Summer So Far

So far this summer has been really, really wet.  Seriously, we've had rain almost every single day since the beginning of June, and a lot of it's been some pretty awesome thunderstorms.  I love it, because the weather has been just amazing and not blisteringly hot, plus we haven't had any wildfires, which is always a plus!  (I'll never forget the summer of 2010, when Flagstaff was literally surrounded by fires, I'm in no hurry to repeat that experience).  I'm looking forward to the full on monsoon season this month.

Aside from that, it's been pretty uneventful.  I'm doing well health/fitness wise, work is good, Jerbs and the dogs are good . . . we have pretty boring lives, I think.

I am happy that I've been getting outside more and accomplishing some of the goals I set for the summer.

I'm also happy that the fireworks didn't get rained out tonight, because it did rain earlier in the day and was overcast all day long.  We watched them from our porch (not a super great show this year TBH), then spent a good chunk of time trying to convince Hollie and Max the world hadn't ended.  It took a lot of treats but they're fine now haha.

Next week Jerbs and I are both going on separate vacations (to CA and CO, respectively).  She's off to Comic Con and I'm going to a wedding, so that should be fun.  I legitimately don't remember the last time we were both out of town but not going to the same place.

And that's about it.  I'm hoping the rest of the summer will continue to be nice and rainy, and that I can get in a lot more outdoor activity as well.

122 Days (2015)

Remember this post from last year?  When I was all woohoo it's summer I'm going to do stuff!?

Well, it's May 1st again, which means it's summer again.  And since last summer I did nothing, I'm extra determined to actually do stuff this summer.  My goals are pretty much the same.  I think my biggest  goals are to finally actually lose weight, and just to get outdoors and explore more.  I live in a beautiful place with so much stuff to do outside, and I feel like I should start taking advantage of that more.  I'd also like to make at least one trip to Kingman this summer to visit my family (a real visit, not just one on my way through to somewhere else).

I will say that I'm about to leave for Vegas, and I think that this summer starting with this trip is a really, really good sign that it's going to kick last summer's ass!

Buckling Down

I don't really know how to explain it, but I feel like the past two weeks have just been . . . weird.  I can't quite put my finger on why but things have felt off.  It's been frustrating and I'm really trying to shake it.

Some of it, I think, is the transition into summer weather.  That's never easy for me.  And I know I said I was going to enjoy summer this year (and that's still my plan) but lately the weather has been doing this awful thing where it's super nice and awesome during the week (y'know, on the days when I spend 9 hours a day cooped up in my office), and then as soon as the weekend hits we have ridiculous wind that basically makes it impossible to do anything outside.  Very, very annoying.  I've also been just this side of physically ill the past couple weeks.  Nothing horrible, just a dull headache--almost like the start of a sinus headache--pretty constantly, and my eyes have been hurting/itching quite a bit.  I really think it's allergies, which means there's nothing I can really do about it, because there aren't any allergy medications that won't knock me out.  And I obviously can't sleep through work.  And this off feeling has made me really hit or miss diet/workout wise, which I hate.  I can't even tell you the last time I really worked out.  That whole walking on my lunch breaks pretty much went out the window because lately I haven't been able to take more than a half hour for lunch.

But I feel like this week I need to suck it up, buckle down, and get my shit together.

I need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist.  That is, at the moment, a high priority.  Jerbs found some doctors that look promising down in Phoenix (because I can't find anyone closer), I just need to call them and set it up.

I need to quit eating fast food, both for the sake of my physical well being and my financial well being.  I need to drink less soda and more water.  I need to get better about meeting the calorie goal I have on MFP.  I'm also going to start weekly weigh ins instead of every two weeks, just to hold myself a little more accountable.

I need to work out.  I know that this week, between the allergy stuff and not drinking as much soda, I'm not going to get in any hardcore cardio.  My plan is to walk as much as I can during the day and then do a yoga workout every night before bed.

And speaking of going to bed, I need to go to bed at a reasonable hour (11ish) every night this week, wake up in time to get ready for work and make sure the dogs are all taken care of (Jerbs is out of town again), and not nap after work.

I need to write.  That's something that's been on my mind a lot lately--the fact that writing has always been my passion and my dream and that I've been completely ignoring it.  I feel like I've gotten so wrapped up in my serious, grown up job that I've lost sight of my more creative goals, and I need to get back to that.

Galinas Tank Trail Hike

I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but starting today I have a four day weekend from work.  The clinic is closed for Memorial Day on Monday, so I took today off to give myself a little mini vacation (I requested this off back in, like, February).  Initially my plan was to go down to Kingman to visit my family, but my sister is currently in Mexico and Austin is at his dad's house, so I decided to just chill out in Flagstaff.

By a random stroke of luck Jerbs also had today off (she did end up having to go in to work for a few hours but she was home by noon so it wasn't a big deal . . . plus her boss felt bad about her getting called in so now she's off tomorrow too!) so we decided to load up the dogs and go on a hike!

We set out to hike Bismark Lake Trail and find Bismark Lake.  We had directions but after awhile it became clear that they weren't completely accurate (we'd gone a lot further than the directions were said we were supposed to and still hadn't seen the turn off we were looking for), so we ended up just finding a random trail along Hart Prairie Road and hiking that.  It ended up being a really lovely hike.  The trail was easy and we had a beautiful view of the peaks in the distance and we were hiking through aspen trees.  About a mile in we found this abandoned/dilapidated old house off of the trail, which was really cool!  The trail skirted around this tall hill, and we decided to be intrepid and climb it; it was definitely a work out but worth it for the view!

The dogs, of course, had a fantastic time being off their leashes and running ahead of us on the trail.  Max surprised us by  being totally into it--he's not a very adventurous dogs and doesn't usually seem to care for long walks except to pee on things, but he was just all over the place today.  I was so proud of him!  He actually made it to the top of the hill first.  I'm glad to know I'll be able to take both of them out with me on more hikes this summer.

The view of the peaks from Hart Prairie Road on the drive out.

Aspen trees.

Aspen and flowers just off the trail we were on.

The front of the old house we found.

Stone steps ups to the front door.

The foundation of the old house.

The view through the front door from inside the house.
Because of course I went inside.

The house from the side.

The back of the house.

A view of the peaks from the hill we climbed, plus Hollie
looking very majestic.  Max is in there too, he's just blending in.

Max and Hollie were so worn out!  This was
roughly 10 minutes after we got back in the car.

After the hike we had lunch at Beaver Street Brewery and wandered around downtown for a little while.  All in all it was just a lovely day.  It made me feel very grateful that I live in such a beautiful place.  I'm looking forward to more summer adventures.

122 Days

It's the first of May!  And in my mind that means it's officially summer.  (Not that you'd have thought that if you went outside in Flagstaff today, but whatever).  I used to dread summer something fierce, and even though I'm not looking forward to the Arizona heat, I am kind of excited for summer this year.

I think of summer as May 1st to August 31st.  That's 122 days, and I have high hopes for those 122 days this year.

I am going to go outside.  I'm going to hike and swim and bike and be active and get fit.

I am going to take the dogs on lots of long walks and adventures.

I am going to paint my nails awesome summer colors.

I am going to wear my giant sunglasses and drive around with my sun roof open and my radio set to the country station.

I am going to hang out in Kingman with my family, and with friends in Phoenix.

I am going to read and write and paint and sew.

I am going to save money.

I am going to find a new doctor and get back on track treatment wise.

I am going to get a tattoo.

I am going to climb a mountain (like last year!).

I am going to take lots of pictures.

It's going to be awesome.