February Reflections

February 2011 brings many thoughts. Today, at lunch with the girls, I realized that in just 18 days, I will have been here in Arizona for three years now. Some days, I feel like a newbie here, because I haven't traveled all over the state ... yet. And other days, if feels as if I've always lived here. This place has begun to feel like home to me. At first, I have to admit, it was very different living here -- nothing green (like in Ohio), very few cloudy days (unlike Ohio), and everything so dry. Often, I felt as if I'd just shrivel up and blow away like a leaf from a tree. But it didn't happen. And I've learned to love living here in the desert. Two weeks ago, I took a friend hiking up around the Superstition Mountains, specifically the Lost Dutchman State Park. There's a quiet to the desert that can be pretty awe inspiring, if you take the time to notice it.

As we hiked along, I was able to snap a few
pix of some riders on horseback ...
talk about feeling like we'd stepped
back in time!

I love the magic of the desert,
the quiet beauty,
the many layers of color
that are subtle at first glance,
but deserve a second look.

As you move through your days this week,
make sure you take notice of the small beautiful things that most of us tend to overlook on a day to day basis as we hurry from task to task. You may be quietly surprised as well at the things around you!

HUGS to everyone!!