Beautiful Sedona

It was definitely vacation time, and a Judd and Kristen kind of vacation time. So we packed up Judd's car with a bajillion camping supplies, hit the road, and headed to Sedona, Arizona.

We had never been there before, but heard good things about it. One of the first big decisions was where to stay. Judd would have been totally fine camping the whole week, but I wanted a few days at a hotel. Then the big decision was whether to splurge on a resort... or pay less for a cheaper hotel that came with a totally awesome package kayaking deal on the Verde River.

Can't turn down a kayaking adventure!

So we spend a few days hanging around town, and checked out this highly recommended restaurant. I was really excited about it, because you could dine on the patio overlooking the mountains at sunset. But it took almost an hour for a waiter to acknowledge us and bring us drinks, and that was after we politely mentioned it three different times that we were being ignored out on the patio. So we started to walk out, because for what we were going to pay for the meal, it's kind of lame to be waiting that long. And the restaurant wasn't even that busy. But the manager caught us at the door, apologized profusely, and bought us appetizers and drinks. So that's why we're smiling in the picture, free food is always a happy thing!

We realized we didn't really have the right kind of shoes for all the hiking we wanted to do, especially since a lot of it would be in water. So we got these hippie/yuppie shoes (because that's what all the retired rich hippies in Sedona wear all over town, not just for outdoor adventures!). Judd absolutely hated that his were orange at first, but they're growing on him now!

Then we made our camp home sweet home for the next several days!

Check this out... maybe you already know this... but they make pancakes in a can! It's like whip cream... but with pancake batter! I saw it and had to have it. There's very little mess, and they were pretty good!

Slide Rock Park is one of the coolest things about Sedona. It's this trail along a river. In many parts of it, the rocks make natural "slides", hence the name. Families pack this place during the summer, since it's basically a cheap water park, but it was still warm enough in October to try and brave. I posted a few videos so you can see what I mean. I highly recommend it, probably my favorite part of the trip!

I miss colorful leaves!

So each time we go camping, we get more and more creative with our tinfoil dinners. There's very little in them that's actually healthy... but we're on vacation and they're so darn good! So in no particular order... beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, cream of mushroom, Velveeta cheese, mozzarella sticks, pancake batter, salt, pepper, garlic salt, barbecue sauce, brats, and whatever else we had hanging out in the cooler. Top that off with homemade camp ice cream!

Judd going down a rock slide...

And me going down a rock slide. I love the paranoid lady's voice in the background!

How did I forget this post?!?!?!

Lame award of the month goes to yours truly... for forgetting to post about hitting the three year milestone!

 That's right... Judd and I have been married for over 3 years! Our anniversary was July 12, and we celebrated by going to the RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay. I've written a ton of stories about how sustainable it is and all the community stuff celebrity chef Rick Moonen does... but I've never been able to justify spending the big bucks for dinner there. Until Judd got a sweet gift card to Mandalay Bay and we needed somewhere cool to eat for dinner.

 So there we are! I thought my lobster and shrimp pasta was awesome, but Judd says his crab legs were really, really salty. Like they just came out of the sea kind of salty. Which means they're fresh, right?

We then spent the weekend at the Ravaela at Lake Las Vegas, formally the Ritz Carleton. Fun Fact! This was the hotel Judd and I stayed our wedding night :) The pictures I took sucked, so I borrowed some off the website. Much more true to form!

I highly recommend this place. I'd take it over the Strip anytime. Plus, along with their regular pool, they have this hidden beach pool. You have to walk a bit to find it, but it's so worth it.

See what I mean about taking my own pictures? Both Judd and I thought we'd be cute and surprise each other with the other person's favorite snacks. So needless to say, this was not one of our healthier weekends. Although we did work out twice at the gym, so that counts for something.

So it was a great weekend, to honor a fantastic three years! Here's to many, many more. And to learning how to take better self pictures. Although it was pitch black outside so I really couldn't see anything!

Thoughts on Current Events: The world would be a better place if there were more people like Steve Jobs. I've always admired the man for being a great innovator and daring to think to the next level. He inspires me to want to do things bigger and better. I almost cried watching the commencement speech he gave back in 2005. Watch it if you get a chance.

 This Conrad Murray trial is pretty interesting. Even if Michael Jackson was completely hooked on Propofol, clearly there had to be negligence somewhere. I wonder what the outcome will be.

 Speaking of trials, Amanda Knox is home! I totally thought she was guilty of killing her roommate a few years back. But the new evidence brings up more questions than answers. I hope someday, justice can be served to Meredith Kercher.

 Sarah Palin and Chris Christie won't be on our presidential candidate list. So it's basically Mitt Romney at this point, right? I mean, they're not going to drop Rick Perry's racist hunting camp anytime soon. And Michele is basically a joke (what the heck? Don't discourage people from getting the cervical cancer vaccine!!). And does anyone else even have a shot?

 Gossip Girl is back, but the show has gotten kind of dumb. I feel it's lost some of the wittiness that made it awesome a few years back. But it will hold me over until The Bachelor is back. Gosh I watch such awful shows. But one show that is not awful is "New Girl" on FOX. Judd has the biggest crush on Zooey Deschanel who I can admit is pretty adorable. We like the show, it's pretty funny. And Tosh,O, because he reminds us so much of Judd's brother Telly, who's serving in Afghanistan. I think Tosh is his long lost twin.

Cut and Stiched

Once upon a time, back when I used to be a veterinary assistant, a very mean cat came into our hospital. A very nasty, sick cat. It was diagnosed with a deadly kitty disease, so obviously, it was kind of on the cranky side. As I was holding it for the vet, Kitty freaked out, and tried to jump out of my arms. I held on, and got a nice big infected scratch on my shoulder. I had to go to the doctor and get antibiotics. I also had to get the wound drained. I got better, end of story.

Or so I thought.

Fast forward four years. This cyst popped up in the exact location where Kitty scratched me. I got it checked out, and Doc thinks the infection never went away! Thanks Kitty. So I had to get it biopsied, which meant I had to face the greatest fear known to man and womenkind.

I'm absolutely, 100% terrified of needles. They literally make me faint.

Which is really lame, since I used to give injections and draw blood all day. But I guess it's different if you're doing it on someone else.

So I put on my best pitiful face, and begged Judd to take me to the biopsy, even though it was in the middle of his work day. What a stud!

So they got out the cookie cutter needle, did their thing, and was over. I pretty much squeezed the blood out of Judd's hand, I was holding it so tight. BUT... I didn't pass out, and I didn't cry, which either one would have been really embarrassing!

As a reward, we celebrated at Cafe Rio, my least guiltiest pleasure. I justify it in that pretty much everything in it is healthy, and i get two meals out of one burrito!

I have these stitches now, and my shoulder is sore, but other than that, I'm alright, as long as I don't have some nasty cat infection!

My dog is cooler than I, and other thoughts.

Yes, I have come to the conclusion Bindi is indefinitely cooler than I am.
She's a much better athlete, with a bunch of ribbons, metals, awards, and titles to her name. She's been clocked at 30 miles per hour. You can see she's just a blob in that picture of all the guys getting pups ready for last weekend's flyball race!
Plus, she can eat whatever she wants, and doesn't put on anything other than muscle. I miss those days...
I read somewhere that once you have a kid, you realize your dog is just a dog. Don't think that will happen in our case, since about fiftyish percent of our social life revolves around the dog, our dog-loving friends, dog racing events, taking the dog on hikes and the lake, and so on!

Anyways...

Thoughts on current events:

Freed American Hikers: Welcome back to the U.S. I heard the border between North Korea and South Korea is scenic, but that doesn't mean you should check out. Seriously, whose bright idea was it to hike alongside Iran? If they at least took some responsibility for their actions, I'd feel a little more sorry for them.

Lady Gaga took a moment out of the iheartradio concert to pay tribute to a young fan who was driven to kill himself from his bullies. Very touching moment, I highly recommend you YouTube it. I hope you find peace, Jamey.

I'm going nuts without some form of The Bachelor. I need a new show for the next few months. Suggestions?

U.S. Congress... Please get your act together and try to avoid a shutdown. Thank you.

You know Facebook has control of our lives... When its changes are the top news stories. I hated them the first day. But lo and behold, I'm already used to them, even if they're kind of trippy.

Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial starts tomorrow, for the death of Michael Jackson. I'm sure it will be as, if not more wackier than the Casey Anthony trial. Im also curious to know how many of the jurors are secret diehard MJ fans going after blood. And a book deal.

We went to the UNLV vs SUU football game Saturday. You know, the one they were slated to win, but didn't? Will I ever physically witness the Rebels win a game in my lifetime? Every football game I've ever gone to, they've lost! It's a good thing our basketball team is decent. Now if they could only get their top players to stop getting in trouble with the law...

Two Pictures of Two Towers

I have two pictures of the World Trade Center.
The first one is the one I included. It shows the Twin Towers the way I remember them. Strong, massive, never-ending, I remember standing in between them as a kid and just looking up. They seemed to brush the clouds.
I took this picture during the summer of 2001, on a ferry headed to the Statue of Liberty. Back when people went to work and held meetings in the towers. Perhaps they grumbled about the long waits for the elevators, or the tourists clogging up walkways. It was the summer before my freshman year of high school, where I prolonged transitioning into an adult as long as I could.

I don't have the second picture printed, because it is seared in my memory forever. It is a picture of the next time I visited the World Trade Center. It had been several months since the attacks...but the twisted piles of iron and metal were still there, waiting to be sorted through. There were construction vehicles about, but other then them, the site was eerily silent. Hundreds of smiling faces peered at me...through the yellowed and crinkled missing persons fliers still up. Fliers of moms and dads and kids and friends, who went to work and didn't come home.
I don't need a photograph to remind me.

It's been ten years, but I think at least for me, it will always feel like yesterday. It was a defining moment in my life, as I'm sure it was for most. The weeks I spent glued to the television fueled my passion for the news and my respect for those working hard to tell the stories. It made me want to hug every firefighter, police officer, and first responder, and say "THANK YOU for caring enough to be willing to put your life out there for us!" It made me fiercely proud to be an American. It made me want to find the good in everyone, as ordinary people did extraordinary things that day.

Never Forget.

Also this summer...

This is how I blog. I don't do anything for weeks, then write out a whole bunch of catch-up blogs at once, preferably with a bunch of pictures so in case my house burns down, the internet will have saved my photos and memories.

So other summer tidbits...
We've been trying to get our money's worth out of the paddle boat. Seriously, who walks into a sporting goods store looking for hot dog pokers, and walks out with a boat? Seriously. But so far, it's my favorite impulse buy. Plus, it introduced us to how awesome Lake Mead is. I seriously thought the lake was diseased for years and you would get sick if you swam in it. Turns out, there's actually some halfway decent beaches, if you're willing to make the drive.









We're loving the new house. It's like 90% put together to my satisfaction. When it's at 95ish, I'll post pictures!

We went to Country Fest with Sierra and Darren!






It was a blast, and introduced me to this guy.




If I were 19 again, I'd totally have a humongous crush on Hunter Hayes. But since I'm *gulp* too old for him... I'll just stick with he's a good singer.

Oh, and Dierks Bentley was there too. I never knew I knew so many of his songs.



Overall, great show! Even Judd, who really doesn't like country music, enjoyed himself.

Let's see, other than that...
Being a vampire has gotten easier. I'm really liking the morning show, and I've even gotten to do a little on camera work recently, which is NERVEWRACKING... but totally aweasome. I still haven't watched it back though, I'm afraid it will make me all self conscious.

No answers yet on all my religious issues. I'm still working on that.

We're serious about this working out stuff. And eating better stuff. For real this time. I'd like to think it's showing!

Oh, and we paid off both our cars this month! Just in time for my lame student loans to kick in. I can't complain too much though, there was a time those loans were keeping us afloat.


Thoughts on Current Events:

Journalists freed in Libya! Sometimes when I think it would be cool to go international, I think about stuff like that. It's still exciting to me though. I hope that country can finally come together.

Las Vegas is experiencing a record breaking heat wave this week. Yesterday was supposed to be the hottest day of the year. Honestly, once you get into those triple digits, hot is hot is hot.

An earthquake hit the east coast. Personally, I think the media over-did it when it came to reporting the story. It wasn't that bad, right? I wasn't there, so I really don't know. This made me laugh though:



In all seriousness to my East Coast friends (and I am one of you so you know I love you!), I'd probably be freaked out a bit if an earthquake struck when I was least expecting it. But right now, if I were on the east coast, I'd be more worried about Hurricane Irene. Which I am, because apparently Cape Cod is right in her path.

It's Bachelor Pad time. The ultimate, sleeziest, guiltiest pleasure show around! I thought this girl was freakin' psycho during Brad's second season of the Bachelor (but loved her anyways!).



SO once again, I'm Team Michelle! At least she says it like it is, and you know she's there for "the right reasons."

Some beach, somewhere...

There's very few things in life that make me happier than this particular beach.



Or fishing in this ocean.




Or wreaking havoc with this girl.




Or eating this meal.




Or walking these flats.


Or being out on this boat with this family.



Actually... just being on the boat to begin with...



Or watering thousands of runners with these fine folks.



Or saying goodnight to this moon.



Here's to another nearly perfect Cape Cod summer!
The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if Judd was able to go with me.
But he knows he's moving me to Massachusetts someday, preferably within this decade, so that's okay.