We left for New Mexico on 3/15. We went to Round Mountain Rockhound Area. I thought we were going to ruin our car going on that long rocky road! The next day we went to White Sands National Monument. We weren't sure we were going to make it. It was snowing when we left the hotel that morning! On the way there, we had snow, sleet and rain. As we got closer, the highway was at a standstill probably because of an accident. We decided to turn around and take another route. We finally arrived and the precipitation stopped just in time for us to enjoy a couple of hours there. It was cold and overcast, but it was very cool to see the white sand. The next day we went to Rockhound State Park to once again hunt for rocks. Paul and Nathan are really into rock collecting these days. From there we drove to Safford, AZ. We stayed in Safford that night and ate at a restaurant where they had corned beef and cabbage for me for St Patty's Day! The next day we went to the Gila Box Riparian National Conversation Area. Then we went to the Black Hills Rockhound Area to once again look for rocks (fire agate).Then we decided to make a stop at Roper Lake State Park. The next day we drove around Roosevelt Lake. That night we were supposed to all go to a Dodgers vs Indians spring training game. I opted out so the boys went. The next day they decided to do another Dodgers game during the day while I went to Wildlife World Zoo. That night we went to a Cubs vs Dodgers game where they tied. On our last day of spring break, 3/21, the boys went to Legoland in Tempe and I went to the Phoenix Zoo.
We went to the Thunderbirds Air Show in Tucson on 3/23.
Nathan had his Radiant Royals lunch with the art teacher on 3/25 for being an outstanding art student in the previous quarter. That day I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Green Things Nursery.
Paul did a quick trip to Chicago for work 3/26-3/27.
Nathan had his Awards Ceremony on 3/28 for making honor roll in the 3rd quarter. He got an 89 in History/Geography, 90 in Reading, 96 in Recitation, 96 in Science, 96 in Math, 90 in English, M for Art, E for P/E. M for Music and M for Latin. After his ceremony, I went to the Desert Museum.
On 3/29, I went to Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
We went to see Paw Patrol Live in Phoenix on 3/30. Nathan is getting a little old for Paw Patrol, but he still enjoyed the show. We ate lunch at Grimaldi's and dinner at Portillo's!
New Testament Baptist Church celebrated its 60th anniversary on 3/31. It was also Pastor Joiner's 60th anniversary as pastor because he started the church 60 years ago! They researched on the internet and could not find a record of anyone who has pastored a church that long! They had a big celebration planned and invited all past members to church that day. It was a packed house. It was supposed to be a 2 hour event, but ended up being closer to 3 hours. Paul and Nathan went with me even though they are going to Sun & Shield Baptist Church now.
Nathan was supposed to start a new Lego Club (Jedi Engineering with Legos) at Leman on 4/1. I guess the April Fool's joke was that they decided to postpone it a week. So he will be doing Lego Club Mondays 4/8-5/20. This is the last week of brain stem. On April Fools, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, Reid Park Rose Garden (they just opened up again, but not much was in bloom yet) and Reid Park Zoo.
We signed Nathan up for the FLIGHT program at Casas Christian School this summer. Session 1 starts 6/3 where he will be taking Knex Bridge Building, Everything that flies and glides, Robotics and STEAM kids. Session 2 starts on 6/17 where he will be taking Basketball Skills, Forensic Frenzy, Dynamic Earth and Minecraft. Then Session 3 starts on 7/8 where he will be taking Archery, Craft Craze, FLIGHT Champions and Passport to Adventure. FLIGHT ends on 7/19 so he will have a couple of weeks off until he starts 4th grade on 8/1!
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Spring has Sprung!
On New Years Day, we got snow in Tucson. I went to Sabino Canyon to photograph the snow on the mountains and the valley floor. The trams were not operating at the time so I ended up hiking all of the way up and back down. It was a great day, though, because it was very beautiful.
I turned 44 on 1/2. On 1/5, we went to Phoenix to celebrate my birthday. We ate lunch at Grimaldi's. Then Paul and Nathan went to Legoland in Tempe and I went next door to Sea Life Aquarium. Then I went to Butterfly Wonderland. We finished the day with dinner at Portillo's.
Nathan had his annual vision exam on 1/8. Dr Barry left the practice so we saw the new person at Envision Eyecare. He said Nathan's eyes look really good. In fact, he said since Nathan isn't having any problems with his eyes or vision, that he doesn't really need to wear his glasses that he got last year.
I went to Sweetwater Wetlands and Tohono Chul Park on 1/9.
The next day I went to the Desert Museum and to Christopher Columbus Park.
I went to Tohono Chul Park on 1/11. I also got an email from Nathan's Art teacher, Nichole Perry. "Good evening! I just wanted to send a quick note home to let you know that Nathan has been doing well in art class. He demonstrates excellence by being ready for class quickly and by being respectful. Nathan is invited to join me for the Radiant Royals Lunch that will be held at the beginning of next quarter. I will add the dates and time for the lunch into my newsletter when we are a little closer to the end of this quarter. The purpose of this email and the lunch is to highlight the positive character attributes seen in my class by the scholars and to encourage them to continue doing the right thing. I am proud of him and enjoy having him in class!"
Nathan had his honors day assembly on 1/16. He made honor roll. He just missed making high honors. He got a 97 in History/Geography, 91 in Reading, 96 in Recitation, 96 in Science, 97 in Math, 94 in English, M for Art, M for Music, M for P/E and M for Latin.
On 1/18, I went to Reid Park Zoo and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
We went to Whitewater Draw to see the sandhill cranes on 1/26. Afterward, we had lunch/dinner in Tombstone.
Nathan had his annual pediatrician appointment on 1/29. He weighed 56 lbs which is only 1 pound more than what he was last year. He was 52.5 inches and last year he was 50 3/4 inches. He is only in the 20th weight percentile, but she is not concerned about it at this point. Even his height percentile has gone down to 45%. At one point he was in the 69th height percentile (4 years ago). I hope that doesn't mean he is going to be short like me! Everything else checked out good. Muscles seem stronger this time around, no more major stomach problems and no more cysts on his head.
Nathan got his purple belt in Taekwondo on 1/31.
Nathan started Brain Stem Club again at school on 2/1. He meets on Fridays until 4/5.
On 2/2, we went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at Kino Stadium.
I went to the Desert Museum and then to photograph the wildflowers on Tangerine Rd on 2/8.
On 2/10, I went to the Asian Lantern Festival at Reid Park Zoo after church that night.
Bella celebrated her golden birthday on 2/11!
I went to photograph the wildflowers again on Tangerine Rd and at Picacho Peak State Park on 2/12. Nathan also graduated speech therapy that day!
Valentine's Day was depressing because Paul didn't get me anything, not even a card.
We went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at the convention center on 2/16.
We went to lunch at Wild Garlic Grill to celebrate our 16th anniversary on 2/17.
On 2/19, I went to Catalina State Park to photograph the snow on the mountains.
For Rodeo Days, we went to California. We drove there on 2/20 and stayed at the Castle Legoland Hotel for a couple of days. On 2/21, we went to Legoland and Sea Life Aquarium next door. Nathan liked the hotel. He had his own little area in our hotel room with bunk beds, his own tv and Legos to play with. The next day, we went back to Legoland in the morning so Nathan could do the Lego robotics. Then we drove to La Jolla to see the seals and sea lions. There were tons of them there, including a lot of babies. That night we stayed at the Hilton in San Diego. On 2/23, I went to San Diego Botanic Gardens while the boys went digging for gems. The next day we drove back home, stopping at Anza-Borrego State Park to see the wildflowers.
I went to Picacho Peak State Park again on 3/1 to see the poppies and other wildflowers. This year was a super bloom in the southwest so the flowers were amazing.
We went to Peridot Mesa to see the poppies there on 3/2. We also drove around San Carlos Lake to see the Coolidge Dam.
On 3/6, I went to see a person's yard between Grant and Ft Lowell by Tucson Blvd. The whole yard was filled with African Daisies. Then I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens (tulips, daffodils, irises), Green Things nursery and to Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
So I have worked hard since the 2nd week of January to lose weight. I have been doing 10k steps/day and haven't missed a day. I have been trying to eat better, too. I finally weighed myself on 3/9. I was 147. At my highest on 1/5/16, I was 161. So I have lost 14 pounds! I still have a long way to go. I want to get down to about 120 lbs which means I have at least 27 more lbs to go. I am excited, though, because I can already tell a difference in my clothes. I have gone down 1-2 sizes in my jeans.
We took the 2.5 hour drive to see the wildflowers at Bartlett Lake on 3/9. They had white, pink, yellow and orange poppies! We also got to eat at Portillo's on the way back!
This Friday, 3/15, starts Nathan's spring break. We are driving to New Mexico for a few days and then we are going to make our way to Phoenix to go to some spring training games.
The end of May/beginning of June we are going to Alaska!
I turned 44 on 1/2. On 1/5, we went to Phoenix to celebrate my birthday. We ate lunch at Grimaldi's. Then Paul and Nathan went to Legoland in Tempe and I went next door to Sea Life Aquarium. Then I went to Butterfly Wonderland. We finished the day with dinner at Portillo's.
Nathan had his annual vision exam on 1/8. Dr Barry left the practice so we saw the new person at Envision Eyecare. He said Nathan's eyes look really good. In fact, he said since Nathan isn't having any problems with his eyes or vision, that he doesn't really need to wear his glasses that he got last year.
I went to Sweetwater Wetlands and Tohono Chul Park on 1/9.
The next day I went to the Desert Museum and to Christopher Columbus Park.
I went to Tohono Chul Park on 1/11. I also got an email from Nathan's Art teacher, Nichole Perry. "Good evening! I just wanted to send a quick note home to let you know that Nathan has been doing well in art class. He demonstrates excellence by being ready for class quickly and by being respectful. Nathan is invited to join me for the Radiant Royals Lunch that will be held at the beginning of next quarter. I will add the dates and time for the lunch into my newsletter when we are a little closer to the end of this quarter. The purpose of this email and the lunch is to highlight the positive character attributes seen in my class by the scholars and to encourage them to continue doing the right thing. I am proud of him and enjoy having him in class!"
Nathan had his honors day assembly on 1/16. He made honor roll. He just missed making high honors. He got a 97 in History/Geography, 91 in Reading, 96 in Recitation, 96 in Science, 97 in Math, 94 in English, M for Art, M for Music, M for P/E and M for Latin.
On 1/18, I went to Reid Park Zoo and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
We went to Whitewater Draw to see the sandhill cranes on 1/26. Afterward, we had lunch/dinner in Tombstone.
Nathan had his annual pediatrician appointment on 1/29. He weighed 56 lbs which is only 1 pound more than what he was last year. He was 52.5 inches and last year he was 50 3/4 inches. He is only in the 20th weight percentile, but she is not concerned about it at this point. Even his height percentile has gone down to 45%. At one point he was in the 69th height percentile (4 years ago). I hope that doesn't mean he is going to be short like me! Everything else checked out good. Muscles seem stronger this time around, no more major stomach problems and no more cysts on his head.
Nathan got his purple belt in Taekwondo on 1/31.
Nathan started Brain Stem Club again at school on 2/1. He meets on Fridays until 4/5.
On 2/2, we went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at Kino Stadium.
I went to the Desert Museum and then to photograph the wildflowers on Tangerine Rd on 2/8.
On 2/10, I went to the Asian Lantern Festival at Reid Park Zoo after church that night.
Bella celebrated her golden birthday on 2/11!
I went to photograph the wildflowers again on Tangerine Rd and at Picacho Peak State Park on 2/12. Nathan also graduated speech therapy that day!
Valentine's Day was depressing because Paul didn't get me anything, not even a card.
We went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at the convention center on 2/16.
We went to lunch at Wild Garlic Grill to celebrate our 16th anniversary on 2/17.
On 2/19, I went to Catalina State Park to photograph the snow on the mountains.
For Rodeo Days, we went to California. We drove there on 2/20 and stayed at the Castle Legoland Hotel for a couple of days. On 2/21, we went to Legoland and Sea Life Aquarium next door. Nathan liked the hotel. He had his own little area in our hotel room with bunk beds, his own tv and Legos to play with. The next day, we went back to Legoland in the morning so Nathan could do the Lego robotics. Then we drove to La Jolla to see the seals and sea lions. There were tons of them there, including a lot of babies. That night we stayed at the Hilton in San Diego. On 2/23, I went to San Diego Botanic Gardens while the boys went digging for gems. The next day we drove back home, stopping at Anza-Borrego State Park to see the wildflowers.
I went to Picacho Peak State Park again on 3/1 to see the poppies and other wildflowers. This year was a super bloom in the southwest so the flowers were amazing.
We went to Peridot Mesa to see the poppies there on 3/2. We also drove around San Carlos Lake to see the Coolidge Dam.
On 3/6, I went to see a person's yard between Grant and Ft Lowell by Tucson Blvd. The whole yard was filled with African Daisies. Then I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens (tulips, daffodils, irises), Green Things nursery and to Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
So I have worked hard since the 2nd week of January to lose weight. I have been doing 10k steps/day and haven't missed a day. I have been trying to eat better, too. I finally weighed myself on 3/9. I was 147. At my highest on 1/5/16, I was 161. So I have lost 14 pounds! I still have a long way to go. I want to get down to about 120 lbs which means I have at least 27 more lbs to go. I am excited, though, because I can already tell a difference in my clothes. I have gone down 1-2 sizes in my jeans.
We took the 2.5 hour drive to see the wildflowers at Bartlett Lake on 3/9. They had white, pink, yellow and orange poppies! We also got to eat at Portillo's on the way back!
This Friday, 3/15, starts Nathan's spring break. We are driving to New Mexico for a few days and then we are going to make our way to Phoenix to go to some spring training games.
The end of May/beginning of June we are going to Alaska!
Friday, December 28, 2018
Another Christmas on the books!
Paul and Nathan went to the Cops and Rodders car show on 11/3/18 where Nathan participated in the pinewood derby again.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 11/8.
Nathan had a field trip on 11/9 to the Asarco Mine. I went back to Pima County Cooperative Extension Garden to see the monarch caterpillars and also to Green Things Nursery for my first visit.
On Veteran's Day (11/12), Paul took Nathan to Legoland in Tempe, AZ.
I went to Reid Park and the Reid Park Rose Gardens on 11/13.
Nathan got his picture with Santa on 11/17. Nathan made his Christmas list: XBox 360 console, XBox 360 games, Legos, Nintendo Switch games, candy, Pokemon EX, GX and Break cards, Pokemon Pikachu stuffed animal, etc...
Thanksgiving (11/22) was low key as usual. Just the 3 of us at home.
We went to Madera Canyon on 11/23. Not many hummingbirds this trip. We did see some turkeys that made it through the Thanksgiving holiday, though!
We went to the U of A vs ASU football game on 11/24. U of A was winning most of the game and then lost it at the end 40-41.
Paul took a vacation day on 11/27 so he and I had a rare day without Nathan and we chose to go to the Desert Museum.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, back to Green Things Nursery and to the Pima County Cooperative Gardens on 11/29.
I went to Tohono Chul Park on 12/10.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Tohono Chul Park on 12/11.
I went to Reid Park Zoo on 12/13.
12/14, Nathan celebrated his birthday at school. I brought in Pokemon favor bags. His teacher thought I should go up to see a drawing that he did on the American Revolution. She said it was really good, frame worthy. She said normally she wants them to color them in, but his was too good with just the drawing. I took a picture of it and I have to agree that he is really talented.
Nathan turned 9 on 12/15! His birthday theme this year was Pokemon. He wanted to go to Peter Piper Pizza for his birthday. Mommy beat him at air hockey and his car racing game, though! LOL
His birthday questionnaire:
1) Favorite Color - Green/Teal/Aqua
12/21 was National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. They also dressed up the day before in their ugly Christmas sweaters at school. I bought Nathan a cool sweatshirt one that says Dachshund through the snow with a picture of a Dachshund. We also went to Winterhaven on 12/21 to see the Christmas lights. Nathan is the only kid who doesn't like to see Christmas lights :( Paul and I enjoyed it, though.
Paul got the flu right before Christmas that lasted for days. Nathan also had a cold with a cough and a cold sore on his lip. I was the only healthy one which was a first. Nathan opened up all of his gifts on Christmas morning. He didn't get his XBox, but that is because he just got his Nintendo Switch earlier in the year. He did get new games for his Nintendo Switch, though, including an Arcade Pac, Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu, Minecraft (not the story mode) and Mario Kingdom Battle. He got books, drawing paper, cars, Lego sets, a remote control piranha, etc... I got Paul (and Nathan) the Apollo Shuttle Lego set, a large print Bible, a stuck together cactus ornament, a hand painted ornament with an ocotillo, etc... He and Nathan made me a wall hanging saying I love you more with the love being a heart full of shells. They made handmade wall hangings for his teacher, Grandma June and GG this year, too.
Nathan finished the 2nd quarter on honor roll. He was SO close to high honor roll. His average was 95.17 and he needed 95.5 or higher for high honors. His cumulative GPA for the semester was 94.17. 97 in History/Geography, 91 in Reading, 96 in Recitation, M for Art, M for P.E., M for Music, 96 for Science, 97 for Math, M for Latin and 94 for English.
It's almost time for New Years Resolutions so I looked at last years:
1) Lose weight. I need to lose 30-40 lbs. Cook more at home. Try new recipes. Walk 5k-10k steps/day. Do the elliptical every day. Walk Tulla when it is nice out. Drink less Starbucks. Drink more water. Eat only one piece of chocolate/day.
2) Start scrapbooking. Scan/take photos of momentos. Scan great-grandparents' birth certificates. Start with Nathan's baby book.
3) Work on clutter. Go through papers in office. Get bookshelves for scrapbook room and organize that room, including going through the travel papers. Get quilt made from Nathan's baby clothes. Get custom bookcase in Nathan's room.
4) Clean e-mail
5) Spend more time with Nathan
6) Go to Chicago for GG's 100th birthday
7) Find a new doctor. Get a skin cancer test. Go to a vein specialist for my leg. Get shoulder checked out. Improve cholesterol and triglycerides.
8) Go through pictures. Sell pictures. Get pictures on walls.
9) Get new furniture. Patio set, kitchen set, entertainment center and coffee table. Refurbish hope chest from great-grandparents. Epoxy garage floor.
10) teach Nathan to swim, ride bike and tie shoes.
11) Give personalized Christmas gifts next year. Photo books? Get an outdoor nativity.
12) volunteer
13) Spend less time on computer. This is a tricky one, though, if I am going to be working on pictures and e-mail.
14) Read the Bible & pray every day
15) Relax more!
16) Do not complain on Facebook
17) Go to bed by 10
Well, as usual I did not accomplish many of my resolutions. I did just get bookshelves for my scrapbook room and for Nathan's room. I didn't do a custom bookcase in his room like I wanted, but at least for now I bought two small bookcases for his books. I went through a lot of his toys and stuff in his room and got him to agree to donate a lot to our church. Oh, and Paul is now going to a new church. He decided he wanted to go to a church closer to where we live. He is going to Sun & Shield Baptist Church. Nathan and I still like New Testament Baptist Church so for now we are going there. I have actually made an effort to try and get to know the members better and feel even more of a pull to stay. Anyway, back to the resolutions. We did go to Chicago for GG's for her 100th birthday. I got my shoulder checked out. It was frozen shoulder and an inflamed rotator cuff. After getting a cortisone shot and doing 3 months of physical therapy, it is finally feeling a lot better. I can't say I have accomplished more than that from last year's resolutions. I would like to say I will try again this year, but let's be realistic. That is a lot to accomplish in one year. I think I am going to start with one thing at a time. The first thing on last year's list was to lose weight. That is going to be my main focus this year. If I can accomplish that, I will move on to my other resolutions.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 11/8.
Nathan had a field trip on 11/9 to the Asarco Mine. I went back to Pima County Cooperative Extension Garden to see the monarch caterpillars and also to Green Things Nursery for my first visit.
On Veteran's Day (11/12), Paul took Nathan to Legoland in Tempe, AZ.
I went to Reid Park and the Reid Park Rose Gardens on 11/13.
Nathan got his picture with Santa on 11/17. Nathan made his Christmas list: XBox 360 console, XBox 360 games, Legos, Nintendo Switch games, candy, Pokemon EX, GX and Break cards, Pokemon Pikachu stuffed animal, etc...
Thanksgiving (11/22) was low key as usual. Just the 3 of us at home.
We went to Madera Canyon on 11/23. Not many hummingbirds this trip. We did see some turkeys that made it through the Thanksgiving holiday, though!
We went to the U of A vs ASU football game on 11/24. U of A was winning most of the game and then lost it at the end 40-41.
Paul took a vacation day on 11/27 so he and I had a rare day without Nathan and we chose to go to the Desert Museum.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, back to Green Things Nursery and to the Pima County Cooperative Gardens on 11/29.
I went to Tohono Chul Park on 12/10.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Tohono Chul Park on 12/11.
I went to Reid Park Zoo on 12/13.
12/14, Nathan celebrated his birthday at school. I brought in Pokemon favor bags. His teacher thought I should go up to see a drawing that he did on the American Revolution. She said it was really good, frame worthy. She said normally she wants them to color them in, but his was too good with just the drawing. I took a picture of it and I have to agree that he is really talented.
Nathan turned 9 on 12/15! His birthday theme this year was Pokemon. He wanted to go to Peter Piper Pizza for his birthday. Mommy beat him at air hockey and his car racing game, though! LOL
His birthday questionnaire:
1) Favorite Color - Green/Teal/Aqua
2) Favorite Toy - Legos
3) Favorite Show/Movie - The Grinch
4) Favorite thing to eat for lunch - Peaches
5) Favorite thing to wear - ?
6) Favorite Game - Pokemon
7) Favorite Snack - Breakfast Bars
8) Favorite Animal - Turkey Vulture
9) Favorite Song - ?
10) Favorite Book - ?
11) Best Friend - ?
12) Favorite Cereal - Frosted Mini Wheats
13) Favorite thing to do outside/place to go - Kickball, Frisbee w/Dad, Dave & Busters
14) Favorite Drink - ?
15) Favorite Holiday - Easter
16) What do you like to take to bed with you at night - Tons of stuffed animals
17) Favorite thing to eat for breakfast - Frosted Mini Wheats
18) What do you want for dinner on your birthday - Peter Piper Pizza and Birthday Cake
19) What do you want to be when you grow up - Engineer
20) Favorite thing to do at school - Art
21) Food you don't like - Anything that hurts his stomach since his stomach has been hurting this past week
22) What is something you are good at - Kickball
23) Favorite Food - Peanuts
24) Favorite Vegetables - Carrots
25) Favorite Dog - French Bull Dog & Wiener Dog (Dachshund)
26) Favorite Reptile - Sea Turtle
27) Favorite Bird - Turkey Vulture
28) Favorite Pizza Topping - Pepperoni and Green Peppers
3) Favorite Show/Movie - The Grinch
4) Favorite thing to eat for lunch - Peaches
5) Favorite thing to wear - ?
6) Favorite Game - Pokemon
7) Favorite Snack - Breakfast Bars
8) Favorite Animal - Turkey Vulture
9) Favorite Song - ?
10) Favorite Book - ?
11) Best Friend - ?
12) Favorite Cereal - Frosted Mini Wheats
13) Favorite thing to do outside/place to go - Kickball, Frisbee w/Dad, Dave & Busters
14) Favorite Drink - ?
15) Favorite Holiday - Easter
16) What do you like to take to bed with you at night - Tons of stuffed animals
17) Favorite thing to eat for breakfast - Frosted Mini Wheats
18) What do you want for dinner on your birthday - Peter Piper Pizza and Birthday Cake
19) What do you want to be when you grow up - Engineer
20) Favorite thing to do at school - Art
21) Food you don't like - Anything that hurts his stomach since his stomach has been hurting this past week
22) What is something you are good at - Kickball
23) Favorite Food - Peanuts
24) Favorite Vegetables - Carrots
25) Favorite Dog - French Bull Dog & Wiener Dog (Dachshund)
26) Favorite Reptile - Sea Turtle
27) Favorite Bird - Turkey Vulture
28) Favorite Pizza Topping - Pepperoni and Green Peppers
On 12/20, we went to see The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
12/21 was National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. They also dressed up the day before in their ugly Christmas sweaters at school. I bought Nathan a cool sweatshirt one that says Dachshund through the snow with a picture of a Dachshund. We also went to Winterhaven on 12/21 to see the Christmas lights. Nathan is the only kid who doesn't like to see Christmas lights :( Paul and I enjoyed it, though.
Paul got the flu right before Christmas that lasted for days. Nathan also had a cold with a cough and a cold sore on his lip. I was the only healthy one which was a first. Nathan opened up all of his gifts on Christmas morning. He didn't get his XBox, but that is because he just got his Nintendo Switch earlier in the year. He did get new games for his Nintendo Switch, though, including an Arcade Pac, Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu, Minecraft (not the story mode) and Mario Kingdom Battle. He got books, drawing paper, cars, Lego sets, a remote control piranha, etc... I got Paul (and Nathan) the Apollo Shuttle Lego set, a large print Bible, a stuck together cactus ornament, a hand painted ornament with an ocotillo, etc... He and Nathan made me a wall hanging saying I love you more with the love being a heart full of shells. They made handmade wall hangings for his teacher, Grandma June and GG this year, too.
Nathan finished the 2nd quarter on honor roll. He was SO close to high honor roll. His average was 95.17 and he needed 95.5 or higher for high honors. His cumulative GPA for the semester was 94.17. 97 in History/Geography, 91 in Reading, 96 in Recitation, M for Art, M for P.E., M for Music, 96 for Science, 97 for Math, M for Latin and 94 for English.
It's almost time for New Years Resolutions so I looked at last years:
1) Lose weight. I need to lose 30-40 lbs. Cook more at home. Try new recipes. Walk 5k-10k steps/day. Do the elliptical every day. Walk Tulla when it is nice out. Drink less Starbucks. Drink more water. Eat only one piece of chocolate/day.
2) Start scrapbooking. Scan/take photos of momentos. Scan great-grandparents' birth certificates. Start with Nathan's baby book.
3) Work on clutter. Go through papers in office. Get bookshelves for scrapbook room and organize that room, including going through the travel papers. Get quilt made from Nathan's baby clothes. Get custom bookcase in Nathan's room.
4) Clean e-mail
5) Spend more time with Nathan
6) Go to Chicago for GG's 100th birthday
7) Find a new doctor. Get a skin cancer test. Go to a vein specialist for my leg. Get shoulder checked out. Improve cholesterol and triglycerides.
8) Go through pictures. Sell pictures. Get pictures on walls.
9) Get new furniture. Patio set, kitchen set, entertainment center and coffee table. Refurbish hope chest from great-grandparents. Epoxy garage floor.
10) teach Nathan to swim, ride bike and tie shoes.
11) Give personalized Christmas gifts next year. Photo books? Get an outdoor nativity.
12) volunteer
13) Spend less time on computer. This is a tricky one, though, if I am going to be working on pictures and e-mail.
14) Read the Bible & pray every day
15) Relax more!
16) Do not complain on Facebook
17) Go to bed by 10
Well, as usual I did not accomplish many of my resolutions. I did just get bookshelves for my scrapbook room and for Nathan's room. I didn't do a custom bookcase in his room like I wanted, but at least for now I bought two small bookcases for his books. I went through a lot of his toys and stuff in his room and got him to agree to donate a lot to our church. Oh, and Paul is now going to a new church. He decided he wanted to go to a church closer to where we live. He is going to Sun & Shield Baptist Church. Nathan and I still like New Testament Baptist Church so for now we are going there. I have actually made an effort to try and get to know the members better and feel even more of a pull to stay. Anyway, back to the resolutions. We did go to Chicago for GG's for her 100th birthday. I got my shoulder checked out. It was frozen shoulder and an inflamed rotator cuff. After getting a cortisone shot and doing 3 months of physical therapy, it is finally feeling a lot better. I can't say I have accomplished more than that from last year's resolutions. I would like to say I will try again this year, but let's be realistic. That is a lot to accomplish in one year. I think I am going to start with one thing at a time. The first thing on last year's list was to lose weight. That is going to be my main focus this year. If I can accomplish that, I will move on to my other resolutions.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Time Flies
I can't believe I have not updated my blog in 3 months. It is November already! We just had Halloween. Nathan dressed up as a pencil for Halloween at school. They had an element science fair and his element was carbon. That night he dressed up as Steve from Minecraft. The dogs did not dress up this year :(
Nathan got his green belt in Taekwondo this week.
We did the Boneyward 5k again this year on 10/27. We all improved our times by about 3 minutes. Nathan came in 13/26 in his age group for the boys. Paul came in 41/59 for his age group among the men. I came in 64/80 for my age group for the women. We decided to go up to Mt Lemmon after the walk to see the Fall colors. We ate at the Cookie Cabin and took the ski lift ride.
Nathan made honor roll the 1st quarter of 3rd grade. He got a 95 in History/Geography, 98 in Math, 83 in Reading, 93 in Recitation, 96 in English Language, 94 in Science and M (meeting the standard) in Latin, Music, Art and PE. He was upset at the honors assembly on 10/24, though, because he did not make high honors or get any of the special character awards.
We went pumpkin picking at Apple Annie's on 10/20.
For Fall break, we went to Florida. We left 10/5. We started with a glass bottom boat ride in Key Largo. I took 2 dramamine and I felt good until we got out to the reef and I went to the bottom of the boat to look down in the water at the fish. I thought it would be more calm when we got there, but it was actually more choppy and he didn't completely stop the boat. I felt sick so I had to go back up to the top. I missed the whole point of the trip! After that, we went to the Theatre of the the Sea, also in the Florida Keys. We got to see animals like dolphins, sea turtles, parrots, etc... Paul and Nathan got to paint with a sea lion. I wish I could have done that, too! We stayed in Key West that night. We didn't really do anything there. We just took a picture by the southernmost point. The next day I went to the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables while the boys went over to check out the campus at University of Miami. Nathan has decided he wants to go there and study mechanical engineering. We stayed in Naples that night, but we didn't do much in Naples. The next day we spent most of the day on Sanibel Island, collecting seashells on the beach. The next day we went to Dade City's Wild Things where we did a bunch of animal encounters. That was pretty cool because we got to touch, hold and/or feed many animals including a tiger, lemur, sloth, anteater, fennec fox, etc... The next day was Disney. We started at Animal Kingdom. We did the safari ride and went over to their Dinosaur area. I would have liked to have more time in that park. Then we went to Epcot. We all liked Epcot. We bought Nathan a little passport there where he could go to each country and get them to sign it and stamp it. He got most of them, but was missing 2-3. It rained off and on there so we had to wait it out in some of the shops. We would have liked to have more time there, too. We ended our day at Magic Kingdom. There were a lot of people at the first two parks, but I didn't think those were too bad. Magic Kingdom, however, was very crowded. It was too crowded for me. I heard that many schools were off that day due to the hurricane and so families decided to go to Disney instead. We were going to go on Space Mountain, but then realized it was a high speed roller coaster so opted out. Paul and Nathan did the Tomorrowland Speedway ride. After that, we couldn't really figure out what to do. I wanted to stay and watch the fireworks, but Paul had no interest. We stopped in a few shops and left. I couldn't even find a dole whip to try! The next day we did Kennedy Space Center. That was pretty cool. We did a group lunch with astronaut Barbara Morgan. I thought the food was excellent. We did the bus tour there to see the launch site and all that. We also did the walking tour of the rocket garden. The next day we did a pontoon ride by Cocoa Beach near port canaveral. I enjoyed that. We went slow and we were on a "river" instead of the open ocean. Nathan got to drive a little. We saw birds, dolphins and manatees on the trip. I really wanted to see a manatee. I saw them, but I don't know if you will even be able to tell what they are in the pictures. We really only saw their backs come out of the water. That was it. Saturday was awful. Got up at 4 to go to the airport. We got on our plane and sat there for like 45 minutes while they did maintenance checks. We were flying to Phoenix and we just missed our connecting flight to Tucson. They had another flight like 4 hours later, but we had to do standby for it. They gave us $12 each for lunch vouchers to eat at the airport so we ate lunch. Then we waited around forever for the next flight. It wasn't looking good because they said they could probably only get 2 of us on the flight and asked us what we wanted to do. There was another flight about an hour later after that one, but we would be standby on that one, too, with no guarantees. We decided Nathan and I would try to get on this flight and Paul would try to get on the next one. Well, it ended up we were all able to get on the first flight, just not sit together. It was a short flight, though. There were actually several empty seats still because people missed their flight (like we did with our original flight). It was raining all day in Phoenix so there were a lot of flight issues. So we got home around 6 Saturday night.
Me and my photography were featured on VoyagePhoenix.com on 9/18/18! Dennis Swena suggested me to the magazine after they featured him on their website. http://voyagephoenix.com/interview/meet-dawn-hagler/?fbclid=IwAR2XaFsnxtqL9YXFcj3vMhbnoPnGNojQcWAAqjm-uh43S4IcTj3itR4LkVw.
On 8/31, Nathan and Paul drove Cari's U-Haul truck down to her new home in San Antonio. They took a train back to Tucson.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Nathan started 3rd grade!
Time just flies. I have not updated my blog in 2 months. I try to update it at least once a month.
Father's Day was 6/17. We went to church and then Paul made reservations for brunch at the Starr Pass Marriott. The restaurant he chose was not the one he thought he was. This one just had a small brunch menu. I had steak and eggs, but both Paul and Nathan did not have very much to eat.
I went to Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 6/22.
Paul went to Boston for work 6/24-6/27.
I went to Tohono Chul Park and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 6/25. Nathan started his 2nd FLIGHT session on 6/25. It went until 7/13. He took Basketball Skills & Drills, Crazy Chemistry, Dynamic Earth and Minecraft.
On 6/26 I went to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Garden.
I went to Tohono Chul Park on 7/2.
We went to the Diamondback vs Cardinals game on 7/3. Diamondbacks won! Too bad for Paul!
On the 4th, I went to Reid Park Zoo for Watermelon Wednesday and I stopped at the Rose Garden. We cooked out that night and watched the fireworks from our back balcony.
On 7/10, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went to the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Garden on 7/13.
Nathan started his last FLIGHT session on 7/16 and it went until 7/27. He took Creation Station, Craft Craze, PE Super Games and Under the Sea.
On 7/17, I went to Tohono Chul Park.
We noticed a lump on Tulla's leg and took her to Banfield to get it checked out on 7/17. They tested it and thought that it was cancer. She had surgery to have it removed on 7/25. After testing the whole lump they determined it was not cancer after all.
Our water heater stopped working so we bought a new one for $844 and had it installed 7/21.
We were going to go to Apple Annie's on 7/28, but we woke up and realized our downstairs A/C was not working. We called Chas Roberts. They said they would be out some time before midnight to look at it. They ended up replacing a capacitor which was covered under our maintenance plan. So, we went peach picking at Apple Annie's. Paul and Nathan had the peach pancake breakfast while I opted for the peach donuts. Paul got some apple pie and I got a few bites of Nathan's peach ice cream. We bought salsa, cheese curds, summer sausage, vidalia onion dressing and other goodies. We also picked tomatoes and other veggies. There is nothing better than farm fresh tomatoes! We had some roasted corn while we were there which is always yummy! On the way home we stopped at Texas Canyon to take some pictures of the rocks.
Nathan had his meet and greet at Leman Academy on 7/30. His teacher this year is Ms. Westberg. Nathan knows some of the kids in his class from the last 2 years. Preston is in his class. It is ironic that Preson lives in our subdivision, they went to preschool together at Kid City, they went to Leman together the last 2 years and they went to summer school together at Casas the last few years. They didn't always get along, but hopefully, they get along this year now that they are in the same class. So far Nathan likes his class and his teacher. I pray to God that he gets along with the kids in his class this year and continues to make honor roll!
So Nathan's 1st day of 3rd grade was 8/1. He said he had a good first day. He is going to be doing Lego Club again on Mondays, 8/13-10/15. He is also going to be Tae Kwon Do again on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We signed him up at Meet & Greet and they said Mr. Page would email us details. So I am not sure when they start, but I assume next week. Nathan currently has his camouflage belt. Hopefully, he remembers all of his moves!
I think I am almost done with physical therapy. I initially was supposed to only go for a couple of sessions to learn at home exercises. They said I should go 2x/week for 6 weeks :( Then I was supposed to be done right before our Chicago trip. They told me they wanted to extend me another 6 weeks when I got back. Then they suggested I go another 4 weeks once a week. Next week is supposed to be my last week. She said she thinks she is ready to release me. I am doing a lot better. I am not 100% and I fear I may never be, but hopefully I will continue to improve over time at home without additional physical therapy. I can now at least extend and bend my arm in pretty much all directions so I have the movement back. There is a little pain. I also can not really extend my arm up and sleep on that arm like I did before the injury. Thus, I still don't get a good night's sleep. However, I sleep much better than I did before I got the cortisone shot. After I injured myself I was in pain in every sleeping position and it was months before I went to the doctor to get the cortisone shot. Since then my sleeping has gradually improved as my shoulder/arm has gained strength and mobility.
Father's Day was 6/17. We went to church and then Paul made reservations for brunch at the Starr Pass Marriott. The restaurant he chose was not the one he thought he was. This one just had a small brunch menu. I had steak and eggs, but both Paul and Nathan did not have very much to eat.
I went to Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 6/22.
Paul went to Boston for work 6/24-6/27.
I went to Tohono Chul Park and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 6/25. Nathan started his 2nd FLIGHT session on 6/25. It went until 7/13. He took Basketball Skills & Drills, Crazy Chemistry, Dynamic Earth and Minecraft.
On 6/26 I went to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Garden.
I went to Tohono Chul Park on 7/2.
We went to the Diamondback vs Cardinals game on 7/3. Diamondbacks won! Too bad for Paul!
On the 4th, I went to Reid Park Zoo for Watermelon Wednesday and I stopped at the Rose Garden. We cooked out that night and watched the fireworks from our back balcony.
On 7/10, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went to the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Garden on 7/13.
Nathan started his last FLIGHT session on 7/16 and it went until 7/27. He took Creation Station, Craft Craze, PE Super Games and Under the Sea.
On 7/17, I went to Tohono Chul Park.
We noticed a lump on Tulla's leg and took her to Banfield to get it checked out on 7/17. They tested it and thought that it was cancer. She had surgery to have it removed on 7/25. After testing the whole lump they determined it was not cancer after all.
Our water heater stopped working so we bought a new one for $844 and had it installed 7/21.
We were going to go to Apple Annie's on 7/28, but we woke up and realized our downstairs A/C was not working. We called Chas Roberts. They said they would be out some time before midnight to look at it. They ended up replacing a capacitor which was covered under our maintenance plan. So, we went peach picking at Apple Annie's. Paul and Nathan had the peach pancake breakfast while I opted for the peach donuts. Paul got some apple pie and I got a few bites of Nathan's peach ice cream. We bought salsa, cheese curds, summer sausage, vidalia onion dressing and other goodies. We also picked tomatoes and other veggies. There is nothing better than farm fresh tomatoes! We had some roasted corn while we were there which is always yummy! On the way home we stopped at Texas Canyon to take some pictures of the rocks.
Nathan had his meet and greet at Leman Academy on 7/30. His teacher this year is Ms. Westberg. Nathan knows some of the kids in his class from the last 2 years. Preston is in his class. It is ironic that Preson lives in our subdivision, they went to preschool together at Kid City, they went to Leman together the last 2 years and they went to summer school together at Casas the last few years. They didn't always get along, but hopefully, they get along this year now that they are in the same class. So far Nathan likes his class and his teacher. I pray to God that he gets along with the kids in his class this year and continues to make honor roll!
So Nathan's 1st day of 3rd grade was 8/1. He said he had a good first day. He is going to be doing Lego Club again on Mondays, 8/13-10/15. He is also going to be Tae Kwon Do again on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We signed him up at Meet & Greet and they said Mr. Page would email us details. So I am not sure when they start, but I assume next week. Nathan currently has his camouflage belt. Hopefully, he remembers all of his moves!
I think I am almost done with physical therapy. I initially was supposed to only go for a couple of sessions to learn at home exercises. They said I should go 2x/week for 6 weeks :( Then I was supposed to be done right before our Chicago trip. They told me they wanted to extend me another 6 weeks when I got back. Then they suggested I go another 4 weeks once a week. Next week is supposed to be my last week. She said she thinks she is ready to release me. I am doing a lot better. I am not 100% and I fear I may never be, but hopefully I will continue to improve over time at home without additional physical therapy. I can now at least extend and bend my arm in pretty much all directions so I have the movement back. There is a little pain. I also can not really extend my arm up and sleep on that arm like I did before the injury. Thus, I still don't get a good night's sleep. However, I sleep much better than I did before I got the cortisone shot. After I injured myself I was in pain in every sleeping position and it was months before I went to the doctor to get the cortisone shot. Since then my sleeping has gradually improved as my shoulder/arm has gained strength and mobility.
Sunday, June 10, 2018
GG is 100!
Easter was April 1. The Easter Bunny treated Nathan well. We also went to church.
On 4/3, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Reid Park Rose Garden, Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
I went to the Desert Museum on 4/4
The next day I went back to the Desert Museum, to Tucson Botanical Gardens and to Bach's Cactus Nursery.
On 4/6, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Back's Cactus Nursery.
Nathan attended the 7th annual great paper airplane fly-off at the Pima Air & Space Museum on 4/7. He did not do as well as he did the previous year, but he had fun!
I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Gardens on 4/9.
I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and Bach's Cactus Nursery on 4/11. I ended up bringing home a snail with the African Daisy plant I purchased at Tohono Chul Park. It stayed alive for a couple of weeks and then it was gone. I saw a millipede or something in the plant which could have been the culprit. I had fun taking pictures of it and I was sad when it was gone. Unfortunately, my plant is not doing so good either after being without water when we were out of town for a week. I am hoping it comes back to life, but so far no luck.
On 4/13, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Garden.
I saw an orthopedic doctor for my right shoulder on 4/13. He had me do an xray which came back normal. He told me I had frozen shoulder and gave me a cortisone shot. He suggested that I do physical therapy. He gave me a work order to go a couple of times to learn at home exercises. I went to Proactive Physical Therapy on 4/17. I should have known it would not just be a two time thing. They examined me and thought that I had a torn or inflamed rotator cuff. They suggested I do physical therapy 2x/week for 6 weeks. That would end right before our Chicago trip. I did my 6 weeks and they gave me the bad news that they wanted me to continue after the Chicago trip for another 6 weeks. The break in between seemed to do me some good. I am still uncertain if the physical therapy is helping or not. I started to feel better after the cortisone shot and I think I may have healed quicker without the physical therapy. There is no way to know for sure now. I am doing better, but still not 100% better. The physical therapy is getting tougher, though, as they increase my strength exercises. I hope that my arms are at least getting stronger and that maybe I am losing some arm fat!
On 4/14, we went to Wildlife World Zoo.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 4/18.
On 4/19, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Reid Park Rose Garden and Pima Prickly Park.
Paul and Nathan went to the Pima County Fair on 4/21.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens on 4/24.
On 4/25, I went to Oro Valley Hospital to see my gynecologist. I had not had a period for over 3 months. They had me do a blood test and an ultrasound. The ultrasound came back normal. The blood test showed I am perimenopausal. I am in full menopause when I have not had a period for at least 12 months. As of today, it has been over 5 months now. I really don't think I will have another period so I think menopause is close. I am already getting all of the symptoms.
While at the Oro Valley Hospital, I saw a lot of torch cacti blooming in their median. After that I decided to go to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun and Tucson Botanical Gardens.
Nathan earned his 3rd stripe in Taekwondo on 4/26. I also went to the Desert Museum and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
Nathan and Paul went to see Avengers on 4/29.
On 4/30, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went to the Desert Museum on 5/4.
On 5/7, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
Nathan had his musical performance at school on 5/8. He was not very excited about it. I remember in preschool and kindergarten he loved them. He was the music student of the year in kindergarten! Maybe his love for music will return some day.
On 5/9, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens. I went back to all of them the next two days.
On 5/12, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Bach's Cactus Nursery and to Lowe's (to photograph flowers).
5/13 was Mother's Day. Nathan made me a couple of cards and they bought me a cake. Paul made me Greek chicken and potatoes.
I saw a turkey vulture flying behind our house on 5/17. Nathan's favorite bird!
On 5/18, I went to the Desert Museum and to Lowe's again to take pictures of the flowers.
I went to Bach's Cactus Nursery on 5/21.
Nathan's last day of school was 5/24! He ended up making honor roll again the 4th quarter. He got a 94 is History, 93 is Reading, 95 in Recitation, 100 in Science, 91 in Math and 94 in English. He was meeting the standard in Art, Music, PE and Spanish. He is now a 3rd grader!
We left for Chicago on 5/25. We drove to Phoenix to fly out of the Phoenix International Airport. We were able to catch an earlier flight so we got to Chicago a little earlier. Unfortunately, we could not find Nathan's booster seat on the luggage return. We finally located it, but it was after midnight and we were afraid that the car rental place would be closed. It was still open! We got a car and found a hotel room near Indiana Dunes for the night.
We traveled to South Haven, MI the next day (5/26). Nathan got to spend some time playing at the beach. I walked around taking pictures. We ate at Clementine's for lunch. We stayed in Paw Paw that night.
The next day (5/27) we went to Holland. We were a couple weeks late to see the tulips :( We were able to tour the windmill, though. I went to photograph Big Red, the lighthouse in Holland while the boys went to the Cherry Republic store.
The next day (5/28) we took the S S Badger, a car ferry from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI. The trip was about 4 hours. We saw the movie Coco on the ride and played games like Uno, Bingo and Family Feud. Our hotel was right where the S S Badger docked and very close to a lighthouse, too. We drove around looking for a beach area for Nathan to play. We finally found a small one pretty close to our hotel. I decided to walk around and found very cool picture opportunities with boats, wildflowers, birds and the lighthouse. They created a bird sanctuary there for pelicans, seagulls, barn swallows, etc... We ate dinner that night at the Lighthouse Inn.
The next day (5/29) we drove to Milwaukee and went to the Harley Davidson Museum. We were all going to go to a Brewers vs Cardinals night game that night, but I was too tired so the boys went by themselves.
We drove to Chicago the next day (5/30), stopping at Mars Cheese Castle for some sausage and cheese! We ran into a little rain, but it stopped in time for us to go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Unfortunately, none of their waterlilies or lotuses were blooming, the flowers I wanted to see the most from our previous visit. The gardeners said maybe in a couple of weeks they would be blooming. Not many of their roses were blooming yet either. So it was disappointing, but they still had some pretty flowers to see. We were also too late to see the lilacs blooming at Lilacia Park. I tried going there on 6/1. Not much to see. They did not even have many other flowers blooming. I remember going there years ago and they had tons of tulips and other flowers blooming. It really is fantastic when all of their lilacs are blooming, too.
Paul went to lunch with his employees on 5/31. Grandma June took Nathan and I to lunch at Cheesecake Factory. Then we all met Paul at AMC in Oakbrook to see Star Wars, a Solo Story. Then we met Debbie Madl and Cass for dinner at Stir Crazy.
The next day (6/1), Paul had to work from the hotel in Lombard. Nathan's leg was hurting so he stayed in the hotel room. I decided to go to Brookfield Zoo. Then we went to Uncle Julio's for dinner. I miss their chips and salsa!
On 6/2, we met Lisa and her family at the LaGrange Pet Parade. Nathan loved the parade, seeing all of the pets (mostly dogs, but there were some cats, bunnies, birds, etc...). He also got lots of candy and goodies! Then we met Tracy and Aaron at Ledo's Pizza for lunch. From there we headed to White Fence Farm for grandma's 100th birthday party! Before heading back to Tucson the next day we spent a few hours at grandma's house visiting with her.
Nathan started summer school at Casas as soon as we got back on 6/4. His first session he is taking Archery, Let it Fly, Science Olympics and Lego Mania. He goes 8-2:15. It is ironic that there are 2 other Nathan's in his archery class! He said there are 3 girls with the same first name, too.
On 4/3, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Reid Park Rose Garden, Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
I went to the Desert Museum on 4/4
The next day I went back to the Desert Museum, to Tucson Botanical Gardens and to Bach's Cactus Nursery.
On 4/6, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Back's Cactus Nursery.
Nathan attended the 7th annual great paper airplane fly-off at the Pima Air & Space Museum on 4/7. He did not do as well as he did the previous year, but he had fun!
I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Gardens on 4/9.
I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens and Bach's Cactus Nursery on 4/11. I ended up bringing home a snail with the African Daisy plant I purchased at Tohono Chul Park. It stayed alive for a couple of weeks and then it was gone. I saw a millipede or something in the plant which could have been the culprit. I had fun taking pictures of it and I was sad when it was gone. Unfortunately, my plant is not doing so good either after being without water when we were out of town for a week. I am hoping it comes back to life, but so far no luck.
On 4/13, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Reid Park Rose Garden.
I saw an orthopedic doctor for my right shoulder on 4/13. He had me do an xray which came back normal. He told me I had frozen shoulder and gave me a cortisone shot. He suggested that I do physical therapy. He gave me a work order to go a couple of times to learn at home exercises. I went to Proactive Physical Therapy on 4/17. I should have known it would not just be a two time thing. They examined me and thought that I had a torn or inflamed rotator cuff. They suggested I do physical therapy 2x/week for 6 weeks. That would end right before our Chicago trip. I did my 6 weeks and they gave me the bad news that they wanted me to continue after the Chicago trip for another 6 weeks. The break in between seemed to do me some good. I am still uncertain if the physical therapy is helping or not. I started to feel better after the cortisone shot and I think I may have healed quicker without the physical therapy. There is no way to know for sure now. I am doing better, but still not 100% better. The physical therapy is getting tougher, though, as they increase my strength exercises. I hope that my arms are at least getting stronger and that maybe I am losing some arm fat!
On 4/14, we went to Wildlife World Zoo.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on 4/18.
On 4/19, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Reid Park Rose Garden and Pima Prickly Park.
Paul and Nathan went to the Pima County Fair on 4/21.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens on 4/24.
On 4/25, I went to Oro Valley Hospital to see my gynecologist. I had not had a period for over 3 months. They had me do a blood test and an ultrasound. The ultrasound came back normal. The blood test showed I am perimenopausal. I am in full menopause when I have not had a period for at least 12 months. As of today, it has been over 5 months now. I really don't think I will have another period so I think menopause is close. I am already getting all of the symptoms.
While at the Oro Valley Hospital, I saw a lot of torch cacti blooming in their median. After that I decided to go to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun and Tucson Botanical Gardens.
Nathan earned his 3rd stripe in Taekwondo on 4/26. I also went to the Desert Museum and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
Nathan and Paul went to see Avengers on 4/29.
On 4/30, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went to the Desert Museum on 5/4.
On 5/7, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
Nathan had his musical performance at school on 5/8. He was not very excited about it. I remember in preschool and kindergarten he loved them. He was the music student of the year in kindergarten! Maybe his love for music will return some day.
On 5/9, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens. I went back to all of them the next two days.
On 5/12, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Bach's Cactus Nursery and to Lowe's (to photograph flowers).
5/13 was Mother's Day. Nathan made me a couple of cards and they bought me a cake. Paul made me Greek chicken and potatoes.
I saw a turkey vulture flying behind our house on 5/17. Nathan's favorite bird!
On 5/18, I went to the Desert Museum and to Lowe's again to take pictures of the flowers.
I went to Bach's Cactus Nursery on 5/21.
Nathan's last day of school was 5/24! He ended up making honor roll again the 4th quarter. He got a 94 is History, 93 is Reading, 95 in Recitation, 100 in Science, 91 in Math and 94 in English. He was meeting the standard in Art, Music, PE and Spanish. He is now a 3rd grader!
We left for Chicago on 5/25. We drove to Phoenix to fly out of the Phoenix International Airport. We were able to catch an earlier flight so we got to Chicago a little earlier. Unfortunately, we could not find Nathan's booster seat on the luggage return. We finally located it, but it was after midnight and we were afraid that the car rental place would be closed. It was still open! We got a car and found a hotel room near Indiana Dunes for the night.
We traveled to South Haven, MI the next day (5/26). Nathan got to spend some time playing at the beach. I walked around taking pictures. We ate at Clementine's for lunch. We stayed in Paw Paw that night.
The next day (5/27) we went to Holland. We were a couple weeks late to see the tulips :( We were able to tour the windmill, though. I went to photograph Big Red, the lighthouse in Holland while the boys went to the Cherry Republic store.
The next day (5/28) we took the S S Badger, a car ferry from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI. The trip was about 4 hours. We saw the movie Coco on the ride and played games like Uno, Bingo and Family Feud. Our hotel was right where the S S Badger docked and very close to a lighthouse, too. We drove around looking for a beach area for Nathan to play. We finally found a small one pretty close to our hotel. I decided to walk around and found very cool picture opportunities with boats, wildflowers, birds and the lighthouse. They created a bird sanctuary there for pelicans, seagulls, barn swallows, etc... We ate dinner that night at the Lighthouse Inn.
The next day (5/29) we drove to Milwaukee and went to the Harley Davidson Museum. We were all going to go to a Brewers vs Cardinals night game that night, but I was too tired so the boys went by themselves.
We drove to Chicago the next day (5/30), stopping at Mars Cheese Castle for some sausage and cheese! We ran into a little rain, but it stopped in time for us to go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Unfortunately, none of their waterlilies or lotuses were blooming, the flowers I wanted to see the most from our previous visit. The gardeners said maybe in a couple of weeks they would be blooming. Not many of their roses were blooming yet either. So it was disappointing, but they still had some pretty flowers to see. We were also too late to see the lilacs blooming at Lilacia Park. I tried going there on 6/1. Not much to see. They did not even have many other flowers blooming. I remember going there years ago and they had tons of tulips and other flowers blooming. It really is fantastic when all of their lilacs are blooming, too.
Paul went to lunch with his employees on 5/31. Grandma June took Nathan and I to lunch at Cheesecake Factory. Then we all met Paul at AMC in Oakbrook to see Star Wars, a Solo Story. Then we met Debbie Madl and Cass for dinner at Stir Crazy.
The next day (6/1), Paul had to work from the hotel in Lombard. Nathan's leg was hurting so he stayed in the hotel room. I decided to go to Brookfield Zoo. Then we went to Uncle Julio's for dinner. I miss their chips and salsa!
On 6/2, we met Lisa and her family at the LaGrange Pet Parade. Nathan loved the parade, seeing all of the pets (mostly dogs, but there were some cats, bunnies, birds, etc...). He also got lots of candy and goodies! Then we met Tracy and Aaron at Ledo's Pizza for lunch. From there we headed to White Fence Farm for grandma's 100th birthday party! Before heading back to Tucson the next day we spent a few hours at grandma's house visiting with her.
Nathan started summer school at Casas as soon as we got back on 6/4. His first session he is taking Archery, Let it Fly, Science Olympics and Lego Mania. He goes 8-2:15. It is ironic that there are 2 other Nathan's in his archery class! He said there are 3 girls with the same first name, too.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Rough year
It continues to be a rough start to the year for us. My right arm and shoulder have been hurting for months. I really need to get it checked it out. It is worse at night when I am trying to sleep. I have not had a decent night's sleep since this pain started. I don't even know how I hurt it. I think it may have been when I was trying to use small hand weights.
On February 7th, I went to Tohono Chul Park.
Paul and Nathan went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show on February 10th.
Bella celebrated her 10th birthday on February 11th. Both dogs seem to be doing pretty well for their age. Tulla sometimes has small pee accidents in the house. The vet gave her some medicine for it and that seems to be working.
I went to Reid Park and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on Valentine's Day. I bought Paul Krispy Kreme doughnuts even though he should not be eating them because of his diabetes. Paul bought me flowers (per my request).
Paul and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary by having dinner with Nathan at Vivace. We were supposed to go to Hawaii for our 15th wedding anniversary, but since we traveled so much last year we decided to save our money.
On February 21st, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
Finished our taxes on February 25th! It was such a relief to have them done and we got a refund!
I went to the Desert Museum on February 27th. I went back to the Desert Museum on March 1st.
On March 6th, Nathan went to the Renaissance Festival for a field trip at school. At the last minute the bus company backed out so parents had to take the kids there. Nathan went with his teacher. He had a good time. He made a candle and he liked the jousting. He wanted to get a glow in the dark spider, but he ran out of money. We were planning to go as a family anyway.
On March 8th, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went to Reid Park Zoo on March 9th.
On March 10th, Paul and Nathan went to the U of A book fest. The following day they went to NASCAR in Phoenix. I went to the Wildlife World Zoo.
I went to Sweetwater Wetlands on March 12th.
On March 15th, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens. That day I picked Nathan up from Taekwondo and he said his stomach was bothering him. He had been running around playing at Taekwondo so he seemed like he was OK to me. He ended up throwing up 3-4 times that night. He had Sbarro pizza for lunch that day at school. We thought maybe the pizza did it. We were supposed to go up to Phoenix the following day for spring break. Nathan was supposed to have a 1/2 day of school, but we had already planned a White Sox vs Cubs spring training game back when we thought that week was spring break (according to the tentative school schedule). Well, that day Nathan was complaining of bad stomach pain. We decided to take him to urgent care. They thought it could be his appendix so they sent us to the emergency room at UA Banner. We were there all night. They tried to do a blood test, but could not get blood out of him. He was crying and screaming in pain when they tried. They did a urine test and an ultrasound. The urine test came back fine and they could not see the appendix on the ultrasound which probably meant it was fine. They sent us home with a prescription for nausea. On St Patrick's Day we decided to stay home and monitor Nathan. He seemed to be doing better so the next day he and Paul went to Phoenix to go to a Angels vs Texas Rangers spring training game. I stayed home and went to church. We missed out on seeing the Blue Angels perform in Phoenix. Paul and Nathan stayed in Phoenix that night and planned to go to another spring training game the next day. They got to the ballpark and they would not let them in with the sunscreen they had just bought. Paul was mad so they just left. They went to the train park that day and picked us up some Portillo's before heading home.
I went to the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on March 18th. I went back there on March 22nd and to the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
I took Nathan to the neurologist on March 21st. He examined him and determined that he had some muscle weakness in both legs. He ordered some blood tests for Nathan and said to see him again in 6 months. The hip x-ray that his pediatrician ordered came back normal. We tried to do the blood tests right after his neurology appointment, but once again they could not get blood out of him. He got all worked up before the guy even got a needle in him. Then his veins were moving all around. He said we could come back to him the next day or go somewhere else to have the blood test done. Paul decided to take him to Sonora Quest in the same building as his pediatrician. They were the only ones who were able to successfully get blood out of him in the past. They went on Friday, March 23rd. Nathan had to sit on Paul's lap while Paul held his arm down. They were able to get blood out him this time. The tests came back normal. However, one of the tests they were not able to run (not enough blood?) so he has to go back. I went to Tohono Chul Park and Tucson Botanical Gardens that day. After Nathan's blood test, we met for lunch at Oregano's. They went to the Roadhouse Cinema afterward to see Pacific Rim Uprising. I went to Fry's to get us tickets for the Renaissance Festival.
We went to the Renaissance Festival the next day, March 24th. After that we went to see the Elvis Church in Apache Junction by the Superstition Mountains. I got a few snapshots, but they closed shortly after we got there. We will have to go back to explore the rest and go to the gift shop.
Nathan went to see the Easter Bunny on March 25th.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens on March 26th. Nathan was having stomach pains again and the school nurse ended up calling me when I was at the gardens. I went to pick him up from school a couple of hours early that day. I scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician for the next day after school. His pediatrician thinks his stomach pain is caused by poor diet. Too many carbs and dairy and not enough veggies, fruit and fiber. She could tell that he was constipated. She wanted him to take Miralax and do a stool test. I turned in the stool samples to Sonora Quest yesterday, March 30th.
On March 28th, Nathan had his honors assembly after school. He made honor roll the 3rd quarter. I went to Tohono Chul Park afterward.
The next day I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
Yesterday, I went to Reid Park Zoo and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
Today Nathan is supposed to get his blood test done and color Easter eggs. Tomorrow is Easter (and April Fools). We plan to go to church. I bought myself some honeybaked ham. I hope to make mashed potatoes and deviled eggs today. Maybe carrot cake, too.
On February 7th, I went to Tohono Chul Park.
Paul and Nathan went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show on February 10th.
Bella celebrated her 10th birthday on February 11th. Both dogs seem to be doing pretty well for their age. Tulla sometimes has small pee accidents in the house. The vet gave her some medicine for it and that seems to be working.
I went to Reid Park and the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on Valentine's Day. I bought Paul Krispy Kreme doughnuts even though he should not be eating them because of his diabetes. Paul bought me flowers (per my request).
Paul and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary by having dinner with Nathan at Vivace. We were supposed to go to Hawaii for our 15th wedding anniversary, but since we traveled so much last year we decided to save our money.
On February 21st, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
Finished our taxes on February 25th! It was such a relief to have them done and we got a refund!
I went to the Desert Museum on February 27th. I went back to the Desert Museum on March 1st.
On March 6th, Nathan went to the Renaissance Festival for a field trip at school. At the last minute the bus company backed out so parents had to take the kids there. Nathan went with his teacher. He had a good time. He made a candle and he liked the jousting. He wanted to get a glow in the dark spider, but he ran out of money. We were planning to go as a family anyway.
On March 8th, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
I went to Reid Park Zoo on March 9th.
On March 10th, Paul and Nathan went to the U of A book fest. The following day they went to NASCAR in Phoenix. I went to the Wildlife World Zoo.
I went to Sweetwater Wetlands on March 12th.
On March 15th, I went to Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens. That day I picked Nathan up from Taekwondo and he said his stomach was bothering him. He had been running around playing at Taekwondo so he seemed like he was OK to me. He ended up throwing up 3-4 times that night. He had Sbarro pizza for lunch that day at school. We thought maybe the pizza did it. We were supposed to go up to Phoenix the following day for spring break. Nathan was supposed to have a 1/2 day of school, but we had already planned a White Sox vs Cubs spring training game back when we thought that week was spring break (according to the tentative school schedule). Well, that day Nathan was complaining of bad stomach pain. We decided to take him to urgent care. They thought it could be his appendix so they sent us to the emergency room at UA Banner. We were there all night. They tried to do a blood test, but could not get blood out of him. He was crying and screaming in pain when they tried. They did a urine test and an ultrasound. The urine test came back fine and they could not see the appendix on the ultrasound which probably meant it was fine. They sent us home with a prescription for nausea. On St Patrick's Day we decided to stay home and monitor Nathan. He seemed to be doing better so the next day he and Paul went to Phoenix to go to a Angels vs Texas Rangers spring training game. I stayed home and went to church. We missed out on seeing the Blue Angels perform in Phoenix. Paul and Nathan stayed in Phoenix that night and planned to go to another spring training game the next day. They got to the ballpark and they would not let them in with the sunscreen they had just bought. Paul was mad so they just left. They went to the train park that day and picked us up some Portillo's before heading home.
I went to the Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens on March 18th. I went back there on March 22nd and to the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
I took Nathan to the neurologist on March 21st. He examined him and determined that he had some muscle weakness in both legs. He ordered some blood tests for Nathan and said to see him again in 6 months. The hip x-ray that his pediatrician ordered came back normal. We tried to do the blood tests right after his neurology appointment, but once again they could not get blood out of him. He got all worked up before the guy even got a needle in him. Then his veins were moving all around. He said we could come back to him the next day or go somewhere else to have the blood test done. Paul decided to take him to Sonora Quest in the same building as his pediatrician. They were the only ones who were able to successfully get blood out of him in the past. They went on Friday, March 23rd. Nathan had to sit on Paul's lap while Paul held his arm down. They were able to get blood out him this time. The tests came back normal. However, one of the tests they were not able to run (not enough blood?) so he has to go back. I went to Tohono Chul Park and Tucson Botanical Gardens that day. After Nathan's blood test, we met for lunch at Oregano's. They went to the Roadhouse Cinema afterward to see Pacific Rim Uprising. I went to Fry's to get us tickets for the Renaissance Festival.
We went to the Renaissance Festival the next day, March 24th. After that we went to see the Elvis Church in Apache Junction by the Superstition Mountains. I got a few snapshots, but they closed shortly after we got there. We will have to go back to explore the rest and go to the gift shop.
Nathan went to see the Easter Bunny on March 25th.
I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens on March 26th. Nathan was having stomach pains again and the school nurse ended up calling me when I was at the gardens. I went to pick him up from school a couple of hours early that day. I scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician for the next day after school. His pediatrician thinks his stomach pain is caused by poor diet. Too many carbs and dairy and not enough veggies, fruit and fiber. She could tell that he was constipated. She wanted him to take Miralax and do a stool test. I turned in the stool samples to Sonora Quest yesterday, March 30th.
On March 28th, Nathan had his honors assembly after school. He made honor roll the 3rd quarter. I went to Tohono Chul Park afterward.
The next day I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.
Yesterday, I went to Reid Park Zoo and Bach's Cactus Nursery.
Today Nathan is supposed to get his blood test done and color Easter eggs. Tomorrow is Easter (and April Fools). We plan to go to church. I bought myself some honeybaked ham. I hope to make mashed potatoes and deviled eggs today. Maybe carrot cake, too.
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