Spring Break - Petrified Forest & Grand Canyon Trip

Hello!!!! I know, I know, I haven't posted in FOREVER! I've spent the past month doing quite a bit of traveling. It began mid-March with Mike's spring break. We packed up and headed to Arizona!

Our first stop was the Petrified Forest National Park. We arrived an hour before the park was closing, so we drove through and stopped at the pull-offs that looked most appealing.

My favorite was the Painted Desert, pictured above.

 Of course we had to find a petrified tree!

After leaving the park we continued on to Flagstaff, Arizona. We arrived at our hotel around 8 p.m. and then ventured out to find some dinner. We ate at a great brewery called Lumberyard Brewing Company. It had good food and a great atmosphere.

The next morning we explored Flagstaff a bit and then drove on the Grand Canyon National Park. Let me start by saying, this place is HUGE! There's many hotels, buses, cars, museums, visitor centers, a grocery store, etc. It's like a small town. Once inside the park we followed the signs to the campground and got our campsite all set up. We then went to explore the visitor center and got our first glimpse of the canyon! That first look is something I think I'll never forget.

Over the next few days we took our time walking trails, taking in gorgeous views, eating good food, and just enjoying ourselves.

Our second day at the Grand Canyon was our third wedding anniversary! We celebrated by eating dinner at the famous El Tovar Dining Room. It was fancy and lovely!

We saw elk various times during our trip, which I thought was really exciting!

Mike made a habit of daringly standing on many ledges. A few times it made me a little nervous.

This one is my favorite!

Below are a few more pictures I just couldn't go without sharing...

On our way home we made a pit-stop in Winslow, Arizona. This should ring a bell from the Eagles song "Take It Easy", which starts with, "Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona..." We met some really nice people while taking pictures there and had a great chat.

We had an AMAZING time on our trip!! I'll continue with the rest of my travels in another post shortly.

Weekend Update

This weekend was such a fun and relaxing one!

We started off Valentine's Day with homemade cinnamon buns! Of course I had to made pink frosting and use sprinkles for the occasion.

 We stopped by the grocery store and the Girl Scouts were out front. The shortbread cookies are my favorite!!!

Saturday was beautiful with highs in the 60's, so Mike and I enjoyed a picnic lunch at the park!

 Yummy strawberries always make me happy!

 Sunday was a really good church service. So happy to finally be going to church regularly again.

I made homemade chicken n dumplings for dinner on Sunday. It was a pretty cold and dreary day, so a warm comfort food was much needed.

Hope you had a nice weekend as well! I'm looking forward to seeing what this week will bring.

Friday!

Happy Friday the 13th and almost Valentine's Day! Things have been pretty quiet here on the blog lately, but I just haven't had much to write about. Life has been really great, work is going good, and I have no complaints! Some highlights of this week include...

1. Getting my diploma in the mail! I officially have a BS in Environmental Science and Policy AND an AA in Business!!!

2. My cousin, Arynn, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl late Tuesday evening!! Her name is Alexis and she is the first great grand-kid in our family!!!! I can't wait to meet her!

3. This might be too much information, but Mike has been putting dryer sheets in his boots to help combat stinky feet syndrome. He pulled the dryer sheet from his shoe in this shape! Obviously it looks like the magnificent state of Florida. So weird!

4. Mike's friend, David, had a birthday this week and I asked him what he would like me to bake for him. He said pineapple upside down cake! So, I baked these little guys.

5. We don't have any huge plans for Valentine's Day this year, but that's exactly what I'm looking forward to! I'm planning to make homemade cinnamon buns for breakfast and a yummy steak for dinner. Other than that I think we'll just be relaxing.

Hope you have a great weekend and a happy Valentine's Day!!!

Life Lately

It's Monday and I'm in an exceptionally good mood. I think this can be contributed to a couple of things. Firstly, I'm on day 14 of the No Junk Food Challenge. I first heard of this from my lovely mother-in-law, Sherry, and have since also seen it on Pinterest. While I haven't really lost any weight, I'm feeling great. I feel lighter and less gross inside (does that make sense?), and I definitely have more energy. Also, I'm not craving soda and sweets like I usually do; however, that's not to say I wouldn't still eat a cookie if you put one in front of me! Secondly, I had a really good hot yoga class this morning. The room was heated to about 95 degrees and the class lasted an hour and a half. I was a hot mess by the end, but in a really good way. Lastly, Mike is finally home after being away for Shot Show (a convention on everything and anything gun related) in Las Vegas last week. He was gone for six days! I'm SO glad to have him home again.

So, what does one do while home by themselves for a week you ask? Well, one becomes a professional cat photographer, as evidenced below...

 I call this one Serious Halo. I think she was getting ready to blink or something.

 Halo giving me some cuddles as I was trying to cross-stitch.

Pantera and Halo napping together. Too cute!!!

On Wednesday, Mother Nature decided to dump snow everywhere!! I think this is the most snowfall I've seen since we've moved here. Of course it had to happen while Mike was away. After Wednesday I was too scared to drive anywhere.

 Sorry for the poor quality of this photo, but the window had snow stuck to it.

 The front of our house.

 The back yard.

 My snow feet.

The view looking up our street. That's my poor car there covered in snow!

Of course I also had to get my craft on during the week. I made this bible cover and I'm hoping I can add a monogram to it.

This was my view on Sunday as I drove to pick up Mike from the airport. Sometimes I really miss Florida, but this view really isn't too bad!

So here's to starting the week off right and hopefully continuing with more good mood vibes!!!