Thanksgiving

Molly and I had a nice quiet Thanksgiving at home by ourselves this year. We cooked a nice meal and just enjoyed the time with the two of us. Molly made herself a Cornish Game Hen and I fried up some crab cakes. We also had some traditional side dishes like mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole and everyone's favorite -- cranberry sauce from a can. I even made a pumpkin pie using a recipe I got from Makers Mark. I think we both ate too much, which we both feel you are allowed to do on Thanksgiving.

For entertainment we rented a few movies and watched the neighbors deep fry a turkey. It was a fairly uneventful day with the best part just spending it with each other.

Here come the Holidays

Things are getting a bit busy and a bit hectic around these parts. We have completed our birthing class (we are now experts!) and went and preregistered at the hospital. We also took a tour and got to see the birthing rooms. They are very nice -- spacious and very comfortable. There is even a sleeping chair for the Papa. And the hospital security measures are fantastic, I don't think we'll have to worry about any of our Sequoia friends coming to snatch away our little one (Lora!). We were a little bummed that we didn't get to see any babies behind the glass in the nursery, though.

Now that we aren't looking at houses every weekend we are finding more time to explore the area. We went to Walnut Canyon (one of our parks) and spent a few hours exploring. It is really a beautiful little park. We took a nice hike and Molly took all 240 stairs on the Island Trail like a champ. And of course we took way to many pictures to share with you all.


Molly and I are going to spend a quiet Thanksgiving together, our last one with just the two of us. Molly will be having a cornish game hen and I will be making crab cakes. We will also be having some traditional side dishes, and I am going to make a pumpkin pie with a recipe I got from Makers Mark. Mmmm...bourbon pumpkin pie. We have also rented a ton of movies so that we can veg out in style. We may even join in all the hulabulu of the mad Christmas shopping.

We are also putting the finishing touches on our bag to take to the hospital. Music, lollipops, comfy clothes and slippers are all getting crammed into the 'birthing bag'. We will also be getting the car seat put in the car so they will let us take baby home. And one of the most exciting things to happen is we are getting close to the end of all the baby books! We have been enjoying some great birthing videos suck as Knocked Up, you should all check it out.


Molly is at 34 weeks, and after next week we will start seeing the Dr. every week. The doc still thinks she is doing great, she is a very good patient.

So as we get closer to the big day we would love to hear from all of you. Anyone have any last minute guesses on the sex? Remember, this is an exhibition not a competition, please no wagering.

We miss you all, especially with the holidays right around the corner. Please write or call often!

P.S. I have been listening to a song called 'Daughter' by Loudon Wainwright III. Check it out, it's beautiful and makes me cry about every time I hear it.

Indiana Baby Shower

For a bit of a change, I, Molly, am going to be writing this blog entry so beware! It has been quite hectic around here what with getting ready for baby and continuing to get ourselves settled in Flagstaff. We know that this is just the beginning of the work ahead so we consider it practice. Will and I work really well together and can generally find humor and laughter in everything we do so we are taking all obstacles in stride.

In mid October, I traveled back to Indiana for a baby shower that my Mom and sister, Betsy, threw for me. They are both so excited to become a first time grandmother and aunt. They are a touch baby crazy! They have been having fun looking for baby clothes and supplies. While I was home they made sure to talk to my stomach so "Baby" will recognize their voices...I'm not sure if it really accomplished anything other than people staring at us in the airport...

The shower was a lot of fun and it was really great to see so many friends and family members. It was a traditional shower with REALLY yummy cake and goofy shower games (my family can not get through ANY party without playing a game...we are game people). My cousin, Tracie Young was the game master and everyone had a good time trying to guess famous mothers, baby name meanings and random baby items.

Mom and Betsy, as usual, planned a great party. I had such a good time I was even a little depressed when it was over...

Baby and I received so many nice things at the shower that will help when the little one arrives. (Blankets, Clothes, Diapers, etc.) Will and I really appreciate all that our family and friends have done for us. Thank you for everything to help us with our "long term project!"

Fall in Flagstaff

Fall has arrived in Flagstaff in full color. It has been windy and cool at night. We are loving the weather after being in Central California for five years. We are pulling out sweaters and coats that haven't seen the light if day in many years.

We took the dogs for a walk the other day to see the Aspens. It is the perfect time to see the Fall colors. We drove to a place called Lockett Meadow which is in the inner basin of the San Francisco Peaks. We had a beautiful hike in the cool morning mountain air. The dogs got to run off leash and sniff all kinds of new smells. We got an early start, which was good because we saw a ton of people as we were coming down.

We started a birthing class last week. It is taught by a nurse who works at the hospital where Molly will have the baby. She is a very nice woman and we really enjoyed the class. It will be once a week for the next five weeks. The hospital has birthing rooms which is something we wouldn't have had in California. Each birthing room has a hot tub, which I called 'dibs' on. I figured I would just bring in a bucket of beer and hang out in the tub and wait for the baby. These are the kinds of comments I make in class, which is probably why I was not a very successful student. Poor Molly has to try not to laugh so I don't get us in trouble.

After class we went to a concert. We saw Hot Buttered Rum and Railroad Earth. It was a good show at a cool theater in downtown Flagstaff. Baby didn't seem to mind the loud music, maybe because we have been playing a lot of music for him/her lately. We have been putting earphones up to Molly's belly almost every night.

Molly goes home to Indiana this week for a baby shower. I know she is excited about getting to see her family. We continue to receive wonderful gifts in mail from friends and family...this is going to be one lucky baby!

We saw our new doctor last week. He seems nice and was very thorough. He said Molly is right on target for weight gain and is doing everything right. She is a good patient. He did say that he will be in Texas for 4 days at Christmas so we should wait until he comes back to have the baby. Should make for an interesting Holiday season.

We are still house hunting. Keep your fingers crossed for us, we'd like to have a place before the baby arrives.

If anyone has any specific picture requests, let me know. Until next time...

Flagstaff, Hello!

After some tough goodbyes in Three Rivers we packed up the dogs, cat, and cars and headed east to Arizona. Thankfully, Bucky only meowed for the first hour or so and the drive itself was uneventful.

When we got to Flagstaff we headed to our temporary quarters (government talk for house) and unloaded. Until we find a place we are living at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, one of the three parks that make up the Flagstaff Monuments. (The other two are Wutpaki and Walnut Canyon.) Our house is about 15 minutes from downtown Flag. We did a little exploring over the next couple of days, finding some good restaurants and fun places to hang out.

Molly had to return to Sequoia for a couple weeks to help with end of the year closeout. That left me with the beasts, all alone in our new home. I spent my alone time starting to look at houses to find a place that we would all like. When Molly finally got back, I knew town a little better and had a few leads on some homes.

We still have lot to do. One of the biggest challenges is going to be finding a doctor we like. We have an appointment tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes. Most of the people that were recommended to us are not accepting new patients. Molly is doing great, except for some occasional back pain. We have been playing music for baby and talking about names. (I think we are pretty sure now for a boy or girl.)

Work is going well for both of us. Molly has been a savior for her new boss, and of course it took about 2 seconds for everyone to love her. I'm also enjoying my new position, and adjusting to working inside. I do keep a number of pictures of my Little Five patrol area in the office to help remind me of my last two summers in the backcountry.

Flagstaff is a great place. The air is clear and we are surrounded by miles and miles of forest. We are loving the Fall weather and can't wait for a bit of snow. There is a great natural food store and I have already found my favorite coffee shop. We are really enjoying discovering great places to eat. We will be ready to entertain when you all come to visit.

More pics!

I still don't quite have the hang of making these blogs look nice, especially with all the pics. So...without further ado...

On the Move

Things are getting a bit hectic around here...

We had another appointment with Rita, our nurse practitioner, on Monday. Molly is about 21 and a half weeks and everything is going very well. We are extremely sad to have to leave Rita and find someone new, but we couldn't talk her into moving to Flagstaff with us. She has been so wonderful to us both and has promised to help us find someone in our new town.

We also got to see ultrasound pictures of our little one. That was the best part of the visit. It finally is starting to look like a little baby. He or she was very active during the ultrasound, but never revealed its gender to us, for which we are happy. We want to be surprised, much to the dismay of those wanting to buy gender specific clothes.

We have also been feeling the baby kick this week. I was so excited to come out of the backcountry and start to feel some movement. (Anyone who has seen my karate routine knows where the baby gets its kicks from.)

Molly also had a wonderful baby shower over the weekend thrown by Lora, Deb, and Angela. The baby is already spoiled and still months away from joining us. We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and coworkers, and that is going to be one the hardest things about leaving here.

I have only one more stretch in the backcountry before we head over to Arizona. Molly will make the trip with me, but then return to Sequoia for a couple more weeks (they just can't bear to let her go). We will be leaving somewhere around the September 4th or 5th. We are thrilled that we will not have to do the move ourselves.

More big news!

I came out of the woods a few weeks ago for my normal days off and found out that someone had been checking my references for a job in Flagstaff, Arizona that I had applied for a few months ago. I had a phone interview and was offered the job the next day. I accepted the job on the condition that they find a job for Molly also. As I headed back to the backcountry I was sure of how things were going to pan out. Last Tuesday, Molly had park dispatch notify me by radio that they had found her a job as well!

We will be moving the first week in September. I will stay at Little Five until Labor Weekend which will allow me to finish almost my whole season. We will then pack up the U-Haul and head east. We will be working at what are known as the Flagstaff Monuments -- Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, and Wuptaki. I will be a Fee Supervisor (a promotion no less) and Molly will continue for Administration, albeit in a slightly different position.

We are both extremely excited. Flagstaff is a bigger town than Three Rivers and will offer more opportunities and what we think is a better place to raise our little one. We hope that you all will find your way to visit us as soon as possible.

Everything is going well. Molly is feeling great and looking spectacular in some of her newly purchased maternity outfits. We went to San Francisco this past weekend for a wedding of a couple of friends from the Park. We stayed with our friend Kim (thanks Kim!) and as usual had a fun-filled exciting weekend. We also stopped at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on the way home -- something we have always wanted to do since we moved to California. We had a lot of fun, and I think I can still taste a little garlic on my breath. We enjoyed a ton of food, including some garlic ice cream.

Now we begin the tedious chore of packing up the house. This is never easy, especially because I will be in the woods most of the next month. We moved to Sequoia in the back of our Ford Explorer -- we will be moving to Arizona in a 24 foot U-Haul truck.

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted a blog. Thing have been hectic around here...

Molly and I flew to Chicago for her cousin Noah's wedding a few weekends ago. We had a great time and it's always fun to be around family. It makes us realize how much we miss everyone and how we wish we lived to closer to one of our families.



We spent some time in Downtown Chicago and also got a chance to visit the Botanical Gardens. We also ate like a couple of pigs at the rehearsal dinner and the wedding as well. Steve got a small break from his normal teasing from the girls as my giant ear cyst provided entertainment for all. It also required a trip to a 24 emergency clinic. I'm always good for a few laughs.

Despite having our luggage redirected (as usual) on the way home it was a great trip. Betsy brought a big bag full of stuff for the little one. She picked out some really cute things and did well at finding stuff that is neither blue nor pink. I know she had fun shopping and we loved getting to see everything she bought. Thanks Bets! Molly also got a little shopping with Mom and sis and they were able to buy her some cute maternity clothes. She even got to try on a pregnant belly. I even
benefited with an expected father book in which we read my cyst could have been part of my sympathetic pregnancy symptoms. Everyone got a good laugh out of that one. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful weekend in the Windy City.

I started my backcountry season the day after we got back. I drove over to the east side of the park with my supervisor (Erika) and then hiked in. I helped some of the east side rangers get their stations set up and then hiked back to the west side of the park. In my 8 days in the woods, I climbed a 14,000 foot peak, dug a new hole for a toilet, cleaned half a dozen fire pits, and hiked over 70 miles. I also learned a new shortcut that gave me the multiple scrapes on my legs that I'm sporting. Tomorrow I will hike into my patrol area my Erika and her husband, Dave, to set up my yurt and my food will come out in the helicopter on the 8th. I will hike back home on Thursday, be home for 4 days, then start my 10 on, 4 off schedule. It's going to be extra hard to leave my wonderful wife this summer. I love her so much and think of her all day when I hike through the wilderness.



Molly is doing so well. I'm so proud of her. It's hotter than Hades around these parts (about 110 or so the last few days) and she manages to work hard, take the dogs for walks, and keep things going while I'm gone. I'm a lucky man.

We go back to the doctor on the 16th. We are still trying to think of names to call the little one before it comes out. Something like Peanut, or Snowball...something that is sexless, but cute. Any suggestions?

Memorial Day

We have been without our computer for over a week so I got a bit behind on our Blog. I wanted to share our pictures from our backpacking trip over Memorial Day weekend. It was so nice to get away from the chaos of the park and town on the busy Holiday weekend.

Molly and I made the long, curvy drive up the Mineral King Road (a drive I will make countless times this summer) and started our hike at Atwell Mill on Saturday morning. The hike is 11 miles one way, but only about 1000 feet elevation gain. It was a fairly warm day, especially considering we were hiking at over 7000 feet in elevation. We took lots of breaks, though, and weren't in any rush to get to the Ranger Station. We even had some leftover homemade pizza from the night before that made for a great trail lunch.

One of the perks of being a backcountry ranger is having access to all the cabins before the season starts. Because of a very light snow year it was easy to get out to the Hockett Ranger Station, also known as the 'Hockett Hilton' because of all its perks. The station has 2 bedrooms, a large kitchen and dining area, a woodstove, and a oven/stove and fridge powered by propane. We didn't fire up the fridge, but the 2 stoves came in handy.


Sunday I had some work to do around the station to get it ready for the ranger who is stationed there for the summer. Since we didn't have any hiking to do we had a relaxing day around the station. There is a large, beautiful meadow in front that is great for wildlife watching. We watched a coyote enjoy a snack of a fawn and later on a bear came by and carried off the carcass. It may sound gross, but it was fascinating to watch.

That night we had a good dinner, played cards, and warmed up with cocoa and a fire in the woodstove. We both slept well knowing we had to hike out the next morning.

The walk out was fairly uneventful although we did see a rattle snake near the trail. I think we both walked a little faster knowing a shower and a good meal was ahead of us. It took us almost 2 hours less to hike out than it had to hike in.

We both had a quiet week of work. Molly has been such a trooper. She hasn't missed any work and has powered through the bouts of nausea she has had. Its getting really hot around here which doesn't make anyone feel good. Even the dogs didn't mind their baths today because the water was cold.

Mol and I went to Fresno yesterday to check out baby and maternity stores. We saw a lot of things we liked, but we were a bit overwhelmed by Babies "R" Us. It was a fun day though.

I'll try to keep everyone updated, busy week ahead, I have BC ranger training.