Phun in Phoenix

Tom and I went with Mick and her friend Aundria to Phoenix to play in the sun for a few days. Lots of time at the gorgeous pool, an Arizona Cardinals football game (in a freezing stadium), shopping at a fantastic mall with stores I can't even afford to LOOK at, and tons and tons and tons of food.

These are Tom's kids Jeff, David and Chalese. It was fun hanging with them for a while over the weekend.

Life of luxury at the Gainey Ranch resort in Scottsdale. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Mick and Aundria spent HOURS in the pool and ordering Mai Tais.

Grandpa Tom and Byron.

All I need are some slaves fanning me and feeding me grapes. Ahhhhhhh. That's the life.

The Haraldsen clan at a delicious Mexican restaurant. I ate so much my stomach blew a gasket. Although it was a LOOOOOOOOOOONG drive home, it was still a lot of fun to be in Arizona.

Happy Birthday, McKenzie

Mick turned 15 today. Ashley, Tyson and Aundria spent the day with her. They hung out at a local coffee shop and terrorized the customers.

Mick's birthday presents included Harry Potter movies. . .

And tickets to see Lady Gaga!

Some of the things I love about Mick:

1. Her sense of humor.

2. Her gorgeous smile.

3. Watching her with her nieces and nephews.

4. Her homemade pizza.

5. The way she makes me laugh.

6. The fact I can get her a deer hunting cake for her b-day and she finds it hilarious.

7. Her kind heart.

8. She never takes my earrings without asking. Ever. Never.

9. The way she loves Ringo.

10. She's decided she doesn't want a driver's license until she turns 25.

Love you, Mick.

Older and older

Because I just won't die, I celebrated another birthday. It's another even number--42. The girls and the grandkids came out to celebrate the fact that I haven't died yet. We had pizza and apple pie ala mode.

Assuming I survive the next year, I'll be back on July 5.

Ringo, You're a Star!

Happy First Birthday, Ringo!

Look how tiny Ringo used to be!! But now he's a year old and has eaten his weight in stuffed animal innards.

We had a party for him including presents, a hamburger dinner and a special birthday cake which he really enjoyed. Octavio even had a piece after Mick tricked him into it.

Hundreds of dollars in vet bills, doggie day camp fees and stuffed animals.

He's eaten dozens of pairs of shoes--his favorites are flip-flops or any pair of shoe that is expensive and well-loved.

He loves long walks, chasing birds, burying remote controls, digging holes in the backyard, sitting on our laps (even though he weighs 100 pounds) and playing with Mick.

Never thought I'd say it: I love this dog. There's just something about being loved unconditionally that gets addictive. Happy Birthday, Crazy Ringo!

Grad!!

My baby graduated from 9th grade yesterday. I'm thinking that's all the formal education she needs. Cassi used her hairy skills to make Mick's tresses look adorable.

She went with Tyson to the promotion dance at Bennion Junior High and had a lot of fun.

I'm not sure what Cassi's doing in this picture. I'm a little uncomfortable.

Mick and Tyson have been friends for the last three years and will miss each other once they go to high school in the fall. Mick will go to Kearns. . .I'm not sure where Tyson will land.

Congrats, Mick!!!! I'm proud of you.

Hot Tamales

For my Mother's Day gift, Cassi taught me how to make authentic Mexican tamales. And even though neither one of us are authentic Mexicans--they tasted pretty damn good.

We made chicken and chili verde tamales. After a freak blender accident, the chili verde had to be remade. And we both thought the sauce would be VERY hot--but it turned out fantastic.

Thanks, Cassi! Now I can have tamales whenever I'd like. That would be all the time!

Greek Honeymoon

I can't even begin to describe how fantastic Greece was. We took tours of the Acropolis and museum, three of the Greek isles (there are 1,000s of islands), a mountain tour through vineyards and orchards, and a trip to the edge of the southern coast. We were busy but we tried to cram as much as we could into our honeymoon.

We loved sitting in the open-air eateries and tavernas, watching the people pass by. I loved the Greek foods. Tom tolerated the Greek foods. (We did eat one meal at McDonalds so he could have a fast-food fix.) Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil and breads were abundant and delicious. I especially loved the homemade pistachio ice cream served in a pistachio orchard on one of the islands.

Our tour guides were a lot of fun and we enjoyed learning more about the history of Greece and the ruins we visited. Except for one tour guide who just shouted at us. She scared me.

I was amazed at all the graffiti in the city--and everywhere in the country. Our hotel was in a questionable part of town (think drug dealers, pimps, hookers and sex shops) so it was an adventure every night walking back to our room. We got to be experts on using the metro train line and finding our way around downtown Greece.

We went down to the pier one night for dinner but couldn't find any restaurants. After walking for blocks, my sandal broke right in front of a taverna (thank Zeus) but I had to walk home half-barefoot from there. I scrubbed my feet for hours in the hotel.

We loved it all. Even the various mishaps (converter exploding, emergency landing coming home across the Atlantic, my feet swelling up to the size of pumpkins, shoes breaking, not speaking Greek---at all, Euro conversion, etc.) were funny.

Glad to be home and very grateful for the opportunity to see things I'll probably never see again.