12-31-14

Me: I really like this; "If it doesn't make you happy by December 31…Leave it in 2014. 

:-)

Hope everyone has a wonderful night ringing in the New Year!

12-30-14

Me: Here are a few pics of our team "Winona Ryder" from the Dawn to Dusk race.
December 13, 2014

This is Winona (aka Anna).

This is Ryder (aka Jane).

Crazy long day of biking (10 hours in the mud). But the scenery was pretty!

Fun racing with Anna!

And fun having Bob racing too (solo division)!

Bob & I got to ride 3 laps together!

Wonderful photos from Action Media.

12-29-14

Me: Had a great afternoon with my sisters today. Carol & I drove out to visit with Joan & Dean at their home in Superstition Mountain. It was a gorgeous day so the 3 of us went hiking…

We explored the Hieroglyphic Trail not far from Joan & Dean's place. The trek was about an hour up a beautiful canyon that brings you to the Petroglyphs.

 What a view!!

 And really cool Petroglyphs.

Harley had fun too but questioned the navigation abilities of Joan & Carol. Lucky for us Harley led the way & kept us on the right path. ;-)

 After our sweet 2 hour trek, Dean served us homemade chili. Delicious…it hit the spot!

Thanks for the good idea to come out, Joan. We had a wonderful time!

12-28-14

Martin: Another pic in Daraxa's Mirador

Me: This is the Christmas card we received from Australia. Thank you, Martin, Ruth, Adrian & Daniel! Love the image of Santa walking down the road with a kangaroo, a cockatoo and two Koala Bears. 

12-27-14

Martin: Daraxa's Mirador

Me: Bob had a great ride with friends, Kata, Mike & Heidi. They rode Javelina, DC, Helipad, Secret & Corona Loma trails in South Mountain. It was a cold morning for Phoenix (33 degrees) at 7am so they were smart to start at 9am. ;-)

12-26-14

Me: Our 1st crop of grapefruit! After no grapefruit from our tiny tree last year we actually have 15 this year! We tasted grapefruit #1 today and it was good. Wahoo!

12-25-14

Me: Merry Christmas!

Bob & I had a non-traditional Christmas since we were neither in Iowa or California. However, we did celebrate Christmas with friends this morning (biking followed by sticky buns + quiche at Angie & Trevors home). This afternoon Bob & I met my two sisters, Joan & Carol, BIL's Dean & Paul plus niece April. Harley tagged along too. :-)

We hiked a 3.8 mile trail (round trip) to the top of Sunrise Peak. It's located in Scottsdale just west of Fountain Hills in the McDowell Mtn range. It was a beautiful & cool afternoon to hike.

April, Carol, Joan & I on the top of Sunrise Peak. Great job, April who ran up most of the trail (Harley & I chased her). Congrats to Joan, Bob & Carol who pushed hard to the summit. Dean wasn't feeling the best so Dean & Paul hiked part way up the trail & had a nice time visiting.

PS: We ate cheesecake at the top & had ham sandwiches afterwards. Thankful for the fun family hike on Christmas Day! Wishing our Iowa & California families a blessed day as well as our family & friends across the country and in Australia!! 

Merry CHRISTmas!

12-24-14

 Me: Merry Christmas Eve!
A little music...

 and a few presents.

 A new baby doll for Riley.

 A new harmonica for Kavan...

which Riley can play too!

We even managed to bake some sugar cookies with Janna & the kids! Mmmm.

Merry Christmas Eve! :-)

12-23-14

Me: "Elf. What Elf?!"

I guess it was the last straw for Harley: seeing YOGI Elf getting so much attention, Yogi Elf showing off yoga poses everyday & then eating Harley's box of treats. Harley had enough & I don't blame her. Poor YOGI Elf - he's not hurt (except maybe his feelings). Harley just gently showed Yogi Elf who's boss. :-)

12-22-14

Me: Tonight we (along with Joan, Dean, Carol & Paul and their kids) enjoyed the luminaries at the Phoenix Botanical Garden!

From 5:30pm to 9:30pm you can walk the garden sidewalks which are lined with real candle luminaries (amazing) and listen to a variety of musical groups. 11 different stops; Hand bell choir, Mariachi band, Native American flutist, guitar & violin groups, + more.

We enjoyed it all with hot chocolate in hand on a perfect winter evening in Arizona.

12-21-14

Me: It was a great day for a hike up to Flat Iron (that's the angled peak in the distance).

Here's a view on the TOP of Flat Iron looking east.

Here's a view on the top of Flat Iron looking north.

Here's a view above Flat Iron (the pointed plateau over my shoulder) looking west.

Here's a view of me at the tippy top (high point at 5,027 ft) of the Superstition Mountains.

Round trip: 7.6 miles gaining 3,636 feet.

One of my favorite local hikes!

12-20-14

Me: Celebrating Christmas (early)!

Not only did Pat & Bob send us a box of Christmas gifts yesterday, but Bob's sister (& family) sent us a box of lovely gifts too! So today was December 25th for us!! :-)

I love this variety pack of specialty jams from Pat. I tasted the lemon curd on my toast and it was really yummy!

Here's a few other gifts from Bob's parents…a basketball game that Bob plays while putting the contraption on his head (haha), ROKU for easy TV watching, a charger system for our phones +, a Ford Trimotor book for Bob & some awesome tall brightly colored socks for me. Can't wait to wear them tomorrow! We also got SEE's gift certificates, a personalized puzzle of Bob from 40 years ago & some other great stocking stuffers. Thank you soooo much, Pat & Bob! xoxox

The gifts we opened from M, Rod, Ro & Ree were very special as well! How awesome is this cubed photo ornament. There are 5 photos on it from our 2012 china trip. So happy to have this ornament that brings huge smiles every time we remember our time there together!

This pillow from M is so perfect for us! Santa on a bike…LOVE! I really do. Thank you guys! Of course we'd rather be opening these presents in your living room. :-( But we hope to see you soon in 2015. Merry Christmas to our Meneely family. We love you!!