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...

part four: the end of the falling saga

even though i felt so much better, it was time to get a little worse. time for a little surgery to correct the break in my nose. i was super nervous to "go under" and got a bit stressed as we drove in to the surgery center, signed in, and waited... they called me back to prepare and i did okay, until they had me change into my surgery outfit. not sure why i thought i could stay in my own clothes, but it was just not thinking about it really feeling like surgery. ugh!

the doctor stopped by while i was getting hooked up to the IV and he said he was a little surprised that i actually made it. he had obviously not forgotten my little outburst in his office. after he checked in with me and tried to calm my nerves a bit, he headed off to prepare. after he left, the nurse said, "oh that doctor is really great. he always does a really great job. and i heard that he once broke his nose playing basketball and corrected it himself right there on the court." although i wasn't sure i wanted him to use that same strategy on me, it did make me feel like he was kind of a badass. anyways, although i was SO nervous to be put under anesthesia, all went as expected. i remember the anesthesiologist telling me i would feel good and then a few minutes later they would knock me out. but i don't remember feeling good. i just remember them wheeling me away and hearing country music playing in whatever room they were taking me to. and then i woke up.

the surgery went well, was super quick, and fixed my nose perfectly. i know i shouldn't have been so stressed about it! i hardly had any additional swelling, and i had zero additional bruising. my last few days of recovery were good - although i should have milked it a bit more ;) the only downside was that i had to wear my very fashionable nose guard... even after returning to work. don't worry, i made that thing look good. :)

falling... part three

while i was in the hospital, i had made a flurry of calls and texts to people - one of whom was my mom. we decided to have her fly out to help take care of me. after my boyfriend brought me home and made sure i was comfortable and cared for, he headed out to the airport to pick her up. it was great to have her around, especially because she cleaned up and restocked my shelves. and it meant my boyfriend could go back to work the next day while my mom stayed with me.

she came with me to my primary care physician for a quick check and referral to a few doctors who could fix my broken nose. and she came with me to the ENT a few days later, too. i was pretty nervous to see him because i didn't like my options - i am not a huge fan of being knocked out with anesthesia (even if its only minor surgery!), but i'm also not a fan of having a crooked nose! the doctor finally came in, gave me a quick look over, and said that the good news was that my fracture was not severe. my nose would probably heal slightly crooked, but he said it would be subtle and it wouldn't affect my breathing or sinuses at all. BUT it would be crooked. he suggested that i have the surgery to fix the break, but said that ultimately it was my choice. i was happy for a moment - i could choose! and then he said that i had to choose right then. "right this second?" i asked, i couldn't believe it. "yes," he said, "we have to schedule the surgery right away, so you have to decide right now." in that moment i was overwhelmed. and burst into tears. yep, full on water works in 1.2 seconds.

my tears seemed to soften the doctor a bit, because he said that he would give me 5 minutes to think it over while he saw another patient. i was thankful, but it was hard to think out all of the pros and cons in such a short time - especially because i kept being distracted by how little time i had! in retrospect it doesn't seem like such a difficult decision, but i just was so resistant to the surgery because of the anesthesia. eventually, the doctor returned and i told him i would undergo the surgery (although i was thinking i could back out if i felt like i needed to!). i think he could tell by my face that i wasn't 100% committed, but he gave me the information i needed and i went to the front desk to make my appointment.

i had to wait a few days for the surgery, and i actually healed quite quickly in the meantime. i can understand why i needed to schedule the surgery right away. i still was pretty rough to look at, my boyfriend affectionately referring to me as "stacy-stein". but i continued to heal and got my strength back a little more each day. about a week after falling down the stairs, i returned to my primary care physician to get my stitches taken out, and after that i looked even more like myself!

the fallout (part 2)

thankfully, the neighbor's husband stayed with me until the ambulance arrived, and even said, oh, you're in luck, the EMTs are cute! when help arrived. and he wasn't wrong! the young and attractive paramedics came over to me and assessed my condition before helping me stand up and walk down a few remaining stairs to the stretcher. i was a little embarrased when i stood up and immediately realized my pants were going to fall off if i did not take a moment to adjust them. i think having my pants fall off would be the only thing that could have topped that scenario!

it's a pretty short ambulance ride to the hospital from my apartment, and the EMTs used that time to clean me up a bit, take my vitals, and stab my fingers a few times. he tried to take my blood sugar levels using some of the blood on my forehead, but for some reason that didn't work. so he drew some blood from my finger instead. but apparently all of my blood was busy rushing out my head and face, because he couldn't get enough blood out of my finger to test! i had to wiggle my arm a bit, but eventually he was able to run the test... which came up 0. i'm not hypoglycemic or diabetic, but we were both pretty sure my glucose level was not actually 0. so we had to go through the whole thing again using a different finger (yes, arm wiggling and all). eventually he got a number that was a bit more realistic - thank goodness!

we made it to the hospital (and the EMT even helped pull back my tangled, bloody hair), and i was wheeled into what would be my home for a few hours. the nurse told me that i could not use my cell phone until i saw the doctor, so i just sat there alone until he arrived. he stitched me up (and did an incredible job, i should add!) and told me that i would need and MRI to check my face for any fractures. When he was putting in the stitches (about a dozen!) and glue on my forehead, the doctor moved my call button - so when he left, i was stranded in the bed, hooked to a bunch of equipment, a bit dizzy, and out of the reach of my cell phone. the low point of this entire episode was definitely laying there alone for 45 minutes without being able to call anyone i care about, or even get ahold of the nurses for help. :(

eventually the nurse returned and she was able to rummage through my purse and give me my cell phone. (extra thanks to my neighbor for gathering all of my belongings which had been flung all helter skelter around the stairs outside my apartment) i was able to get ahold of the important people: the boyfriend, mom, my work (by this time i was over an hour late!) the next few hours involved a few MRI scans, the arrival of my boyfriend, and good news/bad news from the doctor - no brain damage, no facial fracture, but a slight nasal fracture. overall, i was SO LUCKY that the damage was not worse!

i asked my boyfriend if i would scare the small children in the waiting room as we left the hospital. his response? "there aren't any small children in the waiting room" not exactly the boost of confidence i was hoping for...

free falling... part 1

after my christmas in SoCal and new years in San Jose, i headed back to tucson for a few days - at least until a mid-january trip to indiana... or so i thought. i got a bit sidetracked by a pretty serious face planting.

it was a bright early january morning, and i was headed to work. loaded up with at least 4 separate bags (garbage, gym, purse, extra work), i took a step or two down the cement stairs that lead up to my 2nd floor apartment. i felt my foot slip off the stair, and realized very quickly that i was going to take a tumble. i tried to grab the hand rails, but the several bags that i had carried my momentum down the stairs faster than i could hold on. i don't remember hitting the cement landing about 6 steps down (thankfully!), but i know that i didn't hit any of the stairs on the way. it wasn't so much falling as free flying with a crash landing. and boy, did i crash.

after falling, i took a moment to assess my damage. i am pretty clumsy, and so it is not terribly unusual for me to fall. but i quickly realized that this was not the usual situation where i could hop up, dust off, and walk it off. i was bleeding pretty badly around my face, and although i didn't think i had a neck or back injury, i knew i needed help. i tried to think about where my phone was, but i knew that when i fell, things flew out of my assorted bags... including my phone. so, i took a cue from my favorite brother and yelled for help. let me correct that, i screamed for help like someone was attacking me. my apartment complex is pretty quiet, and the apartments are not too closely packed together, so i was a little worried about someone actually hearing me.

but i was in luck (i am a lucky girl!), and my next door neighbors came to my rescue. my wonderful next door neighbors, who - even 3 months after they moved in - i had never seen or spoken to before. but they were wonderful. the wife called 911 while her husband stayed with me and even prayed that i would have a spirit of peace and not fear. the wife, a nurse, said that i should not move, which was a bit uncomfortable, since my face was on the landing and my body was lying up the stairs, feet at the top. i'm sure i was quite a sight to see! it was also a bit comical when the wife (a nurse) had to climb over me to head down the stairs and go to work. what a sight!

the sun sets on 2011

on the last day of 2011 i enjoyed a luxurious morning of sleeping in and reading. my friend and i ran some errands, gathering goodies for that night, picking up a few odds and ends. we drove back to san jose with just enough time for a quick stop to say hello to my parents and to make our last few stops before heading to the hot tub of wisdom for a final hurrah.

we started our celebration with pizza and catching up, and pretty soon after we hopped into the spa. we even put some cookies into a tupperware and discovered that they float in the spa! the tupperware was a great serving dish in the spa - we would just pass it back and forth and let it float around!

while snacking and relaxing, we reminisced all of the trials and joys of 2011, and boy was it a life changing year. relationship struggles, heartbreaking and momentous loss, beautiful new additions to our friends' families, all of the incredible things life brings. when the clock neared midnight, we prepared a special treat - dom perignon - purchased in honor of an amazing mother we lost that year. at the chime of midnight, we had a special toast to celebrate all of the gifts she shared with each of us. it was beautiful and heartbreaking.

after our toast, we took part in a new year's tradition a colombian friend of mine shared with me. in her family, every person eats 12 grapes at midnight on new years, and makes a wish with each grape. although we were ill-prepared (i.e., no grapes), we decided it would be a good idea to put a little twist on the tradition - and wish on 12 tiny shots of colombian wine (that's like grapes, right?). it was a fun tradition, but perhaps not recommended, as 12 shots of wine - no matter how tiny - do add up quickly.

we continued celebrating the closing of a tough year, and all managed to land safely into beds for a good night's sleep. well, a mostly good night's sleep for me, as i fought with my friend's beloved and giant bulldog for room on the bed. delilah! scoot over!

mid-holiday monterey

after celebrating christmas in southern california, i traveled a bit farther north for new year's.

i headed out to monterey, to visit my best friend. we met up for dinner at my favorite pizza place in monterey - giannis (YUM!). after a delicious dinner, we headed back to her place to relax and catch up. the next morning, after i slept in a bit, i met her down at the monterey bay aquarium, where she works. the aquarium was a bit too packed with tourists for me to enjoy myself, but my friend did take me up to the roof to see the green sea turtles who were not currently on exhibit. we watched them swim around in their rooftop pool, and although she wouldn't let me jump in and join them, i still had a good time :)

while she finished her work day, i wandered cannery row and walked down the bike and pedestrian trail heading towards carmel. i stopped at a bench overlooking the ocean and enjoyed some bayside reading. it was a beautiful place to read, relax, and enjoy the ocean.

after a relaxing (and chilly) reading session, it was time for happy hour at a fun and delicious hawaiian restaurant. YUM! we had a nice little group and decided to extend the happy hour fun for a game and cookie night. we ran a quick errand to the store for cookie ingredients and a couple of new wii games. i loved baking and taking my turn singing and dancing to broadway hits on the wii!

last christmas

so i'm a little delayed... it's just extending the christmas spirit, right?

on christmas eve, i packed up my suitcase and headed down to the university to take the shuttle to the airport. i had a small panic when i had car trouble (and no plan b to meet the shuttle!), but in a small christmas miracle, i made it safe and in time. normally, i fly out of tucson, but this time it was cheaper to take the shuttle up to phoenix and hop on a direct flight to southern california. all in all, the travel time is about the same, but spending half as much time flying, and riding the shuttle instead was so much more enjoyable! i even got to make some good progress in a good book!

an uneventful, but full, flight brought me to my boyfriend, who picked me up at the airport and broke the news that we needed to do some last minute shopping. usually, i absolutely hate shopping on christmas eve. but i must say that it was not as bad as i was expecting. eventually, we made our way back to his parent's house and it was wonderful to see the family!

the boyfriend's family celebrates christmas on christmas eve, with presents, dinner, and all the trimmings. the baby (she's a year and a half now) had SO MANY PRESENTS! i must say, i got some good ones too :)  dinner was delicious, and it was great to be with family! the next day, we relaxed, watched tv, and enjoyed each other's company. i even got to read an entire book on christmas day - it was wonderful!

i spent the next few days enjoying the company of family and friends - a great way to spend christmas vacation! one of the best days was between christmas and new year's when the boyfriend and i spent the day at the happiest place on earth. i think everyone knows that I LOVE DISNEYLAND. and even though we went on a day that was so busy disney stopped selling tickets, i still had a good time. that's right, they stopped selling tickets. and you know that if disney stops any profit-garnering endeavor, it is serious. we waited in some seriously long lines (i thought the pirates of the caribbean line was for the haunted mansion!), but still managed to ride all of our favorites! we even managed a couple of runs on big thunder mountain railroad! i do love disneyland! we had a fantastic time, but were exhausted and ended our day before the park closed. it was a great way to end my SoCal holiday!

sedona sight-seeing

on the last day of our little getaway, we decided to do a driving tour of sedona, led by a CD we picked up in the lobby of our hotel. after our daily stop at starbucks, we headed to the north end of sedona, stopping at the gates of one of the luxury neighborhoods, and starting the long and unpaved trek to palatki, a site with cave paintings. we decided that our little car (and especially its driver) was not prepared for a lengthy and bumpy voyage, and vowed to make it a definite stop during our next visit.

we headed over to the self-proclaimed "most photographed spot in sedona" that looks beyond a creek to cathedral rock. it was a short stroll to the creek, and after a few photos, we walked to the other side of the park, to one of sedona's famed vortexes. sedona is home to a number of these energy centers, and although the spot was beautiful, i can't say i felt any specific energy there.

the most photographed spot in sedona, a view of cathedral rock

our next stop was airport mesa, another well-known vortex. (one website author actually mentioned having wild visions here) it was a short hike up the mesa, to a crooked juniper tree that is said to be at the center of the airport mesa vortex. although i (again) didn't feel any particular energy at the vortex, the view of sedona - and neighboring towns - was incredible! you could see the trees, the red rock formations, the mesas, it was so beautiful. AND, we later learned that the largest red rock mountain is called thunder mountain - named by walt disney and the inspiration for the ride of the same name. this was extra exciting since big thunder mountain railroad is my favorite favorite disneyland ride. it was great to see the namesake!

the view of sedona from airport mesa

unfortunately, we were rapidly running out of time for our sedona adventure, so we did the rest of our sight-seeing on the road back to phoenix. it was a short drive back to the airport to drop of my co-pilot, and a seemingly endless drive solo back to tucson.