Haboob? Could this possibly be the lamest name for this?

Tuesday July 5th was an interesting one. This time of year we have our Monsoon season where extreme temps kick in and weather patterns clash. Its very humid, temps around 115 and a lot of electrical sky storms. Its miserably hot, but visually it can be a beautiful/electrifying time in the desert.

Well, Tuesday a massive dust storm (aka Haboob) hit while we were at our Aunt and Uncle's home up on the mountain. We had such a great view! This is the largest dust storm on record since the 1940s - it was MASSIVE and we watched it roll northward from our viewpoint. Amazing.

A haboob (Arabic ) is a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in arid regions throughout the world. They have been observed in the Sahara desert (typically Sudan), as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Kuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq.

Amazing. The first picture is of the wall of dust coming across our area of Ahwatukee. The 2nd picture was taken in the middle of the dust wall - pitch black. Daylight turned to night in minutes. All you can see are the faint lights across the street. It lasted for several minutes - maybe 20 to 30 it was that huge! Enjoy the video at the end. So glad we were able to watch from an elevated spot.

Happy Independence Day!

Dreaming...

It is supposed to be 117 degrees here today. Are humans really meant to live in this kind of weather???

I am dreaming that this picture is of me and Westy somewhere. Sigh.

Summertime Rules

I am normally a very structured person. I thrive with structure and don't do well with a lot of chaos. So needless to say, summer is sometimes a challenge for me as a parent. However, to preserve my sanity I have implemented a new set of rules this summer.

1. A swim in the pool counts as a bath.

2. A swim in the ocean does not unless you rinse off with a hose afterwards.

3. Blond kids will have green hair until I get around to rinsing it out with purple kool-aid before school starts.

4. Cheesesticks count as a balanced meal if deep fried and dipped in marinara sauce and followed by a grape popsicle.

5. Never serve your kids chilled juice boxes. If you do, they will always want them chilled. My kids think that juice boxes are supposed to be served at room temperature.

6. If you are two or under, diapers and flip flops are an acceptable outfit.

7. Fudgesicles are an acceptable form of bribery.

8. Naps are mandatory. For me, not the kids.

Happy Summer!

Father's Day

I love this picture of my Dad. As I've grown older I've been able to focus on the great things I've learned from him. The major lesson: He will give you the shirt off his back! I aspire to be as freely giving as he is. He does not judge, ever. Love you Dad. -Ry

STAAR Night 2011

They did it again! Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors (SAAR) hosted another successful fundraiser and ended up raising $110,000 in one night! Can you believe it!?! They packed the theater and so many friends and talented people volunteered their time and talents to help raise money. Ryan was in two numbers and one number was with his friend Keith Mishkin. Keith is an incredibly successful

developer/business owner and to have the two in this medley was just fun.

Here is the link to the video for those who desire. Ryan and Keith's number is at 27 minutes and then Ryan, Keith and two others are in a Jersey Boy Medley at the very end.

http://vmlh.com/staar/2011.html

We HEART Mud!

Saturday we put on our angry eyes and ran a six mile MUD run with 13 obstacle courses. When we came to the first muddy pit, I completely slipped and fell all the way under the muddy water. I was totally submerged. The obstacles consisted of lots of muddy pits, lots of fire hoses, a swim in a river, climbing over a wall, muddy tire run, up and down a muddy hill and more.

Before the mud. What a nice looking clean crew!

After Hattie and Neeley ran the kids race. It was less than a mile but they had their fun in the mud.

After the mud run.

We all came home and showered. We had mud in every nook and cranny and even this morning I found mud in my ears.

We had so much fun!