Press-KIT

Last week, Paul attended what he dubbed a "crazy, mind voo-doo, hypnosis shooting course" up in Presscott. The course was apparently very effective, despite its less-than-conventional methods, and even if it hadn't been it would have still been a great reason to get out of Tucson. The weekend directly following the course, we had plans to attend a wedding in southern Utah. So rather than have Paul drive four hours south to Tucson, only to get in the car that same day and make the 9-hour trip to Utah, I drove up to Prescott two days before the wedding.

I had nothing to do all day while in Prescott, which wasn't much different than not having anything to do all day in Tucson, except it was 15 degrees cooler. So I made my own fun! (Note: I am not complaining! I LOVE summer break and I don't want anything to do!)

I like Prescott a lot. It feels like home, just like the signs boast. The people are really friendly and kind- every time I sat down to try to read in the park or drink coffee at a cafe, someone would notice I was from out of town and come say hi.They were even nice to me when I said "Press-cot" instead of the (obviously) correct "Press-kit." I would be indignant, but I come from a state where "Sequim" is "squim," "Kalaloch" is "clay-lock," and names like Puyallup, Nisqually, Snohomish, Snoqualmie and Samamish are common (Let's not forget Humptulips, Skamanaia, Pe Ell, Utsalady, Washtucna,Wahkiacus Klickitat, Kittitas,Skookumchuck Quillayute, Pysht, or La Push).

Anyway, like I was saying: I like Prescott, especially because there is water!

My original plan was to go kayaking on my first morning in town, but the water level was too low and the rental company was closed for the season. So instead I found some hiking trails and went around the lake, which was a bit hotter but still fun.

I managed to make a friend at the lake.  I scared him upon our first encounter, so he decided to follow me around and exact his revenge by flying low and swooping over me whenever I was least expecting it.

 

Besides the water and greenery, the town itself is adorable. Dogs are allowed in all the stores, which is kind of fun, there is no traffic, and all of the food was incredible.

All in all, a cute town and a fun getaway! Pics from Utah coming soon...

Home again!

I know this is a few weeks late, but: PAUL IS HOME!!! He has been home for a month now, and it has been wonderful. Totally worth the extra laundry ;-)

Two weeks after his return, we finally took the trip to Jamaica that we planned three years ago (good ol' Uncle Sam forced us to cancel that last one). It was worth the wait! I am definitely a fan of the all inclusive resort, and even more a fan of the Caribbean.

My favorite activity was going scuba diving every morning. I discovered that I actually really, really enjoy scuba. After my San Diego experiences, I wasn't so sure (Have you ever been swimming in water that is 49 degrees??). The Caribbean water was warm enough to bathe in, the coral reefs were huge, and we saw some beautiful sea life. My favorites were the lionfish and the brain coral.

It was also nice to cool off. It was in the mid 80s all week, which was such a nice break from the triple-digit temps we've had here since April. We figure that we are the first people ever to show up to Sandals and turn the temperature in our room up. We keep our house at 80 during the day here, so the 70 that they had the hotel room at felt freezing.

In other news, the school year is finally done for me, so I have been enjoying sleeping in, taking care of things around the house, and cooking meals that take longer than 15 minutes to prepare. After 5 months of eating cereal, baked potatoes, and sushi takeout, it has been nice to have time and a reason to make good meals. Most recently I harvested my little desert "garden", and just in time, too, because it is getting HOT and my plants won't survive much longer. There was too much basil to use fresh, so I tried making homemade pesto. It was fast, easy, and delicious. I tried roasting the tomatoes, too, and Paul seemed to like those a lot; there is no picture of the final product for a reason (ie: a hungry husband)

 

2 c basil, 1/2 c parmesan, 1/2 c olive oil, 1/3 c walnuts, 5 cloves garlic.

We also celebrated our 3 year anniversary last week. The Jamaica trip was the real celebration, but on the big day itself, we had pie and flowers.

All in all, life is starting to settle back into its old pattern, which is the best part of all. The house once again smells like motorcycle exhaust, the fridge is full of food, and I'm growing re-accustomed to fighting over the covers in my sleep (in Arizona, you throw them on to each other instead of taking them off each other). I'm even starting to use Air Force acronyms in my daily speech again, for better or worse. No complaints here.