Sedona, concessions, and winter hats

HOLY COW. We haven't blogged in ages. Sorry about that. I can't even remember what the last thing we updated you on was. I did mention that Tanner and Lori were here..and they have since left. So, I'll go ahead and fill you in on their time here. Well, they got here on Friday and that night we went to Stan and Beth's for dinner and a little Simon Birch. And Elijah entertained us all by singing and dancing (traditional Indian style) as Stan played a beat on his drum. I think Tanner and Lori would agree that he is the funniest/cutest little boy alive. Saturday morning we drove to Flagstaff and spent the day there. We went to the historic disctrict..aka the cool artsy part, filled with coffee shops, expensive boutiques, and bookstores. We shopped around and ate at a delicious little pizzeria. Our waiter there was the spittin image of Alex Otto. After lunch we went to the mall..where we shopped more..and Courtney got her haircut. I talked to my Grandma Dorothy on the phone while waiting for Court..and found out that she's crotcheting me a blanket, which I'm verrrry excited for! Anyways..Courts hair looked good..but her stylist didnt even dry her hair..so she had to walk around lookin like a wet mop. We drove over to a shoe store and the second we got out of the car, our noses were filled with a stench like nothing I've ever smelled before. I can only think of one thing to describe it..old moldy cheesey dog food. We all gagged and sprinted into the store to get away from the aroma. Later that night, we checked into our hotel, watched 27 dresses, absorbed as much news and tv as we could..(because we dont have tv at our house) and fell deep asleep. Sunday morning we went to Sedona. We stopped at Oak Creek Canyon..which is absolutely beautiful. We took a few pictures and shopped for turquoise jewelry made by local indians. I would just like to say that I love Sedona. It seems like it'd be a great place to live..but don't worry, my heart is in Indiana...Kouts to be exact. We ate lunch at a nice restaurant that had giant picture windows overlooking the red mountains of Sedona. It was quite a view..and the food was delightful. Take a wild guess what we did next....yes, that's right..more shopping. Later we got some pistacio gelatto (which might sound rotten..but is actually delicious) Finally, we left Sedona..and I almost forgot to mention, we drove by Slide Rock..which is a rock that people slide down into a stream. Tanner and I vowed to go down it this spring when its warm again. On the way home Courtney put in a classic Christmas cd (made by L. Chatwell) and we all concluded that we felt like we were in a movie..with the winding roads, fall foilage, and glorious mountains..plus jazzy xmas tunes. We reached Flagstaff and had to do some grocery shopping...and after that..we were finally headed back to the rez. We unpacked Court's insanely packed car, and relaxed for the evening. We watched one of the greatest movies ever made..the Chronicles of Narnia..and went to bed. Monday we had school of wcourse..and Lori and Tanner came and helped out with various things. They went to chapel with us..but unfortunately our 2 favorites, Levander and Lyle, weren't there..so they didnt quite get the full experience. Tanner played with us and the kids at lunch. Lately Courtney and I have been in a jump rope phase. We dont do the jumping..but the roping. Usually Zachary, a 2nd grader, does the jumping. We also make up silly jump rope rhymes..like this one.."Muskrat, Muskrat, banana pie, sing me a song and don't be shy!" yes..its weird and doesnt really make sense..but the kids thought it was funny..i think. Monday afternoon we to the Hopi Market..aka a tiny jewelry store..where Courtney bought a cool piece of pottery that she plans to pass on to her grandkids. Then we went to Stan and Beth's for dinner. Lori made her world famous lasagna and garlic bread, which was wonderful. We didnt stay late because they had some serious packing to do. They left early Tuesday morning..and overall, I think they had a good time, and got to experience a little bit of our lives here, as well as the culture of the Hopi.

As for the things that happened in between our last post..and Tanner and Lori arriving..well, I can't really rememeber many of them. But here's a few. Courtney and I had to supervise concessions at the jv basketball game for student council. There was a large amount of chaos involved in getting prepared for this..I can't tell you how many times I ran back and forth from the gym to the school. We were serving what the average concession stand does..inculding giant pickles soaked in red kool-aid (a Hopi favorite). Actually, Courtney and I tried one..and she chugged some of the pickle and kool-aid juice. I caught it on film just for the blog..and then after that all the kids wanted to do it too, which I also documented with my camera..so hopefully I'll be able to load those on here for you. I brought my ipod and stereo to listen to..thinking it might make it a little bit more fun..and it did. We all, including the sixth grade boys, sang High School Musical songs to pass the time. It was hilarious. On the way home, Court and I bought homemade tamales from a Hopi woman who works at the school with us. She was trying to make a little extra money, so we thought it would be a good idea to support her...and try some Hopi cuisine. They were delicious..but I'm pretty sure we're the cause of my stomach troubles later that night. The other thing I needed to update you on was last Wednesday night..we went to a Halloween carnival at Hopi High School. Our sixth grade class had a ring toss booth set up and were raising money for their class trip, so we went to help them out. There were so many people..it was packed tight. We couldn't even take 2 steps without bumping into someone. But we really did enjoy seeing more Hopi teens. It's just very interesting. They are all very into the hip-hop scene. Courtney and I both decided we would've liked to go to Hopi High. Well, I think that's just about everything. I'm sure in the next few days I'll rememeber something that happened and the second I do..I will get on here and blog it.

As for today, not too much happened. The office's dirty carpet was torn out yesterday and today they put tile down..which will be real nice to have. Yesterday, since the office was a mess, Courtney and I took our work to Betty's house and did everything in her cozy living room while watching Full House. It was really fun. Back to today..which was Hat day..neither of us brought a single hat in all of our packing. Court and I were forced to go down to the basement of the school where tons of mittens, sweaters, scarves, and hats are kept..most are homemade and sent to the school from church knitting groups. So we had to pick out hats..both of us have large heads..and just simply look awkward in hats. But we finally settled on knit hats with little pom pons on top. Yes, we looked silly, but we did have exceptionally warm heads. We were both in charge of recess duty..and it was approximately 30 degrees this morning with insanely strong winds. So to keep warm, we taught the kids various dance moves...such as the moonwalk, electric slide, and the running man. It was the funniest thing ever..just imagine 15 Hopi kids surround Court and I as we all dance to keep warm. I would venture to say that it was the best recess they've ever had. Well...that really is about all that's happened around here..it feels good to finally update this thing...but right now I'm hungry so I'm going to go fix myself some Oreos and milk.

♥
L & C