29 Gifts ~ Days 12 & 13 Entertaining Him

Day 12 ~ This gift also goes out to my husband. We were pretty stuck in a rut after graduation and his work is pretty intense, yet he is always there for me. When my God-daughter's husband was killed in Iraq, he supported my flying to Austin to help her. When my other niece was in crisis, he was there to say..."you need to go." The list just goes on and he never complains or asks for anything. And so, on Thursday evening, he made the comment that he would like to see a couple of shows that are coming to our local performing arts center in April. I decided it was the perfect time to surprise him. So I bought tickets to both events and surprised him.

Hotel California

Spencer's Theatre of Illusion

 Day 13 ~Gardening here in what we affectionately call the Salt River Valley is different than most places in the country. Low rain levels, clay soil, searing summer heat and alkaline soil bring a few challenges to even the most experienced gardener. Years ago I took a Master Gardener class with the University of Arizona's Maricopa Country Extention Center. I have loved that manual and it has been so useful in helping neighbors, family members, friends, friends of friends and even our own lawn guy with different aspects of gardening. What does this have to do with my gift. Recently a sweet client shared her love of gardening with me. She has inspiration of starting a personal gardening business where she helps people design and install home gardens. I know the manuals will be as useful to her as they have been to me, so I am passing them along to her. 

I just know she will enjoy this as much as I have and it will answer so many questions she has about gardening in our interesting conditions. 

Today I am grateful for:

1) Our fun Segway Tour today

2) Quiet time to finish reading 365 Thank Yous

3) My Bailey's and Coffee with Homemade Whipped Cream (It's the small things :-)

50@50 ~ Number 8 ~ Everyday Extraordinary: Capturing God Moments

These two photos are numbers 9 and 10 of my 50@50 project in my quest for the best of the best in representing those God Moments that take my breath away. This first one is the view I see as I turn the corner off the main street that leads into our little subdivision. People visit here from the East and always comment on how brown it is here. Yes, it certainly can be seen that way, especially in light of the lush green that blankets most of the East. However, I have learned to really look, and I mean really look to see the marvelous architecture of our desert plants and trees. Every time I turn that corner, I am reminded how great God is and how gracious to create such amazing beauty for us to enjoy. Aren't those tree trunks amazing? And notice how the long pink flower spikes are leaning out to sun themselves.

My neighborhood

My heart always seems to skip a beat when we are up in the mountains and approach the elevation where the Aspens make their home. Aspen trees have long been my favorite sort of mysterious tree. I'm not sure why I find it so magical; perhaps it's the quaking leaves, or the fact that it is the largest living single organism in the country with it's roots spreading throughout Colorado nurturing new seedlings that will grow and thrive. I captured this shot on our vacation in the Rocky Mountains this summer. I had long appreciated the work of photographers who shot photos up through the trees and only lamented that I would never get the opportunity. Yet here it is, and I love it, as it transports me right back to that moment when I felt new as one of the seedlings being nurtured and protected by these two grand trees.

Capturing a dream

In keeping with our determination to stay out of the rut, the hubs and I are off on a Segway Tour of Desert Ridge out in North Scottsdale this weekend. I'm excited about the opportunity to capture some fun shots. They probably won't make it into the coffee table book, but I will share the fun here next week. Have a fun-filled weekend. ~ Blessings, Janet

50 @ 50 ~ Number 8 ~ Everyday Extraordinary: Capturing God Moments

I created this list over a year and a half ago, and with the best of intentions, I allowed things that were not on this list to take priority and, consequently, I'm not even half way through the list. I thought about re-visiting the list and taking things off that don't still appeal to me and when I did, I decided that I really want to accomplish what is there. I decided that if these items were important, I could figure out how to make myself accountable. Duh, blogging content is always a great way. Tell the world and then get to it. So here we go again.

Even though the items are numbered, I'm not taking them in any particular order, so here's what's going on with Item #8 ~ Creating a Coffee Table Picture Book. In order to "finish" something, we often need to know why we want to do it to begin with. I want to create the coffee table book because every now and then I take a photograph that captures the essence of the place. It is always an acknowledged "God Moment," and I want to be able to share those priceless moments in the pages of a book. So far, I have chosen eight such photographs for the book and my goal is to choose one hundred photos. I will share them here as it comes along and not keep them a secret until the project is complete. I hope you enjoy them and get a sense of those "God Moments" as well.

Here are the first eight:

Bridal Veil Falls ~ Utah May 2007

Provo River ~ Utah May 2007

Oak Creek Canyon ~ October 2008

Oak Creek Canyon ~ October 2008

La Jolla, CA ~ April 2009 ~ Celebrating 5th Anniversay

La Jolla, CA ~ April 2009 ~ Celebrating 5th Anniversary

La Jolla, CA ~ May 2009 ~ Meeting My Grand Niece and Nephew

Dobson Park ~ July 2010 ~ Morning Walk w/Rick and the Puppies

I am so grateful that life is full of these beautiful surprises. I only have to open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me everyday. This last photograph was taken while the hubs and I were walking our two new cocker pups in our neighborhood park. It was happenstance that we even noticed this...and it was like our entire family was, in that moment, getting a big Divine hug. :-) Enjoy. ~ Blessings, Janet

The Growing Garden

I am loving seeing how these once 4" potted plants are growing and producing food we will begin eating in the next week or two. The potatoes in the foreground of the squash bed are an experiment this year and we couldn't wait to "see" if there were potatoes under there. Then two weeks ago, Rick saw a little round red tater poking through the dirt! We're thinking in the next couple of weeks, we'll be enjoying delicious home grown potatoes!

Mourning Doves

This mom and baby are nesting in our Jacaranda tree in the front yard.