As we raced across Nevada to make a decision to sell or not sell the house, we had one last stop to make as we crossed into Utah. More on this later, but here’s one of my favorite photos:
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Author: Jess
Today I am an emotional mess. Only, it probably didn’t start today, it probably started the second we pulled up to the house in the Airsteam and it has just been building over the last week and a half.
One thing that I struggle with is I fixate on projects. If something needs to be done (craft, home improvement, buy a TV stand, whatever) I seriously can’t do anything else until its done. Sam laughs at me and we joke about it, but I honestly don’t understand why I’m like this. Sometimes its not a big deal, and sometimes its a serious problem. Right now I think I’m falling into the problem category.
We have stuff. Lots of stuff. And I want it gone. Yesterday. I’ve listed a bunch of our larger items on KSL and Facebook and we’ve sold over $900 worth but there’s still piles. Everywhere. Its not DONE. Until all we have in the house is our beds, dressers, furniture my siblings are taking and what we’ll take with us in the Airstream or put into storage I won’t be happy.
It’s ridiculous.
I really need to slow down.
And I don’t know how.
Technically we don’t have to be out of our house until June 23rd. JUNE! That’s like 2 months away. Why am I in such a hurry?
I’m also a terrible mother when I’m here. Remember the awesome-always-adventuring-with-her-kids-and-not-sick-of-them mom I was for the last 6 months? She’s disappeared. Probably has something to do with the whole fixation on getting everything cleaned out of our hour. Super awesome mom got shoved in a closet and crazy mom came out. Sigh.
I’ve really been praying a lot recently that the Lord will change my heart. That He will calm me down, and help me feel okay with my current situation. Just pray for us okay? This is hard. Harder than I thought it would be.
The Casa Grande Ruins (Great House) has been standing for more than 650 years as a monument to the Sonoran Desert People and their way of life. Not a lot is known about the purpose of the house, but the mystery is part of the appeal.
When We Visited: February 1, 2014
Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3
Plenty of trailer parking so we planned this one as through day trip as we traveled from Tuscon, Arizona up to the Phoenix area. We pulled up, parked, had lunch, and then set about exploring and earning our Jr. Ranger Badges.
We watched the short video at the Visitor Center and then explored the ruins on our own. Historians hypothesize that the Great House was the center of a much larger farming complex. The ancient Sonoran Desert people had no written language so the interpretation of events comes largely from journal entries and writings of those who visited the area.
The kid’s favorite part was finding the “secret room” and sitting down with dad to work on their booklets.
Although a short day trip (2 hours tops) the Casa Grande Ruins are definitely worth stopping to see. We enjoyed learning more about the ancient culture, as well as the kids adding another Jr. Ranger Badge to their hats!
Trying to adjust to life in a house. Definitely not an easy task, especially when we just want to get back on the road! A lot of this week was spent sorting through our material belongings, listing items for sale on Facebook Yard Sale Groups, and on the local classifieds. We’ve had great success, but its been time consuming and a bit tiring. We also started working on the bed conversion in the Airstream. We are hoping to get the beds to the point where we can order mattresses next week! Spent some time with Grandma at the Thanksgiving Point Natural History Museum (and went out for lunch and ice cream afterward!) as well as on household chores like making sure the sprinklers are working.
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Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Nestled in the hills outside of Tuscon, Arizona, I found Saguaro National Park to be fascinating. First off, there are tons of Saguaro Cactus. Native to the Sonoran Desert they are only found in parts of Arizona, Mexico and a small slice of California. In addition, there are many others types of cactus, wildlife, and even some petroglyphs (as opposed to pictographs – yes we are total nerds and learned the difference).
When We Visited: January 2014
Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3
Where We Stayed: Boondocked at Synder Hill outside Tuscon, AZ
Unless you have older kids and can do more hiking, this park can definitely be a day trip. We went around 10am with the Malimish crew and started with a trip to the visitor center to pick up our Jr. Ranger Booklets.
We got straight to work on the books including a visit to their outdoor cactus garden. We were too early in the year for most of the cactus to have blossomed, but I can only imagine how colorful it would be!
Once we had done all we could at the visitor center, we drove the scenic loop to the Valley View Overlook trail and proceeded to prod our little hikers up the trail.
It was not without whining.
Worth the hike! Beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and hundreds of Saguaro.
We somehow managed to talk the kids into one more small hike to see the petroglyphs.
Lastly, a final stop at the visitor center to turn in our booklets. This ranger was amazing. He did such a great job sitting down and talking with the kids about their experience.
We had a great time! We left around 1pm, so a total of 4 hours or so in the park. It was fun to go with friends, and we definitely will go back!