Usually the days leading up to Christmas are a time of stress and laying awake at night making countless lists in my head of all that still needs to be done. But as I finally sit down and take a deep breath after a long and busy day, I’m not as exhausted as you’d think I’d be. Instead, I’m happy… content… peaceful. I know I have more reasons to be happy than I can count. But, just for tonight… here are a few of my top reasons.

#1) I spent the night with my Flagstaff family tonight. Their daughter is a senior and has a huge math final tomorrow so I went out to deliver their Christmas goodies, eat some free dinner, and tutor Erica. I seriously love this family because they love life and being a part of their family feels so natural. Kim, the mom, is like a big sister to me and is always there if I need a hug or a listening ear; Paul, the dad, is so out of control that you can’t help but laugh at him and egg him on. Tonight, he was pretending to be pissed that his tamales had olives in them. Mine for some reason had none and when I pointed this small fact out he informed me he’d puke on me and make me clean it up if he found another olive in his tamale. Absurd, I know… but you have to just be there to experience this house of love and chaos. Click To Continue Reading…

Well, it’s officially December first which means my month long Nablopomoing has come to an end. No more pressure to post every day or late night musings of what to post about. I should feel relieved, right? Excited? But, instead… I feel sad. Like I’ve said goodbye to an old friend. So while Nablopomo is over, my blogging will not be. I can’t promise that I’ll post every single day, but I’m gonna try. Guess I still have things to say.

Well, I’m packed up and ready to leave Willcox. It’s been a great weekend and I’ll post pictures when I get home tonight. Now I have 350 miles to drive. Hopefully, traffic won’t be so bad, and it won’t be snowing. We’ll see…

He claims he’s laughing…

But it’s truly painful when the Mom’s get involved. I can only imagine what’s going through my father’s head as he watches on.

And it’s Rena – for the win…

I love the zoo. It’s always been a place that I love to go. Maybe its the various types of animals, the fact my dad is a science teacher, or maybe that I just feel more at home. While at the annual ResNet Symposium for work I got to spend an afternoon at the zoo…. So amazing! I saw the pandas(twice), polar bears, tons of primates, a giraffe baby and so many more animals. Here are a few pics…