3/28 to Yuma

Dead Cow Road, on the way from Tempe to Yuma, circa 2006

If that sign is true, that home is where your story begins, then today Chris and I are going home. If you recall, Yuma is where our story begins.

Yesterday Chris and I flew in to Phoenix, where we spent the day visiting with the Gabels and relaxing (well, I relaxed while Chris worked), and this morning we're headed to Yuma and we are so excited! I know it's not easy for everyone to get excited about a trip to Yuma, but this is the place where we met, and where we fell in love. It is also where we made some really great friends, and we are looking forward to one last hoorah in Y-town with Jeremy and Andrea before they head off to Mississippi* this summer (though we're sad not all of our old Yuma buddies will be there). And I might also be looking forward to some fish tacos at Las Palapas as well ...

*This is apparently not definite.

The Vision

Someday, hopefully, we will have a house big enough so I can have a craft room. It will have lots of natural light, be painted yellow with white trim and have a big table, lots of storage space, a rod to hold spools of ribbon, an easel for painting ... it will be great.

In the meantime, I have a small table for my sewing machine and jewelry tools and supplies in a corner of our office/guest room, which is enough for now. The first baby step toward accomplishing my vision was insisting we stop at Ikea last week on our way home from San Francisco for some glass jars to hold buttons and thread. I thought it would make my sewing space look better than my boring old sewing kit. I my have greatly underestimated the amount of buttons and thread in my possession, but hey, it's a work in progress.

Tumblin' Tumbleweed

A couple years ago, when I lived in Chandler, I went to a little school on the Indian Reservation for a story. I drove on a small dusty road, and a tumbleweed rolled across the road. I was pretty excited as I'd never seen that before, and later told Brad and Alison (Chris' dad and sister), "It was just like in the movies!" And of course they laughed at me, because apparently before so much of Chandler and Tempe were developed this was quite a common sight.

On Saturday, Chris and I drove home from a trip to Las Vegas and it was quite windy - almost like being on an airplane with turbulence, so ... not fun. But I still thought it was cool when the tumbleweed came rolling across the road.

* * * * *

We headed to Vegas early Thursday morning to meet up with Melynda and Edward and Daniel and Holly for a couple days. Marc was also there, separately, with some other people for March Madness. It was really great to have a couple days to spend with everyone. We did some shopping, some gambling, some dancing. On Friday night, Melynda and Holly (who might have had a little more to drink than me) decided to hold a bathroom performance because apparently it can win them a free trip to Ellen.

Daniel, making fun of them the next morning at breakfast, wondered what I might write on my blog about these two "8-year-olds" I spent the weekend with in Vegas. I guess when Daniel said that, he'd forgotten about Thursday night, when he put his beer on the moving walkway.

Melynda, Me and Holly on Thursday night

Edward, Daniel and Chris

The Boys, before going out Friday (Marc was not coming with us to the club)

Dancing Queens

Me and my love

* * * * *

We left Las Vegas wearing shorts (Chris) and a dress (me) and arrived to rain, which turned to snow. But these two tumbleweeds are headed back to Arizona for a few days at the end of this week and can't wait to see everyone ... and get our shorts and flip flops back out ;)

St. Patrick's Day

Last night we went out with some friends to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Since several people (including Chris) were headed to the Nevada-UTEP game afterward, we met up early at a bar near campus known as the Wall (but really it's the Little Waldorf Saloon, which I didn't know until we got there.) While I've had a beer or two to celebrate St. Patrick's Day before, I think this might have been the first time I actually had green beer. We had some food and beverages and then split up, some going to the game and Na, Vickie and I headed to downtown Sparks for more revelry.

Erin, the instigator

Cheers!

Wait, someone just handed me another beer

Me, Vickie, Erin and Na

Zmoe and Me

The Bay

On Sunday morning, we went to San Francisco where our first stop was Fisherman's Wharf because Chris wanted some clam chowder in a bread bowl. Chris doesn't usually get too excited about food, so I love it when he does. After we ate and checked in to our hotel, we hopped on the Bart to the coliseum to enjoy Chris' Valentine's Day gift finally. The game was fun, although there wasn't much defense on either side, so the score was out of control. The Suns won! Later we stopped in at the Cheesecake Factory for dessert, then Sunday went to the Mission district for some yummy burritos before heading back to Reno. A quick trip, but lots of fun!

I am terrified of this guy's job

As you can see from our view, I spared no expense on the tickets

Final score (this picture is for Mena and Miguel)

The madness before March Madness

Chris and I had a very busy week of covering the WAC Tournament, which was kind of hectic, kind of fun, and a learning experience for me since I hadn't shot sports before this week. (If you feel like checking out some videos, click here.) I actually had to confess my guilt to Chris a couple days ago that I was torn during the Nevada-San Jose State game ... Of course I wanted my Spartans to win, but I thought a Wolf Pack victory would make a better video and be better for our coverage overall. (At this point, Chris reminded me that as an impartial journalist I shouldn't care which team wins ... but see how he feels if he's covering an ASU game.) Well, Nevada won, then won their next game, made it to the championship game and lost last night to Utah State, who will now go on to the NCAA Tournament. Now Chris is furloughed for the next week and today we are off to the Bay Area to see some more basketball - the Suns play at the Warriors tonight. Woop-woop!

A whirl of a weekend

I got home Sunday from a great trip to Southern California with my sister that began Thursday and included lunch with Lindsey and Melanie (a friend from junior high/high school who I haven't seen in maybe 14 years), an attempt to surprise Becky at work (which turned into a visit to her house - she was furloughed just like me!), Lebanese dinner with Dad and Deb (schwarma!), breakfast at Uncle George's (pancakes!), visiting with Jen and Jim and cooing over miss Juliette, fancy seafood dinner with Dad and Deb in celebration of Mena's turning 28, a couple games of Scrabble, and a visit with our great Aunt Ruth. It was so nice to see everyone and, as always, felt like there just wasn't enough time. During our trip, Mena and Lindsey gained a new birthday buddy! Michelle and Benny welcomed little Olivia, and we couldn't be happier for the newly-expanded V-Team!

Lindsey, Me and Melanie

Juliette meets Aunty Mena for the first time

Who couldn't love this face?

The birthday girl getting ready to make a wish

Deb, Mena, Me and Dad

Birthday weekend

Today, my sister Marina turns 28 and my good friend Lindsey turns 30. I am lucky to be in L.A. to see them both on their birthday weekend. (These are the cards I made them. It's the most advanced thing I can do on photoshop ;)

Happy Birthday!

Hungry?

My sister and I have started contributing to a new blog started by our dear old friend Nanette. The blog is called My Cousin's Cookbook and if you're looking for a new recipe, check it out. It just got rolling yesterday, but there is already some good stuff up there (like my grandma's hummus - you'll really want to copy that one down!)

Potato, tomato

So, Thursday night Chris was in Vegas covering some state championship basketball and I was on the phone with Michelle, telling her how I have trouble falling asleep when Chris isn't home since there's no TV in our bedroom and it was windy out and there were lots of noises. And then I said maybe I'd fall asleep on the couch, adding that Chris doesn't think our couches are comfortable, but I think they're great. And Michelle said, "You and Chris disagree on something? Shocker." And then, in my head, I thought, we don't disagree that much. Do we?

So Sunday afternoon, Chris came home from Vegas around noon and I came home from work around 4, and I said, "Did you see the treats?" "Treats?" "Yeah, the Girl Scout Cookies. I'm gonna make some ice cream right now." "Ice cream! Can't you just make mint ice cream? Don't waste the thin mints in the ice cream!" Seriously, we had four boxes of thin mints. It takes 1/4 of one box to make ice cream. And, in my opinion, that is hardly a waste. The ice cream-thin mint combo can only make each of them better, I think. And so, of course, I was on the winning end of this disagreement.

And when I brought Chris his ice cream, he said "I'm gonna need much more than that." See, he always comes around ;)