and here come the photos...

i pretty sure we could not get any cheesier!! but it was funny at the time...
see...there were some really sharp curves and steep grades

The view from the top of the hike in Flagstaff....


And here is the difference a 40 minute drive makes...here are some photos from Sedona, cathedral rock... also very steep, the majority of the area is sliderock, so at the end of the day our pants and hands had red marks all over them!

a hikin' we will go

this week we had 8 days off ( two left still)...so we did a little laz-ing around and some cleaning...but then we went hiking. The first time we went was in Flagstaff- it was pretty much a 500 foot uphill hike until we go to the mesa. From there, there was a great view of the mountains and if it wasn't getting dark we could go all the way to the observatory, but since we got a late start, we headed back down when the sun was getting ready to go down. It was a pretty vacant trail, with only a few other hikers and some folks on bikes (those folks have BALLS!!! it was icy and very steep on the way down.) Our little hiking book said that in the evening there are usually elk roaming around there, but we wanted to get back before that-mostly because we were starving... so we headed out and to dinner at the beaver street brewery... There we met a couple from England who was in town for only a few weeks. And i felt like an arse, because i could not understand what the heck this guy was trying to say to me... i had to have him repeat it like 3 times before i got it ( i felt like Barb with the "beggies" in tucson.)
he was asking me if it was a compliment in the states to get carded for drinks, but all i heard was "is a compliment to get ars for it" and i was like "WHAT???!!!" and just kept smiling... oh well, i don't think he was too offended....

Our next hike was today in Sedona ( mom i added some photos so you could see what sedona red was :) it was sooo cool..although i did not go to the top of cathedral rock-only because i knew that i would then have to come down, but i went up pretty high for being afraid of heights...it was so amazing..the whole area that we were in smelled like juniper ( there were juniper berries and bushes everywhere.) the place that we hiked is located on a vortex On a vortex site, it is said that the earth's unseen lines of power intersect to form an energy field. It was pretty apparent where we were...kinda like walking into the salt lamp shop in tucson, it was very warm and there was notably a lot of energy there... like when you give someone a hug that you haven't seen in awhile, the energy that get from them is kinda like what it felt like standing there..i guess you'll just have to come and visit us to get the whole effect.
i didn't know this, but i just learned that sedona was named after a chick, which made it that much cooler!!! The city got its modern name from a woman pioneer, Sedona Schnebly, who settled there at the end of the 19th century.

so we walked around the city after our hike, there are a lot of tourist-y places like at tombstone, but it was fun to go into them. There were also a ton of new age stores and spas around town...we went into a lot of the shops, but they all had the same kinda goods in them.. we didn't get to go to any spas ( BOOO!!) not enough time or $$, but i think it would've been really cool to go on a retreat in the red rocks, it was a very peaceful place to meditate and just be.
Well, we are off tomorrow and Weds.. i think that we are planning on checking out the Lowell Observatory at night on Weds. to see Saturn. Hopefully it is not too cloudy!
i'll keep you posted!

RATS!!! i tried to post some photos, but something is wrong..so i will try again tomorrow!!

our new job!

What a difference the mountains make! This week was our first week on the floor at the Flagstaff Medical Center, and it could not have been nicer! Everyone was so kind, and friendly ( exact opposite of St. Mary's in Tucson.) I can already tell that it is going to be difficult to leave here...Aside from the views and the hiking ( we haven't started yet, but this is the first in 8 days off, so watch for more posts) the hospital is run efficiently and everyone gets along so well...it reminds me of when i first started at detroit receiving, when everyone loved, well at least liked their job and was nice and fun and there was great camaraderie!!!! EVERYONE here is health conscience, they walk, bike cross-country ski to work _ NO MATTER THE WEATHER!! It is so inspiring. It is also the holistic capital of the world, well maybe not, but the American Holistic Health Association is locating in Flagstaff!!! i love it!! did i mention that!! although it is no place to be if you are not in the medical field, teaching at a university, or going to school here, because there are not really jobs available and the housing is expensive-but otherwise :) it is so great! Hopefully i keep this opinion, but i am pretty sure that i will! More to come...

working 9-5

Wow! i have so much respect for all you 9-5 ers!!! Tony and i have been in orientation this week...every day from either 8-4 or 9-5 and at the end of the day i am pooped!!! i mean, i still make time for the gym and to make a good dinner, but that is my whole day...for the longest time i was a wee jealous that i had to work on holidays and weekends and other people didn't have to..but after this week.. i love working only three days a week and the rest are all mine!
today we bought a book by a local author called " favorite hikes in flagstaff and sedona" so as soon as a little more snow melts prepare for some great pictures!

i was 5 and he was 6, we played on horses made of sticks bang, bang

so i was thinking about how i never used to have my hair the same way for more than 6 months, and this long hair for over two years was driving me crazy.. i know that i want it long for the wedding, but i really needed a change...so i cut some bangs! i love it, kinda a mix of betty page, rosie the riveter and lucille ball!

tucson-flagstaff comparison

Whoopsy, i forgot we were going to post pictures from one city to the next-
These pictures were taken on the day we moved and then the next day in flagstaff... that's a mountain state for you..only 6 hours from the desert!

moving right along...

Monday around noon came the caravan...eric, maria, and mike arrived safely...just in time to see a bit of tucson and help us move to flagstaff...we sent them out to see the sites while we packed up everything we own..i hope that that gets easier as time goes by, because it seems like things mulitply in our house...we didn't buy anything that would affect the space in the car, but somehow it was tighter than ever in there...
so weds, we headed out to flagstaff ( first we made sure that the kids went to the caves.) Wouldn't you know it...three months and it rained there 2 times, as we were leaving with our bikes in tow, it started pouring!!! so about 5 hours later we got to our hotel. It wasn't as bad as it could've been for what we paid...but let's just say i wouldn't recommend the Innsuites to anyone that likes clean sheets and blankets-GROSS!!!
We had dinner at the Beaver Street Brewery, which had great food and micro brews ( i'm not a beer person, but they weren't bad, and the bloody mary's were awesome!!)
We went to bed pretty early and woke up to a very chilly morning...I guess here is where i apologize to adriana for always being cold when she comes home to michigan-because it was hard to adjust to the cold!!
we moved into our place on thurday afternoon. third floor + a car full of our lives = one hell of a workout. My calves still hurt from running up and down!! Giant thanks to eric, mike and maria for giving us a hand...it would've really sucked without them here...
so we sent them off to see the grand canyon and we unpacked most of our goods, we did a little grocery shopping, then back home for pizza.
good thing we unpacked when we did, because it started snowing as they headed out to the canyon and has not stopped yet...i don't mind it, i guess i missed winter a little- the hot cocoa and snuggling and reading books ( because you can't rollerblade). But our place has a great gym-we checked it out today, so i am ok without the sunshine for a bit...and we live right at the edge of coconino nataional park, so we will be able to ride our bikes around the lakes there as soon as the snow stops!!! Here is a picture from route 66 which is the center of downtown Flagstaff...it is such a cute city, it seems like a mix of a small ski resort town ( lots of skiers and grand canyon visitors here), ann arbor ( it is a college town too) and a small town in germany ( there are cute little shops in small storefront). We don't start work until monday, but i love it already!!

Not yet 30

Yesterday was my 29th birthday!! it started out great...tony woke up and went to the store-i kept sleeping...he make me birthday cupcakes and brought me breakfast ( of m&m's) in bed! we were going to go to the roller derby, but i looked at the wrong date, and there was not one yesterday. So then, we decided that we would register at the World Market for our wedding( because there is not one in Flagstaff). When we got to the store, they informed us that they do not do wedding registry!!! WTF!! how dumb is that...so i was starting to get a little sad...so far my birthday was not the best...usually by now, i have gone out three times to celebrate with different people and would have been having a giant family dinner at home -if i was at home, obviously!.. We walked over to Best buy and tony bought a few cds for me that i wanted...then we went to dinner at this cute little fondue place! it was super fun...much more relaxed than birthdays before...but don't think for a second that i will end it like that!!! eric, maria and mike just got here...i ran to the gym, and now we are off to hang in the city before i have to move in two days!!! so tonight, we will finish the celebration!!!

Can't W8 2 SK8

This weekend was a very exciting one... Tony and i got out of work on 3am and picked adriana and volt ( a ref from the derby dolls who is so kind and fun to chat with) from the grill, we stayed up late and had some drinks and chatted!
then friday afternoon, lola pop and betty rebel got in just in time to take volt to the roller derby, while adriana, tony, and i went hiking in the saguaro desert...we went up to the top of some of the short mountains...
we dropped AY off at the derby later on that evening and i went to the gym. we were supposed to pick her up and go to the bar, but we were all pretty tired from the night before, so we came home had some thai and made a fire... we had ice cream and watched shitty tv and caught up!!!

Then saturday we headed to the derby and tony and i fell in love with it!!! it was so exciting, i have never been so into a sport that my lungs hurt from screaming and jumping around!!! i absolutely LOVED IT!!! so i was going to leave and go to the gym, but instead i kept cheering the teams on.
After the bouts, we went to the surly wench...a bar that i wish i could bring home to michigan.. it seemed like a mix of my favorite coffee places from the 1990's and the tipparary with the music selection of st. andrew's and city club before it went to pot!!! we had a lot of drinks there, and then walked over to the grill, but they had a plumbing problem so we took some photo booth pix and then went to dinner at a crappy diner-BOO!!!

Then sunday was the last day of the tournament!!! it was so amazing, the whole time i was thinking " i coud TOTALLY do that" and i could not wait to put on my rollerblades and skate ( and now i can't wait to get my quads so i can practice on them!!!) It was amazing...
then we came home and made dinner-ate fat ( thanks to tara's avocado salad and artichoke/aparagus pasta-yummy.) We popped in the muppets take manahattan, and while tony fell asleep on the couch ay and i had some chat time...
we got totally sucked into my new favorite classic movie "merrily we live" which starred billie burke - also known as Glinda the good witch!! just as the movie was getting good, we got a call to pick volt up from the afterparty...but that's cool, i am going to buy the movie for my birthday gift to myself!!!
Ay soon fell asleep ( sitting up -nothing new) and volt and i talked long into the morning about all sorts of random stuff ( so fun though)...
Monday came too quickly, i had to take the kids to the airport-BOOOO
but i knew that soon enough the next group of folks would be on the way....
enter Furious J ( not to be confused with Furious Georgette) he and Karen were here hanging out on spring break at his family's house...so last night we went back out to the surly wench and had some drinks, they ended up staying over ( no one wanted to, or could've driven them home).

tonight we just got home from hanging out with one of the few people that we will miss at this hospital...Tom and his wife, he is so nice and had made the experience of this hospital a million times better...he was one of the only people that was nice to us from day one ( THANKS SO MUCH).

and in three short days we will be done here!!! YAY!
and in four short days, i will be 29-
this is going to be the first birthday that i will not have a million different plans to incorporate everyone into..it is so depressing, but i know that eric, maria, and mike will be here the day after and Tony has a busy day planned for the big day...
he is going to make me cupcakes, and we are planning on going to the roller derby at night and perhaps register at one of the stores that is not in flagstaff( so we have to do it here)!!! YAY!!
i'll keep you all posted on how my birthday goes!!!