Week 3, or Week 1

WEEK 3:

We are completing our 3rd week here in Phoenix. In some ways the time has flown by and it feels like we've been here forever, and in other ways I still feel lost and like a visitor. But there has been no lack of activity for us! If it's not unpacking and cleaning, it's going to the park, checking out the neighborhood, etc.

There are several nice little play areas within walking distance of our house. Kristen's favorite is the one weird little area tucked in a corner that only has 2 swings. After all, the swings are her favorite! We go down there quite a bit. On the day I got this cheesy-smile picture, she just wanted to hang out on the bench instead.

Then last weekend, we decided to go on a 4x4 adventure in the nearby Superstition Mountains. Eric has a huge book of all the trails throughout Arizona, so we headed for the Montana Mountain Trail. It was so beautiful, albeit a little long. Thirty-three miles took us close to 4 hours! Here's some of the cool stuff we saw and did:

Roblas Butte along the trail

Driving through the wash - a small creek, really. This was part of the trail.

Good thing it wasn't rainy season!!

WEEK 1:

This also marks the end of Week 1 for Eric in the police academy. He's 1/18 of the way through! :) There's been uniform inspections, written essays, lots of memorization of codes, physical and endurance testing, and boxing. And that's just the stuff I know about! Unfortunately, it seems that it only gets tougher for at least the next 8 weeks or so. Case in point: he has 9 tests this coming Monday!

And training the way he does comes with its disadvantages. For instance, last Friday his class went on a 5.5 mile run. Obviously no one told Eric to be careful of roadblocks - like cactus! Here's the cause:

And here's the effect:

See all those little red dots on his knee? That's where all the little cactus needles went in when he ran into the thing. But he was taught an ingenious way of getting out cactus needles. Just coat the entire area of needles with Elmer's glue, wait for it to dry, and then rip it off. All the needles come right out (and so does most of your hair)!

So we're surviving. Life's starting to return to 'normal', and we're settling in. And ya know what else? It's BASEBALL SEASON!!!! :)