Back to the Grind

 I'm back in the gym with a new workout series themed "less is more" and "you need more stability you rat". It's going well. 

I finished a new project this week - 2 photo books. One of the year in review and another of our wedding pics. I was rushed to finish due to the "2 free photo book" deal that ended on Sunday. 

My work is going. I'm still in Cottonwood 3x per week driving hither and yon and I'm fighting every day with them so that they won't drive me crazy. The good news is that this won't last forever. The better news is that I have all my Flagstaff people who are on my side and trying to help Cottonwood be better. It's nice not to do it alone. 

Roger's family. And also me. 

Tuesday night we got the call that Roger's gpa had passed. It was a good thing as he had been suffering for months now, but that doesn't make it any easier. We had a lovely funeral and viewing on Saturday, complete with cookout and 3-day family hangout. The best part was all the rain and hail he brought down for us to 1) cut the funeral short, and 2) put out the fires raging all over the state. Bring on the monsoons. 

G$

Speaking of people dying, Grampy. Still isn't dead, but everyone is acting like he is. Every time I see a post, I have to do a double take to make sure I didn't miss the memo. The Chin and I are planning on flying out for a funeral, but it would be REALLY convenient if the Mimster changed her mind and looked for a weekEND. (thx in advance)

I'll tell you what WASN'T in short supply - the jokes. (And baking trays).

Roger's been spending a lot of time with family (which makes sense in the circumstance) and took a new job so we literally never cross paths. Which makes me cranky. BUT since I booked out some time in advance, he HAD to come to my work social outing this week. It was - you guessed it - Midget Mania. A highly inappropriate but totally needed WWE midget fighting ring at the local dance bar. Hilarious. So many short jokes and plenty of good humored midgets. 

A Recovery Week

 This was my recovery week and I was excited to just do some fun cardio and troubleshooting at the gym. Unfortunately my boxing class and my grass league both got cancelled, so I had to make some other plans. By the end of the week, I was aching to get back to weightlifting, which was kind of the point. Success. 

Places I go for work. 

We've spent a lot of time with grandparents these last few months. Mostly Roger's because they're here and his GPa has been in and out of the hospital, so he's had a lot of other family in town visiting too. But it's been good to hear Grampy's voice and see some nice pictures of his new deluxe bed in the living room. 

Peace. 

Since Roger is gone or visiting family all the time and I can't handle that amount of social interaction, so I did some adventuring of my own. I went garage saling (and bought a new turkey decoy named Simon) and I walked around downtown for a bit. I watched a movie. And I painted THIS:

(Eat it, mom).

Sunday was Father's Day. So I dressed up like dad and drank a brew. The fam came together with 6 varieties of ribs and all the fixin's. And my Bishop promised to get me a new key to the church. Not a bad day. 

HFD.

Happy.

This week was tiring. Mostly because I wore myself out with double workouts last week and now I'm at the end of my 6-week workout program before I take a little break and switch it up. So I'm not surprised. Becky's trying to convince me to get a second gym membership so I can workout with her in addition to my other workouts. And my grass league starts soon. And I decided to do a Sedona hike every Friday I'm in the area. 

Happy. 

Speaking of which, best decision I've ever made. Except that it's stinking HOT. Like 100+ degrees and no humidity at all (aka bring LOTS of agua). But I love it because it's the most beautiful place and just the kind of mountain goat shenanigans that I'm looking for. (But I DID wish I had Ben's pool to swim in afterwards.)

Happy. 

I also had my first eye appointment with my new insurance. I have to go back, but maybe I'll finally have some new contacts that work and that I can wear for several full days in a row without wanting to pluck mine eyeballs straight out. Maybe. 

Happy. 

Things are finally smoothing out at work in my coverage of the Cottonwood area. Flagstaff always feels like an easy day. Plenty of time for whatever they throw at me. But after lots of fighting and refusals and basically showing them I'm going to do what I want if they won't be reasonable (and my boss will back me up), they've caved. Otherwise, I'm happy to be employed and really happy to be working in a field I enjoy doing something I'm good at. 

Still happy.

I convinced Roger and Kaylee to hang out with me in downtown Flagstaff again. Great decision. Because then we got gelato again (and found more exciting flavors). And I convinced Rog to go to a new resto, which is now his favorite place and the only place he wants to go. To be fair, that's the cheapest meal we've EVER had eating out and probably the MOST food - and it was delicious. So I have no real complaints other than the lack of future exploring. 

bucket list

Volleyball is getting fun and it's almost time for my grass summer league to start up. I am also loving the gym. I picked it because it has everything I want, including Olympic WL classes, which I attended this week. Good people, good vibes, good burn. I also did a double session one day with Becky, which was good because I spent the long weekend cleaning up after my messy day in Cottonwood.

Roger shaved this week. 
And then he went back and shaved again. 

Honestly, it's getting ridiculous down there. I know I'm only covering, but it's a mess and it's my license. So the office staff and I need to have a chat pretty soon. Getting ready to channel my inner PTA mom. Otherwise, work is going really well. And the Flagstaff office is awesome. They are really on top of things. 

Jurassic Park. 

Things are progressing in my side projects and I finally finished a study guide on wound care that I sent to some friends for editing. So then I can start getting those vids out on the net. It's definitely a fun side gig. I also need to start back up at the FFF Center with my volunteering hours because I miss those guys. And I made a temple reservation! Just for baptisms, but I'll take what I can get. 

Pics don't do it justice. 

I planned my schedule this Friday, so I'd be driving back up through Sedona on my way home. Just in time for a Cathedral Rock hike. I've been trying to do this for forever, but you can't ever get parking. But on a Friday afternoon, I found the last spot. And it was worth it. Bouldering up beautiful red rocks the whole way to a stunning view, and sliding all the way down on my bottom. 10/10. And the next best part is that I got to drive up a curvy road through thick, damp forests with the best smell I've ever experienced. It was a good day. 

happy