Vacation Recap

Home (not so) sweet home.  As I look out my window there is nothing but gray clouds.  After a week of pure sunshine, the present scenery is a nagging reminder of why I often dislike Michigan so much. Granted, yesterday was a beautiful day here - but then today we are back to crap. 

The desert was hot, reaching 114, but at least it was consistent.  Every day I woke up at 5:30 a.m. (unfortunately, I couldn’t shake Michigan time) and the sun was shining with not a cloud to be seen. Most mornings I sat on the patio with my book.  The second I opened the door the aroma from the chocolate flowers that were poolside surrounded me.  I was usually able to get in a couple of chapters before a sleepy eyed Porkchop or Hambone wandered over. (On a side note, I was able to start and finish an entire book while on vacation! I forgot how much I love to read!) And then the heat would quickly turn on. It was almost like an on/off switch. But it’s a dry heat right? Ha – hot is still hot! I do believe the dry heat makes a difference though because we were able to walk around the zoo one day (which is only open from 7 am to 2 pm in the summer because of the heat!) without dripping with sweat.  But because I was not used to the heat, it did kick my ass and I was ready to leave after 2 hours. 

We ate a lot of good food and did a lot of fun things - watched the Diamondbacks lose to the White Sox from a suite (thanks to my brother-in-law).   The Phoenix zoo was a much different experience than the Detroit zoo.  There was even a little trail that led us on a nature hike.  The boys enjoyed visiting a train park that let them ride a 1/5^th scale train around the park and enjoy a carousal ride where Porkchop had the comment of the week:  “Mommy/Daddy I think I’m going to pick the horsey” (they are all horses).  Me: “Ok, which one do you want to go on?” Porkchop: “That horsey over there next to the other horsey”.  He says the cutest things when he’s not doing things like poking his brother in the chest with sharp pencils.    

We probably could have saved some dinero by just staying at Zia and Uncle John’s house the entire time though. The boys loved the pool so much that I’m surprised they didn’t ask if they could just sleep on a raft at night. My little Porkchop turned into a little fish after he discovered that he loved to be under water.  He holds his breath and kicks his feet underwater as he lightly holds on to our hands.  Hambone is much more cautious of the water.  If he was out of his inner tube, he usually had the death grip on whoever was holding him.  The inner tube became somewhat of a super hero’s cape to him and with it he would run and jump as far as he could into the pool!

On the last day, Assman was ready to go home (much like all our vacations, he does tend to miss home.  I’m the total opposite – I never want to go home!)  But when we walked into our house I asked him “Does this feel like home?” to which he said “No”.  I’m pretty sure it’s just because he doesn’t like the house we are renting or maybe he just doesn’t like renting - regardless, we obviously have not found “home” yet.

So would I move to Arizona? I would definitely consider it.  My first love is California.  But the desert is definitely a different kind of beautiful.  Every where we drove we had an amazing view of the beautiful mountains, which I was constantly in awe of.  And of course there were cacti everywhere!

I must admit, yesterday while driving around the outskirts of the “D” I realized that I did miss all the green landscaping. In Arizona all the houses looked the same…adobe, different shades of taupe, with an occasional forest green or chocolate color mixed in, with terracotta rooftops and rocks instead of grass. I love the southwestern look of the houses, but they were all starting to blend. However I’m sure that I would much rather have that and 60 degrees in the dead of the winter instead of freezing cold, cloudy, gray Michigan.

Until next time, I hope everyone is able to take some kind of a vacation this summer and live, laugh, love! xo

Friday’s Five

1. Assman and I made a MAJOR decision and I set it into place yesterday.  It will have a HUGE impact on our family (for the better!)(I hope!). More details to follow at a later date.
2. Hambone graduated from Kindergarten yesterday! Wasn’t it just yesterday that my water broke in the middle of the night? Time is just flying by! We are so proud of him!
3. We are leaving for vacation tomorrow! It will be the boy’s first trip out of the State and on an airplane! Hambone and my MIL are a little nervous about flying - but Porkchop is super excited! Speaking of airlines…Assman had a funny conversation with Southwest the other day that went something like this:

ASSMAN TO AGENT: So I will be traveling with my wife, our 4 year old, 5 year old and my (not going to out my awesome MIL) year old Mother.

AGENT: chuckling…hee hee hee (that was her way of saying good luck with that!)

ASSMAN: ok…well it’s been a long time since I’ve flown Southwest. Do you still have those crazy seats that face each other?

AGENT: HA HA HA HA – No, we haven’t had those for years.

4. Speaking of funny conversations…yesterday when I picked up Porkchop from preschool I noticed one of his classmates and her daddy standing on the sidewalk looking at something. As I walked closer I saw something very small moving across the sidewalk.  As I get even closer, I hear the little girl yelling “Don’t die it Daddy! Don’t die it!! Apparently it was a baby mouse that she didn’t want her Daddy to kill.
5. My garden is growing – my garden is growing! Awhile back I blogged that I would like to have a successful garden one day.  While this year’s container garden is not exactly what I was envisioning, it is a garden nonetheless and I actually saw two green grape tomatoes – on my way to a success!!  I’m taking baby steps to my dream garden.  Next year I will hopefully be able to plant my veggies into the ground!

 

*side note: the bench the birdhouse is on was a curbside pick!

Until next time, wish me luck on the plane ride with my two lovable monsters and live, laugh, love xo

Harley Davidsons

This morning I was behind a group of Harleys.  I love Harleys.  They always make me smile.  To me, there is just something bad ass about them.  It could be the chrome, or the loud rumblings, or it could just be the image of some (emphasis on SOME!) of the guys that drive them.  I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I have always loved them.  So much so that I took motorcycle safety so I could one day ride my own.  I received my license - rode one once and then I got pregnant and now I’ve become a chicken shit.  But, I still love them and one day when my adorable monsters are full grown and can take care of themselves, maybe I will stop worrying and I will get my own.  Who am I kidding? I’m a mom - I will never stop worrying about them. 

As I was carefully driving behind them and admiring the chrome and loud rumblings, I saw a crotch rocket zip around and zoom right past the group of Harleys and I thought to my self – what a douche bag (which by the way, we apparently say out loud too much in the car, because now Porkchop refers to bad drivers as douche-bags!) Then I thought I must be getting old.  While my first love is for Harleys – there was a time back when I went to 12 Mile High – that I did not hesitate to get on the back of a crotch rocket, with some young dude that I had only known for a few weeks and whom undoubtedly had hardly any experience on a bike – and go zooming and zipping around.  How stupid that was that?

I take that back, I’m not old – just more mature and responsible.  Maybe not more mature.  We will just go with more responsible.  I guess that’s what happens when you grow up and have babies!

Anyway, one day, hopefully, I will get my very own Harley. It will be super loud and shiny and I will look bad ass on it as I cruise (not race) around with my gang.  Or, it will sit in my red barn, with the green roof, with my popcorn truck, and my chevelle, and my lil’ red truck with the smoke stackers and my jeep wagoneer…….

Until next time…watch out for ALL the bikers out there and live, laugh, love xoxo

R.I.P. Dr. Jack

Dr. Jack Kevorkian passed away this morning at the age of 83.   He was a very controversial man, but I have nothing but admiration for him (and not just because he is a fellow Armenian).  He is a man who stood true to his beliefs even though they took him to prison.

He was known as Dr. Death, but I think Dr. Life is more fitting.  Now, I’m not an overly religious person, but I do believe there is a God and I do believe there is an after life in heaven.  I do believe that Dr. Jack helped terminally ill people - people who were suffering so badly in this life - find their way to a better life where they were able to live without the hurt and pain.   

I know of a woman who is brain dead.  She lies in her nursing home bed with tubes down her mouth, staring at the ceiling.  She can not talk, she can not move, she can not enjoy her family that comes to visit her.  Her family can not enjoy her smile or her hugs.  What is the point of that kind of life? Dr. Jack would have helped her find life in heaven where at least she could watch over her family every day and smile down on them. 

I know for a fact I have angels watching down on me and protecting me.  Every time I attempt a new Armenian dish, I know my Grandma and Nana are watching over me and helping me.  Every time I go antiquing I know my Grandma Schoeny is right there helping me find some more “stuff”.  Every time I encounter a close call while I’m driving, I know all of my angels are up there protecting me.  I feel my angels around me all the time and I would much rather feel them that way than to have to visit them in a nursing home and see them suffering.

Dr. Jack helped at least 130 people before he was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison for second-degree murder.  He served eight of those years.  That to me is a complete injustice.

May you rest in peace Dr. Murad “Jack” Kevorkian.

Until next time, enjoy your angels and live, laugh, love xoxo

Bad Pick

After watering my veggie containers and cleaning the bird bath last week, I attempted to wind up the hose into a neat pile.  I could have left it lying across the driveway, but I knew the kids, especially pork-chop would have tripped over it.  And then he would have skinned his knee.  And if he sees the blood from a skinned knee you would think that his entire leg was just chopped off.  So I wound it up and in the process got myself all dirty.

I’m not the least bit prissy - I don’t mind getting dirty.  I loved playing in dirt as a kid and I still love playing in it.  Back in the day I used to ride my 4-wheeler through the biggest mud puddles I could find.  However, at this particular moment I wasn’t dressed for the dirt and I was annoyed that it was getting all over me.  I wished I had one of those cheaply made plastic hose boxes with a reel.   

Someone was listening to me, because the next day I spotted one curbside.  I noticed that the handle on the reel was broken, but I figured Assman could rig something up and make it work.  So I picked it and was proud that I just saved myself $25.  That night I discovered online that I could buy the broken part for about $10 – this reduces my savings, but it’s still better than paying full price! But, even better, the next day while driving around, I found the same box with the reel handle – badabing -jackpot! Assman went back, took the reel off that one put it on mine and I’m back to my original savings of $25!!! It’s the little things that excite me.

Yesterday, I decided I don’t like the box. I’m not sure if we have it hooked up wrong, but the hose gets all tangled and I can’t pull it out. It took me and pork-chop about 15 minutes to get just enough out to reach the veggies.  No wonder it was at the curb.  It will be at my curb this weekend – I’d much rather get dirty.

Until next time, wish for better things than hose boxes and live, laugh, love xoxo