A Grand Canyon of Distraction

A few weeks ago, Ben and I decided to take our eight-month old, Brahm, on a little weekend excursion to the Grand Canyon. Summers are a little *warm* in the desert, and the only possible way to survive them is to either (1) stay inside or (2) leave. Since we'd been doing our fair share of the former, we opted for the latter.

You may or may not know that the elevation of the Grand Canyon averages about 8000ft (or 2500m for my metric friends), so the 30 degree drop in temperature was FABULOUS.

We drive there. We park our car, grab Brahm and our cameras and walk to the rim. Now, I've been to the Grand Canyon once before with my family when I was about, oh, fifteen? Even so, nothing quite prepares you for the magnitude of it. Just when you think you've found the bottom, you realize it cuts even farther, and you may - if you find just the right vantage point - spot a sliver of the Colorado River below. The canyon is grand in every sense of the word and inspires a few moments of silent awe.

Or at least it should.

But, no. I took one look at it and started telling Ben how I wanted to arrange a family photo. Ben just kinda looked at me. He did not understand my photographical impatience - it wasn't like the Grand Canyon was going anywhere. He wanted a few moments to just...look.

Oh, that.

You mean, just sit an ENJOY looking at something without immediately reaching for my phone so that I can text a photo to someone.

I've apparently formed a pretty bad habit. There are so many things I've allowed to "demand" my attention, and sometimes those things prevent me from appreciating the here and now. I was so concerned about recording the experience that I forgot to just experience.

Especially now with a boy of almost nine-months, I find my attention diverted more than ever.
I mean, the kid's mouth is like a black hole - anything within a five foot radius seems to find its way into it. So, yeah. CONSTANT VIGILANCE. But he is allowed to take my attention. Social media is not.

In a way, it's similar to writing. I always love reaching the point in a draft where I can edit away the clutter - the distractions - where the words no longer get in the way and the story can finally shine through. But I know to look for it in my drafts; I don't always know to look for it in my life.

It was an "Ah ha!" moment for me. (I seem to be having those a lot, lately.) There are so, so many things vying for our attention in this technologically connected world. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogger, Goodreads, Pinterest, blahblahblahblahblah... While I love the connectedness (shoot, most of my writer-friends I've met through the world wide web!), it also comes with its downsides, and for me, it's failing to shut off that connectedness when I should. Be here. Live now. Nothing reminds me more of this than seeing the rate our little boy is growing and changing. He's crawling everywhere, and I feel like we brought him home from the hospital yesterday.

I think it will always present a challenge for me. I'm not sure what the solution is or if there really is one. Like everything in life, it is a balance and balance seems to require an exhaustive amount of attention, care, and reevaluation.

Do any of you deal with this?

We did manage to get some photos, though :D I mean - it was Brahm's first "vacation"! It's the only proof he'll ever have that he was there.

Oh, and for those of you wondering, here's where Gaia #3 is at...  I have been BUSY BUSY working on it. It's almost beta-ready (thanks again, guys!! Could NOT do this without you!!), then I'm giving it to my BRILLIANT editor in October (Laura, you're amazing) so that it can be out by Thanksgiving! I'll keep you posted, though.

Now, for the photos...

Dairy Queen in Williams, AZ, right off Historic Route 66. Also, I must note
that Brahm did not much care for ice cream. It was too cold on his little teeth :D

My Non-Near-Death Experience

So, I haven't been on blogger for, uh, MONTHS. I've thought about blogging. Sorta. Okay, so not really. I've been distracted by going through beta feedback on my sequel, traveling all over for work, and...other things.

But! I've been inspired to blog about my most recent trip for work. Why? Because I thought I was going to die.

I'm serious.

...ahem...

I had been told that I'd be going to an indian reservation somewhere on the border of Arizona and New Mexico.

My first thought? "Ooooooo! Turquoise!"

(don't laugh.)

About a week before I go on this "exciting turquoise trip," I mentioned to a coworker where I was headed. This coworker's jaw drops as her eyes double in size, as she proceeds to say in a low, ominous whisper, "Has anyone warned you about it, yet?"

She then proceeds with the following list of happy things:

(1) Get off the reservation before the sun goes down.
(2) If you see a baby carrier in the middle of the road, drive around it.
(3) Don't stop - not for ANY reason! - until you get to your intended destination.
(4) If the road suddenly turns to dirt, turn around immediately.
(5) You probably won't get cell reception, either, if you need help.

This was my response...

O_O


...and I forgot all about turquoise. Instead, I started thinking about zombies...

Apparently, gangs are prevalent on reservations. I did not know this. I also didn't realize that major freeways didn't access these reservations. You have to turn down roads called Indian Routes. They wind all over who knows where, and many of them are dirt roads - or they turn into them.

You bet I Google Earthed my route.

The day arrived, I took my GPS - I even printed a map just in case - and I embarked on my 5.5 hour drive to my doom.

And....

It was totally and utterly uneventful. *wipes brow*

HOWEVER! I got some photos that I wanted to share. because I think the scenery was wild and beautiful. Of course, the pictures are from the car because I refused to stop and get out to take them :D I apologize in advance for the lackluster quality.



On my way there. Highway 40 runs from Flagstaff to Albuquerque.
THREE HOURS OF THIS. *dies*

HOPE. Scenery change. THREE HOURS of flatlands,
and I'm about to turn on my Indian Route. I'm also a little
scared at this point, but distracted by the colorful rock.



My PAVED Indian Route. *preens*

It was a very pretty drive, too! Sorry about the bug

splatter on my windshield...You already know

why I wouldn't stop...



My biggest adventure: avoiding livestock. There were NO fences along
the 30ish mile RTE. I drove through a pack of about 6 horses, happily eating grass
on both sides of the rode. And cows, and sheep...



Navajo country, and the reason for this blog.
Rock formations like this were everywhere! So beautiful.



And now I'm back "safely" in my hotel room, reveling in life and enjoying the scenery. :D Since I'm feeling so safe, I may even try and find some turquoise tomorrow...

Happy Tuesday!

Road Trip Photos!!

Here they are!!...well, some of them. There's enough to warrant their own link, rather than make everyone suffer through a really, really long blog post. *sighs relief*

Anyhoo, if you're interested here's a link to our album on Facebook:

Road Trip through the Wild, Wild West


Or, if you're a minimalist and prefer the "synopsis" *cringes*, here's the one page summary. (so boring...yawn.)

WE MADE IT...ALIVE, TOO!

Wow.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and finally, here I am, returning to the blogosphere and world wide web. It was odd not checking blogger almost daily, or email, or reading, or writing [um, that didn't stop me from talking to my characters in the car all by myself. Three days of driving with only the dog for company (Ben drove our other car)...you can hardly blame me...]. What did we do before the internet?! I felt lost - completely disconnected from mankind - peppered with fear, driving through Death Valley while my cell phone displayed comforting words like, "No Service".

I've got loads of photos to share from our GORGEOUS drive - and plan on doing so - but I must organize them first. The new homestead took precedence, and I gladly report things are in order...well, mostly. Just a few odds and ends remain, you know how it goes...

Personally, I think "odds and ends" play a game of "divide and conquer" when your back's turned...

But I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU!! Ben and I feel spoiled rotten having such awesome friends and family. All the cards, all the gifts, all the support...there was so much it was hard to accept (and made it harder to leave...). :'( Your encouragement has made the varying emotions easier to handle and the unknown seem less frightening.

I wasn't sure what to think, walking into our new home for the first time. Part of me was thrilled - WE'RE FINALLY HERE! - and the home was so cute and perfect for us. But the other part, the one that doesn't have a reputation for being very logical, was extremely sad. Sad at the emptiness, the foreignness, the lack of memories...the silence.

I immediately went about, setting your encouraging cards on the counters, leaning your pictures against the walls, putting all the goodies on display (they're all lovely!)...it was like you were there with us. Having those pieces of you brightened the corners and filled the spaces in our empty home with love when I couldn't have needed it more. Thank you.

While I know this isn't really "goodbye" forever, I'm going to miss so many of you. The last minute dinners, the weekend trips, the conversations, seeing many of you at (and after) work amidst cap wars while getting kicked out of my chair (yes, I know I deserved it). Now you HAVE to visit and see all the decor you helped purchase :D

Until we get all the photos in order, I'll leave you with this. See if you can find Sammy :)

ps I'll have you know I spent a good deal of thought and time making him a comfortable passenger seat.

En Route to Mordor...by car.

Okay, okay, so we're not REALLY going to Mordor. No doubt there are similarities:  hot fumes, rocky terrain, and a giant, yellow eyeball sun looming in the sky, watching your every  move. And to get there you have to pass obstacles like giant mammoths, lakes of salt, Ents, a canyon of kings, the treacherous white mountains, and a valley of death**. But at least Phoenix doesn't have any Orcs. :)

No, I'm looking forward to it. But I'm REALLY excited about the drive. We're taking the "scenic" route, depicted by that pretty purplish line below (click on the photo to enlarge...). This route is also adding 4 hours to our overall drive time, but we'll be breaking it up. We're spending one night near Mt. Whitney (west of Death Valley), and the second in Las Vegas, with lots of scenic detours in between!

There's some gorgeous countryside along the way and I'll be sure and take loads of photos. :D Assuming the weather holds...it's been a late winter for the Sierra's!

I hope to return to the blogosphere in the next few weeks. In the meantime, hope you all had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

**A key to aforementioned locations (links are above):

mammoths = Mammoth Lakes

lakes of salt = Mono Lake

Ents = Bristlecone Pine Forest

canyon of kings = Kings Canyon National Park

white mountains = White Mountains!

valley of death = Death Valley

UPDATE: The Big Move

*cues 2001 Space Odyssey theme (also known as Sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 by Richard Strauss)*


First of all, if you haven't clicked on the above link, you should do so. Now.

Second. WE'RE MOVING IN A MONTH! *looks at calendar* *sweats*

Some of you might recall us saying we weren't leaving for the dry, cactus-strewn lands of Arizona until August. (I'm fully aware of the insanity of moving to a desert in August, thank you.)

Well.

I got an awesome job. And it starts June 20th.

Aside of the time crunch, we believe it has worked out for the best. This way, Ben and I aren't embarking on "new roles" at the same time. Ben graduates end of May with a Magna Cum Laude in Biological Sciences (SO proud of him!...can't believe how fast it's gone by), we pack up our POD, and drive to our apartment first week in June. He starts Dental School end of August.

We'll be living in Glendale, AZ - 15 minutes northwest of Phoenix - and already have our new address, so if you'd like it, let us know! We'll also have a guest bedroom/bath and LOVE visitors. Seriously. The refrigerator will be stocked and even if you only want to sleep there, we're fine with that, too! Did I mention how much we love visitors? We also understand if you'd like to restrict your visitation rights to the winter months. Neither of us blames you.

Until then, let the chaos begin! And please forgive us for any delay in responses. I assure you, it's only temporary.

*Did you know that Strauss's Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, written in 1896, was inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical treatise of the same name? 

Ben is Moving Me to Hell (& not in a handbasket)

It happened this morning, when Ben got the phone call. It didn't start out with candy and roses. It didn't start out that way at all. In fact, we began the morning with me trying to keep a good attitude and cheer up my crestfallen spouse who had heard no word from any of the 3 dental schools he interviewed at.

With eager minds and shaky hands we watched the computer last night, midnight eastern time, 9pm our time. The server crashed, we waited. It moved slowly, we waited some more. Finally logged on, nothing. No change in status. No trace of that grand glittering golden word: ACCEPTANCE. Our hearts sank with the realization that we'd be one of the thousands waiting. Possibly waiting to still find out nothing.

All the rabbit trails your thoughts venture down! What if, what if, what if? One more year. Another long, grueling, expensive application process. What is wrong with admissions?!

There we were driving to work and school this morning, each with our own silent solutions to those 'what if's', when Ben reached back and retrieved his phone. "Huh?" he says, "I missed a call." My heart stops. "From Phoenix. There's a message." Now my heart is racing. Ben listens to that message (I can hear it too) and it's the dean of Midwestern University, School of Dentistry in Glendale, Arizona, congratulating Ben on his acceptance!

Of course I do what every good wife does. I simultaneously start screaming and bawling, almost rear-ending the car in front of us.

Within seconds, the burden had vanished and we were soaring miles above the clouds. How one moment can change everything. What brings me the most joy is seeing Ben. How happy he is. How encouraged he is. After all the hard work, it's the greatest reward he could ask for, and I'm so grateful we are on this adventure together!

That being said, we are thrilled and giddy like little kids on Christmas morning. It also doesn't go without saying that I have a few concerns. They are, as follows:

1. Heat.