Day Trip to Sedona!

Last saturday we drove an hour and a half north to visit Sedona.  It is a beautiful town reminiscent of  St. George, but in my opinion, more beautiful.  Here are some pictures from the trip!

This was a pretty cool church that caught our eye from the highway so we found our way to it.  There was a christian tour bus there and the ladies that took this picture were a hoot!!

This house was right next to the church... I couldn't believe the observatory on top!  Just awesome!

I was in love with the yard and pond!  Something to aspire too when I create my next pond :)

Shopping center in Sedona.  The setting was just gorgeous!

Eating a carmel apple, yum yum :)

Driving up the Oak Creek canyon north of Sedona

I thought this picture of Gretta was adorable so had to share

A little higher up... it was super green!  Contrasted beautifuly with the red rock.

We drove up the canyon to get to Slide Rock park where you can slide down the stream on smooth rock.  Unfortunately the park was super crowded and they didn't let us in :(  Instead, we found a little spot to park the car and climbed down to the stream and found this swimming hole.  I was very pleased with the discovery :) and the solitude was better than the crowds anyway.

The stream feeding into the hole.

Climbing down to the hole was a little tricky :)

The dogs, Guss and Gretta

Getting in and swimming.  The water was cool and refreshing!  There were alot of crayfish and they were fun to try and catch.

The sun was setting so the light was low and this picture does not do it justice, but it was truly gorgeous!  I was happy to find such a place so close to Phoenix for camping and cooler temperatures. Alot of fun!

Today was the first day of school!  I remembered mom always making us pose for a picture the first day of school, so I thought such a photo was appropriate.  School will be busy and full of tests and studying, but nothing I wasn't expecting.  

This last weekend I spent hunting for a place to live in Phoenix.  This is finally what I decided on, a town home in an area called Biltmore in central Phoenix.  There is alot I love about this location.  Easy access to the 51, 2 blocks from the large Biltmore shopping mall, half a block from a large park with tennis courts and sand volleyball, a mile south of the Phoenix mountains for hiking, and older developments with no water restrictions (ie lawns are allowed and it's alot greener!).  After looking at alot of condos, it was nice to have a ground level entrance and a feeling of not walking into a glorified apartment.  I also loved the bird of paradise growing to the left of the entrance.

This is the back of the home from the alley.  It comes with a 2 car carport, not a garage but at least it's covered and shaded from the sun!

This is the balcony with a door to the master bedroom.  Also the mature orange tree is gorgeous with delicious juicy oranges.  I can't wait for it to bloom so I can open my bedroom window and breath in the sweet smell!

These two pictures show the walled in courtyard.  I'm very excited about it as I was given permission to do what ever I want back here (I don't think they realized what they gave me license to do haha)  Of course the gravel is gone and some fun landscaping activities will transpire.  It faces east so perfect for growing plants as they will be protected from the scorching afternoon sun.  A place I could afford with a courtyard was VERY hard to find so this was a huge selling point for me.  I need to work in the dirt for my own sanity, and it will be really nice for the dogs.  Also notice the outside blinds that cover the windows... totally reminds me of Germany, I loved them there and I'm excited to have them again!

Of course a pool was a requirement to survive the summer heat and for relaxing in winter.  This is the complexes pool, spa, and bbq.  Feel free to come visit me when your own home gets too cold :)

This is a home right by the pool.  The whole complex pretty much looks like this (my place is one of the more "ghetto" ones) and I really like the atmosphere of the place.  Definitely a place I can feel at home and relax after stressful days at school.

This is the kitchen.  I really like the dark cupboards and all the appliances are new with real granite countertops.  New Pergo flooring is laid through out the house.  The lighting adds a nice touch.

The dining room just off the Kitchen

And the living room.  Not sure how I feel about the red wall but they said I could paint it.

The half bath downstairs with laundry and water heater.  

The secondary bedroom.  Fair sized with compartments in the closet

Upstairs full bath.  The sink is hideous but you can't see it in this picture haha

Master bedroom, also fair sized and I like the color of the floors.

Vanity in the master bedroom, still not sure how I feel about this sink either.

Master Bathroom with jetted tub and new tile.

Balcony from master bedroom, pretty sure I'm tearing up the green flooring.

Last summer I put a pond in the backyard and have loved it.  Unfortunately, I had no money so I used old (free) lining and it sprung a leak and was no longer functional.  This last weekend I spent two days moving rocks, shoveling out gravel, and made other improvements and put in brand new lining.  No leaks and the pumps are running great!  This is the upper portion containing 11 gold fish that overwintered and are getting quite large, cat tails and water lilies. 

This is the whole thing.  The middle section I used to frame in the flower bed, and I want to put moss on the bricks for a softer look.  I put water hyacinth in the bottom part today, which multiply rapidly, have attractive purple flowers, and will hide the pump!  

I love the sound of the flowing water and it makes sitting in the back yard that much more relaxing and gives a feeling of an oasis escape.  I love it!  It was alot of fun to build/create and it was easier and more rewarding than I even thought it would be.

This is my little garden, just some peas, raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, and sunflowers along the back fence.  I saw the first pea flower today and I can't wait for fresh peas!!  I had to take off one of the milk jugs covering a cantaloupe because the plant was outgrowing it.  

The milk jug trick was something that I learned from my parents garden.  I wanted to experiment though so planted three hills of cantaloupe and placed a milk jug over two of them and left the third uncovered.  Below is the hill I had to uncover today because it was outgrowing the milk jug.
This is the hill that was left uncovered.  Once it was obvious the milk jug made a significant difference, I placed a 2 liter pop bottle over the top just three days ago, hence the funky picture looking through the bottle neck at the small cantaloupe sprouts.  Guess I never should have questioned my parent's wisdom haha!

I love the U

This is a picture I took today with my phone... would have looked better if I could zoom!  This is the Marriot Library on the University of Utah campus.  I had to run up there to print off my last paper on "human environmental impacts and human health" for my last class of my undergraduate.  It feels so good to be officially done and graduated!  Today though I took some extra time to walk around campus as I felt a tinge of sadness about leaving.  I have really enjoyed the U and felt at home here.  My professors have been amazing and I feel I have learned more during my time at the U than I have anywhere else.  I feel a little bit cheated that I was not able to do my entire undergraduate here and almost wish I had another year.  I'm really going to miss the U, Salt Lake City, and the people I have grown to love and respect.  It really felt like I had found my niche and it will be hard to leave.  I have not had my fill of hikes up immigration canyon,  tennis at East High, wrestling alligators, eating at Maza, concerts at Saltair, and playing in the yard.  As much as I would love to stay here, the U medical school did not accept me and I must leave to continue my education.  I am excited for Phoenix and hope to feel as much at home there as I have in Salt Lake.  

Just some spring time photos I have taken.  This is a flowering almond tree on the walk to TRAX.

Still, months later, these pansies just amaze me!  They are thick and beautiful and just covered in blossoms.  They make me happy everytime I see them and it makes me feel good that my fall planting of them was very successful!

The apple tree in the back yard was just covered in blossoms this year.  As if it didn't produce enough apples last year!

This has to be my most favorite spring flowering tree, the eastern red bud.  Just beautiful!

This is an old eastern red bud on campus.  I was fascinated by all the blossoms coming right out of the trunk and had to take a picture!

Finally!!! After 4 years of hard work in undergrade, a summer of studying for the mcat, six months of essay after essay after essay, and flying across the country for interviews, I finally got an acceptance to medical school!! The school is Midwestern University in Glendale Arizona. It is only about 10 years old so the facilities are very nice. The parent University is in Chicago and was established in 1900 so the institution and programs are tried and tested so it won't have the kinks alot of the new schools can have. The interviewers, staff, and students were very nice, campus was beautiful, and it was nice to see people playing sand volleyball on campus... maybe I will have a life in med school haha. Only downer is they seem technophobic. No wireless internet, pretty sure that is a crime in 2009. I have not heard back from Western University in LA yet but should this week. I am wait listed in Florida, which is rough because that is my number one choice from the schools I interviewed at. That means I can be accepted there up until school starts and any money I pay to another school to hold my spot is lost. Man, what a money game! But I'm excited to know that I will be starting medical school in August. It is a fact. Yay! Feels good to know I don't have to apply again and that all my efforts were not futile!

I love Spring!

Yes, because I am Tyson you have to deal with looking at more posts that involve plants and the garden I spend way too much of my time tending to.

These hyacinth smell absolutely heavenly! They are next to the front door and their aroma greets my nose every time I go outside.

Since I got back from florida, it has been nothing but snow storm after snow storm and it was rather depressing. Finally, it feels as though spring has sprung! A little fertilizer and the grass is greening up nicely! These two pictures of the house I live in were taken only 2 weeks apart, after above, before below. Amazing what two weeks can do in the spring!

I really hate it when the snow crushes the daffodils!!