Visitors!

Thursday my cousin Mandy and her friend Val came to visit!  I spent the day grocery shopping, cleaning and cooking.  Whew!  What a crazy busy day!  They thought they would get here around 4 or 5 but called to say they were running late... partly due to miscalculation of time and partly due to stopping and seeing things along the way.  They didn't get here until around 8pm.  We had chicken casserole for dinner and I gave them a tour of the house.  Then we drank margaritas and sat outside watching the Perseid meteor shower.  

 {For the record I did not take this photo, but this shows what it looked like}

It was so cool!  We were talking and laughing and oohing and ahhing at the random streaks across the sky.  Jason decided to head to bed and went inside and then Val said she kept hearing something.  She asked for the flashlight and I went into the kitchen and got it from Jason.  I shined it over by the wall and saw a snake!  I freaked out!  I jumped up, and yelled for Mandy to get up.  She said my feet are up.  I then demanded she get up. 

I was extra freaked because we all had just taken turns standing by the wall looking over at the wash just a little while before!!  The girls were giggling like crazy and Jason came out as I was ordering everyone inside.  Jason wanted to see it, and I was really freaking out.  I was pulling on his shirt and telling him not to get to close & to be careful.  He got a little irritated with me and then said, "Cool!" as he was checking it out from the edge of the patio.  That was when Mandy came by me and said, "Kel, it's not real."  It took a second for it to register.  The girls were inside laughing hysterically and what I once thought was nervous laughter, I now realized was actual laughter at my expense!  I told Jason it was fake and then we laughed about how funny that was.  

Dirty rotten scoundrels!  :)  

Jason went to bed and we all stayed up laughing and talking until about 1:30 am.  

Really fun night!

Friday we sat around the house looking at family photos and talking.  Mandy and Val got Jason and I a cool book about driving trails in Arizona.  It was a very thoughtful gift!  We went to Fry's Marketplace in the afternoon and spent over 2 hours shopping.  They loved it there.  Val found a lot of stuff and Mandy got a couple of things too.  They got us a second housewarming gift... a professional bar tool to salt & sugar the rims of glasses!  Perfect for our margaritas! :)  I've always wanted one of those!  I purchased an umbrella base, and a microwave cover.

When we got back to the house, Mike was there and Jason was home from work.  We girls made some drinks and relaxed while the boys went swimming. 

 Burgers & brats were cooked on our new grill and eaten on our new patio set!  

 We watched for more meteors but only saw a few.  I talked to Val about banking and Mike and Mandy chatted it up while Jason again was the first to bed. 

Saturday, Mike was on his way out for a morning bike ride around the neighborhood when I got up.  Mandy was her chipper, morning-loving self.  I was a bit foggy, since I took a Tylenol PM the night before.  Jason was sleepy and enjoying a morning of not having to rush off to work. Val slept in late and awoke to find Sid the fake snake in bed with her!  

Mandy is so mean!!  :)  The girls got ready and packed up.  

Mike came back and the boys prepared for a hike.  

 We had a quick photo shoot before the girls hit the road around 11:30. 

 Even the boys got in the action!  Ha ha ha!  We made them pose where we were and when they said it was gay, they hammed it up and took this photo...  

and this photo...

 SO SILLY!  The girls left and the boys left right after.  I stayed home because I was so tired and foggy.  Plus I wanted to do a little laundry, clean up, put the umbrella up and take a nap... all of which I did.

 

For the record, I do NOT approve of sitting so close to the edge!  Glad I wasn't there!!

They boys had a good hike up at Mount Lemmon and got home around 8:30pm.  We went out to eat at El Charro and then came home to watch some TV.  Mandy left a message saying they made it home safe. 

Today the guys went to Madera Canyon to ride bikes.  I would have gone, but thought I would have more fun doing this:

They guys got home early because the trail had not been used in a long time, an was overgrown & full of rocks.  So they just walked around and checked stuff out.  When they got home we all headed to the pool,

but it didn't last for long because there was a huge storm headed our way...

 and they closed the pool.  Boo!  :( So we went home.  Jason made us some Indian Curry Chicken, Mike went on a bike ride and I tried to capture lightening on film.

I got a shot too!  :)  I'm pretty happy with it.  I even made Jason a little jealous by getting the first lightening shot.  Ha ha!

I have had such a wonderful time!  I love having people visit us in our new home!  I love showing it off and hearing we have a nice home.  Val said we had a beautiful home, Mike said it showed like a model home and Mandy said it is really nice and she was surprised to see how organized and put together the house was!  I hope we have many more visitors.  Mike is leaving in the morning, early.  Can't wait to have our next visitors! :)