Hualapai

It started out really hot here in Kingman so when we needed a break from the heat we would take a little drive up to Hualapai mountain and hike around.  It's at least 20 degrees cooler up there.  I love hiking and will go anytime I get a chance.  I think Brad enjoys it as well but Maven finds it more relaxing than the two of us combined.  The first night we hiked we got a late start so the last mile or two of the hike was in the dark thank goodness we had a full moon.

Aspen Peak

Full moon over the peak

You've got to love dirty little boys.

I've found enough stuff around Kingman I think we could be happy here for residency we'll just have to see what Brad decides about the program.

At the GRAND CANYON Celebrating

MAVEN'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

And he thinks he is the KING OF THE WORLD

He seemed to be enjoying himself

Nothing like hangin' with DAD

What would a birthday be without a little
Grand Canyon Dirt?

Hopefully Maven had as much fun as me.

And there is nothing like a Thomas Cake to smear all over your face.

All three of us celebrate our birthday's in September and Brad was lucky enough to have Maven's Birthday off.  So of course what's the logical thing to do?  Go to the Grand Canyon...THAT'S WHAT WE DID!  We loaded up Maven, his cake, a picnic and the back pack so we could enjoy some hiking at the Grand Canyon.  They always say the first birthday is more for the parents than the kids.  I'm pretty sure I had more fun than Maven, but I think he enjoyed himself too.  We were able to hike down into the canyon a little ways and enjoy the scenery.  About a mile and a half down we let Maven get down and play.  What a perfect place for his one year old photo shoot. It was a great day.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAVEN, WE LOVE YOU!!!

ROUTE 66

It's amazing the hidden treasures we have found in these small, strange towns we end up in.  Turns out the famous Route 66 happens to go through Kingman AZ and if you follow it you'll see a whole lot of desert and cacti.  It's a spot that is so hot and dry weeds don't even grow.  As you wind through the mountains on this old disintegrating road you'll see a lot of strange things.  It's a surprisingly beautiful drive considering how dry and dead everything is.  The road is extremely narrow and very steep, just a little scary.  If you are afraid of heights you may want to keep your eyes upward and ignore the steep edge and lack of guardrails.  As you continue down this famous Route 66 that must have inspired the movie cars you'll find yourself in  the almost non existent town of Oatman AZ known for their Wild Asses.  

They tend to come out of nowhere

And they will even let you poke them in the eye

Meeting these short legged creatures gives a new understanding to the character of Eeyore.

We loved Route 66 and Oatman AZ so if you ever happen to find yourself near Kingman AZ it's definitely worth checking out.

VEGAS

Brad picked us up at the Las Vegas airport on Friday Aug. 26 and instead of driving straight back to Kingman we enjoyed a weekend in Vegas.  Neither Brad or I had ever been there and to tell you the truth it was a little overwhelming but fun.

Maven's favorite thing was the pool.  It was the perfect depth for him.

And Brad loved the fountains at the Bellagio.  We went to the first showing at noon but forgot the camera so Brad made us go back for a night show.   It was worth it.

It was a fun weekend and a much needed vacation.  So now that we are in Kingman we are looking for whatever we can find to get us out of the hotel and boy has that been an adventure.

Harvest in Idaho

Maven and I made it safely to Kingman Arizona to be with Brad. We missed him a ton in the four weeks we were apart and now we are as happy as can be in our little ghetto hotel room in the desert heat. But before I get into our adventures with Brad I've got some catching up to do with everything we did in Idaho while Brad was gone.

It's been eight years since I've been home for Harvest so I was pretty excited to know I'd be in Idaho for July and August but because of the crazy weather we've been having harvest is extremely late and once again I left before it really got started.

Maven tried to help Grandpa but he drives a little crooked.

My dad captured this mean little critter. We've been on the hunt for them since they annihilated the chickens.

And this is a demonstration of the Geddes Ingenuity. My Dad, Uncle Ken and Cousin Sam raised this boat out of Oneida Narrows. Sam was the scuba master. I could go into more details about how they rigged this rescue mission but I wont tonight.

It's kind of hard to see this picture if you don't know what you are looking at the 50 gallon barrels you can see are at the back of the boat and you can barley see the front window sticking out of the water behind my dad.

And finally Maven enjoying the water while we were waiting for the rescue. We floated down the river after they were done but I'm not brave enough to take my camera so sorry no pictures of our rafting adventures this summer.

So that is our summer in a nutshell we've had a lot of other stuff happen but I'm so far behind I might not even bother trying to catch the blog up.

Homesick for Daddy

It's been too long since we've seen Brad.

This little boy needs his daddy and I need my husband.

Brad is amazing and found a way for us to be with him in Kingman, Arizona for the last four weeks.

And we can't wait.

So the plan is for Maven and I to fly into Las Vegas Friday night. Brad will pick us up and we will spend Saturday seeing Vegas. And for the next four weeks we will be living in another hotel but it will totally be worth it.

This is the first time flying with Maven and I'll be by myself so I am desperately seeking any advice or tips you may have for traveling with a crazy 11 month old who doesn't know how to hold still.

Before and After

I always love a good before and after picture so I thought I'd share what I've been working on in my spare time over the last month.

This is a bedroom in my parents house that was mine and then my little sisters.

THIS IS THE EAST FACING WALL BEFORE

AND AFTER PAINT: DARK GREY WALLS AND LIGHT GREY VAULTED CEILING WITH WHITE TRIM

ADDING A LITTLE COLOR

AND OF COURSE WE NEEDED A PLACE FOR MAVEN TO SLEEP SINCE WE WILL BE HERE A LOT DURING HARVEST AND WHILE BRAD IS GONE

ONE OF THE BIG PROJECTS I LEARNED HOW TO DO WAS PUTTING UP BASEBOARDS.

SINCE THIS ROOM HAD AN ACCUMULATION OF BOTH MINE AND MARY'S THINGS THAT WE CONVENIENTLY LEFT BEHIND WE HAD A LOT OF SORTING THROUGH TO DO. THIS IS THE SOUTH WALL BEFORE

DESK DE-CLUTTERED AND I PULLED OUT SOME PICTURES AND OUR TV I DIDN'T WANT IN STORAGE COLLECTING DUST.

AND FINALLY MY FAVORITE PART THE WEST AND NORTH WALLS BEFORE

MY FAVORITE PROJECT WAS GIVING THE OLD DRESSER A MAKEOVER. MY PARENTS HAVE HAD THIS DRESSER SINCE THEY WERE FIRST MARRIED. IT WAS ALL WOOD EXCEPT A LAMINATE OVER THE TOP. SINCE WE COULDN'T RE-STAIN IT WE DECIDED TO HAVE SOME FUN WITH IT.

AND FINALLY THE DORMER.

We have lots of other projects we would like to do over the next year while I'm at my parents so stay tuned.