Busy

It's been a busy week. Andrew flew back to Minnesota on Thursday for his defense. He passed with flying colors (obviously) and is coming home later today. Tucker and I can't wait.

I was offered a job last Monday at 3pm, zoomed to the school for Meet the Teacher night at 4pm, and the kids started Wednesday at 8am. Trying to put a classroom/lesson plans together in one day is not as easy task. But, after the weekend I'm feeling much more prepared for the week/year ahead of me. I'm really excited for the year, and thrilled to be back in 1st grade.

Although the blog will probably be put on hold with the new job, I hope to keep you posted on our weekend adventures. Be sure to check back!

Undesirable Number One

I always assumed that in Tucker's mind squirrels were Undesirable Number One (I have Harry Potter on the brain). Before we moved down here I dreamed of the happy, mellow, and calm dog we would have once we moved to Arizona. The good news is that we haven't seen a squirrel since we left Minnesota. The bad news? Squirrels were not even close to being number one on his list of rivals. Want to know what ranks #1 on his list on undesirables? It's the cat. Unfortunately, our neighborhood is home to a handful of strays who love messing with him. Cat has become the "c word" in our house. If Tucker hears the word he's off to check the backyard. And if by chance there IS a cat in the backyard? Oh goodness. Shit hits the fan. I can't really blame Tucker for wanting them gone. They are mangy, gross, and EVERYWHERE.

We tried a homemade cayenne pepper solution, but that didn't seem to keep them away. I'm on the search for a cat repellant that is safe to use around dogs.

Yuck.

They LOVE sleeping on the roof.

Poor dog has some serious high prey drive going on in his brain. The other day he fell in the pool while chasing one away.

Sunrise

Sunrise and breakfast on top of South Mountain.

South Mountain

Finding a house from 1800 miles away proved to be a challenge, especially since I had never stepped foot in Arizona until last month. I spent hours on google maps, looking at aerial views of the neighborhoods. Is the house within walking distance of a coffee shop? How far to the nearest Trader Joe's? How many miles from Intel? We went back and forth on where we wanted to live. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to live close to South Mountain. We found a few houses that backed up to the mountain, but they were all ruled out for one reason or another. Mostly because we weren't willing to pay $2000+/month, even if it meant having a hiking trail right outside our door. Although the house we ended up with doesn't have a mountain in our backyard, we still enjoy having a "mountain" so close. The other morning we drove to the top to watch the sunrise, and thought we'd be the only people on the mountain. We were surprised to find it FULL of bikers, walkers, and runners who were taking advantage of the cool morning hours. After about 7am, it is HOT HOT HOT. I've always been a morning person, but I fear that I am going to have to become an OBSCENELY early riser in the summer months if I want to enjoy any time outside. I'm talking pre-sunrise early. Also known as 4:30 in the AM. However, it's worth it to see the sunrise over Phoenix. Pictures of that to come soon.

Dust storm

I'm still cleaning dust out of my ears this morning after a GIANT haboob rolled over Phoenix last night. I've never seen anything quite like it. I have to share the time-lapse videos with you, because they are pretty amazing. They look like scenes from a movie, but our backyard (especially the pool) is proof that it did in fact happen. Click the links below...

http://vimeo.com/26045314

http://www.scottwoodphotography.com/Weather/2011StormChasing/15913598_nN77g#1370278891_RDCLM67-A-LB

I'm off to sweep the backyard!