Road Trip

Jason's brother Kurt is a lover of history and all things Old West. It was his first trip to Arizona, so we decided to take a road trip south, stopping at random sights along the way to Tombstone, AZ.
Here are some of our stops:

Stop 1: Red Rocks, Sedona, AZ


Stop 2: Waylon Jennings Grave, Mesa, AZ
Jason and Kurt's father is a big fan of Waylon Jennings and other classic country stars. He passed along this love of music to both Kurt and Jason.


Stop 3: Blue Adobe Grill, also in Mesa, Arizona
Yummy salsa, chile rellenos, and enchiladas for our Midwest guests!


Stop 4: Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Farm, Pinocho, Arizona
Rated a top "road side attraction" we stopped out to stretch our legs and feed some animals half-way from Phoenix to Tucson. The Ostrich were pretty mean little suckers, but the deer and donkey were very sweet.






Feeding the Lorikeets was a little outside my comfort zone, but they LOVED Kasia!


Stop 5: Historic Train stop and Hotel Congress, Tucson, Arizona.
Posing with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday




Stop 6: Bisbee, AZ
Bisbee is an old mining town about 1 hour south of Tucson. The old buildings are built inside and up one side of a canyon, creating some interesting and very steep roadways. We stayed overnight in Bisbee, enjoyed a pint of Johnny's Electric Lager (brewed in Bisbee, AZ) at the Bisbee Grand Hotel Saloon and dinner at the delicious Cafe Roka.




Saturday morning Kasia and I perused the antique stores and unique boutiques before we all enjoyed brunch at The Savory Spot. The weather was gorgeous and it was a great place to unwind after a long day of driving.






Stop 7: Tombstone, AZ

On Saturday we headed over to the main attraction, Tombstone, AZ. Here are some of the different sites:

Boothill Graveyard. We found grave markers for the McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton who were shot in the famous gunfight at the OK Corral.


Wyatt Earp's house. The cement structure on the left of the building was the original Earp house. The shingled building on the right was later added. Most of the original houses from the Earp settlement were burned in a fire in 1882; they are continuing to renovate and recreate the original structures.


Before heading home we watched a reenactment of the shootout at OK Corral and walked up and down the main street of Tombstone.




Me and my cowboy!


Jason and I would not have considered a trip to Tombstone on our own, but we are happy we went. It has a pretty heavy "cheese" factor, but we shared a lot of great laughs and interesting experiences with two wonderful people. Jason, I, and Maddie hope that Kasia and Kurt can come back to visit again soon!

xoxo

Thanksgiving 2010

Jason and I have so much to be thankful for this year. Good jobs, supportive family, each other, and not to be forgotten, Maddie. We are also abundantly thankful for a visit from Jason's brother Kurt and his girlfriend Kasia for the Thanksgiving 2010 holiday. Kurt and Kasia live in Chicago so it's a great treat when we get the opportunity to spend time together.


They arrived in Flagstaff Thanksgiving day (sneaking in just behind a snow fall) and we enjoyed a traditional home cooked feast - turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, carrots, cranberry sauce, polished off with yummy red wine and a homemade sweet potato pie. Everyone seemed to have a great time and Maddie made a new best friend in Kasia:


The bird:


Sweet potato pie with a meringue topping. It was delicious (if I do say so myself)! Find Paula Dean's old fashioned sweet potato pie recipe on Foodnetwork.com. I followed it pretty closely, but used Splenda for the pie filling
(real sugar in the meringue). I also forgot to add the butter (I found it melted in the microwave the next morning -- haha) and I think it turned out even better than the recipe with butter.


I hope everyone had a fulfilling Thanksgiving Holiday. Jason and I continue to be thankful for each of you throughout the year!

Details in the next post about our post-Thanksgiving road trip to Southern Arizona...

New Guitar

Jason finally spent his birthday money on a new Seagull acoustic guitar. As you can see, it's a beautiful guitar and makes really nice sound. Looking forward to our Hemmer jam sessions!

Baaah-ston

Jason had to work much of the weekend in Boston, but I had plenty of fun for the two of us! My good friend and former coworker at Clemson, Maria, met me Friday evening and I had some dinner and drinks with her and a few other former coworkers. I also got to talk to a few of my former students for a few moments on Friday night and after their game on Saturday. The outcome to the contest vs. Boston College could have been a bit better, but it was really great to see Maria and the boys. I miss them and it's great to be able to keep in touch.


Saturday night we took the T downtown to Faneuil Hall and the North End Italian District. Maria and I outside the Ames Plow Tavern:


We tried to go to my FAVORITE restaurant of all time, Neptune Oyster, but the wait was almost 2 hours:( Luckily Jason and I will be back in Boston December 23rd, and I will be getting their delicious buttered lobster roll for lunch.

The leaves were beautiful in Boston. A little past their peak, but some very gorgeous red, orange and yellow leaves on trees, in the street, and blowing in the wind. This picture is from Boston College's campus, a line of bright red trees.

Beers in the Bathtub

Jason got a Mr. Beer brewing kit from Richard for his 30th birthday so we have 12 giant plastic beers fermenting in our spare bathroom. Now all we need is some ice...

The dedicated scientist he is, Jason started a beer brewing log book to track his beer's progress. This batch (his first) should be ready for taste testing at Thanksgiving -- perfect timing!

Jason heads to Boston on Friday for a conference and (on an impulse) I've decided to join him! My friend Maria (also on an impulse) is joining me and we are going to the Clemson v. BC game on Saturday. Boston is my absolute favorite city in the world and I cannot wait for some lobster, lager, fall leaves and football! Jason stays until Wednesday, but I (unfortunately) will come home on Sunday. It is a short trip, but I plan on maximizing my 40 hours in the City on the Hill!

Have a great weekend and a Happy Halloween!
xoxo

Running Update

Took this picture on Saturday in Buffalo Park (hence the giant Buffalo). As mentioned earlier, Jason and I are training for a 5K December 12th in Phoenix. Minor case of shin-splints aside the training is moving along. I love running in Buffalo Park because it's a dirt trail instead of paved and you get great panoramic views of the San Francisco Peaks. We are up to alternating 8 minute jog with 5 minute walk, making progress every week.

The 5K we plan to participate in supports Toys for Tots and has a Christmas theme. Bearing in mind this is Phoenix in December (average temp. of 66 degrees), any suggestions for some Christmas themed running outfits?

Mini-Vaca

Last Friday - Tuesday we were in Fort Myers, Florida. Jason flew in from Spain and we met my parents and Richard. We saw Tim for a few moments after his two soccer games. I didn't get any pictures with the stud himself, but took this at Stetson University, outside of Orlando, Fl.



Other than leaving for soccer games we relaxed on the beautiful beach and walked for fresh seafood. The "town" area of Fort Myers Beach was horrible, but we were in a more isolated region of the beach that was clean, quiet and very relaxing.


We ate oysters, shrimp, squid, fish and just about any other seafood we could get our hands on. Outside the "Fish House" after lunch.


Ahhh...


Jason left on Monday morning for a few days in Canada and I came back to Arizona on Tuesday. He came home Thursday night and Maddie and I were SO glad to see him!

Enjoying a relaxing weekend around home-- xoxo