We had an amazing visitor this past week - Justini! Justin is Micah's friend from Bible School way back in the day. I don't even think they were that close while they were in school together, but they stayed in touch in the years following, met up for sporadic antics (like jumping off the second floor balcony at Justin's apartment into the pool below. True story. Eek!), and finally Micah convinced Justin to move out to Washington when we lived there. And that is how we became the "posse." That is what we call ourselves, because the three of us become fast friends when we were three of the only unmarried, Christian adults living in our tiny town of Lake Stevens for a year. So Justin came to visit us for the week and we loved having him! Micah took a lot of time off work, and they did lots of boy things, like shooting and boxing and frisbee golf and swimming and diving, etc. I was girly and just laid by the pool and cooked dinner for them most nights. Except when they made me do leaps into the pool to catch flying objects like footballs and frisbees. On Saturday we woke up early and trekked all the way to the Grand Canyon and back in one day. Both Justin and I had never seen it, so Micah took us up there. It was spectacular. I hesitate to show pictures, because I truly believe it is something you should just wait to see in real life, but I will share a few. Gas station en route... Parking lot. Love us. Typical. The boys. This is when my ponytail kept hitting Micah in the face. This is his annoyed smile. It was windy! See? Windy. The boys were into this mule. They taught me that a mule is a horse and a donkey. I didn't really know. One little shot. This was at one of the lookout points. Pretty sweet. ... Read more
Adventures in Babysitting
Babysitting was never really my favorite thing to do growing up. I did not ever babysit as much as most other girls my age. And when I did, I was in it for the free access to cable (which we did not have in my own home) and the fun snacks in the pantry (which my mom did not buy) after the kids went to bed. Basically, I went into each job wondering how many stupid games I was going to have to play with the kids before I could put them in bed and watch some MTV. I know. It's sad. But it's true. It wasn't that I had poor work ethic. I got my first "real" job at age 16 and one day (basically) and I haven't stopped working since. I just didn't like babysitting, especially if the kids were at that energetic, awkward elementary school age. You know what I'm talking about. They aren't all awkward in 2nd and 3rd grade, but many of them are. And they want to play house and princesses and treasure hunt and bikes etc, etc. Ugh. But that was my view when I was 14, and I promise it has changed significantly. I love babies and toddlers a lot. Like a lot. Micah is constantly telling me I'm on "baby probation," so I don't start wanting one of my own. But I admit, I still struggle a bit to engage with elementary school age kids, unless they are kids whose personalities I just love... like my pastor's children. Love 'em. Each and every one of them. Kate (7), Natalie (5), and Hudson (2), and one on the way! I can't wait. A couple of weeks ago, Anne, who also was never a natural babysitter, was watching the Taylor kids for the evening, and I decided to join her. The girls had their friend, Zion, staying the night, so there were four little ones and it was a blast. Anne taught the girls how to make tie-dye cupcakes. Here are some pics from our evening... Natalie. Love this little goober. Sweet Kate. Work in progress... Hudson wants to bake too (aka play with bowls on the counter)... Taste test... Hudson approves... These are super easy to make and fun for elementary age kids. Maybe I should post a tutorial? ... Read more
The Patio (Or the Year I learned to Grill)
Lately, Micah and I have been eating dinner on our patio quite often. It's just starting to get a little too hot for this (it was well over 100 here this weekend), but April and May were glorious months with 80-90 degree daytime temps, which turned into perfect evenings for an early dinner on the deck with the sun going down in the distance. Patio model It's so fun to sit outside and talk about life in Arizona and how much we love it here. And to look over at Camelback mountain and realize that we didn't even know what Camelback mountain was, much less that our apartment has a view of it, when we signed our lease last July. In other news, somewhat related to patio dinners, I have learned how to grill. From start to finish, I have learned how to turn on our gas grill, throw some meat on it, turn it over, take it off, turn it off. I feel very advanced. I haven't quite gotten to the level of switching out the propane tank on my own yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll get there someday. It all started when my mom was visiting in April. I was making Pioneer Woman's grilled pineapple and chicken quesadillas for dinner and Micah was not home from work yet. I had a major problem, because my recipe had the name "grilled" in the title and my man wasn't home. But I set my mind to it, and I decided I could easily grill up our pineapple and chicken for dinner. And I did. A few weeks later, I made this rack of ribs on the grill. I am very proud of myself, but I think I am foolish at the same time. See, grilling was Micah's job. It was the one time I could get him to help with dinner. "But I don't know how to grill...I'm afraid to light it...I won't know if they are done in the middle or not..." Worked like a charm every time. But now my cover is blown. I know how to grill, and Micah will probably never help me with dinner again... Except when I grilled these ribs, I think I noticed a look of sadness on his face, like my new grilling skills were threatening his "man only" zone around our little red grill. So maybe I can still get him to help me after all... P.S. A few weeks after I learned how to grill, I noticed a sign in our complex that says all charcoal and gas grills are illegal on apartment patios. Oops... don't remember that one in the lease. ... Read more
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