It's 2020!

11/5/19 I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.

Tulla turned 13 on 11/9!  Our dogs are getting old!  Bella turns 12 on 2/11.  They just had their 6 month vet appointment and the vet didn't say anything was wrong with them.  We noticed Tulla has gained weight since changing her food to deal with a minor incontinence problem.  We are now feeding her less of that.  They both seem to have one or two cysts on their body, but we aren't going to biopsy them or anything at this point.  Tulla had one a year or so ago and it turned out to be benign.  They both got their teeth cleaned this time, but soon they are probably going to be too old to handle the procedure.  Paul and Nathan went to see Arctic Dogs at the movies that day.

We went to a NASCAR race in Phoenix on 11/10.  Hamlin won that day.  We sat in the stands this time as opposed to on the hill.

I went to the Reid Park Rose Garden and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 11/14.

I attempted the Hunter Trail at Picacho Trail on 11/16.  Paul and Nathan went with me, but they didn't make it very far.  They knew I wanted to try and make it to the top so I kept going.  I ALMOST made it.  I stopped just below the bridge near the top.  I decided to turn back because I knew I had a long way down, I was getting tired and my family was waiting for me in the car.  The trek down was hard on my knees.  I don't have a lot of knee problems, but that was a rough hike.  Not sure I will attempt it again, but it would be nice to make it to the top.  Maybe I could try the trail on the other side that also goes to the top.  It is longer, but not as tough as the Hunter Trail, or so I have heard.

I went to Sabino Canyon with Sandy Kaiser at church on 11/25.  We hiked all the way up the tram route and back down.  She is older than me, but I had trouble keeping up with her!  I got 20k steps that day!

Nathan and I went to my friend Wendi's house for Thanksgiving (11/28).  I think Nathan enjoyed playing video games with her son Logan.

I went to the Reid Park Rose Garden and the Reid Park Zoo on 11/30.  Then Nathan and I went to see Frozen 2 at the movies.  He said it was better than the first one.

I went to Reid Park Zoo on 12/5.

Nathan got his brown belt in Taekwondo on 12/11.  He got a certificate, too.

We took Nathan to Air Time on 12/14 to celebrate his birthday.  We got him a Minecraft cake since he wanted a Minecraft themed birthday.  When we went to pick up his cake at Safeway, he came out of the store carrying Buddy, a HUGE stuffed animal dog.  So my baby turned 10 on 12/15.  Double digits!

I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Green Things Nursery on 12/16.

We checked out a Christmas light display on Devotion St near River and La Cholla on 12/20.  They had the lights synced to music.

I went to Winterhaven on 12/21 with Sandy Kaiser and Lisa Wabick from church.  My family didn't want to go with me :(  That is OK, us short girls had fun.

Christmas was low key with just the 3 of us.  Later that day I decided to take a drive.  I went through Saguaro National Park.  It rained that morning so I saw a full rainbow and got some pictures of it.  Then I went to the Desert Museum.  I was surprised at how many people were there on Christmas Day!

I went to Catalina State Park on 12/27 to photograph the snow on the mountains.

We decided to go hunting for snow on 12/28.  We headed toward Sonoita.  We didn't see much snow so we went toward Bisbee.  There wasn't much snow there either so we ate lunch there and left.  We headed to Ramsey Canyon.  There was plenty of snow there!  We made a cowboy snowman.

We didn't do much for New Year's Eve.  I took some pictures in the desert with a New Year's headband on a cactus.  They actually came out pretty decent.  We watched the ball drop in New York on TV.

On my birthday (1/2) I decided to go to Sabino Canyon.  I hiked some trails I hadn't done before and saw Sabino Dam.  Paul and Nathan bought me a birthday cake.  Hard to believe I am 45!  I think I MAY be getting arthritis and I am going through peri-menopause, but other than that I feel great.  I lost weight last year and did a lot more hiking and exercise.  Last year I went down from a size 12 to 8.  In the last 4 years, I have lost 20 pounds.  I want to lose 20 more to get down to a size 4, what I was in college.  I think this is going to be harder.  January has been flying by and I am not doing that great.  My diet and exercise has been intermittent, but I just try to do it when I can.

On 1/4/20, I went to Saguaro National Park East.  I had never been to the East one before.  It is a one way narrow road that takes you in a loop around the park.  It is hillier than the west side.  I would like to go back in the Spring to see some flowers blooming and to maybe do some hiking.

We went to Pastor Joiner's funeral on 1/7.  Pastor Joiner was diagnosed with cancer about 3 months prior.  It spread quickly and he passed away on 12/21.  He was my pastor for the last 10+ years.  He was my spiritual leader and mentor.  I looked up to him more than anyone else.  He founded our church over 60 years and pastored it up until he got sick this year.  Pastor Joiner dedicated Nathan as a baby and Paul was baptized on his first Father's Day (June 2010) at New Testament Baptist Church.  Over 900 people attended the funeral.  I will really miss him. 

I went to the Desert Museum and drove through Saguaro National Park West on 1/9.

We went to Phoenix to celebrate my birthday on 1/11.  It is kind of a tradition to go to Phoenix for my birthday every year so I can get my free pizza at Grimaldi's, go to Portillo's and go to one of the zoos or something there.  This time we went to Phoenix Zoo.  I made friends with a mandrill. 

I went to Nathan's 2nd quarter honors assembly on 1/15.  Nathan made honor roll again!  Never has he missed making honor roll.  I am so proud of him.  He got a 96 in History/Geography, 86 in Reading, 99 in Recitation, 95 in Science, 95 in Math, 95 in English/Language, a M (meeting the standard) in Art, M in Music, E (exceeding the standard) in PE and an E in Latin.  They have a new Latin teacher this year and Nathan is doing a lot better in that class.  Nathan's teacher said that she could tell a difference in Nathan the 2nd quarter.  That he seemed happier and was doing better in class.  In fact, she told me that he was Chick-Fil-A's student of the month this month for displaying the habit of honor.  He gets a free kids at Chick-Fil-A and he got a certificate.  Paul told me that he is doing really well at Master Club (Awana) at church, too.  They say he is well behaved and like a sponge when it comes to learning the Bible.  After Nathan's honors assembly, I went to Christopher Columbus Park and Sweetwater Wetlands.  I was looking for the bufflehead duck that was recently seen there, but no luck.

I went to Sabino Canyon on 1/18.  This time I walked up the tram route to about stop 6 or 7 (I think there are 9 total) and then walked back down.  I got 18k steps that day!