Surprise Vacation

In mid November I got the brilliant idea to surprise my childhood friend Kristina for her birthday. In my mind this entailed a road trip to Las Vegas to visit her for the weekend. I did my best detective work to locate her mom so I could arrange for the surprise visit. [Thank heavens for her little brother and his MySpace page]. So I got a hold of her mother and let her know that I was interested in coming up for her birthday to surprise to which she responded, "the last I heard she and a friend were going to Disneyland to celebrate their birthdays." So this meant a change in plans for me.

Due to the nature of the trip it was impossible to keep my surprise a secret and my friend and made plans to get together in Disneyland for the weekend. I have been dying to go to the beach since I don't know when. Even since living within ear shot of the ocean in Washington I have loved the beach. Since I had all of Friday off work I made arrangements to drive to Laguna Beach, CA to do some sight seeing on the beach and hopefully get some amazing photographs. The group from Las Vegas were working half days and then driving to Disneyland, and wouldn't be arriving until later in the day.

I had a great day on the beach and even called another friend and told her that we had to schedule a beach trip soon. I have added a slide show with some of the photos I took. I had fun walking on the beach looking for photo opportunities. I also like window shopping on the Pacific Coast Highway. I missed the gorgeous sunset though because I had to run into "town" to get something before the store closed.

I had a great time at Disneyland with my an old friend and some new found friends. It had been 12 or 13 years since I had been at Disneyland, and I had never been to California Adventure. November is definitely the time to go to the park if you ever get a chance. However I don't think I have stayed up so late so many days in a row. The bad part is that everyone I was with was already accustomed to the time in CA, but my internal clock was set one hour ahead, so when they wanted to stay up until 1 AM it was 2 AM to me.

So the moral of this story is...if anyone has a hankering to do a beach road trip and you need a travel buddy, just let me know! Also, it is fun to reconnect with old friends! Kristina, thanks for letting tag along on your birthday adventure!

Portraits for my photography class...

So we are to the point in the semester where we have started studying portraiture in photography. This was a perfect excuse to kidnap my nieces for a few hours and take their pictures. I got a ton of photos, but I plan on doing another shoot in casual clothes too. I am sure I will have to bribe them with a frozen yogurt of something, but it is worth it.

And yes, they are all sisters with one more on the way due in mid January.

If anyone else would like to volunteer to have your portraits taken (either individually or as a family) in the next week or so, just let me know! I can always use a few more volunteers! Oh, and don't worry, I do get a little more creative with the poses. These photos are just the ones where they are all matching.

Christmas Craft Bug...

So, I am thinking that it is time to get cracking on my handmade Christmas cards for this year. I can't believe I complain about not having any free time in one post, and then I am wanting to jump in on this project. Anyone in my area interested in getting together and making some cards together? It's a lot of fun when you have someone to do it with! Just let me know!

Are you serious?

So Friday night (Halloween night that is) I was making the drive across town to see my nieces all dressed up in their Halloween finest. They weren't playing anything good on my two favorite radio stations so I commenced to run through my list of programmed radio stations. I get to 94.5 FM, and what do I hear coming out of my car radio? Mannheim Steamroller's "Joy to the World"!!!! That's right, it is Halloween, October 31st, and they are already playing Christmas music on the radio. Now I like Christmas music as much as the next person, but I think that Halloween is a bit early to start playing it, don't you? I stayed on that channel long enough to see if it was some sort of joke and they were only playing that one song, but then kept on playing Christmas tunes. Does anyone else think this is a little cooky?

Free time anyone?

Does anyone feel like they have any “free time” anymore? I have to say that it feels like I haven’t had a minute of peace to myself since maybe August, and I can’t even confirm that. It seems like my days are now filled with work, running to school, studying for a test (okay, I am having a hard time getting back on that band wagon, but that is what I should be doing if I found the time), and tackling all the other things that come up. My week days are packed with things to do, and they seem to spill right over into my weekends! Just when I think I am going to have some time to get things done (like laundry for instance) I have 14 more things come up that need to be done, and I am left wondering how I am going to fit it all in.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Anyone know of a good time management class in the area? Or a nice place to vacation inexpensively? Believe me, I know I have things pretty good, and I shouldn’t complain, but a little break from reality would be nice right about now. Is anyone else in?

One year older, but am I any wiser too?

Does anyone remember that wonderful Primary birthday song which says “One year older and wiser too… Happy Birthday to you!’? For some odd reason I have been thinking about that a lot this year as I prepared to celebrate yet another birthday (how can 366 days go by so fast?).

A special shout out to my oldest niece who was kind enough to call me yesterday to wish me a Happy Birthday and said, “So, are you 42 now or what?” She knows how old I really am and was just trying to be funny, but it can still be a bit of a shock to your system to be accused of such a thing at this age.

Life seems to have thrown a lot of different experiences at me this past year, and I can’t help but wonder if I gleaned all the lessons from them that I should have. There were high points and low points, and plenty of in between points on the spectrum. Did I make the most of my time and make the progress I was supposed to, or was there something really important I missed out on?

Does anyone else ever feel that way?

Where did the time go?

Holy cow! It has been a really long time since I posted anything on here! It seems like I have had some sort of new adventure every week since I wrote last that has been keeping me busy. Here are some of the highlights…

Shortly after my last post I thought it would be a really good idea to severely sprain my right ankle playing volleyball at church. Here it is two months later and I am still not completely healed. I am doing much better, but it is still something I have to babysit up to a point. The best part is that I can say that I was just aggravating an old Trek injury (though what I did to my ankle on the Trek doesn’t even begin to compare to the volleyball injury). Needless to say I have officially announced my retirement from all church sanctioned volleyball activities since the last time I played volleyball at church (while I was on my mission) I severely sprained my left ankle! Now at least I have a matching set of slightly deformed ankles! My brother took this picture of my ankle after I took the splint off the first time. This was when the bruising was pretty mild. Both sides of my ankle was bruised, and I even had bruising down on my toes. It was really a sight to behold!

I also enrolled in a couple of classes at CGCC for this semester, and have been having fun adjusting to going to school four days a week after putting in a full day’s work. Thankfully they aren’t what I would call a real class, so it is pretty low stress.

September had to have been the craziest month for me this year. Not only was I recuperating from a sprained ankle, I was cramming for a test at work, and celebrating the birthdays of three nieces, a sister-in-law, and my Mom all while preparing to move! Talk about too much fun all at once!

The end of September/beginning of October I moved in with a girl in my ward, and things are off to a good start. Between work and school it doesn’t seem like I have had much time to unpack, but little by little I am getting a little more settled. I can’t wait until I feel like I have more free time again. I am studying for another test at work, and I am beginning to question if there is light at the end of the tunnel for the designation I am working towards, but I am sure it is still there somewhere!

Well, I am sure there are 400 other things I would have blogged about by now if I could only remember what they were. Hopefully things have calmed down enough though that I can stay on top of things now, a girl can hope, right?

Memories....

I have seen this floating around on the blogs of friends and relatives, and thought it would be fun. I hope you will play along.

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.Here we go...

More Maelee

So I did my little photo shoot with Maelee this past weekend, and here are some of the keepers I got as a result:

Isn't this just the cutest little blanket that she is laying on?

All my nieces are born bald, so having a baby with hair is a novelty to me!

My feeble attempt to copy a cousin's photo "set".
Proof that it wasn't all fun and games!

It was fun to have a baby to photograph. I warned my friend that I will be back for more. I have to figure out how to take pictures of babies/children sometime, right? Besides, by the time my new niece/nephew arrives in January I will be a pro!

One for the record books...

The second week of July we had a family reunion up at my parent's house for my Dad's side of the family. For the last two summers my Dad will drag their travel trailer out of the barn and take it to my Mom's family reunion, and then leave it parked out in the backyard as extra boarding space at their family reunion. This year 4 of the granddaughters and a friend were the lucky ones relegated to the trailer for the weekend.

I spent the majority of my weekend keeping the kids out of the trailer during waking hours as let's face it, you never know what a pack of kids will do inside a trailer without the prying eyes of adults watching. Not to mention the amount of dirt alone that could be brought in since my parents live in the country! It rained on and off for the majority of the reunion, but there wasn't too much complaining.

Saturday was probably the the day we got the most rain, and some how the same herd of children I had to keep out of the trailer managed to get themselves stranded out in the rain. Okay, so they weren't really stranded so much as on the front porch of the house with no means of getting to their tents/trailers. Some of the kids were still dry, but some thought dancing in the rain would be a really good idea. My Mom being the saint that she is caved in when two of the kids asked for towels since they were now freezing. She had also invited the kids to come in out of the rain, but they didn't have the common sense to take her up on the idea.

A little bit of time goes by, and all of the kids disappear off the front porch, and are now running in the opposite direction of the main reunion area. Next thing we know the little angels are sprinting through the backyard towards my parent's trailer! Now if my parent's didn't want them playing in there while they were dry they certainly didn't want them in there after they had been playing in the rain, and running through he mud to get there!

Fulfilling my duty I got an umbrella from my Mom and headed out to evict the little rain dancers. Boy was I surprised to see just how much rain had fallen! There seemed to be an inch of standing water in the backyard between the house and the trailer. I sloshed my way over to the trailer only to discover that the little angels that were up to no good had locked the trailer door!!!

I didn't take long for me to get all the kids back out of the trailer, make sure all the windows and hatches were shut securely, and head back to the warmth and security of the house.

[Now anyone who has known me for any length of time will know that I am not the most graceful of people, and gravity often plays mean tricks on me. My Mom kept trying to convince me I would grow out of the gangly phase when I got a little older, but it hasn't worked out that way yet!]

So I go to make my triumphant walk back to the house feeling good about the work I have just done when I should happen to put my foot down on the top step of the trailer. It is at this point I realize that the tread on my shoes and the sandpaper on the step are insufficient traction in the downpour we have been having for the last hour or so. I am sure it was a spectacular fall that I did right out of the trailer. Thankfully the steps of the trailer broke my fall!

I tried to regain my composure, and realized that it was futile to open the umbrella up for the walk back to the house. I hobbled in and apparently eldest (and now favorite) Niece was the only one to have actually seen me "trip the light show fantastic" as we like to say, and it apparently gave her quite the scare. By the way she talked about it I think she was surprised I still had a head! In retrospect it could have ended much worse!

I wasn't feeling too bad about the fall once I had clean, dry pants on again, but I should have known it would take my body some time to realize what just happened! About 30 minutes later I start having a rather delightful pain in my back side. I chalked the pain up to a fleeting reminder of the steps breaking my fall, but it just wouldn't go away.

[Now here is where the title of this blog come in to play.] Now I have had some wonderful bruises in my day, but the bruise I discovered after this little slip out of the trailer truly takes the cake! I swear that this massive, cantaloupe sized instantaneous purple bruise was the worst bruise I have ever gotten! The worst part is that I can't even show it off! [You will just have to imagine a copy of the photo I took for posterity's sake right here.} So if I were ever to keep a record book of my best injuries of all times, this would be the #1 bruise ever!

Thankfully it was all healed by the following weekend when I drove to northern UT with a friend. That would have been one killer trip for sure! It was hard making the 3 1/2 hour trip home from the reunion!

Maelee Kay

On July 8th my best friend Melissa gave birth to her daughter Maelee Kay. She weighed in at a whopping 3 lbs 15.8 ozs (believe me, for Melissa this one was a whopper)! She was almost 1/2 lb heavier than her heaviest sister! She is such a little sweetheart! She spent 10 days in the hospital after she was born, but she is now home and doing well. I can't believe how healthy, happy, and tiny she is! I have convinced her mom to let me practice my photography skills on her this weekend, so stay tuned for some prize winning photos!

Holy Cow!

It seems like it has been forever since I posted anything on here! What can I say, July was a busy month! I am also one of those people that has to do things in order, so every time anything blog worthy happened I told myself I had to catch up on my older post ideas first. Hopefully I will remember all the great things I was going to blog about now that I have some time...

Great Find...

So I just couldn't help myself, and decided to sign up for another class at work! Don't even ask me what I was thinking that day! This time around it is a course on Financial Service Institutions (yes, it will be about as exciting as you are imagining it would be). My so called "great find" is in connection with the course materials. I happened to glance down at the course study guide when I got it and noticed this little note or disclaimer at the bottom. It reads "Includes All Answers". My mind immediately jumped to the book/movie "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" in which a race of people are trying to determine the answer to THE question, "Of Life, the Universe, and Everything ...". If only this little obscure book did have "all" the answers! Who would have guessed they would be so cleverly disguised as a boring insurance course guide book? That would be a sure fire way to ensure no one ever found the answers to anything!

John Thomas Biggs Sr.

On June 25th my Uncle Johnny lost his 9 year battle with cancer. He was a great man! He was great husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother and friend. I don't know if hunting and camping trips with be the same without him there! I am so grateful to have been able to share some time together on this earth. I am grateful for the example he was to me and my family. He will be greatly missed! I am glad that so much of my family lives here in the Valley and could come together to support one another at this time. I am grateful for the knowledge I have that families can be forever and that I will see my uncle again!
April 19, 1944 - June 25, 2008

I PASSED!!!

Okay, for those of you who don't know, I am a glutton for punishment. I always seem to find myself signing up to take continuing education courses at work. You may be thinking to yourself, how is that a bad thing? Well, if you think normal continuing ed classes are okay, then you haven't met one for insurance yet! The books alone are enough to put you to sleep.

Well, I just got news that I passed the exam I took earlier this month. It was an essay test on the Legal Environment of Insurance, and I am so glad to have that nightmare of a class behind me. This puts me half way through the designation I am working on, so now I only have four more (equally torturous) classes to go. I will be so happy when they are all done!

The Trek - Part 3

After completing the women's pull we ate lunch, and were told that after much prayer and contemplation we would move forward on the trek with the reenactment of the events of Rocky Ridge. Before us lay a hill that at this point in the journey seemed almost insurmountable. I knew that the women in our family were fatigued from the women's pull, and that it would require all the strength we could muster to make it to the top. What a rush it was to finally arrive at the top, and to feel the rush of wind coming up and over the hill. This gave us all a great perspective on the beautiful landscape we were trekking through.

In short order we were on our way back down the hill, which I am not almost convinced was worse than climbing up the other side! We turned our carts around and lowered it down the mountain. There were more than a few times when I wondered whether or not we would lose our footing, and be drug down the hill,or worse, if we would lose control of the cart and send it careening down the hill onto the unsuspecting family in front of us that would have no means of escaping. [There was a safe distance between us, but I am pretty sure the cart would have made up that distance in pretty short order.] We were blessed to make it all the way down in one piece.

We quickly set up camp, and made preparations to make our dutch oven dinner of beef stew, biscuits, and peach cobbler. We all worked together as family to prepare and cook dinner, and boy was it delicious! After dinner we had a short fireside with the stake, and a dance later that night. What a welcome sight our beds were that night!

Friday was spent in pioneer workshops were we learned leather working, black powder riflery, pie making, played pioneer games, washed our hair, and participating in the "chicken chop". As I have grown up in a very outdoorsy, hunting family I have always had a respect for where my food has come from, but it was neat to watch as the youth of my family learned first hand how a cute little chicken in a pen goes from that to the dinner table. I know it is an experience they will all remember!

We had another wonderful fireside, and had the opportunity to go on a wonderful thing called a Pioneer Walk. Several members of the stake had been asked to portray a pioneer, and share some of their experience as they crossed the plains. What a humbling and touching thing that was to hear the stories of sacrifice and loss as the early Saints gave all that they had to journey to Zion. After the evening's events were completed we held a family testimony meeting, it was very neat to hear how each member of the family had been touched by the events of the Trek.

Saturday morning we made our way back to the Main Camp. As we set off that morning I can remember passing another company as they waited in line to joining the train, and I was overcome with emotion as I realized that this experience truly was coming to a close. It reminded me of the end of my mission. You tell yourself that you are ready to go, ready to see your family ready to be clean again (you get really dirty on a handcart trek), but when it comes right down to it, you aren't ready to leave. You want to stay there in your little bubble and enjoy all those things that you have become accustomed to. As we pushed along we all talked about how wonderful it was to have been together on the trek, and all the great things we learned. The last about 1 1/2 miles was all down hill, and I am convinced that was done just for me since I enjoyed going down hill so much! We had finally arrived back at Main Camp, and we were an hour ahead of schedule even!

The moral of this story is, if you ever have an opportunity to participate in a handcart trek, take the chance! Is it hard, more so than you would believe. It is worth it, definitely! I will cherish this experience always, and I will always remember the people that I met, the friendships that were started there, and the Spirit I felt so strongly testifying that this Church is true, and I am eternally grateful for that!

The Trek - Part 2

Thursday truly was our trial by fire. Two in our family were sick, so there were left with only 10 of us to pull our cart that day under the close supervison of our Ma & Pa. The trail again was a rough road, but it was much easier to navigate the path now that we had sunlight on our side. We forged onward, ever onward toward Base Camp which we knew would be our destination for the day.

I should interject here that while I was called to fill and "adult" role on this trek, I would describe myself more as a youth with benefits. I had some idea of the events that we would face on the Trek, but I did not know how or when we would face them, and had to experience them as they came. That truly was a blessing in disguise as well because I was able to totally immerse myself in the moment, and roll with the punches. Back to the pushing and pulling.

After taking a short break we continued on the trail until were asked to stop, and were approached by several military officers requesting to speak to our company captains. As with the pioneers of 1846, the US government was requesting our assistance with the war they were waging with Mexico. All young men and men on the trek were asked to join what has since become known as the Mormon Battallion and leave their wives and children behind to continue on the journey without them.

I knew in advance that this was going to happen, but I was not prepared for the emotions I felt as I watched my new Pa & six brothers get sworn in and march off into and uncertain future knowing that challenging times were ahead for the six girls left in the family. I knew pulling our wagon on even the flatest of ground would be a challenge let alone the hill that lay in front of us.

The women's pull was one of the hardest things we did. I was amazed as I how many of the young women made that journey over and over and over again. I know that thre were some girls that climbed to the summit 8 or 9 times. What a welcomed sight it was to have the Pa's and brothers at the top of that hill siging hymns and encouraging us as we made our way up the steep, and sometimes muddy path. How grateful I was when we had pulled our cart far enough up the hill that the men and young men could come to our aid. What a blessing the Priesthood is in our lives!

Stay tuned for more Trek adventures...

The Trek

So, what do you get when you take 14 complete strangers (ages 14 and older), throw them into a "family" together and send them out on a 17 mile hand cart adventure in Northern Arizona?

Answer: A truly wonderful, spiritual, humbling, bonding, amazing (the list could go on for days) experience that will be cherished forever!

I know that it will sound totally crazy (and believe me, I should be an expert on crazy), but it truly was one of the most memorable experiences in my life, and something I will cherish always!

We started our trek on Wednesday afternoon as complete strangers with a Ma & Pa, a Big Brother, a Big Sister, 5 teenage brothers and 5 teenage sisters, and by the end we truly were a little pioneer family! We bonded almost instantly, and I am so grateful for that. In the months leading up to the Trek I often found myself worrying about the family that I would be placed with and whether or not I would know anyone in it. I don't know how many times I prayed to be placed in a family where I knew at least one other adult in the family, but at the same time I trusted in the Lord and knew that the leaders would be inspired to place me in the just the right family. Looking back I am so grateful to have not had that safety net of familiarity to fall back on, it truly was a blessing in disguise!

That first day we walked about 7 miles, and most of that walking was done in the dark. We learned a lot that night about what it takes to move a pioneer family from one place to the other. We learned how important it was to work as a team if we were ever going to make it to our destination. Without the contribution of every member of the family we would have been stranded there as the other families and companies pressed on to the campsite. We also learned that we won't always see the obstacles before us, but by trusting in the Lord and doing our best we could succeed at anything. The glow of the campfires were a welcome sight that night as we started approaching camp. We were all so hungry and tired that we ate a very quick meal and went to bed. It didn't really even matter all that much that we were in a very rocky meadow, it was almost midnight, and we were tired!

Stay tuned for more Trek adventures...

The Trek - A Disclaimer

Ever since I got home from the Trek a little over a week ago I have been chomping at the bit to write a post about it. I have to admit though that I have been struggling to find just the right words to encapsulate the majesty of the event. It truly was a remarkable experience, and I want to do it justice. So, if by chance you stumble upon several Trek themed posts on this site you will have to forgive me and realize that it is just my feeble attempt at expressing just how great it was!

Behind the times...

Okay, so it seems as though it has been forever since I posted a entry on my humble little blog. I guess there is no time like the present to correct that little problem, right? Let's see, what have I been up to for the last 2 months that I haven't been blogging...

Let's see, work has been crazy, but getting a little better everyday. Man this promotion has taking some getting used to, but I think I am almost at cruising altitude finally! I love learning new things everyday, but I have my limits of how much my poor little brain can take in at once!

The Relay for Life out at Williams Gateway Airport Back in April was amazing! I haven't stayed up that late in years! I think I had two main shifts that I walked in and they were from midnight to 1 AM, and then again from 3 to 4 AM. By the time the second shift started I was so cold I was happy to be up and moving and not trying fruitlessly to get some shut eye in my very uncomfortable chair. I was so wiped out after all was said and done that I slept through several important events that Saturday. Just goes to show you that I am not as young and spry as I think I am! Oh, one moment of real excitement was when I realized a strange puff of smoke was coming from me, and not the fire pit we had set up. Unbeknownst to me a coal from the fire had popped out of the fire pit and landed on my just under my folded arms. By the time I noticed something was amiss, it had already burned through my favorite mission fleece jacket, brand new Relay shirt, and was still making it's way through my other layers of clothing! Boy was I glad I caught it when I did!

During my first shift of the Relay I can remember thinking that this walking was really just getting me prepared for the Pioneer Trek that I have been called to go on. [That is a whole other post in and of itself now that I am back from it (how time flies). I am still looking for just the right words to encapsulate those 4 blessed days of hard work and feeling the Spirit, but when they come to me I will post them for all to read!]

What else, my oldest niece graduated from my al ma mater about two weeks ago, and I am so proud of her! She is now a second generation Toro graduate! I would liked to have frozen to death though as it rained the entire time we were watching the graduation ceremony! She is totally worth it though! It was so much fun running into so many other people from my old neighborhood that had children or grandchildren graduating that night too.

Other than that I have just been busy studying to retake an exam at work (only 9 more days to cram), and preparing for the afore mentioned Pioneer Trek. Oh, did I did go on a fun "Girl's Night" with a bunch of wonderful ladies from my ward back when "Made of Honor" came out. That was a lot of fun, and I hope we do it again soon!

Stay tuned for my Trek post...

Spring Time

I love Spring time in AZ. Not only do I get to enjoy beautiful weather before my cousins trapped in UT & CO, I also get to enjoy the beautiful wildflowers too! Sure, it will be hotter than the blazes of Hades before I know it, but I am going to enjoy the good times while I have it! My brother and I having been capitalizing on the beautiful weather and scenery by taking little trips every weekend to places we know have wildflowers we can take pictures of. After my company handed out our annual bonuses in February I indulged and bought a new digital camera. It is so cool! I still don't know all the ins and outs, but I love figuring it all out! I think I have taken well over 1000 pictures in the last month and a half that I have had it. Most of them are not prize winning, but there are several I am really satisfied with. If you are interested in seeing them, I have them posted on Flickr.com. I will see if I can't get a couple of the best ones on here, but who knows. Happy Spring!!!

Relay for Life

On Friday April 18th I will be participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at Williams Gateway Airport. My team and I will be walking from 6 PM Friday night until 6 AM Saturday morning to raise money for cancer research as cancer never sleeps. If you would like to help me by making a donation to the American Cancer Society just click on the link on the right hand side of the blog. It should take you right to my webpage for the event. you can also learn more about the event on this webpage.

Cancer has touched the lives of many members of my family and friends. I know several people that are currently battling the disease. I am dedicating my walk to them, and am working out the details of a special tribute project. If you would like to dedicate your donation in honor of someone in your life that has been touched by cancer please let me know their name so that I can include them on my project.

I am also selling three month passes to Fitness Works, a gym with three East Valley locations. The passes are only $20 each. If you are interested in purchasing one let me know and I can give you the rest of the details.

Freedom...

We finally got the part for my computer that I needed to be able to move my computer back in my office, and still have internet access! I am so excited! Now hopefully I will be better able to post things to this blog so that it can fill the measure of it's creation! Keep your eyes peeled for more posts in the near future!!!

AZ Trivia Answers...

For those of you that are interested in knowing the answers to the Arizona trivia questions here you go:
1. The cactus wren
2. Saguaro cactus blossom
3. Copper, cotton, citrus, climate, and (my favorite) cattle
4. Yavapai, 55 miles east south east of Prescott
5. Humphreys Peak - 12,633 feet
6. Yellow Palo Verde
7. Bolo tie
8. The 13 rays of red and gold on the top half of the flag represent both the 13 original colonies of the Union, and the rays of the Western setting sun. Red and gold were also the colors carried by Coronado's Spanish expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540.
9. Since Arizona was the largest producer of copper in the nation, a copper star was placed in the flag's center.
10. 114006 square miles

Happy Birthday 96th Arizona!!!

As many of you know I am a proud native of Arizona, and I wish to highlight the state a little bit today in celebration of it's 96th Birthday. To start off I have a little bit of trivia for you:

1. What is the state bird of Arizona?

2. What is the state flower of Arizona?

3. What are the 5 "C's" of Arizona?

4. What is the geographic center of Arizona?

5. What is the highest point in Arizona?

6. What is the state tree of Arizona?

7. What is the official state neckwear?

8. What do the stripes on the Arizona flag represent (number and color)?

9. What does the star represent on the Arizona flag?

10. In square miles, what is the size of Arizona?

[I will post the answers to these questions in the next couple of days, but in the mean time you are welcome to leave your guesses as comments.]

I love living in Arizona! We have beautiful sunrises and sunsets (did you all catch the amazing one this morning?), and fantastic winter weather. The summers are a bit much, but I have survived everyone! Here in the Valley of the Sun we have a great view of the mountains, and the desert even has a certain kind of charm. I am truly grateful my great great grandparents followed the call to come to Arizona, this land that I love!

More than I bargained for...

Have you ever wished for the ability to stop time, or at least slow it down a bit? I have recently been given new duties at work, and it seems like I have been running in reverse ever since! Suddenly I went from a nice, calm, tolerable pace to having what seems like a million extra things going on, and I never know what direction the next on slaught will come from (phone, fax, e-mail, or dare I say face to face). So this week I have been wishing I had that ability to stop time like Evie on "Out of this World" (a sitcom from my childhood) did. She could just touch her two index fingers together at the tip and freeze time for everyone but her and her father, and then unfreeze it by putting her palms together. What I wouldn't give for that ability. Then I would be able to accomplish everything that I need to, no one else would be able to pile more stuff on until I unfroze time. I could get a lot that way. So if any of you out there in cyber space know how do that just let me know!!! Until then I know it is bound to get better, maybe not all at once, but little by little, week by week I think I will resurface again!

Angels Among Us

I have always loved the Alabama song "Angels Among Us". I guess it is because I the truth in the lyrics of that song. The thought came to me last night about how true that really is in my life. Things might not always be going great, or turning out quite the way I would want, but there always seems to be someone there that knows just what I need, and when I need them. I have several experiences of that just this week. I just want to let all of my "angels" know how much I love and appreciate them! Thanks!!!

The World Wide Web

I'll admit it, I love the World Wide Web! It has it's flaws, but I love the ability it gives me to reconnect with old friends. About every month or so I stumble across someone from my past that I have lost touch with, and it is usually in the most unexpected way. Does anyone else have this happen to them?