On The Road Again

         This will be my last post until Tuesday morning. So, I’m going to make it short and sweet! Old Ironsides and I will be heading out to Colorado bright and early tomorrow morning. It’s an eleven-hour car ride, but we thought, “Might as well explore while we’ve got the chance.” We have decided to venture to Mesa Verde National Park, home of the cliff dwellings of the Puebloans. Check out the website! We’re going to be camping in the park (Don’t worry folks, these kids have separate tents!), and making the most of our outdoor adventure. Hopefully we don’t get eaten by lions and tigers and bears…oh my!...or the occasional Gila monster. :) 

Stay tuned. There will definitely be pictures and adventure (or misadventure) stories to follow!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

K & T

Joplin update: Dad was able to deliver the Mule to the folks at Immanuel Lutheran Church. They were very grateful, and are now able to transport necessities quicker and more efficiently. Keep them in your prayers as they continue to recover after the tornado.

Their World Is Still Spinning

I was going to write a post specifically about the wildfires out here in Sierra Vista, but something happened today that moved me to write this post instead.

As all of you know, the tornadoes that hit Joplin, Missouri Sunday evening were some of the worst in history. My seventh grade teacher, Lyla Glaskey, her husband, Jason, their two young children, and her mother (an adopted grandma to me), Saundra, all live in Joplin and have called it their hometown for many years. They all survived the historic storm, but are trying to pick up the pieces left in its aftermath. You can imagine that the events of this past week have been devastating for them in so many ways. They are dealing with grief, heartache, fear, and uncertainty as to what the future holds after such a terrible disaster.

I sat in my Arizona living room Monday morning, and was overcome by sadness and anger that I could not be there to help. The only thing I could do was cry and silently offer up prayers for safety, healing, and understanding.

God must have heard the yearning in my heart to provide some assistance. Today I received a phone call from Lyla asking me to take charge on one of the many relief effort tasks they are trying to complete. After various phone calls and good ol’ fashion determination, it’s confirmed that J & W Cycles in Washington is donating and delivering (thanks dad!) a Mule (all terrain vehicle) to the relief effort in Joplin. Supplies like these are needed for the transport of water and other necessities to people who are living in places impassable by regular cars.

Please pray that this donation can make a huge impact on those affected by the storm. Also, remember to keep the town of Joplin and all of those affected by the recent storm damage in your prayers.

Lyla’s church, Immanuel Lutheran Joplin, is accepting donations for relief effort purposes. If you would like to make a monetary donation to the Joplin relief effort, you can send checks to the address below. 

Make checks payable to: Immanuel Lutheran Church (make sure to put disaster relief on the memo line).

Address to:

Immanuel Lutheran Church

2616 Connecticut Ave

Joplin, MO 64804

http://www.immanueljoplin.com/

Praying and asking you to do the same,

K

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

TDY Gardening 101

       Can you believe I almost didn’t take the chance to spend the summer in Arizona due to the loss of my summer garden?! Okay, not really…but I knew it was one of those things I would definitely miss about my life in Missouri. Way back in March I started planning my AZ garden. I had no idea what could grow here or how I would grow it, but I knew I wanted my garden!

            So, within the first three days of living in Sierra Vista, I (with the assistance of Old Ironsides and Anna) enthusiastically began my humble garden. Since I’m living in an apartment and grass/dirt are sparse in the high desert, I was presented with some new gardening challenges. Gone are the days of tilling the ground and planting! Here are the days of container gardens. (Thank you Mrs. D for the awesome and helpful books!)

         
What follows are some tips for growing your own TDY (a.k.a Temporary Duty) Garden.

Step One: Purchase the various plants and seeds you would like to nurture. I chose three tomato plants purchased from a local vender at the Sierra Vista farmer’s market. I also bought a pepper plant, a lavender plant, flower seeds (African daisies, cornflowers, zinnias, and sunflowers), and basil seeds from a local hardware store. 

 

 Step Two: Now that you have your various plants, you can make sure to buy the appropriate containers and soil to fit their unique needs. Since our TDY garden is in the high desert, plastic containers are recommended. These will not hold in the heat and allow the plants more breathability. (I found this step to be kind of fun…I got to pick out different colors for my containers!)

Step Three: Pour the soil into each container. Replant the tomato and pepper plants making sure to prune as necessary. Sow the various seeds you have chosen and cover with soil.

Step Four: Water!

Step Five: Wait and wait and wait…soon (but not yet) you will have beautiful flowers and greatly producing vegetable plants. 

More from the TDY Garden later!

Adios

K 

 

Here's a Proposal!

           This will be unlike any other post on due southwest. 'Why,' you ask? Well, this post has nothing at all to do with the southwest, the desert, Old Ironsides, or myself! Nope, the contents of this post contain a different kind of special!

            Bright and early Saturday morning, Old Ironsides and I said our goodbyes at the Tucson airport. From there, I was on my way back home to good ol’ Missouri. Yep, folks, you guessed it…homesickness got a hold of me. I just can’t seem to make it another ten weeks! No, no, no…nothing like that. Quite the contrary, I was in town to share in the most monumental of surprises my best friend had ever experienced.

            On Sunday, Anna’s longtime beau, Peter, asked her to become his one and only. And, you know what?! She said…YES!

           So, I dedicate today’s post to best friends and new additions to our circle. I am so blessed to have seen how God has worked in your lives and brought you two together. It will be such a joy to watch as He continues to shape you both into the individuals and couple He has authored you to be.

            Stay honest, respect each other, communicate always, and pray together with a steadfast heart you two!

Love

K

PS Always give each other the benefit of the doubt! ;)


More from Arizona tomorrow!

Wake Up Sierra Vista!

It's another beautiful morning in the high desert. The wind is blowing, the sun is shining, and it's a cool 60 degrees. You know, I think I'd say it is the perfect morning for a bike ride! In fact, I just got back from a 6.5 mile bike ride and was once again taken aback by Sierra Vista's amazing views of the mountains. 

Challenge for you: Find something beautiful today, and thank God He blessed you with it!

Truck v. Carr Canyon

           Let me first apologize! It has been far too long since I’ve taken the time to write a real post. As you probably have guessed, I am now fully moved in, and Old Ironsides and I are beginning our summer in the beautiful, sunny, gorgeous, and mountainous Sierra Vista. Speaking of mountains…Peter joined us this weekend for some small adventures before his and Anna's 23-hour car ride back to Missouri.

            After a refreshing church service on Sunday morning, we headed out to Carr Canyon. We didn’t really know where we were going, what path would take us to the infamous waterfall (which we never saw!), or how long we would be on the trail. But, that was okay with us. We had good company and beautiful views to make the time pass. 

         

         We started at the bottom of the mountain on nicely paved roads.  

  Gradually...no, suddenly...the pavement disappeared and we were making our way up the mountain on a bumpy, sandy, narrowing one-way road. Let the adventure begin!

 

We parked the truck in an alcove and decided to start the trek up. Anna and I decided to let the boys go first...

 

 

Then, we climbed.

 

And climbed…

Until we reached an amazing view…

 

Needless to say, we stayed awhile.

Good Times, Good Company

K & T & A & P

PS If you want to see a video of some of the other fun things we did on our adventure, click on the tab Motion Pictures located at the top of this page.

 

Welcome to Sierra Vista, Arizona!

Anna and I were escorted into Sierra Vista by the US Border Patrol

Update: Check out the first posted video under the Motion Pictures tab located at the top of the page!

It's All About Sadies

As we approached mile 1,006 on Wednesday afternoon, we were privileged to stop in Albuquerque and meet Anna's dad, John, for some real New Mexican-inspired delicacies. He treated us to one of his favorite restaurants: Sadies of New Mexico. I ordered the Sadies Taco, Anna the chicken enchiladas, and John the chile relleno. Each dish came with fried potatoes and whole beans. Definitely not in Missouri anymore. :) All three of us enjoyed our dishes and finished them off with the traditional New Mexican sopapilla: a fried pastry-like bread with honey poured on top. I would have to say, it was well worth the 1,006 miles! :)

Signing off for now:
A & K

Truth or Consequences

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (a great fuel stop!)

Truth: The Little Red Rider (aka my 2001 Chevy Cavalier) can make it 1,500 miles in two days.

Consequence: A dirty Little Red Rider and a little less money in the bank!

Truth: There really are tumbleweeds rolling across the road in the southwest.

Consequence: They end up plastered into the front grill of your car.

Truth: It was cold in Albuquerque Wednesday…like really cold.

Consequence: The planned wardrobe of shorts and tank tops didn’t work out so well.

Truth: Bachelors do not know the concept of a stocked pantry, refrigerator, or kitchen. :)

Consequence: Women come in and creatively solve the problem.

Truth: Old Ironside can grill.

Consequence: We’re spoiled

Truth: Arizona is beautiful in its own way.

Consequence: I think it may be difficult to leave this place. :)

A & K & T

Tumbleweed...Obliterated

Love from Arizona!

A & K & T

PS Tomorrow...Truth or Consequences.

Last Chance Wendy's

And so it begins…

            Today we drove exactly 722 miles in eleven hours. I’m not sure if this was good timing or not, but we were definitely ready to be in Amarillo! The trip started off this morning at 0530 when Stripes, the twenty-pound cat, noisily reminded us that it was time for breakfast. After some last minute packing and a quick bite to eat, we said our final goodbyes and hit the road. Four hours later, we were stopping for gas in Joplin and noticed a road sign for Wendy’s. $1.00 Frosties were just too good to pass up. And besides, who knows if Wendy’s even exists in the southwest?! (Turns out there are plenty.) Regardless, we enjoyed our frosties with the added M&M’s (thank you Charrette family!). 

Don't worry all of you healthy peeps out there.  We made up for our "sweet tooth" tonight with some good stretching and exercise. 

Until next time

K & A

PS Tomorrow the current nine o’clock will turn to seven… our poor bodies.

 

Beginnings

 blog  noun  /blȯg/

a Website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer

            Since this is the “official” first posting on the blog, I think it only fair to give you a purpose for its creation. Most of you know that T and I will be spending the next ten weeks exploring southern Arizona together and trying our hardest to stay out of trouble! I was racking my brain as I tried to come up with a creative and convenient way to keep all of our closest family and friends (that’d be you!) in the loop with our escapades. It finally dawned on me that a blog would be the perfect answer. Let’s face it, sending postcards to all of you every week, although very thoughtful, would not be easy on the bank! The more I thought about it, I began to realize that this blog would be as much for you as it is for me. I am looking forward to chronicling the next ten weeks and creating an archive of all the crazy stories, adventures, pictures, and food Arizona offers.  Thus, the creation of due southwest!

             I hope that you all can enjoy the next ten weeks as you live vicariously through the stories and pictures. Please, feel free to leave comments! I would love to read them (they make home that much closer!).

Enjoy!  

K & T

P.S. Stayed tuned! Tomorrow begins the 23 hour road trip!