5 percent of 5 million at one of the 7 natural wonders

We are beginning to really love living in Arizona.  One of the newest reasons... from our front door, it only took us 2 and a half hours to get to the Grand Canyon (thanks Uncle Mike and girls for the AZ guidebook w/ foldout map!).  Because of this, we were able to have a most awesome (much needed) weekend get away.  AND, we finally got to celebrate our one year anniversary!  What better place to do it than in one of God's craziest landscapes!

We arrived at the Grand Canyon at about noon on Saturday, as we got a little bit of a late start because we stayed up super late the night before having dinner and awesome conversation with some of our new Arizona friends.  Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, it was cloudy and so we didn't have to worry about the heat and set out to walk the Rim Trail.

Yay, One Year Anniversary!  And goin' strong... :)

Absolutely Awesome!

Kinda a funny story behind this picture...

While up on the rim we stopped to listen to a Ranger Dude talk about the geology/history of the Grand Canyon.  It was an interesting talk and it is just crazy to think that water was able to carve out such a magnificent canyon.

Another thing the Ranger mentioned, almost as a side note, was that only 5% of the 5 million people who visit the Grand Canyon every year ever venture below the rim.  That seemed just crazy, but as we glanced around at the other visitors, I guess it didn't seem so staggering.  Apparently high heels, dresses, and little dinky flip flops are adequate "hiking" atire.  Ha ha!  At first we were frustrated because there were SO many people present on the Rim Trail.  But then we found it really funny because we only had to venture about 50 feet away from any of the bus stops and we were in complete solitude on the path.  The other thing we marveled at was all the different languages being spoken!  We ventured 2.5 hours via highway to arrive at the Grand Canyon, whereas most of our fellow explorers had traveled numerous hours and over oceans to arrive at the same destination.    

Sunday morning we got up early and headed out on the South Kaibab Trail.  What incredible views!!!

Steep, steep at the beginning/end.

3.5 miles later, at Skeleton Pt, we turned around and began the 3.5 miles UP.  

The view, Dad.  You know what I mean.  

Our recommendation... if you visit the Grand Canyon, hike down past the rim.  And, while your legs will hurt for days afterwards, the views are totally worth it!  I'm going to go limp off to bed, now... :)

What an Awesome weekend!  And what an Awesome first year of marriage!

mi casa es su casa

Well... technically, mi casa es the bank's casa.  At least until the year 2041.  But after that, it is all mine... and yours.

Anyway... we moved into our first home last week and we LOVE it!!  My brothers and dad came down to help, which was appreciated immensely.  The move went pretty well, overall... just no one mention the treadmill.  The boys worked tirelessly all day to truck our stuff over from the old house and lug it into the new house. They even went to such great lengths as bench pressing our entirely oak wood kitchen table over a 3' fence so that it would make a safe entry into the house.  Whew.  Exhausting.  I directed the process and also scrubbed down the walls, cupboards, baseboards, etc., as the previous owner had not cared to do so prior to her exodus.  She did, however, leave all of her cleaning supplies in the laundry room as, I believe, a somewhat sad attempt at an apology.

Yay! Moving!

Thanks for helping, Brian

Gun Show.

Beer break.  No wonder it seemed like it took you guys forever to get back after that second load...    

Jared, you are stud.

Futon making

Trying to decide how to configure the front room.  A conversation that took about 45 min and contemplated about 50 different possible setups.  But, the final configuration, to my joy, did include the treadmill.

Checking out the hammock.

Checking out the recliner.  Anyone else see a pattern...??

Patio furniture!!

I told you not to mention the treadmill.

Relaxing in the almost finished Living Room.

We celebrated with a quick dip in our new hot tub...

and when I say a quick dip, I mean a quick dip.  

Within a few minutes of jumping into the hottub, the water gushed out.  We'll go ahead and put "Fix Hottub" on the honey-do list and chalk this one up to one of the joys of being homeowners... I guess it is time for me to get over my fear of Home Depot. 

One of the things that I just absolutely love about the house, is that there is a path that goes right by the house.  This has already proven to be a most awesome dog walking trail with some incredible views.  

We took a break from unpacking and scrubbing to venture up to Sedona for a day and enjoyed a wonderful hike up the West Fork Trail.  For those of you keeping count, my goal was to do the West Fork Trail during all 4 seasons... and, after being here for less than a year, we already have 3/4.  Only Fall left!!

So, we have kind of known that Maeby, our little puppy, gets car sick.  But she had been doing pretty well on this particular drive up to Sedona and, so, had gone back to the back seat to sit with the boys.  Please reference the happy picture below... 

Happy Picture.

When we were literally about 100 yds from our destination, Maeby threw up all over Brian.  Sad... hilarious...but sad.  :)

Brian, and his quick drying pants, had a quick turn around and we were able to continue on with our hike in beautiful Sedona.

During this hike, we taught Maeby how to swim.  It was awesome!  And she is only 4 months old!!!  We took a video but it is not wanting to upload currently.  Bummer.  Because it is super cute.  I would not want to deprive you all of this awesome video, so if it ever decides to load, I will put it on here.

Yay...I think it worked...

Now, of course we have to celebrate new homeownership with several amazing meals, including...

In-N-Out, of course...

I made my scrumptious, almost famous, ribs....

And, finally, we enjoyed an incredible meal at our new favorite restaurant in Prescott, Papa's...

Again, I truly appreciate the hard work that my family and awesome Hubby put into our new house!  It already looks amazing and feels like home.  I will post some "after" pictures once all of the unpacking and cleaning has been done.  

And, I have to mention, that the invitation to come visit is, as always, open!!

Happy Homeowners :)

expending puppy energy

We have had to become a little creative in how to exercise our puppy, as she is not yet fully vaccinated and thus the vet strongly recommended that we wait to take her on walks.  Bummer.  So, what do  you do with a 15 week old Australian Shepherd puppy that has more energy than the Energizer Bunny?  Use the treadmill and teach her how to fetch, of course.

Exhibit A:  The Treadmill
Around the time we adopted Maeby, we simultaneously fell in love with Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer.  One of the tricks he uses to exercise dogs is by using a treadmill.  So, we have been doing this with little Maeby.  She goes about 1/2 mile at 3.5-4.0 mph and does fantastic, except when Sonora walks by, which almost always necessitates a flying leap off of the treadmill by Maeby, who never passes up an opportunity to try Sonora's patience.

Exhibit B:  Fetching
The comment I always receive after indicating that we adopted an Australian Shepherd is, "Oh.  They have a lot of energy."  Yes.  I know.  That is kinda why we picked the breed.  With this in mind, we decided to reinforce her fetching using some yummy treats, so that we can help her burn off some energy, even when we are too tuckered out from a full day of work to move out of the patio lounge chair.  Please pardon the dusty backyard.  We hate it too.

Now while this all is super fun, if everyone could join with us and cross your fingers in hopes of the vet clearing Maeby to go on walks this week, that would just be stellar.  Muchas gracias.

ribs and a short ode to franz.

This past weekend Tyler, our good friend, came for a visit.  His visit was kind of two-fold.  Of course he came to see us, but he also came to visit because he adopted our dog, Franz.  On one hand, it was a wonderful visit with a wonderful friend.  But on the other hand, it was a hard goodbye to a wonderful(-ish) dog.  And, hence, this blog post is somewhat two-fold...

Sunday happened to be Tyler's Birthday and we had fun celebrating with a day of relaxation and, if I may say so myself, awesome food.  For breakfast, I made my mom's Amazing Belgian waffles, which I may need to share the recipe for eventually... or maybe I'll keep it as a semi-secret family recipe?!  And then, for dinner I made barbecue ribs.  Since this may just be the best ribs recipe ever and it isn't a family secret, I thought I would share it.  So, without further ado, copied & pasted directly from AllRecipes.com ::

Texas Pork Ribs

Ingredients

• 6 pounds pork spareribs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 5 tablespoons pan drippings
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups ketchup
• 3 cups hot water
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup wood chips, soaked

Directions

1. Clean the ribs, and trim away any excess fat. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup salt, ground black pepper, paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Coat ribs liberally with spice mix. Place the ribs in two 10x15 inch roasting pans, piling two racks of ribs per pan. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  (Or, if you are lazy like me, coat the ribs the morning of cooking... they will still taste good.  I promise.)
2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Bake uncovered for 3 to 4 hours, or until the ribs are tender and nearly fall apart. (Or throw them in the crock pot for the day.  On high for a couple of hours and low for a couple of hours.  Pretty much, I make it up as I go.)
3. Remove 5 tablespoons of drippings from the bottom of the roasting pans, and place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in pan drippings until lightly browned and tender. Stir in ketchup, and heat for 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring constantly. Next, mix in water and brown sugar, and season to taste with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, adding water as necessary to achieve desired thickness.  (This makes a TON of sauce.  Last time I made the ribs, I was smart enough to freeze the leftover.  So, lucky me, I got to skip this step this time.)
4. Preheat grill for medium-low heat.
5. When ready to grill, add soaked wood chips to the coals or to the smoker box of a gas grill. Lightly oil grill grate. Place ribs on the grill two racks at a time so they are not crowded. Cook for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Baste ribs with sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling, so the sauce does not burn.
6. ENJOY!

So, the ribs were awesome, but....saying bye to Franz was definitely harder than I thought it would be.  But we are comforted in knowing that Franz will be very happy back in CO where the grass is, quite literally, greener (our back yard is dirt and a couple of rocks).  In honor of my time spent knowing, who I somewhat affectionately refer to as Franzie, I thought I would write a short poem. (Pardon the poor rhyming and rhythm poemie whatever stuff...it has been a long time since my last English class.)

Ode to Franzie

Franz, I did love you in my own weird little way

even though you didn't know how to consistently sit, come or stay.

And I know that we didn't always see eye to eye

and this wasn't just because you stood only 10 inches high.

But you are a good dog and a good boy with the best puppy face

and we will always love you, no matter the distance or space.

So have fun in Colorado with your new owner and best friend.

But stay away from Starburst Jelly Beans and Godiva chocolate, or that may be the end.

j. t. hansford, college graduate

It was so great to be able to travel to Colorado last weekend for my baby brother's graduation from CU.  Apparently he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering... for the week leading up to the graduation, I had been telling everyone that it was electrical engineering.  Obviously I know nothing about the field or how those two types of engineering even differ.  Luckily, those who I were mainly telling were my little old patients, who probably wouldn't have remembered anyway...so I think the unintentional lie will go unnoticed.

ANYWAY, congrats bro on graduating with MECHANICAL engineering from CU.  We are all so incredibly proud of you and love you so so much!

Here are some pictures of the department ceremony:

I love my brothers.  And Brian and I love our "Little" brother.

Grandma and I were super excited that Jared was graduating.

Now, the department graduation happened to fall on Cinco de Mayo.  This made it hard for some people (ahem...Jared), to show up for the real graduation ceremony the next morning.  Come on, CU, think that one through next time.  Yes, Jared made a little bit of a late entry into the graduation, but not before receiving numerous somewhat threatening texts and phone calls from his loved ones who had already arrived to demonstrate our love and support.  We were just glad he showed up.  We love you, JT.  And, yes, we know that you will always been one who loves making an entrance.  ;)

Proof that he did in fact show up.

The amazingly awesome graduation card that I got him.

"The Picture."  Have I mentioned that I love my brothers.  Immensely.

And then there was the party.  There's nothing quite like parents playing Flip Cup.

I heart this family.  And my sister.

We also got to celebrate Mother's day!!!  It was so fun for mom to have all three of her kiddos for mother's day.  We love you to the moon and back.  :)

Mother's Day Breakfast.

And here is a picture of me and Charlie Sheen...  Wait, I mean my Dad.  :)

It was a wonderful visit and, of course, flew by way too quickly.  Hopefully I'll get to see my familia again SOON.