July 2012

I've been lagging a bit on my posts....

July encompassed a lot, so I will try my best to put it all in order!!

Over the week of the Fourth of July holiday, Bill and I traveled to Texas in order to squeak in a quick visit to Bill's family. We had a fantastic time relaxing on the ranch and catching up with Bill's parents as well as CJ, Amber, and our nephews; Luke and David. We also got to see Matt and Beth and our nephew, Josh, and niece, Lily, as they drove up for two of the days that we were in town. It was great to see everyone and it always amazes me to see how big all of the kids get. We don't get to see any of them very often, so every time we do, they have each hit a huge new milestone in their development! It's fun to watch them all grow!!

Also during the time that we were in Texas, we got to spend a lot of time by the pool and on the golf course. Let's just say, I have some serious work to do on my golf game in order to fit in with the Wallace family!! However, they were very patient with me and even had me attend a golf lesson, which was extremely helpful. I hope that golf is something that Bill and I can get into together as it is something that I think we both could play for a very long time.

We also brought Boortz along for the ride.  I think he definitely got spoiled as I now think he wishes he was a farm dog :) He loved socializing with Bill's parent's dogs and having wide open spaces to run and play. Right now, the heat is a killer in Arizona and only allows for an early morning and late evening walks as the pavement is just too hot for his little paws during the day.  It'll be nice once the temperatures ease off down here.

I didn't take nearly enough pictures of this trip, but here are the few that were captured....

Boortz did excellent in the airplane. I, however, did not. We left super early in the morning to try our attempt at avoiding the heat, but it still got very warm the later it got and the closer we got to Texas. I guess mixing extreme temperatures and being pregnant don't bode well when flying in small airplanes!! As a result, we took two days on the return trip home and it was MUCH more pleasant!! 

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Bill and I with Amber, CJ, and our nephews!

As always, we had a fantastic time visiting with everyone and appreciated all of the hospitality we were given during our stay! We look forward to our next visit to Texas! 

Once we returned to Yuma, I had my big ultrasound appointment the very next day, which was a day that I think both Bill and I had been anxiously anticipating. As it turns out, everything seems to be on par and we are having a GIRL!! As mentioned before, this will be an interesting experience as both Bill and I grew up with all brothers:) However, we are pretty excited for her arrival and already have a nursery theme to go with, which will consist of bright pinks and greens and include flamingos in the mix. We also have a definite name picked out! 

Here are some of her first photos!

She's already practicing her flip turns to be a future swimmer:)

As with all new parents, Bill and I are very curious as to know what traits Baby Wallace will exhibit, especially since Bill and I share completely opposite features!!

Baby Wallace continues to grow everyday and is kicking up a storm (again, a future swimmer!?). According to my most recent email from the Bump.com, she is now the size of a grapefruit. We are at 23 weeks and counting. I am not too uncomfortable yet and can still move around a good bit. Thus, I am still able to attend my body tone classes on base, swim, run, and spin. The only thing I am really missing is competition! I would really like to be able to sign up for a race, especially since by the time I have this baby it will have been over a year since my last race event!! I guess this should only inspire me to get back into race shape faster once she is born.... 

Jumping to a completely different subject.....Bill celebrated his 33rd Birthday mid July! Of course he was out of town for this momentous day, BUUUT this is nothing new...haha. I still have yet to see the man on his birthday. I keep saying one of these years, but I am beginning to think that I should just designate July 19th as a travel day for him. However, Boortz and I celebrated in his honor:) Boortz may have been an unwilling participant....

And lastly, but certainly not least, we topped off July with a week long trip up to Southwest Colorado where we explored Cortez, Ridgway, Ouray, and Telluride. This was a fabulous trip as it allowed us to view some different scenery as well as escape to some cooler temperatures! This was an adventurous trip as well since we camped for a good portion of it. Here are some of our favorite moments:

Our first stop was Cortez, CO. Here, we visited and camped at the Mesa Verde National Park. This park had some special meaning to Bill as the last deployment he was a part of was a MEU and the ship he was on was named the Mesa Verde,  after this park. This particular park featured old Pueblo Indian dwellings and some scenic overlooks. Here is Boortz and I at one of these overlooks, which overlooked the Mancos Valley. 

Following our tour of Cortez, CO, Bill and I made our way up to Ridgway State Park. As you can see, they offered some spectacular campsites. Here is ours. It was nice and secluded. However, the catch was that you had to cross a bridge and haul all of your gear up to the site. This was no easy feat for Bill as it was raining when we arrived and he had to deal with a dog and pregnant wife. haha.  He was a good sport though!! 

As mentioned before, we unfortunately did experience quite a bit of rain during the time that we were in Ridgway. The positive aspect was that Bill and I finally got to see some rain as it NEVER rains in Yuma. Also, we got to play some much awaited Scrabble and Yahtzee. The downside was that we had a very dirty dog to take care of!!

Bill and Boortz hanging out at the campfire. We were able to cook all of the campfire favorites, which included hotdogs, S'mores, and popcorn!!

We were also able to take a day trip down to Ouray, CO. Ouray is about 30 minutes to the southeast of Ridgway and considered to be the Switzerland of America. We hiked the Ice Park Loop Trail and got to take in some of the gorgeous mountain scenery!

Ice Park Loop Trail

Overall, we camped in Ridgway for 3 nights and would highly recommend this State Park to anyone that is in the area or just passing through. Following our time here, Bill and I took a scenic route down The Last Dollar Road to Telluride. The views were amazing and we got to pass the Heath Candy Bar Ranch. Ralph Lauren's Ranch was also supposedly down this way, but I think we took a wrong turn and missed it!

Finally, no more camping!! Instead, during our time in Telluride, we stayed at the Hotel Telluride, which was quaint, pleasant, and very pet friendly. As much as I love camping, I have to admit sleeping on the ground wasn't the most comfortable thing to be doing while several months pregnant. We stayed two nights here and it was the perfect way to wrap up our camping excursion!

Telluride! We spent a lot of our time here walking Boortz and visiting the downtown area. We also got to take advantage of the Gondola that takes you up to the Mountain Village. 

Family Photo!

I have to say, that I think that our time in Telluride was an essential way to wind down and truly feel relaxed! This was a great town. I can't imagine how packed this place must become in the winter during their peak season! 

Once we left Telluride and got back on the road to Yuma, we had two more stops to make.....

Bill and I stopped at the Four Corners, which signifies the point at which Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico all meet! This is literally in the middle of nowhere, but it would be a shame not to stop and visit!!

Lastly, we also made a quick stop in Winslow, Arizona since we were passing through!!

Bill and I look forward to more camping trips in the future! This wasn't the usual type of vacation we have taken in the past. However, as a kid I grew up camping quite a bit and I think that it would be fun to take more trips like this, especially as our family grows!

I think that covers everything for July! We look forward to the future months as we creep toward December!!