Adoption fundraiser raffle

This couple is trying to raise last minute funds for their adoption. Their little boy is waiting for them in China. They are leaving Saturday and are still short $2000. They are holding a 24 hr Raffle for an IPOD touch. Every $5 gets an entry. Who can't part with $5? We are so blessed.

Here's a link to their blog and their story. The CHIPIN for the Raffle is on the right. Thank you!

http://mycupoverfloweth.blogspot.com/

Marshmallow Murder

She's mighty cute!

Abigail 3 Years Old Limb Deformity - Left Arm Abigail is described by her caregivers as quiet and nice. She enjoys playing with her roommates and playing games. She smiles to strangers. She likes teasing and tickling. She loves children's songs. Her left arm is missing below the left elbow. If you would like more information about this child please contact Small World Adoption.

Selah

God whispers to us in our pleasures,
speaks to us in our conscience,
but shouts in our pains:
it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

C.S. Lewis

Arizona ultimate- The Grand Canyon

We finally visited the Grand Canyon this weekend. It's just 3 hours away from us. We've planned to go for weeks and kept canceling for one reason or another. We picked a perfect weekend. We were already spending the weekend in Sedona, so we were even closer to the Grand Canyon in Sedona and National Parks were free this weekend because of some back to school send off.



Can't really describe the Grand Canyon or take good pictures of it. It was nice. It was big. Have to say, from seeing so much of Arizona over the last several months, it was kind of 'eh. :-) Too many people from what we have been used to exploring Arizona on our own. We had to keep a tight grip on our kids, crowds and that big drop...



We hiked a little and then we got on the trams that take you from one scenic view to another. We got sucked on to those buses and ended up spending just as much time on them as we did viewing the Grand Canyon! It was like the old Kingston Trio song about the guy that got on the MTA and never returned. We got on at one point, thinking it would take us back to our parking lot. It eventually did, after 2 hrs riding buses and making a few changes from the "Blue" line to the "green" line. Very confusing. At one point The bus stopped at yet another scenic viewpoint and announced it would be stopped there for 8 minutes. We had not gotten off the bus in about an hour, not wanting to lose our spot thinking we would eventually get back to the parking lot if we just stayed on. Anyway. I decided 8 minutes was enough time to jump off and change Lucy's diaper and fill our water bottles. - It wasn't. Just as I was running back, I saw the bus pull away with Brent and the girls on it! Lucy and I caught the next bus and we rode separate for a while. Brent had my map and I was trying to figure out were to get off to get back to the parking lot. Meanwhile, Brent and the girls had gotten off the bus at the next stop and got on our bus, reunited again. The girls were so happy to see each other. Brent had to stand with with the girls at the front of the bus and Lucy and the older 3 girls spent their time shouting each other's names and waving at each other until enough people had loaded and unloaded where we could all sit together again. Such fun.




Well, Bet you've never heard a Grand Canyon story where the tram system was discussed more than the Canyon itself. :-)

Sunset in Sedona

Nothing like seeing a sunset in Sedona. Extra sweet when a rainbow makes an appearance!

HIke

We went for a hike in Sedona. Have I said how much I love Arizona? There were apple trees, blackberries and plums to pick along the hike. there were ruins of an old homestead. I'm guessing the apple trees were planted a long time ago by whoever used to live in that house. Past the house there was a fantastic canyon with a stream running by a the red canyon wall. The girls waded in the stream. and we ate lots of fruit. Great fun, extra fun since my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin were able to join us for a few days in Sedona.

old apple trees


old homestead
canyon stream

Drive in

Last night at bedtime, the girls got in their pajamas and we said our prayers together as a family. After that they usually all give us kisses and they go to bed. After prayers last night they tried to kiss us and I told them, "Ok listen, I need you all to go upstairs get your pillows and get in the car!" They all looked at me a little odd then a shout went out and they all ran upstairs and got their pillows. Lucy didn't know what was going on but when she saw everyone heading back down the stairs with pillows she grabbed some couch pillows and blended in. They had no idea where we were going but they didn't care of course, they weren't going to bed!

We took them to a drive in movie theater nearby and put the back seat down and made a little nest for them in the back with pillows and blankets and pop corn. Brent and I sat in some folding chairs and we enjoyed the girls first drive in movie. It was actually a double feature. After the first movie we packed up and got back in the car and the second movie began to play. we sat in the car enjoying our ac and the second movie for a while. Very soon the whole back seat was asleep, the front seat was getting pretty tired so we left the second movie. What a great night.

Mt Lemmon

Mt Lemmon is outside of Tuscon. It is around 10,000 ft high. It takes an hour to reach the top by driving. Spectacular trip! The bottom is cacti and desert. The top is covered with aspen pines and there is a ski resort at the top! We lunched on some granite rocks in a very cool dry river basin. We decided that must be exactly how the Lone Ranger must have lunched, minus the peanut butter. We all had fun climbing all over the rocks.

The temperature dropped almost 40 degrees from the bottom to the top. So refreshing. No berry picking this time. Just sight seeing. Why would anyone want to boycott this?

Trip to the Rim

We're exploring and learning about our new State and so far, we've loved it all. Yesterday we were invited on a berry picking adventure to "The Rim" with a group of friends. I wasn't sure what The Rim was, and it was kind of funny to me that we had to drive 2 hrs to find berries!


Here's what I found out about 200 mile long Rim:
In the geographic center of Arizona lies the “Rim Country”, so named by the overwhelming presence of the Mogollon Rim. The Rim is an escarpment 7,000 feet plus that presents a dramatic drop of over 2000 feet to the communities below. It is covered in forest and grass land, and has been the home to Native Americans, cowboys, ranchers, farmers, hunters, fishermen, and nature lovers for centuries. It is a land of extreme beauty, natural endowments, and historical significance.

Other towns may have woods, lakes, and mountains, but nobody else has the Mogollon Rim! Technically, it’s known as an escarpment, as opposed to a canyon. But, together the Mogollon Rim and the Grand Canyon constitute Arizona’s two most spectacular landforms.

from http://www.paysonrimcountry.com/MountainRecreation.aspx



It rains a lot there, a rarity in Phoenix, so people in Phoenix love to drive out there just to experience rain. I confess I haven't lived in Phoenix long enough to enjoy standing in cold drizzly rain... maybe next year. The views were spectacular though and it was nice to get out of the 110 degree weather and have a day in the
60s. It is so high up, the clouds are below and there are frequent lightning strikes, so there were lots of trees that were twisted and burned by the lightning, another thing that made the trip just a little tense. The girls were concerned about getting struck by lighting, I assured them I was taller and I'd get struck first. Karianne didn't like it when I knelt down to pick berries...