212/365 - Thank you BeBe

BeBe,
Thank you for letting us stay with you and allowing us to turn your life and house upside down for the last couple of weeks. We had such a good time and appreciate everything you did for us. We loved going to Disneyland with you, having lunch on the pier, sharing yummy meals out on the beautiful patio, going to the Pirate Dinner, stopping for decadent double decker ice cream treats, going on walks, reading together, swimming in the pool, and best of all, just spending special time with you! You are a wonderful stepmom and grandmother! We're lucky to have you, and we love you very, very much.

211/365 - In the airport

We had a two hour layover in Denver on the way home this afternoon, and it didn't take long for Ryan to find a cute girl to try to impress. Her name was Emmy, and I think they had a little thing going for each other; Ryan even asked her mom for her phone number (because she liked his game and he wanted to send her one when he got home!)

210/365 - My little James Dean

I wish the boy would let me style his hair a little bit like this sometimes because he looks so cute, but every time I mess with it, he just pushes it down and flattens it all out.

209/365 - Aunt Mar Mar

We made it back to Rancho Mirage late last night and are spending the next couple of days here so we can spend time together with BeBe, Uncle Ogre and Aunt Marcia. We also plan on going through some of Dad's things...something I'm not looking forward to but know has to be done...

When we met up with Bret and Marcia last week, we gave Marcia some letters we'd bought for Randi's room. I'd recently bought some super cute letters for Ryan's room, and Randi wanted some for her room too, but all we could find for her were some really plain white ones. However we both knew just the person who could doll them up for her...Aunt Mar Mar. Marcia is a florist and very talented at making and creating all kinds of things. She did all the flowers at our wedding and they were beautiful. I had about a 20 minute conversation with her on the phone a couple months before the wedding telling her what my dress was like, what the color scheme was and what flowers I liked and didn't like and that was it. I never saw any samples ahead of time or really talked with her much more about them, but when she arrived at the wedding with flowers in tow, they were amazing and exactly what I'd envisioned in my head! I still can't figure out how she did it! So when Randi and I gave her the letters to decorate, all we told her was what color Randi's room was and that she loved mermaids, and I had complete confidence that she'd come up with something wonderful...



And once again, she outdid herself!


Here's a photo from my wedding day so you can see how pretty my wedding flowers were...

208/365 - On the road again....

Besides checking up on our properties and visiting friends in Phoenix, we also had a date with the Superior Court of Arizona. Every two years the county assessor attempts to value our greenhouse property at a very high rate, and every two years we go before the State Board of Equilization and get the value lowered quite a bit. Well this year we felt it should have been lowered even more than it was, so we went one step further and sued Maricopa County for over-valuing our land. We met before a judge this afternoon and successfully got our valuation lowered an additional $90,000, which will save us about $5,000 over the next two years. Yeah! We wanted take the kids with us to let them experience what a courtroom was like, but at the last minute we thought better of it and left them with Shelby, Clarissa's daughter. I'm glad we did because Michael and I were able to better concentrate on the task at hand, and Randi mas able to make a new friend!

After having a yummy dinner of burgers and ice cream with the Shank family, we hit the road once again and headed back to California. It was bittersweet leaving the desert for some reason. There are many things I don't miss about Arizona...the heat, the poor air quality, the lack of vegitation, etc. But other than good friends and Trader Joe's, one of the things I do miss about the desert are the amazing sunsets!

207/365 - Judy

I got to spend some time with my dear friend Judy today. I can't remember exactly when I met Judy, but it was a long time ago. I moved to Phoenix in 1985 and met her the first year I was there, so I guess I've known her for about 26 years. Judy is one of the sweetest, kindest, most generous, caring and thoughtful people I know. She is also silly, quirky and a little bit crazy, so she's a hoot to be around and I adore her to the core. We've seen each other through many stages and changes in our lives, and our paths have always been entwined in one way or another...the nursery business, the dogs, my Mom, etc. We don't talk as often as we used to, but when we do, it's like we just talked the day before, and she's the kind of friend I can talk to about anything and everything and know she won't judge me or think any differently of me. And best of all, I know she always has my back...no matter what. That's a great feeling! I would go to the end of the earth for her, and I love her with all my heart.

Thank you Catherine for helping me edit this picture. I love your b/w processing technique!

206/365 - Flower Girl & My Home Girls

We still own several properties in Phoenix that we can't sell because of the depressed real estate market. Fortunately we have them all rented to wonderful tenants. This morning we visited our greenhouse tenants who are doing a great job of restoring the buildings and breathing new life into the property. After several not so good tenants who used and abused the property, it did my heart good to see it looking like a plant nursery once again.


This evening we went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restrant ever, Oaxaca and some of my best girlfriends from Phoenix joined us. Once again, it was so nice to share food, fun, laughter and good times with some of the people that mean the most to me. I love you girls...mean it!

L to R, Judy, Trish, Claire, Clarissa, Shelby, Alexi and Me
(Note to self, remember not to wear the same outfit to dinner when you think you might take a picture again the next day! But heck, I thought the top was super cute so I was trying to get some good usage out of it!)

Ryan kept messing with Auntie Clarissa during dinner, so when we were getting ready to leave, she scooped him up and made him pay for his mischievous ways! I just love this picture!

205/365 - Dave, Marle & Uncle D

We drove to Arizona yesterday and this evening we BBQ'd with some wonderful friends, Dave and Marle. Dave and Michael are hunting buddies, and Marle took care of Randi when Michael and I went to Australia & New Zealand several years ago when I was pregnant with Ryan. She also took care of both the kids a couple of times when Ryan was just a little guy. She is one of the few people I trusted with them, and while Ryan didn't remember her, Randi's face lit up and she gave Marle a huge hug when she saw her.


Uncle D also came over to Dave and Marle's to have dinner with us. D is actually a really good friend that we've known for about 20 years. He bought an awesome dog (Rowdy) from us years ago, he was always a big help to us at our herding trials and around our property in Phoenix, he's another one of Michael's hunting buddies, and he's Randi's first boyfriend. I think Randi started having a crush on him when she was only 3 years old. She still calls him her boyfriend, and you should have seen the look on her face when he walked out on the patio and she saw him for the first time in 3 years. I tried to capture the moment, but this photo doesn't begin to capture her excitement!


After dinner we went over to Uncle D's house to play on the big tractor and ride the mules.






It was a great night! It was so good to visit with old friends, to talk and just share time with people that are very special to us and that we truly care about.

204/365 - Lovin' my boy and the 24-70mm

I was taking some pictures of furniture that BeBe wanted to get rid of on Craigslist and Ryan climbed up on one of the barstools and posed for me all on his own. I thought it was a good opportunity to see what the adjusted 24-70 could do with a portrait and I'm quite pleased. It's so nice to have my other baby back!

We also took the kids to the mall today to get out of the heat and they just had to do this. I was a bit nervous, but they had a blast.

203/365 - Decisions, Decisions!

My Dad loved See's candy, and this girl didn't fall far from the family apple tree!

We drove out to Rancho Mirage last night, and it's really HOT here. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a beautiful pool to cool off in!

202/365 - A quiet day

We spent a couple hours on the beach next to BeBe's house this morning; it was quiet and peaceful, and I loved watching the boats go by while the kids built yet another Matterhorn sandcastle.


Later in the afternoon Randi wanted to read BeBe one of her chapter books. BeBe used to be a teacher and occasionally still does some tutoring and was impressed with how well Randi is reading. I'm super excited for her to start the first grade next month because the teacher she has will really help her reading skills take off even more.

201/365 - Meeting Misty

I picked up my camera and lenses from the Canon service center (yeah) this morning and then headed South to meet one of my good bloggy friends, Misty. We met at a really cool pier in Oceanside and spent several hours walking, talking, having yummy ice cream sundaes at the end of the pier, talking some more and then attempting to get a photo of ourselves to do what bloggers do. Michael was in rare form and gave us a hard time about stopping to shoot everything in sight, but with a little prodding, he took our cameras and captured the moment for us. The wind was crazy, my 4 year old was running off down the pier and we were having a hard time keeping a straight face because of all Michael's antics, so this photo is priceless to me because there is such a story behind it.

All too quickly it was time to say goodbye, and I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend I'd known forever rather than someone I'd just met for the first time 3 hours before. I left knowing that it might have been the first time we got together but it wouldn't be the last time we'd see each other. I'm already looking forward to that next visit my friend!




And here's a shot of Misty in action!


I was really happy to have the 7d and 24-70mm back once again and couldn't wait to play with them on the pier to see what they could do after cleaning and adjusting; using them again felt like I was putting on a comfortable old pair of jeans. For a while now I've had a love/hate relationship with the 24-70mm. I love the focal range and sometimes I get amazing pictures with it, but often times I feel like my shots are soft and should be a lot sharper. I often thought it was just me, but when Catherine came to visit, we talked about it and she suggested sending it in for calibration, so since I was so close to the Irvine service center on this trip, I dropped it off for them to take a look at it, and all I can say after getting it back is Banda Bing Bada Boom! Wowza! Now I know why people like this lens so much. The mechanical aspect of my lens was off and now that it's fixed, I'm kicking myself for not sending it in sooner. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for encouraging me to get it done Catherine! I owe you one!

200/365 - Disneyland

We spent another day at Disneyland. I don't know who has more fun there, the kids or Michael and I. I used to love to go play with Mickey when I was a kid. My Uncle Fred often performed in the park with Doc Severenson, so we'd sneak in with him in the back of his van. Back in the day we'd get a book of tickets for "A", "B", "C", etc. rides and the park was much smaller... but to me it seemed HUGE, and we had so much fun! However as a teenager I rarely went anymore, even though we lived less than 20 minutres away. And before we took the kids for the first time a couple of years ago, I hadn't been to the park in probably 15 years or more, so it's been fun going back and becoming a kid all over again!



One of the things the kids really love to do at Disneyland is trade pins. Before we go, we buy a bunch of cheap ones off Ebay and then we turn the kids loose with them in the park. They've gotten really good at spotting employees wearing pins and making their own decisions about trades. This trip they even ventured into the "big boy" trading area and traded with some pro's. They both made good exchanges, and it was fun to step back and watch them in action.

199/365 - Shiver me Timbers!

The boy is lovin' being a pirate!

198/365 - Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me!

We took the kids to a Pirate dinner show this evening. The food was quite tasty, although Ryan could hardly eat because he was so mesmerized by everything going on. The show was action packed and the actors were very, very good. And the best part of all was we got to sit right up front so the kids were asked to participate in the show several times. They had so much fun and can't stop talking about their adventures. Randi was part of the crew in a dingy race, Ryan got to go on the big Pirate ship to listen to a story read by the Captain, and both kids got to dress up like British soldiers and were armed with toy guns so they could take over the pirate ship and save the princess from the hands of the evil pirate captain. It really was adorable and we all had a super good time.

197/365 - Big Corona

I was born in Santa Monica, California. We lived in an apartment there that I don't remember, though my Mom always reminded me of the time I drove my big wheel down a flight of stairs when we lived there! When I was about 3 we moved to San Clemente where I went to elementary school at Ole Hansen. Later we moved to Newport Beach where I went to Lincoln Junior High and then Corona del Mar High School. When I wasn't at school I was either at the horse stables or at the beach, and the beach I remember going to the most was Big Corona. We spent a few hours there today. It was sunny and warm and the water was as cold as I remembered it. It was a fun going there with my kids and thinking back on all the fun times I had there when I was a kid. It's funny how life comes full circle some times!



This picture was taken on our way home from Big Corona. The beach you see below is Little Corona; it's right next to Big Corona but is separated from it by a bunch of rocks that we loved climbing over when we were kids. This is also the beach I snuck out to the night after I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled; obviously I wasn't in too much pain!

196/365 - The Big Cheese

Guess where we spent the day?

195/365 - Uncle Ogre

We spent the first day of our vacation visiting my brother and Aunt Mar Mar in San Clemente. For some reason the kids call Bret Uncle Ogre. He seems to like it, and they think it's a hoot. Bret doesn't like his picture taken, but when he gets around the kids, he loosens up a bit about it, and I'm so glad to have a few photos of them together.



I dropped the 7d at Canon in Irvine this AM for cleaning, so I'm using the 20d and am without editing software, so it's back to basics for a few days. Shooting and processing without what I'm used to sure makes me appreciate what I have at home, but I have to get some of these days up or I'll be even further behind!

194/365 - Beary Cute

We went to Costco the other day and Ryan HAD to have this bear. I tried to talk him out of it, especially since it took up the whole shopping cart, but he insisted that he'd love and take care of his new friend, so how could I say no? So Beary has now joined our family and hangs out in the office, the media room, the playroom, or anywhere else Ryan can drag him. This morning I found them snuggling in our bed and Ryan asked me to take their picture together...a true sign that he really loves his new buddy!

We're flying to California later today to spend time with BeBe. I'm looking forward to it but know that it'll also be hard at times...I just hope that more angels will be with me to help guide my way as I go back to the places I last saw my Dad...

193/365 - Sister Friend

I didn't take this photo (an exhibitor and wonderful photographer at the dog show named Terry Stickle took it) and it was taken on Sunday, but it showed up in my inbox this morning, so I'm using it today because it means the world to me to finally have a picture of me and Clarissa together. We had such a good time in Canada. We laughed and talked and laughed and cried and talked and laughed some more. Oh the stories we could tell! It's so nice to be able to talk with someone who you can share anything with and who you know won't think you're crazy or silly or totally off your rocker, and it feels good to just listen and be there for someone else when they need it too. Good friends are like that.

Clarissa is having trouble commenting on the blog, so I wanted to post her message to me after yesterdays post so I'll always have it to remember because it makes me smile:

Your pictures are fabulous!! Love them!! I have to be honest that when I have been around you the last two times I feel a blanket of comfort and a deep love washes over me. It seems at that time I am a messenger.... and if you asked me to repeat anything I said to you over the weekend I couldn't . I can feel your pain and anguish and yet all I feel is comfort and love. I wish you could have felt what I was feeling Sunday morning in our room. After this trip together our friendship has gone to another place or level and I acknowledge that.

I wouldn't change one bump or curve in our friendship road. Those bumps and curves have helped me to see you....my beautiful, strong, fun, bff Kristin!

Love you, mean it!!! Clarissa

Ditto right back at you sister friend!

192/365 - Angels everywhere

I went to Canada expecting to judge dogs. What I didn't expect were all the angels that presented themselves to me throughout the weekend. There were angels everywhere. There was an angel on the plane from Denver to Regina that gave me insight into raising my children; she told me things I already knew but really needed to hear again right now. There were two angels that drove me around over the weekend, showing me sights of the area and sharing with me their wisdom and perceptions about life. There was my angel friend Clarissa who read right through me and told me once again what I needed to hear. And there was an amazing angel who sat next to me on the plane from Denver to Austin. I was looking forward to reading my book on that segment of the flight and was a little disappointed to see I was sitting next to someone on a rather uncrowded flight, but from the moment I sat down next to her, I felt drawn to her and conversation came very easy. We talked and talked, and I cried and we talked some more. She asked about my kids and about me and about how I was doing and finally told me she was a psychotherapist. She told me how well she thought the kids were doing and gave me a wonderful technique to help me channel my thoughts when they start getting the better of me. We talked about a struggle I've been having and a decision I need to make, and she shared with me her personal experience of a very similar nature and how she handled it. She told me things would get easier and I'd be able to heal more once I was able to let go and cross over that bridge. After we got off the plane, I looked for her to ask what her name was, but I couldn't find her in front of me or behind me. She wasn't at the baggage area nor outside on the curb. It was as if she vanished; she was there and then she was gone.

It was a powerful weekend. I saw several things in a new light, and as the angel on the plane said to me, "there are no coincidences in life", so I think I was meant to go to Canada so these angels could visit and spend some much needed time with me...

191/365 - Here comes the judge!

I had a great day judging some really nice dogs and spending time with fun people. The show was held about 12 miles from Regina at a small farm that belonged to one of the club members. I loved the old barns and character of the property, and I had the most amazing view while I was judging. In between dogs, I loved looking out over the vast rolling plains of nothing but green grasses and yellow flowers blowing in the wind...



I took Randi's P/S, and I think it must have a smudge or fingerprint on the lens because all my pictures have this blur in the middle of them. Darn, but it's better than not having any pictures at all!

190/365 - Canada

I'm flying out early this morning to judge a dog show in Canada on Sunday. I'm looking forward to some cooler weather, seeing and judging some beautiful dogs, meeting new people, and spending the weekend with my BFF, Clarissa. She's a judge too, so while we'll be working part of the time, we also get to play and hang out together too, yeah, hurray!



I was a good girl and took this picture after midnight but before I went to bed at 2:00am on Saturday, but I'll be MIA for the next few days, so you won't see any posts or comments from me until I return on Tuesday. In the meantime, happy shooting, and can't wait to see what you all have been up to when I get back.
BTW, I'm not the judge in this photo! :o) I wasn't up for digging through files to find a picture of me judging and this one was sitting in the office, so it'll just have to do. At least it gives you an idea of what I'll be up to for the next couple of days.

189/365 - Oh Baby!

I haven't been feeling too inspired to take pictures the last couple of days, but when Randi sat down on the couch with this little cutie pie, I couldn't get my camera out fast enough. I'm bummed that I didn't check my setting better to open up my f-stop a little more to get Randi in better focus, but at least I got a shot of the little guy in all his adorableness!

188/365 - Having (too much) fun with Dad

Michael is a great Dad! He loves to play with the kids and do all kinds of crazy, fun stuff with them. He's really just a big kid himself, so much so that sometimes I wonder what he's thinking when he teaches them new things!!! (Sorry if this is TMI for some of you, but I tried to keep it PG.)

187/365 - Cousin Love

This is one of the main reasons we moved to Texas!

186/365 - Happy Birthday Dad

A year ago today we were in California having a surprise birthday party for my Dad. It was a beautiful day; Dad was truly surprised and a bit touched by the outpouring of love from all his closest friends; and I'll always remember he and the kids blowing out his birthday candles together. I've thought about that day a 100 times since I woke up this morning, and I wish I could go back to that place in time for just a little while. I want to go back not only to be with my Dad again but to tell him what a wonderful man and great father he was; I want to tell him how much he means to me and how thankful I am for all the love and life lessons he shared with me as he raised me from a skinny little horse loving tomboy to the person I am today. I want to hear him talk about the stock market and the economy and politics and hear his opinion about all kinds of things going on in the world today. He always kept up with those things and it drove him crazy that I didn't. I want to tell him about the kids, what they've been doing and funny things they've said recently. And I want to just sit quietly next to him and feel his strong presence close to me once again. If only... But for now I have to suffice with memories; memories of days gone by, experiences shared and defining moments in my life.

I remember driving around in Dad's big Cadillac sedan, going no where in particular, just riding around listening to John Denver on the 8 track player in the car with the windows down and the breeze in our hair; Annie's Song and Grandma's Feather Bed were his favorites. It was during one of those many drives that he pulled over and asked my brother and I for permission to marry our Step Mother, Brenda. I always admired and respected him for that and found it very endearing. It truly showed me how much he loved and cared for my brother and I and the sacrifices he was willing to make for us.

During Dad's bachelor days we used to eat at Coco's on Coast Hwy at least two or three times a week; I always got the same thing and it was always good. And when we set up the business in Arizona, our frequent dining spot became the restaurant next to Smitty's grocery store, however Durant's and the Stock Yards were Dad's favorite places to go. He always loved a good steak....right after a big bowl of spaghetti!

When I was a kid, Dad took me to Hawaii and Colorado and Wyoming and the Philippines. When I was in college, he supported my dream to sail around the world for a semester through a program called Semester at Sea. When I worked for him, he gave Michael and I a trip to Jamaica to reward us for meeting a year end sales goal. The only time he ever put his foot down about going somewhere was the night I called him from Hawaii and told him I'd just met some guys who were sailing to Tahiti the next day and had invited me to join them on their catamaran. He spent an hour convincing me not to go. I can only imagine the panic he felt being so many miles away and not sure if he could stop me, but I eventually saw the light, and we had many good laughs about that one over the years.

My Dad rarely ever "gave" me things and I often times resented him for that. I never could understand it as a kid, but now as an adult, and especially as a parent, I totally get it, and I admire him for rarely wavering and teaching me to respect and value the things I have in my life.

To this day, I can't back up a car without hearing Dad's voice in my head saying "Don't back up any further than you have to." And I too now find myself asking the kids if they were born in a barn when they don't shut the door.

One time Dad gave me a piece of paper with a penny taped and a note that said "for your thoughts"...I still have it somewhere...I need to find it so I can carry it with me now.

I could go on and on; it's hard to summarize a lifetime together into words, but these are some of the things I thought about today. Things I don't want to forget and that I want to share with my kids when they are old enough to read this. I wish they'd had more time with him, but I'm also incredibly thankful that he was here for some of their lives; that he got to see them and be with them and got to know them, even if was only for a short while.

So as this day draws to a close, I hope somehow he knows he was on my mind all day and that even though I couldn't call or send a card, I talked to him and wished him a Birthday unlike any I've ever wished him before.

This picture was taken at Dad's surprise party last year.
He and Randi were really close, so I love how this photo shows the bond they shared.


Dad and the kids modeling one of his birthday gifts, new reading glasses!

185/365 - Happy Fourth of July

We spent the day on the lake, swimming, eating, riding Sea-do's, eating, napping, eating, and spending time with family and friends. It was a good day. Our town is under a fire ban so they couldn't have a town firework display, but the lodge on the lake was able to secure a permit, so we took the boat out to watch the show and had front row seats.



I wasn't able to use a tripod because we were on the boat, so some of the sideways blur is from the boat rocking, but overall my shots came out much better this year than they ever have before, thanks to several online tutorials about how to take photos of fireworks.


ISO/100 * f/11 * 1/2 second

184/365 - Meet one of our neighbors

When Catherine was here she told me she was surprised I hadn't posted any pictures of our neighbors. I guess I've just taken them for granted since they are everywhere; this area is full of them and they walk up and down the road and through yards like they own the place...well, in a way I guess they do. The kids and I went on a bike ride this afternoon, and this beautiful girl caught my attention and was willing to stand and pose for me. She was so close I could almost touch her! So everyone, I'd like you to meet Jane Doe, one of our many wild, yet incredibly sweet, neighbors.