Lotions, Potions, & Haboobs

Here comes a Haboob!

Another busy week just flew by without a new blog. Sorry guys!
This WORK thing kind of takes up some time, visiting family & friends takes up some more time & POOF....another week passes.
I've been sick for the past 10 days too. I haven't really been sick in well over a year. After my first 2 days at the hospital I acquired a respiratory infection that just won't quit!!! The hospital is no place for healthy people!! I'm finally on antibiotics so hopefully I'll be getting rid of this soon.
What's up with the title of this blog?! Well, my parents started this little business last year making goat milk lotions, facecreams, face scrubs, body wash, shampoos, conditioners. My mom makes all of the products & my dad does most of the sales. They sell them on line & at craft fairs, flea markets, etc. Their little business has done very well & while visiting them earlier this week I got to help make some mango face creams for an order headed for Canada.





My mom making face cream with all natural ingredients.












Dad putting the labels on





The final product

I had so much fun joining the assembly line & my mom paid me with a bunch of new products for myself! Thanks mom & dad! I LOVE your products!! :)
So... We are smack dab in the middle of Monsoon season here in Arizona. Just about every afternoon the skies darken up & we either get monsoon rains or a huge dust storm, known as a Haboob. Provides for great entertainment!






HABOOB!!!






Scott, Jib & Luke....best buddies






We discovered tonight that Jib likes cowboy movies

Being home = Good Times.
XXXOOO
Love,
Michelle, Scott & Jib



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Location:Phoenix, Arizona

Happy Sunday Phoenix!!!

One of the beautiful Angels in our Parent's  back yard

   Okay....so I promised to keep the blog more up to date & yet another week has passed since my last blog. Time just slips away....
  So, Scott & I have both returned to work. It was so great to see my friends & help deliver a few babies last week. I forgot how much I love doing that! My 1st delivery in over a year was difficult...the baby got stuck for a minute & was a little stunned when it first came out...didn't want to breathe right away, we had to "bag" him for a minute. I was so surprised how immediate those responses returned...as if I had never left. I guess after 17 years, it's just reflex. After a little jump start the little guy rebounded & did just fine..never had to leave Mommy's side. Ahh....the best part of being a Labor & Delivery nurse...Happy Mommy, healthy baby. It's like a little piece of Heaven.

My beautiful nephew, Joseph...Babies are the best! (Not the baby I was referring to but obviously, I can't take pictures of my patients & post them on the internet so....I'll share pics of our babies!

Things seem to be in fast forward sometimes. It's already mid July!!  Our thoughts always migrate back to Malaika. We miss her. It's been AWESOME being with our family & friends but a small part of my heart aches for the sea...with Malaika...I can't wait for our next journey.
   Meanwhile, we are savoring the time we have at home...we miss our friends & family so much when we're traveling. I wish we had a mega yacht to carry everyone with us. It's such a great big world out there.....wish we could all explore it together.

Pie Eating Contest...Winner...Scott!!! He won a pie.

Tubing down the Salt River...

Cliff Divers...Scott & Anthony

Beautiful Arizona

I miss the Sea

Stay tuned...Scott Michelle Voyage Continues!!

Love,
Michelle, Scott & Jib

Scott Michelle Voyage...We're Still Here!!

The view from our bedroom in Rocky Point, Mexico The beautiful Sea of Cortez

     Well, I've really slacked off on the blog...sorry everybody! It's just been a very busy time adjusting to life again in Phoenix. We have been reuniting with friends & family almost everyday! We had a nice start to our homecoming enjoying the cool weather in Flagstaff.

Scott & Jib enjoying the cool weather in Flagstaff. Jib's 1st time in a forest

Of coarse, here in Phoenix, it's blazing hot. 106-113 degrees with the exception of July 4th. We were pleasantly surprised to have a cool, rainy day. Only people in Phoenix would be happy with a a rainy Independance Day. 

HAPPY 42nd ANNIVERSARY Pam & Alan!
It was so chilly the morning of July 4th, we had to grab a sweater. UNHEARD of in Phx.

   Scott started work on July 5th. He a had a full schedule at the office...best to jump right back in! He said he had A LOT of fun seeing his co-workers & being a Doctor again. I brought him lunch & he was happy to report he still remembered fluent spanish & all his Doctor skills seemed intact! I start work on Monday. I'm excited & nervous. Things have slowed a bit now that we've been home for a few weeks...it'll be nice to see my nurse friends & deliver some babies! :)  AND, bring home a paycheck for the 1st time in a year! 

Sunset in Rocky Point

   Our first weekend back in town we headed straight to our condo in Rocky Point, Mexico with some of our closest friends, Aaron & Melissa Salas. Rocky Point never disappoints...even after all of our travels it remains one of our most favorite places on planet Earth.

Best beach, best water, BEST shells!!

Look out folks...It's Nacho Cheese pro wrestler!

Thank You Salas family for all you do for us!! We love you so much. We missed you Benny!!!

  We plan to go as often as possible while we're here. It seems too good to be true but in 3 weeks Scott's parents are taking us to Cancun for a week stay at an all-inclusive resort. Just when we'll be back in the routine of punching that time clock...we get to have a break! We are so lucky.

   We are missing Malaika & sailing very much. Coming home only solidifies that we have chosen the right dream for us. Working a few months out of the year to keep our dream alive is so worth it & I feel very blessed to even have the opportunity. We're already planning the 1st little phases of our next journey....to the Caribbean. Our ultimate goal is to be in Brazil by 2014 for the World Cup....
a lot of miles to that dream. So stay tuned everybody!! Our biggest adventures are still to come.
I promise to get back on track with the blog. We have lots of boat projects we're already planning.
Our biggest question right now...Should we replace our rigging? It's in good shape but it is 24yrs old...Most of you are probably wondering what the hell rigging is...stay tuned for another blog & I'll tell ya all about it! It's a crucial part of the boat...it would be catastrophic if it failed. The question for us is how bad do we need it right now??? It's a $15,000 repair. As I've said before, B.O.A.T. stands for Bust Out Another Thousand! It's always something!!!

Jib's new BFF...Luke.

Love, Michelle, Scott & Jib
XXXOOO

Wild Wild West

Home

 After 6 days on the road, we have made it to Flagstaff, Arizona.  Yay!!! It feels great to be here. It's a breezy 85 degrees, & our long road trip is almost over. Phoenix is only 2.5 hours away but we're staying here for a couple days while Scott finishes what he needs to do for his mountain bike trip. I will be dropping him off tomorrow or the next day at the start of the Arizona Trail & he is going to ride through the mountains/desert home. It will take him about a week.  His bike needs some fine tuning so we dropped it off at the bike shop immediately after arriving into Flagstaff.
I can hardly believe we just drove across the United States.

Bye Bye Florida

We left Florida last Friday..passed through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico & now Arizona. I was hoping for a more exciting road trip..going slow, camping, sight seeing, etc. The reality is that it is HOT every where except here in Flagstaff. Camping would have been miserable.
Luckily, we did stop in Memphis for a few days to visit Danny & Kyung (our brother & sister in-law)
& we had an awesome time. Memphis is also plagued by heat & humidity but it was sooo AWESOME to see our family.

Danny took us to downtown Memphis to the famous " Beale Street." We had a blast! Kyung couldn't come because she is a 2nd year OB/GYN resident (our 3rd OB/GYN in the family!) and she had to work. :(

Scenes from Beale Street

A classic. Need I say more?

  I wish I could just stay here in Flagstaff. It's 109 in Phx today & will be 111degrees by Monday. ZERO humidity however, so I'm happy for that. We are very excited to see our family & friends in Phoenix. It's been a year but seems so much longer.  I promise to post lots of pics of the beautiful Southwest for all our blog followers who have never seen these parts. We will also be traveling to Mexico while we're here. First to our beloved condo in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) & then in August we are going to Cancun to stay at an all inclusive resort for a week,  thanks to Scott's parents. SOOOOO looking forward to that!! :)    The adventures never end with Scott Michelle Voyage so stay tuned! Scott's pictures & stories from his mountain bike ride should be awesome too. Everybody say a little prayer for him....he has promised me there is plenty of water along the way & has studied this trail for months now. He's very prepared but it is late June in the Arizona desert. As his wife, I'll be worried until he pedals his sweaty self into the driveway in Phoenix. He'll probably look like a piece of leather by then.
  Enjoy these pics from our trip...& please stay tuned to Scott Michelle Voyage!! The adventures continue!!

Jib's new favorite thing...cruising in the Benz with his head out the window

One of the several 4 star resorts we stayed in along the way---you have to save your pennies when you're a cruiser

Scott & Danny before they shared 1/2 of a "Boot Jolokia"--the hottest pepper on planet Earth

Scott & Danny after...the agony continued into the next day...the video is priceless. 

Jib loves our dumpy motel rooms. They must seem so big to him compared to the boat...wait till he sees a house!

My Pirate

Love & Miss Everybody!
XXXOOO

Torn Between Two Loves....

Malaika's home for the summer

 I'm so excited to go home....but I will miss Malaika soo much!!!!
 We're still here!!!!  My blog entries have slowed down because well, ....we have slowed down.  We've been at the marina now for over a month. It seems like SO much has happened this past month & yet...now that we're not traveling things seem a bit...still.  The truth is,  we have been working hard on getting Malaika ready to "sit" for a few months while we're gone.

Our new "custom" instrument console made by my hubby.

 We're leaving Friday or Saturday and plan on driving the benz to Memphis to visit Danny & Kyung (our brother & sister inlaw). Then cross country to Phoenix. Scott is actually jumping ship around Flagstaff so he can do a mountain bike trip on the Arizona Trail. (From Flagstaff to Phoenix). It will take him about a week to catch up with Jib & I in Phoenix. Squeezing in one last vacation before we return to the reality of...WORK. OMG.  I am so nervous about going back to work. I LOVE delivering babies...but that's only one portion of my work. Being a Nurse is hard work. Same for Scott...being a Doctor is hard work.  Sailing is hard work too but we are only accountable for ourselves. No one is depending on us. We make our own schedules, set our own goals...etc. Punching the time clock again feels down right scarey. I know after the first week we'll be in the swing of things....but right now...I'm excited/dreading going back to work.

Yesterday's afternoon storm...our current backyard.

 One thing I won't miss is the awful humid weather of Florida. I grew up in Alaska, then to Phoenix. I have never really experienced this kind of weather. It is so stifling. Arizona is HOT. There are days in the summer that every Arizona  resident hates living there...however....the "dry heat" thing really does have merit. It is MUCH easier to handle. The heat/humidity combo in Florida is AWFUL. There is a constant state of sweating. No point in taking a shower...you'll only be dripping in sweat a few moments later. Ugh...not for me. When we return in September the "Sunshine State" will be much more enjoyable.

If you look close you can see Jib's shaved belly & the shaved portion of his leg..that was for his IV

  So our sweet Jib has spent the last week recovering from his long anticipated surgery for the undescended testicle. He had the conventional proceedure for the dropped/normal teste, and then an abdominal surgery for the undescended one. He spent 2 days in the "hospital" & just today got the okay to run & play as usual. Yay!!!

Jib all recovered & ready for the next adventure!

So... a new adventure begins in the next 48 hours. Our road trip across the U.S.A.

ahhh...the constant humidity "glow"

Scott enjoying the new Burger King Bacon Sundae.....that's right folks. Ice cream & Bacon. Scott said it was DELICIOUS. I had to buy it for him...we're still on vacation AND he's been training for his big mountain bike trip. :)

We'll miss Malaika sooo much.....
XXXOOO

Long Time No Blog!

The Schapkers at Shroud Cay, Bahamas

  Hello again!!! It's been a couple weeks. It's been such a busy time getting back to land life. We've been adjusting. Oh, how we miss the Bahamas. I caught Scott looking at them today on Google map. I was very anxious to get back to the States & now I can't wait to get back to cruising. I miss sailing!! Our marina is great & we are fortunate to have friends here so it really does feel like our little community. I just miss being out on the water.
  So...what have we been up to? Well, as always there are a gazillion boat projects to do. As soon as we got back to the States our inverter malfunctioned. The inverter converts all of our solar power to usable energy...it's where we plug stuff in. Without it, we have no power. It also charges the batteries...it's a complicated system that I don't fully understand so I can't explain it very well. Luckily, we were at the marina within a few days of losing the inverter so we weren't without power for too long. After 2 days in the marina I woke up & put the coffee pot on the stove...no propane. We thought we just ran out but when Scott changed the tank over, still no propane. No propane, no stove. No coffee. CRISIS !! Scott got out our trusty "Nigel's Caulder Cruising Handbook" (Nigel Caulder is all-knowing of all things regarding sailboats) After a little reading Scott figured out what the problem was & went to the good ol' West Marine store to order the part....which took 5 days to get. Grumpy sailors without coffee in the morning. 
   We are very used to hot climates...we are from Phoenix after all. However, the heat-humidity combo here in Florida is awful. It is just down right Oppressive. As I mentioned in the last blog our friend Matt gave us an air conditioner. It is a life saver!!! Scott installed that immediately & I love him even more for his speedy handywork on that project.

Our new air conditioner

  We also bought a car!! It is soooo great to have the convienence of a vehicle!! Oh, the luxury!!! No more lugging groceries or laundry on our backs!!! SWEET! We are the proud owner's of a 1992 Mercedes. It has 180,000 miles on it...we think. The odometer doesn't work anymore. We love it. It runs great, it was well taken care of & still in good shape, and has A/C. It met all our requirements, most important..our budget of $1500. We are hoping to drive to Phoenix & back to Florida in this car so cross your fingers!  :)

Jib LOVES the car

 I've been working on getting a job for the summer at our old hospital, Phoenix Baptist. I found out yesterday that it's probably a go. Yay!! I'm so excited that I get to work with all my friends. A HUGE thank you to my friend Bridget for helping me make it happen. Love you girl !!!

  SO...that pretty much brings us up to date. Our next big adventure will be driving cross-country to Phoenix in the Benz. We are going to take our time...go camping, sight seeing, etc.
  I hope you will all stay tuned...Scott Michelle Voyage is an on-going journey. As soon as hurricane season is over we're off to the Caribbean!!! That will be some SERIOUS sailing!
Jeez.. I almost forgot to mention we've already been through our 1st tropical storm of the season..Mr. Beryl. We are still feeling the effects...the HUMIDITY, thunderstorms, etc.

Another squall passing over our marina. We've continued to have several a day since Beryl passed by

We also bought a TV! It's a 12 volt TV so perfect for the boat...once we got the antennae in place

Jib has never seen TV before. He was totally mesmerized by it for a few hours.

Our new bike

Scott riding our new bike home from Walmart. It wouldn't fit in the car.

We went on a bike ride lastnight...straight to the Fountain of Youth!



Scott & Jib enjoying the Florida surf. Look at our little guy...last time he was on this beach he wouldn't go near the water...now he's leading the way.

Love & Miss you !!!
P.S.   A big CONGRATULATIONS to the FRY family on the birth of your baby. Scott & I hope you had a wonderful delivery!!! Hopefully we can meet your bundle of joy when we are in Phoenix this summer. XXXOOO