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.
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.
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. 
While it was hot out, the generous scoops of ice cream atop our homemade apple pie slices provided a brief escape from the heat.
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.
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!
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.
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.
When I got an email today, from google, notifying me that my website had crawl errors, it occurred to me that I am seriously overdue for a blog post. This year has been full of struggles and hardships (which I might feel open to talking about at a later time) that have taken me places that I never wanted to go. I’m here today, with a new understanding of the reservoir of strength we all have within us. Hopefully life will remain on the upswing, despite a delay in our Alaska departure and an uncertainty for where and when we’ll land in the lower 48.
It’s now November, and in the last few months, Isaac has returned from Officer Candidate School where he graduated with honors and I ran my 
Surely you’ll hear from me/us again – most likely when our moving plans have solidified. I’m rather looking forward to traveling the Alcan again, even if it’s a cold, dark drive. I’m more so looking forward to re-entering civilization via Vancouver (a top 10 favorite city of mine, for sure), Seattle, Portland and good ole California. The west coast really is the best coast.
Hello! It’s been a while since I last posted. I hope you all know how to find your way back to my poor, neglected blog.
Our vacation to Oklahoma and California is long over, but not long forgotten. I will never in my life forget how Woods vomited all over Isaac during our connecting flight from Dallas to Los Angeles. Twice. We arrived to LAX, and headed over to Venice Beach with a half dressed baby (that’ll teach us to forget backup clothes), and an incredibly cranky toddler. I distinctly remember a very bored Margot slipping out of her seat belt and into the narrow airplane aisle, refusing to sit back down because she wanted to do Yoga instead. Why am I harping on the travel, and not the destination? Maybe because during our 10 day vacation, we spent approximately 24 total hours en route to our destinations. Living in Alaska has its downfalls; the distance from the lower 48 is #1 on the list of grievances. 
Venice Beach. Margot’s first warm-weathered beach experience. The poor Alaskan kid tried to build a snowman with the sand. It was so darling to see my beautifully sheltered child experience an entirely different climate than she’s used to. She’s a beach person, it turns out. I can foresee the UCSB college applications in our future, already.
Our time in Venice was short — we headed to Bakersfield the same day we arrived from OKC. Day after day we ate our way into day food comas (Mexican, Basque and Chinese food galore!). I hardly recognized my hometown; I was surprised by the solar panel boom, wasn’t sure how to conserve water beyond my normal usage, and didn’t exactly remember how to get from downtown Bako to the NW side (it’s been ten years, people!). I somehow expected the city to slip into a post-apocalyptic downward spiral, but the gang violence, tribal warfare, and robotic armies hadn’t taken a hold of the city like I imagined they would. I’ve seen too many movies, I know that now.
Yea Yea Pueblo 