blur, and if we weren't in middle of the final countdown for the move, I wouldn't even know what day it is. Tomorrow will be filled with youth sports and two parties we couldn't say no to, Sunday will be devoted to the last of the packing, which means B will enjoy an entire twelve hour cartoon marathon. Good thing he doesn't mind a bit. On Monday morning we go to the title company and sign all the paperwork, then go straight to pick up the U-haul. Monday afternoon and evening will be spent loading the U-haul, then on Tuesday morning we drop B off at school and go straight to the house to do the final walk-through! Yahoo!!!! We'll get the keys. Yahoo!!! And then Mr. and Mrs. D are going to come over and help us unload the truck. We'll spend the first night in the house on Tuesday, and then the movers show up with all our long lost stuff on Wednesday morning. That will be the best part! Like Christmas! Our new mattress and washer and dryer will also be delivered. We'll be enjoying our stuff and unpacking all day, and then on Thursday the alarm company and painter come.

Wish us luck! Signing off until after the move!

Waterfall and Blinds

2006-02-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

Another house update! Today they installed the blinds and built the rock waterfall for the pool. Take a look...

Here's the dude building the waterfall. They brought a bunch of big boulders and then broke them up into medium and smaller-sized pieces on-site. Kinda cool. It's not pre-made or anything...they just sort-of improvise as they go.

Here is a cool shot of the living room with blinds on the lower windows. We're leaving the upper windows bare.

Here's the family room with blinds...

And here's how the pool looked at the end of the day today...

Help! I Can't Sleep!

2006-02-15T03:42:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about the house, I can't sleep. I've only had two hours of sleep, and I have to wake up in a little over two hours (I mean, if I was asleep, I'd have to wake up in two hours). You know when that sense of panic sets in and you know you won't be able to function the next day? That's where I'm at right now. They always say you should get up and do something else, so here I am. It's not working yet.

We met a landscaping contractor at the house yesterday morning, and while we were there, they started spraying the pool. Yes, spraying! I had no idea how a pool was made until I saw it with my own eyes. You've all seen pictures of the metal rebar shell. Well, a guy gets in the pool with a fire-hose-looking thing and sprays wet concrete up and down the sides and bottom of the pool until it fills in behind the frame and buries it. Then these other guys come in and shape the steps and the areas around the light and filter, etc., and smooth the surface. We watched the whole thing from our walk deck. The guy that has to spray the stuff has to be really strong and very skilled. He was trying to teach one of the other guys how to do it, and warned him not to kink the hose or he'd be shot up ten feet into the air and slammed down to the ground, not to mention we'd all be injured by the spraying concrete. No, thank you!!! Who ever knew that this type of dangerous job existed?

Unfortunately, we didn't have the camera with us. I got some poor quality pics with my cell phone, but I don't know how to upload them to the computer. If I figure it out, I'll post them.

Gonna try to get some sleep now...

We Have Carpet!

2006-02-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

When I went by the house this morning, the carpet was in! We love it, considering it's carpet. If I had my way, the whole house would be tile and wood, but that costs a small fortune, so we're happy with the carpet. It really looks like a home, now! It's still pretty messy, but the painters will be in today doing touch-ups, and then the cleaning crew comes in. Our superintendent was pressure washing the garage this morning. Oh! And our gas is on, so when I went in the heater was on and the house was toasty warm. I also got to see the fire places lit up for the first time! Yeah! So excited!!!! Less than four weeks now!

Here's the dining area...

And the staircase...

And the loft...

The 'Copa Dog Cachers

2006-02-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

We've been thinking of taking up Geocaching for over a year, now, but when we found out our good friends, the Ds, go Geocaching, we just HAD to start. If you've never heard of it before, Geocaching is an adventure game that involves using a GPS to guide you to a waypoint that has a "cache" in it that another Geocacher has placed. A cache can be pretty much anything, but always includes a log book. The most common type of cache is a sealed container that contains several items. You can take an item if you leave one behind. Geocaching has also been described as "hiking with a purpose." You find the waypoints for the caches on the Geocaching Web site, where you also register a team name and log all of your finds. Our team is "The 'Copa Dog Cachers."

There are also special items called "Travel Bugs" that are tracked through the site. Pretty cool! The Ds, AKA Team Willy Nilly, allowed us to "grab" the "hannah Travel Bug" from them. As a first travel bug, it was great, because it involved looking at pictures of Geocachers' pets, and then adding photos of our own. We placed the Travel Bug in the Team Willy Nilly cache we found on Sunday. There are lots of special items, and lots of special types of caches, but we still have a lot to learn about them before I report on that.

Since we don't have our own GPS unit, yet, Team Willy Nilly let us borrow theirs, and they escorted us, too! They did a good job of letting us find it without giving us too many hints. We had to drive about twenty miles east of Maricopa, off-road through the desert, walk through a firing area (no one was there, thankfully), and then up a rock mound. We found the cache nestled under some rocks in a crevice. It was really fun to see it peeking out and know we had succeeded.

Here's a picture of B with the hannah Travel Bug before we placed it.

Here are Mrs. D and Little D getting set to hike.

Hubby and B with the GPS unit. Getting warmer...

Found it! Mr. D, Hubby, and B.

Examining the contents of the cache and enjoying the view...

RIP Ozzie

2006-02-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I found out yesterday that one of my very favorite clients, Ozzie, passed away. I knew it was coming because I just saw him a couple of weeks ago, but it's still really hard to hear. Ozzie was ten years old. He was a beautiful Australian Shepherd/Chow Chow mix. When I first met him, his owners told me not to pay him much attention because he would fight with his brother if I did. I tried my best to follow their instructions, but I found Ozzie to be so sweet, so I couldn't help but give him attention. So every time I came to take care of him we would hug and kiss. He liked the natural tuna treats I gave him. He had a great smile. Poor guy had cancer. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, his right rear leg was all swollen with the disease. He could barely walk on it. At one point I thought he was going to pass away while I was there, but he didn't. It was very hard to say goodbye to him during my last visit. I laid on the floor with him and pet him a lot. I told him that he would get to run and play again soon and that he should be brave. This is part of the job that I wish I didn't have to deal with. I'll sure miss Ozzie.

A Brush With the Law

2006-01-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last night we went over to our friends', Mr. and Mrs. W's, house to check out their new backyard. The backyard was awesome, but not the most memorable part of the evening. On our way out the door, we discovered two wandering dogs. One of which continued his journey down the street, and the other, an old Black Lab named Coffee, couldn't resist a good stranger scratch. He was super friendly with kissing and all. Hubby called all three numbers on the tag, and all were disconnected. I pulled a leash out of my Mary Poppins Pet Bag and hitched Coffee up. He seemed perfectly happy to go along with whatever.

Hubby followed Coffee's buddy while Mrs. W, Little W, B, and I went the way the dogs came from to try to find the home. We knocked on a few doors and got clues from neighbors that we were headed in the wrong direction. Coffee was no help, as he would have been happy making himself part of any family we approached. We headed in the other direction and, with the help of neighbors, pretty much figured out where Coffee belonged. Rang the doorbell. No answer. Odd because their garage was open. We poked our head in the very dark garage and said "hello?" The response we got was a bark and a howl, and after several minutes, Coffee's friend, some sort of hound dog mix, emerged from a doggie door at the back of the garage, which was in the door that led to the laundry room. The buddy dog wasn't as friendly, but didn't attack or anything. Both dogs had the same collars and tags, so we knew we had found Coffee's real home.

I figured we had to secure the dogs inside, so I boldly entered the garage and headed for where I thought the light switch might be. Click! Now buddy dog started barking again and headed back in through the doggie door. I tried to push Coffee in, but he wanted to stay with me. Smart dog. I thought that if I could get Coffee inside and find the block panel for the doggie door, I could lock them inside. The panel was no where to be found, so I figured it must be in the laundry room. No harm in trying the door, right? I grabbed the handle, turned it and...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP... I guess the "Brinks" sign in the front yard should have been a clue, but when doggie welfare is in jeopardy, I can't think clearly about anything else. Mrs. W said "Hang on to that dog, Kristen. He's your alibi." At least one of us was thinking. We also made sure that the angelic-faced kids stuck around.

Coffee kissed me as we waited for the heat to arrive and take me into custody. I waved to them as they pulled up to the front of the house, and Mrs. W went on and on about what a good deed I did and how I'm a pet sitter and how we were concerned about the safety of the dogs and the security of the home...The cops looked suspicious at first, but then realized that we were truly caring neighbors and decided to help us rather than arrest us. Whew! They had us hold the dogs while they searched the house, just in case.

Guns drawn, they shouted at the doorway, "PINAL COUNTY SHERIFF! WE ARE ABOUT TO ENTER THE HOME! IF SOMEONE IS INSIDE, COME OUT NOW!" They repeated that a couple of times, and then said "WE HAVE A DOG!" Heh. Lying sons of...well, they had Coffee, but I don't think that's what they meant. They entered the house all "movie cop" like, crouching down and covering each other. It was a bit frightening. I mean, you see that on TV a lot, but how often do you see it live, within bullet range? They came out after a few minutes, officially announcing that the coast was clear. They helped us put the dogs in the house. I left a note for the family along with a business card (hey, I should get a bit of advertising for all my troubles!). One of the cops pulled the whole "push the button and run, then jump over the sensor while crouching so you don't bash your head on the descending door" move on the garage door (successfully, on the first try, I might add), and we were all done with the drama.

They thanked us for being such good neighbors, and gave each of the kids a pat on the head. No stickers, though.

Getting to Know...

2006-01-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Kermit and N.A.S.H.A. are featured on this week's 85239.com "Getting to Know..." article! Check it out!

I'm Still Alive

2006-01-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been a really long time since I've posted. I'm sure I've lost my small, but loyal, following. We shall see.

So I'm just about recovered from the flu, which turned into a severe sinus infection. When nothing but dried blood was coming out of my nose for two days, I decided to go to the doctor. He gave me a shot of antibiotics, a prescription for a bottle of liquid antibiotics to be drunk all at once, and a prescription for decongestants. I still can't hear very well out of my right ear, but, other than that, I'm good. Didn't get much work done while I was sick, so I've been spending all my time trying to catch up. No blogging for me!

My husband had his 30th birthday on January 9th. Old man! Only three more months before I hit the big 3-0! I was super sick on his birthday, but I managed to make him a pan of lasagna, which is his favorite thing I make. Considering I can only reliably make lasagna, oatmeal, and coffee, this isn't saying much. But he at half the pan, so I guess that says something. Gave him a store-bought cake (I was proud of myself for making it out of the house...probably infected half the population in the city), and made sure it had the big "3" and "0" candles. His real birthday bash was the following Saturday. His mom flew out here to take care of B, and I took hubby to Vegas to try to make him feel young again. He knew I was taking him, but he didn't know that all his friends would be there. It was such a fun surprise! I took him to a bar that we had all agreed on, and there everybody was. SURPRISE! He looked over his shoulder to see who was getting a surprise party, then once the faces registered in his brain, he realized it was him. We had some cocktails, did a bit of gambling, and then got freshened up for dinner. We met first at the bar in the Bellagio that has a view of the water show, which was so nice. (Can't remember the name of the bar, so the champagne must have done its job). There was a great cover band there, so we did a little pre-dinner dancing. Then we headed over to Mesa Grill at Caesar's. The food was great, and we had such a blast. After that, we met Brennen's high school friend, who happens to live in Vegas. Her husband is a club reviewer for one of the papers, so he gets all these perks. They took us to two clubs where we got VIP treatment. We got a table and bottle service. We had the best time. We never go to clubs, so it was a huge treat, and so fun to spend the time with our friends. I think we pulled of a great birthday party for him. For his 31st, he'll be lucky if he gets Mac'n'cheese. My brother-in-law's girlfriend is supposed to send some pictures this weekend, so if I we don't look too drunk and disorderly, I'll post a few.

As you might imagine, there has been a TON of progress on the house. Since my last post...

The exterior was painted:

The cabinets and railings have been installed:

Our backyard has been walled in:

The driveway and path to the front door has been poured:

The exterior and interior lighting fixtures have been installed, and the walk deck railing was put up:

They added some pipes and stuff to the pool:

They started laying the tile:

And just this morning, the kitchen counters went in:

Can you believe it? Things are really taking shape! It is such an exciting time. This morning there was so much work going on that I couldn't really even walk around the house. We've had to have a couple of battles over things not being done right, which is stressful and time-consuming, but, overall, things are going really smoothly. It won't be long, now! Yesterday the superintendent asked me if I was getting frustrated and stressed. I told him "No, I'm not frustrated and stressed. I was frustrated and stressed over the past year while the house sat with no progress. Now I'm ecstatic!"

House Number and Hardware

2006-01-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

More progress on the house! Today they had our house number placed. They'll have to move it because they haven't painted the house, yet, but it's cool to see! See:

I think it's kinda ugly, but it's our house number, so it's beautiful to me. The red spray paint around it looks a bit morbid, eh?

The hardware has been installed, too! Here's the front door handle:

They better not get paint on it. Sometimes the order of things just doesn't make sense to me.

But, wait. That's not all, folks! The supervisors also marked most of the boo-boos in the house. Some of which we pointed out to them, and some of which we never even noticed. Floor squeaks are marked with "SQ." Here's a big one at the top of the staircase:

They also totally messed up the placement of a light in the master bath. We had no clue. Funny to think that these marks will be on or floor forever.

So our house is all marked up. Ah, well! At least we know that stuff will get fixed. I spoke to Jason, our supervisor, this afternoon, and he said that they will start painting the exterior on Monday! They will also deliver cabinets on Monday and install them on Tuesday, and they will install the railings on Monday and Tuesday! From this point on, we'll need a key from the office to get into the house, so I might not get quite as many pictures. I'm sure you're all sick of them anyway!

Don't Go With the Flow of Traffic

2006-01-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

On December 15th, I got a speeding ticket. Yes, grandma-driver me got a speeding ticket. It was deserved, but certainly not so compared to most of society. I was traveling along the 347 between Maricopa and Chandler after picking B up from school. I was in the slow lane going with the flow of traffic (75 in a 65) and got popped, along with about ten other drivers. We were ambushed, I tell you! They must have pulled us in the slow lane over because they couldn't catch the drivers gong 90 in the fast lane. It seems kinda unfair, but since my son was with me, and, technically, I was in the wrong, I couldn't make too much of a stink to the kind sir officer that approached my window.

He politely reported that I was traveling at a speed of 75 when the speed limit was 65. I said "You're probably right. Since I was traveling in the slow lane with the flow of traffic and drivers were passing me left and right in the fast lane, I didn't even look at my speedometer." Maybe not the best choice of words, but truthful. His response was "license and registration."

When he walked away to write the ticket, my son said, "Why are you getting a ticket when everyone else was going faster than you?" THAT'S how blatant it was. The eight year old saw the injustice. But I had to act like a grown up and try to pull some good out of this shitty situation, so I decided to try to make it a lesson for him. I said, "Well, B, while the other traffic was going much faster than I was, I was still speeding, and it wasn't right. Just because everyone else is breaking the rules doesn't mean it's okay for you or I to do it, too, and there are consequences if we do break the rules. Getting a speeding ticket and having to pay a lot of money is a grown-up consequence that's not very fun, so that's why we're trying to teach you now with kid consequences so you learn and you don't have to experience the grown-up ones."

He immediately said "Can I tell my dad you got a ticket?" Clearly, lesson learned: Kristen, my evil stepmother who always tells me when I'm wrong, screwed up, and I can't WAIT to tell someone.

I replied "Sure you can, as long as you tell him the lesson you learned as a result of my getting a ticket."

"Okay."

So we continued on home at a snail's pace. B read out loud the "You've just received a traffic ticket. What do you do now?" pamphlet the officer gave me, and reported that the code on my ticket corresponded to the $115.00 fine on the pamphlet. That didn't seem too bad. But then when you add in the cost of traffic school, and the hassle. Damn!

When we got home, B skipped through the front door and announced "Kristen got a speeding ticket!!!!" My husband immediately burst out in laughter. Great job on reinforcing the lesson, honey. I said to B, "and..." and he said "Um, and I learned not to go with the flow of traffic."

EXCELLENT! What does it take, kid? No, you learned that if you're gonna speed, be sure to outrun the cops. No...you learned that the faster you go, the fewer tickets you get. No... "You learned that even if everyone else is breaking the rules, it's not okay for you to break the rules."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "She has to pay $115.00, Dad!"

So it took me until yesterday to actually look at the ticket and the pamphlet. I hadn't gotten a speeding ticket for over ten years. Dang. My court date read: January 12, 2006, so I figured all I'd have to do between now and then was figure out where the court house is and get there and say "I plead, guilty, judge, but please pretty please let me go to traffic school so my insurance rates don't go through the f-ing roof." Not the case. Things are different here in the Zone.

If I want to go to traffic school, and it says I'm eligible on the pamphlet, I have to complete traffic school BEFORE my court date. Crap! I wondered if I still had time. I called the number for NTSI, the National Traffic Safety Institute, and spoke to Margie. She informed me that there are no traffic schools in my city, Maricopa. Duh. We just got a grocery store. And where would I like to go. "I'd like to go online, please." Duh. Why do anything clothed when you can do it in PJs is my motto. She said she would allow it, and after taking my credit card information, told me that $115.00 would be charged to my card, including the traffic ticket. SWEET! Going to traffic school costs no more than the original ticket. As I recall, this is NOT the case in CA. I now have to complete a 6-8 hour online course, during which they will ask me 20 personal questions about myself, which I will have to answer correctly to make sure it's me taking the course. So she started in on the questions. Do you own a home? Do you have any children? Do you have any pets? Is blue your favorite color? Have you ever been to Mexico? Have you ever been to Hawaii? Have you ever been to Europe? Is this your first speeding ticket? Is football your favorite sport? Are you married? Do you like hamburgers? On and on...I just hope I remember how I answered all the questions. And I hope that the government is not now keeping a top secret file on me and all my travels, food preferences, and roommates. Kinda scary, huh?

Anyway, after I successfully complete the course, I have to take an 83-question test in front of a notary. I guess that means I can't cheat, but not so! I've figured out a way. I'm not really a cheater. I hate people who cheat at board games, and I never cheated in school, but traffic school? Please! I'm a great driver. I'm going to take the easiest, quickest, least honorable way out of this mess. Who knows? I might even learn a few choice AZ traffic laws that don't exist in CA, even if I do cheat. I'll let you know if I turn up anything crazy. So here's my cheating plan: 1) Wait 'til they send me the test in the mail. 2) Make a copy of the test. 3) Look up all the answers to the test online (so I don't have to read the whole darn thing) and write them down on the copied test. 4) Memorize the answers. 5) Go to the notary. That simple. But now that I put it in writing, maybe it would be more efficient to just read the whole thing. Hmmmm. I guess I'll have to decide once I start the course. To cheat or not to cheat? The age-old question.

If I successfully complete the course in time, the ticket gets wiped from my record, and I never even have to show my face in court. I just can't get another ticket for 24 months. That seems like a really long time, but when you consider it's been over ten years since my last ticket, it shouldn't be too rough. Plus, I'm kinda getting used to driving 65 on the 347. Grandma Kristen rides again!

Unimpressive Paint

2006-01-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

The interior of our house was painted today, and I'm hoping that there is more than one coat. There must be, right? I'm going to wait to see before I sound the alarm, as we really have to pick our battles. I don't want to prematurely accuse anyone of poor workmanship. I thought that when the house was painted it would look more finished and look a whole lot better. What the paint really does is enhance all the flaws in the structure. Gaps in the baseboard seams, drywall dents, mashed trim. Hmmmmm. When everything looked rough and unpainted, it was hard to pick out the real flaws. Now that things are looking more finished, they're easy to spot. I'm hoping that the builder will go back through and fix everything, then do another coat. If not, we're going to have an awful lot of blue tape in our house (blue tape is what they use to mark homeowner-discovered flaws). We'll just have to see what happens over the next few days. Here's a picture...

UPDATE: My husband just got home and told me it was probably just primer. Duh.

Taking a Sun Bath

2006-01-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

How cute are my babies? They are taking a sun bath together right now, and they couldn't be any cuter! They have that puppy sleepy smell, and they are doing big sighs. Ahhhh. I think I'll go join them for a few minutes.

My New Year's Resolution

2005-12-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

85239.com just did an article on the New Year's Resolutions of some of it's residents, and my resolution got in there! I've never really believed in resolutions (but, of course, wasn't going to pass on the free publicity) because I think people should do what they want to do every day of their lives, not just wait for the first of the year. I'm not saying I always live by that, but I try to. Happy New Year to my three or four faithful readers! Maybe my resolution should be to find some more people to read my blog.

The Doors Rock!

2005-12-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Todays home, home, on the range update: doors are going in and base boards are being installed. The door/wood trim/baseboard crew were working on the house when I went by this morning, so I couldn't really go all over the place, but I got a couple of shots. Here's one of the front door. You can see the coat closet door in the foreground. We're moving along, now!

And on the 423rd day...

2005-12-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

...there was stucco...

Insight Bowl

2005-12-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the Insight Bowl at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. We got free tickets (face value...very expensive) from the director of Maricopa Parks and Rec. department because we've been supporters of their programs. It was pretty cool, because us Maricopans took up almost three rows. We felt very fortunate to be a part of it.

The game was great! ASU vs. Rutgers, and we won! It was a hard-faught battle. Rutgers was in the lead by two touchdowns at the end of the first half, but we came back to win with a final score of 45 to 40. I've just recently gotten really into football since B played flag football this past season. I watched football with my dad my whole life, but never really understood the rules. Kind-of like when he tried to teach me algebra. He got really frustrated because it all seemed so simple to him. Well, now that my eight-year-old understands the rules, I figured it was time for me to really learn. And I get it pretty well now! And it's awesome! Now instead of asking questions of my dad like, "What's first and ten mean?," I'm asking questions of my husband like, "Why would they choose to do a blitz in that situation?" I still have questions, they're just a bit more advanced.

The stadium, Chase Field (recently changed from the name "Bank One Ballpark"), was really impressive. It has a retractable roof that they closed soon after the game started. I guess to keep all the body heat in. There are also huge open-air "windows" that afforded us a beautiful view of the downtown buildings, until they closed those, too. They closed like giant double doors, and when shut, had giant advertisements on them (of course). The stadium is usually used exclusively for baseball, so they had to bring in a football field and extra stands just for this one game. I guess for capacity or something. Or maybe it had something to do with Insight. It was the "Insight Bowl," after all.

It kinda bugs how commercial these things are getting. We've had these stadiums called certain things for years, and then some big company comes along and buys the damn thing and puts their name on it. Like I said, when we moved here five months ago, the building was called "Bank One Ballpark." Then Chase bought Bank One, so now it's called "Chase Field." When my husband told me that the game was at "Chase Field," I didn't even know what he was talking about. Whatever. And then when you get in, there's "Insight" plastered all over everything. Totally overkill and tacky, if you ask me, but, hey, I've used the word "Insight" in this entry about a million times, so I guess the advertising takeover is working on some level. I still don't know what the hell they do, and I'm purposely not going to look it up. So there. I'll let my memories of the game stay with the game.

Here's a photo of the stadium roof closing. The windows are still open.

And here's a shot of the windows closed.

Here we are enjoying the game. My boys can't handle the flash. Ever. They close their eyes in every picture. Must be genetic.

Stucco Pile and Wall Texture

2005-12-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

When I went by the house this morning, we had a stucco pile in our front yard, as promised! I love it when people do what they say. Here's a picture:

They put the texture on the interior walls yesterday. Here's a shot of that:

Merry Christmas Eve!

Santa Comes Early

2005-12-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Aside from my wonderful family and friends, my health, and all that great stuff, we just received the best holiday present we ever could have hoped for: A CLOSING DATE ON OUR HOUSE!!!!!

We received a call last night saying that our final walk-through will be on February 27th, and we'll get the keys on March 7th. I'm a bit bummed that it's March and not February, but just to have a solid date feels so good that I don't really care. Now we can plan financially, tell the movers when to come, tell our apartment manager to shove it (just kidding), plan new furniture delivery, and, best of all, have something to look forward to!

The texture to the interior walls was applied today, and the stucco pile (I'll get a picture of it...it literally looks like a huge mountain of dust) will be delivered today or tomorrow. The exterior should be stuccoed (is that a word?) and the interior painted with all the baseboards installed by the end of next week. Then they'll hang all the doors and on January 9th (hubby's b-day), they will deliver the cabinets! Yahooooooooooo! Finally, some serious progress. I can't express my excitement in words.

A few days ago I met the father of one of our next door neighbors. I saw an un-construction worker-looking man lingering around the house next door and decided to introduce myself. His daughter, son-in law, 15-year-old-drum-playing son, and FOUR DOGS (one is in a wheelchair), are just as excited to move in as we are, and just as irritated with the process. He seemed really nice, so I'm sure our neighbors will be, too. And they have four dogs! And one is in a wheelchair! Four dogs with one in a wheelchair! All the stars are aligned. We must be soul-mate neighbors.

So all of you planning to visit...mark your calendars and tell me when you're coming! I'm so excited!!!

Getting to Know...

2005-12-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

85239.com is profiling me this week! If you go to the home page, you'll see a link to my profile in the lower left corner, but here's a direct link. I'm not sure how many site visitors actually read the "Getting to Know" colum, but I always do, so I'm pretty excited about it.

UPDATE 12.23.05: My profile has been removed and I've been replaced by Santa Claus! Sheesh!

Some Holiday Cheer

2005-12-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

This week has been busy! On top of all our usual antics, we have also been doing lots of fun things to help get us into the holiday spirit...

Last weekend we went to Santa's Village at Firebird Raceway. It's a mile of rides, games, shows and food, all with a Christmas theme. It was pricey, but well worth the memories. Little B had a BLAST, and said he wanted to come back every day. By far, my favorite part was "The Doggies of the Wild West Show." The doggies did tricks and stood around and looked cute, and it almost made me cry, it was so great. The best part was that the dogs who weren't performing a trick hung out in their own little stagecoach. It was too, too cute!

I wanted to ride the tilt-a-whirl, but the boys thought they would get sick. I got in line to ride by myself, and then noticed a sign that said "no single riders." While I was trying to persuade the boys to go with me, this sweet little girl said, "you can ride with me and my little sister." Great! So I let them pick which buggy we should sit in, and everyone seemed happy and so excited for the ride. Then as soon as we moved one inch, the little girl started screaming, crying, wailing... I didn't know what to do! Her older sister covered her mouth and put her in her jacket and said to me, "I don't want anyone to hear her because I don't want to get off the ride." She was screaming that bad. Seriously. Like the operator would have for sure stopped the ride if he had heard. All I was concerned about was getting thrown up on. I've noticed that lately I haven't been enjoying rides as much because I've developed a fear of being vomited on. Who cares if you're terrified, little girl, just don't you dare throw up on me. I just tried to take her mind off it by laughing, saying "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee" and "Yahooooooooo" and "This is so fun!" Here are the crappy pictures my husband took, but you can see how terrified the girl is, and then how her sister is covering her up, and how I'm just trying to laugh...it's probably nervous laughter thinking that that open mouth could produce some serious projectile.

The trauma...

Then the covering-up so we can stay on the ride...

That may have been my last tilt-a-whirl ride, unless I can find someone I know well who won't cry and who can guarantee me that they won't throw up. I think that can be hard to come by.

We got hot chocolate, the boys went on the bumper cars, we went into about a million fun houses, and we played games. I told the boys they could play as long as they promised NOT to win a stupid giant stuffed animal. Let me tell you how well that worked out...

But when we got home, the dogs were thrilled. They had a toy that they could wrestle with, play tug-o-war, and hump! It only lasted a couple of days before all the little white cheap stuffing balls came out. They were so upset when they had to say buh-bye to "screwey the squirrel."

On Sunday we got our Christmas tree and decorated it. We planned to get something REALLY small. Like three or four feet, but, of course, we ended up with a six foot tree. It's beautiful, though. We honored our tradition of making and drinking cider while tree-trimming, which is always a treat. Hot cider is the best! We were a bit sad because my hubby and I both have ornaments from our childhood that are very, very sentimental, but they are all in storage. We never once thought we wouldn't be in our new home for Christmas, so we never thought to bring them. We had to purchase a few new ornaments, which we like, but it's just not the same. Our tree does look nice, though.

On Monday night, we toured Maricopa's "Holiday Homes on Parade" with the D family. Maricopa residents sign their decorated homes up to the contest, if they like, and then the townsfolk (hee hee) drive around with an "official" ballot obtained from the local paper or city hall and vote on the best theme, best use of color, best overall...and then there is a write-in choice, where you write the address in of the house that should have entered, but didn't. We all piled into the D's SUV, drank hot chocolate, and sang holiday tunes as they came on the radio. It took us two hours!

Tuesday night was Little B's holiday concert. He had practiced and practiced, and practiced at home. And practiced. The third grade class performed "Deck the Halls" and "Here We Come A-Wassaling," which I always knew as "Here We Come A-Caroling." I guess the original version is "Wassaling," which my son informs me means the same. Little B is the first visible kid to the right of the music teacher in the back row. The auditorium was standing room only by the time I got there, so the pictures I got aren't the best, but at least we've recorded the event.

My favorite holiday activity was on Thursday, when we attended "Las Noches de Las Luminarias" at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The paths and buildings are lined with hundreds of luminarias, and the trees are lit with white lights. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Apparently, it takes fifty people thirty minutes to light all of the luminarias. When we arrived, we ate dinner outside. I had posole pork stew with homemade flour tortilla. Yum! After dinner, we grabbed some hot cider and strolled the garden. Musicians of all sorts were playing throughout the garden. They were perfectly placed so that as you were walking along and the musician you were just visiting started to fade, you'd start to hear the next one you were approaching along the path. Our favorites were "Del Sol," a Latin guitar group that played against a lit, cactus-dotted mountain backdrop, and, of course, the bell choir. The whole evening was just amazing. Walking around in the cold with warm drinks, listening to great music, all lit by candles and white lights. I simply can't say enough wonderful things about it. We plan to go every holiday season for the rest of our lives. We loved it so much, we purchased a year membership to the gardens. Can't wait to go back. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera, so the picture here was taken from the Web site.

My holiday spirit is pretty much gone after today, though. We went Christmas shopping! Ugh! Boy, it's unbelievable how crowded places get. I usually try my best to stay away from the stores during the holidays, but we waited until the last minute to purchase one very specific gift, so we had no choice. We finally found it after about four hours and fifteen stores. Now I'm off to do some wrapping!

Happy Holidays!

People, We Have Drywall!

2005-12-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

The drywall crew started on our house on Friday morning, and now they are about halfway done. We're hoping that they finish hanging on Monday, then do the mudding and finishing touches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then we'll be ready for exterior stucco! Our house looks like a disaster area right now, but it's beautiful to us. Here's a tour...

Here the workers are drywalling the upper part of the living room. The kitchen is off to the right.

In this picture we're standing in the living room looking into the dining room.

Here's the living room...

The master bath. That doorway is where the toilet will be.

Here's a photo taken from inside the master bath. You can see the plumbing for the sinks and the cut-out where the medicine cabinet will go. The little cove to the left will be a linen closet. Hubby is standing in the master bedroom.

The master bedroom...

Here's me standing next to the fireplace in the master bedroom.

And here's a picture of the upstairs hallway. Nice mess, eh? The loft is to the left, and that's the master bedroom straight ahead.

It's starting to look like a real house, now!

I Got Quoted Again!

2005-12-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is my week for publicity! I also got quoted in the inaugural issue of 85239.com news, a newsletter they send out to their mailing list that highlights local small businesses. Nice to know that my 85239.com advertising dollars are getting some extra miles. Maybe next time I'll say something bad about the site just to mess with them. I clipped out the section where my quote is. Check it out:

I Got Quoted (Forum Party Follow-up)

2005-12-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

85239.com put out an article today on that gathering we went to last Sunday, and I got quoted. Pretty cool!

Break Out the Ice Skates!

2005-12-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I noticed that our sprinkler-created puddle was frozen over! It's been below freezing in the morning all week. I've been bundling up before going out, but this morning I actually wished I had gloves. Too bad my ice skates are in storage, or I could have practiced my spins!

You Know You're Getting Old When...

2005-12-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

...you have to tell your kid to turn down the music. Oh, crap. Here we go. I can't believe it happened, but it happened last night. Here I am, working away on the computer, innocently enjoying my new "Relaxing Christmas Jazz" CD when I hear a choir of out-of-tune children screaming "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." I say screaming and not singing because I don't think it qualifies as singing. It is none other than the "Kidz Bop Christmas" CD I bought for B a few days ago.

Blasting.

In the bathroom.

Where it echoes.

So he can look in the mirror at himself checking his pretend list "twice" and better not "pout"-ing.

'Cause SANTA CLAUSE IS COMIN' TO TOWN! Did you hear me? SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN! Yes. SANTA CLAUS IS COM-IN' TO TOOOOOOOOOOOWN!

I'm only 29. He's only 8. We have a long ten years ahead, don't we? And the worst part? He found the "repeat" button.

85239.com Gathering

2005-12-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

So by now you all know about 85239.com and the open forum that has brought the community together in an incredible way. I've made both personal and business connections through the forum. It's great! Well, yesterday afternoon, "Little Acorns," who happens to be one the people I've made a personal connection with organized a forum "meet and greet" at Ramsey's American Grill. For a set price, each of us got to partake in an appetizer buffet and cocktails, and we got to spend time with each other in real life! Each of us had name tags with our screen names (mine's CApoppy) and our real names. I already knew several of the people, but I got to meet some new people. Funny how you don't at all picture someone like they truly look. There were definitely some surprises. Mrs. D (frj143) took some pictures and posted them on the forum. Here's a picture of hubby (RayneMan) and I talking to one of our friends and another of B and Little D enjoying the spread.

The party was a ton of fun, and it looks like we're going to try to get everyone together every couple of months. There was quite a good turn out yesterday, and even the kids had fun. They were running around a bit crazy, but the adults were, too, so it was all good. Funny thing...our son, B, went into the restroom with a couple of friends. I stopped hubby in mid-sentence and said "Would you mind going with them? Boys + Bathroom = Wet Paper Towel Mess." Hubby said "Oh, they'll be fine." Five minutes later they all came out with dripping paper towels hanging from their ears. I didn't even have to say "I told you so."

A good time was had by all!

It's Burr-eezing

2005-11-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

We experienced the sweltering heat of summer in AZ, and now we're experiencing the bitter cold. Yesterday--get this--it was 28 degrees when we woke up in the morning. 28 degrees! The dew was frozen on the grass. How fun is this?!? Little Nasha, poor dear, was shivering on her walk, so "cute sweater need" instantly popped into my head. She just happened to have an appointment at the vet for a rabies shot, so I inquired about whether or not a doggie sweater was purely for human amusement, or if they actually served a purpose. The vet told me that if Nasha is shivering, I should definitely get her a sweater. Especially if we are trying to potty train her, because if she gets too cold outside, she won't want to go outside. Just after the vet appointment, we immediately headed to the pet store, where I purchased the cutest little faux suede, fur lined winter coat. I felt that pink was the warmest color.

The Drywall is Staged

2005-11-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

When we visited the house over the Thanksgiving weekend, the drywall was staged in each room. We've heard that once the drywall is in, things should progress pretty quickly, but we've heard lots of things that didn't come true, so we'll just have to see. Every little step makes us feel good. From left to right, this photo is of hubby, me, hubby's brother, hubby's brother's girlfriend, and pile o' drywall!

Bark. Meow. Tweet. Gobble.

2005-11-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving weekend I had the most jobs I've ever had, which was great, but the stinky part is that one of them was WAY the heck out in the middle of nowhere. I didn't really realize how far it was when I went for the consultation because I got super lost, but driving 45 miles one way for four days will really make you realize how far you're going. I had to get up at 4:30 each morning just to make sure I had time for my other jobs. Not to mention the fact that I had a house full of guests that I didn't get to visit with as much as I'd have liked to. All in all, since Wednesday night I've driven 1,020 miles for pet sitting jobs.

But I still love my job.

Even after Saturday, when my first client greeted me with two giant mountains of partially-digested dog food vomit, the second job welcomed me with hairballs (kind enough to expel on the linoleum) and ten piles of diarrhea (not on linoleum), and the third with a urine soaked scrap pile of drapery. It was one of those laughing and crying at the same time days.

But I'm thankful that my client base is growing, and I'm so thankful to see the wagging tails and happy faces that greet me every time I walk into a client's home. And I'm especially thankful that I don't have any jobs tonight.

Some Casino Action

2005-11-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

We went to the Harrah's Ak-Chin Indian Casino today for the first time. My best friend, brother-in-law, and his girlfriend are in town for the holiday, so we decided to grab the few hours of exclusively adult time we had while my stepson was in school and live it up. We sat at the bar and had Bloody Marys while we played video poker. I can't speak for anyone else, but I lost forty bucks pretty quickly. We gave up on that and headed over to Darlene the Dealer at the $10 black jack table, and I won my money back, exactly. So all I lost out on was the cocktail money. They don't buy you drinks like they do in Vegas, which threw my whole gambling plan off, because I usually just make sure I drink enough to cover my losses. Hmmm. I'll have to figure out how to make my losses work for me for next time.

Diggin' and Insulation

2005-11-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Our house now has insulation! They did the whole house in one day. Check it out:

They also dug our pool today!!! Major progress!

Something extra to be thankful for this Thursday.

My Anniversary

2005-11-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

I was so busy yesterday that I forgot it was my 2nd anniversary of quitting smoking. Two years! I can't believe it! I must say, I'm quite proud of myself. I guess it goes to show how smoking is so not a part of my life anymore...I couldn't even remember the anniversary. Yay, me!

Hubby Gets Honored

2005-11-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

My husband was presented with an award last night for his contribution to Maricopa's Founder's Day. His company donated 1600 bottles of water for the event, and they also donated the first month's rental for all soft water and reverse osmosis tanks rented between October 15th and November 15th to the Maricopa Parks & Rec. Department.

We had to sit through a two-hour city council meeting about whether or not they will allow an ethanol plant in the city in order to see him get the award, but it was worth it. And the ethanol talks were pretty interesting for the first hour. He was presented the award by Marty McDonald, director of Parks, Recreation and Libraries, while the mayor and city councilmembers looked on. Pretty impressive, huh?

Good job, honey!

Splish Splash

2005-11-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our pool is now marked in the backyard! More progress!!! It will probably sit just like this for several weeks, but it's exciting now. It's sort-of a freeform shape with an extra long second step that doubles as a bench. The little semi-circle that's sticking out of the back will be where the rock waterfall will go. Hubby took this picture from the deck off the master bedroom, which will eventually have a railing.

I've been tagged...

2005-11-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

I feel like a popular girl, now! Steph tagged me to tell five random facts about myself, so here goes...

1. I have a permanent blue dot on my left butt cheek, and I don't know how I got it.
2. I really do think dogs make better friends than people do.
3. I like Barry Manilow and I've been to at least ten of his concerts.
4. My favorite foods are hot dogs and foie grois (not together, although I'm sure it's been done).
5. I'd like to learn to play the guitar.

Now comes the part that makes me feel not so popular. I only have one other "blog bud" besides Steph, and I don't think I can tag her back. And I met this "blog bud" through Steph. And I don't know if I know this "blog bud" well enough to be termed "blog buds." So Coffeedog, you have to do this five times! I guess we need 25 random facts about you. Don't let me down!!!

Yin & Yang

2005-11-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Just look at my babies!

You Know You're From Arizona When...

2005-11-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Someone posted this on the 85239.com forum a while back, and I laughed. Now I can relate.

1. You buy salsa by the gallon.
2. Your Christmas decorations include a half a yard of
sand and l00 paper bags.
3. You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
4. All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after
October but clear out come the end of April.
5. You think someone driving wearing oven mitts is clever.
6. Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El"
or "Los".
7. You think 6 tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.
8. You've signed so many petitions to recall governors that
you can't remember the name of the incumbent.
9. You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
10. Your house is made of stucco and has a red clay tile roof.
11. You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing
funny.
12. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
13. You see more irrigation water on the street than there is in
the Rillito.
14. You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
15. You can say 115 degrees without fainting.
16. Every other vehicle is a 4x4.
17. You can be in the snow, then drive for an hour and it will be
over l00 degrees.
18. Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
19. People break out coats when temperature drops below 70 degrees.
20. You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your
car.
21. The pool can be warmer than you are.
22. You can make sun tea instantly.
23. You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can
use your fireplace.
24. Most homes have more firearms than people.
25. Kids will ask, "What's a mosquito?"
26. People who have black cars or black upholstery in their car are
automatically assumed to be from out-of-state or nuts.
27. You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead
of distance.
28. The AC is on your list of best friends.
29. Monday Night Football starts at 7:00 instead of 6:00.
30. You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.
31. You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.
32. The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the
hot one.
33. You can (correctly) pronounce the words: "Saguaro", "Ocotillo",
"Tempe", "Gila Bend", "San Xavier", "Canyon de Chelly", "Mogollon
Rim", "Cholla", and "Ajo."
34. It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person
is walking on the streets.
35. You experience third degree burns if you touch any metal part of
your car.
36. You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're
wearing shorts.
37. Announcements for Fourth of July events never end with "in case of
rain......"
38. When someone asks how far you live from a location, it's always in
terms of minutes, not miles.
39. Everyone's smiling and talking about the great weather on rainy
days.
40. If you haven't worked for Raytheon at some time, you must be a
newcomer.
41. You have to explain to out-of-staters why there is no daylight
savings time.

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

2005-11-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we went to the Arizona State Fair. It was a blast! I had never been to a state fair before. The thing was HUGE! So many rides and attractions, concerts and shows, food, food, food, and animals. It pretty much cost us an arm and a leg to go, but it was worth it. I never thought anything could be more expensive than Disneyland!

We started our adventure with a ride on Kitty, the 8,000 pound Asian elephant. Little B and I rode while Big B took pictures. The people that rode Kitty right before us got a bonus ride because Kitty had to go potty. They got to sit on her while she did. Hmm. It was actually pretty impressive. Two trainers backed her up off the ride route (I guess it was the "bathroom"), and each had a trash can. One was for #1 and one was for #2. The trainers got their trash cans into position and just gave her a pat on the bum. She went on command! Pretty cool. So Kitty was all refreshed and perky when we got on her. I'm sure her flower tiara helped her get in the mood. The ride was pretty slow and rolling. Kind of like being on a boat. We got to pet her head, which was rough and bristly. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to kiss her, but you know I would have. We told her thank you, and gave her a good pat at the end of the ride. Poor thing...going round and round in circles all day.

After that we watched pig races. The pigs had names like Janet Napigliono (Arizona's govenor is Janet Napolitano), Arnold Swartspignator, and the like. They were pretty cute. Once they got their numbers on and got in their stalls, they were all fired up. Squealing and snorting. The race started and the crowd cheered, they rounded the first bend and crossed the finish line, where they were greeted with platters of slop. I think they only had to race about twenty feet or so, so the whole thing was over in about ten seconds. I think it took us longer to get to our seats in the bleachers. But who can resist a racing, squealing, snorting pig. No kissing there, either.

Then we watched people waste their money on the Crazy Bike, hoping to win a bike of their very own. Of course, the dude in charge of taking all the money could ride the thing perfectly. All you had to do was ride the bike straight between a set of cones for only fifteen feet or so. But the steering on the bike was backwards, so if you went left, the bike would go right and vice versa. Seems easy, but most people fell as soon as their feet hit the pedals. Funny how everyone thinks they are going to be the one to do it, even after watching tons of people fail. I wonder how much that guy raked in at $3 a ride or $5 for two rides. Sheesh! It was sure fun to watch, though.

There were so many food stands, it was amazing! They were all lit up and flashing with merchants yelling at us to try their fried this and their fried that. Your choices were limited in terms of fried or not fried (I think the only "not fried" items were pickles, which you could also have fried, and ice cream), but there were a load of fried choices. We finally settled on hand-dipped corn dogs and curly fries. Yum! My belly kinda hurt after, but it was yummy.

Just after eating, I found the "Orbiter," a ride that spins, and then has arms that spin, and then individual cars that spin. it goes really fast, and flies up into the air. I had been on one before, and they are super fun. I had to go alone because both of the boys were chicken. Especially after the fried feast. I got off the ride a little shakier than I remember last time. It must be age. Or the corn dog.

The boys then played speed pitch, where you throw one pitch, then guess the speed of your second pitch. Big B guessed 58mph exactly and won a Giants baseball hat. Then Little B went on a bunch of super slides and fun houses, and we walked around and enjoyed the sights. We also went on this terrifying spinning coaster thing. Each car fit four people--couples back to back. The whole thing was a coaster, but then the car spun, as well. I hated it because A) You felt as if your whole cart was going to launch off the track at any moment, and B) I was sitting next to Little B and about two seconds into the ride he said "I feel sick." I ripped his new baseball hat off his head and handed it to him. He didn't have to use, it but it was a close call. As if we didn't have enough to eat, we stopped by the ice cream booth. Big B and I got hand-dipped ice cream bars, and Little B got--get this--a frozen Twinkie hand dipped in chocolate, then covered in Oreo cookies. Insane!

We rode "La Grande Wheel," the largest movable Ferris Wheel in the northern hemisphere. It is over 150 feet high, and has over 500,000 lights. It was really an impressive sight, and the view from up top was amazing. Made us realize how big the fair really was. I thought it would take forever to get on the thing because the line was really long, but they have the loading and unloading thing down pat. They load six gondolas at a time. They can do this because the line for each is tiered. It went really quickly. So they load all the cars, spin you around about four times, then you get off. Little B was afraid to go on it at first, but he loved it once he saw the view.

After that, we headed over to my favorite thing, the petting zoo, where I finally got to kiss something. A goat! They had baby goats that were too cute!!! They were crawling all over the grown-up goats and prancing around. We also saw a giant tortoise, got to pet a kangaroo, got to see Rosie Rose's relatives, the wild cavies from south America, and got to feed a yak (and got butted...they don't like to be pet on the head). We saw a giraffe, zebras, and the largest rodent in the world (I forget what it's called). Oh, and chickens! The petting zoo was definitely the best part!

Tired and belly achy, we then walked back to the car. A nice cap on the evening was a street musician playing the sax. He was quite good, and we enjoyed the tunes as we strolled a half mile back to our $15 parking space.

Update on Skinny Part 2

2005-11-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

I've been hesitant to update all of you rooting for Skinny because I've been waiting to see how things played out. Well, I'm pretty sure this story will have a happy ending...

A few days after Skinny escaped her new home for the second time, Mrs. D saw her running across the 347, the busiest street (highway, actually), in Maricopa. Skinny got hit by a car not once, not twice, but three times!!! Twice on the way across the street, then the girl went back across and got hit again. Mrs. D witnessed it all and tried to capture Skinny, but Skinny was on the run. Mrs. D followed her until she stopped under a trailer next to a puppy that looked just like her, only not quite so skinny. Skinny was pretty banged up, but didn't seem to have any life-threatening injuries. Mrs. D noticed a TV on in the trailer, and it seemed as if someone was home, but when she knocked, no one would come to the door. She left a note asking the owner to surrender the dogs to her.

She then called JJ, the Animal Control Officer. He went to Skinny's home and got the owner to come out. He told the owner to either surrender the dog to animal control or pay a fine immediately for letting the dog run loose. The owner chose to surrender Skinny to Animal Control, but was allowed to keep the puppy since it wasn't running all over town. JJ will keep checking on the puppy. He took Skinny to Mrs. D's house.

This was about two weeks ago, and Skinny has been there ever since, very happy. She hugs like a person, and is so so sweet. Mrs. D called a Lab rescue as soon as Skinny arrived, as the people who took Skinny two times before were understandably unwilling to try again. The Lab rescue was full, so Mrs. D has been housing her waiting for an opening. Well, that opening has come, and the Ds are driving Skinny to the Tucson Lab Rescue today.

Bye Skinny! Good luck in your new home!

Bits of a Wacky Dream

2005-11-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to say I can't remember much of the dream I had last night, but the parts I do remember are too bizarre not to share...

I'm abducted. I don't see who did it (or I don't remember), because it's already happened. I can see things from my perspective and also from overhead. I'm stuck in what I can only describe as a giant blue square-shaped floaty raft. It's the kind that have the cylindrical pockets to allow water (or a beverage can) in. I'm one of many naked people that have been abducted and are stuck in a pocket.

For some reason, I know that I can only be alive if I stay in the cylinder, but I can choose to get out, if I want to. If I get out, I'll be dead, but I can see the people who have died before me.

So the next thing I know I'm out, and now I'm wearing a white toga-like outfit. I'm watching a man in a similar outfit who's about fifty years old run around what looks like a ghost town. He's really scared. Then I'm holding him and comforting him, and I'm his mother.

That's all I remember.

Isn't it bizarre how some dreams you can totally figure out--like an engaged woman dreaming of wedding disasters--and then there are others that come from some little-used corner of your brain? I have no idea what this dream could mean. It's probably better that way.

Halloween Happenings

2005-11-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Our first Halloween in AZ went off without a hitch. My husband and son carved pumpkins on Halloween eve while I made the pumpkin seeds. I really dislike carving pumpkins. I feel obligated to carve every year because my dad used to really enjoy it (I think), and he would always make a big deal out of it when I was a kid. He would spread the newspaper all over the kitchen counter, get out all the tools, and make sure we drew out our patterns and planned ahead. This was before you could buy patterns. This was also before the "Pumpkin Cutter," which is probably why I'm not real hot on carving. I guess I feel like I should carve to honor his memory. But this year I realized I could just smell the pumpkins and think of him. I didn't have to pretend like I enjoyed carving. Sorry, Dad! And to help me along with the memory, my husband acted all serious just like my dad used to. The only part of pumpkin carving I truly enjoyed was sitting with my dad in the dark and admiring his lit jack-o-lanterns...then we would place them in the front window just so and walk out to the street to check it out. Good times. This year the dogs got up on the table and helped as the guinea pig chewed on the pumpkin top. My dad never would have let me do that, but now that I'm all growed up, I can do it if I want (as long as my husband has his back turned).

On Halloween night we went to The D's house. We had a great time taking the kids trick-or treating and handing out candy. We sat in the driveway with bags and bags of candy. There were a ton of kids. Mr. D had decorated their house pretty elaborately, complete with spooky music and strobe light. My son dressed as an army dude, Kermit dressed like a weenie, and Nasha wore a mohawk. The dogs didn't get to come with, but we took pictures anyway. My son has graduated from the cartoon character costumes to something a little more mature. Hopefully next year he'll go for something really horrific with blood and guts. Little Mr. D was a cute froggie!

Mrs. D had this candy bowl from hell. She said "Isn't it cute?" I said "Cute? Actually, it's kind of frightening." This is the stuff nightmares are made of, folks. It's a little kid's body dressed in Halloween garb with a pumpkin bucket head. See for yourself. Please vote "cute" or "oh my God, run for your lives." Isn't it reminiscent of a certain clown we all know and love? Yeah, that one under the bed. Except this one is even freakier because the head is hollow. And it just sits there. Like a real person. And he's pictured here in Little Mr. D's stroller. What happened to Little Mr. D?

Happy Halloween! Can you believe it's November?!!! (And our house still isn't done!!!)

Scorpion Invasion!

2005-11-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Mr. and Mrs. D have been having a serious scorpion problem, most likely because their house backs up to open land and next to that open land workers are grading for new homes. They have found a total of six scorpions since they moved in! And that doesn't count all the babies on the back of this one they found in their garage last weekend:

Ewwww! And here's the daddy, they think:

I guess the sting is only really harmful to small children (like their 2-year-old son) and animals (like their three dogs and two cats). Scary and gross, huh? They don't have those suckers in So. Cal.

I Am Not a Groomer

2005-10-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Scary thing happened last night. I noticed that our guinea pig's toenails were getting very long. That's not the scary part. See, usually she keeps her feet pretty much tucked under her body, so it's hard to tell how her nails are doing. I checked the guinea pig book, and it said to clip them when they get too long, so I got out the dog nail clippers. I cut eight of her back toenails with no problem, but she moved on the ninth one. I clipped it right through the quick. For those who have never clipped an animal's nails before, the quick is the fleshy center of the nail that tends to bleed and hurt when cut.

Rosie Rose let out a squeal and blood started dripping out. I didn't think much of it at first because I've cut my dogs' nails and many times cut just a bit of the quick. It usually produces a small drop of blood, then stops. I thought that's what would happen. We noticed that the blood wasn't stopping, so we got a paper towel and held her nail. The paper towel was soaked with blood, and I started to get really worried. That little thing can't have that much blood in her. So I asked my husband to call the vet. He called a 24-hour animal clinic (it was about 9 PM), and they suggested a little baking soda. We poured out a pile of baking soda on the kitchen counter and stuck her foot in it. We then had a nice little mountain of red baking soda. It wasn't working!

I started to panic, but my stepson started to worry so I had to cool it and do that parental "everything will be okay" even when you're not sure that it will. My husband said that the vet told him he could get a substance called "Quick Stop" at the pet store. Well, by now it's well past 9 PM. Where are we going to find a pet store? Hubby called the PetSmart down the street, and they said they were closed. He explained the situation and said he could be there in five minutes. They were nice enough to allow him to come.

When he got to the pet store, the manager was there ready with the Quick Stop. He gave it to us at no charge. It looked just like baking soda, but brown. The manager explained that we should hold her out and take some of the Quick Stop on a finger. Then jam as much of it as possible onto the end of the victim nail. He said it would hurt her, but save her. Poor Rosie!!! I felt horrible!

We did what the manager said, and Rosie Rose grunted and squirmed the whole time. It must have really stung. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped immediately and she is fine now. Whew! I held her for the rest of the night--for so long that she eventually had to pee real bad and it went all over me. I deserved it. I hope it made her feel better.

We always make up silly rhymes and songs about the animals. Rosie Rose's new rhyme is "There's Rosie Rose with nineteen toes." I guess I got so cocky as a pet sitter I thought I could do grooming too. Never again. I'll leave it to the professionals.

Pre-drywall Inspection

2005-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Finally! Yesterday we attended our pre-drywall inspection. My father-in-law flew out on Saturday evening just to attend it with us. He is an electrical contractor, so it was really great to have his set of eyes on the joint. Not to mention he hadn't been out here to visit, yet, so he got to see it all for the first time. After taking him on a hike on Sunday morning, we all headed down to Maricopa to check out the house. We ended up spending about two hours doing a PRE pre-drywall inspection. We took pages and pages of notes. My father-in-law found things we never would have. Since we weren't really supposed to be inside the house, we spent some time memorizing our notes so that we'd be sure to include everything in the official inspection. Most of the switch boxes were loose, there was some kinked and/or damaged wire, an outlet missing, some switches slightly out of place, and a few broken studs. A lot of little stuff we were hoping they wouldn't give us any trouble about fixing. My father in-law noticed some crucial things such as duct-work and wires resting on can light housings, which could potentially damage the wire, and might eventually push the can-light down so it's not fully recessed into the drywall of the ceiling. He also noticed that the CAT-5 cable in the kitchen was wrapped too tightly around the can lights. Stuff we never would have even known to look for. He said they were mostly quality-of-workmanship issues--not so much pressing safety issues--but we wanted to address them just the same. It was pretty funny, because he found a big piece of lumber in the backyard, which he used to authoritatively point out blemishes and poke at problem areas.

On Monday morning, the three of us arrived promptly at 9 AM in front of the house with the checklist in our heads, and a digital camera as an intimidation tactic. When we arrived, the workers were laying out the roof tile. They lay it all out in neat rows, then the actual work gets done very last, right before escrow closes. I'm not sure why they do things in that order. Anyway, we got to watch them lay tile for quite some time. The construction superintendent arrived 40 minutes late, but was very apologetic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we started pointing out issues in the house, and he told us that he was still going to call the framer and the electrician in to fix most of the problems we were noticing. We came all armed to fight and were deflated in a matter of minutes. We pointed out a few things here and there, and he agreed to fix all of our concerns. He was a really nice guy, and seemed to understand where we were coming from. It was great to have come in with some knowledge from my father-in-law, because now the builder knows they can't mess with us. We know what we're talking about, dammit! Don't even try to sell me a broken outlet box, mister!

I really learned a lot from both my father-in-law and the superintendent. Building a house is definitely a process in which you are forced to learn a lot.

So the good news is that we feel confident that our house is being built correctly, and will stand the test of time. We were also granted permission to enter the house to inspect any time we please. The bad news is, it looks like we won't be moving in until January or February! We are so anxious to get in there, it seems like forever!

Becoming a Zonie

2005-10-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my husband and I flew out to L.A. to pick up our son (actually, my stepson) from a visit with his mom. The visit made me so happy to be a Zonie and to call Phoenix home. I can't believe how quickly I've become a traitor to the town I spent my whole life (up until 3 months ago) in. Spending time with my sister was great, but spending time in L.A. was not. The traffic is now unbearable to me. I hated it before, but being stuck in it now makes me want to drive my car off a cliff. But I can't, 'cause I'm boxed in going 5 MPH, if I'm lucky. It took us forever to get from the airport to a furniture store only about ten miles away. Everyone was honking at each other, as if anyone could go anywhere. There was so much smog, and it was overcast. Bleh. I love the clear blue skies here in the desert. Then you get a fun, quick, storm and it's clear and sunny again. Thankfully, my sister lives in Moorpark, so once we got past Sunset on the 405, things settled down a bit. I miss my sister, but I'm so happy to be back in the Zone. I'm going to have to continue my quest to get all my loved ones to join me.

Our First South Mountain Hike

2005-10-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

I think the last time I went hiking was in Girl Scouts. And my husband remembers some bad, dirty, trail he and a couple of friends hiked a few years back. After our first hike yesterday at South Mountain, we sure do know what we've been missing.

South Mountain is a huge mountain here in the Phoenix area, and is home to a network of hiking trails that range from easy and family-friendly to extremely difficult. We've been wanting to check it out since we moved here, but it's just been too hot, even in the early morning hours. Now that the weather has started to cool off a bit, conditions are much more hiker-friendly. Instead of our usual workout, yesterday, my husband suggested that we go for a hike and check out the trails, as my step-son is out in California visiting his mom and it would give us a good chance to explore without any whining in the background.

We parked at the southernmost red dot you see on this map, and started up Telegraph Pass Trail. It was pretty easy at first, and the first half-mile was paved. It turned into a dirt trail, which gradually turned into a rocky slope. It became more and more challenging, but more and more fun, and the views of the valley, below, were well worth the effort. When we got to the top of the trail, we decided to continue because we were having so much fun. From there we took the National trail up to a lookout point that had a rock gazebo. There were benches built in, and a rock table in the center. On one side, you could see the West Valley, and on the other side, you could see downtown Phoenix. The view was breathtaking. Our hike was about five miles, round trip. We felt invigorated as we headed back down the mountain, and vowed to come back to explore more of the trails twice a week for the rest of our lives. It was way more fun than going to the gym, and a better workout, too.

Founder's Day

2005-10-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was Maricopa's Founder's Day celebration, the 2nd anniversary of the incorporation of the city. The event was highly anticipated by everyone in town for months, and it did not disappoint. My husband and I were both working the event, he at a booth for Rayne Water, the company he works for, and me at the Maricopa Women in Business booth. My group also volunteered to run one of the game booths, and we entered the chili cook-off. There were games and activities for the kids, a band, and a beer garden. The day was just beautiful.

Here's a shot of the MWIB booth with the ladies who volunteered at the event:

Some of the MWIB members donated goods and services for raffle to raise money for the group. I donated a gift certificate for pet sitting services. After the event, I called the winner. He was really excited about winning, and when I asked if he had any pets, he said, "You know, this is perfect timing because we are going to go to the Humane Society this week and adopt a dog." Perfect! New client! Woo-hoo! My husband also got a lot of leads, so we had a really productive day.

The event attendance--1890--was up from last year's 320. Amazing!

Wild Horses

2005-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

If there was ever a time I wish I had my camera this would be it. Actually happened a couple of weeks ago when we were driving down the 347 on our way to Maricopa for an early morning soccer game. The road cuts through the Ak-Chin Indian Reservation, so all that's around you is desert--beautiful desert with mountains in the background. In the distance, we thought we saw a line of fog. Very odd. We haven't seen fog in AZ at all! Didn't even know AZ could make fog! Once we got closer, we discovered that the Gila River, a dry river bed that winds through the desert was filled with fog. I don't know what conditions it takes for this to happen. I guess there must have been some moisture in the river bed, or something. As we got even closer, we saw a group of wild horses running alongside the fog. It was definitely among the top five most beautiful things I've ever seen. It was so beautiful, it looked fake. I wish so badly I had a photo for you.

No S#!T, This Really Happened

2005-10-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Our darling Nasha girl decided to really kill us this morning. We had to get up at 5:45 AM to prepare for Maricopa's Founders Day event (both hubby and I were workin' it). We were, of course, rushing around with last minute issues when we hear Nasha crying. It sounds like it's coming from our bedroom, but she's nowhere to be found. I look all over the apartment, and I'm convinced it's coming from the bedroom. I look EVERYWHERE! Even under the bed. Nothing. So I look under the bed for the seventh time, and there! I saw some movement in the fabric of the box spring. That little *bleep*er got INSIDE the box spring! Can you believe it! She was in a panic trying to get out. There's a little hole in the fabric, and somehow she got inside. I swear, kids are easier than puppies. So when I call her, she runs to the edge of the box spring, nowhere near where the way out is. Dang! It's in the middle of the bed, and I can't fit under there! Hubby rips the side of the fabric out and delivers our little bundle of joy. (Notice my clenched-teeth-smile?) Love her. Mean it. As if that wasn't enough, she left a nice juicy turd behind. IN the box spring. My husband had to reach in the new hole he made and get it. Ewwwww! I was gagging. No help at all. I'm so glad we're staying in a furnished apartment and this isn't our stuff.

Kyle Owens is a Doo-doo Head

2005-10-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

I just received the fall issue of Modern Dog. There was one reader letter, in particular, that was a bit disturbing, entertaining, and bewildering all at the same time. It went like this:

"Modern Dog is THE most asinine magazine I've ever seen. A whole lot of fuss about nothing but stupid dogs. Of all the species on Earth, you've singled out one of the ugliest, stinkiest, and most disgusting to worship.

"It disgusts me to see articles gushing about domesticated scavenger animals whose brains are smaller than lemons. It's enough to make one hurl (and the dogs would love to eat the vomit). You freaks are living in La-La-Land. You think dogs are family members; boy, are YOU wrong. Dogs are PROPERTY. They are short-lived, lower-species beasts that don't even know they are alive.

"Dogs are subservient, drooling, butt-sniffing, crotch-licking, instinct-driven pack animals. Only an idiot would dote on them.

"Kyle Owens"

Well, Kyle, I'm sorry you're so hateful. I find it interesting out of all the things in this world to be passionately hateful about you chose dogs and a sweet, interesting magazine devoted to them. You better get back to your Neanderthal Weekly and your BB Gun. Woof YOU!

Update on Skinny

2005-10-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

I wish I had better news, but Skinny, who stayed at her new home long enough to be renamed "Slim," has once again flown the coop. She clearly doesn't feel comfortable in a home where she's fed regularly. Poor dear. I guess it's sort-of the opposite of being institutionalized.

Here's the "Skinny"

2005-10-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Well, with a lot of help from my fellow pet sitter friend, who has more experience in successful animal rescues than I do, I've achieved my first dog rescue! We call her "Skinny," because she seemed pretty malnourished when I found her. All her ribs were showing, and her belly was concave. She also looked like she had given birth to a litter in the not so distant past, but she was empty of milk, so we're not worried about the puppies in so far as nursing goes.

So it happened on Tuesday. I went to the little post office in Maricopa, and as I was exiting, I saw this skinny yellow lab tearing down the street. It seemed as if she was running after a car, so I was hoping her owner would notice and take her back home. No luck. I pulled out of the post office parking lot and saw her hanging outside of the medical clinic. I parked and left the Jeep running so Kermit could enjoy the AC, and tried to coax her to me. I asked the guy standing outside the clinic if it was his. No luck. I poked my head in the clinic and asked the people in the waiting room. No luck. Skinny finally came to me and I pet her for a bit. She was really timid, but friendly. She seemed pretty young...maybe a year old. She had a collar and a flea collar, but no tags. I asked the lady behind the counter at the clinic if she could get me a little cup of water for the stray, and she looked at me as if I had two heads and said "the water is all the way back in the break room." I guess that means no, and I guess that means you're a lazy heartless *BLEEP.* Some nice pregnant lady waiting to see a doctor gave me her whole water bottle. I didn't want to take it at first, her being pregnant and all, but she told me she had lots more in her car, so I took it. Skinny was grateful.

After she got hydrated, I pulled her by the collar over to my Jeep, but she either didn't like the fact that it was running or she didn't like Kermit, because she wouldn't get near it. I got her close enough to where I could reach Kermit's leash and my cell phone, and I hooked her up. There was only one thing to do. Call Mrs. D, my pet sitting friend. She probably rescues an animal a week, and she's got "Johnny" from animal control on her speed dial. There are a lot of strays in our town, and us pet sitters probably rescue most of them. There are some other nice citizens who are also part of the effort. When Mrs. D got there, she agreed with my assessment of Skinny (that's when we named her), and we got her into her SUV. She said she would take Skinny back to her place and post something on the 85239.com forum. Meanwhile, I drove around the homes behind the clinic and post office to try to look for her owner. This is the old area of Maricopa, made up of mostly rundown old trailers, and I found out after trying to talk to several people outside their homes that they spoke only Spanish, and the men were more interested in my "ta tas" than helping me with my "lost perro amarillo." Mission aborted. We wouldn't want her to go back to a home like that anyway.

I drove back to Mrs. D's, and she said that she didn't even want to bother scanning Skinny for a microchip because she was so malnourished, she'd be better off with a new owner, anyway. We didn't get a response from our post on the forum, except for a couple of "good luck"s from some friendly neighbors. Mrs. D said she would keep her until we got a response or we found her a new home. I felt bad because I was the one who found her, and now Mrs. D had to deal with her, but I couldn't very well take her back to my apartment in Chandler, so we didn't have a choice. We also called the town groomer, whose shop is right next to the post office. She said she'd seen the dog running around for months, and hadn't been able to catch her.

Mrs. D kept Skinny until Wednesday, and then couldn't stand it anymore. She said "I can't stand the thought of sending her back to her previous owner, so I'm going to call a couple of my clients and see if they're interested in adopting her. I think I know one, in particular, who has one yellow lab already and might be interested." I thought it was a great idea. I thought she would definitely be better placed in a loving home that fed her and didn't allow her to run all over town. Mrs. D called me a couple of hours later with the good news. Yellow Lab Lady decided to take Skinny! Or at least try her for 24 hours before committing. She had actually been thinking about getting another yellow lab, so it was good timing. Yeah, Skinny! After taking Skinny to the Yellow Lab Lady, Mrs. D called me to say that all was well and everyone was very happy.

Thursday morning, I got an email from Mrs. D. Skinny had dug under Yellow Lab Lady's fence and was gone! Death wish doggie!!! Mrs. D drove around, then my husband drove around both by the clinic where I found her, and her Yellow Lab Lady's neighborhood, then in the afternoon, I looked for her. No luck. About 4pm, I got a call from Mrs. D. Town Groomer Lady caught her! Yeah! Mrs. D gave Skinny a bath (this picture was taken just after her bath) and then called Yellow Lab Lady. She was willing to give it another try! I haven't yet received a call or email from Mrs. D, so I'm assuming Skinny made it through the night in her new home.

Exterior Sheeting Sighting

2005-10-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

More progress on the house!!! Yesterday when my husband dropped our son off at school, he saw workers putting exterior sheeting on the bottom story of the house. We think the sheeting is the last step before the Pre-drywall Orientation, or PDO, when we walk through the house and make sure that all the structural and electrical options we selected are correct. After that, they put in the insulation, stucco, then the drywall. After that they paint and install flooring, cabinets, etc. Then we're almost there!!! Here are some pictures of how it looks now...

Here is the front of the house yesterday. Our first look at it with sheeting on!

Here's the back of the house as it looked yesterday.

Here is the entrance as of yesterday.

And then today we saw scaffolding up. Ready for the second story! Here's the front of the house with scaffolding.

And the back. A pretty impressive sight. I wouldn't want to climb up on that stuff!

And here's the entrance...totally blocked by scaffolding.

We're hoping that tomorrow we'll see some sheeting on the upper story!

Workin' Like a Dog

2005-10-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

I've really been slacking on the blog entries. For the first time since we moved here, I'm slammed busy!

Business is starting to pick up a bit since I hit the streets in Casa Grande. I went to all the groomers, vets, and feed stores I could find to introduce myself and drop off brochures and business cards. A couple of the groomers just about hugged me to death, saying they were in desperate need of a pet sitter in the community because they get referral requests all the time. Let's hope that's true and it starts to pay off. I also committed a cardinal sin. I took a client out of my service area. I've been scolded by my pet sitter friend, and I know it will be a detriment to me in the long run, but right now I just need to make some money! The other night, a bunch of neighborly dog owners were out on the grass in the courtyard of our apartment complex letting our dogs play together off-leash. The owners were chatting, and I mentioned that I own a pet sitting business. Everyone shrieked with excitement and begged me to give them my information. I've already booked a mid-day dog walk job that starts today and lasts for two weeks. If all goes well, the job will go on indefinitely. When we finally move to Maricopa I'll probably regret having taken Chandler clients, but for now, my clients are just a couple of steps away. I can always refer my clients to someone in my Arizona Professional Pet Sitters network, or maybe I'll be so busy I can hire someone to take care of my Chandler jobs. Think big, Kristen! Go International!

I've also been spending a lot of time getting our Maricopa Women in Business group ready for Founder's Day on October 15th. It will be the 2nd anniversary of the incorporation of the city, and should be a really great event. Our group will have a booth there with our individual businesses, and we are also volunteering to run a "Sports Throw" game booth. Man, is it a lot of work. I'm in charge of maintaining our group contact list and maintaining the volunteer sign-up sheet. Just getting the members' t-shirt sizes was a bitch! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to help, but when you're dealing with a bunch of women, sometimes things can get a bit, well, nutty. I guess that's all I'll say about that.

In addition, I'm working on the initial proposal for the 1st Annual Maricopa Mutt March. Myself and two other dog lovers are planning a spring event to raise money for a dog park in our city, and we will be meeting with the Director of Parks and Rec. on the 25th of this month. I have a lot of work to do in order to get our ideas on paper in an organized and enticing fashion. I'm so excited about this, though. We're planning a huge dog walk designed around the platform of a competitive run, where you pay a fee and sign up in advance. There will be different walk routes so the pudgy dogs don't pass out, all the way up to a four mile loop. We're hoping to get pet-related business to come and set up booths at the finish line, as well as the Pinal County K-9 Unit for demonstrations and rescue groups to hold open adoptions. If we can pull this off, it's gonna be awesome!

Not A Siberian Husky Again

2005-09-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday evening we brought home a new puppy, much to the dismay of Kermit. My husband named the new puppy NASHA, which stands for "Not A Siberian Husky Again." You see, he's always wanted a Husky, but it would just be cruel to have one in AZ. I lean more toward the scruffy mutt types.

Nasha was born on July 4, 2005 in El Paso, Texas. We found out through the rescue group that the closer you are to New Orleans, the more animals there are to adopt and the less number of families there are to adopt them. So along with the Katrina animals, cities are sending as many puppies as they can to other states for adoption. Nasha came over with some Katrina puppies and she was in need of adoption. One family in AZ said they would adopt her, but then decided they wanted a dog with shorter hair. Geez! She's just about three months old, and a total spaz. Our ankles are bloody, and Kermit has been behaving like a cat, living on all elevated surfaces where she can't reach. We love her! Kermit will! Here are some photos for you to kiss...

Miracle Hair Product

2005-09-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who share my desire for straight hair and have to deal with the frizzies as I do, I have to announce that I have discovered a miracle hair product. Well, actually, my sister, Dana, has introduced me to it. When she told me to try it, I said "yeah, yeah, sure." I mean, I've tried EVERYTHING, so why should this be any different. Dana said that her hairdresser neighbor uses it exclusively and has hair like Eva Longoria. So I figured maybe it was worth a try.

Man! This stuff works great! So all my gal pals...BUY THIS! It's called Repair & Shine Silk Solution, Hair Toys Texture. It was thirty bucks for a twelve ounce bottle, and it's worth every penny. I can blow dry my hair straight, and it stays straight! It's shiny and bouncy! It's great. The bottle says you can even use it on your face "before make-up to achieve even application," or it can also be used as a make-up remover. Odd, huh? I haven't tried it for that, yet, and I don't plan to, but let me know if anyone out there does.

Pulling a Kristen

2005-09-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me know I'm a pretty smart girl. You also know that I'm prone to moments of complete and shocking lapses in common sense, which we call "pulling a Kristen." There are a couple of these I have pulled lately that just can't go without mentioning.

A couple of weeks ago, I purchased one of those cheapy digital watches at Target so that I would have something to time myself when I'm out walking dogs. I haven't had a digital watch since I was ten (I know, no excuses). So after wearing this plastic thing all day, it started to bug. I took it off and placed it on my desk while I worked on the computer. Then I picked it up to see what time it was, and it was broken!!!. The face read LO:E, and the seconds were counting off nonsense...ZO, LI, P8...my cheapy watch went haywire! I pushed all the buttons at random, and nothing fixed it. So I handed it to my husband and said "Honey, my watch is broken. It's making nonsense. Can you fix it please?" He simply flipped it over and handed it back to me.

Amazing, isn't it?

Then yesterday morning my husband called me on his way home from dropping our son off at school. He said he was about ten or fifteen minutes away from home. About a half an hour later, I started to get a bit worried, so I called him to make sure he was okay. "Hi Honey. It's me. Are you okay?" He laughed. "Yeah. I'm fine. But you could have just knocked on the door." Huh? "Are you home?" I said. "Where are you?" He asked if I was serious. Then I heard the bathroom door open. Apparently I was so absorbed in what I was doing that I didn't remember him coming home and talking to me before he went into the bathroom. Kinda funny, because my question "Are you okay?" was still appropriate for the situation.

Rocket in the Sky

2005-09-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last night on our way back to Chandler from Maricopa, we saw the most amazing thing in the sky! Before I knew what it was, I described it as a huge spotlight shining in the sky toward a multi-colored spiral cloud. Weird, huh? We pulled the car over on the 347 along with a lot of other drivers. We thought maybe a fire, or something.

When I got home, I signed on to my trusted 85239.com forum, and someone had posted a link to the story on azcentral.com, which is where this photo is from. The first line of the article reads, "No, the War of the Worlds didn't start in the Valley Thursday night." It turns out that the lights we saw were actually a colorful exhaust plume left by a military research satellite launched from Vendenberg Air Force Base in California. The reason for the satellite launch is classified. People from Central and Southern California, as well as people from parts of Arizona reported seeing the launch. Amazing!

Trip Home

2005-09-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went back to L.A. It was weird. It felt like going home and being away from home at the same time.

My friend, Alyssa, picked me up at the Long Beach airport on Sunday morning, and we went to here house for a bit. I got to see her kids, which was great. They are so fun and cute. Alyssa and I had planned for me to come out about a month ago, when Virginia, another friend (we all worked together at JDA) announced she was having a bon voyage party at her place. Virginia is temporarily moving to Switzerland. Nice! So Alyssa and I decided I would crash the party as a surprise. And it was a surprise. Alyssa walked in ahead of me and said "I brought a friend...hope you don't mind." When I walked in behind, Virginia didn't even recognize me. I think it was one of those moments where the thing is completely out of context so you don't even realize what you're looking at. Once she saw it was me, she was very surprised. What fun! Her party was really nice. It was great to see the people I've missed, and great to meet some of Virginia's non-JDA friends I've been hearing about over the years. She provided a really nice spread, and we all hung out and talked.

My sister, Dana, picked me up at Virginia's place, and we were off to Moorpark, where she lives. It took us about an hour and a half, but we didn't mind because it gave us a chance to catch up. The rest of our evening was spent eating junk food (she said ice cream and Magic Shell was the vegetable) and gabbing. It was so nice to see her!

Monday morning we woke up and before taking showers or anything we went straight to Dana's favorite pet store, Healthy Pet, in Thousand Oaks. We were so excited! My sister and I are the only people we know who could spend hours in a pet store and not drive the other person crazy, so we're great pet store shopping companions. She's really gotten to know the guy who owns the store, and he has helped her lemon-of-a-golden-retriever, Hannah, a great deal. We shopped and shopped, and we ended up spending a FORTUNE. I won't tell you how much. I got Kermit and Rosie Rose tons of treats and things. Kermit's haul included a beer bottle toy that has a water bottle in it to make a crackling noise, vanilla flavored cow cheeks, greenies, dried duck breast, a flashing collar light, tuna biscuits, and a "Dog-on Television" DVD, which he loves to watch. Rosie Rose came away with a harness and leash especially designed for guinea pigs, new gourmet food, a talking treat dish, "just apples" treats, and a shreddable box with honey treat inside. Do I spoil my pets? Naw! My boys got t-shirts. Dana and I went back to her place and relaxed for most of the afternoon before going out for a great sushi dinner. I have yet to find a good sushi place in AZ, so I was very happy with the meal. After dinner we went back home and my sister got me hooked on this really great crappy and embarrassing-to-admit-you-watch show. She made me promise I wouldn't tell, so I must keep my sister pact--sorry!

On Tuesday we got ready and went to Beverly Hills for lunch (plus I had a Dr. appointment). We ate at Kate Mantalini. I had never heard of it, but my sister said it's really famous and all the stars go there. We didn't see any...oh, well! I had a great sandwich. Grilled Portabello with goat cheese and grilled lemon. It was fantastic! After some shopping at a nearby beauty supply store, it was off to drop me off at LAX. We were a bit early and were discussing what to do to kill some time, when I spotted a furniture store called "Casa Sweet Casa." I said, "Pull over! We have to go in there," since my husband and my decorating style is Spanish/eclectic. Let me tell you, I wanted to buy every single thing in the store! The designer gets antique doors from Mexico and makes them into all types of furniture. I ended up purchasing a king size bed. Yes! I bought a bed without my husband. I was a little nervous to do so, but it was too beautiful! I couldn't pass it up. If I have anything to say about it, we will be purchasing the rest of our home's furniture in that store, as we can afford it. I could spend a trillion dollars in that place. David, the designer and store owner, was a great help, and he said he could help us design our spaces and make custom furniture, or help us choose pieces that would fit best within our space. I'm sure he would! He could see the fire in my eyes! I only bought the bed because I want my husband to go back with me to pick out other pieces for the bedroom...we'll certainly need a dresser and nightstands. Woo-hoo! What a find. When I told my husband what I did, he was a little put-off at first, but once I described the store and showed him the pictures, he was almost as excited as me. We were in the market for a rustic/Spanish style king-size bed, and I don't think we could have done any better.

I was sad to leave my sister when we got to the airport. We had so much fun together. It was odd to be flying out of LAX to go home. I've been flying into LAX to go home my whole life. It was sad and happy at the same time. This trip made me realize that I really miss my family and friends and certain aspects of L.A., but there are other aspects of the area that I am glad to get away from. And I am so happy to call the Phoenix area home.

In My Dreams

2005-09-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

I'm known among my friends as the one who has really weird dreams. In the past few years, I've noticed that they seem to come in clusters over a few days--at least the ones I can remember. Then for the rest of the time I seem to be dream-free. Maybe it's hormonal or something. Right now I'm in the middle of one of the dream periods. Here are some recent samples:

FISH POO

This one I had a couple of nights ago. I was at my Dad's house (he passed away a little over three years ago) in the bathroom. I was going to do my business, but then I noticed that the bowl part of the toilet was loose (the part that in real life is just a continuation of the base). I tried to fix it, but it came off completely, and flooded the whole bathroom with about an inch of water. (If you're eating right now, you may want to save the rest of this post for later.) In the water was a ton of human poo and hundreds of fishÂ–Â–goldfish and white angel fish--all gasping for air. I had this dilemma about what to do. Whether I should try to save the fish or just try to clean up the whole mess and flush it down the toilet, fish included. What would I do with all the fish? They were looking at me, swimming around, gasping. It felt really helpless, and it was disgusting. I remember thinking how dirty the fish must be, and wondering how, if I did save them, I would ever get them clean. All the while my Dad was coming in and out of the bathroom acting frustrated with me.

My analysis: I think this dream has a lot to do with my feelings about Katrina. I've been really interested in donating to an animal rescue cause, as that's something really near and dear to my heart. Perhaps the fish represented all the people and animals that have been affected by the wrath of the hurricane. My feelings of trying to help but having it feel so hopeless make a lot of sense. And the foul water requires no stretch of the imagination to see the connection. My Dad acting frustrated with me probably comes from feelings of always wanting to please my father and feeling like I wasn't doing quite enough...me asking myself what my father would do in this situation. He'd probably be pleased with me for wanting to help with Katrina, but might question why I would choose to help animals when humans were in need. I guess I'm struggling with that, myself.

A NEW BOYFRIEND

Dreamed a couple of nights ago that I was dating Vince Vaughn.

My analysis: Too much US Magazine lately.

CAN'T GET TO CLASS ON TIME

Last night I dreamed that I was back in high school. I had a schedule that looked much like a newsletter, and I had a ton of books and papers, but no backpack to hold them in, so carrying them was a struggle. My first class had Coach Kelly (my high school cross country coach, English Teacher, and Graduation Europe trichaperonene) as the teacher. First, I couldn't find the class, then when I got there late, only seats that had very little room between me and the next person were available. Coach Kelly was teaching us about Europe ipreparationon for travel (just like he did in high school). I sat down in one seat, but had to move because the A/C unit was just over my head and was so loud I couldn't hear him talk. Each seat I moved to had the same problem. Eventually he let the class out, and I hadn't heard a word he said. I walked up to him to apologize for being late, and hwhippeded out this letter and was complaining about how a student had written it to him and how it was unacceptable. I remember there being a crude drawing of a woman's head at the top of the letter. He was bitching all about it, and I had to walk away to get to my next class. I got in one of those janitogardenerer carts...like a small flatbed. I sat in the back with all my books piled around me, and my sister, Dana, was driving. We got my schedule out, and I was supposed to go to room 200. We couldn't find it and drove all around over and over...

My analysis: I really can't figure this one out. I guess maybe I'm feeling a little lost and confused. Maybe about what to do next in my business. I'm really not sure! My sister has been really supportive of me, so that's probably where she comes in, but other than that...

If anyone has any theories, I'd love to hear them! Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2005-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! It's colder outside than it is inside this morning. I just got back from walking my dog, and I was cold in my usual t-shirt and shorts! I seriously have not been cold since we moved here over two months ago, unless you count the times when my husband turns the A/C up too high. After our walk this morning, I checked my weather widget and it says 63º. Wow! When I walked in the front door I felt toasty warm again. Welcome Fall!

Sound the Alarm!

2005-09-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Drove by the house this morning and saw a guy drilling holes into our window frames. I gave him a wave from the car, then walked over to him. Real friendly guy from Brinks Security. He asked me "Are you the proud owner?" I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was drilling holes all over the house for fun. The better for bugs to get in, I say. Turns out he was installing all of the window security alarms today and will install the phone lines and cables tomorrow. We weren't going to get a security system, originally, but then they sold us on it when they said it can be as good for keeping things in as keeping things out. It brought me back to my teenage years when after several successful escapes out my second story bedroom window I came to find it nailed shut with about fifty nails one night. My dad never said a word. The nails spoke for themselves. I don't think I'd have the patience to do all that, so my husband and I decided that the added security of keeping our future teenagers in at night, coupled with keeping the boogeyman out was a wise investment.

The Second Floor

2005-09-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

When we took Lee to see our house the other day, the electricians were just finishing up for the afternoon. They accomplished a lot, and Lee was brave enough to ask if we could go upstairs. They said yes! And we did! Here is a picture of our living room ceiling (taken from downstairs), lighting design courtesy of my father-in-law.

And here is the master bedroom...

This photo is taken from the loft over to the ceilings above the kitchen...

It was such a thrill to go upstairs! I'm sure we weren't supposed to, and the electricians probably had no authority to allow us to do so. Thanks, Lee!

Taliesin West and Other Adventures

2005-09-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

My best friend is visiting from California! Yesterday we were out and about all day and had such a great time.

Our biggest event was also the most touristy. We visited Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Taliesin West and Taliesin, located in Spring Green, Wisconsin, are considered to be two of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest works. I always thought Taliesin West was simply a home, but it is actually a complex that had studios and a campus for his architectural school, in addition to personal quarters. By touring the facility, we got to see first hand what Wright's organic architecture is all about. This was the first time I had ever seen one of his buildings, which is really sad considering I have a degree in art history and a bunch of his buildings are in Southern California. Let me tell you, the pictures you see in the books don't do it justice. Particularly interesting is the fact that we could only go inside a few of the buildings because most of the buildings are still used as the Winter Campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (currently has 13 apprentices) and living quarters for the students, the international headquarters for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and the site of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives.

Our tour guide, Don, told us that Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the first snowbirds to come to Arizona, meaning he was here only in the winter, while he stayed at his Wisconsin site during the summer. For this reason, he considered Taliesin West (designed between 1937 and 1959) to be a temporary "camp" and built it so that it could be partially broken down before he, his family, and students vacated the premises when the weather got too hot to handle. The walls are mostly constructed of indigenous stone and wood, and most of the roofs were constructed of canvas that could be removed. It took him thirty years to acknowledge the permanence of the campus and he said to his architects, both men and women "Boys, make this place more permanent." He originally wanted to use only materials that came from the region, but his wife insisted on glass in the open areas so that "critters" could not get inside. The property sits on over 600 acres of land now owned by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The land was purchased by Wright in 1937 for $12.50 an acre.

Our tour guide pointed out the flaws in the buildings' design as well as Wright's triumphs. For example, most of the wood he used was redwood, as it was abundant and inexpensive at the time. He didn't realize that redwood is not a desert wood and would soon rot and deteriorate. The school's apprentices that maintain the building now replace the wood with fir. His "Garden Room," which served as a living room, had a leaky roof, so he built interior rain gutters down all of the beams that would allow the water to drain. This is the only one of his buildings you will find that "experiment" as Taliesin West and Taliesin are the only projects he took on where he was his own client. Another client would have found the leaky roof unacceptable and would have had him fix the problem rather than get around it somehow. The campus is actually filled with these types of experiments. We also toured his private office, his living quarters, and his two theatres. Wright felt that people should live in nature, not just watch it out of windows, so none of his rooms were connected by indoor hallways. His rooms were connected by outdoor pathways and courtyards so he and his visitors would be forced to go outside when moving from room to room.

In addition to the buildings, Wright designed almost all of the furniture. He felt that the furniture in a building was part of the architecture, not an afterthought, so when he designed a building he would also design the furniture and lighting. He would then add a few select "found" pieces, mostly to add curves and soften a room. The tour was great because we got to sit in the furniture and touch everything. It was not like a museum at all...nothing was roped off.

We had such a great time. Even Little B enjoyed himself, and asked the tour guide some really thoughtful questions. I was impressed because I thought he would be very bored and mischievous. He paid attention for the most part. I was also proud of him for being brave enough to ask questions. I asked him how he felt when he was speaking in front of all the people (all adults except for one two-year-old). He said "I felt a little nervous, but I just pretended it was just me and the tour guide and the rest was just all black and there were no other people."

Keeping with the Frank Lloyd Wright theme, we then went to the Arizona Biltmore for refreshments. It's in Phoenix, about 30 miles away from Taliesin West. We enjoyed the view and had a cocktail. Even Little B sucked down a virgin strawberry daiquiri. Yum. With our new knowledge, we all played the "point out the Frank Lloyd Wright" design elements throughout the hotel and grounds. Total dorks.

From there we went to Richardson's, one of the best places to get authentic southwest food. We shared the roasted garlic appetizer, the aroma from which we're still enjoying this morning as it escapes our pores. The descriptions of the dishes on the menu aren't very comprehensive, which is one of the fun aspects of the place. You have a general idea of what you're getting, but there is a large element of surprise. The roasted garlic surprise was that it came on a huge platter and was enough garlic to feed a family of ten. It wasn't just garlic. It was elephant garlic. With that came a variety of roasted chilis, asiago cheese, jalapeño hollandaise sauce, and croustini as the foundation for serious spreading. We're all getting ready to go to the gym right now, and I feel very sorry for any others trying to work out. We STINK!

Then we took the BF to Water Works, where we took some nice photos and got wet because it started to rain. Since I've written all about this place before, I won't bore you with the details again.

We then took Kermit to the Bark Park. He had a blast, and Little B got every name of every dog, kissed every one, and got dogpiled. It was a nice cool (95º) evening for bark parking. Kermie was so excited he barfed (the usual), but this time it was at the park rather than in the car. We got in the car after the park and my husband said "Geez! Did we leave leftover food in here?!?!?" We all started cracking up. Nope. It's the garlic. Ha! It's a good thing we all ate it, or we'd be in some serious trouble. I really hope there's no one at the gym this morning.

Yesterday was so great and exhausting that today our plan is to swim and lay by the pool and do nothing else. Happy Sunday!

Dogopoly

2005-08-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Sunday afternoon activities is playing Dogopoly. With Kermit's help, I actually won last Sunday! Big B lost after about an hour and a half, but Little B and I battled it out for another two hours. Here we are enjoying our chili lime pistacios and grapes, and Kermit is trying to steal all the money and property while I have my back turned.

Electric Avenue

2005-08-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

The contractors are now installing the electrical components in our house! We've seen electrical contracting trucks outside our house for the last two days. I'm sure my father-in-law (who owns an electrical contracting company in Northern California) would love for me to explain more, but I just don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe if he comes to visit he can check it out and explain it all to me. Hint, hint...

I won't bore you with all the pictures we took of the wiring and outlets, but we particularly liked this shot of our master bedroom. The three mini can light receptacles you see there will be in the ceiling of the master bedroom just above our bed. You can also see a can light off to the right next to the A/C duct that will be above our dresser between the two windows. Very exciting!

Flood in Maricopa

2005-08-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, government officials have been warning Maricopa residents that the recent rains in Tucson and Northern Mexico would bring flood waters to the Maricopa washes and streets. Our home is being built along one of these washes. There is no danger of the homes flooding because the washes are designed to hold all the water. The only danger comes if you get stuck in a wash area, or if you're stupid enough to play in the wash area or drive your car through a flooded street. Hence the stupid motorist law in Arizona stating that you are liable for all costs associated with your rescue or your car's rescue should you get stuck. There are two streets that dip into the wash area in Rancho El Dorado, our development. This first photo here shows the road closest to our home. (I pulled these photos from an article on 85239.com.) The second photo may have been taken from our lot or one of the lots next to ours. As you can see, when the washes flood we suddenly have lakefront property. Aside from being an inconvenience to get to our home the "back way," the flooding makes for a nice view.

Anniversary Celebration

2005-08-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

My husband and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary this coming Wednesday, August 31st. It's hard to believe it's been three years! Sometimes it seems like just yesterday was our wedding day, while other times it seems like we've been married forever...so much has happened in such a short amount of time. Since my stepson's mother is in town for the weekend and my husband and I have some time alone for the first time since we moved here, we decided to celebrate our anniversary a little early by going to the places we can't go with a kid.

We first stopped by J-bar at The James Hotel in Scottsdale for their famous mojitos. We had been there before on a couple of occasions when we were in the Phoenix area looking at houses, but we haven't been able to go recently since we have our son, so this was really a treat. J-bar has THE BEST mojitos ever. Their recipe uses everything fresh. It's not too sweet or too sour. The best part is the mint foam they add on top. We really like J-bar because it's hip and cool, but not pretentious. It's very "L.A." without the L.A. attitude. We sat outside on the patio and slowly sipped our cocktails while enjoying the warm night (bordering on too hot to sit outside, but I'm a die hard when it comes to outdoor dining opportunities).

Then we went on to the main attraction, Cowboy Ciao. We heard about this restaurant through one of the wine distributors my husband interviewed with, and as soon as we checked out the menu on their Web site, we knew we had to go. Talk about an indulgent evening! We got there at about 8 pm and our reservations weren't until 8:30 pm, so we sat at the bar and ordered a flight of sparkling red wine. Three flutes came half full with three different types of sparkling red, and the base of the glasses were slid into a rustic looking wood rack for transporting. The rack was branded with a "1," "2," and "3," and there was a little clip on the top of the rack that held a strip of paper that described each wine. As we tasted the wine, we checked out the room. The decor is described as "Cowboy chic," and I would have to agree. All the wood surfaces were rustic, the fabrics rich, the walls deep colors, and the chandeliers looked like something you might find in an old western whorehouse. Or so I imagine. The patrons were buzzing and the staff was busy, yet the place still seemed really relaxed. My husband was in heaven because the wine list had over 1850 listings. It was a miracle he ever selected anything, because he has a tendency to get lost in extensive wine lists. Their list is actually provided to each table in two forms. One by price, and one by varietal.

We were sat at a nice table for two by the window that also had a good view of the kitchen, the arched doorway to which was framed by a stage-type curtain. Our server, Justin, was great. He was just the type of server you want for an enjoyable evening. Confident in his recommendations but not pushy. Attentive but not overly so. Very friendly, but didn't talk your ear off. We took his appetizer recommendations and couldn't have been happier. We started with the "Mini Mushroom Pan Fry," a smaller version of their signature dish described as "cremini, button and oyster mushrooms in ancho cream over double-cooked polenta with grilled portabellini, avocado, tomato and cotija cheese...our signature dish." The flavors and texture were amazing. We often seek out mushroom dishes, and this one was up there with the best, if not THE best. We then had "The Stetson Chopped." It's listed as a salad, but I'd describe it as more of a mixture of ingredients. They describe it as "smoked salmon, arugula, bruschetta tomatoes, sweet dried corn, pearl cous cous, Ciao train mix (asiago cheese, black currants, pepitas) tossed at the table with pesto buttermilk dressing." It came as stripes of each ingredient on the plate...just beautiful. The server described each ingredient, delicately drizzled the dressing over the top, then tossed and served. It was absolutely delicious. It was unusual because there were so many ingredients that all worked together to where you could taste each flavor individually and as a combination. Justin told us we HAD to try it, and he was right. My husband went on to have a special, a rib-eye steak with cheddar bacon mashed potatoes and vegetables. Delicious. I had "Puerco Lento," "pork shank slow-cooked with cumin, chipotle, paprika and Mexican oregano; served over creamy fingerling potato casserole with cranberry/walnut chutney." It was one of the best dishes I've ever had. It was also huge (my husband is cooking the leftovers up with some egg right now for breakfast). When it came out, the server said, "Yeah, this is actually one of the smaller shanks. I think it's kinda like the Flinstones." Exactly. The problem with this place is that there are so many amazing dishes on the menu. We wanted to try everything. We will have to go back again and again, which will be a strain on the wallet and the diet. Since I was stuffed and could only eat one bite of desert, my husband made the selection. He chose the "Chocolate Peanut Butter Pot Pie." Sounds light, huh? It was pretty much like the best chocolate souffle ever with a glob of molten peanut butter in the center. Around the plate were root beer-glazed peanuts and grape jelly sauce with a scoop of peanut butter ice cream. I had more than one bite.

Needless to say, I was just about in a coma when we were finished. I actually fell asleep on the ride home. What a wonderful anniversary. We had great conversation, superb food, a lively, fun atmosphere...perfect for a special celebration.

Working Girl

2005-08-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

So this morning I'm off to take care of my first official client! He's a greyhound, and he's super sweet. We are thinking of possibly adopting a greyhound, so the experience with this dog will really help us make our decision. Dog racing is huge here in the Phoenix area, and the retired greyhounds all need homes. There are a ton of them, and there are groups specifically dedicated to finding them homes. I spoke to a lady from one of the groups a few weeks ago and learned that most of the adoptable animals are between one and three years old. They come with racing names and racing papers, as well as nicknames. The interesting thing about them is that when they are adopted they only know the racing life, which is a bunch of lying around in the sand, going potty at very specific times, and running their butts off. When they go to their new home, they are exposed to all sorts of new things that take some getting used to. Carpet, tile, concrete, gravel, and grass, are some of the ground textures they have to learn about since they are used to only walking and running on sand. The new owner has to walk them across all kinds of floors and coax them so that they know it's okay. Slippery surfaces can be especially rough. Can't you just imagine a long-legged greyhound doing the splits on your bathroom floor? They are also especially afraid of ceiling fans. They don't know about windows and glass doors, either, so they tend to run into them and get hurt. The suggestion is to put painting tape up in big Xs on the windows helps until they gain an understanding. One thing they never get used to is walking off leash. They will run after ANYTHING, including trash that blows across the street, because they are conditioned to do so. It's for their own safety that you keep them on a leash at all times. It sounds like a lot of work to own one of these retired greyhounds, but it's just the kind of challenge I like. And after they are accustomed to their new home, they relax and have a very sweet disposition...very loving of children and other animals. Perfect. I just have to make sure to get one that kisses.

I also booked my second client for a job in November. It feels good to finally be a legitimate business!!!

Our First Visitor

2005-08-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had our very first visitor! My brother-in-law, Gregory, came for to see us. It was a great time, but now we're depressed. I think we were doing better emotionally before he came, and now that we've had a taste of family, it's hard to get back to things being just us. Greg flew in on Friday night and left Sunday afternoon. We wish he could have stayed longer. We have a couple of other visitors lined up in the coming weeks, so we'll have to keep our chins up and look forward to that.

After picking Greg up at the airport on Friday night, we went to Richardson's in Phoenix for a late dinner. It's one of our favorite places that we found the first time we visited Phoenix. We asked the concierge at the hotel we were staying at for a recommendation for nothing fancy...just great traditional southwest food. Richardson's is THE BEST. Just about everything there is spicy, and everything is delicious. We got a great table, had some cocktails, and really enjoyed ourselves.

On Saturday morning we took Greg down to Maricopa. He mentioned how far it was as we were driving south through the Indian reservation, but once we got into town, he said, "Now I can see why you guys moved away from the city." We first went to my husband (coach) and stepson's first soccer game of the season. It was great that Uncle Greg could be there for that. The kids did really well in 100º heat. One smart mom brought cool wet rags for the kids to wipe their faces with after the game. I was hot and sweaty just standing there watching, so the kids athletic enthusiasm was something to see. One kid almost overheated, but we got him some Gatorade just in time.

Then we headed over to show Greg the model of our home and the actual house, itself. It was great to finally show someone after all this time. He seemed to really like it, and said he was looking forward to more visits after the house is done. We also found that some more of the plumbing is in. You know how we always tiptoe around the house to take pictures and how we're not even supposed to walk around the construction site? Well, Uncle Greg just walks right inside the house. So typical of him. That's one of the things I love about him, though. Never afraid to do anything, and you know, if we did get in trouble, Greg would have talked his way thorough it and probably would have ended up with hard hats for all of us and a guided tour of every home on the block. That's just how he is. Of course, my stepson was right behind him, telling Uncle Greg he was breaking the rules as he slid his body between two pieces of framing. Then my husband and i joined in the fun, and Uncle Greg took a picture of our family in our future family room. We didn't get caught, so I'll say it was worth the risk. After the tour of the house we went over to the golf club for lunch. The rest of our day back in Chandler was spent swimming and mini golfing.

On Sunday we just hung out together and walked around Chandler Fashion Square for a bit. The day went way too fast, and before we knew it we were dropping Greg off at the airport and saying "see ya later." Then we all got really depressed. It was such a nice visit, and we didn't ever want it to end. Even the dog was moping around. Come back, Uncle Greg! We miss you!

Liquid Glass and Hermosa Beach Cam

2005-08-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

This morning I dropped my husband off at the airport so he could travel back to L.A. to take care of a traffic ticket. He worked out the cost of the plane ticket plus traffic school vs. the cost of insurance going up and decided it was better to try to fly back. The only thing I worried about after dropping him off was making it back home. Even with Mapquest, I'm absolutely terrible at directions. No internal compass whatsoever. On the way to the airport, I said to my husband "how am I gonna find my way back here to pick you up?" He knows me, and said "yeah, you'll probably call from Flagstaff and tell me you got lost." Har-de-har-har. Totally true.

So I did pretty good with the directions and was on my last freeway when "POP." DAMN! The truck in front of me kicked up some gravel and it made a dime-size divit in my windshield. This isn't uncommon in Arizona because the freeways and roads are flanked by banks of rocks. So I chant the license plate over and over in my head. Determined to remember it as if the truck company would do anything about it. Of course this boy-handling thing happens the second the boy leaves town. This coming on the heels of my husband running over blown steel-belted semi tire tread last week did not amuse me. Why do these things always happen when cash is tight? So I'm already doing the calculations in my head...here's 200 bucks for a new f-ing windshield! I call my husband, who hasn't even made it through security at the airport and he advises me to try the New Yorker at the gas station before I call to have the whole thing replaced. He tells me about something called liquid glass that I've never heard of. That's how clueless about cars I am. You see, there's this guy at the gas station near our apartment with this really thick NY accent...the Brooklyn one, I'm pretty sure. He always comes up to your car to check for dirt and cracks in your windshield, and he's always trying to sell you something...car wash, window wash...something! And it's a hard sell. Those kind of people really piss me off, but facing him was better than getting a whole new windshield, so I pull into the station.

The second I pull in he looks at me, stalking the windshield. Usually I'm pretty rude to him...I can't stand pushy sales people. I gave him the "come hither" look and curly finger. He looked around like you would at a party if you didn't know the person was waving to you. Then he pointed to himself and mouthed "ME?" I nodded and he came trotting over. "What can I do fo ya, mam?" he asked. "Do you have any means of fixing this?" I asked, doubting it. "Oh yeah, no problem" he said. "Just pull ya ca ova hea."

Five minutes and thirty bucks later the divit was gone. Good as new! Wow! I told him I couldn't believe my eyes and tried to give him a tip, but he refused. He asked my name, and I asked his. Al. Nice guy. Well, he's nice now that he fixed my windshield. I should be nicer to people. I just always feel like crawling into a shell when those sales people come up to me. And the Brooklyn accent didn't help. Maybe that's the L.A. still in me. No tolerance and no socialization with strangers. Something to work on.

Later in the afternoon I was sitting at the computer and I pulled up the dashboard on my Mac. One of the widgets is a Hermosa Beach Cam...the beach right near my hometown. I put it on there so we could check things out now and again. So I get this crazy idea and call my husband. "Hey, honey! You don't happen to be in Hermosa Beach, do you?" "Well, yeah!" he said. I'm having a drink with my buddy at Patrick Molloy's "Why?" "Ooo. Ooo!" I said. "Right now, please go run over to that orange consruction sign at the end of the promenade. I wanna see if I can see you!." So he did. And I saw him. It was so cool! The picture doesn't really do it justice. I was so excited I forgot to use my brain and just do a screen shot, so in true Kristen fashion I whip out the camera and take a picture of the screen. Duh. Anyway, he's the guy in the white shirt standing next to orange sign. See him? Cute, huh?

Da Tubs Are in Da House

2005-08-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

The latest progress update...The bathtubs have been placed in the bathrooms, and most of the plumbing is in! Check it out...

The downstairs bathroom by way of the guest room...

The master bath. See the tub under the window?

And the plumbing for the kitchen sink. It doesn't get much more exciting than this, folks!

I've just realized that these updates are going to become much more difficult once the drywall starts going in. Hmmmm. I might have to start some midnight covert operation. Stay tuned...

Storms, Horrors, Butts, and Sunsets: An Ideal Weekend

2005-08-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

We wanted to make this past weekend eventfully uneventful, and we did. I've been working at the computer a lot and really needed a break.

My stepson didn't have school on Friday, so we were determined to have a leisurely fun-filled day. Before any fun could begin, Little B had to do his weekly major guinea pig cage cleaning. His dad was nice enough to help, or it may never have been finished. They scrubbed and disinfected every little thing and changed all the bedding. While all this was happening, I was in charge of babysitting Rosie Rose and Kermit, both of whom seemed to be mildly frightened of the banging and vacuuming that was going on. So I decided to shut them into our bedroom and have a little photo fun. It's really a shame that I didn't have any baby doll outfits. That would really have been something to see. This whole scenario was like a blast from my childhood. I can't tell you how many times I locked the animals in my bedroom in order to put on musical productions, play house, school (I was the teacher, of course), or play just a good old-fashioned dress-up tea party game. I could play like that for hours, and the animals never bit me. Ever. They were always tolerant, yet slightly depressed about the matter (see photo for example of this type of expression). Blouses became clown collars, skirts became nun hats, too-small shorts would have tail-holes cut, and t-shirts were worn as dresses. Oh, what fun we...er...I...had! So this cage-cleaning thing really set a nice comforting tone for the whole weekend, I think.

After the cage cleaning was done, I hopped on the Internet and Googled "family activities, Phoenix area." There's lots to chose from, but we selected a national tour production of "Little Shop of Horrors" being performed that evening at ASU's Gammage Auditorium. Then I looked up some of the restaurants on my "Sarah's Favorite Restaurants" list. My friend, Sarah, who actually used to be a client of mine, grew up in Phoenix. As my going away present, she hooked me up with a list of all her favorite places to eat, complete with editorial comments. Since there are so many great restaurants right around our house, this was actually the first time I'd consulted the list. We decided on a restaurant called Anzio Landing in Mesa. No where near the theater, but we had plenty of time to drive all over town and it sounded like so much fun, so we decided to give it a try. Sarah described it as "A quaint Italian restaurant with a WWII theme based on the historic battle called Anzio Landing...It is very affordable, but somewhat of a nice place...You can sit at a table by the window and watch the little planes come in." Sounded neat, so I made the reservations. We had some time to kill before we had to get ready, so we headed out to the pool, which was so nice and relaxing.

Our drive to Anzio Landing was a little less relaxing. Driving on the freeway we could see that we were headed straight for a dust storm (see photo). And we all know what that means. So we drove through the wind and the dust and arrived at the restaurant just in time for the downpour. Once we got inside, the restaurant was really nice, just as Sarah described. The whole back wall of the restaurant was windows overlooking the runway. It was a shame that it was so stormy because there weren't any little planes landing, but the show we got from the storm was equally spectacular. It rained off and on...sprinkles, then pouring, then sprinkles again, then we could see huge beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds. It kind of felt like we were participating in the filming of "The Ten Commandments" or something. And we could see other parts of the storm in the distance. My husband took some really nice pictures. The food at Anzio Landing was excellent. I had the Ravioli Combination, which I couldn't resist to save my life. It's "lobster ravioli topped with bell pepper cream sauce, shrimp scampi ravioli with spicy blush sauce, and asiago cheese ravioli with sundried tomato pesto sauce." Yuuuuuuuummmmmmm! It was very rich and delicious, and since I've been eating a little healthier lately it made my stomach hurt a bit, but it was well worth it. Speaking of indulgences, through an unlikely turn of events Little B ended up with three desserts. After he had decided on a virgin Piña Colada, the waiter brought him the kid's sundae that came with his meal. He was switching back and forth between the two when PLOP! A big scoop of his vanilla ice cream fell into his root beer left over from dinner. Presto! Three desserts! As you can see, he was quite happy.

The rain had let up during our meal, so the ride over to the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe was much calmer. The theater was nice, and they offered children cushions to give a little boost. We thought Little Shop of Horrors would be a great "first big theater show" for Little B. Big B and I had both participated in small youth productions of the musical many years ago, so that made it even more fun for us. Even though you're not supposed to take pictures in the theater (not even before the show!), we did. Here you can see the picture my husband took of Little B and I just before we got caught taking pictures. We had no idea when the picture was taken that that was the look he had on his face. Once I uploaded the pictures and saw this photo I couldn't stop laughing (still can't...I'm laughing my ass off right now). I asked him what he was doing. "Your evil stepmother can't be THAT bad!" He said, "No...that's when I saw the lady coming to tell us to stop taking pictures and I got scared that we'd get in big trouble." Poor guy! Not only are we taking him to a play with a giant man-eating plant, we're also forcing him to break the rules. Awesome parenting. Sometimes these things are just worth the "completely screwing you up" factor, as you get Grade A pictures like this one. This, along with the one where he's picking his nose will go in the "Show All Your Girlfriends" album. So once we got past all that, the play was great. The woman who played Audrey was phenomenal, and Little B only asked about twenty-five times during the course of the show how much bigger the plant would get. Just so you know, it was a happy ending and we all survived, none of us eaten by Audrey II. The theater has upcoming shows of "Annie," "Joseph...," "Cats," and "Wicked," so I think we'll be back to expose Little B to more theatrics. I'll be sure to bring the camera.

The rest of the weekend was pretty dull to report on, but lots of fun and very relaxing. On Saturday we hung out at home and popped over to the Chandler Fashion Center for a stroll and just hung around the house. On Sunday morning we took Kermit to the Bark Park, where he met a few buddies for some butt-sniffing and tennis ball-chasing. He had a blast, and finally drank out of the community bucket. Usually he's a total snob and will only drink the bottled water we bring for ourselves. Normally we would have no problem drinking after him, but after all that explicit butt-sniffing at the Bark Park, we usually end up having to sacrifice a bottle for his exclusive use. There was a Jack Russell named Maggie there, and I think she reminded him a little of his long-distance girlfriend, Lucy, who he had to leave back in California. Only Maggie didn't hump his head, so she may not have had the same appeal. Nevertheless, it was a doggy-dog good time for all.

The rest of the afternoon we spent flying balsa wood gliders outside our apartment and playing a competitive game of Monopoly. Day's end held a magnificent sunset. All this relaxation was just what the doctor ordered! I'm back with my nose to the grindstone today, and loving every minute.

Are we in Kansas?

2005-08-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Check out this huge storm that was approaching our apartment complex this afternoon! My husband spotted it as he drove off to pick up our son from school and called to tell me to get in my car and go see it. Of course, I brought the camera! The storm generated some huge lightening bolts and thunder that shook the apartment building. I could feel the rumbly in my tumbly! We didn't get too much rain at our apartment, so I think we just caught the edge of it, but my husband went through the downpour on the highway. These desert storms are intense. This photo was taken at the edge of the apartment complex.

It's Good to Be...

2005-08-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

...a Phoenician because, like my friend Sarah told me, they test market a ton of stuff here. I always thought this new stuff would just blend in with the old stuff--until now. I'm am enjoying the testing of "9th Street Market" beer on my market. If you don't already know, I'm a big beer fan. Always looking for new ones to try. So a couple of weeks ago I see this yummy looking beer. It's light caramel in color with a sort-of country-western-Trader Joe's type label. It's lime & cactus flavor. Yum! But I don't buy it because it's $7.50 for a six-pack, and we don't have any income, and I know if I try it I'm gonna be hooked and need it on an IV drip or something. Best to get hooked on the cheap stuff. Then I hear a radio ad, and I'm even more enticed. So last week my husband comes home and says, "Hey, babe, I found this great new beer in the grocery store. Check it out!" 9th Street Market, pomegranate and raspberry flavor. I knew I was in trouble. Let me tell you that this beer was so refreshing, light, and tasty! Not sweet at all, like you would expect. Just a slight flavor. So we savored them as long as we could, then last night he brings home the cactus & lime. It's like a Corona with lime but so much better. I'm in some serious trouble! And they're made by Anheuser-Busch! The third flavor they have is blood orange & grapefruit. Haven't tried that one, yet, but you know we will. So...I know you're jealous. You'll just have to come visit if you want to try one, 'cause they're only available in Phoenix or Casa Grande (both in AZ), and San Diego or San Marcos (both in CA). When are you coming to visit?

Getting there is 90% of the fun!

2005-08-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, my family and I decided to have some adventure. You see, amongst all the brochure-making I've been doing, job hunting my husband's doing, and guinea pig caretaking my stepson is doing, we're trying to find as much time as possible to explore our new city. My husband and I remember reading an article several months ago in Sunset Magazine about this place, Water Works at Arizona Falls. It is described on the SRP site as "a restored hydroelectric plant and neighborhood gathering place where visitors can learn, interact and reflect. The new Arizona Falls combines art, history, and technology to generate clean electricity from the canal's waterfall."

We only encountered one problem in our quest. We got majorly, completely, totally, embarrassingly lost on our way. It's all part of moving to a new city, right? Now I would completely expect this out of me, and I WAS the one in charge of directions, but usually my husband is pretty quick to discover that we're not where we should be. This time it took him a bit longer. It should have been simple enough. I went to the Web site to get an address so I could Mapquest it. I know Mapquest isn't always the most reliable, but I choose to have faith in it because it's a huge improvement over my nonexistent internal compass. Usually. On the Web site, there is no address for Arizona Falls, which actually makes sense because it's just sort of there in the middle of the road. I guess there could be an address because there is an actual building, but there's not. The site directs visitors to "56th Street and Indian School Road." Good thing Mapquest does that intersection search.

So off we go with our directions that lead us about thirty miles northeast of our apartment. When we get off the freeway, there's MAJOR construction going on. They have a six lane road down to one lane on each side. We have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery as our car inches along. It was one of those "glad we don't live here" kind of places. Let me list the sights for you..."$1 move-in special" apartment building...beat up hot pink SUV parked on the grass...$249 furnished apartment (my husband wondered why I didn't find that deal of a lifetime before selecting our current place of residence)...two men dressed from head to to in black running across the intersection with their pants falling down...unattended case of Bud Light on the staircase of an apartment building...dead grass...dead grass...dead grass...and I won't spoil the rest for you in case you want to take the tour yourself. "How far did you say it is from here?" my husband asked. "Um...(checking my trusty Mapquest printout)...just under a mile." I reported. We finally found Indian School and hung a left. The construction eased-up, which was good, but the neighborhood didn't improve. No big deal. We can make it in the 'hood. So when we finally reach the designated intersection, all that's there is a house with boarded up windows and an old rusty lawn mower sitting in a field of...dead grass. "What intersection did the Web site say?" my husband asked. "It says 56th Avenue and Indian School Road on the Mapquest printout...that must have been what I typed in," I said. "Is that what the SRP Web site said?" he asked. "No, honey (getting testy now), I just typed in some random intersection." "Well it would appear so" he said. Hmm.

"Oh, well, we didn't find it. Let's just go home and go swimming," my stepson chimed in.

I suggested we go to the nearby Walgreens for directions, but first my husband had to check 59th street, in case I flipped the six with the nine, then check out a group of trees that ended up being a ghetto golf course, then drive up and down 56th street, then 59th, then..."Oh dammit can we just go to Walgreens and ASK?!" I said. Hubby whipped the car into the parking lot, and we all went inside. "We're looking for Arizona Falls. Do you know where that is?" we asked the man behind the counter. Blank stare. Good thing we didn't need a smog check, too. "Have you ever heard of it?" "No," he said, and slammed down the phone book in front of us. "Can we just go swimming?" Little B sung repeatedly in the background. While my husband searched the phone book, I called information and got the address and phone number, confirming it was the correct information for "Arizona Falls" three times. I thought the suite number seemed a bit odd. No luck with the phone book, so we get back in the car and just start driving. I call the number information gave me. The recording said "Thank you for calling the Arizona Fall Little League."

"I know!" hubby says. "I seem to remember someone telling me that Phoenix is really easy to get around in because all the avenues are west of downtown and all the streets are east. We went to 56th Avenue. I bet it's on 56th Street and Indian School!" Great! Only 112 blocks away! So we hop on the freeway, and lord only knows how, but my compass of a husband finds the damn place in about twenty minutes and it's in COMPLETELY the opposite direction that Mapquest took us. I think next time I'll just tell him the intersection. Much more reliable than Mapquest. It ended up being in this really nice neighborhood in Scottsdale. Ahhhhhh. Pretty. "Well, at least we got to see a side of Phoenix we never would have seen!" My husband said, cheerily. "Uh-huh," little B said, rolling his eyes.

Arizona Falls was a sight to see. We got to stand under sheets of water, climb the sides of the canal, and stand inside a "water room" with three waterfall walls and seats made of stone from the original dam that was there. It's amazing to think that the falls generate up to 750 kilowatts of electricity, powering 150 homes! And after all that, we're still one happy family. The water must have had a calming, soothing effect on us.

I'm in the Local News!

2005-08-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is so exciting! I'm actually pictured and talked about in an article on 85239.com, a local Maricopa Web site! It's so fun to be in a small town and feel like what you do matters and that others might care about it. The article talks about the Maricopa Women in Business group that I'm a part of. Check it out! Oh, and I also learned how to make links in the text of my blog, as if you didn't notice. I did it all by myself just by reading the instructions and a little trial and error. I'm a computer wizard! Charles would be so proud! Now all I need to do is learn how to have the link open a new window. Steph?

Introducing Rosie Rose

2005-08-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we brought home a new addition to the family...Introducing Rosie Rose the guinea pig! She's four months old, so she'll get bigger. How much bigger, we're not entirely sure.

It all started when Little B came home from his first day of school telling us that his teacher was giving guinea pigs, rats, and hamsters away to good homes, as long as the parents said it was okay. It seemed strange to me. This would never happen in Los Angeles...people would be too afraid of getting sued because the rodent caused psychological damage to the child when it wouldn't be petted, or some such thing. I didn't truly believe the teacher would give his students a pet. But then the next day when the note came home, we started to consider it. It said that he was giving these rodents away to "a good home" with "a note from the child's parents" and "a cage." Little B wanted a guinea pig very badly.

So for the last two weeks, we've been doing guinea pig research. We went on the internet, talked to the guy in Petsmart, and bought a guinea pig book. It turns out that they're super social animals. They love to have a cage mate, but will be happy alone if you give it lots of attention and exercise. You have to give it toys and keep it entertained so that "it doesn't lead a dull life." We learned about all the gear they need. We learned about their diet. We learned about guinea pig disposition. We talked with Little B about how the guinea pig would be his responsibility...blah blah blah. Cage cleaning, feeding, watering, etc. He still wanted one, and so far has done well. He even picked up pellets off the carpet this morning! We'll see how long his eagerness for care taking lasts. I'm determined not to be one of those parents that takes over the duties!

When my husband and I went into the school to pick up our son and Rosie Rose yesterday afternoon, the ladies in the office said "Oh...another pet going home! That's one less guinea pig we have to worry about." I guess the whole school is in on the rodent giveaway. When we got to the classroom, Little B was holding Rosie Rose in a cardboard box with holes provided by the teacher. Little B and some of the other kids had decorated the box top with things like "fragile," "be careful," "my guinea pig," "RR" for Rosie Rose, and a little drawing of her. Too cute! Little B was so proud as he carried the box down the hallway and to the car, with all the children buzzing around him asking what was inside.

Once we got Rosie Rose into the car, Little B insisted his dad turn the A/C on full blast so she would be comfortable. After we got on to the highway, he suggested that we "drive in the left lane because it's smoother and the bumps scare Rosie Rose." He kept her in the shade in the hallway of the apartment building because he said it would take too long for us to get the keys out and open the front door, which was in the sun. I'm so glad he is thinking about how to take good care of his new pet. It's nice to see and eight-year-old boy be thoughtful every now and then.

We put her in the cage to get used to her new environment. Dad said we had to leave her alone for a while, but we wanted to play! After about an hour of that nonsense, I got Rosie Rose out of the cage. Dad gave me a disapproving look, but once I made him hold her, his heart melted. She is so cute! Even Kermit the Dog seems to like her...a little. He's very curious and very jealous at times, but we're trying to give him as much attention as possible. I hope he will be a good big brother.

You may be asking "Why 'Rosie Rose'?" I, for one, thought the poor girl would be named after a video game character or something. I was pleasantly surprised. We were all driving around in the car the other day trying to think of guinea pig names. I was trying to think of something that would relate to the desert but be feminine and pretty. "Desert Rose, with Rose for short" was my suggestion. Big B then immediately suggested "Rotisserie! Get it...pig...rotisserie?" Um, no. So then Little B said "Rosie! Rose for short." We asked if he was sure, and he was. The cage we purchased a few days later has a little name tag you can clip to the cage. It says "my super pet," and then there's a spot to write a name. Little B said "I'm gonna put both her names on there." So he wrote "Rosie Rose." Now we all call her Rosie Rose. And that's the truth.

We plan to stay around the house for most of the day so Rosie Rose can get to know us. Research says that guinea pigs are super shy at first, then very interactive once they get to know you. She doesn't like us to pick her up, yet, but once we have her, she enjoys cuddling. She also loves carrots and hay. They say you have to hold them and play with them a lot so that they get used to you. I should have her kissing by the end of the day!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

2005-08-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Drove past the house this morning and the bathtubs are sitting in the garage! That must mean some action will soon be taken!

Where's the Beach?

2005-08-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

On our way into Maricopa this morning, my son asked me about a sign we see every day. It says "ENTERING MARICOPA. ELEVATION 1190. INCORPORATED 2003." Little B asked "What's elevation?" I explained that it's the height of the land we are on in comparison to the level of the sea. "Well then, where's the beach?" he inquired. I started to laugh. "Back in California where we came from." I answered. "What? There's no beach in Arizona?" he asked. "Nope, it's surrounded by land," I said "but there's a lake." "Can you swim in it?" he asked. "Absolutely." was my response. "Well, that's fine then. I don't care what kind of water it is, as long as I can swim in it." Looks like a trip to Lake Pleasant is in our near future.

Mega Monsoon

2005-08-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

You may have heard about it on the news! On Tuesday night the Phoenix area experienced the biggest monsoon they've had in two years. Unfortunately, we were out in it.

I had a meeting with some local business owners in Maricopa, and my husband and stepson drove down with me to have dinner with Mr. D and Little D (Mrs. D was in the meeting with me). After the boys got home from dinner and the meeting broke up, Mrs. D and I took the dinner the boys brought home for us and went together to make her rounds. I may not have mentioned this before, but we both own our own pet sitting business. Mine is just starting up, and she has been a tremendous help and a wonderful friend. So we walk outside her house and we're in the middle of a huge cloud of dust. It's really bad, and dust is getting in our eyes, which really hurts. We jump in the car and head out. I asked her, "Do people stay home when this happens, or do they go out and drive around and live their lives like normal?" She said, "Well, it usually doesn't last very long, so people usually go out in it. The dust part never lasts over ten or twenty minutes." Okay. I have to say I totally trust her and her driving because I've been in the car with her before, but I was really quite scared driving around. The visibility was about zero, and when you could see something it was usually a tumbleweed or branch rolling right in front of your car. She was driving and chatting...driving and chatting. I was sweating and gripping...sweating and gripping...trying to listen.

We got to the first house and the dust had settled, literally, for the most part. Just a little wind and a few drops of rain (the rain part comes after the dust part). It was a quick stop with a Great Dane puppy. Oh my! His head was up to my chest, and the house was full of glass cabinets and vases. The puppy was hurdling the living room furniture, and it's tail kept whipping everything. The vases would spin on an edge of their bases and settle back down until the next whipping. It's a miracle nothing broke. And you know how puppies like to jump on new people? Well, this one was no different, only he was taller than me on his hind legs. Can you say H-O-R-S-I-E?

We went back to the car and the weather was just a little windy, but by the time we got to our second stop at the German Shepherd's house, it was blowing pretty hard. Mrs. D did her duties, and we sat down at the dining room table with our Styrofoam containers. Then the lightening started. The sky lit up purple all over. It was the only time we could see outside at all, because there are no street lights in the residential areas of Maricopa in order to preserve great star-gazing conditions. So then the doggie door started to bang, and with each bang came a huge gust of wind. I never knew you could feel that much wind from a doggie door. We started hearing rain, but kept on eating and chatting with the GS in our nice dry spot. When it was time to leave, we opened the door and shut it right back again. However this home's roof was designed, it was not kept in mind that someone might need to leave during a rain storm. All the roof angles pointed down to about two feet in front of the door. So not only was the sky dumping, but there was a genuine waterfall, which was nearly making froth on the front porch. We started laughing. "Do you want to brave it?" Mrs. D asked. "Let's go!" I said. So we did. Never mind the fact that we both had on white shirts...we'll save that story for another audience. After making it ten feet to the car, we looked like we had just jumped in a pool.

On the way home, it began to rain even harder. There were a couple of trees down, and with all the construction going on, there were lots of downed construction barriers and the like. We made it back to her house safely, and then it was time for me to get back in the car with my family and make the trip back to Chandler where our apartment is (about 28 miles). As soon as we got into the car, the lightening frequency increased even more, and it started to rain harder. We thought the wash area might be flooded, but we made it out of town just fine. Then we hit the 347, which is a four-lane highway that stretches through the Indian Reservation just north of Maricopa. Pitch black, then lightening, at increasing frequencies. It became like a strobe light, and watching the windshield wipers was like watching a bad 80s dance video. My stepson was scared when the thunder started, and we were all scared when the lightening bolts started hitting the ground quite close to us. "The car is one of the safest places to be because the rubber tires act like a barrier. Just don't touch the metal door handles." My husband instructed. Huh? I think his intention to calm us had the opposite effect. He kept reducing his speed, and on a road with a speed limit of 65, we were going about 35. I asked if we should pull over, but we pressed on. When the rain started to come directly at the windshield, sideways through the air, and was the hardest rain I'd ever seen, my husband started to crack-up. "What's so funny? What's so funny? What's so funny?" My stepson asked. "Well, it's just, um, well...CRAZY!" my husband said. How do you explain this driving situation to an eight-year-old? You don't want to alarm him and say "Well, son, I can't see a damn thing, and our car is about to get blown off the road." The lightening was blinding. I've never in my life seen so much of it. I would say the sky was lit up more than it was dark, and the bolts seemed to come from every direction. We finally made it home safely, though sopping wet, and heard on the news how the airport was shut down and that it is the worst monsoon the area has had in two years.

On Wednesday morning our world was covered with dust and mud. The most unbelievable thing happened when I got into my Jeep to take my stepson to school. Even though all the windows were zipped up, the inside of my car was covered with dust and had a musty damp smell. It appears as if the dust and rain got through the zippers and Velcro of my soft top while it was parked in a covered parking spot surrounded by other cars. This is weather they just don't have in So Cal! Nothing a good car washing won't fix. Hey, Honey?

As promised...

2005-08-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

My husband had a job interview this afternoon, so I made the trip back to Maricopa to pick up our son and check out the progress on the house. Some of our A/C ducting is in!

Here's taken from the living room up into the loft area.

And from the dining room up the stairs.

And the family room!

All of these are unauthorized and taken from "inside the walls" because I'm too chicken to completely break the rules and go inside...as much as I'd like to.

A Taste of Progress!

2005-08-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be so happy to see some tubing! After I dropped my stepson off at school this morning I drove by our house and there were real live actual workers inside! Our house! Not the neighbor's as is usually the case, but ours!!!! There was a big pick-up truck parked in the backyard, and there were several men installing the A/C ducting system. There was also some PVC lying around and propped up against the side of the house. It doesn't seem like much, but after weeks without a sign of life, there's finally a little bit of progress being made! It's really exciting because I've never actually seen anyone working on the house. I'm bummed I didn't bring the camera. I stopped bringing it because there was never any reason to. I'm going to send my husband with it this afternoon when he makes the afternoon school run. Stay tuned!

Weekend Exploring

2005-07-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the part about the exploring, I have to tell you, at my stepson's request (don't worry, he doesn't actually read the blog, he just knows about it), about what our dog, Kermit, did last night. We went to the bark park at about 9:30 PM, when it was cool enough for him to run around. There weren't too many dogs there, but there was one in particular who couldn't get his nose out of our dog's butt. It was literally like a magnet or crazy glue or something. He even lifted Kermit's hind end up a couple of times so it looked like he was wearing him as a mask. Poor Kermit was on the run the entire time. It must have been exhausting, and the stupid owners rarely called their dog off or grabbed him. After all of the exercise and excitement, we got in the car to head home. Kermit gulped down a bunch of water from his portable bowl, and when we were just about home, he started to do that gagging "I'm about to throw up" thing that dogs do. Well, he's on my lap in the front seat, so my stepson is cracking up as I'm saying "Pull over! Pull over! He's gonna puke!" My husband is saying he can't because we're on the highway. Damn! The dog is still gagging and choking, so I unroll my window and stick his head out, just in the nick of time. "EHHHHHHHKKKKKKHHHHHH..." he erupted, and as we're speeding down the highway all of the puke went splattering across my stepson's window. I thought he was going to pee in his pants laughing. He was laughing so hard he was barely breathing. I didn't find out until we got home that Kermit had also puked all over my shorts. I guess I wasn't as efficient with the window-opening as I thought I was. That really made the kid laugh. Now I'm going to make him do the laundry and see how funny it is then. This is how Kermit looked...

Today was much calmer. We went (sans Kermit) to explore Old Scottsdale. We walked around and looked in all the Southwest shops. They have some great stuff, and I think we'll definitely be back for furniture once our home is complete. In one jewelry shop, a lady gave my stepson a little bear carved by the local Native Americans. He thought it was really neat, and told me that we could pretend it was a dog, if I wanted to. He knows me so well. I was fine with it being a bear, though. The lady told him that it was for protection and healing. He seemed to really subscribe to it, which was nice to see. Most things at his age are met with "yeah, right," so this attitude was refreshing. He carried that thing around all day.

We went to a restaurant called "The Border" for lunch. The atmosphere was "southwest industrial." They claimed to have the best burgers, and they did. We shared a BBQ burger after chowing on "Fried Green Beans." We had to have them. When have you ever heard of that? They were encrusted with coconut and chili flakes and fried. Sounds weird, and it is, but it was delicious.

After Old Scottsdale, we went to an Asian market near our apartment. We were on a mission to find Mae Ploy sauce, which is much easier to find in California. We had fun poking around all the new foods and scaring my stepson with dried anchovies and chicken feet. We found the Mae Ploy and purchased some Bok Choy, too. We're looking forward to going back when we have more time to explore. When we stepped out of the store there was a huge dust storm. We ran to the car, and when we were pulling out of the parking lot my stepson said "Good thing I have my bear!" Awwwwwww! Sometimes he's so damn cute! After the Asian market we had to stop by the regular old grocery store. It was still dust storming when we got there, and my step son said to me, "Kristen, you can hold the bear this time, if you want." Isn't he the best?

It was a great family day. I'm really enjoying our adventures together...so glad we moved here.

Shabu Fondue

2005-07-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

We tried a new restaurant last night, and it was awesome! It's called "Shabu Fondue."

Overall, the apparent decor goal was modern, hip, a teeny bit Asian, and sort-of Vegas club-like. They had a four-story lit-up liquor wall that was striking. The bar area was separated from the rest of the restaurant by a huge wall of glass, allowing it to be separate from the restaurant, yet visually open. People are still allowed to smoke in certain establishments in AZ, so the glass wall was great. You could be part of the party without having to smell it. We had to wait for a table, so we went outside to the bar patio. The weather was so nice. Probably about 90º. As we were sipping our drinks, we realized that the chairs we were sitting in were the same chairs we had on or patio in California. We got them at Lowe's, so we found it funny that this oh-so-hip-and-now place would purchase furniture there. The chairs fit in nicely, I must say. My husband also noticed that they had an item on the bar menu that was very familiar. He'd seen it at the Liquid Kitty before. Here it was called "The Kickstarter," and was a cheap beer (something like Pabst), a cheap shot of tequila, and a cigarette. "They stole that from the Liquid Kitty!" he said. When we were sat at our table, my husband and I started discussing the room. He said he felt like it was a blend of some restaurants he had been in in California. Our table was elevated by about half a story with six other tables (a feature my husband says is a trend now to make diners feel like they are at an "exclusive" table), so we had a nice view of the whole restaurant. In the center of the room was a u-shaped Shabu Shabu bar with burners, and there were tables all around it. One wall was brick, and the others were painted red. There was a lot of black and red in the room with touches of cream. The lighting was dim. Then we started noticing individual items. The chandelier...could have sworn we saw that in IKEA. The bar stools...IKEA? The flatware...IKEA! The divider curtains...definitely IKEA!

Okay, now I'm in love with this place. See, I love hip and cool restaurants, but in Los Angeles you also have to deal with the restaurant owners and staff who turn their noses up at you if you're not as hip and cool as their restaurant. You also have to deal with the other customers who think they are way more hip and cool than you are. So the fact that this restaurant bought all their shit at Lowe's and IKEA really brought it down to earth. It's amazing how stunning the room looked when none of the individual elements cost more than $9.99. Plus, all the people were totally nice. Staff and customers. I've found heaven. A hip and cool restaurant without all the hip and cool bullshit.

Our waitress was kinda cheeerleaderish, but not in the chain restaurant kind of way. More in the "I'm a spaz" kind of way. But she didn't pretend to know more than she knew and was super sweet, so we were down with the rah rah. When my husband ordered a bottle of wine, she asked "Is that a red one or a white one?" I loved her for that. So much better than searching all the reds and whites for twenty minutes, and then bringing out the wrong thing because she couldn't remember what we ordered after all that searching. If you don't know, ask. How honest and refreshing. We took a look at the menu. It was divided into "Shabu" and "Fondue." Makes sense. If you think about it, pairing the usual flavors of shabu shabu and fondue is pretty weird. We were clueless about portion sizes or what we should order, so we asked. Miss Rah Rah told us that a great thing to do would be to order a cheese fondue as an appetizer, then each order a shabu entree, then finish off with a chocolate fondue. Yum! Sold!

We shared a spinach and artichoke cheese fondue to start. We dipped bread, apples, tortilla chips, and pretzels. I could have done without the chips and pretzels. We'll know for next time. The fondue was great! Then we shared three shabu shabu entrees: prime rib, shrimp, and vegetables. Everything was delicious. My stepson had so much fun cooking his own food. Oh, and there were six different dipping sauces. Ponzu, horseradish, peanut sauce, garlic teriyaki, BBQ, and something else. After dinner, we ate chocolate fondue with strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, and cherries. Yum!

Toward the end of the meal, with chocolate all over his face (and I mean he was eating it rough), my stepson announced to Miss Rah Rah that "our dog's middle name is Piggy!" Why that came to mind at this particular time, I don't know. Could have been the chocolate face mask he was wearing. She didn't miss a beat. "Oh yeah? Well my rat's middle name is McNugget!" Totally on the same level. They then discussed the benefits of rats and guinea pigs, and my stepson told all about how a guinea pig is a big responsibility and how his teacher is giving them away for free and how his parents might let him get one. She talked about how her rat sits on her shoulder while she does her homework and can even do tricks. Friends for life!

My husband asked about the restaurant. We found out that it's independently owned by three college friends who traveled to California and incorporated what they liked from several restaurants into their own Arizona restaurant. So that explains it! It totally, surprisingly works! So thumbs up on Shabu Fondue! Down to earth--yet hip--friendly, delicious, and fun! We'll be back for another feast.

A Potential Stabbing Averted

2005-07-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

We discovered yesterday that my stepson has some sort of a blood blister on one of his fingers, we think from climbing around on the rocks of the saltwater pool. Just a few minutes ago he walked up to me and pointed to the two pens laying on the desk with one hand and showed me the blood blister with the other. "Don't poke either one of those pens into this," he commanded. What the hell? What is he thinking? "Sweetheart, why would I do something like that?" I asked. He answered, "Well, when I was at school yesterday I wanted to try and figure out what would hurt and what wouldn't, so I poked a pencil into it and it hurt. So I'm just telling you not to poke those pens into my blister." Good thing he told me, because I was just about to do that. Maybe if I use a different pen...

Dating Again

2005-07-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

I was telling my brother-in-law on the phone last night about how we were getting ready to go to the house of a friend of our new friends, Mr. and Mrs. D. How we didn't know the people, but it's really great to have the opportunity to meet new people through our new friends and all that jazz. He said "You guys are dating again!" So true. We're like dating friends. Moving to a new town and entering the "social scene." Only it's not the singles arena (thank GOD), but the family one. That's even worse, if you think about it, because there's so many more people who have to get along in order for the relationship to work.

So far we're great at this family dating thing. We met such cool people last night! Some real characters. And they have a killer pad. The guy works for one of the prominent home builders out here, so he got this extra large lot with a bunch of upgrades on the house. They bought three years ago when there were only nineteen new homes in Maricopa and you couldn't even walk from one to the other. So their house has pretty much quadrupled in value. Nice. They have a huge grassy backyard with a trampoline, air-conditioned play house, sand box, swing set, a full basketball court, a huge freeform saltwater pool with built-in bar stools and hot tub, and a ramada complete with BBQ, bar, seating, and a TV. Good thing the people are so nice, 'cause if they weren't we'd have to pretend we like them and use them for their backyard. There's a fairly large group of friends that gathers there every Thursday evening, and we've earned a standing invitation! I'm so glad, 'cause it was a BLAST. The kids played and swam, the dogs fetched and swam, and the parents drank beer and swam. We ordered pizza and stayed out entirely too late. We didn't get home until midnight. We can't wait until we live in their neighborhood. Our new friend said, "You guys can come back any time. You're terrible parents just like us, staying out past eleven with your kid." I took it as a compliment. They're GREAT parents. And the kid had the most fun of his life and couldn't stop smiling and laughing the whole entire time. On our way to school this morning he asked if we can go back tonight. I think he wants to live there. Who could blame him? The first words out of his mouth this morning when he woke up were "We partied too hard last night, but it was worth it." So, yeah, we kept our 3rd grader out until midnight on a school night. Hey...it's only the first week of school. They don't even have homework, yet. He'll be fine!

On a side note, the super-loud dishwasher in our apartment plays the background accompaniment to Queen's "We Will Rock You."

Deodorant Drama

2005-07-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

As part of my stepson's back-to-school gear, we purchased him his first stick of deodorant. Tom's of Maine Natural Unscented. The natural part so he doesn't get alzheimer's, and the unscented part so he doesn't get teased for smelling like a girl. I remember getting my first stick of deodorant, and it was not when I was eight years old. I think I was in Jr. High...sixth or seventh grade. I remember being a little embarrassed about it. I guess twelve-year-olds are embarrassed about a lot of stuff. My stepson isn't because he's not old enough to know to be embarrassed that he stinks. I guess that's one of the benefits of starting something early. When I put it on his pits for the first time the other day, he was cracking up because it tickled. Now he's doing it himself, and "it doesn't tickle at all anymore!" What a wonder! Yesterday when we picked him up from school, he had two things to report. Mr. Teacher had offered each of the kids in his class a guinea pig (he breeds them or something) as long as they brought a cage and a permission note from their parents, and "my friend wears deodorant, too!" When asked how he discovered that, he said that he just told his friend about his deodorant, but he "can't remember what my friend said about his deodorant." There were even a few kids in his second grade class who wore it. Age seven! You may think it's odd to be worried about that stuff when they're so young, but it's not for them, it's for you, the parent. I knew it was time toward the end of second grade when he hopped in my car after a long day of playing and I just about passed out. You can't drive a car safely that way. I had to open the widows. It wasn't that dirty, sweaty little boy smell. It was genuine man B.O. I even stuck my nose right in his pit when we got home, out of disbelief. He just laughed. I guess B.O. is right up there with farting nowadays.

So when did the deodorant age plummet down to seven? And how did this happen? Are we just more conscious of it, or is body chemistry changing that drastically due to the amount of preservatives that are in our food? Did our parents wait until age eighteen to start wearing it? Will our children's children be starting deodorant as a milestone in line with eating solid foods? Will Baby B.O. be an epidemic, leaving behind that sweet, sweet smell that has been known since the dawn of time? I wonder. In know one thing is true...Tom is a saint in our home.

What's at the End?

2005-07-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon at a mild 100º, and then it just started to rain.

"LA's Nature Show" Through the Eyes of a Zonie

2005-07-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

In this morning's Arizona Republic, the "Travel & Explore" section featured an article titled "LA's Nature Show" as a "regional getaway." Mr. Richard Nilsen's sub head was "Forget flowers--think tarpits, concrete rivers and oil rigs." It's really interesting to hear what a Zonie reporter thinks of my hometown. So here goes...

"When you think of Los Angeles, the word 'nature' comes to mind about as often as Genghis Khan and the word 'delicate.' LA is one of the world's great cities, and one of the most artificial. It is all pavement and minimal, parking garage and chain store. I will cede LA no quarter when it comes to magnificence, but when it comes to nature, you're barking up the wrong stop sign.

"Or are you?

"There is actually a lot of nature in LA, but like so much else in the sprawling, hazy, energetic city, it is sui generis--in a class of its own. And if you love LA and its artifice and unreality, then you may love its nature, too.

"That includes the La Brea Tar Pits, the stuffed animals at the Natural History Museum, the concrete-lined Los Angeles River.

"This isn't nature all cute and cuddly like the nature films show. It is nature covered with graffiti, smelly with escaping gas, and turned into a simulacrum of itself.

"But if you are in the right spirit, gravid with irony, there is a lot to love. Like the infamous LA River, a 50-mile-long concrete gutter paralleled by railroad yards, high-tension lines and freeways."

My first impression was that Mr. Nilsen was too critical. I realized I was being defensive. He mentions a lot of the reasons why I wanted to leave LA in the first place. Funny how I could be defensive about something I have often criticized myself. Granted, I'm no nature girl. He goes on in the article to describe the Tar Pits, which I often visited on school field trips. My favorite excerpt is "The pond at the entrance to the park, with its bronze elephants, is filled with water covered in a film of petroleum. In places a layer of tarry foam collects, and great bubbles of methane blub up like boiling oatmeal, filling the air with stink." Makes you want to visit, doesn't it?

He goes on to define the kinds of nature he is talking about...

"If you want cute furry animals and fields of wildflowers, you've come to the wrong place. Try Maine, at the opposite corner of the continent.

"But the Bambi vision is only one version of nature, and it is a conventional version, and LA is anything but conventional.

"We should think of nature as anything that reminds us we live on a planet. That includes geology, climate, hydrology. LA is a city inescapably bound up with the real effects of nature. LA is the city of earthquakes, mudslides, ozone and haze, the city of Santa Ana winds and wildfires, of mountain lions attacking joggers.

"Despite its reputation, LA is nature all the time."

Since I have lived in Los Angeles--my whole life, minus the last twelve days--I always heard that it was a place unlike any other. I always felt like every place else was unusual and it was LA that was the norm, which is a pretty egotistical place to be. I guess most people feel that way. Whatever you're used to is the norm. Not better, just expected. I'll always love Los Angeles, even though I'm happy with my decision to move away. Unusual is good. The unexpected is great. I love exploring a new city and meeting a new kind of person. It's been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life so far. I think a departure from "normal" Los Angeles is just what I needed.

Caught off Guard

2005-07-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

We experienced our second monsoon yesterday evening around 6 PM. The Bs were playing in the pool, and I was napping on a chaise. I heard Big B go "Uh. Honey?" When I opened my eyes, I saw a huge wall of dust coming for us over the top of the building. Time to go! Right away the wind was fierce. The two other families at the pool were yelling and gathering their things as fast as they could. One poor little girl was really scared. She was running around crying. As the boys got out of the pool, I was scrambling to grab our towels and flip flops before they blew into the pool. The chaise started to move across the deck. It is incredible how things can go from completely still and calm to tornado-like in a matter of seconds. You may be thinking, "Dummies! Didn't they see that coming?" Well, I was napping, but I can vouch for the others that the answer is "NO." It really comes up THAT fast.

Once we got everything gathered, we walked as quickly as we could back to our apartment. I felt like Dorothy...you know the part where she's got her little basket and the tornado is whipping up her skirt and making it difficult for her to walk? At least she had her hair in braids, because mine was acting like a blindfold. Not knowing how bad the winds were going to get or how thick the dust would be, I was shaking a little. We got back into the apartment just in time to watch a lot of the patio furniture, which is heavy and made of metal, scrape across the deck and take a dive into the pool. I went out on the balcony to take some pictures, which I later found out was a mistake because my lungs were coated with dust.

Here's the dust cloud as it made it's way over our apartment building. Pretty ominous, huh? (You'll also notice the chair near the edge of the right side of the pool.)

After the dust cloud came the rain cloud. At first the rain was pretty light. Like a moderate So Cal winter rain.

The sky looked nuts!

Then came the rain...the real rain. It DUMPED! (Notice how some of the patio furniture is gone?)

I walked around the front of the building to check things out. The street was flowing like a river, and the poor trees were bent over so far they were nearly at a 90º angle! I also took video of this, which is much more spectacular.

Back inside, here's my stepson watching the show. He said "I think I see a fish moving." I guess he thought that the monsoon brought so much water that it must have brought fish to Lake Villa Pallavicini.

After all the rain came a spectacular lightening storm. The monsoon ended up being nothing more than an inconvenience, as we had planned to go out to dinner. The show was worth it, though! I'm not sure when we can expect to see our next monsoon, but the weather reports show storms for the next couple of days.

Lake Villa Pallavicini

2005-07-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Just outside our apartment, there's a grassy basin perfect for letting the dog run around. There's almost always a dog out there sniffing, playing, or squatting. Now I don't know much, yet, about desert lawn maintenance, but the situation with the sprinklers here at Villa Pallivicini seems odd to me. The sprinklers will run for about twelve hours one day, then fifteen minutes another day, then 24 hours. Sometimes it's enough to make a lake. Take this afternoon, for example. I took this picture from our balcony.

If lawns need to be watered like this, how do people golf so much out here? In their swim suits? Is this a mistake the gardener is making, or is it necessary for one of the following reasons?
A) An attempt to combat overcrowding at the swimming pool.
B) This much water is needed to dilute the amount of dog urine in the basin.
C) They are trying to make a pretty lake with paddle boats and fishing, but it's so hot that the water is evaporating faster than they can fill it.

The Chronicle Begins...

2005-07-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing some of the other blogs whose bloggers live in Maricopa, and I discovered Jim, who is chronicling the building process of his home. So now I'm inspired to do the same thing with our home. The process is so exciting (the building, not the chronicling). Even though our home has been delayed several times and will probably be delayed even more, I'm still happy and optimistic...looking forward to the day we can move in!

Right now, we're living in an apartment in Chandler. It's working out great so far, but we're still anxious to get into our new place. It looks like it will be a while. Let me bring you up to date...

Here's our lot the day we picked it and put down our deposit in October 2004...

Here is a picture taken in April of 2005, just before pouring the foundation...

Here's our home framed with most of the windows in. It was so exciting to see it like this for the first time. This was taken in June.

This is a picture of the framing of our family room taken on the same day...

We took this picture of the back of our house last week. Disappointing because very little progress has been made in the last six weeks. We just have to be patient.

Even though it's hard to wait, we have to think how lucky we are to be building a new home and to be able to see it as it goes through the building process. Such an exciting time in our lives!

School Daze, New Friends, and Our First Monsoon

2005-07-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

Lots to report from last night!

We went to my stepson's brand new school for "Meet the Teachers" night and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The school is beautiful, and we were so excited to be part of this momentous occasion. It was a very small-town, warm, community, apple-pie type feeling, and we loved it. I felt like I was in an episode of Gilmore Girls (don't tell anyone I like that show). Afer the ceremony, we set off to find his teacher. We checked all the lists for 3rd grade classrooms, and he wasn't on any of them. Since it's a brand new school, I figured we could cut them some slack. After all, the building was still under construction just a couple of days ago. They probably just forgot to assign him a classroom...I was sure others would have the same problem.

We went over to the office and talked to the principal, who had personally confirmed his enrollment via email just a few weeks ago. I explained the situation, and we all looked on the district map to make sure our new house was within the school boundaries. Our street marks the division between one elementary school and the other, so it's a bit confusing. I was upset that we were referring to the district map since I had made such efforts to make sure we enrolled at the right school (knowing we were on the border), confirming with several different people on several different occasions. I explained to the principal that the house isn't quite ready, yet, and that we're temporarily living in Chandler. She asked me two questions that really ticked me off. 1) (with furrowed brow) "You mean you're going to drive him all the way out here every day?" 2) "Are you sure your house is on that street, because there's a lot of construction going on out here?" HA! Yeah, lady...I'm gonna drive my kid out here every day so that he doesn't have to transfer schools in the middle of the year. I know that sounds like a big ol' pain in the ass–and it is–but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your kids. I thought you might understand that, being a principal and all. And, yes, I do know where my house is. Thank you for having so much confidence in my intelligence level. I certainly hope you have higher standards for the children you are educating. So she then tells me that she can't believe she would email me the incorrect information. Me neither. She then tells me that they have no record whatsoever of my stepson and that I should head over to the other elementary school to see if he's on a class list there. GREAT! THANKS! Now, I'm still going to give Mrs. Principal a chance. I'm not completely closed minded to the fact that she's probably a great person and all that. I know she's stressed. I can't even imagine the pressure on her right now. We'll see how things go in the future.

So we go over to the other school. Do you think he's on a list? Nope. Checked in the office. No record whatsoever. Asked if they have a master district list. Nope. K. The lady tells me to go back to the other school and ask the principal again. I then began educating my child on the finer words in the English language while simultaneously consoling him because he now feels like he doesn't belong anywhere.

I MARCH back into the first school office and tell Mrs. Principal that even though I mailed in all of my child's records, immunizations, and information to the school months ago, had his records sent officially from his previous school, spoke on the phone and via email with both herself and the principal at the other school to confirm the correct school and that my stepson was, indeed, enrolled, they have no record of him whatsoever in their system. Then I said "Since you confirmed that he is enrolled at this school, in writing, this is the school he is going to. Which class is he in?"

She said, "We'll put him in Mr. Teacher's class, room 11. Please stop by the office on Monday morning to make sure we have your son's information." THANK YOU!

So we go meet Mr. Teacher, and he seems nice. Has a lot of books in his classroom, which Little B immediately began reading. He told us his philosophies and about the grading system, and we were comforted. Our son has a place and is now looking forward to attending his first day of 3rd grade on Monday.

After that, we went to dinner at our first friends' (in AZ) house. I met Mrs. D online on a community Web site, and we've been emailing ever since. We both own our own pet sitting companies, and, technically, we're each other's competition, but we've chosen to take a more mature route and help each other out. We went to a professional pet sitters luncheon together the other day and found we had a lot in common. She was so nice to invite our family to her home for dinner. Boy, do we have a lot in common. She, Mr. D and Little D were great! Not to mention their three dogs and two cats. We clicked on just about every level, and Mr. D is a damn good cook. It's crazy, but Mrs. D and I are a lot alike, as are my husband and Mr. D. Our "married" interactions are also almost identical. It's just too good to be true. Friends! We made friends!

After dinner, the four of us are outside sharing a bottle of wine while the kids play inside. It's a hot (duh) evening, but then a slight breeze started blowing, which we all agreed was very refreshing. Then, suddenly–and I mean in about two seconds–our hair was blowing straight up in the air, whipping around, and the patio furniture was rattling. We look up, and there is a huge wall of dust. Let me tell you, it was an amazing site. "Here it is," Mr. D said, grabbing his wine. "Get inside. Shut the dog door," said Mrs. D, grabbing hers. We all ran inside. My husband and I looked out the window and called our son over to witness our first monsoon! I kept saying "Oh my god. Oh my god." What we saw was incredible. The only shame is that it was dark out and we couldn't totally see as well as we would have liked. The back wall of the D's backyard was about thirty feet from the sliding glass door we were peering through, and it was obscured from view by dust in seconds. Their whole backyard was filled with dust. Then the swing set was enveloped. That was only about ten feet away from us. It was nuts! Just thirty seconds ago we were relaxing on the patio. Then Mrs. D says to Mr. D, "Oh SHIT, honey. Our car windows are open." Uh-oh. They run outside. That gave me time to realize that my teeth were gritty, just like at the beach, and my wine had dust in it. The Ds come back a couple of minutes later completely drenched. So now it's pouring! We're all laughing, and they're telling us how they couldn't believe their first monsoon either. They only moved here last August, so they're new to all this, too. After about half an hour, everything had died down. We go back outside and everything looks normal, but with a layer of dust. Mr. D wiped down the patio furniture while Mrs. D changed the dogs' water bowl, which was now a big mud pie. Then we sat outside and finished our wine while watching an intense lightening storm.

Sorry...it all happened so fast I didn't have time to get pictures, plus it was dark and wouldn't have made good photos anyway. I'll try for next time. But what an experience! New great friends and our first monsoon! A night we will never forget...

The Drive-in

2005-07-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the drive-in movies! My husband is the only one of us to have been to a drive-in before, and that was when he was a kid. It seems that drive-ins just don't exist much anymore, which is a shame because it was a great time and much less expensive than going to the movie theater. At the Scottsdale 6, we paid $11.00 total for my husband and I, and the kid and dog were free. And that's for a double feature! We didn't stay for the second flick 'cause it was past our bed times. We saw a movie I never thought I'd see, "Herbie: Fully Loaded." It was the only 8-year-old friendly film they were showing besides "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which we saw last weekend. The movie was actually pretty good, but it could have been the novelty of the experience that caught me wearing rose-colored glasses. The snack vendors were complaining about how there were only twelve cars that came in the whole place last night–complaining in a nice way, like they were bummed. They seemed to really enjoy their jobs. I hope this drive-in doesn't shut down like all the rest, 'cause we'll definitely be back.

We'll probably wait to go back until the weather cools a bit. It must have been between 95º and 100º and since we were sitting in my Jeep without the engine running, it was pretty uncomfortable. We were pretty sweaty, plus I had a furry dog in my lap the whole time that added to the heat. About halfway through the movie, the wind really started to pick up. The still, dusty lot became a playground for canwrappersers, empty popcorn tubs, and dust devils. Then we saw lightening behind the screen in the distance. Wow! What a sight. The strikes became more and more frequent and looked closer and closer. The wind blew so hard that we had to zip up the windows to shield ourselves from the dust. We started to get a little nervous, wondering if the storm would move right on top of us. The Jeep was shaking, and the canvas top was vibrating. The lightening was no longer made up of individual strikes. It looked like the sky was full of electricity with no break. Some strikes were so high that they just made the clouds glow, while others seemed to strike the ground. A few raindrops fell. My husband was lucky enough to snap the picture seen here.

Though our first instinct was to flee, we decided to follow the judgmentent of the three other cars on our lot, assuming they were natives to the area. If they go, we'll go, we thought. The kids they had on the roof of their truck moved inside for cover, but they stayed put and watched the whole movie. Things calmed down just before the movie ended in time for us to have a safe, yet gusty, ride home.

A Foreigner at the MVD

2005-07-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

This morning I set out to the Arizona MVD, or Motor Vehicle Division (of the Transportation Department). Like the DMV, but not. After doing research online and on the phone (just to be sure), I figured out everything I needed to get a new driver license, plate, and registration, so off I went.

My first step was to get a smog check. Since my car needed gas and I know where the nearest gas station is, I went there for a fill up and some information. While my car was drinking, I asked if the "Brake Stop" next door did smog checks. What I said, exactly, is "Do you do smog checks here?" The guy said "Except what?" Um. "Smog Checks?" I said. "Oh, um...no," he said. How helpful! Realizing that I was getting no where fast, I went inside the gas station. Surely they would know of a place. "Excuse me, please. Could you please tell me where the nearest place is to get a smog check?" The lady gave me a look as if I was speaking a foreign language, and she looked rather dim, in general. She asked, "A smog check? What's that?" You've got to be kidding me! Then it dawned on me...you're not in a foreign country, Kristen, but you might as well be..."You know, emissions?" I asked, with a smile. "Oh! You need an emissions test?" she inquired. "Yes," I declared with confidence. "Just go to the MVD on Beck," she instructed. Huh? I said (mostly because she looked dim) "They don't do emissions tests at the MVD." She gave me a really blank, absent-minded look. "Yes they do. Well, I mean, right next to it." I said, "Well, okay, thanks," and walked out.

"Hi honey," I called my husband. "These people, one, don't know what a smog check is, and two, are telling me to get an 'emissions test' at the MVD." "At the MVD?" he asked with a laugh. "Yup," I said, laughing back. I told him that my plan was to drive over there, check it out, and if there's no place to get an emissions test, I'll just ask at the MVD. "Good idea," he said "and keep your eyes peeled for places that do smog checks on your way."

I follow my Mapquest directions to the MVD, and lo and behold, I find a sign that says "Emissions Testing for MVD Here" with a big ol' arrow. So I follow. Once I pull up to the Jiffy-Lube type stall line, a giant dude comes up and tells me I have to go in the other entrance and get a ticket. K. So I go back where I came from and pull in front of this gate. The machine next to me says "Pull for ticket," so I do. But I have to yank so hard I think I sprained my arm. Then the gate magically opens and leads me right exactly to where I was before. Another sign says "Stay in your car. Leave engine running. Wait for further instructions." Aye-Aye. After a few minutes, I am waived forward, and I get to drive my own car right onto those spinning things they don't let you drive onto in CA. All this time I'm thinking...here I am...right next to the MVD...this surely is another one of those conspiracies against Californians...I'm gonna get ripped off and end up paying twice as much as I would if I had taken the time to find a real smog–er, emissions–place. Oh, well, at least it's conveniently located. So after I pull up, the guy tells me "You can either wait in the passenger's seat, or wait in that little booth," which is right next to the car. I opt for the booth. Once I'm in (for protection, I presume, even though it's like half a foot from my rear tire, and now we've involved glass), he says "It'll be $27.75 when we're through" and points to a sign that tells me they accept Arizona bank checks and cash. Good thing I have cash.

In the thirty seconds that passes while they're testing my Jeep, I started to feel like I was being sucked into some "Zonie process" that I knew nothing about. Just sort-of aimlessly drifting...thinking I'm doing the right thing...but fearful that I'm not. "DONE!" the dude says, and ushers me back into my car. "Pull up." I do. Another dude. "$27.75," he says. I give him thirty bucks, he gives me change and a piece of paper that says I passed, and points to the MVD. I ask, "Just out of curiosity, are all the emissions testing facilities next to and associatied with the MVDs?" "WHAT?" he screams and takes out his flourescent orange ear plug. Reluctantly, I repeat myself. "Yes," he says. No further explanation. And he gave me this weird look, too. I giggled and said "This is all new to me." He just walked away.

I go where he pointed and follow the MVD signs and arrows straight into a stall with a sign that says "All out-of-state vehicles must be inspected first." First? How do they already know what I'm here for? Those Zonies have got it goin' on! There's another stupid Californian in front of me, so the chick with the wet towel around her neck tells me to pull next to him and turn off my engine. So I do. Instantly, I'm baking. I unzip my window and wonder if this is part of the test. Like, you have to be able to sit in your car, motionless, without AC, for an undetermined amount of time, before they will give you an AZ license. Since my window is open and so is the other stupid Californian's, I hear her ask "Is your car tan or gray?" He says "I call it Champagne." Stupid Californian. He MUST be from L.A. I start to giggle. He must be more FOB than me, thinking they do "Champagne." "We only have tan and gray, so you're tan," she tells him. Ha ha. I'm not as stupid as you are...I'm singing in my head as sweat collects on my lower back and drips between my boobs.

He finally drives off, and I'm up. She takes enough notes about my license plate to write a dissertation while my pits are flowing like Niagra Falls. She asks me most of the same questions, but doesn't inquire about my vehicle color. She just writes down "gray." I would have preferred "silver," but I learned my lesson from those who went before me. I reckon they don't have fancy colors like silver. I sign. She hands me a paper, which I assume means I passed my vehicle inspection (but don't ask), and tells me to park and go inside. I do.

I get in this big long line even though I really want to turn around and go "home." But I'm determined. So I stay in the line, and it moves surprisingly fast. REALLY fast. Nice! This is nothing like the CA DMV! (As if I didn't know that already.) I get to the front and I tell the lady, "I'm from California." She asks, "Do you want an Arizona driver's license?" "Yes." I say. She asks if I have my CA driver's license and a second form of ID. "Yes," I say, and start to take everything out. "Oh, no...I don't need them...I just want to make sure you have them, " she says. K. "Yeah, I have them." I pretened to lie, for fun. What if I didn't have them? Heh heh. She has me look into some box. I say what I see. Some lights flash to check my perepherial vision, and she hands me a number. B091. I sit. I read. I look at all the sixteen-year-old "cool boys" studying with their mothers. Heh heh.

In a calm, computerized voice, "Now serving B091 at window 10." Right on! She speaks English, is pretty, and has on an Abercrombie t-shirt. In about four minutes she had signed me up for two years of registration (at a discount), my new DL, and my new "Pet Friendly/Spay & Neuter" license plate, which I knew I wanted before I came in, so there. $34 of the $50 two-year fee goes to spaying and neutering animals, plus instead of the mountan and cactus picture, I get to have a stylized dog and cat on my plate. Perfect! I'm soooooo excited about that! She gives me my receipt, clips my CA DL to my paperwork, and points me over to "the guy in the blue shirt who will take your picture."

I go over to him. He has me sign this little paper the size of a business card "on the line within the white box." Then he takes my picture. "Please wait for it to be printed." "For what to be printed?" I ask, "My actual driver license?" "Uh-huh." He says, and looks at me strangely. As if I'm a stupid Californian or something. He hands me my license. The actual thing. It expires in 2041. I don't need a new license until I'm 65. Unless, of course, I do something crazy like move out of state. There's a sixteen-year-old right next to me jumping up and down with his friends. I remember that feeling. Now, all I want to do is go home and have a beer.

Monsoon on the Way!

2005-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to absorb as much information about the weather here as I can because although it's sunny just like So Cal, it's much different. For one, I don't ever remember it being 115º in the Los Angeles area. So glad it's dry here, because humidity would be the death of me. When I was in New York in the summer time several years ago, I really thought I wasn't gonna make it. This is dry heat, which really does make a difference despite all of the clichés. So this morning I go out to take my dog for a walk at about 8 AM, and it feels pretty damn humid. I notice my neighbor's newspaper, so I check out the headline "Heat Toll Hits 8 as Monsoon Nears." So, yeah, 8 people have died in this "heat wave" we're having. Leave it to our family to not only move to one of the hottest places on the planet in the middle of summer, but to do so while that place is experiencing a heat wave. Since I'm above stealing my neighbor's newspaper, I go online to www.azcentral.com, which has a link to the daily printed paper. Sure enough, the evening news was right. A monsoon is on the way. I have been able to determine that the high heat levels (currently 8 days in a row over 110º...I guess that's a big deal) contribute to a raised "dew point." To my knowledge, Southern Californians aren't concerned with dew point, though I've been known to live under a rock at times, so I could be mistaken. So the dew point is pretty high right now. 55 yesterday. That really means nothing to me. They could tell me the dew point is 5 or 155. I just know it's pretty high, and they also reported that a dew point of 55 for three consecutive days along with temps over 110º means a monsoon. So that's the formula! I think.

I've been checking my weather widget like twenty times a day, and it keeps saying sunny, sunny, sunny infinity. When I went online today, the weather forecast says a chance of thunder storms every day this week. Hm. I guess surprises are nice. Only problem is, I'm not sure how concerned about this monsoon I should be. I guess like any unfamiliar natural occurrence that has the potential to cause damage, it puts a slight fear in this here newcomer. I never really thought much about earthquakes in CA, so why should I worry about monsoons? I've heard that they can be weekly occurrences during this time of year, so they can't be that bad, right?

A friend who used to live here described them as really cool. He said that the sky is super clear, then you see this huge wall of really dark dust approaching (um, sure that's cool). Then when it gets to you, it just dumps water like crazy and there's tons of lightning, and everything floods. The monsoon is in a really isolated area, so you could see one, but not be in one, I guess. But you still have to be really careful, especially in the wash areas, because a flood from a monsoon far away can come right through a wash near you. That's how kids get hurt...playing in the wash on a clear day...a big no-no.

The landscaping in Arizona is interesting because most of the dwellings are elevated. For example, just outside our apartment building is a path at ground level. Then there is this large grassy area that makes a sharp bank down into a basin. It's a great place to take the dog for a potty break, but I bet it's like a lake after a monsoon. We're having a new home built, and that house has a wash area right behind it. Of course, the site is elevated. It should be pretty neat to see water rush down the wash during monsoon season.

By the way...today marks our one week anniversary of being in Arizona! Does that make us Zonies, yet?