4th of July we stayed home. We cooked out and Nathan swam in his pool. In the evening we made smores outside and watched the fireworks from our balcony.
The next day we tried to go to Sabino Canyon, but there was no water flowing. So we took Nathan to the splash pad. Then I went to the Reid Park Rose Garden for awhile.
On 7/10, I went to Tohono Chul Park for their Queen of the Night event. I went back the next day to see if some of the cactus flowers had opened. I also went over to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun to see some of their cactus flowers. I repeated that the next day!
We went to Peach Mania at Apple Annie's in Willcox on 7/19. We ate their peach pancake breakfast and had the peach ice cream. We picked peaches and veggies.
Donnie and his family stayed last night. We took them to Tombstone today.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Monday, June 30, 2014
Vacation!
We rented a Toyota Prius Hybrid and drove that baby over 6000 miles across America.
We started our vacation on 6/11 and our first stop was Lake Havasu City to see the London Bridge Las Vegas and stayed the
night. We stayed at Excalibur which
Nathan loved because it looks like a big castle. We went for a gondola ride at the Venetian,
ate dinner at the Harley Davidson Cafe and we saw the fountain at
Bellagio.
The next day we headed to Utah
Olympic Park in Park
City Idaho
that day we got in a horrible dust storm.
We saw a bunch of tumbleweed flying in the road and a little drizzle and
then out of nowhere the dust hit and we could not see a thing. We quickly got to the side of the road along
with other cars and trucks and it was a miracle that none of us hit each
other. That night we stopped at the Idaho Potato
Museum Idaho Falls
so that I could soak in the whirlpool tub.
They gave us a discount on the room, but even though we still paid a
pretty penny for it, it was worth it because it finally got rid of my bodyaches
that I had for days after getting a painful massage.
On 6/13, we headed to Grand Teton National Park Yellowstone . One
of the first of many animals we saw was a mother and baby elk. We saw Old Faithful
before heading out of the park for the night.
We returned to Yellowstone the next
day. We saw lots of buffalo, geysers,
waterfalls, and wildflowers. We saw a
bear and some crazy people who were getting too close for comfort to take
pictures of it. On the way back to our
hotel that night we saw a fox. I think
that is the first time I had ever seen a fox in the wild.
On 6/15, we started the day at Grizzly & Wolf Discovery
Center just outside Yellowstone . From there we headed back to Yellowstone for the day.
On 6/16, we headed to Devil’s Tower
National Monument
The next day
we headed to Sturgis stopping at the Harley Shop there. Then we went to Bear Country USA, a drive
thru wildlife park similar to Bearizona in Arizona .
After Bear Country USA, we headed to Mount Rushmore . After Mount Rushmore, we drove through the Badlands . That
night we drove through a horrible thunderstorm on the way to Sioux Falls .
It was so scary we had to stop under some bridges to wait it out a bit,
but then we decided to go on.
The next
morning we visited the Sioux Falls
before heading out of town. We drove
through Iowa stopping
at a cave that Paul and Nathan went in.
I opted out because there were 250 stairs and caves do not really thrill
me. We ate dinner at Fried Green
Tomatoes in Galena , IL
before heading to Rockford
for the night.
The next day we met
grandma and grandpa Hoehn at the Illinois
Railway Museum
in Union , IL Bolingbrook
with Paul’s sister Tracy.
The next day
we visited with Paul’s brother and his family before heading to my grandma’s
for the night.
6/21 we went to
Brookfield Zoo and spent the day with Paul’s sister Lisa and her family.
6/22 we met grandma and grandpa Hoehn in
South Haven, MI. Nathan loved playing at
the beach. That night we drove to Grand
Haven to see the lighted musical fountain.
I was excited because I figured out some settings on my camera to
actually get decent shots of it. Usually
I am terrible at night shots.
6/23 we
went to Lincoln Park Zoo. We met grandma and grandpa Hoehn and Carol at Uncle Julio's in Orland Park for dinner. Paul and I used to eat at the Uncle Julio's in the northern suburbs back when we worked in that area. This one was just as good!
6/24 we
started our trip back to Tucson . We stopped at the World’s Largest Truck Stop
in Iowa and we got to see the covered bridges
in Madison County Omaha , Nebraska
6/25
we drove to Denver
and went to a Rockies/Cardinals game. We
stayed the night in Denver
and the next day we went to the Wild Animal Sanctuary and then to the Cheyenne
Mountain Zoo.
6/27 we went to Garden of
the gods and then drove up to Pike’s Peak in Colorado Springs . Then we went to Colorado Wolf & Wildlife
Center
6/28 we went to Arches National Park Arches
National Park we drove through part of the Canyonlands Antelope
Canyon
So we got to see a lot of animals and wildflowers this trip which exited me. Nathan got to play in snow and at the beach all in one trip. This was a very busy vacation so there was no time for relaxing. I need a vacation from my vacation! Instead, I have to unpack everything, do a million loads of laundry, get groceries, pay bills, go through mail, check my email and Facebook, go through 3000+ pictures, etc....
Summer is here!
Memorial Day we went up to Mt Lemmon.
5/31 we went to Tucson International Speedway.
On 6/6, I went to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun and Sweetwater Wetlands.
I went to the Desert Museum's Saturday Summer Nights on 6/7.
5/31 we went to Tucson International Speedway.
On 6/6, I went to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun and Sweetwater Wetlands.
I went to the Desert Museum's Saturday Summer Nights on 6/7.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
May
On 5/7, I went to the Reid Park Rose Garden, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Columbus Park, Sweetwater Wetllands, and Arthur Pack Park.
I took Nathan to Arthur Pack Park on 5/8.
5/11 was Mother's Day. It was not a very good one for me and I will leave it at that.
Nathan and I went to the Desert Museum on 5/13.
Nathan had his Pre-K celebration at school on 5/15. Technically, he did not graduate preschool with the rest of the class. He got moved up to this class mid-year so he still has another year of preschool. He successfully completed Ms. Monica's class, though. They did the pledge of allegiance, sang and danced to songs, including What does a fox say. It was cute.
Nathan went with daddy to a local car race here in Tucson on 5/17.
On 5/19, I went to Reid Park Zoo, the Reid Park Rose Garden and to Arthur Pack Park.
We went to the first Friday Summer Nights at Reid Park Zoo on 5/23.
Today Paul and Nathan went to a U of A baseball game.
I took Nathan to Arthur Pack Park on 5/8.
5/11 was Mother's Day. It was not a very good one for me and I will leave it at that.
Nathan and I went to the Desert Museum on 5/13.
Nathan had his Pre-K celebration at school on 5/15. Technically, he did not graduate preschool with the rest of the class. He got moved up to this class mid-year so he still has another year of preschool. He successfully completed Ms. Monica's class, though. They did the pledge of allegiance, sang and danced to songs, including What does a fox say. It was cute.
Nathan went with daddy to a local car race here in Tucson on 5/17.
On 5/19, I went to Reid Park Zoo, the Reid Park Rose Garden and to Arthur Pack Park.
We went to the first Friday Summer Nights at Reid Park Zoo on 5/23.
Today Paul and Nathan went to a U of A baseball game.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
May already...
I can not believe how fast this year is flying by. It seem like Christmas was just yesterday.
On 4/22, Nathan and I went to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun to photograph more cactus flowers and to Christopher Columbus Park. Nathan loved one of the big trees there. He wanted to climb it. Not too many climbing trees in Tucson.
The next day I went back to Christopher Columbus Park. I got to photograph several birds...yes, I have become a birder now! I saw vermilion flycatcher, night heron, kildeer and a great blue heron nest with two babies! The nest is pretty far for me so even with my 300mm zoom lens I can only get mediocre pictures of the heron family. Still, pretty cool to see.
Nathan and I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens on 4/24. Their torch cactus garden was in full bloom and we got to see the butterflies. That afternoon I let him play at our park in our subdivision, but it was pretty hot by that time so we did not stay long.
Paul and I had a date day on 4/25! We went to Tohono Chul Park. We walked around looking at the flowers and we had lunch there. Then we went over to Christopher Columbus Park. He was not impressed. He thought it was dumpy. I agree, but I like the birds there. They also have a model airplane spot.
On 4/26 I decided to take the drive by myself to go back to Wildlife World Zoo. It rained in the morning and it was a little windy, but I am glad I went. I got a lot of pictures of the baby otters, the baby meerkats and the young white lion. Afterward, I went to the Gilbert Riparian Reserve. I heard it is a great place for birding. I did not see a lot other than a stilt.
We went to the Pima County Fair on 4/27. Nathan had fun on all of the rides. I liked the petting zoo. We also got pictures taken with parrots, a monkey and a seal/sea lion! Oh, and a picture in a HUGE chair.
I went back to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun on 4/28 to make more pictures of their cactus flowers.
Nathan and I went to the Desert Museum on 4/29. Their torch cactus garden was in full bloom. We got to see Cruz, the mountain lion, by the glass. I saw one young prairie dog, but last year at this time there were a ton of them. There were a few baby hummingbirds.
On 4/30, I decided to go to Brach's Cactus Nursery. Karen McCreroy had told me about it. I picked a good day to go because a lot of their cacti had flowers. I did not have a lot of time, though, because I had a hair appointment. I ended up getting out of there late and I got lost so I was almost an hour late to my hair appointment. She asked me to come back in about an hour so I went over to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. After my hair appointment I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. It was the last day of their butterfly exhibit and they had a few more cactus flowers, including the beautiful flying saucer.
I went back to Brach's Cactus Nursery on 5/2. There were only a few cacti blooming, not nearly as many a couple of days prior. They said they only get like 3 days a year where there that many flowers. The cool thing that day is catching a dove on a saguaro flower, though.
On 4/22, Nathan and I went to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun to photograph more cactus flowers and to Christopher Columbus Park. Nathan loved one of the big trees there. He wanted to climb it. Not too many climbing trees in Tucson.
The next day I went back to Christopher Columbus Park. I got to photograph several birds...yes, I have become a birder now! I saw vermilion flycatcher, night heron, kildeer and a great blue heron nest with two babies! The nest is pretty far for me so even with my 300mm zoom lens I can only get mediocre pictures of the heron family. Still, pretty cool to see.
Nathan and I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens on 4/24. Their torch cactus garden was in full bloom and we got to see the butterflies. That afternoon I let him play at our park in our subdivision, but it was pretty hot by that time so we did not stay long.
Paul and I had a date day on 4/25! We went to Tohono Chul Park. We walked around looking at the flowers and we had lunch there. Then we went over to Christopher Columbus Park. He was not impressed. He thought it was dumpy. I agree, but I like the birds there. They also have a model airplane spot.
On 4/26 I decided to take the drive by myself to go back to Wildlife World Zoo. It rained in the morning and it was a little windy, but I am glad I went. I got a lot of pictures of the baby otters, the baby meerkats and the young white lion. Afterward, I went to the Gilbert Riparian Reserve. I heard it is a great place for birding. I did not see a lot other than a stilt.
We went to the Pima County Fair on 4/27. Nathan had fun on all of the rides. I liked the petting zoo. We also got pictures taken with parrots, a monkey and a seal/sea lion! Oh, and a picture in a HUGE chair.
I went back to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun on 4/28 to make more pictures of their cactus flowers.
Nathan and I went to the Desert Museum on 4/29. Their torch cactus garden was in full bloom. We got to see Cruz, the mountain lion, by the glass. I saw one young prairie dog, but last year at this time there were a ton of them. There were a few baby hummingbirds.
On 4/30, I decided to go to Brach's Cactus Nursery. Karen McCreroy had told me about it. I picked a good day to go because a lot of their cacti had flowers. I did not have a lot of time, though, because I had a hair appointment. I ended up getting out of there late and I got lost so I was almost an hour late to my hair appointment. She asked me to come back in about an hour so I went over to DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. After my hair appointment I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. It was the last day of their butterfly exhibit and they had a few more cactus flowers, including the beautiful flying saucer.
I went back to Brach's Cactus Nursery on 5/2. There were only a few cacti blooming, not nearly as many a couple of days prior. They said they only get like 3 days a year where there that many flowers. The cool thing that day is catching a dove on a saguaro flower, though.
Monday, April 21, 2014
April
On 4/2, I went to the Reid Park Zoo, the Reid Park Rose Garden and the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
On 4/9, I went to the Desert Museum.
On 4/10, I stopped by Nortwest Self Storage and took pictures of their night blooming cacti. Then I took Nathan to Arthur Pack Park. They are working on the park, but he was still able to ride his big wheel on the sidewalk.
Took more pictures of the night blooming cacti at Northwest Self Storage on 4/11. That night we took Nathan to Spring Fling at U of A. Some of the kiddie rides were too fast for Nathan, but he liked the ones where he got to climb and go down slides. He also really liked the bumper cars!
We went to the Thunderbirds Air Show on 4/12. Unfortunately, it was too windy for the Thunderbirds to fly that day.
We went to Tombstone on 4/13 for their Rose Festival. I wanted to see their rose tree in full bloom. It was sort of a let down. But, we took an old time photo of us and Nathan got to shoot a gun with paint pellets. On the way home, we stopped at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to see the Thunderbirds since they were unable to perform the day before.
On 4/16, I went to Reid Park Zoo, Reid Park Rose Garden, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Fort Lowell Park. Got to see a vermilion flycatcher at Fort Lowell Park so that was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I also got a ticket that day for failure to stop for a school bus. It was on Oracle which is a very busy street, almost like a highway. I did not expect a school bus to stop on that street and it was in the far right lane while I was in the far left lane getting ready to turn on a side road. I did not see it in time to stop. Now I am going to take traffic school to get it off my record.
Nathan and I colored Easter eggs on 4/18 and we took him to see the Easter Bunny.
We took Nathan to the Children's Museum for their Easter egg hunt on 4/19. It was a little cheesy because it was really crowded and each child only got 4 eggs.
The Easter Bunny spoiled Nathan again this year. He got sand toys, coloring books, candy, several Disney planes, a Scooby Doo monster truck, Connor the train and a lot of cars (Herbie the love bug, two color shifters, #4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy Johns NASCAR, #43 Petty NASCAR, Peeps, '62 thunderbird, bumper car, Lightning McQueen, a delorean and the Hooters NASCAR). We went to church. Paul and Nathan went to Hooters for lunch and I stayed home and ate my honey baked ham!
On 4/9, I went to the Desert Museum.
On 4/10, I stopped by Nortwest Self Storage and took pictures of their night blooming cacti. Then I took Nathan to Arthur Pack Park. They are working on the park, but he was still able to ride his big wheel on the sidewalk.
Took more pictures of the night blooming cacti at Northwest Self Storage on 4/11. That night we took Nathan to Spring Fling at U of A. Some of the kiddie rides were too fast for Nathan, but he liked the ones where he got to climb and go down slides. He also really liked the bumper cars!
We went to the Thunderbirds Air Show on 4/12. Unfortunately, it was too windy for the Thunderbirds to fly that day.
We went to Tombstone on 4/13 for their Rose Festival. I wanted to see their rose tree in full bloom. It was sort of a let down. But, we took an old time photo of us and Nathan got to shoot a gun with paint pellets. On the way home, we stopped at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to see the Thunderbirds since they were unable to perform the day before.
On 4/16, I went to Reid Park Zoo, Reid Park Rose Garden, Tucson Botanical Gardens and Fort Lowell Park. Got to see a vermilion flycatcher at Fort Lowell Park so that was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I also got a ticket that day for failure to stop for a school bus. It was on Oracle which is a very busy street, almost like a highway. I did not expect a school bus to stop on that street and it was in the far right lane while I was in the far left lane getting ready to turn on a side road. I did not see it in time to stop. Now I am going to take traffic school to get it off my record.
Nathan and I colored Easter eggs on 4/18 and we took him to see the Easter Bunny.
We took Nathan to the Children's Museum for their Easter egg hunt on 4/19. It was a little cheesy because it was really crowded and each child only got 4 eggs.
The Easter Bunny spoiled Nathan again this year. He got sand toys, coloring books, candy, several Disney planes, a Scooby Doo monster truck, Connor the train and a lot of cars (Herbie the love bug, two color shifters, #4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy Johns NASCAR, #43 Petty NASCAR, Peeps, '62 thunderbird, bumper car, Lightning McQueen, a delorean and the Hooters NASCAR). We went to church. Paul and Nathan went to Hooters for lunch and I stayed home and ate my honey baked ham!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Proud new owners of a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid...
So 3/17 we did not get to see Shombay, the daddy lion, out with his cubs. I guess they let him out before the zoo opened in case there were any incidents. So we stayed for a little bit at the zoo to see the cubs with mom and then we headed for the Childrens Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed because they are closed on Mondays! I felt so bad for Nathan. I ended up taking him to Arthur Pack Park to ride his big wheel. We had our corned beef and cabbage for dinner.
I went back to the zoo on 3/19 while Nathan was in school. This time I got to see daddy lion out with his cubs. He put up with so much! Those cubs would not leave him alone and they were biting at his fur and tail.
Aunt Lisa and Connor arrived at our house that night. The following day we went to Tucson Botanical Gardens. There were quite a bit of cacti blooming which was cool to see. I also took them to Sauce and Frost for lunch...their favorites.
3/21 we headed to Phoenix. We went to the Sox spring training park and watched them lose to the Cubs!
3/22 we went to Wildlife World Zoo. It was cool to see a young white lion, although I did not get very good pictures of it. Also saw baby monkeys, meerkats and otters.
3/23 we went to another spring training game to see the Angels and Indians (Angels won).
On 3/24, I dropped the gang off at Phoenix Zoo and I headed to the Desert Botanical Gardens. I am so glad I went because there were a lot of cacti in bloom (as well as wildflowers). I then met up with them at the Phoenix Zoo. We drove home that night. Nathan was so talkative in the car on the way back.
We did not do much on 3/25. I tried to catch up on things at home.
On 3/26, I took Lisa and Connor to the Desert Museum. Not much was in bloom there, but we went to the free flight show and got to see some other cool stuff. We picked Nathan up from school that day and found out that he had an awesome day! The teacher said he was so good that day.
So Lisa and Connor left to go back to Chicago on 3/27.
Daddy decided to spend his last vacation day with Nathan on Friday, 3/28, so he pulled Nathan out of school again. I was not that happy about it, but he took him to the Childrens Museum and to Pima Air & Space Museum. I stayed home and did a lot of cleaning. Unfortunately, I started feeling pretty sick toward the end of the day with another horrible headache. Luckily, I felt better the next day. Stress and dehydration?
Today we got a call from Oracle Ford that our 2014 Ford Fusion was ready to be picked up. So, we traded in our 2002 Pontiac Grand Am and picked up our new car. We got $1800 for our Grand Am. We ended up with 3.09% financing for 63 months on the new car, including an extended warranty. We are covered for pretty much everything for like 6 years, including oil changes. The financed price is $26,103.80 and our payment will be $449.97.
I went back to the zoo on 3/19 while Nathan was in school. This time I got to see daddy lion out with his cubs. He put up with so much! Those cubs would not leave him alone and they were biting at his fur and tail.
Aunt Lisa and Connor arrived at our house that night. The following day we went to Tucson Botanical Gardens. There were quite a bit of cacti blooming which was cool to see. I also took them to Sauce and Frost for lunch...their favorites.
3/21 we headed to Phoenix. We went to the Sox spring training park and watched them lose to the Cubs!
3/22 we went to Wildlife World Zoo. It was cool to see a young white lion, although I did not get very good pictures of it. Also saw baby monkeys, meerkats and otters.
3/23 we went to another spring training game to see the Angels and Indians (Angels won).
On 3/24, I dropped the gang off at Phoenix Zoo and I headed to the Desert Botanical Gardens. I am so glad I went because there were a lot of cacti in bloom (as well as wildflowers). I then met up with them at the Phoenix Zoo. We drove home that night. Nathan was so talkative in the car on the way back.
We did not do much on 3/25. I tried to catch up on things at home.
On 3/26, I took Lisa and Connor to the Desert Museum. Not much was in bloom there, but we went to the free flight show and got to see some other cool stuff. We picked Nathan up from school that day and found out that he had an awesome day! The teacher said he was so good that day.
So Lisa and Connor left to go back to Chicago on 3/27.
Daddy decided to spend his last vacation day with Nathan on Friday, 3/28, so he pulled Nathan out of school again. I was not that happy about it, but he took him to the Childrens Museum and to Pima Air & Space Museum. I stayed home and did a lot of cleaning. Unfortunately, I started feeling pretty sick toward the end of the day with another horrible headache. Luckily, I felt better the next day. Stress and dehydration?
Today we got a call from Oracle Ford that our 2014 Ford Fusion was ready to be picked up. So, we traded in our 2002 Pontiac Grand Am and picked up our new car. We got $1800 for our Grand Am. We ended up with 3.09% financing for 63 months on the new car, including an extended warranty. We are covered for pretty much everything for like 6 years, including oil changes. The financed price is $26,103.80 and our payment will be $449.97.
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