Long days and warm temps are finally here! Hello summer!
・・・
OCHI
It’s been about three full months since we adopted Ochi, and he’s settling in quite well!
He’s definitely a mischievous pup. He keeps getting into our mouse traps, loves splashing in his water bowl and the other week, I caught him standing on top of our raised garden bed, digging down to who knows what.
I had to replant all my chard.
Regardless, we love him so much and we are so glad we found him!
WORK
Well, it’s officially fire season! I wrapped up my first assignment of the year — the Wolf Fire — in mid-May, and finished up my second assignment (the Bravo Fire) just last week.
First order of the season! I always selfishly like when I get ordered to work fires on Ryan’s district.
— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) May 3, 2024https://t.co/nRZ7Yku7TU
Other than that, it’s been business as usual.
TRAVEL
I was able to go on a few mini weekend trips this spring.
First — Ryan and I visited Arcosanti for an overnight stay back in March.
Arcosanti has been on my bucket list for years, so I’m really glad we were able to snag an overnight room.
Then in May, I went down to Cottonwood for a girls weekend exploring Arizona’s wine country with two of my good friends: Lexie and Jenni.
We spent a morning at Tuzigoot National Monument, checked out some local wineries and restaurants, and then spent a day on the Verde Canyon Railroad.
No boys, no bears, just
— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) May 8, 2024girls
Spent this past weekend exploring the Verde Valley! Wine tasting in Camp Verde, hiking at @TuzigootNPS, dinner in Cottonwood and a day on board the @VerdeCanyonRail!
(Words about said trip here: https://t.co/5OGd5VQv5H) pic.twitter.com/1mTpmirmKY
FLAGSTAFF COMMUNITY
Two cool community events lately:
First, I spent a weekend volunteering with Azulita Project at the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival.
Second, I made it out to city hall for a rally to protect abortion access in Arizona.
RYAN
Ryan recently celebrated his 32nd birthday! So, as is tradition now, I made him his favorite Black Forest cherry kirsch cake.
I’ve made this cake four times now — once for every birthday I’ve spent with Ryan — and it’s always such a long but rewarding process.
DINING + FOOD
After living in Flagstaff for a handful of years now, I’ve tried most of the restaurants in town. But, I did recently try a new-to-me spot: Two Hands Seoul Fresh Corn Dogs. I recently discovered Two Hands sells veggie corndogs, so I gave them a try. They were surprisingly good!
In addition to the aforementioned Black Forest cherry cake, I tried a few other new recipes this spring, too.
This butternut squash curry with spinach recipe is so easy, healthy and delicious.
This cocoa-coconut chia seed pudding was a great way to use up the remainder of the coconut milk from the above recipe as well.
HIKING + OUTDOORS!
Short of a few quick hikes during both my Tuzigoot trip and Arcosanti trip mentioned above, I didn’t really do a whole, whole lot of hiking this spring.
I did, however, make it out to Winslow for a paddle board day — which was much overdue! It’s been a while since I’ve been out to paddle Clear Creek Reservoir.
I also had the chance to spend a night at Kendrick Cabin with some of my friends.
HOME
Ryan and I started our 2024 vegetable garden. We’ve had more troubles than expected with mice, Ochi and (of course) fire assignments, but hopefully we’ll still be able to enjoy everything we planted.
We also renewed our apartment lease for another year, so it looks like we’ll be in our little mountain view home for a bit longer, which is exciting.
BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC + TV SHOWS
You can catch my March, April and May reads in their linked posts.
In addition to reading, I also re-activated my Apple TV+ subscription for “Dark Matter.”
If you’ve been following along, you know that “Dark Matter” was one of my favorite books I read last year.
So far, I’ve been absolutely loving the TV adaptation and I’m so excited to finish it.
I’ve also been absolutely loving Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Critics can insist that Taylor’s lyrics are juvenile but let me tell you as a mid-30s woman also born in 1989, “I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an
— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) April 22, 2024
I don’t love it as much as some of her other albums: “Red” will always be my favorite, followed closely by “1989,” but it’s definitely catchy.
FITNESS + HEALTH
Spring means less time in the studio and more time outdoors! I’m back into trail running so I haven’t been frequenting my studios quite as much lately, but my lifetime rides count at CycleBar hit XX, and my total classes count at YogaSix hit 160.
Also… I booked a 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training program for this fall… in Rishikesh, India!
I can’t wait to spend four weeks challenging myself to grow as a teacher and a human during the program.
MISC.
What else?
Ryan and I made a trip down to Phoenix last month to see my Detroit Tigers play the Arizona Diamondbacks while they were in town.
Ngl the roof is weird (or maybe I’m just homesick for Comerica Park??)
— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) May 18, 2024Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/paG4EkX3oR
Other than that, not much else! I’ve just been staying busy with work.
・・・
See you next winter!
My views are mine alone and don’t represent those of my employer, agency or the United States government. All photos were taken by me and/or credited photographer unless otherwise noted. You can read more on my disclosure and privacy policy page.
