Phoenix Raceway and Catching Up

Well I am going to try to catch up. I am finding it hard to keep up with this but I am determined to stick with it. 

On Friday, we spent the day at the Phoenix Raceway watching the Nascar drivers practice on the new track. Vince and Josh enjoyed checking out a whole host of activities and games centered around racing.  Josh won a trophy for being first in a remote controlled race car race.  He was very excited about that.

On Sunday we were there for the race.  It was great!! The morning started off with rain which was very surprising since we have had very little rain since we have been here. Fortunately the rain dried up in time for the race and it turned out to be beautiful!

Here he is in deep concentration.

He is the red car. Nice shot dad!

This gives you a better look at the track they were racing on. Pretty cool!

We were sitting right across from this area of the pits just five rows up. They were great seats!

This is Vince's favorite driver, Jeff Gordon. There just happened to be alot of pictures of car 24. :)

My favorite driver is Carl Edwards and he drives the 99.

Carl Edwards is the one right in the middle of the picture with the sunglasses on top of his head. Oh, yea and he is wearing the driver's jumpsuit!

You can't really see it in this picture but I am wearing a tshirt with a big 99 on it and my hat has a 99 on it. I am a HUGE Carl Edwards fan.  I am holding a big pink sign that says HI CHELS! on one side and Good Luck Carl on the other. Vince refused to hold the side that said Good Luck Carl.

Kasey Kahne, who drives the number 4 car won the race.  He happens to be Chelsea's favorite driver.  My driver Carl Edwards came in second.  He is first in points for the championship.  My second favorite driver is second in points for the championship.  His name is Tony Stewart and he drives the 14 car.  There are only 3 points separating them and there is only one race left.  It is this Sunday at Homestead and I will be ringside at the TV watching!!!!!

I have been busy looking ahead toward lesson plans after the holidays. I clip every coupon we can use and try to save every penny I can. Vince had a blow out on his way to work yesterday. The used truck we bought is a 3/4 ton and, of course, the replacement tires are expensive. Turned out all the tires were in need of replacement soon so at the end of the day we were $800 poorer. Couple that with the two times the van has been in the shop since we have been here, vehicles are not at the top of my happiness list.

The church we are going to handed out grocery bags with a list in it of foods they would like everyone to purchase and bring back for those who are in need. I really like the church. There are many things I like here but I just don't think they are enough to convince me to stay forever.

Chelsea has signed a lease on an apartment and will be moving out of the house. I am nervous about it being empty. It is hard to believe that two months of our time here is almost up. It doesn't seem like we have been here that long in some ways and in other ways it seems like we have been here much longer.

Vince has been contacted by a recruiter in NC about a job he is very interested in and the pay is very good. It is for a year or more. He sent his resume and we will see what happens. He could start working for them from here since we have a lease until the end of March. I am not sure if he could work for both places but we will see what the future brings.

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful.  It is in the low to mid 70s during the day with very low humidity and mid 50s at night. We sleep with a bedroom window open for fresh air.

We are hoping to go to the zoo this weekend. There is also a wildlife place I am trying to get information on. We may end up there instead because I have a coupon for it. :)  Either way we will be seeing animals this weekend.

I am looking into a trip to Legoland for next weekend. Since we have no family here it would be a way to spend Thanksgiving weekend and avoid Black Friday.

Hope this finds everyone well! Blessings!

Lots to share

I have been pretty busy lately it seems just with every day things.  I think we have decided to find our permanent home after this.  It is just too must work to resettle for six months at a time!!

Saturday we went and did some sight seeing.  Here are a few pictures.

Joshua standing in front of a large cactus.  This is not the biggest cactus we have seen but it comes pretty close.  We saw a Coyote when we were in this area. It was running too fast for us to get a picture of it.

These are the Superstition Mountains.  I guess there is alot of superstition about them too.  A long time ago people used to go into the mountains and not return. The Indians have alot of superstitions about these mountains.

This is Red Mountain.  There are alot of things around here named after it.

This is a cool picture I took out the car window of the clouds making shadows on some of the mountains. It was awesome.

There are lots of cactus like this too.  Some of them are pink like this one. 

This is a picture of a house we liked.  It is in a place called Paradise Valley. It is where the rich people live. There are gorgeous mountainous views from the homes but it is hard to get a good picture of them.

This home was built into the side of the mountain.

Here are three pictures of a bird called Gambel's Quail.  The pictures don't depict all its details but if you look it up it is quite an unusual bird.

This is a pictures of the sound walls along the main highways.  They don't just put up plain concrete walls.  They all have a very unique pattern.  Many of the overpasses have pictures of area animals on them made out of stone.


The following are some pictures from our trip here.  I should have posted them sooner but life happens.

Joshua riding a Segway at the Oklahoma Children's Museum.

Dad had to try it too.

This was too demonstrate which item would roll the fastest.  Just because it is bigger doesn't mean it it faster.

Dad on a bed of nails. What a showoff! lol

Joshua making sand art.

Joshua in the space area.

It was a great museum and we had alot of fun. 

My computer is starting to run slow so I better wrap it up.

We had a dust storm last week that was awful. It felt like I was breathing dust instead of air.  Fortunately they don't have dust storms very often....so I am told.

I have met a couple of nice ladies at water aerobics.  I am glad I know a couple of people now who can direct me to places in the area.

Hope this finds you all doing well.
Blessings!

Remember that old saying.........

"If you want something done right.....do it yourself." 

This week I have been coming to terms with the fact that a large amount of my stuff did not make it to Arizona.  It was a mistake my husband made and even though it was an oversight, it doesn't change the fact that NONE of my sewing stuff made it here except for my machine.  There were many other items inside a very large red tub that used to hold our Christmas tree.  I had filled it with craft and sewing items to bring with me to Arizona.  Unfortunately, the tub the turtle had been in was  exactly like it.  We filled that tub with coats and boots from out front closet that we did not want to take to Arizona.  The tub had not been opened because I had been so busy with getting settled, getting school started, etc. that I just hadn't even had time to think about it.  Also inside was my nice selection of note cards that I had planned to use to write to friends and family.  There are many other things in it...some of which I remember and some of which I am sure I don't.  Having the tub with coats and boots is in no way any sort of consolation.  My husband feels bad.  I wonder how bad he feels.  I mean does he feel $50 bad?  or $100 bad? or maybe even $200 bad?  I need to find out.

The weather was 83 here today and they are predicting extremely cold temperatures for the weekend.  We are supposed to get in the 50s I think.  :)  They are also predicting a dust storm tomorrow.  A dust storm occurred just a few days after we got here and there was a massive pile up on the I-10 with casualties.  I certainly hope nothing like that happens tomorrow.  I will be avoiding the I-10 and will hopefully get my shopping done in the morning.

I finally found a water aerobics class and went yesterday.  I met some nice ladies but they are really hung up on their pain.  I learned that you can't sit around and focus on your pain or you will never get anything accomplished.  That is how I stay out of a wheelchair.  I could very easily slide back there if I am not careful.  I fight it every day. They have chronic pain support groups there also and I can really benefit from that.  The BEST thing about the water aerobic classes is that the pool water is a constant temperature and it is warm and after class there is a very nice hot tub that we can relax in for as long as we want to.  It really is an environment that promotes healing and wellness (as long as the class members don't complain too much) .  It costs more as does just about everything else here but it is well worth the extra money.

This weekend we are going to go check out some of the neighboring cities like Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and Apache Junction.  We have not made a definitive decision about whether or not to stay here. It is not easy to buy land here that is affordable. Vince is looking for a permanent position in several different areas.  All I know is, I WILL be getting my sewing tub out of storage when our lease is up here. lol

Blessings to all

Trip to the Grand Canyon

Josh and I are walking to get on the Grand Canyon train.  A nice shot of my backside I could  live without. :)

We got on the train in Williams, Arizona.

They put on a gunfight show before we boarded the train.

This is an old engine we saw. The railroad buys up any kind of train car that anyone else is getting rid of and they either restore it or they use every part on it on their existing trains.

Our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon from the train.

The Grand Canyon Depot.  Notice the kid on the bench.

No explaination required.

We were close to the edge and my husband was flipping out.  We were fine.

Me and my honey

This was a funny and brave little squirrel we saw while we were eating lunch.  It had very short ears and its tail was not fluffy at all and it seemed to be very fat in the body.  It also was eating alot of grass.  It darted out in front of people as if to say "This is my home and you are intruding".

Then we had an actual train robbery.

This guy was the sheriff.  He came on the train right after the robbers.

We arrived back at the station.

It was a great day and we had such a good time.  Hope all is well with all of you.

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We went to the Grand Canyon yesterday and it was awesome!! Incredible!! Breathtaking!! There just aren't enough words to describe it.  Very soon I will be posting pictures and sharing our experience. 

I have a request.  If you are following this blog, could you please indicate so by being a follower?  I like to know who is here. I miss everyone so much and it would just be great to know you are here!

Thanks! Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Lots of Books

Today we raided the library of all their books on the Civil War.  We are studying it indepth.  We are also studying the history of Canada, Mexico and the United States.  We should be able to work it all in this year. :)  I seriously don't know how people homeschool multiple kids.  Those mom must be absolute geniuses!!  I struggle to educate one!

Joshua liked Master Club last night but we would have to purchase a shirt, book, etc. just like AWANA so we aren't sure he will continue with that. If we were going to be here for the full year or longer it would be an easier decidion. It is also a very very small group and they don't really do much.  He did go to AWANA again tonight and was very anxious to get there.  Since he already had his shirt, book, and bible we didn't have to purchase anything.

We lowered the price on our house this week.  I am considering renting it out at some point but it is not something I really want to do.  I don't like the idea of others being in my house and possibly tearing it up or doing things that would need repaired before we could try selling it again.  I am hopeful we won't have to do that but every month that goes by means more money flying out the door that we will never see again. 

The weather was BEAUTIFUL today! We had a high of 76 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I took the dogs on several walks which I really needed to do. I am going to check out the YMCA's here to see about aerobic exercise classes.  That is where the Arthritis Foundation has their classes.  It has taken me awhile to find out because people don't like to return phone calls here.  Maybe they are outside enjoying the nice weather. :)

Hope the week has been good to you! Blessings all!

Living in Someone Else's Home

We are living in a condo that is fully furnished.  It has linens, silverware, pots and pans and it even has a junk drawer.  The people that own it appear to have just packed their clothes one day and left.  There was soap in the soap dishes and cleaning supplies under the sinks. It really is a perfect set up for us.  It feels like we were meant to be here.  Having said that, it is also a very strange feeling to be living in someone else's home and using their things.  I brought some things with me that I just couldn't live without, like my crockpot and my Pampered Chef Chopper.  I am so thankful that this house has everything!! I feel a huge obligation to take exceptional care of everything because it does belong to someone else. I am so glad Joshua is not a destructive child.  If he was I think I would be packing alot of stuff in boxes! 

We have neighbors that are quite interesting.  Our neighbor lady with the cats, who I shall fondly refer to as the Cat Lady, likes to sit on her porch and chain smoke and talk loudly.  Many times she is talking on the phone.  Her porch is only a few feet from our front door.  Now that the weather is nice I would love to have our front door open.  When the Cat Lady is on her porch smoking and talking, it is quite unpleasant.  Sometimes my husband sits in his chair which is near our front door, and sprays Febreeze at the screen door to counteract the smell of cigarette smoke wafing through the door.  Too bad there isn't anything you can spray to cover up loud talkers that use foul language. :) 

Then there are the neighbors that live upstairs.  Well I don't really know who lives upstairs exactly.  I have probably seen at least 20 different people go up and down the stairs to the two apartments up there.  What I do know is at times there are extremely noisy people that have small children running back and forth at 5:30 am.  They can be very noisy but at other times I don't hear a thing.  The condo seems to be very well insulated.  If I am in one room I can't hear what Vince is saying in another room.  Oh joy,,,,,the fun of living in a condo!!!

My guys have been doing Geocaching.  It is like Letterboxing but you use the GPS as a guide.  They really have a good time with it.  They found a couple of traveling ones on the way here.  They have deposited them in the Phoenix area.  It was neat to see where all they had been.

Joshua went to a church program tonight called Master Club.  It is similar to AWANA.  This church used to do AWANA but this year they changed.  He is hoping to make some friends.  He told me, and I quote "I am not shy, I just don't like to talk to people that much".  Ok, well I don't really know how to respond to that. I am just trying to find things he likes to do. I am trying to find a chess club.  I have located a couple of Homeschool groups but they don't seem to do much. I am still looking.  I think the good ones are probably not public. "wink"

That's about all from the West. Hope you are all having enjoyable weather wherever you are.