WELL. Haven’t done one of these in a hot second.
Thought I’d take a blog post to return to my quarterly trend of recapping all those little moments that ended up stuck in my phone camera roll because they weren’t deemed worthy enough of an actual blog post.
So, keep reading to see a few under-the-radar things that happened in my work and personal life over the last four months. Here are a few of the miscellaneous things I bought, trails I hiked, meals I cooked, books I read and people I saw this past spring.
WORK
Wildfire season is here and in full-swing. I thought we’d have a bit of time to work through some spring prescribed burns and get ready for our fire season, but the Tunnel Fire caught us all off-guard really early in the season.
We got one prescribed burn in (the Mountainaire/3E project) before prescribed burns were halted country-wide.
Then, about two weeks after the Tunnel Fire was finally marked contained, the Pipeline/Haywire/Double Fire complex broke out. We’re still in the midst of that, but I’ll detail it in a bit once I can catch up.
I did find time in between the two fires to escape my office and make it down to the Baker Butte Lookout area of the Mogollon Rim for a day to do some work on a thinning/ watershed protection project that’s in progress on my forest.
I also got my red card!
Also, in non-forestry work-related news, I started my new (part-time) job at the new YogaSix studio here in Flagstaff!
I’m still working full-time with Forest Service (there always seems to be some confusion on social media when I post about picking up yoga teaching gigs!) but I’m now teaching Monday and Wednesday night hot yoga at the YogaSix studio at Aspen Place at the Sawmill. Come sweat and flow with me!
HIKING + OUTDOORS
I think the big news of the season is that I finally invested in a stand-up paddle board! I’ve taken it out to Lake Mary twice and took a day trip out to East Clear Creek.
Other than that, I haven’t spent too much time outdoors this spring thanks to fire season. I did finally make it up (instead of around) Old Caves Crater.
I also had time to explore two areas down in the Red Rocks Ranger District: part of the Kehl Fox trail and the Bull Pen day use area.
DINING + FOOD
NEW DINING IN FLAGSTAFF?!
Well. Kind of.
Back when I lived in Chicago this was a great way of keeping up with the dozens of new restaurants I tried. But dining in Flagstaff is… well, obviously, not exactly the Michelin-starred dining scene of the Second City.
Basically I tried every restaurant in Flagstaff within a three-month span and then it encouraged me to start cooking again.
But, Dark Sky, one of our breweries here (the breweries here are dope, I’ll give Flag that) recently expanded and opened a new kitchen called “Atmosphere.”
We hosted a local Returned Peace Corps Volunteer meetup on the new expanded biergarten, and I got to give it a try.
Other than that – dining out consisted of repeat visits to Hops on Birch, Pay N’ Take, Ewa Thai, Lotus Lounge, Historic Brewing… the usual.
Back home in our kitchen, Ryan and I spent most of this spring eating out of our CSA share basket! I posted a wrap-up of what we made with our produce that highlights a lot of what we’ve cooked this winter.
A few more notable kitchen moments.
First, Ryan turned 30! His favorite cake is Black Forest Cherry Kirsch, so — while he spent his actual birthday out on a fire assignment — I made it for him when he got back. Two years makes it a tradition!
And second, I’m a little late to the party, but I’m just now getting into the whole bread-making thing.
It took a few tries, but I’ve finally perfected the King Arthur no-knead crusty white bread recipe.
I’m really excited because I haven’t bought bread in months now. I’m looking forward to branching out and experimenting now that I’ve got this recipe down.
And, finally — we have a garden! We haven’t harvested anything yet, obviously, but hopefully we’ll be able to!
SHOPPING (AKA: AFFILIATE LINKS!)
I haven’t really bought too many new clothes as of late. I did take advantage of the REI Anniversary sale to stock up on socks (these Smartwool socks are my favorite for wearing with trail runners and these Smartwool socks are my favorite for hiking) and Patagonia Capilene base layers.
I got this cute two-pack of tank tops (which I’m already obsessed with), these new athletic shorts and this cute new swim top. I also FINALLY found this cute convertible backpack/ tote bag, which will fit both my bulky 17-inch work laptop and my Hydroflask!
Lulus is running a sale (20 percent off all dresses!) right now, so I bought this wrap dress in orange and this strappy dress in blue. Lulus is my absolute favorite for wedding guest dresses and I’ve never seen a sale like this, so it’ll be nice to have these dresses ready when I get my next save the date.
I decided to try a new sunscreen brand, and I’m back to using Belif’s moisturizer both day and night.
Rec-wise, I invested in a new lightweight camping chair, a new stand-up paddle board and various SUP accessories, including this inflatable life jacket, this electric pump and this useful bright yellow phone strap that floats. I also finally got my own Petzl GriGri so I can stop borrowing belay devices from friends at the climbing gym.
And, finally, I spent a good chunk of my overtime money from the Tunnel Fire organizing my home. I bought a bunch of organizational stuff from Amazon and Target, including this canned good rack for our pantry, these beverage dispensers for our refrigerator (they fit tall cans like White Claws!), these glass jars for grain storage, this lazy susan for our refrigerator condiments, these under-sink drawers and this hair tool organizer for our master bathroom, and these wire shelves to store shampoo and soap bars on in our shower.
I do have a few things on my wish list.
Rec-wise, I’ve been eyeing a few things I’d like to buy! This waterproof Booe belt bag looks perfect for paddle boarding. I’ve been wanting a pair of trekking poles for a few months now (I guess it’s not so much that I want them as it is that I’m in my 30s and my knees are now demanding I get them) and I’m waiting to splurge on some cool solar panels for my portable battery-powered generator, and a soft cooler to bring on paddle adventures.
BOOKS, MOVIES + TV SHOWS
I made it out to an actual movie theater for the first time since I went to see “Star Wars” when I lived in Ukraine!
Ryan and I went to Harkins to see the new “Top Gun” movie.
Ryan is midway through flight school (once he’s done with his career as a Hotshot, he wants to keep working in wildfire but transition to piloting fixed-wing aircraft for aerial suppression) so he’s a HUGE nerd about all things aviation. I took him to see “Top Gun: Maverick” for his birthday and he loved every second of it.
Other than that, I haven’t had a chance to watch any new TV shows or movies.
I have kept busy (well, before the fires started) reading, though.
A few recent books I’d recommend are “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah, “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab and “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley.
I keep track of all my books via Instagram Story and Goodreads, if you’re interested in keeping up!
I did also recently get the chance to attend Northern Arizona University’s Summer Seminar Series and hear about the Russo-Ukrainian War from an educational perspective.
YUKON
I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but over the winter, Yukon was diagnosed with Valley Fever and subsequent congestive heart failure. We had to take him to a specialty animal cardiologist down in Phoenix and he had 14 pounds (!!!) of fluid drained from his belly.
He was put on a slew of medication: Fluconazole, Vetmedin, Spironolactone, Furosemide and Benazepril… plus a ton of vitamins and supplements.
But, he’s doing a lot better!
He enjoys his morning walks now (and starts grumbling and howling as soon as I start putting on my outdoor feet, for fear of being left behind) and is back to demanding every second of attention he can get from mom and dad.
Now we’re just dealing with shedding season. Oh boy. Our Dyson cannot keep up.
MISC.
Outside of work, yoga, recreating and cuddling with Yukon, my life has been pretty busy with the usual. Our Meetup group is still going strong, and most weekends you can still find me climbing/ paddling/ hiking during the day, and then spending my evenings at Hops or Pay N’ Take. Non-fire Sundays are for the downtown farmers market and yoga.
Some of my friends and I have gotten into the habit of hosting a rotating Sunday brunch, too, which has been a blast!
And, I’ve been lucky enough to have some out-of-town friends visit over the past few weeks, and a few of my friends hosted a fun Kentucky Derby party (complete with a bourbon fountain) earlier this spring.
Can’t wait for post-fire-season summer adventures. ‘Til fall!
