Arizona Adventures

I took Friday, February 15, off work for a fun four-day Valentine's/Presidents Day weekend.  Darren and I are approaching our year anniversary as Arizona residents, and we wanted to see some more of the sites this great state has to offer.  Visiting the Grand Canyon was high on our list since neither of us had been there.  Darren did a little research and found an awesome Bed and Breakfast in Flagstaff (about 1 1/2 hours from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon) called the England House (does he know me or what?).  I also got a tip from some students and work colleagues to visit a drive-through wild animal park near Flagstaff called Bearizona.  We had such a fun time!  A special thanks to our parents who gave us some travel money at Christmas for just such a trip.

BEARIZONA: Our first stop on the way into Flagstaff was this amazing animal park

The tour started with some good-sized mountain goats.  It was so exciting to see these animals up close!

Coming to say hello

This little guy got so close to the car it was hard to get a picture.

American Burros

Bison

Darren got this awesome shot of one of the gray wolves:

Some of the White Bison got a little close for comfort:

This guy was right outside my passenger side window.  

The car in front of us was sure having a good time. :)

Big Horned Sheep:

Black Bear:  I definitely let out a few anxious squeals in this part of the park.  When we first entered the bear territory, we could only see the bears from a distance.  As you can tell from the pictures, though, we quickly got a closer view!

We ended our visit in the walk-about part of the park in which we were allowed out of the car to see a few more species of animals.

We then checked into the charming England House Bed and Breakfast.  The house was built by a British architect with the last name of England in the early 1900s.  The couple who owned the Bed and Breakfast were so sweet and served some amazing breakfasts.  They had also done an excellent job restoring the house while still keeping many of the original features (such as the pressed-tin ceilings).

ENGLAND HOUSE B&B

Our room

150 year old claw-foot bath tub ... um, yes!

Native American Ruins/Grand Canyon

Our B&B hosts suggested we hit some old Native American ruins on our way up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  They also told us about a "secret spot" we could hike to with amazing views of the Canyon.

Wukoki:  Hopi word for "Big House"--this was once home to two or three Indian families from 1120-1210.

Wukoki

This was a gathering place for those living in the area about 900 years ago.  The area included market-type structures and ball courts.

South Rim of Grand Canyon from "secret spot"

Lowell Observatory

On our last night in Flagstaff, we visited the Lowell Observatory near our B&B.  Lowell Observatory is where Pluto was discovered.  They offered a constellation course and had telescopes set up that allowed visitors to view Jupiter, the moon, and the Orion Nebula.  It brought back wonderful memories of the constellation cruises I took with my Dad during our summers at Stanford Sierra Camp on Fallen Leaf Lake.

Overall, it was an awesome weekend that allowed us both to appreciate so many of our Heavenly Father's creations.  What a beautiful world in which we live! 

Recent Happenings...

I am so excited about 2013.  I wanted to make at least one post in the month of January, and thought I would kick off this new year with a new blog design.  Here's to new beginnings!

Here is a quick recap of the holidays:

Darren and I spent the two weeks I had off in CA visiting our respective families.  It was so wonderful!   We went to the beach, watched several movies, had dinners with extended family, and drove the California coastline four times on two separate trips from southern to northern CA.  I feel so grateful to have the family and in-laws that I do, and to have been able to spend time with some of them over the holidays.  During that time, we were also able to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday.  Happy Birthday, Papa John!

Before leaving for CA, I did my best to bring some Christmas cheer into our apartment.  I love bringing out holiday decorations.  Here are a few shots:

 

Among my New Year's Resolutions is the commitment to make at least one blog post a month.  I have definitely fallen short of that recently, but am excited to better document this little life of ours.  Though it's the end of the month, we are wishing any readers out there a fulfilling and happy 2013!

Autumn Musings

Whoa ... is anyone else having trouble believing that Thanksgiving is next week?  Where have the past 3 months gone??  I love this time of year, and it is moving much too quickly for my taste.  In fact, I have always been a staunch proponent of holding off on all things Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but time seems to be passing so quickly I have let a few Christmas songs slip into my playlists so as to extend the season as long as possible.

Here in Arizona, the Myler household has been busy with work, school, and enjoying cooler weather (I think I'm going to like AZ winters :).  At the beginning of October, Darren and I both had time off for our fall breaks.  It was a great time to catch up on sleep and visit with family.  I also got to try out some recipes on Pinterest I've wanted to try for a while:

Chocolate chip banana bread in the fall bread pan we got for our wedding.  This recipe only called for bananas, yellow cake mix, eggs, and chocolate chips.  Even I couldn't mess this up.  Recipe here.

Green Monster Smoothie.  This was surprisingly tasty for all of the healthy ingredients.  Recipe here.

This was course #1 for a dinner in which I tried a new napkin folding technique and crock pot Italian chicken and rice recipe.

I've also had fun bringing out the few autumn decorations we have to add a little seasonal flair to our apartment.

Most recently, Darren and I have enjoyed:

• discovering a fun new breakfast place at the little Chandler airport.  It sounds random, I know, but the Hanger Cafe has such a charming, old-time atmosphere.  

•  early Sunday morning breakfasts in bed ...

... and walks in the nearby Discovery Park (it was fun watching this parade of ducks moving from their beds on land to the water).

In short, life has been busy, but good.  We are looking forward to the holiday season, which will bring the end of finals and more time off with family.  Can't wait!