As always Zac has great taste when it comes to music, and on my last voyage to the homeland of cotton, cows, and copper, he introduced me to one of my favorite new songs. I don’t listen to country music all day every day, but it’s hard to be in Willcox and not want to roll the windows down and drive slowly through town listening to country music. Something wonderful has been in the air as of late, and this song expresses that sentiment perfectly.  So listen! Watch!  Love!  Live!  And it’d sure be nice if you would roll with me.

Montgomery Gentry - Roll With Me

Wake up in the morning
Get to living my life
Making sure that Im all that I can be
Went to church on Sunday
There was a moment that came
I swear it was like the Lord spoke right to me

So now I’m slowing it down and I’m looking around
And I’m lovin’ this town and I’m doing alright
Aint’ worried ’bout nothing except the man I wanna be
I’m thinking it’s time to be livin’ the rhyme
When I’m singing a song about nothing but right
And it’d sure be nice if you would roll with me

Saw a kid last winter only twenty years old
Being laid to rest while his mom stood by his side
Sure was hard to watch those tears roll down her face
Made me think how we all just have our time

So now I’m slowing it down and I’m looking around
And I’m lovin/ this town and I’m doing alright
Aint’ worried ’bout nothing except the man I wanna be
I’m thinking it’s time to be livin’ the rhyme
When I’m singing a song about nothing but right
And it’s sure be nice if you would roll with me

Who knows whats ahead
I think I’d rather not know instead

So now I’m slowing it down and I’m looking around
And I’m lovin this town and I’m doing alright
Aint’ worried ’bout nothing except the man I wanna be
I’m thinking it’s time to be livin’ the rhyme
When I’m singing a song about nothing but right
And it’s sure be nice if you would roll with me

Here’s my mom on the couch, loving the way the Vicodin courses through her veins.  At any point in time during her recovery naps, you could find at least one animal sometimes 2-3 curles up beside her keeping watch.  My job… keep them from sleeping on her foot.

Six days ago I loaded my car with dirty laundry and driving music and headed south to be with my mom during and after her foot surgery. I had a plan of helping out around the house and cooking meals since mom would be semi-immobile for the first 72 hours. Little did I know that our church family and longtime friends would show my family the love that they did and that my purpose would be fellowship and not cooking. From day 1 of my mom’s recovery, there was no cooking that needed to be done at our house. Carli, a coworker of my brother’s and longtime family friend, had put together a huge tray of amazing enchiladas with the sweetest ‘instructions’ on the lid for my family to eat the day of the surgery. Saturday and Sunday brought more home cooked Mexican food from friends at my hometown church, and Monday a delicious apple tart was delivered to our doorstep. Rumor has it pizza made its way to our dinner table yesterday after I left, and chicken and dumplings will be delivered tomorrow. I’ve always felt blessed to have the loving friends and close-knit church family that I do in Willcox, but my gratitude today comes from the simple fact that even when I can’t be there, I know they are taking care of the people that mean the most to me.

I swore to myself that no matter how open and honest I strive to be here there are some subjects that are just too personal to discuss. However, I can’t help but gush to you about the new love in my life. He’s got dark hair and eyes. He’s sweet and cuddly and makes me oh so happy.  All of my family is head over heels in love with him, and I would give anything to make him mine forever.  But, alas, our love will never be (stupid apartment complex rules). Meet Hendrix. Isn’t he a doll?!?!

While it seems too soon after my trip to SD to ask for time off, I headed to Willcox last night for the next four or so days.  You see, my mom’s finally having foot surgery, and while I’m confident she doesn’t need me there… I need to be there.  It’s a daughter thing.  There will be no guest bloggers this time around.  I couldn’t bear to have to ask another favor of them, so you may just have to wait for new posts if there is no internet to steal at my parents’ house.  Unless that is, I creep in the Super8 parking lot and steal their internet.  I wonder if that would make me a ‘webmo’. Hmm…

I never miss my hometown more than I do in the fall. At least once a year, Mom and I head out to Apple Annie’s for peaches, handmade goodies and the best apples in Arizona. A few more miles down Ft Grant Road and you can go on a hayride, pick the perfect carving pumpkin, and purchase tons of other homegrown vegetables. This year for the first time Apple Annie’s has created a massive corn-maze, the largest in our fine state.  When Zac told me about it, I was amazed at the detail an eighteen-acre field.  So if you happen to be heading east past Tucson and need a fun family activity, take a detour past my hometown and see what Apple Annie’s has to offer.

Walking into the grocery store the other night, I had to hang up on my mom to take a picture of the sky.  There’s just something about this time of year that makes you want to stay outside as the sun sets in hopes you’l get the gift of such a sunset.  In typical Flagstaff fashion, by the time I exited the store 15 minutes later it was raining so hard the 50 foot jog to car had me soaked through a sweater and two tank tops down to my bra.