Hunter or Hobo?

 This week has seriously been four years. It snowed lightly all weekend and then it came down harder starting Monday at 5. Halfway to the clinic, Joe told me we're cancelling for today. Which was good, because Flagstaff doesn't know how to plow - let alone drive - these roads. 

And it allowed for me to go down to Phoenix early. Which was also a good decision, because I got through just before they closed down all the highways in a 100-mile radius. Which then meant that I was driving in the worst of the storm. 

One of the safer sections of road. 

All things considered, the southbound traffic wasn't too bad. It was all the northward skiiers that were a little too excited and ended up slipping off the road into the snowbank. I swear, there were cars, trucks, and trailers in the snowbank about every 30 yards or so - along with standstill traffic. 

The escapees and myself went single-file at a solid 35mph for about half the trip. Verde Valley turned the blizzard into rain and I thought the worst was over. Turns out there was one final hill before we were south enough (and low enough elevation) to not worry about it. 

The difference 7000 ft makes. 

I could see about fourteen cars ahead of me when the slipping started happening. We were driving in the perfect amount / mixture of rain and snow to provide zero traction. We slowed down to a stop and watched 5 or 6 cars get stuck sideways on the hill, blocking the road. And every time a car tried to inch ahead, it started slipping and sliding too. 

So a cop truck with some good chains came to help drag all these cars off the road, but as more cars tried to keep going, the same thing was happening. But there were a couple pickup trucks that found a route along the shoulder that looked promising and so I followed in my Prius (sandbags in the back) and then we ended up weaving in and out of sliding cars to make it past. Cake. 

I love this place. Even in the rain. When it's closed. 

I stayed with my friend Cenita and her family. They are the coolest. We hung out some, they let me study some, and on my way out, her mom prayed for me and gave me a loaf of homemade bread. I went to the temple for a minute because I like it there and I was hoping it would help me not throw up for this test that has made me really anxious for some reason. (It worked. I didn't throw up.)

And then I drove downtown to take this stupid five hour test. And it was freaking hard. That said, hopefully I did well enough to pass. That's all I care about. We'll see in a few weeks what the graders have to say. 

Roger's favorite thing. Hunting, I mean. 

I made it up to Prescott that night - just in time for some pizza and cake and Dinosaur for Brandt's birthday. And then drove up early, changed, and made it to the clinic just a little late for Wednesday. The rest of the week was pretty chill. A lot of cancellations due to weather. 

Saturday, Roger took me quail hunting. Which, retrospectively, was not like I had pictured based on a few stories he's told. I have since concluded that it is silly to try to shoot a flying bird when I've never even tried to hit a target that is moving at all. Kinda felt like I was just wasting bullets and time at that point. 

Watch out for the Olaf sleds - they're slicker than the boogie boards. 

And Sunday after church, we took the kids sledding and ended up having way more fun than them. It's been too long since I've been sledding. And then Roger played games and I had a quiet Sunday afternoon to myself.