Arizona or Bust!

We headed to Arizona a few weeks ago to celebrate the wedding of an old friend of Randi's, Rachel Schlein. Because we are on the poor side, and because we never thump our noses at adversity, we decided to make the drive from Chicago to Arizona and back. Randi's dad rented us a car with better gas mileage than our own; it ended up saving us a good chunk of change. 

We headed out, drove through Missouri, then stayed the night at my dad's place in Tulsa. 

Our original plan was to camp out at the Grand Canyon for a night. Unfortunately 1) Randi severely burned her foot a few nights before we left, and 2) we forgot to pack the tent (we had literally everything you need to camp but the tent...). It worked out for us though, because we stayed an extra night in Tulsa, and got to see my sister and her family (Matt and the babies). 

We headed out into West Oklahoma, stopping briefly in Hobart to see some of Randi's family. 

It is very flat in Oklahoma. 

There is Randi's hurt foot. She hobbled along for weeks. I called her "Puss in Boots," and "Tenderfoot."

We made it into New Mexico. There is basically nothing in New Mexico but shrubs and dirt. Here is a picture of those things:

The intrepid adventurers: 

Then we made it into Arizona. Arizona also has a lot of shrubs, but it also has mountains. Near Flagstaff, there was snow on the ground, and evergreen trees everywhere. It looked like Colorado. I guess; I've never been to Colorado...

We went to the Grand Canyon. It cost us $25 to get inside. We looked at it for awhile, then left. We never did see the squirrels with the long hair on their ears, an promised by the map the man gave us in exchange for our $25. 

You will notice from these pictures there are no pesky guard rails to keep you from falling into the Canyon. You can walk right out onto the edge of that cliff. I guess you could even start climbing down, if you were so inclined. 

 As you get closer to Phoenix, the evergreen trees are replaced by comically huge cactus and dangerous animals. It was 90 degrees in south Arizona, but it actually felt pretty good cause of how dry it is. 

Here is Rachel and her dad:

Here is Matt (the groom) and his mom:

Here is where the wedding reception was held. Randi and I bought the impossibly tough pinata seen on the right side of the picture. 

Randi and her buddies:

Alicia:

An Arizona sunset:

A few hours after the reception, Randi and I headed back to Tulsa (a 16 hour trip), then from there to Chicago (12 hours). It was a lot of driving. 

Lyddie Visits!

Lydia came to visit us over her Spring Break! As you will see from the pictures below, it was completely awesome. The weather was perfect while she was here. I was glad, too, because last time she visited it was cold and rainy the whole time--I was worried she wouldn't come back!

We ate gelato out of fancy glasses. 



She got in some bonding time with the kitties.

Of course, we dropped by the bean.

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Observatory.

We hung out at the Museum of Science and Industry and Lydia bought a super nerdy shirt. We had a really great time playing with a Retractable, which is the table below that makes electonic music. Super cool. 

Lydia beat me at Mind Ball, which is a game that you win by being relaxed. The woman running the game said we both have abnormally active brains.

 We went to Navy Pier.

We also did some lounging about, where I got to hear all about Lydia's boyfriend, Josef, who seems to be a pretty swell guy. And, of course, there was cake. 



I was very sad to see her go; our time went by so fast! Makes a sister wanna move back to Texas to get more Iddie Dawn time...



quick lil update.

So, this is what a Saturday night looks like in the Hensley house (why yes, that is a plate of homemade buffalo wings). It might look boring to you, but we're having a great time! :)

Nate's become pretty obsessed with electronics ever since his shortwave radio came into our lives. Tonight, he learned how switches work by connecting one to an LED light. He stays pretty busy listening to stations from all over the world; learning morse code for the Ham technician test; and tinkering with potentiometers, relays, capacitors, resistors, and other things I know nothing about. He's completely adorable.

I have been pretty busy between both jobs and activist projects. I'm feeling pretty run down these days but hoping things will ease up a bit in the near future. My sister is coming to visit over her Spring Break, and I am super excited about scooting about Chi-town with her.

We are headed to Arizona at the end of the month. My dear friend, Rachel, got married a few months back and is holding her reception in Tuscon. Nate and I have both never been to the Grand Canyon, so are using Rachel's reception as an excuse for a road trip and vacation. We're going down early to camp for a couple of days at the Grand Canyon before the wedding festivities.

We'll try not to be such blog strangers. Most of our dear readers have facebook, but I know those who do not (love you, DAD!) check here for updates about our riveting lives. :)

XO.

Smooth Moves and Pirate Ships

My friend Joe got me some part-time work with a company he helped found: Smooth Moves Inc. Smooth Moves, as the name implies, is a moving company. I worked two days last week helping move tables and chairs around from one hospital office to another. It was pretty easy work.

But Oh Noes! Earlier in the week, Randi claimed she had a surprise for me on Friday. But I had a Smooth Moves gig on Friday! What if I didn't get to have my surprise? That would be lame.
Luckily, our work on Friday was very short, so I came home, got cleaned up, then we began a long trek to Navy Pier. To ride a pirate ship!!!

"The Windy" is a half diesel, half sail ship that you can ride into Lake Michigan. They have different themes for each ride. One gives a history of Lake Michigan's rum runners; one tells [lake themed?] ghost stories at night; the one we went on talked about Lake Michigan's pirate history.
The ship sets out of port using its diesel engine, then hoists the sails--with the help of some lucky passengers--to sail around the lake.

While the ship is sailing around, two pirate guys tell the stories of pirates who worked in Lake Michigan.

And I got to shoot the cannon! One pirate said they usually let some kid do it, but because I was such an eager beaver, they let me.

I was told the cannon was capable of shooting a two-pound cannon ball, but that that was discouraged by the city of Chicago. Instead, it shot some sort of shotgun round.

Here I am getting ready to hit the back of the cannon with a hammer. I missed the first time.

Here's probably a look of satisfaction on my face after I taught the lake a valuable lesson.

Here is a picture of the city I took with my phone. The sun was right in my face, so I couldn't really see what I was doing.

Here is my ship mate.

Then we shook the hand of a "pirate" who shook the hand of a "pirate" who shook the hand of a man who shook the hand of a pirate. So we're kinda like real pirates now.

Back on shore--where it was 10 degrees hotter--we walked over to gawk at the new Marlyn Monroe statue.It was kind of weird.

Before that, I punched a metal kid in the stomach at the park.

The end.

TEXAS!

Who goes on vacation twice in one month? This moi.

I spent July 7-14 in Texas. It was a super relaxing trip complete with lots of chocolate cake, lots of floating in the pool, a facial, cable television, and tons of much-needed Mama love.

My trip was scheduled around my dear sister's birthday (July 9). Only once have we not celebrated together (and that's 'cause she was in Fiji), so being there was important to me. I totally recommend spending a birthday with Lydia Jones if you ever get the chance. She knows how to do it right. After going to a yoga class, we went to a leisurely lunch. Then she took a nap while I finished up her cake. I thought it was way beyond my skill level, so I'm pretty proud of it--chocolate cake with a strawberry filling, chocolate ganache frosting, and strawberries on top (obviously). Next time, I might change up the frosting, but it was pretty good.

Lyddie, Trevor, Mom, Sarah and her daughter, Scarlet, Daniel, Joe, and Ryan Gregory's sister and mother met up for dinner and merriment. Dad had been in Boston for a business trip, but arrived just in time for cake. Lydia chose to meet at a place close to her house that has a bunch of different food trucks.

The food was good--bbq, burgers, and Pakistani food.

Then we ate snowcones and cake.

It was super fun--good company, good eats, and a good reason to celebrate.






Sadly, these are pretty much all the pictures I have of the entire trip because my camera died and I was too lazy-er, I mean busy-to get a new battery. But, don't fear! I did get one of this pooch:

Like I said, I spent most of my time in San Antonio in my parents' pool. But I did sneak away to Austin for one day.

I picked up a shift at Epoch (the coffee shop I worked at for four years where I met some of my very best friends). I thought this would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone--make some much needed money and see a bunch of people in a short amount of time. I had the pleasure of working with the ever-lovely Amanda Pack. And my bestie Ben Lance gave me a very warm welcome by filling the place with balloons, roses, and my favorite candy (and bunches of it!). He also came and made margaritas during our shift. Was it dreamy? Yes, it was!

**Thanks very much to Amanda for sharing her pictures with me!**

After work, we went to celebrate the wonderful Ariele's 30th birthday. A great lover of sandwiches, she hosted a sandwich making competition. I got to be a judge! The competition was super fierce, but Benji still took home second place.



Being in Austin for one day made me really want to move back. So many good folks that I really, really miss.

Sadly, Shelley was away for work, but I did get a good night's rest in her bed. The next day, my dear friend Lily, who is also on staff for the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, and I got together to scout out locations for the CEDP's national convention (which is in Texas this year for the first time ever!). We had a sushi lunch with her son (5 year old Oscar) who is super fun to be around. He asked me if I wanted to hear his favorite song. When I said, "yes, please!", he hummed the Star Wars theme song very loudly. He is awesome.

I returned to Schertz for more relaxing. A week went by so fast, but I was ready to get back to see my sweet husband. Unfortunately, he had to stay behind to look for jobs and entertain Matt B who was in Chicago. I missed him so and am looking forward to go back for the CEDP convention and Christmas when he will be able to come along. I'm also excited for the fall when Amanda, Shelley, and hopefully my family come up for a visit!