A Tale of Two Sunset Hikes

My goodness! I feel like these happened ages ago. I have really enjoyed blogging, but as I have mentioned in other posts, the volume of reading and writing I am doing for my classes has really made this project drop in priority. I am slowly trying to find ways to incorporate it more consistently into the rhythm of my live and catch up on all the ideas and adventures I want to write about.

Cathedral Rock http://wildsedona.com/trails/cathedral.htm

The first of these hikes occurred on the weekend before classes started… so here I am eight weeks later finally making the time to write about it. Sadly, some of my initial thoughts and reactions are not nearly as present in my mind anymore. Anyways, the purpose of this hike was one last hurrah for the end of our summer fun and the looming start of our first semester of graduate classes the next day. We also wanted the opportunity to hang out together before the craziness of our lives set in. Naively, I thought at the time, of course we will still hang out all the time. Although we do still see each other a lot through either work or classes, the socializing has dropped off quite a bit as we each get a handle on our new lives and the demands of it.

We headed to Sedona to enjoy the hike and sunset at Cathedral Rock. The usual suspects came along: R, J, and A. The description of this hike is short and steep. I guess it depends on your interpretation of short… but I definitely agree with the steep part! This definitely challenged my confidence in my agility as well as my fear of heights. As I climbed upward, sometimes almost vertically, I found myself thinking what the h**l am I thinking? This would be followed by the realization that I would have to climb DOWN this same path. Because most of it is not a trail and more of a climb up solid rock, they have build cairns of rocks to keep you headed in the right direction and on what I assume they are suggesting is the easiest path to take. Look in the pictures for an example.

As we climbed higher, the view got more and more amazing. We finally reached the top which was the saddle between the one farthest on the left and the next one. We rested and enjoyed the view for a while. It was then decided to climb a little further to a different saddle. Again, a few minor freak outs and cussing along the way, but arriving at the top is so worth it! After hanging out there for a while, we headed back down to truly enjoy the sunset. As soon as the sun hit the horizon, we started scrambling down. I certainly did not want to be negotiating my way down in the super dark! Every so often, I would still want to stop and enjoy the view and the changing colors of the sky. Luckily, the climb down was not quite as scary as I thought. I just stayed low to the ground and took my time! It was a lovely way to spend our last evening together before our semester started.

Wupatki National Monument http://www.nps.gov/wupa/

We had so much fun on our previous week’s sunset hike that we decided to do another one (and we kinda got a late start in the day!) This time it was me, R, and A. Our goal was to get to the main monument, but we didn’t quite make it. This was the first time I had been in this direction, and yet again, I was in a for a surprise with regards to the terrain and vegetation. It is so crazy how quickly it changes and the diversity you discover in every direction. I just had no idea how rich in natural surroundings that Arizona can be. Every experience has shown me something new.

Our first stop was the Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos. These were old Native American ruins that had been preserved. The path for the Citadel travels around the elevated ruins and when you come around the bend you discover there is a huge crater. The amount of work put into these brick pueblos, as well as their lasting power, is impressive. After checking this one out for a while, we kept moving as our original plan was to check out the primary ruins. Our last stop ended up being the Doney Mountain. We hiked to the top of this little “mountain,” and were rewarded with an amazing 360 degree panoramic view. We could see for miles in all directions. We could see the San Francisco Peaks in one direction and in another the Painted Desert. I was super excited for my first glimpse of the Painted Desert. We sat back and enjoyed the changing colors of the sky as the sun set. It was so different in every direction. It was also very peaceful and relaxing. This hike was not nearly precarious so we did not feel rushed to leave as soon as the sun hit the horizon. The other really enjoyable part about this hike was the amount of flower and plant life I observed. It was the greatest variety I had seen so far, and I saw new vegetation that I had never seen before. A lot of my little camera phone pictures didn’t capture it well, but there are some in the pictures.

Picture Links

Cathedral: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2212290&id=18808643&l=cb9b12df58

Wupatki: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2216530&id=18808643&l=cdc88f8ec2

My Public Narrative

Our first writing assignment for my program was to write a public narrative. Below you will find mine. This one goes out to my mother for the inspiration she has provided me even when I didn't realize it. I spend a great deal of my time these days reading, writing, and thinking. Although this was the first thing I wrote, it continues to shape what I am thinking about and points me in an unexpected direction. These themes continue to find their way into my writing and thoughts in all of my classes. And here I thought I would be all about campus sustainability! Don't get me wrong, that focus is still near and dear to my heart, and I am already thinking about ways to pull these themes into the setting of a college campus and college students. I just returned from a conference, AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), and it also reminded me of why I started this program and why I have the interests I do. It is exciting, though, to find my mind and my inspiration wandering in other directions and finding other personal connections. I think I even have the inkling and shaping of what my thesis might be. This is really great as I came here scared to death about finding an idea on which I could write a 60 plus page research paper. I hope you enjoy my public narrative and I would love to know what your reaction to it is. It would help me know whether or not I accomplished the goal of the assignment.

I am content and happy in way that I have not been in a long time. In fact, it would be challenging for me to recall the last time I felt this relaxed and happy in my adulthood prior to now. I believe I have found my way, my peace, and my inspiration by coming to Flagstaff. I distinctly remembering being dissatisfied with my life throughout most of my childhood because I was a “country girl,” and I desperately wanted to be a “city girl.” I wanted cable to watch MTV and suburbia to have a posse of neighborhood friends. Well, I have been a city girl for the last fifteen years or so of my adult life, and although I have many joyous memories of adventures and experiences from around the world, I do not know that I was ever completely satisfied or at peace. As I reflect on the recent changes and choices made in my life, it suddenly occurred to me, that in a way, I have come full circle and made the unconscious decision to embrace my roots and upbringing. With that, I have a new respect and value for my childhood experiences and their influence on who I have become.

I grew up with a “hippy” mom in the seventies who was very gung ho to live the natural life and live off the land. At thirty-six, I completely appreciate what she was doing, but between five and eighteen, I just thought it was weird. I wanted “normal.” I wanted Heinz ketchup, Welch’s jelly, Oscar Mayer bologna, Rainbo white bread, and sugary cereals, not homemade bread and canned goods, fresh vegetables from the garden, and eggs from our chickens. I certainly did not want to be the victim of her vegetarian experiments like nut loaf and millet burgers. Well, I still don’t want those, but as I become older I realize how much of her values and lifestyle has snuck into my own! I am forever on the quest for fresh fruits and vegetables that taste like something. I love it when my husband makes bread, and although I have no desire to take care of farm animals to meet my dairy and egg needs, it would be nice to not be stressing about whether or not they are “happy animals” or the amount of money I am spending to have some of that peace of mind.

I have also rediscovered my passion for nature. I am and always will be an avid animal lover, but I have renewed my love for the scenery around me and being outdoors. We have been biking almost every day and hiking every weekend since moving to Flagstaff. Because I lived in the country as a child, these were part of my daily existence then. If I wanted to visit a friend, I had to hop on my bike and ride two to six miles away to go play. Every summer, I would spend most of my days playing in the forest behind our house. For the last fifteen years, I have lived in cities where parks were the green space and the “wilderness” was a car drive away. I now have the choice to walk and bike just about everywhere again, and I love it. I am re-experiencing that child-like wonder of the natural world around me.

Obviously, I came to Flagstaff for the Sustainable Communities program wanting to be better trained and educated to make a difference in the world around me, but now I have an even greater sense of urgency with the renewed realization of how much could be at jeopardy if we continue down the path we are on as a society. It seems so much of it is about consumerism and how we use it as way to make ourselves feel better and our association with needing stuff to be happy. I am guilty of that although I am working on it! I love my stuff, and I enjoy shopping. However, I feel myself slowly pulling away from buying for the sake of buying and challenging myself with the questions of “do I need this?” and “do I need to replace what I already have?” My response to myself is still mixed, but having less disposable income than I have had in a really long time is definitely helping me be more honest in my answers. The most important piece of this is that I have realized, as I said earlier, that I am happier than I have been in years! I am also more active than I have been in years. I am going outside and playing instead of sitting inside watching TV or going shopping. I suspect there is a correlation between my moods and how I am choosing to spend my time.

It is time for all of us to rediscover what playing is all about and how enjoying the world around us can bring a sense of joy and wonder in a way an IPod or new pair of shoes cannot. Perhaps my idyllic country childhood is unique to a small group that continues to dwindle, but I believe that all of us have had a moment in our lives where we have felt a sense of awe and pleasure based on an experience or encounter with a piece of the natural world. This could have been a trip to the zoo, a family camping trip, a visit to a natural history museum, playing in the park down the street, or even a science lab at school. We all should pause, remember, and reflect. What are our memories of that feeling? Why did it bring us pleasure and awe? Most importantly, how can we discover ways today to find that feeling again and embrace it daily? How can we introduce this to our children so that our future generations value the natural beauty of our Earth and want to protect and enjoy it?

This is my fear and this is why I call to you to remember how to play outside and teach it to your children. We are losing this value bit by bit and day by day. Our children are not in the habit of going outside and playing any more and neither are we. The siren call of the television and video games or driving to the mall to shop drowns out the wind in the trees for many of us. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), childhood obesity has tripled in the last thirty years, and in 2009, 26.7% of adults were considered obese. Serious health risks are linked to obesity, including an increased risk in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise is on top of the list of how to combat obesity. I think we could count play as exercise, don’t you?

We face challenges, though; in fact sometimes we are dealing with actual rules and laws that discourage play. Richard Louv (2005) writes about what he has labeled “nature-deficit disorder,” and the increasing number of children who are experiencing this problem. He describes it as “the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of sense, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses” (p. 34). Is this where we have arrived? Are we truly at the point where someone has to write a book about how losing touch with the natural world around them is having a negative impact on the health of our children? The increasing regulations in our neighborhoods in the form of homeowner’s association regulations and zoning codes are also prohibiting playing. From prohibiting basketball hoops in the driveway to requiring tree houses without building permits to be torn down, we are stealing the potential of spontaneity and creativity. We are discouraging play and we need to stop this momentum.

Flagstaff is not the true turning point in my personal shift in priorities, but it is definitely shaping my path and clarifying it further for me. Flagstaff and my surroundings have brought out parts of me that I did not know existed or that I have not recognized in a long while. I have newfound peace and acceptance for who I am and where life’s journey may be taking me. It has heightened my awareness and is continuing to shift my values. I do see hope and possibility that encourages me to continue promoting the value of green space and play. A recent trip to Manhattan, which is one of the most urban places on earth, celebrates its green spaces, and so do the residents. Everywhere you turn in Central Park, there are people of all ages playing and enjoying the outdoors. There are smaller parks around the city that are well used, as well as neighborhood playgrounds everywhere with children running around and laughing. In another part of the city, a group of citizens took an abandoned elevated railway track and have turned it into the Highline Park, an urban oasis of greenery and comfortable benches for sitting and watching the world go by. It was filled with people walking, talking and picnicking while we were visiting. Despite the dominance of steel and concrete, it is clear that this is a city that wants to preserve its bits of green for the residents so they have a quick escape from their daily urban confines and a place to play. Even around me at NAU, I see many taking advantage of the campus green spaces. Students are outdoors talking, studying, throwing Frisbees, and not inside playing videogames. People do want to play and be outdoors, we just need to remind them that they can and should be choosing to spend their time in different ways than they currently are doing.

My Self Change Project: Using a Car Less

Well, I guess my previous post was a prediction of me falling momentarily off the blog bandwagon. But now I am back and going to try and commit myself to one or two posts a week. Surely I can handle that right? I do have lots of fun ones started and floating around in my head. It is just hard to make time in between reading, writing, working and the occasional bit of housework and some fun, too! So stay tuned for more hiking adventures and our trip to New York City.

In the mean time, I am going to get a bit nerdy on you. I am a grad student after all. For my Conservation Psychology class, one of our assignments is a Self Change Project. After much deliberation and stress, I decided to undertake a pretty strict reduction in the use of personal cars as a means of transportation. I supposed I should also change that “I” to a “we.” Clearly, this decision affects R as well. Luckily, he is supportive and a good sport.

The basic gist is that for any in-town trips, we are not to use a car unless we are transporting something heavy or some other legitimate reason that would necessitate it. We are working on eliminating any trips that we would tend to make out of convenience or laziness. You should also note my use of “a car.” Although primarily focused on reducing the use of our car, we did not allow ourselves the loop hole of just always jumping in someone else’s car out of convenience. To further discourage our use of the car, we gave up our campus parking permit (for a refund of $375, thank you very much!) and moved the car to the parking lot of Robert’s studio which is about a mile away from our apartment. Probably ninety percent of the places we go would be within that mile radius anyways, so it would make no sense to go get the car. You may ask why we are not giving it up completely? Well, we wanted to allow us the opportunity to continue the weekend trips we have been taking to hike and explore the region. Perhaps a little selfish, but it is still going to be a change for us and a greater change in car use than most people would take. Research shows that making a public statement of intent leads to better follow through and commitment to making the change. So, I said I would write about the project on my blog. So here ya go! If you really want to know more about what I am doing and why let me know. I was going to attach my paper, but I can't figure out how! However, I am happy to send it to you if you ask.

I will leave you with a few questions to ask yourself:

Could you come up with one less car trip to make each week?

If you decided to change one behavior that has a negative impact on the environment, what would it be?

Harder Than I Thought

I have a few fun blogs in the pipeline that I need to work on and post, but I need to find the time first! In the meantime, I thought I would talk about my initial reactions to my first two weeks as a full-time student and a graduate assistant. Um, it was harder than I ever anticipated! For some reason, I think I was overly confident about how this would all flow and my ability to just jump in and be a rock star student. I mean, I have done this before, right? I was taking classes while working full-time at SMU. This was gonna be a cake walk! Let me just say that I do not know how my dear friend AMS does it.... She is in a grad program at SMU, a mom, pregnant, and working full-time, which for her always mean more than the obligatory 37.5 hours a week. I am humbled.

I typically think of time management and organization as my strong points, but they failed me as I kicked off the year. I felt frantic and unorganized and rushed. My schedule is not a routine yet. I chose to participate in activities like a cohort potluck, my birthday fun, and J's birthday fun that took away from time I really should have been reading and writing. And I have lots of work to do. More than I remember... My dear husband assures me that I was this busy the first time around in graduate school, but either I have forgotten or blocked it from my memory. I still insist that I was not reading 300 or more pages a week with weekly writing assignments in all classes and bigger projects already looming in the near future.

My grad position is hectic as I figure out how my schedule is going to work, how I will get my work done in only about 10 hours of office time (as I am bound and determined to not consistently go over my 20 hours a week - I do not get paid enough to commit full time work to this position!), and my new staff have lots of questions and needs which are often not things I can respond to quickly and easily as it is all new to me, too.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the apartment. Our kitchen is a wreck and the rest of it could use a little attention.

However, on the flip side, I am super excited about my classes. I love what I am studying and I feel like this was why I chose all this craziness. I am inspired and excited. I love being surrounded by people who have similar passions and interests. I get involved in fascinating conversations that make me feel very intelligent and wise (and sometimes not so much!). As I have spent time individually with each of my Community Mentors and started the process of getting to know them, I become more excited about my year of working with them. They have lots of passion, enthusiasm, and energy. I am blown away by the wisdom and maturity of some. I know I did not have my life and plans together like they do already. I have been able to continue using my student affairs counseling and practitioner skills with some of them to talk about life and their fears and ideas for the future.

This year is going to challenge me like no other has from a mental standpoint, but I think I am ready. Now, I really should get back to studying as I do want to get out and enjoy the day a bit as well.

Sometimes There is a Down Side to New Adventures

It is no secret that I love to travel. I could easily rattle off about 20 places I want to visit and could probably come up with another pretty long list of places I think I might like to live, too. But, it can be hard having that passion and drive to always keep moving around. Transiency can be fun, but it is also not all it is cracked up to be because you are always leaving great things and people behind. I think it is on my mind because yesterday was my birthday. Just about anyone could tell you that I am fairly indifferent when it comes to my birthday. I appreciate the love and attention that I receive, but I am rarely counting down the hours to my “special day.” Probably my fondest memories come from my 30^th birthday party where my friends quietly stole control of the planning from me and gave me an unforgettable bash. Of course, it is memories like these that perhaps are making me a bit blue and nostalgic today.

First, let me clarify, I had a lovely day yesterday. I got an awesome Camelback backpack and some funny socks from Robert. I was strongly encouraged to not study and to enjoy my day. I did this, however, I am regretting it a wee bit today as I have stacks of reading to finish before tomorrow. We had a fun afternoon together cooking my birthday dinner. I know that may not sound fun to everyone, but I picked out some of my favorite dishes to share with some Flagstaff friends, and R and I really enjoy cooking together. We have not done it a whole lot since moving here because our counter space is about 2 feet long, which is not conducive to two people working side by side unless you are very patient or careful! We made hummus and baba ganoush with pita chips and carrots for dipping. We made spinach pie (like one giant spanokapita, only easier) and grilled fennel couscous salad. At my request, Robert made me a banana cake with caramel frosting.

We shared this feast with A and J, who as you can tell are already frequent flyers in my life here, B that I work with and her little son L, and two new friends from my SUS program, C and T. It was exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday, so I was happy and content at the end of the day. I also received phone calls and texts from family and friends as well as a million facebook messages. I think it is the last bit that makes me a bit sad and lonely right now. In particular, I miss my family. Some might find that a little weird as I am not super tight with most of them. My most regular contact is about weekly phone calls with my mom, and talking with my siblings is sporadic at best. The thing is, that up until three years ago, I saw them about once every few months. Consider my travelling history, that is pretty good. Life has made it pretty fortunate and easy for me to make my way back to Madison and Louisville either through proximity, job perks, or my desire to keep my relationship alive with my significant other after moving to Dallas.

After R and I got married and he moved to Dallas, my trips home dropped off tremendously. Suddenly, with two of us, it meant driving instead of flying, and of course, he had been a part of my motivation to keep returning so regularly. Instead of being there every three or four months, it dropped to about twice a year. It is now September, and I have not been back since December and it looks likely that I won’t be back until this December. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing my family. The trip is no longer drivable (well, in a reasonable person’s world, anyways), and we are definitely poorer than we were before with me being a grad student and all!

The hardest part about leaving an old life behind and starting a new one is that the old life keeps trucking on without you. I know that is very elementary, but until you experience missing out on significant events like your baby sister’s high school graduation, friends’ weddings and birthday parties, and the birth of your niece, it doesn’t completely hit you. I had no idea how much I would hate not getting to be a full time aunty. How can you love someone so much you have never even met?!? Thank goodness for the electronic age and quick access to pictures, but it isn’t quite the same. I suppose, it is time to get off the “woe is me” bandwagon. I know I made the choices that brought me here, and I hope it is evident from all my other stories, that I am really happy here. Today, though, I just missed my old life with my circle of friends and my family back in Madtown and the Ville.

And So It Begins!

After a whirlwind 6 weeks, fall semester has arrived. Again, it felt weird to not be actually opening a hall, but I certainly didn’t mind too much. I got a lot more sleep than I usually do at this time of year and my stress level was almost none existent! I did help out with Opening Day. My job involved directing traffic for the new freshman arriving at our largest residence hall, which has over 800 students. The Residence Life department does not have centralized desks or check in so each student checks in at their specific residence hall. It was a warm afternoon, and I ended up with a sunburn on my legs, but it beat opening a building in the 100 degree August heat of Texas!

The next day, I FINALLY got to meet the students that I will be supervising and working with this year. We spent the whole day in training, so I really didn’t get much 1:1 interaction with them, just a series of first impressions. Overall, I am excited about the group. As with any group of individuals, I have a detected a few that may be a little more challenging to work with than others, but that’s how it always works, right? On Saturday, we had some team building with both mine and A’s staff at the NAU Challenge Course. We started off with the high ropes challenges, and I fully went into it planning to just be a spectator and cheer the others on as I have a pretty healthy fear of heights. I can’t even jump off the 3 meter diving board. All of sudden, A came up to me, and said that he thought we should try it. After a momentary pause, I said, okay, let’s do it! I don’t think he fully expected me to be so agreeable, and I saw a little glimmer of terror in his eyes as we went to stand in line.

So, then it was our turn. The object was that we each climbed up separate poles to a wire extended about 20 feet high in the air in between the poles. We were to inch towards each other holding onto a rope that would allow for support until we got to the middle. We then had to use each other and a second rope to start inching across an intersecting wire to get to the end. The trick is that the middle rope does not extend at all, so one of us has to be the support and hold onto the rope while stretching out as far as possible so that the other can inch across the wire to the end and then follow.

I was in pretty rough shape once I got about ten feet in the air. I paused, and my leg started “doing the Elvis.” If you don’t know what that means, then just picture me doing my best imitation of Thumper the rabbit. After some deep breaths, I got myself under control, and started climbing again. The mounts to hold onto and put your feet on are spread pretty far apart. So, just the climbing itself was pretty challenging in trusting that I had the strength and balance to pull myself up from mount to mount. Often I would have to stretch up on my tippy toes and just barely be able to grasp the next mount and then have to pull myself up. I got to just below the wire and got intimidated again and stopped. I looked over at Aaron, and told him I didn’t know if I could do it. He and everyone on the ground kept encouraging me to keep going, so I got my shakes under control and kept going. Finally, I was on the wire and once again, I was like what the hell am I doing? With Aaron’s constant encouragement and pausing to refocus and balance, I kept going. Did I mention that time seems to creep along while you are doing this? We finally met in the middle and attempted to go down the intersecting wire. After trying to figure out the best method, Aaron asked to opt out, and I agreed. Of course, then he almost pulled me down with him as he wouldn’t let go of me as his person brought him down! Luckily, he realized that he needed to let go, and I didn’t go crashing to the ground! So, we didn’t complete the challenge, but it was still a victory for me. And, I am never doing that again!

The morning, did provide the opportunity for some great interactions with my CMs and continued to get me excited for truly starting my job. I started meeting with them this past week, which was the first week of classes. We had our first staff meeting, and I started biweekly 1:1s with half of them. I thought the staff meeting went fairly well, and the individual meetings went really well. This is not surprising as I enjoy those interactions much more and are more my style.

This week has brought many adjustments. The campus has changed completely, and I feel like it sort of snuck up on me. It is funny how quickly we forget what the campus should really be like and get used to the empty college campus of summer, especially when you start out a new job in the summer. Suddenly, the campus is full of life and people and noise. Everywhere you look, there are people everywhere at most hours of the day. There is the energy and enthusiasm that always comes with the start of a new school year. It is actually pretty cool to be on such a lively campus, even at night. As I have walked about campus, I see people lounging in the grass, playing sand volleyball, throwing Frisbees, smoking hookahs, biking, skateboarding, walking… I think you probably get the picture.

The other big adjustment is starting my classes and figuring out my new routine and schedule. I feel like I spent all week being late or almost late as I rushed from one thing to the next. The change time between classes can be a little crazy, especially if you are on a bike. As you approach intersections you have to look four different ways and assess for both pedestrians and other bikers. Once you arrive, then you have to find a place on one of the bike racks. The amount of bikes on this campus is surreal. Then you have to fumble with your lock, and after the whole fiasco with Robert’s bike, I am super paranoid and lock both wheels and the frame, which takes time to weave and secure. I guess it will get easier as the year progresses.

When I think about the classes themselves, I become both exhilarated and freaked out. I love what I am taking, and they are all aligning perfectly with my interests. However, I think I had forgotten about the work load of graduate level classes. All have an extensive amount of reading and an almost weekly writing assignment, interwoven with larger projects and papers. I am certainly going to be busy, but at least I will be enjoying the subject material. It is also really fun to be surrounded by such a diverse cohort that has similar philosophies but so many varying interests and passions. With each day, this feels more and more right. I hope that continues to be my semester.

Flagstaff Adventure: Devil's Bridge

For the first time since my arrival in Flagstaff on July 12, I went down the mountain. Well, not the whole way down to the Valley, but about 3000 feet down to Sedona. Talk about a drastic change in terrain and temperature! We took the scenic route, 89A, which winds through a canyon and suddenly the pine trees start disappearing and you begin seeing massive red rock cliffs. As usual, I was in awe of the scenery and could not get enough of it. As we drove the hour to Sedona, I began to truly realize how much there really is to see in do in this area. It seemed liked we saw countless spots to pull off, hike, camp, enjoy the view, etc. I have no idea how we will see it all, over the next two years…

Since it was the weekend, the roads were busy. In many locations near popular destinations, cars lined the roads as people walked to where they wanted to go to avoid paying the $20 parking fee. Can’t say that I blame them! Sheesh! In particular, Slide Rock State Park is a popular destination with a natural rock slide you can ride into the river. Will have to check that out one of these days.

Sedona itself was hopping with visitors. It definitely looks like a tourist destination with its main thoroughfare of shops, art galleries, and restaurants. I would like to go back at least once and wander the main strip a bit. Touristy or not, there did seem to be a few cool and interesting looking places to poke around in for an afternoon. Again, you can’t beat the setting: A cute little town nestled in the midst of red rock mountains in every direction. Sedona is also known for being super new agey… more on that later when I actually go visit. Once we arrived at the Red Rock District, we found a place to park shortly off the turn off. The road was pretty rough and vehicles with low clearance (like ours) were discouraged from trying to drive to the trail head. As a result, we walked about a mile in to the trail head for Devil’s Bridge.

The trail was fairly short, but it felt like a pretty intense hike because it was about 1:30 in the afternoon with the sun directly overhead and temperatures in the 90’s. Again, definitely the warmest weather that I have experienced since moving to Flagstaff. The trail allows you to circle around to underneath the arch so that you can get views from that direction. In order to reach the top of the bridge, you have to climb a pretty steep rock staircase. The climb is definitely worth it as you will see from the pictures.

When we first approached the arch, I got really overwhelmed and with the perspective I had, said there was no way I was going out there! The bridge looked super narrow and precarious. I did go around so that I could get a better view and then I realized that it was actually a lot wider than I initially thought, so as you can tell, I did venture out to the middle. However, my fear of heights took over, and I went nowhere near the edge. Of course, several of the others that I was with were much more bold and adventuresome. This freaked me out, too. I kept having visions of them slipping and falling. Needless to say, I felt a certain amount of relief when we were all done exploring and started heading back. Anyways, it was super awesome. Definitely my favorite vistas of all the hikes so far.

Cori’s Pictures

R’s Pictures

Swinging Pendulum of Luck

After a couple of rough weeks full of frustrations and disappointments, some positive things suddenly started happening at the end of last week. R got called on Thursday afternoon to do an interview for a part-time job that he had applied for a about a week ago. That afternoon, after I was finished with work stuff, I walked down town to meet him, and took a slightly different path. I discovered a lovely little nook of restaurants and shops. We went back that way and stopped at the Flagstaff Brewing Company, one the local breweries, for a beer and snack to celebrate his job interview. We sat outside on their patio and enjoyed local brewed beer and black bean hummus along with the late afternoon sunshine. The hummus had some unusual accompaniments with tomatoes, feta, lettuce, artichoke hearts, and roasted red pepper sprinkled over the toasted pita. It was finished off with drizzles of honey that sounded weird, but did work with the overall flavors. The beer was tasty and refreshing. I had an ESB and R had the brown ale.

We stopped at the mailbox on the way home and discovered a last paycheck for Robert that we had not been anticipating. This could be pretty helpful considering the theft of about half his bike last weekend. That is the only negative bit I will bring up as I don’t think I mentioned it yet. We discovered last Friday that someone had taken his seat and seat post. An annoyance, but could have been worse right? Wish we didn’t have to spend the money to replace it, but we can make it work… Well, two mornings later, we came out to discover both wheels gone. Just wheels, right, well they aren’t cheap and apparently there was a lot attached to them like disc brakes and gears. Poof! Just like that about half the value of his bike has been ripped off. Anyways, this check will hopefully help replace a lot of this and get him back on the road. And… now we are going to have to figure out how to squeeze two bikes into our little space. Stay tuned for that creative arranging!

So after that, I ran out to the store to pick up some wine for dinner. As I was walking past the clearance kiosk, a “picnic pack” with ketchup, mustard, and relish caught my eye. Surely, this was put there in error? But no, it had a half-off sticker on it. So, I got all three for less than $3. Sweet!!!! I know you may be rolling your eyes at my excitement over sale priced condiments, but keep in mind we have to restock our pantry after moving and we have that whole limited grad student budget thing. So this was a gold mine find in my book!

Then we had a delicious dinner with produce from the Flagstaff Farmer’s Market that included fried green tomatoes, glazed carrots, and green beans. The mac n’ cheese was from the box, but it a favorite guilty pleasure and comfort food for me. Here are some pictures of our yummy dinner.

Friday continued to look up. I confirmed that my SMU vacation payout was finally in our bank account. Robert’s job interview seemed to go well. And last but not least, my missing books FINALLY turned up. One of the advantages of being a grad student is the schedule flexibility. I decided to spend my Friday afternoon doing laundry and doing some work on my net book instead of sitting in my office. Since we are back to doing laundry in a common area, I am paranoid about not staying and keeping an eye on it. I have known too many students who have come to me about stolen laundry. So, I was sitting there soaking up the beautiful sunny afternoon and working when I noticed the post man at the mailboxes. So, I did what any normal person would do… I stalked him. After a long conversation where I explained yet again that I am struggling with the fact that 7 packages could just disappear into thin air, he agreed that this was pretty weird. He ended up breaking into the one locked parcel box package for which there seemed to be no key. Guess what was in there??? Yes, you got it… all seven packages. Finally! A happy ending.

I know my recent post was pretty whiny and a downer. In fact, my dear mother requested that I not do posts like that in the future… I will try my best, but can’t make any promises. Life happens – sometimes it is enjoyable and sometimes it sucks. Truly, though, I have felt happier in Flagstaff than I have been in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t unhappy in Dallas. I am just happier here. My stress level is consistently lower, and I am excited about my surroundings and all the opportunities to explore it is offering us. I feel at peace here. Maybe it is the new location or having less responsibilities or being outdoors more and physically active, or the excitement of taking my professional and personal life in a direction. Whatever it is, it is working for me. I am relaxed, sleeping better, and seem to find more reasons to laugh and smile. I hope it sticks.

First Flagstaff Dinner Party

Last weekend, we finally finished decorating the apartment by hanging pictures and putting out some of our “pretties.” It finally feels like a real home and we are surrounded by things we enjoy. With a smaller space, it did challenge us to narrow down and edit. It also pushed us to be a little more creative with the arrangement of stuff, so we have put some items in new places this time around. Having the goal of finishing our decorating was motivated by the fact that we had invited over some of our new friends that helped us move of all our crap in a few weeks earlier.

We had a few menu challenges in that we had a wheat allergy and several veg heads. Really, I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to push us from a culinary standpoint and do some online research of gluten free food blogs. J seemed very touched that we went to that extra effort and said normally she just deals with whatever is being served and works around it. It was really no big deal to us and I got some extra warm fuzzies from the appreciation she expressed in being able to eat everything that was being served without any worries of allergic reactions. I am not sure that I have really had any regular contact with anyone who has issues with gluten, but several of my new co-workers have to avoid them so it has been on my radar a lot more lately. I never realized what a challenge that must be until I planned this menu. The menu itself was not hard or unusual from foods we would normally eat, but it just took more intentionality in being aware of the ingredients being used. So, onto the food! Here is the menu with links to recipes. I have a couple of pictures, but I am still struggling with being in the mindset of taking pictures of everything, both in progress and the final products, while cooking.

Coleslaw with Peanut Dressing from the Gluten Free Goddess Blog: We followed this recipe with

the exception of changing the agave nectar to honey and we added some green onion. Our veggies came from the Flagstaff Farmer’s Market. Yum!

Toasted Quinoa, Snow Peas, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Salad from Cooking Light: This has been one of our go to recipes for a couple of years now. It is a great pot luck recipe and is always well-received. Neither of us are big cucumber fans, so we tend to leave those out. The tomatoes came from the Flagstaff Farmer’s Market.

Indian Chickpeas and Spinach in a Tomato Cream Sauce from the Savory, Spicy Sweet Blog: This super simple recipe has become a favorite and staple in our house and seemed like the perfect vegetarian, wheat free main dish to serve. Typically, we only use one can of beans and use coconut milk instead of cream. It is ridiculously easy if you keep these types of ingredients in your house on a regular basis like we do. Seriously, try it, this week.

Flourless Chocolate Cake from the Gluten Free Goddess Blog: This was the icing on the cake, so to speak. I only have three words to describe it. OH…. MY…. GOD…. Seriously rich, seriously tasty, seriously easy. I made the whole thing in our food processor. The only problem with that is that it exceeded the liquid level of our processor bowl… so R had to help me lift it out with the blade still in the bowl to avoid it going everywhere through the middle hole part.

Flagstaff Adventure: Mormon Lake

Accompanying me on this adventure was hubby R, J and her boyfriend E, and A. Although this wasn’t a long hike, the surroundings were different from what I have hiked so far. To get to Mormon Lake, you pretty much just take Lake Mary Road out of Flagstaff for about 30 minutes or so. It was nice to see Upper Lake Mary and Lower Lake Mary, which are apparently popular for water activities. We also encountered the tail end of a triathlon. J talked us into cheering for runners as we passed them. I felt a little silly, but it was also fun and maybe they needed that little bit of enthusiasm to make it to the end!

This hike was up a mild incline through a ponderosa pine forest. It is supposed to be a good destination for wildlife spotting, but we didn’t see much on this trip. We did see a big foot print that may or may not have been an elk print. It is so funny observing everyone’s different styles for hiking. J and E are the power hikers and they are in it for making it to the destination. A and I tend to meander at a bit slower pace and like to stop and look at things and take pictures. Dear hubby, well, he just likes to stop and look at things and set up the perfect picture! As you will see from his photographs at the end, he does get some cool stuff with his patience. Luckily, we all work well with each other’s styles and preferences and don’t mind everyone being at different paces.

The destination was a rocky outlook where you could see for miles including a view of Mormon Lake. Unfortunately, despite it being monsoon season, there still wasn’t much of a lake to be seen. More of a marsh, really. However, it is the largest natural lake in Arizona, so I can check that one off the list! I continue to marvel at the different things to look at. The rock formations are so fascination – thank you earth science class for increasing both my appreciation and understanding of what is going on there! And apparently, I have a fascination with dead trees… I have noticed a trend in my picture taking with this theme. I think it is because I love the shapes and the stark contrast they make against their backdrop. So once we made it to the top, again we all kind of went our separate ways to enjoy our surroundings. J and E did a little rock climbing. R took pictures. A and I just chilled, had a snack, and enjoyed the sunny day.

This is also where we saw a bit of our wildlife spotting. I saw a cool lizard (look close in one of my pictures to see it) and a very curious and bold Abert's squirrel. My dear friend AMS and I have started this running joke since Boston this spring about squirrels that is based on the movie UP and one of the talking dogs. I am sure you can figure it out if you have seen the movie, right? If not, just go see it! Kinda sad, but really fun movie too! ANYWAYS, there are like 5 million common squirrels on SMU’s campus. You see lots every day. I never see any squirrels on the NAU campus, and this little guy was the first I have seen since moving here. You should really click on the link and check these guys out. They are goofy looking. I took a couple of pictures, but again, you will have to look hard to see him. Anyways, it was fun and easy hike. Hope you enjoy the pictures! Here is a link to Mormon Lake, too. We took Lake View Trail # 132.

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Robert's Pictures