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!