Time to Catch Up! (Part One)

Wow! It is definitely time for me to write a new blog. This has been a very busy last couple months and I have quite a bit of catching up to do! So, here's the abbreviated version:

Payson:

It's a family tradition that we always go up to the cabin on the 4th of July. Part of this tradition was created to get out of the Phoenix and Tucson heat, and part of it was created to celebrate my grandmother's birthday on the 5th of July. My grandmother passed away when I was a freshman in college, so this trip has since become a way to honor her memory.

Grandma Kathy. I don't have any digital cabin pictures of her, so here's Christmas when I was in high school.

This was a fun trip. I brought Bill along and he and Grandpa totally bonded (which I knew they would). Every time I couldn't find Bill, I just looked for Grandpa. Here are some of the best pictures from the trip:

I just like to giggle at this one.

 Flowers on the front porch.

 The shoes :)

Grandpa always puts out birdseed in the morning.

A bridge across the stream that passes under the Tonto Natural Bridge.

 The Tonto Natural Bridge (it's much bigger than it looks).

 My Dad. With a Bill growing out of his head.

 The view from inside this cave near the bridge.

 Are you coming out?

 Some young blackberries still on the vine.

 What you can't tell in this picture is that there are about six hummingbird feeders hanging from the porch. All the hummingbirds in the neighborhood know about these feeders and fight over them. Bill and I even heard them bang beaks together once like swords. 

 At the Mogollon Rim with the shoes :)

A ponderosa pine that's been beaten by the wind over many years.

 A monsoon sunset from the Rim.

Bill trying to catch the perfect lightning picture. 

To see all of my Payson 4th of July pictures, click here.

Haboob:

When Bill and I got back home from the cabin, we experienced a huge haboob (dust storm):

This haboob was one of the largest that had been seen in some time and swept over the entire metropolitan area of Phoenix at once. To check out some crazy news footage of the haboob, click here. 

25th Birthday:

At the end of July I had my 25th birthday. I'm still mindblown about that one! My parents took my friends and I out for a gluttonous dinner at Bucca di Beppo. It was amazing. 

I'm deciding how many awesome carbs I plan to order.

The next day, Bill, Michael (my cousin), Devin (one of the guitar players in my band), and I packed up the leftovers and headed out to Vegas. This was quite an adventure since Bill was the only one who had spent any time in Las Vegas. Here are some highlights from that trip:

 The Hoover Dam from the new bridge.

 Right down the street from the dam is a park where big horned sheep like to graze.

 The awesome view from our hotel room.

 The fountains at the Belagio.

 The view from the bathroom.

 Hmmm I see mischief on those faces...

 The shark tank at Mandalay Bay.

 A zebrafish.

 What you see right before Jaws gets you!

 Le Butcherettes opening for Queens of the Stone Age at the Cosmopolitan. 

Queens of the Stone Age

 The night time view from our room.

 The shop from Pawn Stars...with a huge line outside.

 These really cool green rocks we found on the drive back.

 Bill :)

 The sunset.

 The shoes :)

 Michael, Devin, and Bill climbing around the green rocks.

 More sunset.

An ocotillo.

Check out the second part of this blog to hear about August and September!