Time to get caught up

I know it has been awhile since I posted anything. Part of the reason was our scheduled vacation to Sedona, Arizona and the Grand Canyon. The other reason were the events before and after our vacation. First, a little background. We live in a neighborhood that is adjacent to a marsh and there had been a lot of rain the week before we left on vacation. The one event that we weren't prepared for was torrential downpours with no power. Several years ago we had new drain tile and a new sump pump installed in our basement but on Wednesday, August 22nd, our worst nightmare happened. We had over two inches of rain in an hour and no electrical power for four hours. You can just imagine what that means for a mostly finished basement. We baled water from the sump pump as fast as we could but with the ground already saturated, we just couldn't keep up. This was certainly not what we needed before leaving on vacation. Luckily after removing as much water as we could from the carpet, leaving the basement to dry out for the week with five fans and two dehumidifiers was just what it needed.

Moving on to the vacation, it was the first time the boys and I had ever been to Arizona. Kurt had been to the Grand Canyon when he was a child and was really looking forward to showing it to the boys. We ended up going on Monday, August 27th. Before leaving Sedona, we knew that there were storms near the Grand Canyon but after looking at the radar, we decided to go ahead since it looked like it would be clearing out. We did run into rain on the way, between Flagstaff and the South Rim but by the time we reached the first viewing point in the park, it was clearing up. Our first view turned out to be incredibly special -- including seeing a rainbow below us in the canyon.

We had a great time in Arizona. The boys really seemed to enjoy hiking, even though it was pretty hot while we were there. I have to add one more picture from the trip. This one just cracks me up. You just never know when you will find a sign with arms!

Since we've been back home, I've been busy cleaning (and decluttering) the basement, working on plans for the ILove2Create.com anniversary celebration, getting the boys back into the school routine, and doing laundry. Things aren't going to be letting up anytime soon since I have been summoned for jury duty for the next two weeks. I am desparate for some creative time so I'm trying to think of what I can take with me to do while I wait through the jury process. Hopefully I will have something to show later in the week.