Tucson, Arizona

Millay Family

Christina and Nieces: Abbie & Grace

Todd and I touched down in Tucson, AZ at approximately 3:30AM, after a four hour layover in Denver due to a winter storm on December 20th, 2010. We arrived earlier than expected to help Krista (Todd's sister) and Ben (our future Brother in-law) get ready for their “at home” wedding on New Year's Eve. All the Millay’s, Venema’s and close friends of the couple participated in the celebration and despite the abnormally cold temperatures it was a wonderful celebration. Above is a photo of the Millay family and a few other favorites from that night.

After we had done our duties for the wedding, it was time to enjoy the increasingly warm Tucson weather with some new friends! Hikes into Sabino and Araviapa Canyon, a few trail runs, yoga and several appetizing meals served at local Tucson hot spots like Poca Cosa and Little Poca Cosa. A good majority of our meal have been prepared by Ben, our gracious house host, and/or his parents Mr. and Mrs. Venema, who are visiting in their rental home next door and have taken us in like one of the family.

Needless to say, life changes drastically when you are not working a job or maintaining a household. For instance, I haven’t driven a car since 12/20/10 or set an alarm for that matter. We’ve been cohabiting with relatives since 10/15/10, so housework is offering a helping hand but by no means mandatory or even expected outside of keeping your own belongings picked up. We have maybe twenty articles of clothing in our possession therefore the daily dilemma of what to wear is not a question and laundry is a max of two loads a week. Those of you who know Todd and me best probably find it hard to believe we’re not pulling our hair out looking for things to keep us occupied, but we’ve really tried to adjust to our new freedom and enjoy this precious time in our lives together.

Above are pictures from the last couple of weeks here in Tucson. January 18th, 2010 we board an overnight sleeper train to LA to catch our flight on January 20th to Bangkok, Thailand. Hopefully we’ll get some time to look around LA since neither Todd nor I have ever been there. Stay tuned….:- ) and thanks for following!