it was a hot day in april

oh arizona- when i go back to visit, i always get tricked into thinking i might be able to live there again someday. especially when i visit the desert and it's blooming with flowers! my feelings about az run deep though. i hate it and i love it. these are pictures of my sonoran love affair.

butterfly!

baby jackrabbit!

creosote bush- it's surprising how much i miss this pretty yellow bush.

can you see the hummingbird? it's in flight.

papago mountain- used to ride my bike there.

prickly pear- we used to smash their fruit on the sidewalk to stain it pink.

scarlet hedgehodge cactus (i don't really remember any of these guys around as a kid)

and these are chihuly! glass sculptures in the desert botanical gardens.

more chihuly. and i might i add, they were absolutely stunning.

desert in the springtime

i love arizona in the spring. so i'm going. actually i'm going for a wedding, which is really just an excuse to go over there, get my hair done and take a day off from work. i have high expectations for this trip because i'm all about relaxing right now. pretty much my plans are the botantical gardens, lunching with ladies, salon time, wedding time, sunday brunch, the end. sounds nice.

earthquakes and ham!

ham, ham, hammy ham how i love thee. the following are some photos of me making out with a ham. and a warning: i say ham a lot, like a whole lot in this post.



i really love ham. i was driving home from the eastside yesterday and i was feeling alright about most things, all except one: the next day was easter and i had no ham. so i drove to honeybaked ham, demanded a ham (apparently reservations are required during the holidays, but a magical 9 lb ham appeared out of the fridge) this was a bit more ham then i had really intended to buy, but the guy gave me $10 off- not sure why...i guess he was in the spirit. you know, easter spirit. or whatever. i purchased and took said ham to a brunch this afternoon and i think it was a big hit. and then there was an earthquake. it was pretty long and wavy. it's been a few years since i have felt an earthquake, i always like them...as long as no one gets hurt. a girl i don't know well started crying. i guess the rolling sensation freaked her out. i thought that was weird. but it isn't polite to say to someone they are being weird and possibly a bit annoying when it's easter sunday. any other day, perhaps, but not easter.

good kid

katu babyke is such a sweet thing! and it's been real nice living close to her again. she basically came over and took care of me for a whole day. she took me out, brought me flowers, fed me. she's a catch this one- and to document our beachy day i've entitled this: ookean

recapping the cap

last week ang and jaedyn came to visit. we went to the beach and the getty and the beach again. it was a real good time and i'm grateful that ang has come and stayed with me often throughout the years. here's to friends and family!

sick

yeah i'm sick. i thought it was just climate change, or altitude change, or cramps or something, but no- i am definitely sick. it's 84 degrees right now and it would be sort of nice to leave the house, but every time i think about putting flip flops on or taking the curlers out of my hair i simply change my mind. being sick has enabled me to download all of my photos from my i-phone though. allow me to share a few:
the quilt i started making in utah:


pictures i finally put up in my room after living here for 6 months


cute niece and nephew! little aidan likes to dance and watch his favorite movie, cloudy with a chance of meatballs (which is really quite hilarious and i appreciate his taste in movies) sophie just likes to hang with socks.

sad, soggy saturday

it is killing me to leave. i actually started crying today. i know, i know i cry all the time, but seriously. i have had such a great time here. i really feel like i'm leaving my home. i really wish i could stay another week, but no. i have to head back to stupid, sunny, southern california. where i have a job and a life, but for some reason just doesn't feel as comforting. i wish i had run into a few more people while i was here, but all in all i kept quite busy, felt real loved and enjoyed myself immensely.

and now a word about best friend. i haven't stayed with sher the entire time i've been here, but i've been able to spend a lot of time with her. it is possible that both of our lives are changing a lot this year and i think it has made me appreciate her even more. i have really relished the time i've had with sher bear. we are very different. for example, her neurotic ability to get up at 5:30 am and work out every morning, her commitment to doing her hair everyday (something i cannot muster), and her wherewithal to drink protein shakes (gross!). but in all seriousness, she is a wonderful friend, has stood by my side in all things, is always a fun time and will play cards with me. i love her. and my last night here will be cozy'd up with sherry.

a big part of leaving salt lake is leaving behind friends that i truly adore and miss. thanks for all the good times and perhaps this fall i'll be back on a more permanent basis- unemployed no doubt, but here nevertheless. so thanks for the good times everybody, i've extended my visit as long as i could, but tomorrow i'm getting in the old civic and heading to vegas.

xo