Where are Keeper & June?

...We're here, but it's been a busy few weeks.

Keeper has been:

~doing an insane clinic rotation of 10 (4 hours each) shifts every Monday-Thursday. 2 days a week he is gone from 7:30am to about 9:30pm. He assures me that next quarter won't be that bad :) I'm sure he could post much, much more about his rotations this quarter and maybe he will actually have time...when the quarter ends next week.

I have been:

~teaching school; we're halfway done week 5!!! I'm a lot busier planning and grading papers with 180 students this year! It's insane. I had 2 of my 5 classes top out with 41 kids (EACH). My other class numbers were 35, 33, and 31... It's a far cry from my 17 kid average class size in NJ....sigh...

~coaching cross country; we're ready for our 2nd invitational this coming Saturday. We did really well at our first meet 2 weeks ago. I have a great group of girls this year and love running with them!

~marathon training; my charity running group meets at 5:30am on Sunday mornings for our long run. So far training is going well; every week the weather gets a little cooler in the mornings and I can't wait until we can push that 5:30am time back to 6am or 6:30am :)

No pictures to post for now but we're really looking forward to:

~east coast trip in 3 weeks for Jill's wedding (it will be a whirlwind; get in on Friday afternoon, leave Sunday evening)

~our November visitors!!! We can't wait to see our families again!!

~November/December races (for me); I plan on running a 10 mile, a 1/2 marathon and maybe a 10 or 12k thrown in there too!

We were really trying to plan a New England fall trip but I have no break (from coaching) until after November 6th (State meet). Keeper's break runs into the weekend we're already in PA for Jill's wedding, but he has shifts on the Thursday before. Our October weekends are booked; either I have cross country meet, Keeper has a seminar, or something else is going on. So it looks like we'll see everyone in December for the holidays!!!

Water Dog!

I have no real updates other than to say Keeper has been super busy with his shifts this quarter and I started school 2 weeks ago and have been really busy teaching and coaching (and marathon training!)

I found some pictures on the camera from a few weeks ago that I forgot to upload so I will post them now. A good friend of mine from school who has 2 dogs got a part time summer job working for a "Dog Excursion" company. Basically, it is like day camp for your dog (not to be confused with doggie daycare). You pay ~$85 per day, they

pick up your dog at your house in the morning, take it to parks, take it hiking, take it swimming, play with it (basically tire it out), and then they drop it off at your house in the evening. My friend invited Onyx and I a few times when she had "clients" so we went along for free. We drove Onyx, my friend's 2 dogs, and the 2 dogs who were her regular clients down to the huge dog park in Gilbert, AZ that has a dog lake. Onyx loved it! She certainly is not a "dock dog" who will take a running jump into the water but she will swim for tennis balls and kind of "plops" off the dock once in awhile:)

Pinetop!

Keeper's summer break this year was almost non-existent ( 3 days instead of 3+ weeks) so we had to plan for our summer getaway a little closer to home. We opted for a trip that was in cooler weather and where we could bring Onyx with us. We decided on the White Mountains of AZ, more specifically Pinetop (about 3 hours, 45 minutes from Phoenix). We rented a cabin from Moonridge Lodge & Cabins for 3 nights and were apprehensive about the quality of the place. We got a "studio" which consisted of a big open floor plan (kitchen, bathroom, couch, tv, fireplace, double bed, and single bed). We tried to find reviews on Yelp of the place but there were none up there. I did find some sketchy ones from Yahoo; half of them were positive, half were negative. All the positive reviews were written the same day, all the negative ones were written the same day....something fishy was going on.
We decided to just see how it was and keep the reservation. We left Phoenix in the afternoon (after the World Cup final) and drove up the Bee Line Highway to Payson. From Payson, we took Route 260 east and saw a sign that said "Caution: mudslide: 9 miles ahead". Um what? The road was not closed and everyone seemed to still be driving ahead although it was obvious that there were storm clouds... well 9 miles ahead and we were in a dead standstill...for an hour and half. People were getting out of their cars and walking forward to try and see what was going on. Finally, an emergency vehicle drives by and announces that the road would open up in 10 minutes. Traffic started moving slowly and we did see (eventually) the spot were the mud (rivers) had flown over the road and down the mountain. Keeper at this point, had no idea what time we'd make it to Pinetop. He called the lodge and the lady told him we had 3 options: 1) come up in the morning and stay and extra night at the end of our trip (not an option since Keeper had class on Thursday), 2) reschedule the whole trip and use our 3 nights anytime in the next 6 months, or 3) get their after the office had closed, she would leave the key and a map to our cabin and check in in the morning... we decided to motor on and got to the cabin around 8pm. It was surprisingly clean and charming... phew!Monday morning we woke up, made breakfast, found a coffee shop and headed out to do a short hike in the morning. We chose Springs Trail, which was about 3.5 miles round trip. It was perfect for getting used to the elevation and Onyx LOVED the shady, soft dirt path and the creek to play in. We love being able to let her off the leash and get her exercise. After the hike we went back to the cabin so Keeper could check in officially. We made a picnic lunch and headed to Woodland Lake Park to do another quick hike and have lunch. The area was less shaded and it had gotten warm so Onyx wasn't going to make it that far. We had our lunch and walked another 3.5 miles before we got caught in a thunderstorm and decided to call it a day. We came back to the cabin, showered, took a nap, and then Keeper made steak for dinner on the grill!Tuesday morning, I woke up early and went for a 7 mile run. I mapped out the run to start from our cabin, head uphill for 2 miles to the park we went to the day before and do a lap and half around the lake (paved path) before heading back. I was worried about the altitude but the cool weather outweighed the altitude and I had a great run. Keeper and Onyx went to the park while I was running. Then we all had breakfast, packed a picnic lunch and drove north to the Petrified National Forest/Painted Desert for the day. The park was only 70 miles away from where we were staying so I figured why not? We drove in through the south entrance, stopped at the visitor center, did a quick walk, and then drove the 28 mile road through the park stopping at various peaks to take pictures. It was much warmer here than in the mountains and Onyx really minded the heat. After a few stops we decided to not take her out of the car each time. It was a really beautiful place and I'm glad we got to experience it.
On Wednesday morning, we slept in, checked out, and ventured back to Phoenix a different way than we had come. We drove down through the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and were amazed by the views. We took Route 60 (through Globe) and were treated to a magnificent view of the Salt River Canyon. We arrived home in early afternoon... enough time to take a nap, unpack, and grab a run on the treadmill before it was back to school for Keeper on Thursday!

Ohio!

Last weekend Keeper and I flew to Detroit, rented a car, and drove to Toledo for the weekend. We left bright and early Saturday morning (6am flight) and were in Toledo by early afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we got Keeper a much needed haircut and me much needed pedicure. We met up with our friends at Fifth Third Field for a Toledo Mud Hens minor league baseball game.
Sunday morning I needed to get a long run in (kind of a first for me in a new town!). Keeper found a park within walking (running) distance of our hotel (1.5 miles away) that had different trails and the longest one was 3.3 miles. Swan Creek Preserve Metropark was perfect. Although the weather was very hot and humid, I strapped on my fuel belt, ran to the park, did 2 laps around the longest loop (and saw some very cool birds and deer!) and then ran back to the hotel to finish out the 10 miler. We met up with friends for lunch and then had a nap before the big wedding.The wedding was outdoors in a very pretty garden. The heat/humidity was torturous but we sweated through the ceremony and cocktail hour and then cooled off as the sun was setting. The reception was held in an old high school gym so it was a very funky, quirky, retro setting. The band was fabulous, the food was good, and it was so good to hang out with Keeper's (and my) college friends. We hadn't seen them all since a wedding 2 years ago so it was great to hang out with everyone again.

East Coast Trip

I have once again returned from my summer east coast trip...each summer they get shorter and shorter! This year's trip was 12 days (as opposed to the one month trip I took after our first year here!)
My trip highlights included:
~Jesse & Melissa's Wedding, specifically the splitting of Jesse's pants while dancing and the confirmation of said split pants by Melissa
~meeting & bouncing the newest addition to our family: Sean William
~snuggling with the gold blanket, my teddy, & Blake Henry (with the blue blanket and his teddy)
~teaching Blake my cross country stretches and the Princess Pat song




~chicken pot pie lunch at Grandma & Pap's
~ dinner at Erin's
~Grandmom's crabcakes...and wine spritzers (merlot from a box + diet 7up; who knew?)
~3 trips to Rita's (flavor of the trip: black cherry gelati)
~tax free shopping at TJMaxx and Ross (and Tuesday Morning & Gabes) with mom
~ many hot and humid runs through the rolling hills of New Salem, Macungie and the Rail Trail
~crab omelette & monkey bread at Miss Shirley's
~Mr. Yogato
~discovering my new favorite beer at a bar in Fells Point with Eric & Company (Silly Pink Killer)I had a great trip and am looking forward to the time when I do not have to fly to see my family... a drive down for a weekend here and there will be much more practical than a big trip every summer (without Keith & Onyx).

Beatin' the heat...

...Phoenix Style... my heat-beating suggestions:

1) Tubing down the Salt River... I have ALWAYS wanted to do this (since we moved here). Keeper always shot me down saying "I think that's trashy..." well, he was right. We confirmed with friends a few weeks ago, that yes, tubing down the Salt River is a thing that trashy people do...that doesn't mean it wasn't fun and it definitely cooled us off! Last Saturday, we met up with a few of Keeper's classmates and headed out to Mesa for our river ride. We did not have to pay to rent tubes or use the shuttle since one of Keeper's classmates is a Phoenix native and was very familiar with the ins and outs of tubing. We had our own tubes and strategically left cars at both ends of the ride. We roped our 5 tubes together, roped our coolers with plenty of beer and water in the middle and set off. The river was really low and instead of taking 3-4 hours for the trip it took SEVEN!!! Needless to say, although fun and refreshing, we were ready to be done about 3 hours before we hit the endpoint. The water was cold, the scenery was amazing (cacti, canyons, birds), and the people were... amusing if nothing else. I guess tubing is known as THE summer thing to do with the party crowd and we were surrounded by groups of "frat" boys (although some that we talked to admitted to not being in college so I use that term loosely) and other various white trash groups. We witnessed marshmallow throwing, funneling of beer, shots and some really trashy conversations...but our little group had fun anyway :) No pics to post because our camera would have gotten ruined...

2) D'backs game: with the roof closed, of course. I love how there are windows around the stadium so you still get all the natural sunlight pouring in, but none of the heat. I would say Chase Field is kept a comfortable 75 degrees or so. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon indoors.

3) Early morning running...nothing like getting up at 5am everyday on your summer vacation...but it sure beats the heat stroke and dehydration that would accompany running later in the day. I've upped my water intake for the day, upped my Emergen-C consumption to replace electrolytes...and I have the liberty of taking a nap after practice on most days when I need to.

4) Evening dog walks. Poor Onyx and her black fur...we have to wait until after 7pm and even then her walks are very short. It is nice that the grassy lawn inside our condo complex is mostly shaded so she can run around and play in the shade when she needs to...but she is definitely perplexed at being cooped up inside most of the time. I would love to sneak her into the pool. Just once :)

Memorial Day Hike

Yesterday, Keeper and I decided to take Onyx up to Payson for her first summer hike. We chose to revisit a hike we'd done in August of 2007 (right after we first moved here): Horton Creek Hike. We got up early, drove the 2 hours to the Upper Tonto Campground/Traihead and began the hike. Although it was warm in Payson (mid 80's) we were definitely not complaining considering the near 100 degree temperatures in Phoenix of late. We had our new hiking boots (thanks, REI mega-sale!), our picnic lunch/snacks and plenty of water. We remember the trail being a lot more crowded two years ago (lots more dogs) but yesterday it was pretty quiet. We passed hikers here and there but for the most part, we let Onyx off the leash and she was fine. She loved being leash-free and trotting next to us (or a little in front or behind). She was definitely sniffing the many new smells of the forest and tried to chase a lizard or two. She LOVED the creek. We knew Labs loved water but she was in HEAVEN. She jumped right in, splashed all around, got plenty of drinks, stuck her face in the water multiple times, chased sticks, etc. We knew Onyx probably wouldn't make the whole 8 miles of the hike but she did make it well over 6. At 3 miles, we stopped for lunch and let her splash around in the creek for awhile before turning around and heading back to the car. She got tired during the last 2 miles and kept lying down in every patch of shade she could find. We got her back to the car, gave her plenty of water, and she was very quiet on the ride back home. We stopped at Sonic for some post-hiking treats (a coke for Keeper, a slushie for me, and a cup of ice for Onyx) and we decided to give her a bath when we got home to wash all the dirt and mud off of her. I don't think I have ever seen her so tired! Needless to say, for the first time in weeks, she did not wake me up before my alarm clock went off this morning!