Christopher Creek Summer Fun!

Yesterday we took an adventure out of the heat and into the mountains just east of Payson with some friends of ours. The Phoenix magazine recently featured a big article focusing on the best hiking/swimming holes in Arizona. "The Box" at Christopher Creek Canyon caught my eye and I managed to persuade everyone into finding this trail that is definitely off the beaten path. Located between two mile posts we kept missing the "dirt path" that was supposed to be apparent from the highway. We found it after a few trys. First we hiked in the wrong direction. Then we hiked in another wrong direction. Alas, we found an arrow made of stones that pointed us in the right direction. Ahhh, of course, an arrow made of rocks surrounded by a lot of other rocks and dirt. How could anyone miss such a sign?



The scenery was beautiful.







Pregnant Desirae was such a good sport.



Look really hard or click on the picture to make it bigger. The swimming holes are the brown pools of water you see. I guess rain does make pools of water murky. Either way, water is water and fun to play in!

The Fruits (or veggies) of Clark's Labor

Clark and I wanted to put in a garden and Clark decided to take charge several months ago since I was so poor at remembering to water. What has grown well for us??

CUCUMBERS! MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm





What has not done so well for us??
YELLOW CROOK NECK SQUASH



We're still learning. Clark is sure to have a definite green thumb in a couple of years. It may take me much, much longer.

Cactus Blooms Dying...

This is to follow up with the previous post.





I guess all beautiful cactus blooms don't last forever.

Cactus in Bloom!

Cacti sure are interesting. They don't need water and they thrive in the heat. Right now our pet cactus is in bloom. Funny looking and pretty all at once.





I must give myself a high five for this picture. All natural, no photoshop whatsoever. All of you probably think it is just another picture...but I think it is fabulous :)



Have a great Thursday! We're off to Payson for some hiking adventures and slightly cooler weather!

Another LV Trip!

We love to visit Las Vegas, even if it means traveling from one miserably hot city to another! Mom and Dad Tobler are always so hospitable and we love to enjoy good eats and treats when we're together! And nothing beats thrift store shopping and Mt. Charleston!


The free haircut was definitely a bonus



Mom Tobler did not want to leave the pool water. Nothing beats a pool on 100+ degree weather days! And I'm not quite sure what Clark is doing...



We LOVE Mt. Charleston. We can't visit Las Vegas without hike on Mt. Charleston.



See why we love it?



Clark striking his usual pose... but may be leaving nature a little surprise this time ;)



This will make our future Vegas trips that much more enjoyable! A bridge being built to bypass the Hoover Dam!

Blonde Ambition

Months and months ago I decided I wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love and go blonde. I was blonde 4 years ago, and I loved it. It only lasted six months though since I was under financial constraints as a college student. So last night I made the big change.

The Before Picture (Please just take note of the length, not the fact that I just rolled out of bed)



My locks of Love



The After Picture



Wait, who's that hottie? Definitely not me.

There will be no pictures of me with the "new do."

The cut is fine but I am extremely depressed about the color. I asked for BLONDE. Not dirty. It's way too streaky and you can hardly see the blonde. What do I do now???

This is the blonde I was going for, the blonde I surely did not end up with.



I think I deserve my very own personal carton of ice cream. That can always cheer me up.

Celebrate!

Happy Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day!


This website cracks me up. A different food holiday for each day of the year. Check your birthday holiday out! I wish mine was National Fudge Day or National Cheese Souffle Day but alas mine is National Indian Pudding Day.

My Little Cyclist

For the past year and a half I have forsaken my awesome road bike. After my collegiate running career ended, I bought a bike in order to do triathlons. After only a couple of triathlons I decided I couldn't hack the swimming portion of the race and decided to once again focus primarily on running. So my bike got the shaft for a loooooooong time, the tires went flat and it collected dust.

Now, however, Clark has decided that he wants to start cycling. We went out and bought some cleats and he transferred the clips that were on my cleats to his. He practiced clipping in and out while holding onto a wall. He didn't seem to get the hang of it at first which gave me high anxiety. He wanted to go out and try out the cleats at midnight--which I have no problem with--but I was fearful for his safety. I specifically told him to clip out BEFORE he stops; I didn't want to have an emergency room situation on my hands. So he went outside and he had a couple of practice rides up and down our street. The second time he forgot to clip out before he stopped and toppled over. I have a tendency to overreact but luckily very little harm was done. He practiced a few times and now I think it is safe to say he has the hang of it.







Happy riding Clark!

Unwelcome Visitor

**shudder**




Trust me, pictures don't do it justice. This was a monster. And I almost cried. The last time we had a spider this big in the house I did cry. Luckily I have a husband who is brave enough to spray Raid and shower cleaner on suckers like these.

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We Did it!



Let the movie watching begin!

Graduation Celebration

Our quick three day trip to Los Angeles turned out to be a blast. The first night we arrived we experienced our very first earthquake. 5.0 on the Richter scale. We stayed on the 15th floor of a hotel and I swear the room swayed. The next day we experienced the amazing coasters and rides at Six Flags. Afterward we ate our second meal of Chicken and Waffles in less than a week. Our third day we just had to see the ocean and made it out to Venice beach, the Santa Monica Pier and Malibu.

Ohhhhhhhh yeaahhhhhhh



These pics were taken at the end of the day. We decided not to take our camera on the many intense roller coasters.

Me, Clark and Nick.


Clark, Nick and Tomas. I don't know why Tomas is standing so far off.



A picture with the X2 in the background. Way intense.



A picture of the Superman, Goliath and Colossus.



Aside from Clark getting a little nauseated on the Batman I think we all had a super fun time! I hope we're able to go back again soon!

The next day we spent some time down near the water.

It may look a little chilly. Since we are acclimated to the Arizona heat we do consider 70 degree weather 'chilly.'


Clark flashing a....butterfly sign?!





"I want to be big." Name that movie.



Santa Monica Pier.



Stopped to take this photo in Malibu



We had a lot of fun and we're glad Tomas and Nick could join us!

He's a Graduate!

Last Friday Clark officially graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in nursing!



Obama spoke at commencement on the 13th. Clark and Mom Tobler braved the heat and had to be at Sun Devil Stadium 4 hours early in order to participate in and watch commencement. I think the high was 103 that day...



The School of Nursing held convocation two days later on the 15th. He did it!



What a handsome graduate!



Posing with the graduate.




We celebrated Clark's achievement at an awesome restaurant we've been wanting to try. This place may look a little 'ghetto' but it was PACKED. It was not fun waiting for seats in 100+ degree heat. But it was worth it!



Mmmmmmmmmmmm!



Later that day, after a much needed two hour nap, we took a trip to Guitar Center so Clark could pick up his much anticipated gift!



I love you, Clark! Congratulations and let the job hunt begin!