Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day just wouldn't be the same without some wine involved!  We drove up to El Capitan State Beach to meet up with our mom, Bart, and furry siblings.

We took a long, winding drive out to an isolated little beach where wind surfing is the thing to do!  Looks fun!

Back on the road and up to Solvang where we stopped for wine and a picnic lunch.  It was nice to spend time with the family.  You don't realize how much you enjoy their company until the 4 of you are crammed into a VW Beetle for a few hours...and you don't mind it at all.

(I have more to say about how great my mother is...but I'm saving it all up for another day)

Breath. Taking.

Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain, AZ

We had heard this was THE place to watch the sunset, and it absolutely was. There were at least 100 people up here. The sunset was stellar. I have no more words, just pictures. 

Goodnight, Arizona.

O say can you see?

I've had some pretty awesome ballpark experiences, but this is the most recent addition to the list. It all started back in November, when my cousin and I (and a little liquid decision-making elixir) created an audition video. I sent it in to the Peoria Sports Complex and forgot about it until Jamuary, when I got an email and phone call saying I was selected to perform! 

So here's my sis and I in AZ for some Mariners Spring Training!

You can barely see it, but the moon is rising above the flags. 

Thanks to my sister for recording (and putting up with my morning panic)! Also, emails and texts from family and friends in the morning had me laughing and keeping me calm. 

I wish my guy could've been here with me, but singing on a Wednesday made scheduling hard. He did send me some awesome support...

...and had a very close "seat" for the performance (my phone was in my back pocket). Ha, see what I did there??

I can't load the video yet, but I will as soon as I get home!

Oh! And I got new Toms for the occasion.

 

A little limerick to go with my Jameson

Long Ranch (SW), Simi Valley

There once was a girl who went for a hike

She hit the trail on foot, not on a bike 

She admired the flowers

And big rock towers

And after the day, it was good for her psych(e)

She wandered up and around the trail

Lizards following close on her tail

She ran toward the setting sun

The wind in her hair -- so much fun! --

Like an ocean breeze catching a sail

 

She looked to her left, and excitement arose

When she spotted a trail as narrow as her nose

Up, up, up she climbed

Anxious to see what she'd find

Anticipation swelling from the tips of her toes

At the top, the view caught her by surprise

The first hues of pink across the sky 

She admired it for a sec

Then panic grasped her chest

As she thought, "where the fuck am I?"

She told herself it would be okay

And promised never again to stray

A half hour back to the street

(And a pretty manhole at her feet)

She made it home, poured a drink, and called it a day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Remember, not all who wander are lost...but sometimes they are. 

Hello, 7:03 Sunset!

Long Canyon (NE), Simi Valley

Thanks to daylight savings, I now have the time to get up in the hills while the sun is still out.  

It wasn't until I'd wandered up to the grassy top that I realized I was hiking solo for the first time in a couple months...and I'm okay with that!

I did what any normal person hiking alone would do: took some selfies (as documented above), sang to myself, and rehearsed what I'd do and say if an attacker sprang out of the long grass. (Super glad no one appeared...my makeshift plan was impuissant.)

I made it up to my little bench just in time to watch the sky turn orange. 

And back down in time for the purple skies. 

Pi Day, Hike Day!

Challenger Park, Simi Valley

It was way too beautiful out to stay indoors today! We dragged ourselves off the patio furniture and over to Challenger Park.

The grass was green and the flowers were in bloom!

At the tippy top, we soaked in a little sunshine where one of us got burned (it wasn't me) and took in the great views. 

On the way down, we passed the strangest fruit!

And met our new St. Patty's Day friend: Guinness the Green Gaterpillar. He told us to go home and drink more, so we did. 

Storm clouds may gather

Rainy weather makes it difficult (read: I don't like getting wet) to go out for a hike, but the silver lining to rainy weather is amazing clouds. 

The ripples across the sky were the best part! It makes it look like I clipped this out of a magazine and set my condensating Diet Coke on it. (Although "condensating" may not be in the dictionary, I think it ought to be!)

Not a bad place to get stopped at a red light. 

And my favorite: the view outside my classroom.