Sedona Off Roading Adventures

We have just come to the end of our short three-day stay in Sedona. It's been AWESOME and we've had a lot of fun. Our entire intent on this trip was to get the jeep out to see what it can actually do on some of the 4x4 trails in and around Sedona.. We've spent three days taking all sorts of trails..

Trails through the desert..



Trails through the woods..



Trails up and over the Red Rocks..



And we even did one trail in the rain..



We've seen lots of cool stuff along the way, like the ruins of a Sinagua Indian Cliff Dwelling



and a quaint mining town (Jerome), complete with one guys random collection of 'stuff'



We stopped for a spell in Oak Creek



And found the perfect spot to watch the sunset.



Through it all, the little Jeep has performed like a champ. He's climbed some pretty insane red rock:



And, of course, what goes up must come down:



(Here's a view of that 'Devil's Staircase' from the bottom):

We were so proud of him (and his talented driver), that we got some pictures to record his achievements:

It was a lot of fun, and afforded us plenty of opportunities for Chad to practice his one handed picture taking talents



But best of all, we got to see some pretty 'epic' views (in the words of the terribly kind guy at the off-roading place who gave us all the maps to find all these places)



It's been an amazing three days.. we wish we could stay longer (especially since there are still a few trails we have yet to try..) but it's on to the Grand Canyon tomorrow for more adventures..

More Ultrasound Pics

OK.. so I know these aren't exactly up to date (sorta like my blog), but I've been busy moving and finally found the pics and got the scanner plugged in, so.. here are the ultrasound pics from our 12 Week Ultrasound (which was only 4 weeks ago..)..

The 3-D ones are the coolest -- even if he looks a little like an alien. The craziest part.. at this point, he was only 3" long!!

Technology is an amazing thing..

Enjoy! :-)

The Big Announcement

I've thought a lot about what I should say in this post, and I still haven't come up with any brilliant way to introduce it or ease into it.. so here it is.. our big announcement:

After many many months of trying, we are FINALLY expecting our first baby. We had to have a little help, but thanks to the amazing talents of Dr. Mor, we finally got there! :-)

We are actually 13 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow. Since we were considered a little higher risk during the first trimester, we've actually had ultrasounds every other week for the past two months, and just this week went to a perionatologist for a very detailed ultrasound that was amazing (especially for how early on it is) and found out that we're having a boy!! :-)

We are incredibly excited and are trying to enjoy every moment of the new experience. The ultrasounds have been REALLY cool as we've watched him grow from a blob with a heartbeat to a fetus that actually has fingers and toes! :-)

Here are some of the pics of the ultrasound at 9 weeks. Once I have a few minutes, between packing, I'll scan some of the more recent ultrasound pics and post them as well..

Home Sweet Home

After 6 1/2 months of diligent searching, we have finally purchased a new home.

Why in the world would we want to do that? Don't we already have a house?

Yes.. we already own a house. However, with the housing crisis, the Antelope Valley has seen a HUGE decrease in home prices (most over 50%), and so we decided that if we ever wanted to afford a home on some land that we could actually grow into, now was the time to jump IF we found the right property.

We have looked at the craziest houses.. and we've seen it all. Houses with zero appliances/light fixtures/etc. left in them. Houses with dead rodents. Houses with the MOST random floorplans you've ever seen.. after 6 1/2 months we've probably seen 30-40 homes of varying sizes, shapes and locations. I figured it out the other day and I think we've submitted at least 20 offers on 10 properties in that time.. every time crossing our fingers only to be disappointed -- bank didn't like our financing, beat out by $1000, etc.

The day I got back from Girl's Camp we went to see this one. It was amazingly clean, the previous owner still lived in it (which was a first!), and the price was incredible. So.. on it's first day on the market we wrote an offer.. and the very next day we got a counteroffer and we thought the deal was done. Nope.. the listing agent 'conveniently' didn't make it back to her client's place to get the final paperwork signed and several other 'more lucrative' offers came in in the meantime. She gave us the opportunity to up ours, but we said 'heck no.. you crazy evil agent'.

Then, two weeks later she called groveling asking if we still wanted it since everyone else had defaulted. We thought and prayed and felt like this was the place, so we resubmitted our offer, we opened escrow last week and I think it may actually happen this time. Our closing date is sometime in the 1st 10 days of August and we're hoping to be in by the 15th. Crazy..

It's a custom home on a 2.2 acre lot.. swimming pool.. nice big bedrooms.. it's in need of updating (built in the 80's and it shows), but we can do that in pieces through the next few years. It does have a wall or two that could do with being removed and a lovely wetbar in the family that needs to go... again.. one step at a time. However, all in all, it's a beautiful well-built home on some good land so Chad can one day live his dream of having a 40 x 60 shop in the backyard.

Anywho.. here are the pics from the listing.. I haven't had a chance to take any of my own yet:



So.. if anyone is need of a good house to rent in the Lancaster area.. I know of one.. and if anyone is dying to participate in an exciting move.. we'll be happy to accommodate ;-)

Girl's Camp

I survived!! :-)

After what seemed like an eternal preparation period, Girl's Camp flew by and is now a thing of the past.

It was an amazing trip that went WAY better than I could have even expected. The girls were awesome -- there was absolutely NO drama. I know, I know, hard to believe with 30 teenage girls, but I'm telling you we pretty much had zero issues. There was no drama with the leaders either, which is almost as miraculous.

It was ward camp, which means that, as Ward Camp Leader, my noble assistant and I planned and executed the entire thing. A LOT of work -- let me tell you.. just ask Chad. It seemed like weekend after weekend that we were doing something for camp. In spite of the work, I loved having just our ward together -- especially with all the leaders.

The food was amazing, the crafts were well received and well executed, the scenery was second to none (we were on a bluff overlooking the beach!!), the weather was cool in the mornings and sunny in the afternoon, which was perfect, the spirit was strong and the girl's really seemed to bond with the leaders as well as each other.

I have loved Girl's Camp my whole life -- both as a girl and as a leader. This year was definitely no exception.

It was a special week spent with some awesome people. Who could ask for more?

San Diego

The weekend before Girl's Camp, I hopped on a train from the AV down to San Diego to join Chad who had been down in San Diego all week at a convention.

We had a very eventful Friday.. starting with visiting the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Midway which has been docked in the harbor and turned into a floating museum. It was REALLY cool being able to explore the entire ship, climb down all the crazy ladders and experience what life on a boat that size must have been like. Definitely not anything I'm signing up for anytime in the near future.. that's for sure...

The deck is even loaded with planes and helicopters you can explore inside and out and there's a 360 degree flight simulator that Chad took advantage of (I was pretty sure that about the time I flipped upside down I would have lost my lunch)..

After the ship, we wandered around Seaport Village, where we borrowed a kite from the kite guy and had some fun although the wind wasn't terribly cooperative.

We then decided to head over to the Del Mar Fair, where we ate too much, spent way too much money and had an overall lovely time.

The next day.. well.. we ended up sleeping in, packing up and heading back up North. We did get to stop in Anaheim on the way and visit with Meesa, Trevor, Carter and Avry for a bit. We all went to Downtown Disney and had a lot of fun 'window' shopping and hanging out. It's always fun to see them!! :-)

It was then on to home for the final Girl's Camp prep.. I must have been crazy to take off the weekend before camp.. but I'm glad I went down.. it was definitely a needed break from the everyday craziness that has become life..

Facelift

So.. I was looking at my blog today and decided it needed a little summery facelift.

However, now that I'm all done, I'm thinking it might be just a bit too.. well.. festive? Pink isn't really my color.. hmm.. I dunno.. So.. we'll see how long it lasts..

In the meantime, I'm hoping to get caught up on blogging this week.. so.. stay tuned..

:-)