2012 was a fantastic year.
- in JAN i fell down the stairs... man i was so lucky not to have more than just a broken nose! and my mom came out and took care of me, so that was good too.
- in FEB my best friend came to tucson and we had a fantastic weekend, including a fabulous and luxurious spa day
- in MAR i had a visit from some good friends (and another spa day!)
- in APR i had another visit from the best friend, and we endured a scavenger hunt on a super hot day!
- in MAY i got to see my nephew graduate and spend time with the family
- in JUN i spent a long weekend in san jose with my niece and nephew, and even got to go whale watching
- in JULY i got to visit so cal and celebrate the boyfriend's niece's birthday :)
- in AUG i came back to san jose and got to spend my birthday at the beach and with family and friends, and i got to celebrate my 10 year anniversary (!) at a fantastic resort in phoenix
- in SEPT i went to my first UA football game (and we enjoyed some tailgating beforehand)
- in OCT i got to celebrate a good friend's beautiful wedding, and had an incredible girls' weekend - complete with a hot air balloon ride!
- in NOV i began to prepare for a BIG change... new job in california!!! but i also squeezed in some arizona fun before i left (like a trip to tombstone and one to sedona)
- in DEC i started a new job and a new life closer to family. so far it has been incredible.

i feel so incredibly blessed to have even just these few wonderful things over the last year... and there were so many more wonderful things! although not everything that happened in 2012 was good, and i don't think everything in 2013 will be perfect, either, i really believe that there are wonderful experiences and delights we should enjoy during our time here!

to 2013 and all of the wonderful things it will bring!

visitors, part one

i was happy to have a pair of visitors in the spring who had not yet visited me in tucson. two of my friends from grad school flew out for a weekend of desert fun. i tried to warn them ahead that while there are many fun things to do in tucson, you have to remember that there's always something quirky or awkward... it's just how tucson rolls.

after they flew in, we stopped for dinner at one of my favorite downtown spots - the hub - for delicious food and even more delicious ice cream (yum!). we caught up over dinner and hit the sack to start our weekend the next morning.

we decided to head out into the desert to visit the colossal cave park and saguaro national park. we started with the cave, enjoyed a tour, figured out how to use the life-size sun calendar, and wandered through the butterfly-less butterfly garden. then we drove over to the saguaro national park and drove through some of the gorgeous scenery. it was a great way to enjoy the desert and catch up at the same time. then, we headed downtown for the tucson spring street festival. we wandered through the vendor stalls, people watching and shopping for a few little things. from downtown, we drove over to campus so that i could show them my office... but i realized that i didn't have my pass for the door, so we just drove through campus while i pointed out a few things. we finished our day by heading over to my favorite mexican restaurant (mi nidito) for dinner. once we got there, however, the two hour wait lead us to change our mind and we went across the street to a place that had been recommended to me as also being delicious. and it was! chris joined us for a great dinner, and he got a chance to catch up with the girls, too.

the next morning, we got up early for breakfast and a trip to one of my tucson favorites - bookmans. ah, bookmans, my favorite used book/music/game/everything store! i think they enjoyed wandering the store and finding hidden gems! after bookmans, we went to my absolute favorite place in tucson... the ritz-carlton spa. can you hear the serenity in my voice through your computer? the spa is heaven on earth. and no, i'm not exaggerating. we spent the day reading, lounging, and enjoying the pool and spa. the weather was perfect and so was the spa!

after our heavenly day, it was time for my friends to head home :(
it was great to have them visit and i hope they will both return soon!
(and i managed the drop them off at the airport without locking my keys in the car! yay me!)

finishing up the birthday celebrations

for our last day of birthday celebration, we headed out to saguaro national park for a scenic walk through the cacti. although we hoped to see some javelina (and even tried to lure them out of hiding with some creative jav-calls), none wandered out of their cool resting places. i shouldn't be surprised! we did get to see some incredible cacti - including this enormous saguaro, which we roughly figured started growing just before the start of the US civil war.

just a few minutes from saguaro national park is the colossal cave, tucson's own dormant cave system. we took a slightly awkward tour with tour guide brian, which i think was only awkward because it was just the three of us (apparently the cave is pretty quiet towards the end of the day). it was neat, though, to take the tour, hear about some of the cave legends, see some unbelievably old rock formations... this earth is INCREDIBLE!

after our tour, we wandered down to the other side of colossal cave park to visit the tortoise enclosure, butterfly gardens, and sluice. the tortoises were hibernating and the butterflies were nowhere to be found, but we did get to buy a bag of dirt and sluice for gems. it was a little silly, but fun :)


we had to head out to the airport for my friend's flight :(  but it was a quick drive and everything went smoothly. that is, until i drove up to the curb and got out to help her with her bag and say goodbye. i went to get back into my car and realized... i had locked my keys in the car! i felt SO stupid! i sent my friend to catch her flight and tried to flag down a security guard. he made me feel a bit better when he said this sort of thing happens all the time there. they were pretty quick in getting a kit out to the curb and opened my passenger's door in about 6 seconds. makes me a little nervous if anyone ever really wanted to steal my car, but at least it comes in hand when you do stupid stuff like i do! 

chief's birthday continued

despite a fantastic spa day on my best friend's birthday, the celebratory fun was not over! we started with brunch at one of my favorite spots (beyond bread). after a great carbo-load, we headed to the east side of tucson for a trail ride through one of the washes. our horse guide, mitch, was friendly and nice, and even though sarah's horse was soooo slow, we had a great time! we saw a huge road runner, and it turned out that trail guide mitch had a cousin who lives right near my best friend. mitch was so excited that he called his cousin to confirm that he goes fishing near elkhorn slough.

after our fun (and slightly dusty) ride, we made our regular stop at bookmans :) after a few hours of shopping, we had worked up an appetite, so we headed downtown for dinner at the hub. i had been to the hub once before and their fresh salted caramel ice cream was life changing, so i knew i had to take my best friend. i saved some room for dessert and LOVED both the salted caramel and white chocolate hazelnut ice creams. we relished both dinner and dessert!

i had brought some of my salad home in a to-go container, and although i don't remember all of the details, as we were driving home, the box fell off of the dash and exploded all over my car. literally. salad everywhere. in my friend's hair, on the seats, under the seats, in the handle of the emergency break... you name it! it was hilarious! we made a surprise stop at the self-serve car wash to vacuum, clean off, and dry my interior, and we were almost back to normal (we both still smelled a bit like blue cheese).

we came home and celebrated with a bottle of wine i had purchased on our tour of australian wine country and a marathon of skippy the bush kangaroo. skippy is the australian version of lassie, complete with finding a lost kid, identifying poachers, and warning the children away from dangerous outback animals. it was a great way to enjoy our australian wine and birthday celebration!

happy birthday chief

just a few weeks after falling down the stairs, my best friend (chief gilligan) came out for a desert vacation to celebrate her birthday. i planned a fantastic spa day for her big 3-2 and it was fabulous! we drove into the nearby foothills through a gorgeous desert drive to the fancy shmancy ritz carlton.

we got a quick tour of the incredible spa facilities, and settled in just before our services. my friend had a great spa facial, and i had a wonderful (although very chatty) massage. the therapist was so nice and really excellent, but she did not stop talking. i tried to be polite and answer her questions, but did not ask any questions and did not leave much room for additional questions with my answers, because i like a quiet and peaceful massage experience. alas, this time it wasn't meant to be.

my friend and i regrouped after our services and secured a spot on one of the king-sized beds that encircle the pool. yes, in addition to terrycloth-covered lounge chairs, there are several king-sized lounging beds (with throw pillows!) around the pool. we relaxed, read, even enjoyed lunch and celebratory cupcakes in the sun. it was fantastic!

we lounged for a while, and then headed back inside for our manis/pedis. it was great to be pampered together, chat, and entertain the manicurists with our craziness. after the services, we headed back outside to relax by the pool and enjoy every last minute of our spa day. we finally headed out at closing time, and i'm pretty sure we were the last ones to leave!

after a wonderful spa day, we headed to claim jumper for a birthday dinner. we had a delicious (and gigantic) meal, and celebrated with a little birthday dessert. i hope the chief had a great day, and i was so happy to celebrate with her!

but our celebration weekend was not over...