Arizona Storms

It was horribly hot this morning and now a thunderstorm is sweeping through and it feels amazing! 
  

A bird sanctuary!

For years now I have wanted to set up a bird houses in my front yard, and this morning I finally set them up! I love watching the little birds fly around and enjoy the treats I set up for them. Growing up, my father always loved to take care of the birds in our yard, so I want to carry on the tradition at my own home.

Now that I have my own home, I want to landscape the front of the house with flowers and stuff to make it look pretty and homy! If you have any suggestions, let me know because this is all new territory for me. 🙂

Check out what my new little houses! My first step towards being a real landscaper!

Technology: the Double Edged Sword

Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Taken by the horns and challenged. We cannot let it pass us by as we watch contently from the safety of our couches. We must rise up and take back the adventure. We need to put down our phones, computers, tablets, or whatever else distracts us from living passionately.

Does anyone else find it heart wrenching that there have to be commercials to tell children to go outside and play? My mother made my brother and and I stay outside until the twinkling of the first star could be seen in the sky. We weren’t allowed to play video games for more than a couple hours, so we had to use our imagination to entertain ourselves. I thank my mother and father for making us have to find ways to be entertained. I owe my creativity to them.

Since my husband and I are considering starting a family soon, I worry about what kind of life my children will lead if technology continues to be the main form of entertainment. Yes, I admit that I am addicted to my phone and laptop, hence writing a blog about putting down technology from the comfort of my own technology. But honestly, I don’t want my child to have to have a screen in front of them to be able to have fun. I desire for them to experience life in real time. To touch things. See wonders. Smell the fresh scent of clean air. These are not things they can experiences virtually. They must be lived.

I am going to try to be more conscious about how much time I am devoting to my technology. I do not want to watch videos of others living their adventures. I want to be out living my own.

Glorious Days Spent in the Sun

Today I spent the afternoon soaking up some of the last remaining days of the summer sun. Soon the days are going to be shorter and the nights colder. As I floated in my pool I lost myself in the beauty of the nature that surrounded me. The sky was a perfect blue. The birds sang a happy song and the trees danced in the gentle breeze. I felt, in those moments, that the world was so much bigger than me. And to think that God loves me most, out of all the beauty He created around me, was astonishing. I felt zero anxiety during these moments of revelation and it was perfect. I love to have anxiety free moments where I am able to get out of my own mind and experience the life that is bustling forward around me. Of course, I had Tripod near by to help me have my epiphany.

Arizona is Beautiful!

I want to brag about my state! I must honestly say that out of all the places I have been inside the United States, Arizona is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have ever seen. There are so many different micro-climates it is pretty unbelievable. The town I live in, I can go 10 minutes up into the mountain and experience a completely different climate. It will be snowing up in the mountains, maybe a few feet, and down were we live, there is no snow. It’s crazy, and I love it. Anytime you travel somewhere within the state it is always a new adventure. I think you should all plan a visit. If you have never been out West, it will be like nothing you have been before! 🙂 Here are a few of our pictures from our adventures around the state. 

Enjoy the virtual field trip to AZ!