Arizona – Page 3 – Yea Yea Pueblo

It’s almost September! Woah!

Time has really been hard to track lately. Sierra Vista has so much to offer, and the kids are just now old enough to jump into activities, so I’ve signed us up for practically everything.

I raced the Hummingbird Triathlon on August 19th, and did better than I thought I would. I hadn’t put in enough practice at the pool, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well the swim portion of the race went. The distances were 800m swim, 13 mile bike ride, and a 5k run. It was fun, and I’m now tempted to sign up for the Lake Patagonia triathlon, but I still have other things on my agenda that are more pressing. And open water swims are a terrifying prospect to me right now, I just need to gain more experience.

Hummingbird Triathlon Sierra Vista AZ | Yea Yea Pueblo

We also bought a kayak! It’s a giant sit on top tandem that we can all fit on. We’ve only taken it out once in the two weeks that we’ve had it, but it will certainly get more use this fall.

Kayak | Yea Yea Pueblo Apple Annie’s Orchard out in Willcox, AZ was a nice excursion. Peaches and apples now gracefully litter my countertops, waiting to be turned into crisps and snacks. Annie's Apple Orchard Willcox, AZ | Yea Yea Pueblo

While it was hot out, the generous scoops of ice cream atop our homemade apple pie slices provided a brief escape from the heat.

Annie's Apple Orchard Willcox, AZ | Yea Yea Pueblo

Annie's Apple Orchard Willcox AZ | Yea Yea Pueblo

Kids in the Kitchen | Yea Yea Pueblo

Margot started homeschool preschool this week, and has already enjoyed new forays into interesting subjects. Woody said he was sick and we decided to make him chicken noodle soup. We made the egg noodles from scratch. It was delicious, however the kids wouldn’t eat it, and spoiler alert: Woody wasn’t sick. Either way, we can mark that down as a Home-Economics lesson completed.

Kids in the Kitchen | Yea Yea Pueblo

I’m back into sewing. It’s been a love-hate relationship with the craft, but I think it’s mostly due to the machine I use. It’s got tension issues and I’m not sure if it’s worth servicing or just buying an upgraded machine. I’m still swimming in that conundrum, and my projects are piling up. But my new workspace is helping me stay organized, and it’s just so fun to sit at that I want to work on all the projects!

Craft Table Work Station Sewing Room | Yea Yea Pueblo

Previously, I said that I was not the Halloween-costume-making type, but I’ve had a change of heart (that seems to happen a lot, so take my sweeping proclamations with a grain of salt). I found some halloween costume patterns in my fabric stash and let Margot pick a view. She chose to be a Devil, so I’m like 1/8 done with that project (my machine eats everything, so I’m stuck).

I’m also trying to work on a mini quilt as my first foray into quilting.

My camera is getting a little dusty, but I try to pick it up once in a while when I see something worth documenting. Wildflowers are always worthy subjects and fortunately they’re growing across the street in the foothills.

Wildflowers | Yea Yea Pueblo

My kombucha has also been a continuous project for me. I’ve begun continuous brewing and I enjoy having a large glass or two of it daily. It’s such a fascinating process to watch my SCOBY grow and continue to ferment sweet tea into a bubbly, tangy, probiotic drink. Blueberry Ginger and Pineapple “booch” have definitely been my favorite second ferment flavors. I’m nerding out too much on booch, let’s move on.

I don’t have a lot of downtime outside of Marathon training (Tucson Marathon, Dec 9!) and my household/homeschool/parenting responsibilities. But I have a stack of books, and audiobooks, that I read and listen to piecemeal (I’m a chapter away from finishing In Cold Blood by Truman Capote) and I always seem to knock it out a book here and there. And I have a big crochet project that I’m chipping away at. If anyone knows how to keep 1 lb skeins from turning into a tangled mess halfway through their use, let me know. I’m at my wits end with these giant rats nests of yarn!

This summer has been such a period of growth for us as a family. Margot is developing so many new skill sets and interests, it’s a rewarding experience to oversee. Woody is growing like a weed, and I’ve suddenly got a million new interests on my to-do list (sculpting, cheese making, and so on). We’ve strengthened friendships and found a church to call home. We are so happy to call Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca our home.

Lifestyle Photography | Yea Yea Pueblo

Hey Friends!

It’s been a looooong time since I’ve given my sweet little blog the love and attention it needs. Since I last posted, we went on a cross country (a very cross country) move from Alaska to Arizona. We’re settled in and enjoying life in the sunny high desert. Since a few months have passed since the travel, I’m going to skip posting on those events (and everything since the last post!), and just jump into the present. But before I do that, I’ll give you a couple quick essential updates so you’re not completely lost when these come up in later posts.

Custodial updates:

We have a new dog named Moose. We adopted him in January, he’s a black lab (mix?) and a year old. He’s a great running buddy.
We live in Sierra Vista, AZ and will be stationed here at Fort Huachuca for the next few years.
I’m not currently running my business, because I’ve got a few other goals on the horizon, more on that later.

Okay, now we can move on!

I’m currently training for a sprint triathlon that is coming up in mid August. I worked hard on training last summer, thinking that I’d be racing the Hummingbird Triathlon last year, but our move was postponed. But that’s okay because I never swam last summer and instead of the Triathlon, I ran the first ever HooDoo Half Marathon in Fairbanks, AK in October. Well I’m here in Arizona now, and I’ll definitely be racing the Hummingbird Tri this year! It involves a 400m swim, a 13 mile bike ride, and a 5k run, in that order. I’m currently taking adult swim lessons to fix three decades of poor swimming. I’m working hard in all three disciplines this summer, all while assimilating to a new town.

Always the bibliophile, I’ve collected a number of sports-related memoirs, and technical books relating to my three favorite sports. To keep things fresh and prevent burnout, I often turn to literature to inspire me to stay the course. Finally, onto the subject of this blog post!

Running Books

The list (follow the links for full synopses):

Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness by Suzy Favor Hamilton I purchased this on Amazon, and enjoyed it immensely. Suzy Favor Hamilton, a professional runner, struggles with Bipolar disorder. This book is graphic, and details many of Suzy’s sexual exploits as a high end call girl in Las Vegas. Talk about a wild ride.

The Long Run: A Memoir of Loss and Life in Motion by Catriona Menzies-Pike This one just arrived in the mail and is next on the list. Running as therapy? Yes, yes, yes!

Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running by Danny Dreyer I came across this one at a yard sale. I’ve been picking it up here and there and find the tips on form to be especially informative. Experience meditative running with this title.

Triathlons for Women by Sally Edwards Includes women specific information! This book has been instrumental in learning the lingo, the training balance, and setting goals. A must for those interested in triathlons.

Hit Reset: Revolutionary Yoga for Athletes by Erin Taylor This book has been a great guide to stretching out those tricky spots that tend to tighten up with high mileage use. My kids spilled juice on my copy, so I’d advise you all to keep this book away from children.

Running: A Love Story by Jen A. Miller I’m currently listening to this one on Audible.com. It’s written by a slightly older millennial with all the anecdotal laughs that come with a young adult life spent on MySpace, and learning to love running in a world before GPS watches and iPods. Parallel plots detailing her history with running, and an ongoing marathon bring motion to the narrative.

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running by Haruki Murakami Recently listened to on Audible.com. A stream of thought story about all the things that runners think about. I recommend picking up a few long runs before diving into this read, otherwise this book may come off as presumptuous and confusing.

More will be added as the weeks tick by. I’d like to make my reading lists a regular thing. Check out these titles at your local library, or get a used copy from Amazon (or a digital copy on your kindle!) and comment below with your thoughts on any of these books. And, although superfluous, I highly recommend an audible subscription. I almost canceled mine twice, but was glad I didn’t. Multitasking is so much more fun when set against the soundtrack of a long story.

On another note, I have two other big goals for this year, one of which I’m keeping mum until closer to the event. The other takes place in a little town called Bisbee. An annual tradition brings runners to Bisbee to run a 1000 stair course. My pocketbook and training schedule won’t allow for running the stairs on race day, but I will find time to run the course independently as many folks do. Bisbee 1000 | Yea Yea Pueblo After finishing a few of these books, I’ll update this post with thoughts on each. Then I’ll bring you another list of like-genre titles. Until then, read on book friends! Bisbee, Arizona | Yea Yea Pueblo Bisbee Stairs | Yea Yea Pueblo