Northern Arizona University

Sunday, the girls and I took a road trip to Flagstaff to check out the NAU campus.

Shelby's boyfriend went with us. His brother attends NAU, and lives in the dorms, so we were able to get a great tour of the campus. We were able to see several of the dorms, the fitness center, the dining facilities, and most of the campus.

This is Shelby, and her very tall boyfriend Josh.

Here is Stormy in one of the food courts, adjacent to the cafeteria. They have better food choices on campus than my entire town!

It's a beautiful campus...except for the SNOW!

Are those icicles? Brrrrr...

Here is where Shelby will be spending most of her time...

Here is the Skydome, where all the sporting events are held. Notice the Lumberjack.

I still can't get over the fact that they will be Lumberjacks!

All in all, it was a day well spent. We even managed to find the mall in town, which could have been the deal breaker for Stormy. Fortunately, it passed muster. The town of Flagstaff is adorable, and has everything they will need. Including a Grey Hound bus station.

Cheers,

Christine

Lumberjacks?

Guess what came in the mail yesterday!

Can you guess?



Shelby's acceptance letter to NAU!

She is going to be a Lumberjack!

Lumberjack? That's the best they could do? At least I'm a grizzly. Does this mean I have to buy her flannel shirts? Good Lord I hope not. Shelby doesn't look good in plaid.

One down, one to go!

Cheers,
Christine

Meet Frank!

This is Frank.

Frank is a new (hopefully temporary) addition to our household.

Because of his squished up little face, he snorts when you pet him. I already like him!

Frank is a Himalayan Persian. Frank is a rescue...he was being seriously neglected in his previous home. I received a pitiful cry for help from his previous, previous (10 year old) owner to "Please Save Frank". How do you say no to that?

Smokey says it should have been real easy to say no. He's giving me the cold shoulder now.

Remember "Wild Kingdom"? I have decided that Summer is Marlon Perkins, and I am Jim. She gets to do all the cool narrative, and I end up wrestling the alligator. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Cheers,

Christine

Quick, Somebody Google Carnitas!

Tonight, dinner was Carnitas Tacos with Saffron Rice and corn on the cob with Chili Lime Butter. None of that was what I had planned for the pork loin I got out of the fridge at noon, it just sort of happened. I love surprises like that.

I had originally planned to roast the pork loin, either in the oven or our handy dandy garage sale rotisserie. But as I was trimming the roast, I realized I was in the mood for Mexican. So I cut the meat into large chunks, seasoned with garlic and chili powder, and browned the meat in the dutch oven in some vegetable oil.

Then I through the dutch oven into the oven to finish cooking, while I debated what to do with it. Chili Verde? Chili Colorado? Ahhh, how about Carnitas? So I through in more garlic, some onions, cumin, and chili powder, and let it cook about 3 hours at 350 degrees.

Once the meat is nice and browned, bring back up to the stove top on low heat...

Mix in all those drippings...that's what makes this so good!

And shred the meat. We did this with a potato masher, but spoons and/or forks would have worked just fine.

Meanwhile, I ran to the store, so that we would have some tasty toppings.

Cilantro, diced onion, avocado, salsa Verde, and fresh lime juice.

Then decided that some chili lime butter would be a great topping to some corn on the cob. Just mix soft butter with chili powder to taste and fresh lime juice.

Don't be shy with the chili power. It really makes the corn "pop"!

Then shape into a log with some plastic wrap and put in the fridge. It will re-harden pretty quickly.

Now, just put your taco together anyway you like. I like everything on mine.

The chili lime butter was excellent on the corn.

Not too bad for a last minute dinner!

Cheers,

Christine

Cats, Caverns and Cars

So, what do you do on a cold, rainy Sunday in Arizona?

Well, if you're us, you head out on old Route 66 and see what turns up!

Our first stop was Keepers of the Wild in Valentine. A "rescue" wild animal park.

Keepers got it's start by rescuing large cats that had been in Las Vegas shows, but their owners no longer had any use for them.

Despite the look of the fences, these animals actually have very large enclosures of natural landscape to roam in.

Summer loved these big cats.

This big cat did NOT love Summer!

I'm a sucker for the wolves.

There were many other types of animals, but we didn't get to see them all...

Because of the snow! Yes, we got snowed on...in Arizona!

So, we headed back out on ol' Route 66 and ended up in Peach Springs.

Home of the Grand Canyon Caverns.

Fun Fact: Peach Springs was the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the Disney/Pixar movie Cars.

So, we jumped on the elevator and descended 220 feet below the surface for a 3/4 mile tour of the worlds largest "dry cavern".

Fun Fact: These caverns were a planned fall out shelter for the Cuban Missile Crisis. There are still supplies down there from that time.

Gotta come here in the Summer when it's 115 degrees at home.

This, of course, was the highlight of the tour for Summer. Ewwww!

Once we had enough subterranean fun, back on the highway we headed.

We ended up in Seligman, another quaint Route 66 town.

Did you know this is an Edsel? Me neither. But the hubby did.

This one too. I guess that's cool if you're a car guy.

I really wanted to eat here, but there were closed. Ran out of roadkill apparently.

This made me very thirsty!

Yes, that says 1,280,000 shots of Moonshine

Well, that was enough tourist fun for us. Only took us 5 years here to get out and explore our own backyard. Maybe next time, we'll head for the Grand Canyon. I've heard there is some cool stuff there too!

Christine

New Years Resolutions

All told, I'm not a big fan of New Years Resolutions. Oh sure, I've made my share of them in the past. All the standard ones: lose weight, save money, volunteer more, etc. Most of those failed early on in the year. A few years ago, I decided to make a resolution that would be easier to keep. I resolved to accessorize more. And I did pretty good on that one...wore earrings almost every day. But alas, that one eventually fell by the wayside as well.

This year, while there are plenty of lifestyle changes I would like to make, I had no intention of making a New Years Resolution. I had plenty of things I wanted to change without the added pressure of failing. Considering Stormy's new vow to be a vegetarian, I wanted to focus our meals, and my cooking style, on a more healthful, and more vegetarian way of thinking. And I'm making good progress with that. Yesterdays culinary contributions included a vegan black bean soup, vegan white bean dip, whole wheat pita chips, and a plethora of fresh vegetables and "soy" products from the grocery store. Of course, there is a vast difference between me preparing vegetarian meals and my children eating them!

Another change I wanted to make was to actually use the complete gym that fills my garage. Oh, it's a beautiful gym too! Any and all equipment you could want for a complete work out experience. Treadmill, weight machines, free weights, exercise balls, even a carpeted floor. We've had it two years. Until 3 days ago, I had never used it. Ever.

Saturday, I decided it was time. And this is what led to me making a damn New Years Resolution. But I understand the limits, not only of my body, but the limits to my available time. And most importantly, I understand the limits of my commitment level. It borders on non-existent.

So I realize that I'll never have 6-pack abs. Who needs 'em? I know, without a doubt, that jiggle proof thighs are not in my future...and I'm okay with that.

But there is one thing I desperately want, and I honestly believe could be in my future. And based on an article posted on the doors of the women's restrooms here at work, people who share their resolutions are 12% more likely to succeed...So, here is my New Years Resolution.

I want Rock Star Arms. You know the ones. When you watch the actresses at the award shows walk down the aisle in a strapless gown, they have beautiful arms. Not bulky, but still muscular. And they don't have that "back fat" that lumps up over their bra straps in the back. When they wave to the crowd, their arms don't keep waving long after they are done. That's what I want!

Which is exactly why I have spent the last 3 days, including 5:15 am this morning, in my gym. Which is exactly why I spent hours at the computer burning CD's of music that I hoped would keep me motivated in the gym. Which is exactly why I cannot even pick up a pencil today.

So I have shared my resolution. Based on the earlier mentioned article, I now have a 12% chance of meeting my goals!

I hope none of you were silly enough to make a New Years Resolution. But if you did, feel free to share it with me, and up your odds of success!

Happy New Year!
Christine

Geography Lessons

Did you know that Arizona State public schools rank 50th out of 50? It's true! Let me give you just a little taste of our education system hard at work.

Below is an actual conversation I had with Stormy last night. I did NOT take creative license...this is exactly how the conversation went. She was reading a book, and I wasn't doing much of anything.

Storm: "Is Florence in Italy?"

Me: "Uh huh"

Storm: "Is Italy in France?"

Me: "Huh? No!"

Storm: "Is France in Italy?"

Me: "No Baby. They are two separate countries. Like Canada and the US."

Storm: "I didn't know France was a country!"

I swear to God, that is verbatim what she said. And these girls are going away to top rated Universities in the fall? You know what this means don't you? It means they are going to flunk out first semester and have to COME HOME!

Quick! Does anybody out there have some good homeschooling books? What are the chances I can catch them up in the next 6 months?

Help me!
Christine