Day 90 – Spoiled Rotten

One of the things I love, love, love about my mother-in-law, Sally, is how she spoils us when we visit. Their home is so warm and cozy and was truly inviting after our 10 day trip. I honestly feel like I am at a retreat! Because the weather was so mild we were able to eat outside on their deck. Fruit, cheese, a variety of crackers, smoked salmon, dips, hummus, etc. I really could go on and on! Thank you Sally!!! Thank you for taking care of me (and your son)!

Day 89 – What a Way to End a Trip

Today we ended our trip and we ended it in GRAND style. After a late departure from the hotel of 10:00 a.m. we boarded a truck for an adventure to Antelope Slot Canyon. This canyon is located on the Navajo Reservation and you are only guided through the canyon by a Navajo. He was the best! Knowledgeable about the canyon and about photography. This has to be one of my top favorite photographs from the trip. I would LOVE to have an entire day photographing this slot canyon with the ever changing light!

Day 88 – A Boat Ride on the Lake

As we are winding down our trip, we spent day 9 on the lake. Lake Powell. We cruised to Rainbow Bridge and even down into a narrow path that the boat captain maneuvered our boat through as well as turning around. He is great at 3-point turns! Beautiful day!

Day 87 – A Surprise Visit

On this day 8 of our 10 day trip, we made a surprise visit to Goodneck State Park. Guess who was the most excited of our little group? Yep. My sweet husband. He was beside himself. I will say, it is a pretty darn amazing place! After a delicious lunch of Navajo Tacos at Gouldings Lodge we had the opportunity to visit Monument Valley. I have heard that they offer photograph trips to Monument Valley. One day, yes, one day I will take this opportunity. The bottom right photo is from the inside of a hogan which a Navajo dwelling.

Day 86 – Arches National Park

It is reported that there are over 2,000 natural sandstone arches in this national park. ALL created by nature! We visited a few. While most of the group headed to Landscape Arch, I took the trail to Pine Tree Arch and Double Arch. For about 30 minutes, I was there alone. Just me. Under this gigantic arch. I tried to photograph it from all angels and on both sides. Every angle was different as the light danced around. I could have stayed there all day.

Day 85 – A Dead Horse and an Arch

This is Dead Horse State Park. It was pretty dry looking, but look at those snow covered mountains in the distance. And the clouds? Just amazing! The bottom right photo, with my sweet husband is Mesa Arch. It’s actually the first natural arch I have seen. Just think….nature carved this. Simply breathtaking!

Day 84–A Reef and a Gulch

It was windy. A very wind day at Capitol Reef National Park. But the wind didn’t overshadow the beauty. I captured one of my favorite shots of the day on the bottom right. Out little group. They were all huddled together listening to our naturalist/geologist, who traveled with us on this trip. The bottom right photo is from Grand Gulch. This dry river bed contained some many different varieties of rocks! It was awesome!

Day 83 – Bryce Canyon

I don’t know if any words can convey my feelings when I first glanced at this marvelous canyon. I had been told there was nothing like it anywhere on this earth. Now, I haven’t been everywhere on this earth, but I would have to say, I haven’t seen anything like this wonder.
The beautiful snow blanket on enhanced her beauty. I could have stayed for hours or even days. Glorious!

Day 82 – The Grandeur of Zion

It was a beautiful day. I sat in the middle of all these grand rocks. Still. Quiet. In awe.I found this quote that fittingly describes Zion:

Where stone, that mystic symbol of permanence, nobility, and enduring strength, has been transformed by nature's sculptors into a grand display of three-dimensional artistry in rock unmatched for variety anywhere else.  ~Ward Roylance

Day 81– A Wide Angle

We spent the morning in St. George then following lunch we journeyed to Snow Canyon State Park. I have rented a wide angle lens for this trip and I so love it! Just look at this view! Gorgeous.

Day 80 – A Geology Lesson

We arrived in St. George, Utah at the Dixie State College Inn. This was in our packet and my sweet husband could not have been happier. Well, I know his face doesn’t reflect happiness, but let me tell you, he was thrilled with this book! After a little dinner at the college we had brief introductions and a lecture on what was to come the next 10 days. It will be quite an adventure!

Day 79 – Bronco Riding

Mr. Tom had a yummy breakfast at The Coffee Cup in Boulder City. As he was walking down the sidewalk he spotted this one-ear cow outside an ice cream shop. He just had to take a little ride. Mooooo!

Day 78 – Leaving for Nevada and Utah

Today we leave for our Big Trip. We will be traveling to Boulder City, Nevada for a short visit with the Nelsons then on to Utah with Road Scholars and Dixie State College. Mr. Tom is so excited about traveling with us. He will miss Mady and his pint size friend John Brown, but it will be the adventure of a lifetime!

Day 77 – Last Day (For Two Weeks)

Since I knew I wouldn’t see Cupcake for 2 whole weeks, we had some fun at the playground after preschool. Her Bob-Bob and I gave her a little monkey that she called Peaches. Peaches reminded her that even when we are far away we think about her everyday and that we love her very much. Peaches was a hit!

Day 76 – Just Two More Days

We are all packed and ready to go. Even Mr. Tom is pretty dang excited! Boulder City, Nevada first, then Utah here we come!

Day 75 – A Little Leo Music

A while back I surprised my husband with front row tickets to see one of his favorite guitar players, Leo Kottke. He was playing in Nashville 3 days before our big trip to Utah. It was wonderful!

Day 74 – A View Through the Sunroof

I looked and saw beautiful clouds and a bright sun. I took the picture and it was grainy. I love it.

Day 73 – A Graduation

These came in the mail today. It’s really gonna happen. I am so proud of my baby girl.

Day 72–A Girl and Her iPad

My little Cupcake loves the iPad. She like watching her Bobbob’s Guitar Lick of the Day videos, Angry Birds game, her kiddie games AND watching cooking videos from my Martha Stewart App. I just love that Cupcake Girl!

Day 71–A New Bag

My latest purchase for our upcoming trip. A rolling camera bag. I think I’m gonna like it!

Day 70 – Spring Has Sprung

These beautiful flowering trees are the first blooms of 2011. They are also on my daughter’s street. Driving to her house is such a pleasure with these beautiful trees as frames.

I love the little speck of the moon just above this white tree.

Day 69 – A Fortune

Day 68 – Rain and Fog

We’ve had enough rain now. Enough I say! Seems like it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights, but I know it hasn’t. Anyway, I was passing by our lovely bedroom window I saw the fog drifting through the trees. It was eerie and lovely at the same time.

Day 67 – Convex or Concave?

Had a playdate at the Children’s Discovery Museum. We found these convex/concave mirrors and I just LOVE this photo of my sweet Cupcake Girl! She laughed when she saw herself in this one!

Day 66 – A Picnic

We had a little picnic, in the house. The red/white bowl, spoons and eggs that you see were made by Cupcake’s aunt Beanie! Cupcake loves playing with them and sometimes she even wears the bowl as a hat! Thanks Beanie!

Day 65 - A Knitted Square

I wish I could knit. I’ve tried. Either my fingers or my brain or both just won’t allow me. I will keep trying and maybe one day it will click for me. But both of my step-daughters are amazing knitters! Beanie has taken on a project called a Barn Raising Quilt. According to Beanie you make it by knitting different squares and sewing them together in a patchwork of sorts.  The trick is to use sock yarn (nice and thin) that is not a solid color but is variegated (lots of different colors in one skein of yarn).  Then when you knit up the squares, they are a gorgeous swirl of color. The other trick is to knit your squares from the center out in a circular pattern (stay tuned for in-progress pictures to show you what I mean) so that the pattern swirls. She just started this project and has several squares completed. We went to her favorite yarn store in Nashville, Haus of Yarn, and she let Cupcake pick out some yarn for a few of the next squares. While we were there I took some photographs for her of the beautiful, colorful yarns. Then the following day I photographed her completed squares. I can’t wait to see her future squares and the finished project!

Day 64 – The Dunk

I love, love, love this picture! We went to the Vanderbilt vs Florida basketball game. We were only 18 rows from the court, but it wound up being  “stand-the-whole-time” seating. My sweet husband took my camera and started taking pictures AND THIS IS ONE THAT HE TOOK!!! What an terrific dunk and an even more awesome capture! Thank you my sweet husband!

Day 63 – My House and Me

I decided, after seeing some inspiration at Hobby Lobby, to sew up a few things for a birthday gift for Beanie. While I was at Cupcake’s house, I cut the items out and Cupcake wanted to cut up the scraps. She began putting some of the strips together and asked, “What does this one look like?” So, we decided to make a little scene out of the scraps. We came up with a house, trees and little person she said was herself. The final product was glued onto cardstock and proudly hangs on her frig! Below is the before and after scenes…..

Day 62 – Breakfast

Cupcakes always wakes up hungry. Very hungry. And thirsty. Sometimes she is like a bottomless pit. On this particular morning, after a sleepover, I didn’t think I could fill her up! Fruit, 2 bowls of cereal, cheese toast and chocolate milk. Wow!

Day 61 – Jackpot!

We took Cupcake to one of her favorite stores, Books A Million and boy did I hit the jackpot! They had their Easter/Spring books on a table in the middle of an aisle and they were all $3.99 and under! I even found on of my recently discovered favorite characters Minerva Louise. This series of books is written by Janet Morgan Stoeke and is about a hen who is somewhat like Amelia Bedelia. I first discovered Minerva Louise through our local library. I foresee future books about Minerva Louise in Cupcake’s future.

Day 60 - Goodnight John Boy

There are several TV shows from the 50’s through the 80’s that are currently in reruns. Good Times, All in The Family, I Love Lucy, to name a few. I don’t know what it is about these shows, but I truly enjoy watching them. They really don’t make TV shows like this anymore and probably couldn’t.

One in particular that I have consistently been watching is The Waltons. I remember watching this with my Mother. We both loved it. Now, at age 48, I see this show through different eyes. In particular, the relationship between the grandparents, Zeb and Ester. Their love for each other is amazing and the wisdom that Grandpa Zeb spouts is priceless! What a well written show and I am thankful that I found it once again!