Still Here, Just a Little Distracted :-)

September 22 - October 17, 2019
Tombstone, Arizona and Yosemite, California

Like waiting for anything major in life, the time seems to drag until we look back and realize it really flew by. A month seemed daunting when we opened escrow, the days sort of ran together while we practiced patience, postponing those "fun" purchases was challenging. Then poof! we met with the owners who agreed to pre-closing occupancy and we're in our new place a week before closing. 

There's been more than just waiting too - we had a wonderful adventure with family back in California. Corey (our number three, Bill's number 2) and Christie got married at the base of El Capitan in Yosemite on October 6. We flew to Sacramento from Tucson on Friday, then drove four hours to Yosemite Valley. 

Having a small condo in the park, close to the cabins the rest of the family had rented, worked out great. It was just the parents and siblings so an intimate gathering of 12 people made for a relaxing weekend. 

Saturday we visited the wedding site and drove through the park. It took us over an hour to go less than a mile by the visitors' center, but with the surrounding views it wasn't much of a hardship. A short drive down the mountain to pick up a bite of lunch at the market was a nice break from the hordes. That evening we enjoyed BBQ at one of the cabins and tucked in early. 

Figuring out where the sun will be the next morning.

Crawling through the park traffic.

Much dryer than our last visit (this is upper falls without a trickle), still stunning.

Richie and Travis get the chicken and burgers ready.

Granddaughter Reese is due in November - momma Emily hams it up with daddy Travis.

Family time before the big event.

I am now a big fan of morning weddings! Sunday at 8:30 AM we were on a rocky beach along a bubbling river, surrounded by incredible mountains, sharing a lovely and simple ceremony with immediate family. The photographers made sure we were in the perfect spot, and it was magical. The couple asked that everyone be present and not taking photos during the ceremony so I'll share those when we get them.

Good friend and wedding officiant Matt with Corey in front of the beautiful natural cathedral.

Following brunch in the majestic lodge we all headed in different directions - us returning to Sacramento where we had dinner at my BFF's home. 

Christie made this darling jacket. Welcome to the family!

The lodge, not the BFF's house.

This was Tessa's first time flying and she did great. She waited her turn to go through security off-leash by herself, and made lots of new friends in the waiting areas. Southwest Airlines treated her like royalty, and we had the front row for all our flights (two in each direction). Once she laid down on her blanket, she slept through take-offs and landings. 

All comfy for the 90 minute flight.

The day after we return, we meet the owners at the house. After a thorough walk-through, and a few hard-to-let-go tears, we have the keys. We purchased it furnished but they went the extra mile in making sure we could comfortably just move in and have what we needed. The bed is made with fresh sheets, towels in both bathrooms, a set of dishes, shower curtain, etc, etc.....and best of all - a Keurig in the kitchen! 

We spend our first week taking care of priorities like satellite, a new king size bed, big TV, and recliners. Projects get started, but until closing we don't tackle anything major. 

The house is very livable, but it's dated and we'll be taking our time bringing it into the 21st century.     

Not surprising, most of the work will be in the kitchen. Yes, that's carpet on the floor!

We love our big island. The opening on the left into the living room will be twice as large when we take out the big pantry and move the frig to where that closet is in the corner. Probably change out those lights :-))))

The tub is wonderful and the commode is new - but have to lose those metal walls and update the sink and storage. 

The carpet is in perfect shape but will end at the dining room. There will be a more open feeling when we widen that opening and paint the paneling. 

I'm keeping the large built-in hutch in the kitchen, but the layers of shelf paper have to go! 

So we're in and enjoying cool evenings on our front porch with amazing views. What a blessing that it all came together (looking back) so quickly. 

Lots of excitement planned for the holidays both here and back in SoCal, but we'll mostly be here through the winter. Then back on the road!

Naturally we  had to share our first "house-cooked" meal with Anna and Donnie!

Next we'll take the motorhome for a weekend gathering of high school friends back in the desert where we grew up.