Adventures in Arizona

Okay, I admit it. I never thought .... anything .... about the state of Arizona at all. Now I must admit, that's only because I had never been. After taking a 6 day trip to the Grand Canyon and Sedona, AZ, I have completely fallen in love with the state! My mom and I decided to take a mother daughter trip to Arizona to get in some good hiking before I leave, and we were both blown away.

To be honest, we spent 90% of our time hiking and eating... for good reasons! The red rocks in that area of the country are breathtaking, especially for someone who is used to flat, brown fields, and we found some great restaurants that seem to have escaped the typical tourist traps.

Instead of boring ya'll with all the details, I'm going to write and post pictures about 3 of the most interesting parts of the trip:
1. Grand Canyon
2. Devil's Bridge Hike
3. Airport Mesa Sunset

The Grand Canyon

When I first saw the canyon, it was surreal. It literally seems to go on, and on, and on, and on, and ... okay you get the picture.. The thing is HUGE! Also, it's crawling with tourists, especially with the fabulous weather they're having right now. I wanted to get down and actually see some of the canyon and get away from the tourists, so I woke up at the crack of dawn and took a hiking trail down the canyon. It's amazing how it rose from 30 degrees to 85 in the first 30 minutes of my hike (thank God for layering)! I hiked 4 miles down into the canyon, then decided to come back up because I heard that the ascent is much harder than the descent. Surprise, surprise, at the end of 8 miles I was EXHAUSTED! Coming up took me nearly twice as long, and I felt like an old decrepit woman afterwards, but it was totally worth it. If you ever find yourself at the Grand Canyon, head down one of the hiking trails to really see what's down there - I saw elk, mule deer, chipmunks, minks, and eagles. And don't forget to eat at El Tovar!

Devil's Bridge Hike

See that tiny blob of color out there over that huge natural arch thing? That's me! When my mom and I first planned this trip to Sedona and I (naturally) Googled everything I could about the place, it was clear that Devil's Bridge was one of the top things to see. The road to get to the trail head of this hike isn't suitable for most vehicles (like the little Camry we were renting), so we had to walk down a mile long rocky dirt road just to get to the trail head. But it was SO worth it! Now, I have to admit... when we got to the actual bridge, I was terrified. I sat down like a child, refusing to go out over the arch. I even sat and took pictures while my mom walked out there, all smiles and confidence. I finally got up the courage to walk out there - and thank goodness I did! The bridge wasn't as narrow as it looks - maybe 5 or 6 feet - and I didn't feel like I was standing on an arch. Talk about a rush! I definitely recommend this hike to anyone in the area. The last quarter mile of the ascent is more like a scramble up rocks and it was really fun.

Airport Mesa Sunset

I didn't know sunsets actually got this color in real life! In Texas, sunsets are all sorts of pink and yellow and purple, but none are truly ORANGE. In Arizona, however, I guess things like this happen, so my mom and I went out to Airport Mesa, a large mesa that overlooks Sedona, to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, over 200 other tourists had the same idea as us, so the place was swamped with cameras and fanny packs from all end of the earth. But once that sun hit the horizon of those red rocks, it was worth it.


What I'm Currently Reading:

When one door closes...

This weekend my Aunt Cathryn and Cousin Adrienne kindly reminded me that if I don't actually blog, no one is going to read my blog! I certainly do have a lot to share from the past couple of weeks.

April 12 was my last day of student teaching at Spring Oaks Middle School. The day was completely bittersweet for me. Saying goodbye to my students was hard, but the hugs and notes that I got were priceless. Finishing the student teaching journey was a huge accomplishment for me. The end of it brings me one step closer to graduating and going to Louisiana to keep changing kids' lives!

One things from student teaching that can't be ignored is how much my perspective widened on another culture. The Spring Oaks student population is 85% Hispanic and it completely opened my eyes to an amazing way of life. First off, the language. I learned to love Spanish so much, especially the cuss words 8th graders like to throw around (they only think I didn't know). The language, the music (YouTube "Trival music"), the emphasis on family, and of course - the food. One of my favorite things on the last day of my student teaching was when one of my students brought his accordion from home to play some original Spanish tunes for me. I even got to try it out for myself!

All in all, it was a fabulous last day. I brought home plenty of sweet posters and notes, but here is one of my favorites:

So now that student teaching is over, it's been all about relaxing and having fun! I have about 3 weeks until I graduate so I have a lot planned. Last weekend, my Dad and I went on one of our traditional father-daughter trips to South Texas to go hunting. We go every year in December and April. Although I've shot many animals there, I got to add something new to the list this time: my first turkey! Now for all ya'll sitting back wondering how I could do that to an animal, don't worry - we are going to cook it - think of it as Thanksgiving in April!

Check out the bird:

Pretty cool, right?

If anyone knows me, they know I LOVE crawfish. It's a good thing I'm moving to Louisiana, because I will be able to eat crawfish allllll spring when I get there. Today, there was a crawfish festival in Kemah (little town on the Texas boardwalk), so I went with some friends to get some cajun food and listen to zydeco music. I even got my face painted and got to hang out with my best friend, Lauren.

Well, I think that's about it for now! I will try to stay more consistent with my posting and not be so broad in my posts. I'm still trying to figure this whole blog thing out.

What I'm currently reading:

Welcome to My Blog!

With some major changes coming up in my life, I figured it was time actually start recording the things I'm going through. I was recently accepted to Teach For America, a non-profit organization that takes young leaders across the country and places them in low-income areas to teach students who primary live in poverty. Starting in August, I will be teaching at Lowery Elementary in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, a small, rural factory town on the Mississippi River.

In the next year I will be living in the 3 different place: Houston, Texas, Cleveland, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Through this blog, I intend to share the different perspectives I gain from these places, as well as to share my travels. Expect to see some fun photos from Arizona, Colorado, and who knows where else!

Please see the "About Kate" page to learn a little about me. Thanks for reading!

"I can see the lights of the next town
And I can't slow down"