Things to do on a Day Off

John had some vacation days that had to be used by next week, so he was home this past Thursday and Friday. Without any major homework to take his attention, I had him all to myself! I can't even begin to describe what a fun day we had together, without having to be anywhere or do anything. It has given me a glimpse of what our life will be like when he finishes school in nine weeks, and I can hardly wait! Sharing him with books isn't as much fun as it sounds.

We started our day with some errands. I went to the gym while he got his new drivers license and some scheduled maintenance done on his car. We enjoyed a lunch out, John getting three double cheeseburgers at McDonald's, while I chose to eat some Chik-Fil-A. We sat outside of the restaurant and enjoyed our beautiful spring weather.

When we got home, we played a little bit of our new Wii game, Mario Galaxy, which we bought for the upcoming family reunion in Sedona. To ensure maximum enjoyment with the family, we had to do a little quality assurance first. It was lots of fun, and it never ceases to amaze me how incredible John is at video games! Then we went outside for some yard work! Wearing official lawn-mowing attire of shorts and flip-flops, John mowed while I supervised. This involved lots of deep and thought-inspiring questions like, "Did you do this part already?" and "What about over here, babe?" I think I now know why John usually mows the lawn when I am at work! John also had to pull some pretty big weeds, but luckily, I was there to supervise the entire event. He did well and passed my inspections. We worked to rake up some leaves from under the fig tree, which bit John on his foot and made him bleed. I guess it's part of the package when wearing official lawn-mowing attire. Though the pictures don't back my story, I actually DID help quite a bit. It felt good to be outside making the yard look better. I am really looking forward to having our own yard someday.

Then we headed inside to clean up and eat some snacks of red grapes and homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, which has been my staple all week. It's healthy and filling, so it's perfect for me to eat! We folded laundry, then emptied the dishwasher since I sleep better at night when my kitchen is clean! It was a social evening, eating at the neighbors for dinner, then having three separate and unexpected groups of visitors to our apartment throughout the evening. We felt so popular! It was such a fun day together, even though we didn't do much. Sometimes nothing is better than anything!

Spring, Macro Mode, and Neighborhood Thieves

Taking into consideration that most people are still buried under snow and shivering under the covers at night while blizzards and wind storms rage outside, I very much love that I can sit outside and enjoy an afternoon of very bright sun. I love being outside. Even more so when I have wonderful but brutally-honest friends look at my pictures from last week and say, "You need some sun." I aim to please, so I suffered through an hour in the outdoors this afternoon to take some shots of the newly blossoming spring leaves in our yard. And then I sat in a lawn chair for some direct sunlight to appease the previously-mentioned uberly-critical friends. It's not my fault that I live in a basement.

Macro Mode: my favorite thing about taking pictures. I love how the focus is so sharp on part of the picture and completely blurs out the unimportant stuff in the rest of the photograph. I love how crisp and detailed the photos can turn out. I love how the results are mostly a guessing game until I load them on my computer. Some photos just blow me away, while I toss about one-third of them into the recycle bin. Someday, when I own a big-kid camera with interchangeable black things that attach to the end of the camera body, I think that lenses capable of composing awesome macro mode shots will be my go-to for everything. What's for dinner? Should I buy this t-shirt? Which stocks look promising for investment? Hold on while I ask my lense...

It's a little late for oranges, as many are already falling to the ground. But I wanted to take a picture of the ones that are still attached to the tree, meaning they survived the foraging midnight neighbors who happen to like my oranges better than store-bought ones. I can't say I blame them...they are delicious. But the limes go so quickly that we question whether or not the tree grows any. My alcohol-free margarita mixes have suffered as a result. Dang those lime-loving, nocturnal neighbors!

My oh my, how I love living in the Valley of the Sun. And it's really not that hot in the summer! Honest!

A Day With My Mommy

With my Mom here to see some babies, and without me getting called to work, we both found excuses for me to pick her up for a day out on the town! She wanted to give Joe and T'liese some alone time with their son, Evan, and I wanted to show her the good eats we have in this Valley! I was at their house in south Phoenix around 10:00 AM. After watching Mom finish baking a batch of sugar cookies, per T'liese's request, Mom and I loaded up in my trusty ol' Taurus and headed east. We went closer to my neighborhood, mostly to visit a kitchen supply store T'liese had told us about. We began our trip by stopping at TJ Maxx (no surprise there, huh?) My Mom has had only bad experiences with TJ Maxx, since the store closest to them is rather ghetto and not nearly like my store. Mine is new, clean, and HUGE! We spent an hour in there looking at furniture, paintings, women's shoes, socks and even laptop cases. She has been searching for a carrying case to hold her new laptop, and we finally found a beautiful red leather bag that is padded and holds her electronic buddy perfectly. I totally lucked out by not having to ship her Mother's Day present to her! I think I converted her, too. She said she finally understands why I like that store so much! It's not like I talk about it a lot, or anything...

After TJ Maxx, our stomachs told us it was time to get some lunch. So we backtracked a few miles to Baseline and Country Club to eat at one of the most wonderful cafes I have ever experienced! T'liese actually introduced me to Crackers Cafe a few months ago, and I knew it would be the perfect lunch location for me and my Mommy. She loved it as much as me! We both started out with a delicious soup, Mom having the Creamy Spinach and Artichoke and me preferring the Baked Potato. They were both delicious and scrumptious...obviously made from scratch! Then the good stuff came, and I love how we spent the first three minutes with our food by simply taking pictures! She laughed and said people we going to think we were food critics! (Just for the record, I rarely criticize food. I am usually on its side). Mom ordered the Reuben Melt, which looked wonderful and melty. Were it not for the corned beef, sauerkraut, and marble rye bread, it may very well be something I would enjoy, too. I had the French Chick, which just means they put their delicious chicken salad onto a croissant. It's really the only way to eat chicken salad. Our food was so good, and we even got to save half our sandwiches for later since we got so full! What a great cafe! She wants to take Merrill, my step-dad, there when they come down in April for some baby blessings. Done!

After lunch and a successful photo shoot with sandwiches, we continued our day of fun by heading to Shar's Kitchen Supply in Gilbert. T'liese had ranted and raved about how wonderful this place was, and it sounded like something my Mom and I needed to see in person. We spent over an hour in there and looked at every row in the store! It was fun to see so many contraptions for so many uses in the kitchen. I, for one, am rather proud that I don't need an avocado masher to feel like a real woman. I can use one of those "fork" things any day and still feel like my guacamole is a hit! It was fun to be there with my Mommy and talk about every single thing in that store. Another hour flew by.

Then it was Happy Hour! At Culver's, that is! If you buy one concrete mixer ice cream shake, you get a second for free! I am all about taking advantage of delicious deals, and my Mom had never been to Culver's. Known most for its Butter Burger, I discovered Culver's when they appeared in my college town of Grand Forks, North Dakota. When I saw one being built on Country Club and Baseline last year, my heart skipped a beat. It was difficult to get it under control because I kept thinking about their Mint Oreo Concrete Mixer (which is exactly what we both got). What a fun burger joint. And straight from the Midwest, too, so it just feels so wholesome! And we were the skinniest patrons there! I am making a mental note of that and deciding to only enjoy Happy Hour when an out-of-towner is in town!

After our ice cream afternoon snack, we headed north towards my house to Deseret Book. My Mom loves the series by Hugh Nibley, and we BOTH love walking around book stores. We finished there just about the time John was done with work one block away, so we drove him to our house so I could show my Mom the new painting. I didn't realize she hadn't been to my house since my wedding, so it was fun to show her what we've done with the place (and with eight beds). We didn't stay long, as I didn't want to fight rush hour traffic getting her back to the Friends. So we got on the freeway and made it back to south Phoenix around 5:00 PM.

Mom frosted some sugar cookies while we enjoyed looking at how stinkin' cute Evan is! I don't have an photographic proof from yesterday's cuteness, but he only gets better with age. Jeff, Megan, and Mayla arrived, bearing dinner of Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken. Being that John had meetings all night, I stayed to eat dinner with the family. Then we just enjoyed an evening together, talking and cooing over two adorable babies. I really enjoy time with my family. We all get along and have great conversations. It's a rare treat when just my Mom is in town, so I wanted to maximize the enjoyment by staying until after 9:00 PM, until they finally kicked us out of their home! None of those people are any fun now that they "have babies and need to get to bed early." Priorities!

It was a great day with my Mama, whom I love dearly. She is full of wit, gratitude, desire to serve, humility, beauty, charm, and compassion. I knew I had to get my wonderful characteristics from someone!