Snow in the Desert

I have said it before 2020 built resilient and adaptable kids.......and adults. Life feels to be changing all of the time.  We as a family have never lived "in the moment" more than we do now.  Have plans for tomorrow?  Who knows, maybe, I don't know. 

This game of dealing with coronavirus changes all of the time and we just roll with it, which brings me to that picture up there.  We switched schools for our girls. Trying to ensure that our girls get the education they need to be successful in the midst of this crazy time is a big challenge and remote learning is just not it for these girls.  Can we do it?  Yep.  But I will take any opportunity to get them back in the classroom.  So when our school decided to be out for yet another 2 weeks of remote learning, we moved them to the school across the street that is back in person (don't even ask about how that works).  Its a bummer to switch schools, but at the end of the day these girls desperately need to be with their peers, so it was a change we were willing to make.

It has not been without its challenges.  It starts EARLY for one.  We are all used to rolling out of bed at 7:15 to be in school by 8:15.  Las Sendas wants their behinds in the seat at 7:15.  So we are now full on morning people rolling hot at 6:15.  The adjustment has been hard, but now almost done with our second week we have figured it out.  

Its a wild life we are living right now.  To make it even more wild, after a year of super subpar rain and monsooning, we got SNOW in the valley this week.  Go figure.  We went from balmy 70s to cold, rainy, wet, and snowy.  We desert dwellers might be freezing, but man has it been fun!

I mean really, could my kids be any more Arizona?  Even in the snow they have shorts and sandals on.  Bob and I can't find enough layers, but they are running out in the snow like its nothing.  Oh girls.

Lily was beside herself with joy.  This girl, I am certain she is going to end up somewhere cold.  She just loves the snow and could not stop talking about it.  She wanted to call all of her friends and her Grandparents to tell them about the phenomenon.  So fun.

It is truly a rare thing to see snow fall in the desert and really makes for some fun life memories.  Life seems so full of uncertainty still and we may not know what is going to happen day to day, but there are so many special moments happening all around us.

I am deeply grateful for these 2 girls and their unbridled joy at some snowflakes. Honestly how different would all of our lives be if we could just find this kind of joy at the small blessings life offers?

Hiking with Grandma

Right now we are all huddled inside because it is raining out!  WHOO HOO!!!  This week has been full of clouds and water and we are all elated.  It even snowed in the valley yesterday!  I know...crazy.  

Even with the week of rain it just cannot detract from the magic that is our Arizona winter.  A week ago we were all out on the trail enjoying 75 degree weather and sweating.  With Grandma in town, we have been trying to spend time doing all of the Arizona winter things and Grandma LOVES to hike.

A year ago we were introduced to the Hieroglyphics Trail out in Gold Canyon and the girls have been begging us to take Grandma to it.  The trail ends at a natural spring and last year the spring pools and waterfalls were overflowing.  Not so much this year.  In fact there was darn near no water anywhere to be seen up at the end.  It was disappointing for the girls, but with such poor rainfall this past year, it was really no surprise. Even so the carvings on the rock faces are well worth the trip and the rock climbing more than made up for the swimming.

We all really enjoy being out in the desert and love having Grandma here to get us out of the house and out on the trails.

We are looking forward to more hiking to enjoy this beautiful and amazing time in our state.  Summer is gonna come in hot like it always does, so we are looking forward to taking more time to explore.

The Sacred 108

Yoga has truly opened a door to something special.  For the first time in my life, I am not a part of a large gym and am instead a full on yogi at a yoga studio.  I won't lie, I honestly never thought I would give up the machines, treadmills, and weight options for a yoga studio that requires no shoes and doesn't have a weight or cardio machine in site.  Man its amazing! 

I think yoga really appeals to me for 2 big reasons.  Number one....see those abs?  But 2 because it is always different and challenging.  Yoga is  never boring, and if you have experienced yoga and feel bored......find a different studio!  Yoga challenges you to move and think and breathe in different ways.  It undoes all the sitting that we do and reintroduces your body as a jungle gym, and its really fun to play with.

There is a thing in yoga affectionately known to many as the Yoga Marathon.  In the yoga world it is more gracefully labeled the Sacred 108.  It is a deeply committed practice of performing 108 sun salutations in successive order.  Tiffany opened the opportunity to attempt this practice to her studio and me along with about 8 other women completed it.

It was truly an incredible, empowering, and deeply moving experience.  It took us about 2 hours and at the end of the practice I was shaking, but deeply peaceful.  My body is incredibly strong and getting more so every day.  

The Sacred 108 was a time to reflect on all that 2020 was and renew the hope for 2021.  There are great things in store for all of us and I am deeply grateful for the chance to Inhale and Exhale through it all.

Las Sendas Half Marathon 2021

Ever since my foot injury I have not been overly involved in my dear running community the Las Sendas Run Bike Tri Club.  I will tell you, during IRONMAN this group literally was the wind beneath my wings.  I never considered myself someone who needed running partners, but then I met all of these lovely people and my opinion changed.  The past couple of years while recovering from my foot and all the things I have found out just how much I miss the constant involvement with this group.  They are life giving and I am determined to find more time to be with them even if I have to make friends with the 4am alarm clock again!

Last week amidst losing Ashley and supporting the family, I went to bed on Friday evening not sure I was going to successfully be able to run 13.1 miles with the Las Sendas group.  I signed up to run this with the group after so many races were cancelled and we all decided to hold an underground race.  

I hadn't slept very well, but if there is one thing I know for sure, exercise and community heals the heart.  It just does and the hug of all these individuals was truly cathartic.

I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, met my people and started the run at the top of Usery.  I ran the race with my girlfriend Bridgit (who is training for a 6o mile race) and my sweet friend Lauren.  We talked and laughed and enjoyed the no pressure run.

Upon finishing we all got together and had snacks, water, conversation and all the things that make this group so powerful.  Bob and I had even purchased a really cool space station medal for a virtual race and I was finally able to hang it on the board.

I truly would never have thought that virtual races would be such an enjoyment for me, but what can I say, I really like running for the bling!  COVID has put such a kabosh on big races, but there are still carrots to chase and people to chase them with.  I am honestly just deeply grateful that I have a foot that not only lets me run, but is going to take me through the Grand Canyon this Spring.....TWICE! God is in the business of redemption no doubt.

Last week was a hard week, but it was also good, really good.  Life springs new and the joy of living in community reminds us of how deeply we are loved and cared for.  Super grateful for these therapists!  They are a pretty sweet bunch.

 

Christmas 2020

The first month of the new year is nearly half over and what do you know, life is happening faster than I can find the time to blog about it.  Plus we are neck deep in remote schooling and I am not gonna lie, ITS STILL HARD.  Evie is challenging and demands so much constant attention......but I digress......back to Christmas.

For the past few years we have been spending Christmas up at the Flying E Ranch and this year was no exception.  It has been a very warm year with very little rain or snow, so the experience was a wee bit different this year.  

We always like to take some time and help Papa with some of the harder ranch chores so day 1 we worked to get hay moved into the barn for the winter.  Bob and I really have it down to a science and we can bang 80 bales or so in short order.  I mean, honestly Bob does most of the heavy lifting, but me and Lily are great foremen!

Evie is much more of the "Ill go pet the horses" kind of help, but cute none the less.

Our days up in the mountains consisted of a lot of down time and reading time which was just what I wanted.  Bob found himself in the same picture as a 1600 year old tree.  A neighbor in the area found him on his run and told him about the ancient inhabitant and by golly he found it.  This tree was around during the Roman Empire.  Pretty darn cool.

The girls spent a lot of their time playing games, watching Ipads, watching movies, eating, and eating turtles.  I say eating twice because, well, that is what you do around holidays right?

On Christmas Eve it has been our tradition to ski all day and then watch The Star in the evening.  With such poor snow and water at Sunrise Ski Resort, the only thing open was the bunny hill and minimal sledding.  We did what we could to make the best of it and managed to have a fun day sledding "on rocks" as Lily said.  We even sacrificed a sled on the first ride of the day.

Again, if 2020 has taught us anything its that we can adapt and make the best out of any situation.  The girls made friends and simply had a blast playing in the snow that was there while enjoying new friendships.

Evie's thing was eating all of the snow, while Lily liked trying out new sledding areas.  

While not our normal skiing, the day was great.  Memaw and Papa came too and we had lunch on the mountain followed by a visit to Brenda and Brian's.  Now without getting into too much of my family tree for this blog's sake, Brenda is a cousin to my Momma and grew up really close with my Aunt.  They have all remained close even though far apart on the map.  Brenda and Brian live completely off of the grid and their place is AMAZING.

Brian built their home and it is almost entirely powered by solar and wind.  They do have a generator but rarely use it.  They grow much of their food in their garden or greenhouse and Brenda is a canning master.  They have chickens, horses, dogs, and fish and Brian is an excellent hunter.  Its really neat to see their place and spend time with them.  I honestly cannot wait to get my girls out their this summer to help with planting, gardening, and canning.  So much to learn.

We of course ended our evening with The Star.  I love this movie and am so grateful for it.  The girls look forward to it every year and it truly is such a fun way to experience the story of Jesus.

Christmas Day is always my favorite.  Santa comes and there are always so many treasures under the tree.  The girls got some lovely gifts and all of us shared a wonderful morning.  I got a yoga wheel to add to my accessories.  I am grateful for what my body can do and always am looking for ways to expand its capabilities.

Our day was spent enjoying the couch, our books, White Christmas, and playing with hair braiding.  Its a gift to just sit and rest.

Christmas was a gift of respite to be sure and we are deeply grateful to have ended the year on a high note.