Family, Spring Break and Memories

Dear Brian,

What a bittersweet weekend this has been. 

Tee and family is here for spring break. 

We did a bunch of touristy things yesterday,

with our last stop at Hole in the Rock.







It was one of the places you and I would

dash off to when there was a need to get out,

and brought up so many thoughts of you.


But I came,  I saw,  I conquered


The sunset was amazing!

R&R

Another work week behind me, and I'm happy to say that my lifestyle changes have made a bit of improvements.  I think my blood pressure has dropped a bit, and so have five pounds.  Not a whole lot, but every little thing makes a difference these days!  I'm still eating well, reaching for "nutrient points" when I log my meals.  Most days, I reach my goal of 80 or better.  Today ... not so much.

After a grueling session working in the back of the store, going through old boxes of retention paperwork, we nearly completed the task set before us.  The powers that be have changed how and what can be shredded after certain dates.  I knew there were "several pallets" in the back that needed to be disposed of, but how they are disposed has changed.  We counted 13 pallets, with an average of 30 cases per pallet, of things that had to be resorted by the category they belonged in:  "Daily Reports" vs Accounting Records, etc.  In the past, we sorted them by the destroy date, mixing the cases on each pallet.  Then they changed, and said nope, they need to be sorted another way.  After three hours of hard work, heavy lifting and many clouds of dust, we are getting rid of 8 pallets -- 240 cases -- of old records, and have only 3 more to go through.  But that's for another day!   I'm ready for a long hot shower!

And now it's Saturday evening; Friday and today being two very relaxing days of nothing but sunshine, reading a good book, taking long walks, and watching a bit of Netflix. 

Nothing gets more relaxing, however, than watching an Arizona sunset:

Oink!

Here's something

you don't see every day!

I knew I had to do some waiting before my kids' plane touched down, so I thought "why not take this bit of time for a walk in a new park?"

I headed over to Riverview Park in Mesa, and found a woman walking her pig.  hehehe  He walked right along just like a pet dog!!

Ahh the amusing sights you see, if you're paying attention :)

I happened to be there at sunset, and Mother Nature didn't let me down.  Such beautiful light and colors.

Did you walk today?

With my extra efforts,
I've made over 10k steps
every day for the last 3 out of 4 days
(Saturday was jammie day for me!)
*giggles*

V-Formation

I am challenging myself to two things this month:  

more walking, and less griping.

It's so easy to gripe about how bad things are at work:  it IS the hell-iday season, we're extremely busy, customers are short on patience, bosses are short on patience, and employees are short on everything in between!   But I keep realizing that the more I gripe, the more I see the things that are wrong.  To combat that, I'm forcing myself to write something about a picture I take on one of my walks.  Sadie and I have taken to walking twice a day -  and that's good for both of us!

At Riparian Preserve, in Gilbert, I glanced up and found a V-formation of ducks flying toward me.  And with the sunset painting a gorgeous shade on the smattering of clouds, well.... you just have to shoot!  At least, I do.   Mother Nature in all her grandeur is ours for the taking, if only we'll stop our busy selves and take a few minutes to look around us and really notice the little things.  Maybe that's my calling in life:  recording those little things for those who don't take the time to do it on their own.  *ponders*

May the rest of your week be a blessed one!

Friday's ME

I got an urge!

Today, I was home from work a little earlier than usual, so had started puttering around in the back yard, then in the house.  As the light changed from sun to evening, I got an urge to head to the park to see about a sunset picture away from buildings.

I grabbed Sadie and we dashed on over, catching the very last rays at Hole In The Rock!  I missed some of it because of issues with GyPSy... or maybe it was me and my inputs.  heh heh heh

It was a gorgeous sunset, then we
wandered over and got a picture of
the pond after dusk.... :)

Always remember to smile 

and look up at what you got in life.”

-Marilyn Monroe

Lucky 7

Has the number 7 been lucky for you?  Sometimes I feel as if the number 7 is a lucky number for me; can't say it was an over the top lucky day today, but it was better than yesterday.

Today's ME:  I walked Sadie in the park, and got a great picture of the sunset. 

We can only be said to be alive in those moments 

when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  

~Thornton Wilder

Oh yeah, I also had a taco salad for dinner :)

Sunset

This is one of those hari-kari weeks at work.  Normally there are two of us sharing the workload, but this week, my helper is on vacation, so I'm doing ten straight days, and that can be murder on an old Gal like me! 

In order to keep myself up to the tasks, I have to make allowances in other areas.  Like this past weekend, I got all caught up on housework and laundry, shopped for good lunches to grab.  Having that part of my week ready makes me an easier person to get along with at work.  hahahaha  Another thing that I do is keep my focus at home toward rest and relaxation, and early to bed.  Isn't always easy, because there are usually 1001 things that need attention.  But they can wait a few days.  My mental health is more important!  :)

However, one of the things I started up again was working on my photography.  This time, I'm keeping it simpler.  Each day, every day, a snapshot of my life, of something that made me smile.  Easy enough - but you have to make time for it just the same.  Today's picture... watching the sun set.   It was glorious!

"Peace is seeing the sunset 

and knowing who to thank." 

- Unknown Author.

Sunset

Today's sunset was absolutely gorgeous!

May all your days be as beautiful as this one!

Break Your Rut

 








Sometimes you have to

break your rut,

switch up your routine

in order to do something

with meaning.




We get so busy

doing our day-to-day

stuffs, that we forget

there's a whole world out there.

Take a minute or two

to appreciate it,

bask in the glory

of a wonderful sunset.

Pix taken from Hole in the Rock

at Papago Park.















Me and my shadow!
(And Sadie's too!)

Serenity

Serenity is not freedom from the storm, 

but peace amid the storm.

It was a beautiful sunset tonight...

may it bring you as much peace as it did me.

There is beauty all around us,

if we just take the time to stop and look.

 

Come Fly with Me!

Nothing like a quick little trip to visit my folks in the Bay Area.  My Aunt and I decided it was 'girls weekend', so off I went -- without my kids!  I haven't taken a flight in over five years. And with all the changes that have happened, as you can imagine I was a little leery of what to expect.  We flew out of a small, newer airport here in the Valley, and it was pretty casual.  Yes, we still had to take off our shoes and walk through a metal detector, but we've been doing that for years, not such a big deal.

We boarded our plane up the tail cone staircase -- that was a first for me!  We got all settled in our seats, and then we sat there.  The pilot came on the overhead speaker to tell us about the flight, temps in California, and why we were just sitting there.  Seems the plane needed a pitstop to change a tire.  They jacked up the plane while we were in it, and got it done.  We took off late, landed late.  It was beautiful flying into the city and being able to see all the lights at night.

On the way back, we left from an International Airport, and yes, security was much tighter.  After removing shoes, putting all the 'stuff' thru the xray machine, we had to stand like you see on tv:  Between two big boxes, hands raised up to our ears, feet shoulder width apart for 10 seconds.  I happened to be wearing two metal bracelets, so I was stopped, they had to be inspected.  Some gal wearing gloves came and turned them on my wrists as she looked them over, making sure they weren't.... well... you know how it goes.  I have to admit to a thought I've had after that, however.  If people are recognizable by their dental xrays, will they also be identifiable by their airport body xrays?  Are they beginning to collect those?  Oh such paranoid thoughts, but its a strange world we live in at times.

Our plane took off on time, no mishaps, no tires needed to be changed.  We sat on the left side of the plane, and according to the captain, it was going to be a pretty view along the coast as we flew south.  And he was right!  It was fun looking down at buildings, cars, life as it was going along at its own pace.  We landed in good time, a few minutes early, during the eclipse at sunset.  It was gorgeous, I tried to snap a few pictures and liked this one the best. (Can't tell its an eclipse, but I liked the heat it implies)

Balanced Out

How good is your balance?  I always thought I had pretty good stability .... turns out I don't!  Well, not according to my trainer's version.  That's the one thing we've been working on every session -- balance.  Turns out my balance is ok with two feet on the ground, with my left leg/side as the stronger side.  But on one foot? 

Here's my challenge to you.  Test your own balance:  For 60 seconds, stand on one foot, with your other knee bent , up at 90degrees, hands on hips.  Then do the other foot for 60 seconds.  You will definitely feel the burn! (Of course, my trainer gives me NO slack - these are done in a circuit ... prone iso-abs for 45 seconds, bridges, then balance.  Rest one minute.  Repeat three times.  yowza!) 

But along with having good physical balance, we all need to be balanced in other ways as well.  I read the following quote:  "You can't find your balance until you completely lose it." (Sarah Ban Breathnach)  We try to eat balanced meals; we try to balance our work and home lives; we want balance in our relationships.  It seems that we've become accustomed to doing so much that it now feels normal.  We all are pulled in many directions throughout our days.  But we need to have -- no, we need to make time for reflection, renewal and recreation.  All of those are needed for balance.  Realize that not everything needs to be done today.   Take some time today for yourself, curl up in a chair and read, or watch the sun set.  (That's what I did today!)

Superstition Mountain

"You stand there, braced. Cloud shadows race
over the buff rock stacks as a projected film,
casting a queasy, mottled ground rash.
The air hisses and it is no local breeze
but the great harsh sweep of wind from the turning of the earth.
The wild country--indigo jags of mountain, grassy plain everlasting,
tumbled stones like fallen cities, the flaring roll of sky
--provokes a spiritual shudder.

It is like a deep note that cannot be heard but is felt,
it is like a claw in the gut...
...Other cultures have camped here a while and disappeared.
Only earth and sky matter.

Only the endlessly repeated flood of morning light.
You begin to see that God does not owe us much beyond that.”
~~Annie Proulx

Superstition Sunset

It's been quite the month here in the Valley of the Sun - between family visiting, work going totally nuts, and just a general feeling of never enough time to do what needs to be done - on the spur of the moment after work, I headed down a street I never drive, and found myself near Superstition Mountains. Just past 4pm, and knowing the sun would be setting in about an hour, plus there were clouds in the sky .... well, that seemed a perfect combination to me so I kept on driving out toward Lost Dutchman Mine State Park.

Passing the entrance (I didn't feel paying the $7 fee for a few snapshots was worth it), I headed to Weaver's Needle Vista Point. I hiked for about half an hour, up and down hills, my eye on Weaver's Needle. It was so very quiet out there, just a soft breeze as the sun drifted down, shining through layers of clouds as it moved. It was peaceful, and fed my soul.

On my way back toward town, there's a small service road to the back of Superstition Mountain that the locals use to hike some of the trails. I got out and wandered around, mostly focused on the setting sun, and hoping it would break through the clouds at the last minute and shine on the mountain before I left.

As I stood there, silence pressing in on me, the light faded to twilight, I stared up at the clouds. They were drifting ever so slowly, but definitely visible. Sounds from the mountain were audible as I stood there, nothing else moving around me. There's a word for what I was hearing: the breeze was soughing through the mountain. It's not often that you can use that word; and the noise it made was .... a little bit eery, as if something from another time and place was still making sounds from within the mountain caverns.

How often do we let sunsets pass us by?
How often do we not pause in our busy-ness and listen for the wind?
When was the last time you stopped, looked and listened
to nature rather than the radio, or the TV?
If its been a while, or you can't remember the last time, then make time to do it again real soon. Life is too short not to pause and realize how small we are, how short our time here on Earth is.

Nature-ful HUGS to everyone!