Pay No Attention To That Sign.

Seeing as this could possibly be our last weekend in the desert, we decided to take a trip up the nearby mountain. We ignored the sign telling us our car must have four-wheel drive past this point and began our journey up the winding (and I mean curves til you're sick in the stomach winding) road. The first fifteen miles took us through rocky hillsides covered in saguaros and tiny shrubbery. It was pretty, but it wasn't breathtaking. As we drove up and up, we noticed something on the cars coming down the other way - some of them had mounds of snow hitchhiking on their vehicles. A few more miles and we started seeing snow on the ground where the sun hadn't touched it yet. Then that little bit of snow started to cover the trees, and soon even the ground in the sun had snow on it. We had seen a bit of water on the roadway earlier (lucky for us, it had rained slightly the night before), but now we started to see something else on the ground.


Water that had melted from residual ice or snow (after they paved the roads early this morning) was evaporating into the cold mountain air and turning into mist. We were literally driving through clouds, or at least the very early beginnings of clouds. Clouds! You can imagine how excited I was when H. rolled down the windows and we breathed in that incredible fresh, pine-scented air.

There were a few icy patches that made me hold my breath as we drove through them, but H. was such a pro and got us through everything safely. I still don't understand the drivers that insisted on going much too fast around these steep curves. Thank goodness there were allotted spaces for drivers to pull over and let the jackwagon behind them pass. Sometimes, you just gotta let them learn their lessons.

One of the few straight portions of the roadway.

Gorgeous snow-covered trees.

Some of the trees were smaller than you would think for living on a mountain, but that's because they're relatively new. A wildfire back in 2003 burned about 84,000 acres of land and destroyed around 300 homes within a month. Most of the hillside is filled in with new trees, but up close you can clearly pick out all of the dead tree trunks.

Clouds rolling over the mountainside. 

The highest that we drove was 8200 feet up, and that's where we found the little town I read about online. I was so excited to finally get there, but as we drove around we saw that everything was closed. H. said I should have researched this place more, but it's not like they have a website. Most of the information is from online tour guides and such, and those sites don't exactly post hours of operation. We didn't visit the gift/craft shop, the mountaintop restaurant with a ghostly background story, or the famed cookie shop that sells ginormous cookies and radical flavors of fudge. Sad times for Chuck. I had also planned for us to take a one hour ski lift ride (half an hour up, half an hour down, and we'd get to see the rest of the landscape and maybe even some critters), but I wasn't sure I could spend an hour in the forty degree weather with just jeans and a shirt and my Flames hoodie. We did stop for a lunch break and take in the scenery, though.

Just waiting for the zombies to come storming out.

The drive down the mountain was a little less intriguing. With the mystery of what our destination looks like solved, it almost felt like we'd driven this road a hundred times. There was an interesting sight when we approached the icy patches on the road. We saw a car off on the shoulder with its front bumper (and headlights and nose) missing - we think it slid, crossed over into our lane and hit the guardrail with such force that it shattered the front of the car. The driver must have moved over to the shoulder and called for help, allowing the three passengers to walk around the rubble to look for anything worth saving. Poor guys, but they must've been going pretty fast to manage that wreck.

Watch out for bears playing tag. 

Since I can't stop thinking about that cookie shop, I'm gonna make me a cookie pie of my own. Hope your Saturday is almost as cool as ours. 

The Housewife Chronicles: Spring Cleaning

I realize most of the civilized world just finished disposing of their Halloween jack-o-lanterns, but it might as well be spring here - the weather is pretty much the same as it was eight months ago. And seeing as how we finally got a tentative move date, I've been on the prowl for things to throw in boxes. As of today, we've got eight mid-size boxes and five small boxes packed full of stuff that I hope we don't need to use until after the move. This includes most of our cold weather garb, so cross your fingers for no surprise cold fronts.

Yesterday, as I was sorting through the small piles of paperwork that somehow made their way to the shelves in our TV stand, I pulled out a bubble wrap envelope from a corner of the TV stand and noticed that there was a cobweb on the corner of the envelope. I immediately dropped it, looked all around inside the stand for any possible cobweb creator, then put the envelope in the designated pile of trash papers. I finished packing the keeper papers inside a medium box containing our Xbox and my jewelry box, and a few other things. I taped off this box and placed it with the other finished boxes. 

Then I spent a few hours in the office packing some small boxes with odds and ends. 

After that, I wanted to go to the dollar store and see if they had any cheap alternatives to bubble wrapping our more fragile pieces. I would also be on the lookout for some scouring pads to tackle the bathroom showers with. On my way out the door, I figured I would pick up and take out all of that TV stand trash sitting on the floor of the living room. I got everything into the bag, then reached for the bubble wrap envelope. That's when I saw the hefty spider hanging onto the corner of the envelope. In the same motion, I simultaneously dropped the envelope and let out a short shriek. I ran through the methods of killing such a large spider. I could squish it with my shoes, but they were ten feet away and I'd have to step over the spider to get to them. I could spray it with Lysol, but that was underneath the sink in the kitchen. I had no hard evidence against the theory that the spider was lightning fast and would run as soon as I looked away. 

The closest thing to me was 409. So that's what I used. 

After spraying half a bottle's worth of the antibacterial, I started a text to H. telling him what to expect when he came home from work. There was no way I was getting rid of that surprise spider myself. In the middle of the text, I received his text saying he was heading home to the apartment. At least, that's what I read after I picked my phone up off the floor - his text made my phone buzz which made me shriek again and drop the phone. I called him, left a shaky voice message detailing my battle, then contemplated my next move. I was still ten feet from my shoes. I gathered up whatever courage I had left, dumped another gallon of cleaner onto the tiny arachnid, and made a terrifying leap towards the front door. Once I had my shoes on, I felt much more protected, and headed out of the apartment with the smallest bit of accomplishment. 

The logical side of my brain tells me that after that first spray of cleaner there's no way that spider could have done anything to me. It's like a paralytic, somehow, and that spider was down for the count. The logical side of my brain tells me I could have picked up the bubble wrap envelope myself and throw it away without H.'s help. The irrational side of my brain screams at me that nothing's dead til its blood 'n guts are squished all over that envelope. That the spider could pretend to be dead, and when I wasn't looking it would take off into some dark corner of the apartment and I'd have to deal with it all over again. The irrational side of my brain tells me that if I picked up that envelope, the spider would recognize me and make a last ditch effort to end me. 

I'm just glad H. is so accommodating when it comes to getting rid of spiders. It might have something to do with all the tears coming out of my eyes as I told him what happened. All I know is that in our new apartment, Heaven help me, I'm never going to have paper pile up in a dark corner ever, ever again. 

Sunday Morning.

I don't remember how I found this, but yesterday I came across the most scrumptious cupcakes I ever did want to have magically appear in front of me. They're called Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes.

From Bakingdom. 

Please excuse the drool, I honestly can't help it. This is a chocolate cake recipe infused with exquisite coffee flavor. Once baked, you scoop out a portion of the cupcake, pour in some homemade salted caramel, and replace the removed portion. Add coffee whip cream, drizzle more caramel on top, and finish with sprinkles. I can't stop looking at these and wondering why in the world H. thinks they would be too rich to eat. Also, those little cupcake cups are adorable!

Yesterday I made the mistake of asking H. to help me clear out the dishwasher while I was busily making dinner. He ended up putting the forks in the knives spot, the knives in the spoons spot, and the spoons in the forks spot. When I went to get a spoon for my yogurt, I almost cut myself because I wasn't looking. He also put all of the cups away without stacking them inside one another. This translates to lots of cups taking over our cupboard space, which really threw me off. The best part was he did all that on purpose, just to mess with me. Maybe I'll put green food coloring in his eggs and bacon on Monday.

I found something on the interwebs today that really made me giggle (H. says that is difficult to accomplish). It's 'Business Cat': a picture of a cat in a suit and tie with intermittently funny captions, and so far this is my favorite version. There's a whole slew of pictures on the main site, but some are better than others, so don't expect tip top stuff every time.

Yup, that concludes this Sunday's interlude.

Intangible Plans.

No official move date as of yet. Did I mention how much there is to do once we have a set date? Did I mention how much I really, really need to know when we're moving in order to ensure we have a place to live after the move? Right now, there's an ominous cloud of stress floating above my head. It's still a good distance above me, but with each day that passes it gets closer, and one day I'll be shrouded in moving stress.

I am applying to graduate school, but not in the way you would think. It'll be as a non-degree seeking student, and I am looking to take between one and four classes over the spring and summer terms (dependent on what's available). I will definitely look into taking that one extra course and see if I could change my degree to Molecular Biology. The only class I absolutely need to take is statistics, and I need it in my repertoire to apply for the Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS) program at Texas Tech.

Some of you may recognize Texas Tech - that's because H.'s dad (my favorite father-in-law) is currently in their med school program. The CLS program I'm interested in is nothing like medical school. Instead, after completing the one year program I would take a certification test and then become a certified medical technologist (also known as a clinical lab scientist, very interchangeable terms that were confusing at first, but now I've got the hang of it). That means I get to work in the basement of a hospital. Yay! The CLS program is the only one in Texas that you can complete online. Well, most of it is online. There is a condition that I be present for six days each of the first two semesters to complete a lab exam. After those two semesters, I would start a preceptorship at an affiliated hospital where I would work under the guidance of the hospital staff. There are three hospitals in the Dallas area that I could work with, which is exciting news. I'm kind of tired of all this moving already.

So there you have it. The only snag in my plan is that non-degree students do not qualify for financial aid. I'm worried about how much it will cost to accomplish all of this, but H. is very supportive and assures me that we can make it work. I won't lie and say I'm not nervous, but I will say the excitement of it all eases my nerves quite a bit.

We Are Always Running For The Thrill Of It.

I have some good news and I have some bad news. The bad news is I found a fairly large spider in my bathroom and now I'm paranoid that they're all over the apartment. The good news is I won't be paranoid for very long because we're gettin' our bee-hinds back to Texas! I have started looking at apartments, and while I found four places that look good, H. is concerned about moving into an apartment that we've never set foot in. As such, we might request the aide of our family members in apartment scouting in the near future. We haven't actually set a date as to when the move will happen, but I have a feeling it will be in mid to late November.

We'll be renting a moving truck that will tow my car, and H.'s car will follow behind it. Am I nervous about making a 16 hour trip as a caravan? If you count planning where to buy gas based on the rental truck's mileage, then yes. The worst part about it will be that H. and I can't talk along the way (although, he is thinking about getting walkie talkies). I'll most likely listen to music most of the way, which means I'll be making twelve cd's full of all the songs I love. That might be a stretch - I technically have 2.1 days worth of music according to iTunes, but that includes all those songs that you think you like but end up getting sick of a month after purchasing. I might also look into an audio book. Assuming the rental truck comes with a cd player, H. will most likely stock up on Ticket audio for the ride there.

In my assessment of how much stuff we have in an attempt to determine the number of boxes to buy, I decided that it would be too much work to take my plants with us. Even if I could pry them out of the blinds and away from the window ledge, I don't know where we would put them in either vehicle where they would be safe from sharp box edges. I do intend to make a bouquet out of 'em before we head out, though. I thought for sure the first sunflower would be fully in bloom by now, but it turns out I'm wrong.

That purple dome center thing seems to be growing upward while the
frou-frou bits grow outward. I have absolutely no idea why it's doing this. 

As you can see, it's almost completely fuzzified. Theoretically, after the
fuzz covers it, the flower will slowly wither and leave seeds behind.
Hypothetically, I could harvest these seeds and plant them in Tejas.
H. is not very fond of eating the seeds, but I don't see why.

This is the shortest flower. The rest of the blooms begin
a foot or more above this one. 

As of today, there are four buds in full bloom, three buds with the beginner yellow petals unfurling, and five more buds in the "crown" stage. The oldest bloom is not the tallest at 2' 6"; the tallest is 3' 5", and is the second oldest. I would like to wait until the fuzzy centers all fill out before fitting them into a vase, but I might just clip them all a week before the move and enjoy the sunshine.

For the past two weeks I've had to remind myself that it's October. It doesn't feel like October here, it feels like August. The trees look the same, the bushes look the same, and the heat is the same. The hundred-degree weather has left, but it's still in the nineties every single day. I am looking forward to drinking tea and hot chocolate and eating spiced muffins. I'm looking forward to wearing pants and sweaters and long sleeved shirts and layers and fancy boots.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends for the first time in five months. It feels much longer than that, and I'm incredibly excited to have that back in my life. See you guys soon!