It Began Last October....

Last October we learned that Wicked...the musical was going to be in a town near us....

Tucson, to be exact. Because I saw Wicked, in Chicago, when it was fairly new....and LOVED it...

I hoped for the chance to take PreShie to see it too. She likes that kind of thing!

So for her 16th birthday we purchased tickets for the Tucson show, at the time January seemed

so very far away. So, January finally arrived....and last Friday we jumped in the car,

and headed to Tucson. It is a bit of a drive from our home...5-6 hours....but it didn't

seem that long with PreSh in the car....she is some good traveling company!

We arrived to find out that our hotel was much further from the event center than I had

thought...although it was a lovely hotel against the beautiful mountains of Tucson.

We had just enough time to change and head out to dinner before the play started.

We found a great place to eat....I had totally forgotten about "Snowbird" season in Arizona,

and so the wait was much longer than we had time for. Just as we were about to leave

the hostess offered us seats at the "kitchen bar," which was not really a "bar" but

a spot right next to the kitchen where we could watch the food being prepared. It worked

out really great because the kitchen guys didn't really use too much English when they

spoke....and PreSh felt right at home;) The kitchen guys took a liking to Lovely PreSh, and

next thing we knew we were being served free food....."from the kitchen!"

PreShie thought that was pretty great.
We then headed to the play....it was fantastic.....and I knew it would be!!!

The funnest part for me was watching PreShie enjoy herself so much!

The next morning.....after a great nights sleep.....(we were very tired...)

we packed up and got ready to head for the border, but decided to stop for breakfast before

leaving Tucson. As we drove down the street...looking for a great breakfast location....I

spotted Coco's. I hadn't eaten at Coco's for many years, but thought it might be a fun.

We went in....sat down.....ordered our breakfast....ate a little.....and realized

that something really bad had just happened right outside the window where we sat.

Yes....we were there for the terrible shooting that took place in Tucson on Saturday morning

last week. Not only were we in the city....we were just across the street...literally!

We watched the helicopters land....we watched the police arrive, traffic was backed up for miles,

people were leaving their cars in the streets to try and walk closer to the terrible

scene. It was unbelieveable! Groups of people gathered in the street trying to figure

out the details of the shooting. It only took moments for the news to spread that

Congresswoman Giffords had been shot. I wish I had had the presence of mind to grab my

camera and begin taking pictures. It was really an incredible scene. I called The Farmer to

let him know what had happened and ironically he suggested that we head for home

"where it is safe!" I thought that was pretty funny. It took us a long time to work

our way through the city....traffic became unreal as the police began to seal off large

areas. We finally found our way onto the freeway headed for home. We listened to the radio

for any piece of news, finally Grandpa S. called to let us know that they news had announced

that the Congresswoman had passed away......but wait....she didn't! At home...later that night,

we discovered that the news report had not been correct and that she had actually survived.

And so we have been watching....along with the rest of the country.....every news report

that we can find, still in utter disbelief that we were not only in the same city of this

terrible event....but within a few hundred yards of it. Wow!!

Just a bit of randomness......

*The new camera arrived....Horray!....I am learning about the new "tricks" that is does,

but I think I am going to be really happy with it. Tomorrow I am planning an outing

to photograph some lovely birds in our area....that we have enjoyed for many years.

*PreShie wanted a playhouse for Christmas....Santa was kind enough to fulfill her dreams.

It is being built now and should be done by the end of the week...she is thrilled!

I love that at "16" she is so happy about the playhouse....

*Our lights have now gone off 4 times....all while I am trying to write this post....ugh...

*The Rooster started back to school on Monday....he is NOT happy about that!

They have been out for close to a month...and it is hard to get back on schedule again.

The Boy and his Sister...will return to school next Monday...after a near 6 week break.....

We are planning on 2011 to be a great year! It is already heavily scheduled with many

activities....it is going to be a year of change for our family in many ways.....

We are excited for a fun filled year!!!