2012 Amanda's Year In Status

Refinishing Project

Right now, Rhonda and Gary are out here visiting us and I thought this would be a great time to work on a couple pieces of furniture I have had sitting at the house waiting to be refinished!  I have never refinished a piece of furniture and wanted to do it the first time with someone with experience.  We took a look at the furniture and headed to Lowe's yesterday to pick up what we needed.  Today we started.  Uhh...yeah!  It is a lot of work!  Here are some pictures from Day One.

Day One:

Day 2-3

Well, I thought I had taken pictures of these three days but apparently I didnt because I cant find them!  Anyways, it was just a lot of stripping away layers of paint and sanding.  Would I ever do this again?  Probably not! 

 I would start with a piece of furniture that already had the paint removed but I will never strip furninture of paint again (unless, it was a piece that I just couldnt imagine life without...but still, i dont know).  It was very hard work and definitely took a lot of patience and motivation.  I think having a time limit helped in some ways (it kept us motivated to keep going) but it also was an impending deadline and so we spent long days (especially the last day) to finish. 

All in all, i think the pieces turned out beautiful. I love them!  Love the color, love the way the hardware looks updated and beautiful with a simple layer of spray paint.  I still need to clean the glass of the vanity some more and apply a wax to the wood to really give it a shine but right now, I just enjoy looking at it.  Thank you Rhonda SOOO much for keeping me motivated and taking on this project.  I had no idea what we were in for but you did and you still agreed to help me and taught me a lot along the way.  Thank you!

Summer coming to an end?

These last couple weeks we had Rhonda and Gary with us after we returned from San Diego and I think they might have brought some of the cooler temps with them from Indiana!  Granted, Indiana is still warm but they are starting to experience some of their fall temperatures.  In fact, Joe and Heather took the girls to a bonfire last week, so it was cool enough for that!

We have been loving the cooler weather!  Last week, I drove to and from work with the windows down.  It is amazing that 88* can feel cool to this Phoenix body!  We can't wait for the cooler temps, the ability to open the windows and turn off the continuous a/c. 

I'm sure Sonora cant wait either as she loves to spend her mornings sitting on the couch outside checking out the backyard and listening to the noises of the neighborhood. 

Well, I need to cut this short as I am getting ready to start a weekend of work.  I am trying to have a positive outlook on this weekend and be ready to grow personally and professionally and remember that God gave me this natural ability coupled with education and training to take care of His people. 

I am also 1/2 through with Week 5 of the exercise program Turbo Fire by Chalene Johnson and I am loving the program, the results and Chalenes contagious encouragement...even through a television!  This is a 20 week program so I am not there yet but am already seeing results so I can't wait !  After this, I plan on starting her Chalean Extreme program (which focuses on weights and toning not just Cardio) and do the Hybrid program of Turbo Fire and Chalean Extreme.

San Diego in September

We always LOVE going to San Diego and it is such a wonderful escape from the heat...and the drive is only 6 hours.  Lots of people from Phoenix will also take a quick 45 minute flight, as well.  We have always drove though because we like having access to a car. 

This past weekend we left at 9 am Friday morning and traveled to San Diego.  I had worked Thursday night so it was a quick drive for me as I slept the whole way.  :)   When we got into San Diego, we stopped at Influx, a favorite coffee shop of ours in Little Italy for a quick caffeine pick-me-up.  We took a quick walk around Little Italy to stretch our legs from the car ride.  We then headed to the airport to pick up Rhonda and Gary who had flown in from Indiana to spend the weekend with us! 

We headed up to Point Loma Lighthouse to show them the amazing views of San Diego and the harbor.  We then decided to check out Point Loma Seafood...a suggestion from a co-worker of mine.  The food and atmosphere was perfect.  You could tell this was a place that locals visited.  We had fresh seafood and ate at an outside table overlooking a marina.  We saw lots of pelicans and a couple seals.  There were a lot of people relaxing with families enjoying a glass of white wine with their seafood after a long week of work.  Ahh, to live in San Diego....(maybe one day) ;)

Afterwards, we headed to our hotel near the Qualcomm Stadium.  This was the reason for the trip.  We were checking out the Army vs San Diego State football game Saturday evening. 

The next morning, we woke early and had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to Torrey Pines State Reserve beach.  What a beautiful morning!  We walked about 3 hours on the beach watching surfers, fishermen, helicopters and quite a few old WW2 planes flying down the coastline. 

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up (and I took a quick nap) then headed to the stadium for a West Point tailgate party.  Food was amazing and we enjoyed spending time in the beautiful weather.  The game started at 4pm so we made our way into the stadium.  The Army lost big time but it was still an enjoyable game.

Sunday we woke early and headed to the Scripps Birch Aquarium and had a great time exploring the small but wonderful aquarium.  My favorite part was their Seahorse exhibit.  What amazing creatures God created. 

On our way out of town we stopped at Lucha Libre, a Mexican restaurant featured on Man vs Food that a lot of people have recommended to us.  Food was delicious and Gary commented it might have been the best quesadilla he had ever had!  We then headed back on the road to hot Phoenix. 

All in all, a relaxing and enjoyable San Diego trip.  We always love coming to San Diego, it is such a neat and beautiful city that has so much to offer!

5 Year Wedding Anniversary

We were able to spend our 5 year wedding anniversary up north and explored Flagstaff, Sedona, Cottonwood and took a couple scenic drives.  Such beautiful part of the country the northern part of Arizona is.  I have said it many times before...Phoenix is the ugliest place in AZ!  We are kinda getting tired of the summer and can't wait for the BEAUTIFUL weather of winter here. 

Summer

Haven't posted on here in awhile!  Life stays busy but doesnt seem like there is too much to talk about.  I was going to get on here and write about our summer vacation but never got around to that, either! 

We headed up to Death Valley NP, Yosemite NP, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP for a week with our friends Barry and Andrew.  We finished up the trip with hiking Mt. Bierstadt, a 14er in Colorado, with my dad and brothers in celebration of my Dads Birthday.

Currently, we are pushing through the summer.  Rob is busy working as the Admissions Counselor for Fuller and I am still working nights in a Trauma ICU.  Definitely can tell I am more comfortable in my job so...that means I need to continue to push myself to learn more!  My next goal is to start studying and take the CCRN (Critical Care RN) certification.  Not only will it give me a $1 raise (whoop!) it also denotes certification as a critical care nurse.  Anyway...I keep putting it off because I have not been in study mode!  Maybe when it starts to cool down I'll be more in study mood.  Instead, I just lounge around the house all day.

The Heat is On!

So the summer is upon us yet again. Temperatures have already been as high as 108 and the concrete jungle of Phoenix is blistering. That means its time to get out of the Valley of the Sun!

We recently had a chance to meet up with my (Rob) aunt, uncle, and cousins up at the Grand Canyon. The Norvilles were out from Tennessee to spend a few days there as part of their vacation. Amanda and I were able to swing up for a day and hang out! It was a great short trip, and just a fun time to connect and hang out with family that we don't get to see too often!

That trend continues this upcoming weekend as there is a McFarren family reunion happening Saturday at my parents place. We'll be jetting out of Phoenix late Friday afternoon so we can make it there and hang out with family. My Grandma Frankie is a focal point in the reunion, and I hope that it will be a great day for her to catch up with family from all over Indiana and Arizona (any other states, I'm not sure). Plus, Amanda has never gotten to see the McFarren homestead in the summer, so this should be a great time of year to see the green trees, fields, and warm temperatures of the Indiana countryside.

Of course we are both busy working and paying bills and enjoying being part of a great church (Emmaus Road). So the summer will continue to be filled with work. But, we are also only a couple of short weeks from a vacation! I know I need it.

This year, as mentioned in the previous post, we are traveling up to Yosemite and Zion National Parks. Our friends Barry Friesen and Andrew Kennedy are flying into Las Vegas on June 16th, where we will meet them and head North through Death Valley, up the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas and to Yosemite National Park. After 3 nights, 4 days there we will then head across Nevada to Utah's Zion National Park. From there, we will actually also get an opportunity to see Bryce Canyon NP and head into Colorado. We'll be in Denver on June 23rd, and then on the 24th we are hiking Mt. Elbert with Amanda's Dad and others for his birthday.

So this is our early summer activities; getting a bit of a much-needed recharge. Because when we come back to the heat of Phoenix it will be in full-force monsoon season, which means its time to hunker down inside...

Summer Retreat / Vacations (You are Invited!)

Since 2006 we have been making it a priority in our life to plan a spiritual retreat/vacation once a year.  We have an amazing friend and traveler in our friend, Barry, who is always busy planning and brainstorming with Rob where to meet and when.  Every year when we get together, we talk of how we can bring others in to join with us -if they only knew how truly amazing these times can be-the wouldnt hesitate to join! 

2006

ROADTRIP!

Colorado, California, Wyoming

Meeting new friends along the way.. Rob and Barry still keep in touch with him over Facebook!

2009

Los Osos/Morro Bay, California

Time spent learning about silence and solitude with God.

Beach combing, easy hike along the coast, wine tasting, walking around Los Osos.  Quality time spent in a small group before starting the day.  Eating most of the meals at the house and dinner out a couple nights.



The group taking one last picture together before leaving to head back home. 



An awesome group "jumping" shot...you'll learn more about these too :D

2010

San Diego, California
This year we were fortunate enough to meet together for a couple days while Rob was in San Diego for a business trip.  Though this wasn't a "planned" spiritual retreat it was a time planned to reconnect as friends.

2011

Mendocino County, California

Rented a home right on the coast...spent mornings making breakfast together and spending time connecting as Christians and friends.  The midmornings and afternoons were spent exploring the surrounding areas.  Hikes in the Redwoods, Sea Glass beaches, exploring local towns and their shops and restaurants, indulging in seafood, daily hikes on the private beach connected with the home.  

Group picture before headed back home!

The view from the house

Quiet time gazing out on the ocean from the house

Amazing home we rented literally on the coast. 

For the year 2012 we are talking again and planning where to meet this year.  So far, we are have discussed the Oregon coast, Yosemite National Park, and Durango, Colorado.  We like to choose places of beauty and solitude where you can connect with God foremost and with others as well...because that is just as important.  Also important is the ability to explore and simply connect with other people, such as on a road trip.

**UPDATE as of 4/21/12 (Rob): So after a discussion with Barry, we are starting to narrow down this years trip a bit. Its starting to look at bit like a Road Trip! Tentatively, we look to pick up Barry at the Las Vegas airport on Saturday June 16, and continue to head North up the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas! We'll probably make a short stop at Death Valley National Park, but with the ultimate goal to arrive for 3 1/2 days in Yosemite National Park in California! Then, after these few days we'll head out, driving East to Zion National Park in Utah, spend a day there, then head further East to Colorado. That is so we can arrive in Colorado to hike Mt. Elbert with Amanda's Dad for his birthday!

These vacations are brilliant in the fact the more, the cheaper!  Rob and Barry find these amazing homes through VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) that get us right in the center of the locals.  We eat most of the meals at the house but always plan to hit a couple of local lunch spots and always choose one special dinner spot that is a little more expensive than say, Chili's.  We are foodies, too!  The homes rentals range between $1,500-2,000/week depending on season and availability.  Like I said, the beauty in this is the more, the merrier & cost effective!  We also usually drive to these spots so gas split among more people is always a plus (especially with the threat of gas prices being around $5/gallon this summer).  Is this something you would love to join us over the week of June 16-24?

27th Birthday

Just celebrated another year of life...it will be interesting to see what this year will hold.  Maybe a baby?? 

Breckenridge, Colorado Ski Weekend



Vern and Mom on the way to ski Friday morning.  We started off at Beaver Run and Vern and Rob led the way for us.  My favorite run is 4 O'Clock-a little bit of a blue mixed with a green.

Colorado is majestic and beautiful.

Mom and me before lunch at The Keg in Manitou Springs-we all had the Buffalo Burgers,yum!

With my love just after checking into our hotel Friday morning.



View of the ski slopes from our hotel room, Breck Inn

We all had a great day skiing in Breck last weekend.  We flew into Colorado Springs via Allegiant Air Lines (we are still on the fence about about whether we will fly them again...) Thursday night.  We headed home and straight to bed as we had an early morning.  Friday morning we were up bright and early and heading to Breck.  Got to Breck and were able to check into our hotels early and then headed to the ski slopes.  Spent all day skiing and that night headed into town for dinner at Bubba Gumps Restaurant...by this point my altitude sickness was kicking in and I had NO appetite.  Afterwards, Vern and Rob wanted some ice cream (crazyguys!) so we headed to an ice cream parlor and played a game.  Saturday morning my mom was extremely sick with altitude sickness so while Vern and Rob hit the slopes we checked out at oxygen bar hoping that would make her feel better...it didnt :(  That afternoon she stayed in while I headed up to the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 to check out the hot tub and outdoor pool with Vern and Rob.  We had a nice time relaxing.  That night, we used a Restaurants.com voucher for dinner at Spencers where everyone (but me) got the All You Can Eat Prime Rib dinner, lol.  Sunday morning we headed back up to the Grand Lodge for our timeshare talk which we kindly denied and were back on our way to Colorado Springs by 11.  Lunch in Manitou then home to relax.  That night, my dad picked us up and we had a delicious dinner at a new Mongolian  BBQ in Colorado Springs and then he dropped us off at the airport.  Except for the altitude sickness, all in all, this was a successful trip!  

Amanda's Year In Status