Great Minds

You know you have been married to long, when this happens:

Trinkets

Before Shelly took a school trip to Paris, she asked me if there was anything I wanted. I told her I wanted anything other than a tacky trinket. So being a smart-aleck 11 year old that she was, she managed to find me the tackiest trinket: a plastic Eiffel Tower, sitting on a plastic globe, with Tweetie Pie hanging from the side.

On my family's latest field adventure (to Prague - which I wasn't invited to. It doesn't matter if I have already been there or not. I still wasn't invited) Shelly and Cori managed to out do themselves:

Not really sure if I should thank them for thinking of me or not.... I do know however, I need to take a trip somewhere and quick! Hope you girls like snow-globes.

*Big Hole In The Ground

This weekend we took a day trip to the Grand Canyon, it was amazing. We hiked the Bright Angel Trail, which was a grueling 9 miles to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (although the bottom-bottom was another 6 miles beyond that, but I like to think I achieved the bottom, so work with me here)

Initial reaction to the Grand Canyon:

"Bottom" of Grand Canyon:

Cool rock formation that made me think of TJ. Maybe you could explain how the Grand Canyon was made for the talent show?

We were hoping for something a bit more exciting to happen here. Unfortunately no one was rammed. Kevin told me if I was the one to be rammed, he would have knocked the mountain goat out. I considered getting rammed just to see him try.

*I may or may not have at one time referred to the Grand Canyon as "the big hole in the ground," and it is quite possible that I will never live that one down.

Cheaters Never Propser

It's November first and we are still wearing shorts and t-shirts:

Taken November 1st (this just doesn't seem right, I should be wearing three layers!)

I feel as though we have cheated winter and having an extended summer. Which is why I am starting to worry about where will we end up moving in January. I'm starting to think that our punishment for cheating winter will be a move to Alaska. However, I'm banking on the fact that Karma doesn't know how good of a cheater I am (see any member of my family for details on this)

We have been taken advantage of the wonderful weather by doing lots of out-doorsy things, such as jet skiing. We went jet skiing when we were down in Florida, which means we were in the same water as alligators.

Kevin was not allowed under any circumstance to throw me off the jet ski. I could have been eaten alive! (I have very sweet blood - they can smell it, you know) The alligators turned out to be too fast to catch on video, but we did find something else....

We plan on taking lots of advantage of the weather before shipping off to Alaska!

Remember The Lions

This past weekend Kevin and I got to go out to Florida to watch Trevor and his fellow lions, of Oviedo High School, lay the smack down on Hagerty (a big rival school.) It also happened to be Trevor's senior night, and my first ever high school football game. So when you add the two together, it made for a very exciting evening! Which will hopefully explain the following videos:

I learnt a valuable lesson from this video: don't be embarrassed to just keep filming. What you miss here is the commentator announcing Kevin as older brother "Keevie" and then the longest most awkward pause: "and wife Nicole." I also missed us all shaking the coaches hands and me proclaiming that: "we are just SO proud"

A few things here: a) the players go from linking arms to holding hands (which made me feel very uncomfortable. Note Trevor was not touching anyone!) and b) that yes I did scream rather loud when the canyon went off....it was so unexpected.

One Hump Or Two?

Camelback Mountain is a very popular hike here in Phoenix. It is just one mile to the top, which doesn't sound very hard, but when that one mile is at a 100% incline, up medium sized boulders and an increase of 1100 feet in altitude (facts obtained and then exaggerated from Kevin's gps watch), things become more challenging.

It was super bright up there - hence squinting!

Camelback on Camelback. Despite what you may think, this in not a bum bag (or that heinous word you Americans use to describe it). It's my water carrying pouch!

Rather large Saguaro (or for you non-desert experts: cacti)

Demonstration of steepness:

My little 2-mile-round-trip hike though is nothing compared to my mother who just hiked 70 miles across Spain. She and a friend decided to go on a Pilgrimage in Northern Spain (apparently you spend less time in purgatory this way.) So for the last week they carried all their belongings on their backs, slept in monasteries and struggled along the Pilgrims trail. I find it very hard to believe my mother did this, I personally think she spent the last week at a resort and spa. I need photographic evidence!

Hip Hip Hooray

Hip hip hooray,

Kevy had a birthday!

One more year old,

Life is just beginning to unfold.

And still decades away from the gray.

The day was lots of fun,

And would probably equate a home run.

He received lots of stuff,

27 candles did he puff,

Getting them all out in one!

Apparently the theme for this birthday was the colour red! In true Saltzman tradition he had to try on all his new clothes. However if you look quickly, it looks like he is just wearing the same thing and I take too

many photos of him.

Kevy had many birthday requests, one of which was that we all played Settlers of Catan! And since we are all such a loving family, we let him win (although I don't think Katie was too happy about it)

And this is because: being sung to isn't awkward enough: