Crazy Heat!

"why do sane, rational, educated people choose to live in the desert? On purpose?!" I remember very clearly asking myself this question in the hotter months while I was walking to my car accross the ASU campus. I don't think I ever came up with a clear answer. But here I am, still in the desert. On purpose.

I have been having a hard time with the heat lately. True I have lived in AZ since I was seven, but I don't think you ever really get used to it.

This is not my first summer pregnancy. It is my third. I usually like being pregnant in the summer. I think it keeps me from getting so huge, because I can't cover up with layers. And one of my favorite sayings, (you've heard me say it if you know me in real life), is "tan fat looks better then white fat". This is very true. I like being tan when I would otherwise look like a beached whale on the delivery table. I like being tan in my babies' first pictures.

But lately I have been sweating from the moment I wake up. And it will only get worse. Right now we are still using our evap cooler, so by evening I am covering up with a blanket. This is probably our last weekend for that. Like I said, it will only get worse.

I think it has to do with size. Right now, at 22 weeks, I weigh as much as I did when I gave birth to Brenley. Which was the biggest I had ever ever been. Who knows how much more I will gain in the next 18 weeks.

I know what you are thinking. "How can you be gaining so much weight when you are still throwing up?" Wendell says I only throw up the stuff that is good for me, and the peanut butter and chocolate stays right where it is. I am afraid he is right;)Add that to almost no activity, and there you go.

So Rachael e mailed me this list, and I thought it was mostly appropriate. She got a kick out of the part about driving with oven mitts, because she has noticed that I can't really touch my stearing wheel with out a napkin, or a rag or something. I thought you might all enjoy it. A lot of you can relate;)

You Know You're From Arizona If...
40 Crazy things you only see in the southwestern desert...

1. You buy salsa by the gallon.

2. Your Christmas decorations include a half a yard of sand and l00 paper bags.

3. You think a red light is merely a suggestion.

4. All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.

5. You think someone driving wearing oven mitts is clever.

6. Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El" or "Los".

7. You think 60 tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.

8. You've signed so many petitions to recall governors that you can't remember the name of the incumbent.

9. You notice your car overheating before you drive it.

10. Your house is made of stucco and has a red clay tile roof.

11. You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny.

12. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.

13. You see more irrigation water on the street than there is in the Salt River.

14. You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.

15. You can say 115 degrees without fainting.

16. Every other vehicle is a 4x4.

17. You can be in the snow, then drive for an hour and it will be over 100 degrees.

18. Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.

19. People break out coats when temperature drops below 70 degrees.

20. You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car.

21. The pool can be warmer than you are.

22. You can make sun tea instantly.

23. You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.

24. Most homes have more firearms than people.

25. Kids will ask, "What's a mosquito?"

26. People who have black cars or black upholstery in their car are automatically assumed to be from out-of-state or nuts.

27. You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.

28. The AC is on your list of best friends.

29. Monday Night Football starts at 7:00 instead of 6:00.

30. You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.

31. You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.

32. The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the hot one.

33. You can (correctly) pronounce the words: "Saguaro", "Ocotillo", "Tempe", "Gila Bend", "San Xavier", "Canyon de Chelly", "Mogollon Rim", "Cholla", and "Ajo".

34. It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is walking on the streets.

35. You experience third degree burns if you touch any metal part of your car.

36. You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.

37. Announcements for Fourth of July events never end with "in case of rain......"

38. When someone asks how far you live from a location, it's always in terms of minutes, not miles.

39. Everyone's smiling and talking about the great weather on rainy days.

40. You have to explain to out-of-staters why there is no daylight savings time.