I'm Baaaa-ack!

Hmmm, where do I start? It's been a month and a half since I last posted. Why, do you ask? It's been hard for me to settle down to a routine since moving to Arizona. That, and we used to have two computers running. We still have the other computer, but we need a desk and a new mouse. The mouse won't click, and the desk is back in Michigan. (There were quite a few things we just couldn't fit in the truck.)

Since my last post, we've had good times and bad times. Maybe I should get the bad news out of the way. Our car was majorly messed up. First there was some problem with something attached to the axel. (Cars are beyond me...) Then we had a problem with the brakes. They tried to fix it, but the parts were all rusted, and everything just crumbled and fell off! That cost over $400.

Savannah's birthday was on July 30th. We invited a whole bunch of people. Everyone canceled except for Liz. Thanks so much for coming, Liz! That, and it was raining the whole time. So much for a pool party. But Savannah thanked us for giving her the best birthday party ever. I love that kid!

Last Monday, I got pulled over for speeding. The speed limit changed from 40 MPH to 30 MPH along Broadway, unbeknown to me, and I got pulled over soon after for going 43. And little did I know, my Michigan license was suspended for an unpaid ticket I got up there, right before we moved. (You can read about that here.) Yes, my mail from Michigan is forwarded. No, I got no notice of this suspension. The car's registration had expired on July 1st, only a month before we were stopped. I was expecting to get arrested. I wasn't (thank goodness!), but the car was impounded. So we've been without a car for another five days. One way or another, we always seem to be denied it's usage. We walked down to the DMV a few days ago. We came back hot and exhausted. Walking four miles in this heat is not fun! Nikki got the car registered, and as I type this, she's going to get it out of the impound. I just paid the Michigan ticket online, to the tune of $598. Nikki is paying the impound and the tow trucking company now. Just the taxi fare for going back and forth will be over $100. We're not made of money. In fact, we barely have enough to survive. I just don't know how much more we can take until we end up on the street or something.

I haven't gotten a job yet, but Nikki has. She's going to be a teacher aide, working one on one with some problematic child that they have there. Hopefully he won't be violent. She's really disappointed, since she wants her own classroom. After attending college for six years in New York, and substituting for three years in Michigan... well, I think she's done enough, and she should be allowed to teach now.

Reliving all the bad events above has made me quite incapable of writing about any good times. They were there, believe me. It just seems hard to believe that more good times will be coming, not with the cards stacked against us everywhere we turn. I don't want to end on a bad note, so here are a few pics from the Tucson Botanical Gardens. We had a good time there, and there were many interesting things to see.

"Mama, how do you get this thing out of first gear?"

This is a pineapple cactus, so named because of the little pineapple-shaped fruits that appear on top during the hot summer months. I found out that they're sweet and safe to eat, now I just need to try one.

It was very hot out, so hey this is one way to cool down.  ;)

"Honey, it's got me!!!"

It's us, the "Bad Luck Gang." At least we're all beautiful, huh?