Happy Holidays 2022!

Hello there, friends and family!

Happy holidays from Amy and Chris!

(photo taken at Grotto Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

We hope this blog post finds you doing well and enjoying the winter holiday season, whenever, wherever, and whatever you may be celebrating!  In an effort to be more environmentally responsible, the annual Olsen holiday card has gone virtual this year (it also saves money, we'll be honest, but that lets us send it it out to more people, so win-win!).  If you're a regular reader of this blog, welcome back, and if you're new around these parts, we're glad you're here!

Per the norm (2020 being the exception, of course), we were pretty busy in 2022, and we've attempted to cover the notable moments of our year below.  We've blogged about many of these events and adventures, and if that's the case, you can click on the associated hyperlink to read about them in more detail.

Holidays 2021 - After not being able to visit with most of our family since February of 2020, we had the great fortune to travel to Sacramento, CA to see Chris' Mom and her husband, Andy for an intimate Thanksgiving holiday.  A month later, we winged all the way across the country to Jacksonville, FL, where we gathered with most of Amy's Mom's side of the family for a much larger, more boisterous Birthmas celebration (Christmas + birthdays: of the 11 of us there, 3 of us were born in the days preceding the 25th).  Both adventures were wonderful, and we were glad to see everyone, particularly after so much time spent away from one another.  

Andy, Susan, Amy, and Chris eating a delicious dinner at the Zinfandel Grill

Amy with her cousin Ethan and her Mom, blowing out the candles on their December birthday cake.

January 2022 - Honestly, the less said about January, the better.  We both came home sick from our visit to Florida, and that crud lingered for waaay too long (that's what happens when two people who work from home congregate for a few days with 9 others who have completely different biomes).  Thankfully, we recovered in time to travel to Houston in January to visit with Amy's Dad's side of the family and celebrate the life of her Uncle Richard, who left us far too early.  

Everyone gathered in the neighborhood Community Center for food before Uncle Richard's service.

From left, back row - Ashley, Maya, Uncle Gene, Chris, Steve, Tim, Ron, Amy's Dad, Rich

Front row - Amy, Nancy, Aunt Denise, Sandy, Risa

February 2022 - The shortest month of the year saw a decided uptick in activity around Casa de Olsen.  We had the opportunity to take a great road trip through Las Vegas, NV, Death Valley, NV/CA, and Paso Robles, CA, before ending with a few days of visiting Amy's Dad and his wife Risa in Southern California.  Lots of hiking, eating, and sightseeing occurred!

At Area 51 in Las Vegas

March 2022 - Mid-March saw us returning to California to spend a long weekend with Amy's Dad's side of the family in Paso Robles, drinking wine and enjoying each other's company.  Also, after working through a few years of occasional migraines and other general unpleasantness, Amy completed a food sensitivity test through Everlywell.  She learned she's sensitive to cow's milk and the products made from it, and after a 30 day elimination diet that ran through parts of April and May, she came out on the other side a bit wiser and much happier with her dietary options (except for ice cream - she REALLY misses ice cream).  We also ran-walked our first in-person race (a St Patty's 5K) in quite some time with our friend Ryan, which was a challenge for all of us.

From left, Aunt Denise, Uncle Gene, Amy's Dad, Risa, and Chris at Hearst Winery near Cambria

April 2022 - In early April, Chris had the amazing opportunity to hike down into the belly of the Grand Canyon (from the North Rim, no less!) with four buddies.  It was tough, and they experienced all sorts of weather (even snow), but he had an incredible time - although he's not looking to do it again anytime soon.  One of those hiking buddies, Jake, joined us for the annual adult Pinewood Derby at Short Leash Hot Dogs later in the month, where we spent a fun afternoon.

Chris with the Colorado River

May 2022 - During late spring and early summer, we found ourselves missing camping (by this point in the year, we'd sold our original travel trailer, Arlene, and her partner, our white pickup truck), so we headed "up the hill" as they say here in Phoenix for a weekend sojourn to Flagstaff.  We went for a hike and ate all sorts of delicious things at some of our favorite spots in the city.

Amy enjoying a breakfast burrito on the patio of our A-frame cabin

June 2022 - Looking back, we spent a lot of time in both Texas and California in 2022, and early June was no exception.  Nancy and Ron, Amy's Dad's cousin and her husband, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2022, and Amy was able to visit San Antonio to attend the joyous shindig.  The timing worked out great, as after the anniversary happenings were over, Amy's Mom flew in, and the two of them spent some time wandering the city, even having cocktails one evening with Jeff, a friend of Amy's from high school, who was ALSO in town (it's a small world sometimes).

Amy and her Mom shopping at the Mercado

July 2022 - In July, it was Chris' turn to head to San Antonio (see! We spent a lot of time in Texas this year!) for a long overdue visit with his Dad and stepmother Virginia.  We also grabbed a great deal for a staycation at a local resort/hotel in Old Town Scottsdale and thoroughly enjoyed our time lounging at the pool and wandering the Old Town area.

August and Zoe snoozing inside the house in the AC - there's a lot of that in the summers here.

August 2022 - Things often grind to a bit of a halt in the summer here in Phoenix; it's hard to get motivated when it's so blasted hot, and no one really wants to come to visit when the mercury shows higher than 115 for day after day.  It's also the very end of Amy's organization's fiscal year, so by this point in the calendar, all of her vacation is normally gone (which is why we don't often travel in the months of July and August).  We mainly spent our time this month checking out the amazing restaurant and bar scene near our house, including Vecina, Platform 18, Khla, Lom Wong, Superstition Meadery, and Casa Corazon - too many good options!  We were also lucky to have several incredible friends join us for these dinners and outings, including Christina and Amadeo, Jen and Bryan, and the entire McQuinn clan!

Cocktails at Khla

September 2022 - September started off with a bang right away, as we headed to the east coast (Kentucky and Tennessee, specifically), and we had a great time hanging out in the mountains and the bluegrass, hiking, city strolling, and visiting family.  Later in the month, we started our training for the upcoming Ragnar AZ Trail event by running in a night trail race with our buddy Jake.  We also got our flu and newly redesigned COVID shots - both at the same time! - and lived to tell about it.

Posing at the Cumberland Gap, where the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia all meet

October 2022 - Early October saw us take a whirlwind road trip all the way to Louisiana to bring back our new travel trailer, Zelda.  We knew we wanted another travel trailer someday, and when this opportunity arose (coupled with an incredible deal), we couldn't pass it up!  As you might expect, later in the month, we took the girls camping for the first time in the trailer, and a good time was had by all.

Strolling the girls around Houston Mesa Campground, near Payson, AZ

November 2022 - For the first time since the pandemic hit, we continued our annual tradition of getting together with our trail running friends and completing the Ragnar AZ Trail event.  We had a wonderful time, and posts about it are on the way, so keep an eye on the blog for more details in the future!  We also celebrated Chris' birthday and our 19th wedding anniversary (holy moly, we're getting old!), and we took the girls camping again; this time, we traveled south to Sonoita, AZ, to taste wine and relax in the natural surroundings.  

Our "Breaking Rag" 2022 Ragnar team:

From left - Jake, Chris, Amy, Jen, Bryan, Andrea, Christina, and Rachel

December 2022 - Unfortunately, the last month of the year didn't start out so well for us or our sweet girl August.  She's had hip dysplasia since she was little, but it had been progressing over the past few years, and recently ramped up quite a bit, leaving her in constant discomfort.  We tried upping her pain meds, did x-rays, and even had an orthopedic consult where we tried a round of platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections.  Nothing really helped, and she was in consistent pain; that's no way to live, so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to her, which occurred on December 7th.

Until we meet again, we will miss you, sweet girl

Here's hoping the rest of the month improves from here; we're looking forward to the normal assortment of holiday festivities, including cutting down our own tree (for the second year in a row), eating way too much, hosting Amy's Mom for her birthday weekend (as well as her Dad and Risa), and camping down in Tucson for Amy's birthday.  Fingers crossed it will be safe and happy, and maybe we can find time for a nap or two in there as well.  

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year a wonderful one for us - to all of our friends and family, including Amy's book club and girls' night ladies, Chris' coffee buddies and hiking compadres, our Ragnar team, and so many more - we loved spending 2022 with all of you, and we can't wait to see what 2023 will bring!

Cheers!

Chris, Amy, and Zoe