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Just sharing her adorable-ness.

Students of herpetology

Disclaimer: No reptiles, crustaceans or small children were harmed in the making of this post.

We spent the weekend camping at Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area. A 4-star accommodation as far as campsites go. The tent sites are right on the lake and great bathroom facilities (showers, flushing toilets and a dish washing sink) are a modest distance away. My kind of camping...still in a tent and communing with nature...but with some luxuries of modern living.

Ask Emily what she enjoyed the most and she lists off swimming in the lake, catching crayfish and petting the water snake. Yes...this teen caught the snake, as it was crossing the river, with his bare hands.



Ask Megan what animals she saw and she'll tell you, "a big snake," referring to the snake that happened to be crossing the road. No catching this one with bare hands but instead it was photographed from the car. (I wasn't with them but when I saw the picture it looked a lot like a rattler to me. But Steve assures me it was a gopher snake. Rattlers will take that accommodation rating right down to 1-star in a hurry).


Certainly an interesting theme there...but I assure you we won't be getting any snakes as pets anytime soon. I'm afraid Grandma would never come to visit again.

A night on the town - mother-daughter style

ASU’s Gammage Auditorium is host to the Broadway Across America series and this week it was Disney’s High School Musical On Tour. So Emily and I made a night of it. We got dressed up, had dinner out and an evening at the theater. The production was great and my company was delightful. It's special outings like this that make me especially grateful for daughters. I look forward to a couple years down the road when Megs will be included.

An evening with old friends

Yesterday afternoon my friend, Jill, and I went to see the SATC movie. I'm pleased to report that it exceeded both of our expectations. I didn't realize how much I missed "the girls" until the familiar sound of the theme music first played and a satisfaction rushed over me like slipping on an old, cozy sweatshirt. The next two and a half hours flew by just like time catching up with old friends usually does. We laughed, we cried and we wished for just a little bit more time together. The only thing disappointing about it is that there isn't another episode to look forward to in a week.

Jill and I then went for dinner to share a pizza, dessert and great conversation. And that portion of me that only girlfriends can recharge is back on full.

At least it isn't an 8-track

We've bought into the whole MP3 technology, we really have. But I have to confess...I still buy CDs (gasp). Call me old fashioned since I'm certain there were folks still buying LPs when the rest of us had been buying cassette tapes for years and we thought they were were so totally un-hip. Anywho, there are even a few bands that I anxiously await purchasing the new CD on the Tuesday release date. This band is one of them. I've been listening to their latest album released yesterday...on both my CD player and iPod...a lot.

In the meantime, Emily has been enjoying the soundtrack for this movie in anticipation of Friday's premiere.

Do we ever really lose our love for dressing up?

A professional photographer came to Megan’s preschool last week. The same gentleman has been coming to the school for as long as we’ve brought our girls there. Megan has never taken to him well. But this time was a turning point. Her teacher said it did not involve any coaxing and she even smiled on her own. What has caused this change of heart? Could it be that she’s maturing? Or could it be that it involved dressing up? Perhaps it's a little bit of both.

These make me chuckle every time I look at them. Let me know which is your favorite.

Cinderella’s natural color perhaps?



Mint julep anyone?



Let's go rustle us up some snacks.

Reach for the gold

We have returned from Florida...and are still catching our breath. For those of you that don't already know, we were there to celebrate my folks' 50th wedding anniversary. We hosted an "almost-surprise" dinner that was attended by 42 old friends, neighbors and family members. The whole weekend was a wonderful reunion and I'll get around to posting more pictures and details from the trip after we return from a Father's Day stay-cation.

But since tomorrow, June 14th, is my parents true 50th anniversary, I wanted to share the video I compiled for them (the creative project I mentioned in my last post) and wish them once again a very happy anniversary.

We love you Mom & Dad. You are an inspiration.

Taking a breather

A deafening quiet from the desert these days. I assure you we have not withered and blown away in the heat. I've just been involved with a project that has captured all my creative energy this past week. When we return from visiting my folks in Florida next week I should be raring to go. Promise.