My new ride!

Woo hoo! Check her out..she is sweet and sassy, fast and fun.....and...ALL MINE!

Good bye Honda...hello Nissan. That little car was so good to me. So many great trips up to the cabin and never once a problem. But she had a lot of miles on her...174k. I figured it was time to move on. So, I said good bye. I think that was actually the longest I have ever held onto a car. January would have been 6 years.

My new ride is a 2005 Nissan Murano. It has low miles and is in great overall condition. I am very happy with my purchase, I got a great vehicle at a great price. Its definitely a buyers market out there.

I haven't had time to do my first road trip yet but we will...soon.

Just horsing around!

I had the pleasure of going horseback riding Saturday in the beautiful Superstition Mountains. It was fantastic! The weather was perfect for a morning out with nature. It was a two hour ride and there were 3 of us plus the tour guide.

My horse was named "Mouse" he was mellow and well behaved...thank goodness! We started out at about 8am and it was a little cool at that time, but the sun was just about all the way up over the mountain so I knew it would warm up soon enough.

The owners of the ranch also have a bunch of cattle so we had some visitors as we were out there as well....They seemed a bit put off that we were riding in their spot.

They started picking up their pace as if we were chasing them. It was really funny...we just wanted them to move aside so we could pass.

A good time was had by all. It is hard not too when you surrounded by such beauty!

I am always amazed by horses and think they are just beautiful animals. Even though I am not an overly experienced rider, I really enjoy it.

It is really great down time for me...to be able to out in the wilderness...enjoy the beauty around me and feel peace in my heart.

Heading to Nashville....

As some of you may know. I have been working diligently, for the past few years to get all my debt paid off. It has been a very long and rewarding process but I made it. I now only owe money on my home. I am very excited and learned so much in this process. The next step, and its a big step, was to get certified to help other people. I sent my application, with the help of my friends and their letters of recommendation, to the Dave Ramsey group and after 6 weeks of waiting I found out that I have been accepted into the program. I am going to Nashville in January for training. If you are interested in learning more about what I am going to be doing here is a link to the website. I would be extremely grateful for your prayers and support as I start this new adventure in my life. I am very excited and really feel this is a great fit for me. I will be back from Nashville and will be able to start helping people at the end of January. I am in the process now of establishing a business name and website so when I get back from training I can hit the ground running. A special thanks to Evie, Jessamyn and Kristine for writting such amazing recommendation letters for me. I am blest to have you all in my life.

Walk with me....

...through an enchanted garden!

I came upon this wonderful garden while at the Jersey Shore with my family this summer. We were walking through a little town and this garden was next to a fantastic antique store. They had so many wonderful beack finds and nautical antiques. Of course its a little hard to shop when you can only bring one suitcase on the plane, but beleive me if I had more room and a larfer weight limit I would have had some serious fun shopping! I was taken by how abstract and gorgeous this little garden was. It was so peaceful and you could hear and smell the nearby sea. I sat on the little white bench for a few moments and enjoyed this little garden. I hope you do too.

September 11, 2008

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'
You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.'
I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'
I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan . I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?
I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were ;there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?
Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you . But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
God During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it is only 1 minute.) All you have to do is the following:
Stop and think and appreciate God's power in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to Him. If you believe 'Yes, I love my God. He is my fountain of Life and My Savior. He Keeps me going day and night. Without Him, I am no one. But with Him, I can do everything. Christ is my strength.'

My best friend Evie sent this to me and I thought it was a perfect reminder to post on my blog in honor of the victims of September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were that day, let's never forget!

A week at the beach with my family...

August 9-16, 2008~

I flew out to the east coast to spend a week with my family on the Jersey Shore. We rented a cute beach house, thanks to my sister. The location was wonderful we were just 6 houses away from the bay where there was a playground, swimming area, fishingdock and a glourious little garden, a beautiful place to watch the sunset and see the storms roll in from the mainland. The ocean was only 3 blocks away, it was a quick little walk. We spent most days at the beach soaking up the sun, enjoying the surf and spending quality time with my family. My neice and nephew really enjoyed playing in the sand. Vincent loved the waves and wasn't scared at all, Carley on the other hand would not go anywhere near the water at the ocean. We took a few walking adventures to find seashells and other beach finds.

The house also had a nice big backyard, which was great for the kids to play in. We barbequed a lot and had a few late afternoon cocktails on the deck. It was so relaxing.

The town we were in was Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island. It was a great area. The Island had so many little towns each with their own beaches and towns.

We walked around a bunch of cute small towns, went out to dinner, stopped at the ice cream stand, took long walks and just had a really great time.

At the far north point of the Island was the barnaget lighthouse. Janice, Dennis, Vincent, Carley and myself climed all 217 stairs to the top and got an incredible view of the entire island.

I walked down to the ocean one morning early, to see the sunrise. It was so neat to walk in the dark with a cold breeze in the air. It was incredible. The beach was so quiet and peaceful at that time of morning. I loved the serenity of it. It was a cloudy morning and it was just gorgeous.The sand seemed to glow with the low rays of the sun. I got back to the house in time for everyone to start waking up. It was an awesome to start the day.

Is was a wonderful week with my family. Vincent and Carley are at such fun ages and had a blast with them. I went on many walks with them through the neighborhood, played at the park, built sandcastles, played games and loved on each other. I was so glad I was able to make it for the week. We are already planning for next year.

The colors of my garden

August in the garden...usually not much color, mostly half brown plants struggling to make it through another Arizona summer...Aren't we all?

Well thanks to a wonderful storm and a soaked backyard my rose bushes all have tons of blooms. I guess they just needed a good drink. It gave me hope that my garden will be beautiful again...I can't wait for fall...my garden needs some love.

Bisbee...Here I come!

Wow....what a town. If you have never been you must. It is an awesome little town in the very south east corner of the state. It is unique, eclectic, whimsical and so much fun. You actually don't think you are still in Arizona.

I started my adventure on Saturday morning at about 8am. The car is packed, the dogs are left in good hands and the gas tank is full....I planned my trip to go through Tucson instead of driving past it because there was a store I wanted to stop in down there. So I went out the 60, a much nicer drive than going the I-10 the entire way. At about 9:30 I stopped in a little town, Catalina, just outside Tucson for breakfast. I found this awesome little place "Sunnyside Up Cafe" and it was wonderful....great food, awesome people and oh so cute. It was decorated in Black ,white and yellow. It had a Black & white checkered floor and cheery yellow curtains and decorated in a farmhouse style....totally adorable. The food was fantastic I had a half order of there signiture breakfast special, biscutes & gravy with sausage, scrammbled eggs and hashbrowns.....I was happy I had the forsight to only get the half order. While in Catalina I also filled up the gas tank....only $3.81! Who ever thought I would be excited to see gas at that price.

Then I was back on the road to Bisbee. In Douglas I found a farmers market that I stopped at to get some fruit. Then found an antique store where I found this old railing off a house from the new england area. I had no idea what I was going to do with it but was sure I could figure something out. He had it priced at $30 but when I offered him $20 he took it right away. So we loaded it in my car and off I went. It is now on the plant shelf in my living room although I am not sure that is where it will stay. It might end up in the backyard when the weather cools down and I start working out there again.

From there the drive wasn't too bad. I heard that once I saw the tunnel I was just about there...

The view from the top looking down into the town.

Arrived in Bisbee at about 1:30 p.m. I was so excited to check out the town. I found a parking spot and walked around all the little shops and galleries. I loved looking at all the old brick buildings.

After walking around town for an hour or so I was off to find where I was staying for the night. Thats where the fun really begins. Now, some of you will think I am crazy and some of you will totally appreciate where I decided to stay for the night. Ok, it's called The Shady Dell it is a vintage trailer park. I saw a special abiut this place on the travel channel years ago and have thought about going ever since. I have wanted to own one of these little trailers for years. They are not hard to find but they are very expensive to restore. I just think it would be so fun to hitch up my little travel trailer and get out of the valley....especially since I no longer have a cabin to run to. I stayed in the smallest of the trailers called the "Home made". It was so perfect for me. To make it even better it rained...poured actually. I just loved falling asleep to the pitter patter of rain drops hitting the top of my sweet little trailer. It was awesome!

I had a wonderful breakfast on site sunday morning at Dot's Diner. The diner was adorable, only had 10 counter stools inside and then had some outside dining as well. The diner is part of The Shady Dell and definitly fun & nostalgic.









After breakfast I was off to tour the Queen Mine.
This was an incredible experience. I loved th tour, the guide and just everything about it. If you ever get down to Bisbee this tour is a must! They instruct you to wear a jacket because it is 47 degrees in the mine. It was a bit damp too from the rain the night before but th entire experience was fantastic. You ride the mine train deep into the mine and the guide points out copper, turquoise and gold. He also explains the history of the mine and is very willing to answer questions from the guests.

The entire trip was fantastic. I left Bisbee and headed back to Phx on Sunday after the tour. I really enjoyed my little weekend getaway. If you ever get the chance...check out Bisbee.

Getting back to basics....

I feel lately like I have fallen away from the things that, once upon a time really mattered. I feel busy all the time and am craving some of the simpler things I enjoy so much. I really want to get out in my garden and make it look pretty again...but who wants to hang out in this heat??? Not me! So my garden stays as is, and is beginning to look somewhat neglected. This makes me sad, but I know is only temporary. I also haven't found time to read, or journal or crochet or update my blog. I have been really busy at my job and in my off time am spending time looking for a new job. This is not an easy task in this economy. The job market is very tough right now. This weekend, I am working the entire thing....Hallmark premiere's their Christmas ornaments this weekend.....yes, I said Christmas.....yes, it was 107 degrees yesterday with a good amount of humidity. So in turn....I am taking off next weekend....the whole thing....3 full days off, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Don't really have many plans yet...but I will definitely do some reading, crocheting and journaling, and I am sure there will even be a fun post or two on this neglected blog of mine. Thanks for visiting!

Carley turns 3!

Happy Birthday Carley!

This little girl is the sweetest in the world...to me anyway. I was so lucky to be able to go to NY to celebrate her 3rd birthday with her. A friend of mine gave me a "buddy pass" so I was able to fly super cheap and go for the weekend. I would never pay full price to go for just the weekend but for $99, how could I say no!

We went to the beach! It was so beautiful, I appreciated every minute of it. We werre only able to stay a short time but it was so great to just be there.

Vincent had a great time trying so hard to skip rocks. He got a little frustrated but eventually got one to skip. He is a very determined little guy. It was a full weekend with a softball game (t-ball) party planning and visiting with family. I really enjoyed my time there. It had been over a year since I had last visited NY and I hadn't realized how much I missed it till I had went back. I had a fantastic 3 days there.

The birthday girl enjoying the trampoline.

Me and Carly at Vincents game

Carley and Vincent "marching" with their Amercian flags in the front yard of thier new house.

It was a busy weekend for this little birthday girl. I hope she has as much fun as her Aunt Karyn did.

Taking time to breathe....

"The Blue Olive" Strawberry, AZ

I ran away last week...just for a few days up my favorite hwy....Hwy 87 that is. I found an adorable cabin in Strawberry to rent out and had a fantastic time. I was only there for 2 days but it was refreshing and relaxing. I took the dogs and spent most of our time out doors. We went on a bunch of hikes and nature walks, played in the large yard, and I went horseback riding. That was definitly the highlight of my trip. It was so much fun. I took a two hour ride from the Kohl's ranch stables and really enjoyed being with nature.

"Edgar"

It was so lush and green and I loved seeing this water fall. My guide was awesome and let the horses run through the creek. They splashed around which got us wet but for a HOT day in Payson it was very well received by both of us.

I am happy to have found a replacement cabin for escaping the desert. It was nice to visit and not have to worry about the stress of running a second home. This little cabin was cozy, clean and ideal for a little getaway....I will visit again for sure.