Costume party, cont.

Ok, here are some more pictures.
This is Zack (he's almost 3) and Micah (he's almost 1). They were the cutest frogs ever. Below are Michelle and Jason (the froggies parents). They are pirates. ARGH!














Craig is Osama. He made the costume himself, and although he is probably a foot taller than Binny, I say he looks pretty close.













Emma (Snow White) had to have Janice in the picture with her family. Also in the picture are Lisa and Tom (the pirates) and Jacob (Zorro).










Here's me and my little buddy Zack. He's so much fun!

Well, thats about all folks. Hope you enjoyed!!!! More later. Adios!

Costume Party

Okay, please dont fall out of your chair due to the small amount of time between this post and the last. :o) I thought I would share with you all the costume party Ryan and I went to at some friends from church. Enjoy!
I am a monarch butterfly and Ryan is a butterfly catcher. Arent we cute! I kept running into things due to the extra height and wingspan. Ryan had the idea for the super-stylish hunting socks with the boots...made the whole effect!
Holly, Chad, and Abigail Wagner are Wendy, Hook, and Tinkerbell. Chad came with a crocodile and a tick like a watch (I think he had a metronome in his pocket).
Heather and Adriel Reavis. I think you can figure them out.


Janice and Doug Tellinghuisen are Dorothy and the Tin Man (with Toto along).

Okay, if youre reading this before I talked about Fiddlesticks, you might want to start with the post below this one, otherwise continue...


Here are some more pictures from the Tortilla Factory. The man is making tortillas, and I believe in the other picture fire is coming out of that water. Bet youve never seen that happen.
Again, tilt your head so you can see Vera hugging a cactus. Yes, its real. She is very brave.

Here is an interesting sign we saw while shopping in Old Town Scottsdale. If you cannot quite make it out it reads "Please do not touch or sit on Indians. Thank You." We werent sure what it meant, but we liked it. ;o)


This is the top of South Mountain, about 1 mile away from where we live. Shelly was absolutely not going to hike, so this is about as far down as she went. However, below you can see what the results were from her hike. She nearly fainted on us!



We had to eat one night at the 5 n Diner. Tasty burgers and the usual diner food. Next time you see Shelly, ask her what a "potato chip" is. Seriously, do it. You'll laugh.

Well, it was so nice to have them out for a week. I had a ton of fun with them, and I miss them living so far away now. I think I laughed from the moment I woke up to when I went to bed the whole time they were here. Miss you, chicas. Come back soon!

More postings to come...hopefully soon!

My sisters come to visit!!

Well, I am really bad at posting updates to this site. So sorry. Although I do not currently have a job, I do work hard! Anywho...

Vera and Shelly came for a week in late Sept, and we had a blast. I dont think Ryan was used to that much sister-craziness, but he had a lot of fun, too (despite a nasty cold). I tried to show them some cool sites of Phoenix. Here's a mini-tour of what we did. We went to Old Town Scottsdale to find some great Southwest jewelry and gifts, plus the town has a really old-west feel to it. We went there one night for dinner at the Old Tortilla Factory and then to shop during the day.
Um, as a side note, I guess I should flip the pictures before I post them, so this time humor me and just tilt your head a lil to the left. THANKS!


We also spent a little time golfing at a driving range called Fiddlesticks. Vera forgot to put a ball back on the tee before we captured this shot! OOPS!


Continue to next post for the continuation.....

Well, I thought it was about time I gave you all an idea of where we are living. We have a townhome in Ahwatukee (south side of Phx) that is about 2 minutes from South Mountain.

We have an extra bedroom and bathroom for all of you back in IN who want to escape to AZ once it begins snowing! This second bedroom is still a work in progress, but (Vera and Shelly) I promise we will have a bed by the time you come in Sept.

Here is the couch that I recovered and our cute new little lounge-chair-sofa-thing. Maybe we'll get a chance to use our fire place this winter.
















Welcome to bliss...our relaxing bedroom. The window has been blacked out, so we can take a nap in near darkness in the middle of a sunny AZ afternoon. With our beach-themed room it is only natural to fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing against rocks playing on the stereo. (Im usually asleep in 2 min). The painting on the wall is a Carrie Kunkel original.



















Our kitchen - featuring pictures of Kunkel's Restaurant (unfortunately not in the pic). Good food and lots of coffee made here daily. Yes, even with no children, our frige is covered in magnets and papers.











We got a dinner table!! It was a steal and a deal. We put our 'lil bistro table out on the patio. We got the table from a guy at church and the chairs at IKEA. They dont exactly match, but I think the effect is charming. We'll still play our Tuscan Village CD and imagine we are somewhere exotic.








Our patio - we havent taken advantage of this area much since it has been so hot. We did enjoy a rainstorm one night out on our little outdoor spot. We'll have to get a grill soon! We do have our own fountain outside the patio since a sprinkler's top got knocked off. It is pretty much a geyser every night.

Well, this pretty much wraps up todays tour of apt 1248. Thank you for coming along today. I hoped you enjoyed yourself. Come for the real-life tour anytime you'd like.

Monsoon season is upon us!

When the dust rolls across the desert...when the thermometer reads 118...when lightning ignites wildfires...you're in the heart of Pheonix MONSOON SEASON! I got the chance to see a storm roll in over a lake and golf course...it was so amazing! The power of God was in all of it.

Ryan and I have been working hard. He has been swinging from one shift to another and I have been staying up working on things around the house that I had to finish before I could go to bed!

The floral couch is a thing of the past...I recovered it in a light chenille that is not as loud as the floral print. I'm having fun with time to get back to my creative hobbies.

Ryan and I hiked a trail in South Mountain, the mtn closest to us. We got a later start than we should have and by 11:30 we were coooking. We had a great time and saw some amazing scenery. Thankfully no spiders, scorpions, or rattlesnakes needed to make an appearance for us along our hike.

Well, I have a cold right now, so I hope all of this makes sense despite my foggy head. We miss you all and look forward to any trips you might take to the Southwest!!

ADDRESS:

5102 E Piedmont Road
Apt 1248
Phoenix AZ 85044

Welcome to the Valley of the SUN!! Ryan and I are settling into our apartment here in Ahwatukee. We're loving our new surroundings! There are mountains surrounding us here. Luckily we havent had to suffer through the terrible heat, yet. It has only gotten to 112 so far! Try sitting on a leather seat in a car after it has sat in the sun for a couple of hours! SCALDING. (The reading to the left measures the temperature in the shade and does not reflect the actual temperature in the SUN.)

We visited Sedona 2 hours up north before Ryan started work. The red rocks are really beautiful up there. We didnt have time to get our palms read or have our fortunes told to us or visit one of the "vortexes." But, Ryan got a sweet coyboy hat, I got some cool jewelry, and we got some howling wolves to decorate our apt with.


We found a great church to worship with here. We're blessed to be working with a great group of Christians. Monte Vista church of Christ.

We'll keep you updated on what we are doing around here. More to come soon!