by laura beth

We hung out with the Odoms for a couple of days (Ashley, Scott, Laina, and Conan the Whippet). We had a wonderful time visiting, found a geocache nearby, and got to witness Scott successfully put in a sprinkler system for their future lawn. Not common in Tucson. Ashley and Scott live in the foothills area of Tucson, and it is really beautiful. The neighborhoods are rustic but quaint, houses are separated by washes and little patches of earth, cacti, creosote, and other desert life. The tiny, windy roads run willy-nilly through the hills and are full of potholes from the monsoon rains. There are lizards and rabbits scurrying here and there, and the coyotes howl at night. For some reason, it always reminds me of that scene from ¡Three Amigos!, when they're camped out in the desert with the tortoise, owl, coyote, and singing horses.


We spent the next few days with our friend Forrest Fallows. We always have fun with Forrest. We found another geocache in Forrest's neighborhood near downtown. Later that afternoon we went to a barbecue/pool party. The house belonged to Forrest's friend Mike. Neither Forrest nor us really knew the crowd (which was generally younger than us by several years), but we made a few new friends and had a really fun time. Kenny was definitely the favorite among a few of the guys, due to his impressive beard. After the party we had a late night meal at El Guero Canelo. The next morning we went to Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. Forrest introduced us to the Orthodox Church when we visited him last Spring (2008) in Tucson, so it was nice to visit again. This time we had a different frame of reference, after attending Saint Barnabas for almost 6 months. After the liturgy, we joined Forrest and a few friends at a French cafe for lunch. Two of the friends we met are Ashley and Adam, sister and brother, both musicians. Their father is the priest at Holy Resurrections. Check out Forrest's music here, Ashley's music here and Adam's music here. Anyhoo, the Tucson visit was as good as ever. Good friends and good fun. Tucson is one of my favorite cities thus far, and this visit reaffirmed that. We are in Naco, AZ. More about that later.

by laura beth

I love Nick Drake's music, and it's really hot, and tomorrow is Saturday. And there will be a big, hot sun. I thought this fitting.

by laura beth

We spent a week with Erica, Shawn, and the kids after leaving California. Phoenix is hot. I can't handle the hot. But we had a lot of fun. Elisa came down from Cottonwood for a few days, and it was nice to see her as well. We were able to go to Xander's Kindergarten graduation and pool party, ate a lot of watermelon, went on a hike with Erica, Xander, Ava, and a few of the kids Erica provides daycare for, watched some movies-including My Bloody Valentine 3D!, and spent two glorious days at Cibola Vista. Erica and Shawn are time share owners at Cibola Vista, which makes for awesome "staycations". It's amazing that even in the rough economy (both Erica and Shawn lost their jobs to cutbacks last year), we were able to stay at a pretty darn nice resort. We had visits from Kenny's cousin Leticia, her two girls Isabel and Sophia, and her mother-in-law, our friends Joe and Amber Mieras, our friend Jamie Meyer and his son Asher, and Todd Behlow. We spent most of the at the pool and waterslide. It was a perfect escape from the relentless Phoenix heat. It's always nice to spend time with Erica and Shawna and the kids, and Elisa. I wish we could see them more often. Unfortuneatly we were unable to make it up to Cottonwood to visit the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Maybe next time. On to Tucson!

by laura beth

I missed last Friday's post, so I'm playing catch up. Melissa is my older sister, and she has two girls, Melanie and Olivia. They're meeting us in Texas for a week in June and I can't wait to see them! These photos of Olivia were taken last Spring and Summer.

by laura beth

I'm not a huge fan of Orange County, but everywhere we go there are always things that make it hard to leave. Here are a few of the things we will miss after being in the OC for 6 months:

Heather Kelly, Matt and Chris Rice, Mike Merryman. We are blessed with such wonderful people for friends. I wish we could take them all with us.

The whole family: Grandma, Laurie, Brett & Cathi, Chase, Carrie, Caleb, Emma, Sarah, Aaron, Christine, Madisyn, MacKynzie, Caden, Nathan, Christina. We love you all!


Saint Barnabas Orthodox Church and all of our new friends there. All of them. Thank you all for your time, patience, conversation, and generosity. Jesus does shine through you all!

This pair of shoes on the wires on Primrose Drive. They've been there a long time. I saw them everyday and still wonder who they belonged to.


This stretch of the sidewalk on Primrose Drive. When I walked to and from work at Claire's, I would always make sure to walk by this flower bed. The photos don't do it justice-it's an amazing jungle of flowers and succulents and such a refreshing change from the surrounding neat and trim landscapes.



Fruits and veggies from the farmer's market. Fresh, inexpensive, good every time.

In-N-Out. Kenny loves him some burgers, I go for the fries well, occasionally animal style.

Star Pines (Norfolk Island Pines). Trees with branches that grow in a star shape. What could be better?


Jacaranda trees. What amazing color. They cover the streets and parked cars with beautiful purple snow. I wish I would have tried to get some better photos.



The ice cream truck. It drives through Grandma's neighborhood every afternoon around 2:00, playing "Do Your Ears Hang Low?". On our last afternoon in California, after getting hot, sweaty, and dirty from packing up the moho, Kenny and I bought some icy treats from the truck-a first for me. I had Blue Bunny Double Lemon Chill Cup, Kenny had a Jolly Rancher Watermelon Cup. I kind of wish we would have taken advantage of this sooner. Yummy!



Goodbye California, see you soon?