Ode to Coffeeshops

Bubbly
Frothy
Spicy, sweet.
Smooth
Relaxing
A time away.
Jazz, blues, folk tunes
Are heard.
People talking,
Laughing
Reading
Listening
Thinking, sharing, bonding.
The comfort of
A hot cup of joe.
All seasons
All times.
A place to steal a moment
Away from the world.

a beautiful day in the desert

days like today i am so thankful of warm weather and sunshine almost every day of the year. we got up early, lou and i took a walk down roosevelt street in search of the farmer's market. i had seen a sign on the street and made a mental note to check it out on the weekend. we followed the signs and it let us to a quaint little marketplace with local farmers and artists sharing their craft. lou sniffed out some organic peanut butter treats that he had to have and we found a warm spot just as the live music was starting. lex joined us soon after and we spent the morning enjoying the sunshine, drinking coffee and sharing tamales, barbeque and an appleturnover..yum~ it seems that we are discovering new gifts the city has to offer all the time, right in our backyard.

the afternoon brought more sunshine and we took advantage of comp tickets to the desert botanical gardens. they are tucked back off the main road and the paths wind around giant saguaros, octillo and prickly pears. snuggly desert rabbits were all along the path and desert rats scurried into their holes..lots of snowbirds were there to learn about the desert and enjoy the afternoon. we strolled along the path, taking it all in, breathing in the afternoon...ahhh...

Winter Wonderland

Yes, Virginia, there is winter in Arizona

somehow it seems that the older we get, the more we enjoy doing the things we enjoyed as kids (except sometimes alcohol is involved!) lex and i just got back from a long president's day weekend in the white mountains of arizona- about 31/2 hours north east of phoenix and had more fun just hanging out. ironically so, mom and dad are currently spending their last day in the Florida Keys, while we ventured north to experience temperatures below 60 and SNOW. the drive was beautiful, snow covered mountains and pine trees all over...we stopped on the way to toss snowballs at each other and give lex a chance to make a snow angel!

saturday morning we lounged with our coffee and then bundled up to spend some time in the outdoor hot tub at the condo - nothing like soaking in a steam bath with a snow covered ground - delicious- ...later we went to the movies with a picnic lunch - "definitely, maybe" - cute flick, but SO predictable, as romantic comedies tend to be. after the movie we drove around looking for a local park where we could take a stroll, stretch out our legs and enjoy the sunshine. Woodland Lake Park was where we ended up- the whole lake was frozen except for a small area under the bridge where all the ducks were hanging out. it was great to see so many people out at the park on a sunday afternoon in the cold, walking dogs, riding bikes, pushing strollers...we ended our afternoon - SLEDDING - it was so much fun to remember all of the childhood memories I had sledding at Gypsy Hill park golfcourse, Preston Lane, SMA and the hills of Mary Baldwin. (Thanks Dad!) being a native Arizonan, Lex is a newbie to sledding and she totally fell in love with it - and we caught it all on tape. She was way better than me- I had a tough time staying on the course, imagine that.

No Words

I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that.

Shaq Attack

Two of our favorite things to do in our spare time are to spend time with Lou, the most handsome canine in our lives and cheering on our own Phoenix Suns.

Just last week, these two worlds collided.. One would think that with the FBR open, the Superbowl and much talked about NBA match-ups, we would have run into SOMEONE famous...but noooo....!

Tuesday night we heard the dreaded news that my #1 fav player, Shawn Marion was being traded, along with Marcus Banks for a 300+ pounder Shaq. How is that an even trade? I'm especially disappointed since I finally broke down and bought a Suns T-shirt with Marion's number on it in November and it's already an archive!

Back to walking the dog...yesterday afternoon, Lex and I had several minutes between classes and massages, the sun was out, so we decided to take our handsome man for a walk. For those of you who have visited us, we fondly refer to our abode as "the barrio." We are in between freeways and the middle of downtown, so walking Lou casually through the neighborhood is often met with scary pit bulls and even scarier Chihuahuas! So we made our way past the houses, cross the freeway and land on this lovely patch of grass behind one of the city's hospitals. Lou loves the grass (considering we have so little of it- poor guy has to roll around in the rocks at home!) We pause for Lou to sniff - and roll - and roll -- and sniff......I'm looking around and I notice a limo SUV pull up into the back parking lot of the hospital..

Me: Who in the *&%$ comes to the hospital in a limo??

Lex: I don't know, but let's hurry up so we can see!come on, Lou, stop sniffing!

The driver gets out and runs around to open the door just as we can see feet stepping out of the limo.

Lex: OMG! It's Shaquille O'Neal!

Me: No way, really?? Lex: Yeah, look at him limp- HE's HUGE!!

Lex fumbles to get her phone to take a pic- but instead we spent more time questioning whether it was him or not.

So we watch all 300+ pounds of Shaq limp up the ramp into the hospital, towering above his white hand man - only to find out several hours later, that our sighting was, indeed, the newest addition to our own Phoenix Suns. Moral of the Story- keep walking your dog - you never know where you will end up :)

GO SUNS!!

Just Getting Started

So this is easily the third time I have attempted at creating a blog space of my own and I am determined to be successful this time. Many days pass with memorable moments, ideas to be saved, intelligent quotes and feel good experiences. I bought yet another journal recently, thinking I would write them all down (part of the new year ritual) and truth is..the notebook stands virtually empty. Living so far away from some of my dearest friends and all of my family ~ this is a tribute to each of you and to me as we all experience these "moments in time."

live with intention

walk to the edge

listen hard

practice wellness

play with abandon

laugh

choose with no regret

continue to learn

appreciate your friends

do what you love

live as though this is all there is..