Last Week in Arizona

Last week was our last full week in Arizona. That fact has really sunk in, and we're both sad about it. Last week was filled with last get togethers, but somehow all I have to show for it is pictures of objects, food, our last adventure, and my dog. I'm going to regret not getting pictures of the people we saw for the last time. But at the same time, those memories will stick with me - the lack of pictures of our friends only says that we were too busy enjoying every last minute to think about taking a picture!

We've been going to our used bookstore, Bookmans, a lot lately. It was originally intended to sell books, games, and puzzles so that we could lighten our load, but as it turns out, it's a way better deal to get store credit than cash...so we ended up with all new books, games, and puzzles! We'll have to wait until we get to our new home in the fall to enjoy these, but it'll be fun to find them again when we're unpacking.

I think the saddest part of this whole move is that Charlotte doesn't realize that she doesn't get to see her friends anymore. Our little extroverted puppy has made so many friends - both dogs and people - and I know she'll miss them as much as we will!

We took a little drive to get away from the stresses of moving, and drove out around ghost towns and the Silverbell mining area one last time. One last spin around the gravel roads in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. The mountains up ahead are the Ragged-top Mountains, and I'm kind of thankful that we never had a chance to hike them. Those things are rugged!

Oh, and we randomly came across Ironwood Forest National Monument. I guess that's one more we can check off our list? I'm afraid it won't fall too high on our list of "Favorite Arizona National Monuments." (#1 is Chiricahua National Monument, in case you're wondering!)

Last time we moved, we packed most of our things in reusable tubs. We added a few more to our collection and filled them all up. This might be my favorite "moving tip," especially since we'll be moving a lot, and it's exhausting to run around and find free boxes! We also use the tubs for storage, side tables, dressers, and packing when we go on trips. 

To me, the 2 areas that need the most attention are the kitchen and my closet. I'm proud to say my closet has been completed, including filling one tub with everything I need to have with me for the summer!

We're trying to use up as much food as we can. This was our last exciting cooking experience - goat ribs! I wasn't too pleased with the smell, but they tasted great - kind of like pork. They did shrink quite a bit while baking though.

Last Thursday, we got together one last time with some of our letterboxing friends. All I have to show for it is this picture of a wild fire in the Rincon Mountains. We've enjoyed getting to know these people through the boxes that they plant and over the letterboxing events in Arizona. We love hearing about their adventures, and getting advice on places to visit and what to do while we're there. To our boxing friends - we'll miss you all, but hopefully our trails will cross again through different events and boxing opportunities!

Another sad goodbye that had to happen was to my beloved camo pants. As hard as this is, they're really in bad shape and have got to go! You have probably seen me wearing them ever since our first peak hike to Window Rock, and over many other exciting hiking adventures like Mt. Wrightson, Havasu Falls, Mt. Humphreys, and lastly, the Grand Canyon. What you don't know is that I've actually had these pants since 8th grade...I wonder if my family thought it was just a phase I was going through back then? Who could have known the places I'd end up wearing them! 

I'm going to need another pair stat.

Our moving cube was delivered on Saturday morning. Since then, Curtis has been hard at work filling it, and Charlotte has been terrified. All the big objects and loud noises have scared here, and having the door only partially closed has given opportunities for her to escape. (She's never left the apartment complex, thankfully!) When Curtis tried to show her the cube, the loud noise of the door sliding up scared her so much she slid right out of her harness! We know that she's going to have a great time this summer with me, our families, and their dogs, but first we have to get through moving week and the drive home.

On Saturday, we also had our last party with our friend group down here. This is when the whole moving thing started to sink in. We're going to miss these people so much! They've been a huge blessing to us and so much fun to hang out with over our first 2 years of marriage. They all blessed us with gifts to remember them, delicious food, great company, friends for our puppy, and a hilarious home movie commemorating one fatal move during the last Axis and Allies game. (I hope to be able to share that some day because it is amazing!)

And finally, on Sunday we had our last day of going to Berean Bible Church and working on the soundboard together. They have also been a huge blessing to us since we started going after we moved here. We are really going to miss everyone there, but we know we will be reunited with them all through Christ someday, so it's just a "see you later!"

I decided that my new life goal is to someday write a book that can be filed under this category: "True Adventure"! 

And just like that, moving week is upon us.