Apology and Vaca update

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooo strangers!  I'm back!  Sorry I have been a little MIA, we went on vacation...yes, again.  It doesn't happen like this very often, but this month, it did.  However, this last vacation was a lot more quiet - so quiet, I even studied for CFP!  EWWWW!!  I know, on vacation and still studying....that is how important this test is.  Anyway.  Please forgive for my recent absence but please be aware that posts maybe be few and far between starting now and until CFP is over in November...or, hopefully over. 

Not a whole lot to tell about this vacation, so I will just hit some of the highs. 

We left Tucson on a wonderful 100 degree day and drove to Pinetop, AZ where the temp was a cool 75 degrees when we got there.  Hard to believe it was AZ in the summer!  My parents had rented a huge house for a smokin' price, so they invited us up for a few days.  Seriously, house had 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms plus a loft with 4 bunk-beds and was pretty nice for $100 a night.  I'm taking orders for next summer who wants to go with us - we can do 3 couples and maybe some kiddies...who's in at $25 a night to get out of the 100+ degree Tucson weather?

We had to stop in Globe, AZ for awesome Mexican food, then finally made it to Pinetop.

This is the "cabin." Just wasn't much of a cabin to me - more like a mansion...very nice!

Inside the "cabin."

That's my Mom on the left and my Dad in the middle, in the "cabin."

J on our deck.  He's in heaven!

The days in Pinetop kind of blur together, because we didn't do much.  I studied a bit, but other than that it was just a lot of walking around exploring, horseback riding and taking it easy.  I did go horseback riding with my Mom's BFF, Cheryl.  So here's some pics of that.

Me, getting on my horse.

Just kidding, this was really my horse, Yogi.

Bear tracks, right at the beginning of our trail ride.

Is this gorgeous or what?  Yes, we were still in AZ.

Like I said, pretty uneventful, just lots of R&R between studying - which I didn't do as much as I should have.  Actually had time to stop and smell the flowers...well, photograph them.  Here's a favorite.

Finally, it was time to venture to our next stop...Hawley Lake, AZ, about 45 minutes North of Pinetop.  J vacationed there with his family as a kid and I agreed to go, if we were in a cabin instead of a tent.  So off we went...and arrived at our cabin, that was rustic at best.

Not horrible, but not the Ritz either.  But it sufficed, even with the chipmunks in the attic at night and the random knockings on our door when no one was around!!!!!

J fished.

And apparently, liked what he caught.

What a beautiful place!!

This part of the trip was even MORE restful than Pinetop.  I did get a lot of studying done here!  A LOT!  I also fished and caught some, caught crawdads and cooked them, read books that weren't CFP related, slept some on a bed of rocks (the bed was so bad, I took the cushions off the couch and put them on my bed and slept on top!), saw an elk, saw a ton of squirrels and chipmunks, ate fish that I caught, and played lots of Dominoes and Uno.  One day, I even wore long sleeves under a sweatshirt and a jacket - in Arizona - in the summer!

It was a great trip, and hard to come back to 106 degree weather!

But we did return - after one more meal in Globe for good Mexican food!!  

And for no other reason but to show off some stupidity, I have to post this last photo.  Last night, we went to our friend Will and Colleen's Engagement party thrown by Will's parents (Will is one of my very best friends from High School).  His Mom went to get the cake she had ordered, and this is what it looked like...

What is the world coming to that we can't even spell on cakes!?  OY VEY!

Happy Labor Day Bleaders!  Talk soon!