Thursday, July 24, 2008

A Few Days Get Away

Jason and I ran away to Flagstaff, AZ for a couple of days this week! We had such a great time. On our way there, we stopped at an antique store in Payson. Actually, we passed it and Jason turned around and I was HAPPY! It was a huge store with lots of cool stuff, but found it to be pretty pricey. I'm to cheap.....don't really like to pay a lot for "junk"! But as I was wandering around Jason found me and he had 3 books in his hand. All of them were about women and ranching. How sweet......bonus for sister-in-laws who enjoy those types of books as well!

As we pressed on our journey, we happened into a saddle shop in Camp Verde. Jason was like a kid in a candy store! They had lots, and lots of stuff as well, new and used. We ended up with a few used items and headed out.

Our destination was actually Mormon Lake which we made it there safe and sound. We met up with the Smith's and others, ate some dinner, visited, and then headed to our room. Tammy had booked our room for us and we were in the Roundup Rooms. It was a long building with four rooms. Tammy's dad was on the end, then Stephen's parents, then us, and another room on the end. Very small, but quaint rooms with a good bed. We bunked down for the night, and we were both reading the new books that Jason had purchased when our "other" neighbors showed up.

First they come stomping down the front porch, opened up the door to their room, the man (excuse me for including this, but you need to the full picture) passed gas loudly, then they began their conversation. It didn't take long to figure out that they were intoxicated. Bonus! The walls were paper thin, so it was like they were standing in our room.

They couldn't believe that the room didn't have a TV! And how small the room was, and that he promised to get a better cabin next time. And how they would like to have room service in the morning that included champagne......like they really needed more to drink. Then the door opens, and someone leaves, comes back, and now we get a radio blasting!

Finally, Jason gets up and gets dressed and goes back down to the restaurant to see if you could change rooms. Small place, and the reservations office was closed this time of night. Some punk of a kid told Jason that they were all booked for the night. So Jason comes back to the room, and we decided that maybe things would get better.......well, they didn't. Things got so X-rated that we packed our stuff and drove 30 minutes into Flagstaff! And we hoped that Stephen's parents hadn't heard anything b/c it was so loud they might have thought that it was us!

We ended up with a great room in Flag. The next morning we called the lodge to let them know that we did not spend the night there last night, and to cancel our room for that night. The manager was very kind and helpful, wanted to know who Jason had talked to b/c they did have rooms available and we should have been moved, and that they would give us a free night. All of that was great, but we decided that we liked our quiet room in town!

Later that afternoon, we went back to the lake for Will and Trisha's wedding. It all turned out very well. Except, that she didn't have a photographer and I ended up taking a lot of pictures with another girl. Actually, I had a lot of fun doing it, but it's not that same as having someone who knows what they are doing! I sure hope that they turned out, but we did take an awful lot of pictures! (sorry, Will) And I got some more good Hagen time! That is one of the cutest little boys ever!

We took our time coming home yesterday, we went through Cottonwood, to Jerome which is a cool little town. It was established in 1876 (same as A&M I was told) on a mountain side. Now, if you have ever been to Bisbee that is steep, but this is insane! Cool place to see if you ever get the chance. From there we went to Prescott, to another saddle shop. Again, Jason- kid in a candy store. Then we headed back home around Roosevelt Lake, which is almost 100% full! It was beautiful, but it really made us just want to be on the lake fishing!


We really had a great time just exploring this wonderful state! You really don't have to drive long before the scenery changes. And between Steve Lindsey (the pastor who did the ceremony) and Jason, I laughed almost the whole time! And if you get the chance, ask Jason about the girl who hit on him! He'll try to blow it off, but I've got witnesses and good ones, Tammy and Stephen! Tommy saw it too, but he thought that it was cool....not so much me though. ;)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Here are some pictures of wheat harvest before the rain set in. This is Jason in the combine in front of me on the grain buggy.
"When you're the grain buggy driver the view never changes." If you look closely you can see another combine heading towards us on the left of Jason.
We were able to get some help this year, and that is R.L. fixing to dump his load onto the buggy.

OK.....can't believe that I'm going to say this, but this rain sure is a pain! We have 60 acres of alfalfa that we can't get baled and out of the field, and wheat that is too wet to get out of the field. It has been cloudy all day, everyday, since Saturday. But I guess that the bright side it is only 60 acres of alfalfa, and 100 acres of wheat. How can rain be such a blessing and a curse all at the same time? And I also can't complain too loudly knowing that the people in the Midwest would trade our problems for theirs any day!

Just a quote that I found that made me think of some women in my life!
"If a woman is sufficiently ambitious, determined and gifted - there is practically nothing she can't do." -Helen Lawrenson