Echo Canyon Killed My Legs

Seriously, my legs are aching.

I decided to go for a hike up Camelback Mountain today, after an 8 mile run. I've had plenty of days where I go running and then hike several miles. This usually occurs in Nevada with the Tobler parentals. Nothing has ever compared to this, though. And I think the trail is only 2.4 miles total? Felt a lot longer.

Here's what the official City of Phoenix website says about the Echo Canyon Trail. And yes, Echo Canyon did match the difficulty level described by the website.

I did my best to capture the difficulty of the hike on camera. It wasn't easy, being that I needed both arms/hands for balance and guidance.


Awwww, the hike starts with stairs.


I'm not sweating yet....ppsshhhhhh, who said this trail was hard?


What the??


Oh snap.


True evidence I made it to the top.


Part of the Valley.


Oh, you rich people.


Part of the trail on the way down. Going down was just as hard as going up. Lots of close calls and loose rocks.


Oh what a cactus.


Seriously steep.


And goodnight, Arizona. I was so hopeful for an awesome sunset...instead I got this.



In other news, I have applied for two jobs in Utah! And I already got one rejection email for...the orthopedic floor. That's right Clark. I'm not good enough to pass out oral medications and turn people at regular intervals. Those SOBs. But the nurse recruiter did call me and he is going to get in touch with a few telemetry managers at a couple of hospitals, even though there aren't any telemetry job listings on the internet. What a nice guy. Wish me luck, and if any of ya'll want to say a few prayers for Clark and I, that would be cool, too. We really want live under the same roof again.

Ensemble of the Month *

Off the shoulder top, of course. Basic black will do.


Skinny jeans are all the rage, you know. Especially amongst chillun who never experienced the skinny jeans of the 80's and early 90's because they a.) had not been conceived yet or b.) were merely toddlers.


Any color high top Reebok kicks that were popular when I was in kindergarten. Though I believe red and black were the only colors available 2 decades ago. Thank goodness yellow and orange and pink are available now. For 20 years I was worried and stressed that I may never own a yellow pair of Reebok high tops. Serenity now.


Jewelry that screams you are five years old at heart.



*NOTE: This is NOT the ensemble of the month. I am totally kidding and just wanting to vent about fashion absurdities in our present time. Great music came from the 80's. Great fashion did not. Not that I am trendy or an elitist fashionista but COME ON. I'm just looking forward to the day when skinny jeans are no longer popular amongst the masses. **shudder** They came and went in the 80's and early 90's. (Thank goodness for the grunge scene right?) Fashion trends are cyclical so they're bound to get the hell out of society again. For the benefit of society, might I add. If you are a skinny jean wearing guy/gal, please watch your muffin top. I thank you kindly.

SO OVER IT

I am over being a homeowner.

So completely over it.

We've owned our house for over a year and I still haven't painted one wall.

Not one.

This was what I was most excited about, too. At the beginning. Now I don't want to ivest any money/effort into what may become a rental property.

And our backyard is still a mess. I know if we are to rent the house out I should attempt to make the backyard presentable and a safe haven for little children buuuuutttt I lack desire to make any progress in reseeding the grass and clearing out rocks. Sucks to be the kids in the family that may move in in the future. They can play in sparse rocks and dirt and dying bermuda grass. And they can learn to water grass at an early age since what exists of our lawn does not have an underground sprinkler system. Too bad, suckers. Give those kids some responsibility, they are too spoiled nowadays anyway.

And the homeowners warranty= another added yearly expense. I hate it. That is an airplane ticket to Europe right there.

I am actually looking forward to regressing and moving into an apartment if (and when) I move up to Utah with Clark. Maybe it is "throwing away money." Call it what you wanna call it, I'm tired of owning a house. Too much work/money involved in this aspect of the "American Dream." And it is way too easy to accumulate unnecessary items/furniture/crap with a house and lots of space.

Maybe I'm just tired of material things and tired of striving to achieve the American Dream and need to find a cabin in the woods and live in minimalist spledor. I've always wanted to.

Apology

I'm sincerely sorry Arizona, for all of the stupid and silly things I've ever posted about you being hell on Earth.

You're not. Sometimes you feel like it but you're not. Shame on me for exploiting your bouts of extreme heat.

The weather is beautiful. I love it. I was about to go insane and then all of a sudden the temperature dropped into the 80's. I can walk outside without breaking a sweat now. I can even run in the middle of the day.

Perfection.

I'll try not to trash talk you when next summer rolls around. Because I know it's five months of miserable heat and seven months of gorgeous weather. That's a pretty good trade off. (Maybe only four months of miserable heat??? I stop counting after the first hot month and just look forward to fall.)

And plus, I really have to enjoy you now since I may not be around to enjoy every single month of mild weather.

Don't dupe me, Arizona. Keep the temp mild and the air pressure low. I really don't want to take back my apology.

Love, Rachel

PS, some rain would be nice. Maybe some thunder and lightening, too. We didn't have a fantastic monsoon season this year. Just a thought. But I don't want to push my luck.

How I Roll on a Saturday Night

Six Pack. Everything tastes better in a bottle.


This is hard for me to put down right now.


But I did so I could watch a movie and get loads of caramel cemented between my teeth.


Mood music for???


Well cooking is never complete without good tunes. Does boiling tortellini = cooking? In my book it does.


Thank goodness for simple preparations.


Yes, I like tomatoes. A lot.


The one thing missing: a husband for company.


If Clark had been here, Saturday night would have been complete and perfect. Though I would have had to make two containers of the tortellini because I finished off every last stuffed noodle like a starving hound dog. And did I mention my 14 mile run went amazingly well? It did, hence the need for a six pack and milk duds.

No Thanks

Thanks but no thanks, I will not be vaccinated against the H1N1. Come what may, I simply refuse. I don't know everything regarding the matter, but I've done a little research.

Thimerosal, the preservative found in the newly formulated vaccine, frightens me. I know I have most likely been exposed to it since I was vaccinated against Hep B as a wee child, but I don't want no mo' in my body. There are way too many disconcerting links to neurological disorders.

Oh, and it was banned from from most countries 20 years ago BUT NOT the US of A? Go figure.

http://www.naturalnews.com/011764.html

Also, the mere fact that the vaccine has been formulated within MONTHS frightens me as well. The efficacy and safety of the H1N1 vaccine has not even been truly proven. Yikes.

I'm not an expert or a doctor, BUT COME ON. Very unnerving information.

And preggo women or women planning on having babies, take a gander at this article:

http://www.naturalnews.com/027019_H1N1_pregnant_women_mercury.html

Now don't get me wrong. I still get the annual flu vaccine( because I have to). And I still get the flu yearly anyway. But at least the flu vaccine I receive comes in a prefilled syringe and does not contain preservatives (though it is manufactured with Thimerosal, it undergoes a purification process so that by the time the vaccine is injected into your muscle, YOU DON'T GET A SURPRISE PRESERVATIVE). And yes, the vaccine Fluarix underwent legitimate clinical trials.

Maybe I'm being risky with my own health, but I'm not an 85 year old with an extensive medical history and compromised immune system and I'm definitely not a vulnerable fetus. And for the past 25 years of my life I've gotten the flu at least once a year regarless of vaccinations and I'm doin aight.

Any thoughts on this issue?? I know it is a controversial topic but I'm curious as to what ya'll think.

My Favorite Aromas

are not perfumes.

Perfumes are in an entirely different category because you spray them onto your body. I don't spray my favorite aromas on my body. But that is just me.

I cleaned today and mopped so I have a specific aroma floating pleasantly about my nostrils. Ahhhhh.

**This is such a nonsense post but being a single wife I need to keep myself busy somehow. I can't force myself to work more than three shifts a week (though I did muster up the strength to do an extra shift before my trip to SLC; that was painful) and I can only clean so much, read so much and watch so many movies.**

So here are my top three aromas (not perfumes) ever:

1. Spiced Pumpkin.

I love fall. I love the foods associated with fall. I love the mouth-watering Spiced Pumpkin smell. Enough said.

2. Freshly cut, baled and stacked hay.


What? I grew up on a farm. It's reminiscent of my past summers at home in Washington. I loved running around our farm simply to smell the freshly cut hay. Never got old and still never does. One of the things I most look forward to when going to Pasco, aside from seeing family and going fishin.

3. Pine-Sol


Is it weird that I actually love the smell of a cleaning product?
I clean everything with Pine-Sol now. Lysol makes me want to gag and throw up and it can give me headaches. But Pine-Sol is such a welcome, fresh smell. It means things are sanitary and clean--without the headache! I use it in the kitchen, bathroom, on the floors...loving this woodsy smell. It makes cleaning an almost pleasant experience.


What are your favorite aromas?

Sssshhhh...Don't Tell

any of my primary children that I went to a show on a Sunday. They would be very disappointed. After all I have taught them...

"Do as I say, not as I do." I am fond of this adage. It definitely applies in this situation.

The Get Up Kids came to Tempe. I absolutely could not miss this show. They haven't toured since 2005. I never got the chance to see them when they called it quits in '05. I got dang lucky. They're back and rocking it four years later.

Making sure the camera will work. Check. Don't ask my why I added this picture. Maybe so you could see how nicely this one turned out as opposed to the pictures of the bands.


I conned my coworker Rhoda into going. Yesss! She brought along her bro and her bro's gf. The more the merrier. Doesn't she look excited? HA!


Sad that NONE of my pictures turned out. This was the best and this is TERRIBLE. I saw people taking pictures on their camera phones in front of me and their pics turned out way better. Needless to say, I am frustrated.



Clark, I tried and tried and wasted so much time trying to upload the video I took of this song. I hate our camera and the SD card. I'm not backing down this time.
Wish you were there to listen to this song live with me. I didn't think they would play it and they DID. It reminded me of freshman year...I don't want to give out too much info but I know you remember :)
Sorry it's not my recorded version but it'll do. I'll show you the one I recorded when I see you in 4 weeks.

Glamorous

Or not.

Nursing actually isn't glamorous AT ALL.

Take my current shift for example.

I have cleaned up one patient SEVEN times. And it isn't even 2 am yet.

SEVEN times.

The pooh has been loose and runny and outright nasty. He probably has c. diff.

Clostridium difficile = bacteria that causes runny, gag-or-throw-up nasty smelling pooh.

I called the doc to get an order for a rectal tube. I don't need to explain this one; the important thing to know is that it drains pooh.

I tried to place the tube. My charge nurse tried. No luck. And the patient was in so much pain because a.) a huge tube has been folded to fit in his bum and b.) he has hemorrhoids.

No rectal tube system = patient that continues to pooh...a steady stream that just never seems to end. Beautiful visual image, don't you think?

Oh, the joys of nursing.

Close Call

So I almost didn't make it home from SLC Tuesday evening.

Almost.

While Clark was attending a super exciting class on oxygen therapy from noon to four I decided to blog about our happy reunion and go on an afternoon run because a.) I was in Utah and b.) I was not in hell on earth Arizona. (PS 70 degree weather is so much more enjoyable than 100 degree miserable face melting heat.) Within 10 minutes of my return to the bachelor pad Clark arrived home early- a joyous surprise! He asked if I wanted to accompany him to the hospital downtown since he had to drop off some evaluation forms. Of course I wanted to go--I wanted to spend every last breathing living minute with him. I stepped into the shower to get all nice and shiny and clean and I started to feel a bit woozy and nauseous. That happens to me sometimes after runs and usually subsides within minutes. No biggie, right?

WRONG.

As I continued to get ready my nausea got worse. And worse. And worse. But I wanted to go to the hospital with Clark and savor every moment with my husband so I swallowed the nausea, filled up my water bottle and got into the Lumina.

The drive from the bachelor pad to downtown is only 15 minutes. The ENTIRE drive I could not get comfortable. This bout of nausea could not be shaken. I tried to turn left in semi fetal position with no success. I tried to turn right with no success. I put my head between my knees and then rested my forehead on the dashboard. NO SUCCESS.

When we arrived at the hospital parking garage I told Clark I would wait for him in the car. He left me with the passenger window down (bless his little heart) and I quickly double bagged two grocery bags that were miraculously laying on the floor.

WABAM!

Up came 2 bowls of cereal, partially chewed grapes, every ounce of water I consumed that day and probably some of dinner from the night before. It was a hefty load. I really hope no one saw. I was in a state of post emesis euphoria immediatly following this episode. I felt like I could have done cartwheels and backward handsprings for hours. But instead I merely walked the bags to a nearby trash can and disposed of the undigested waste. Clark came strolling up just as I released the hefty load from my grasp and we quickly got into the Lumina and made our way back to the bachelor pad. The nausea had made yet another guest appearance.

Back at the house Clark pursuaded me to lay down and take a nap. He would wake me by 6:30 in order to get to the airport in time to catch my flight. Magically I was able to fall asleep for a good hour. By the time I woke up and got my belongings together I literally felt too ill to move. Standing brought on nausea. Hugging Clark brought on nausea. How sad, I couldn't even hug my husband to my full potential. Sitting down and not moving made the nausea a little better but really I just felt like wretching my brains out. Clark and I discussed the situation and decided that if I really could not make it through checking in, getting through security, sitting and waiting to board the plane, and sitting through the flight, that I better call Southwest and reschedule my departing flight for the next day. Since I felt like I was dying I decided to do just that. I called Southwest and lone behold, it would cost me $100 to change my flight. So I told the kind agent on the other line thank you, but I will try to fly. Uuugggghhhhhhh. The point of no return. Too cheap to reschedule a flight= flying sick.

Clark gave me all sorts of pep talks on the way to the airport. Talks about how much better it would be for me to get well at home rather than on a twin size bed in a bachelor pad and to NOT drink tomato juice on the flight even though I love tomato juice and always get it on flights because it is free. At the terminal I mustered up the biggest hug "in my arsenal" as Clark always says. We said our good byes, xoxoxo, and I walked into the terminal to find the Southwest lines completely empty. That never happens. I walked right up to a kiosk and checked in within a minute. Still nauseous I made my way to security where there also was NO LINE. What the fudge, the SLC airport is awesome on a weekday evening.

**Note to self: always, ALWAYS fly out of SLC during the week and at night**

Walking to the gate my nausea started to subside. Could it have been the super non-stressful check in? Quite possibly. Little by little I felt better and decided to get a Superfood Odwalla drink. Yes, I spent $4 on a drink. Ridiculous, but I needed nutrients and fluid. The color alone probably would have made me throw up but I pretended it was pink or orange rather than barf green and it went down smoothly.

On the flight I asked for ginger ale (I fought the urge to request tomato juice) to ease the random nausea attacks. I kept my focus on the drink napkin with the outline of the United States that illustrates all of the southwest airline hubs. I started planning our future Tour de America and that kept me preoccupied for a full hour. Ahhh, the power of the mind.

So I made it to PHX in one piece without throwing up or making a scene. I've never been sick on a day of travel. I've never had to travel sick. I've never had to call an airline to try to reschedule a flight and then say no thank you, I am too cheap to reschedule and I will suffer and fly in my miserable condition.

I never want to experience that again. Too close a call, I tells you.

Oh, and when I got home I was greeted by Gretchen who meowed like crazy and then threw up TWICE right by the front door. I'm pretty sure she did it for the attention though.

The Five Day Reunion of Man and Wife Has Come to a Close **Super Sad Face :(

As I blog I am sitting in Clark's plush wicker chair (a super sweet DI find) in his pseudo bachelor pad room waiting for him to get back from a 4 hour class (work) and contemplating not catching my flight to PHX tonight...but I'm too damn reliable. I'll be at work tomorrow, 7 pm sharp. GUH.

Five days has not been near long enough and it has gone by much too fast.

We've had a good time *ahem* "catching up" and spending quality time together. And that's the way it should be after missing eachother for a month anyway. So nooooooo, we didn't see the Mt. Timpanogos caves and nooooo, we didn't go camping or see the Salt Lake. But it's aight. If I move here soon we'll have plenty of time in the spring to explore Utah.

Anywhoo, here are some photos:


Drive by pictures of amazing downtown SLC homes.




Smug shot. Valley below.


More charming houses.


Our friend Tomas (Clark's old mission companion and one of Clark's current roommates) took me around downtown on Friday because Clark worked allllllllll day as a MURSE. Tomas is one proud Dane so we had to stop at the dutch shop for sandwiches.


See, Utah is pretty up in the mountains.


Bridal Veil Falls. Clark done good wit this picture, don't you think? This stop was anti-climactic. And no real hiking trail? really?


Nature Clark with stick.


Nature Rachel.


Nature man and wife so happy together.


Hand.Some. And not happy that on a Saturday afternoon (what were we thinking?) the waterfall was a huge attraction for families at a university close by that shall not be named and there were little kids EVERYWHERE running around like crazy. Sheesh.


The sun was in a not so perfect spot when we wanted to take pictures. But we made do.




Ohhhh La La Love Shack!


Our praying mantis friend. We saved your life, buddy.


Wait, I'm not ready, I'm shutting my eyes...now.


Oh, much better.


Look at that cheeseball Abe and his Mommy Tallie. Too cute! And thanks for letting us in when we showed up unexpected and unannounced. That's how we roll.


So Clark's roommate (the homeowner) got married on Saturday and Clark decided that we should go to the reception(uuugghhhh, I hate going to wedding functions where I don't know ANYONE besides my husband. Ok, ok, so Tomas was there, too. I knew TWO people. Still...AWKWARD.). The highlight: the mohawk caketopper. Apparently this dude had a mohawk forever but chopped it off to get married. That's right, a Utah Mormon with a mohawk.


Clark cooking up a nice dinner of pancakes and turkey sausage. De-lish.


Oh, why hello, Clark. Here is his current home. PS... sharing a twin mattress is NOT easy. It is an art form and involves lots of spooning and absolutely NO spreading out. I think we have just about mastered it but I have to admit I am looking forward to restful sleep in my california king sized bed where I can spread out my limbs like a starfish. It would be more enjoyable if Clark could share it with me, but it will be enjoyable nevertheless.


Prepping to jam.


Sexy.


Clark and Tomas creating musical fusion.


Oh he is so cute. Almost as much of a cheeseball as Abe.


I already miss Clark and I haven't even left yet. I can't wait for the end of October... only 5 weeks to go!

Boils My Blood

Disrespectful + Arrogant + Unrefined=

Kanye West

What. A. Douche.

Did I Do This Or What?!

Thank you, thank you Gob Bluth for this awesome quote that never gets old:

Did I do this or what?!



I've never dyed clothing before in my life. I bought the above number over a year ago at Goodwill. I've worn it several times but I'm a little self conscious because there are faint but visible arm pit stains. (note the bright light blue circular line around the armpit)




They are only really noticeable if I lift my arms up in the air but I still don't like them or the fact that it was not my sweat that created the stains. Soooo...I decided to change the dress color in attempt to make the pit stains disappear.



Ta Da! The picture makes it look much darker than it is. It is violet and oh so cute. And no more stranger pit stains. Time to create new ones that are my own :)

Yay for fixing a problem and not throwing out a super cute dress!

***Does anyone know if there is such a thing as translucent/clear thread? I need to fix the hem before I wear it again. And since I don't have a sewing machine OR know how to sew I need to fix it ghetto style. A stitch here and a stitch there. Please let me know if there is an easy way to fix my little hem problem. Thanks!

Top Picks and Top Dislikes

Netflix is by far the best $15 I spend each month. I want to share my top picks with you. Movies that change and inspire, that will forever have an impact on your life.

Or not. But I swear they are worth watching.

1. La Vie en Rose. Who is Edith Piaf? I had no freakin idea before watching this movie. And I loved it. Marion Cotillard won an oscar for her performance. Outstanding.

2. Babel. I love intertwining storylines. And Brad Pitt. And Cate Blanchett. Enough said.

3. Doubt. Clark and I have no doubt that you will enjoy this (har har har). Strong and moving performances.

4. Saint Ralph. Charming and cheesy. You just can't help but pull for little Ralph.

5. Blood Diamond. Not for the faint of heart. Graphic and entralling. And Djimon Hounsou is one beautiful man.

6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Nazi Germany WWII. If it were a German film (it's English with cute little accents) and there were English subtitles it would have been a tad more authentic. That always makes movies more convincing in my book.

7. 3:10 to Yuma. Action, Action, Action! I'm a big fan of westerns now, especially if they involve Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.

8. Gran Torino. The theme is basically identical to that of Million Dollar Baby minus a female boxer. Apparently Clint Eastwood likes to play the crotchety old man who is battling with religion and ends up having a change of heart in the end.

9. Spirit of the Marathon. I had an earlier post dedicated to this documentary. You guys don't know what you're missing out on.

10. The Assassination of Jesse James. Ummm, Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, do I even need to say more? Extremely interesting movie about the life and death of Jesse James and the fate of his assasinator Robert Ford.

11. Crips and Bloods: Made in America. The rise of gangs stemming from rioting between blacks and whites in LA in the 1960's. This just reinforces why racism is not tolerable in any way, shape or form.

12. Dan in Real Life. Steve Carell is my hero. Well,almost. He's funny but he is also convincing in serious roles. And this movie made me want to live on the east coast so bad. I wouldn't mind calling Rhode Island home.

13. Life is Beautiful. Now I know what I've been missing out on for years.


Movies I wish I had never wasted my time on and I'd be a better person if I had not seen:

-Gigantic. Ehhhhhhhhhh. I loved Paul Dano in Little Miss Sunshine and There Will be Blood but this movie just didn't do it for me.

-Seven Pounds. D.I.S.A.P.P.O.I.N.T.I.N.G to the max. Will Smith, you are wonderful but this movie was not.

-The Reader. Would have been much better if there wasn't so much (or any) unnecessary nudity. Kate Winslet sure doesn't mind getting nakey for roles.

-Get Smart. Sorry Steve Carell. I love you but I didn't love this flick. And there was no way Anne Hathaway was keeping a 4:50 mile pace when she collides with Steve Carell. I know what a 4:50 mile pace looks like and she was probably hitting 6:45 mile pace at best.

-Trainspotting. I happen to love drug movies. Traffic was an amazing movie. Blow didn't disappoint. But this was a little much. And the fact that I couldn't understand any of the characters 88% of the time bothered me as well.

-The Bridges of Madison County. I don't even know what to say. I just didn't like it.

Have you guys seen any of the above movies? What did you think?

My Simple Testimony

As much as I complain about cell phone reception and dropped calls and the ridiculously expensive cost of using more than your allotted minutes for the month....where would I be without one? Clark and I are able to reach eachother any time of the day and we don't have to wait impatiently at home for the land line telegraph to ring. Being apart is hard enough, but at least we can talk ALL the time and multiple times a day and we don't have to use calling cards or pay long distance fees. Isn't it crazy to think that in the 80's and 90's most of us could only talk on the phone at home or at a pay phone? Insane, I tell you. There was no "I'll call you on my way to work" or "call me from the store and I'll tell you what we need" or "take the cell with you while you run through the hood". I guess they did have those huge honkin cell phones but who actually owned one?

I HAVE A TESTIMONY OF CELL PHONES.

I bore my testimony to Clark the other week as I was driving to work and talking on my cellular telephone and now I am sharing it with all 10 of you who actually read my blog. As much as I complain about cell phones they really do make absence from the ones you love just a teeny tiny bit easier.

Yessum, that's what I have to share with you while waiting for the hours to pass at work.

Enjoy

this is so sad but so hilarious all at once. poor thing, bet she didn't see it coming.

I bet he didn't see this coming either. Here's another

Ouch. At least he made it.

This is funny even though I probably shouldn't think so.