HTC Incredible

In less than a month I got another new smartphone. It took us more than two years to get the first one (Motorola Droid) on March 29. It also took a little begging from me.

Then last week Don saw where the new HTC Incredible was coming out with a better camera, more memory and faster processor.  Wouldn't you know it my new Droid was already out of date.

Since it was within a month we could get the new HTC for a small restocking fee.  So today I got another new phone!!!!

I present you the new    HTC INCREDIBLE

Back home to rest from Vacation!

We made it back to windy Oklahoma without a hitch yesterday evening.

Our vacation in Sedona was so active that we decided it was nice to get back home and rest up.  Don't get me wrong we had a great time and the scenery was beautiful but hiking 4 to 6 miles a day, up and down mountains is different than our normal every day routine.  Plus most days we would work out for an hour in the gym before we left to go hiking. Still we both gained weight.

I got a new butt pack and it worked a lot better than my backpack.  It didn't make my shoulders hurt.

This picture was taken at the top of Catherdral Rock.  This was a hike uphill over rocks and boulders and then back down scooting on our butts.

We found about 30 geocaches in Sedona and this was one we found on the day it was snowing.

Look at the top of this picture and you can see Don coming down from finding a cache. It was on a ledge on the side of this mountain. The difficulty on this cache was a 4 with 5 being the highest. I stayed down a ways to take pictures. We didn't attempt anymore that hard. Pretty good for a 70 yr old man. Thanks for getting it Don. Glad you made it down without hurting yourself.

View from our room with clouds.

Same view as the sun is setting.

Beautiful flowers at Tlaquepaque a shopping area next to Los Abrigados.

Some artist had way to much time on their hands.

Paula(sister)and Don

Cactus blooming by one of the caches.

Scary self portrait while I was waiting on Don to come down from the ledge.

This picture was taken of the man on the far ledge that bounded up the mountain with his dog to reach his meditation spot on top of Cathedral Rock. He ran up and down the mountain as Don and I slowly climbed up and scooted down. He sat on the ledge for about 20 minutes in total meditation and then he leaped down the mountain with his dog.

It is believed that Sedona has 7 vortex locations among the red rocks that have special powers.

Caching and Hiking in Sedona

The morning started out below freezing and didn't get much better through out the day.  We got started sometime after 10am out in the Boynton Canyon area.  We found a total of 7 caches today and had several good hikes along the way. 

Most of these pictures were taken the first day.

Snow in Sedona

We were really hoping for beautiful warm weather in the red mountains of Sedona.  But we the got cold, wind and snow today.

We flew into Phoenix Tuesday evening and drove 3 hrs to get to Sedona.  It should have taken only 1 1/2.

The route that the gps had us going was not the right route but we didn't realize it until it was too late.  We finally got here about 10 pm.

Yesterday we drove around town and found a few geocaches.  Paula (Don's sister) came from Safford to visit and will spend a few days with us.

Wednesday morning we got all our tech gear packed and headed out about 10am.
2 gps
2 palms
1 droid phone with gps and camera
2 cameras
1 pair of binoculars
Picked up a couple of sandwiches at Safeway and headed out for a morning hike.  Went to Fay canyon trail for a geocache.  Trail was pretty level and easy but when we headed up to the cache site it was up hill.

Somehow Don had the wrong coordinates in his gps and Paula and I were headed in a different direction.  After about a 30 minute hunt we finally found it.

On the way down we stopped and had lunch.  The views all around us were magnificent. As we finished lunch and started back on the trail it started to blow and snow.  It was beautiful against the red walls of the canyon.

Lots of hikers out today.

Quest for plain yogurt!

Why can't grocery shopping just be simple? I don't even mind it.  I just want the same items to be stocked and in the same place each time.

That hasn't been the norm for non-fat plain yogurt.

For the last 4 yrs I have bought at least 6 large containers of Great Value (Walmart) non-fat plain yogurt for Don each week. He needs it and wants it after each meal. This is his dessert and adds grapes to it.  Easy enough you would think.

Not!!!

About 2 months ago Walmart stopped carrying the non-fat plain and started carrying the non-fat sweetened plain.  This wasn't too bad, he really liked it better.  Just more calories in it.
They had stopped carrying the non-fat plain completely.

I then started buying the sweetened yogurt.  That was until 2 weeks ago.  Then no more non-fat sweetened yogurt!  Even talked to the managers of the dairy department.  They just said that they must not sale enough of it. 

We tried the Dannon non-fat plain.  Don didn't like it as well. His analysis of it was that it separates and wasn't as creamy. After checking several more trips for the Walmart brand as I was doing my shopping I decided to give up.  

















As I stomped out of Walmart, I felt like a traitor but I went to Target to look for yogurt.  I bought the Archer Farms non-fat plain yogurt.  Don really liked it.  It was creamy and didn't separate.  He even said he thought he like it better than the Walmart brand.  Great my quest was over!
















Not!!!

Went back to Target today to stock up on the yogurt.  Guess what.  They didn't have any!!  Got the manager to look for some in the back.  Nope, none in the back and didn't know when they would have any in. 

So I bought an organic yogurt that was a dollar more by mistake.  I told Don not to get use to it because I wasn't going to buy that one again.  Don said that was OK he would just start eating ICE CREAM!

He wishes!

Fundraising has exceeded my expectations!

This has been a new experience for me.  ASKING PEOPLE FOR MONEY!

I had my students raise money for my classes by selling cookbooks when I taught school and they always did a great job even though the books were overpriced. 

But I haven't tried to raise money for a cause, ever.  That was my biggest fear about this experience.  What a surprise.  Last Saturday I started sending out emails, 103 in fact, to raise money for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk for the cure.  I needed to raise $2,300.  As of this evening I have raised $1,505.  What a bunch of great friends I have.  Of course I got a huge jump start from family that started with John Harned, then Stacy and Dave.  Thank you all.  Keep it coming.

 
We got a team set up for Dallas/Ft Worth today.  Our team name is "Sistas by Choice".  We need more people on our team so if you would like to Walk for a Cure, let me know.  If you sign up before April 23 the site has a $25 discount on your registration.  Let's get moving.

My hair got freshened up today.  The roots are blond again and the length was trimmed.  Thanks Kylie I love it. Not as yellow this time.

Don is having a men's bridge group over tonight. I don't hardly see how he can play with his coughing, sneezing and drippy nose. His allergies have really kicked his butt the last few days.  I have never noticed him having problems before.

I am trying to stay out of the way in my room at the computer.  Wait!  that's no different than every night. LOL  I needed to make calls to my Family and Consumer Science Club members about our meeting in our clubhouse next Monday night.  Lois Buck and I are hostess and Coldwater Creek is the program.  I like their clothes. 

Here's Abby on our walk tonight.  Beautiful pansies.

Redbud tree outside mother's window.  She loves the view.

This gravel area is where she wants her flower garden. It is down below her window.

Hens & Chicks she wants for the gravel area.

Beautiful Spring Weekend

The weather was beautiful this weekend.  The rosy pink redbuds have been in full bloom. My iris's are budding and will be out soon.  Some of the highlights of the last few days. 

•  Abby played with Paisley
•  Don & I helped host our neighborhood Saturday coffee
• Got out emails for fundraiser (Susan G Komen Walk for the Cure)
• Worked in flower beds cleaning up from the winter (ready for those spring flowers)
• Girls Night Out with Susan Staples and Sherri Gleaves  
• Went to mom's (Don worked on her computer. I took her to TLC & Lowe's to get flowers)

I am walking 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure

I am beginning to start my training and fund raising for this event. Has anyone done it?

We need more people on our team.  How about YOU! It will be fun.

I will accept any and all donations, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 

Don’t forget that contributions to the 3-Day for the Cure are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. All donors who provide a valid e-mail address will be e-mailed a receipt that they can use for tax purposes.

Do you have an idea for a fundraiser?  Let me know.  I need ideas.

Fundraiser you can help with.

We are having Team t-shirts made for the 3-Day for the Cure. Front of shirts read "Walking for Mom
and........."

For a $20 donation we will add the name of a person who has battled breast cancer. On the back of the shirts are listed our "sponsors," those who donate $100 or more... businesses, family and friends.  T-shirts will go to print a couple of weeks before the 3-Day for the Cure, so this is an on-going fundraiser.

I have dedicated a separate page on my blog for this race.  Go and read my story at the link below   http://vickynoakes.blogspot.com/p/3-day-susan-b-koman-race.html#links

Hopping to Kansas!

The yellow daffodils, purple hyacinths, & Bradford pears are in full bloom.  So that must mean it is Easter time and Easter weekend means going to Ricki's house. 

The weather radio woke us up about 5:45 with weather alerts on Friday morning. I went over and picked up mother after the thunderstorm had watered in our fertilizer that had been applied earlier in the week. We started out about 10 am and took our time going up.

Arrived at Ricki's about 4 pm. Chris was home and welcomed us in.  Well maybe I made him hug me!  John had been gone all week working in Denver and he arrived home right after us.  Ricki drove in about 5:30.  She looks good and has now lost about 65 lbs.

She had prepared chicken the night before and she fixed us scrumptious chicken wraps with pistachio salad & chips. Really good.  I made some Easter cream cheese sugar cookies that were devoured.

We played some ping pong and Rock Band with Chris and Ricki did some more cooking for Saturday.

This was the cheering section.

Ricki cooked this for us. She made a carrot cake and chocolate chips cookies.

I didn't sleep too good so I was up about 3:30am the next morning.  Got up and browsed the internet and played with my new phone until others got up.  That morning we did some more cooking and then John, Ricki, Don and I went for a 3 mile walk.  Chris went with us on this roller blades.  That was a bad idea because he came home with blisters on both feet.  Hope they feel better Chris.

Mac and his family were coming up but were going shopping at the Plaza first.  They got to the house about 5 after a few phone calls to find their way to Ricki's house.  That gps is great if we listen to them.  LOL
Morgan's girlfriend Carrie was with them. She was soooo cute! 

Mom was able to set with the kids at dinner and had a great time talking about Daddy and the family.  She doesn't get to spend much time with Chris and Morgan and I hope they had as good of time as Mom did.  She was so glad they were interested in hearing her stories.

Ricki's menu included pork tenderloin, her famous spinach salad with strawberries, deviled eggs, pistachio salad, & roasted vegetables. Yum Yum

I can't forget to tell you about the 3 dogs that were in the house.  They got a lot of attention and they all are such good dogs.  Ricki's dogs, Hershey the black cocker and Rusty the red cocker are so loving and will crawl up in anyone's lap. My dog, Abby the schnauzer, is pretty easy to adapt to the situation.  She loves to be petted and held but most of the time won't jump into your lap.  They all get along great.  Abby pretty much tries to ignore the others. 

Easter calls for family pictures. So here they are.

I know I need to open my eyes.

Easter morning, everyone went to a different service.  Ricki went at 7:30, John went about 9:00 and Mac's family went at 9:30.  Mom decided not to go because she hadn't slept good the night before.
Everyone was back by 11:30 and Tom and Judy joined us for lunch.  Judy brought a delicious coconut cream pie and a strawberry pie.  Everyone loved them.

After lunch Mac's family packed up and headed out to do a little more shopping before they headed to Tulsa.

Tom showed mom and Don a new genealogy program on the computer that he was using.

I signed up to walk with Ricki in the Susan G Koman 3 day walk (60 miles) in Dallas, TX on November 5-7.
We both have to raise $2,300 before we go so if you want to sponsor us let me know. 

We had a great time John thanks for being such a gracious host.