The Playoffs Begin!!!!

It's official. The Suns start the playoffs on Sunday at noon against the L.A. Lakers.
We'll have to get busy and start making plans for our playoff get togethers.

Here's a few pics from Terry's birthday last year during the playoffs.
You'll notice on the TV that we were also playing the Lakers...and winning! We're expecting the same results this year, even tho Kobe is a superstar, he can't carry the team on his back for that many games. We had a purple and orange dinner in honor of the Suns!

Are we Missing Life's Most Precious Gifts?

The recent shootings at Virginia Tech and this article about a performance experiment with world renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, remind me that I need to take a breath and cherish every moment of life and each precious gift that God brings my way. I need to slow down and smell the roses, breathe them in, enjoy their beauty with all my senses and even capture the essence in a photograph to be enjoyed again and again and passed along to others.

How many of God's gifts do we walk by or put off till tomorrow when we think we'll have more time...?

Lord, give me eyes to see your hand and ears to hear your voice among the noises of life.

I am SO READY for a vacation!!!!

But alas, no luck yet on an exchange for our timeshare. We're looking for space in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana or in Canada near Banff. We're being picky about locations though and are a little bit limited on dates. Pray that we'll get news soon about where and when, so we can begin dreaming about it and planning. If we get a 2-bedroom place we may be able to invite friends to come too.

Good news though! We will be going on a mini-vacation at the end of the month for 4 days to Greer Lodge Cabins. We'll be staying in the cabin (above) for much of the time with 3 other couples and 2 kids. Awesome! It looks like we'll be expecting average high temps around 60 and lows around 30. The way things have been with the weather, and with our track record for road trips, we could even get snow! Brrrr!!!! Don't pack away the warm clothes yet! Oh man, I need to buy a jacket. I have no idea where I'll find one in Phoenix in April. hmmmm. I have a heavy one but nothing in the mid-weight range. I guess I'll just have to wear layers.

I'm really looking forward to relaxing, hiking, maybe some writing, reading, being with dear friends and just enjoying the great outdoors. And if the Suns Playoffs are on, we'll be sure to watch those as well.

Of course, I'll take lots of pics too. In fact, I was supposed to get a new tripod for Christmas but I haven't picked one out yet. Maybe I can find one before we go. That would be great.

Here are some pics from the last time we were up there in 2004. It's a gorgeous area. The last time we were there I was trying to figure out how we could have Amy & Andrew's wedding up there. Of course, it didn't work out, but would have been fun (except the drive).

The same group is going this time, but Randy & Linda are also joining us...wahoo!! It's amazing how God worked it out so Randy could have Sunday off!! Isn't He good? We've all been very busy these last few months, so this is a much-needed break from our schedules.

Click on this one of the bark and leaves and check out how the bark look like pieces of a puzzle. It was very interesting.

I'm alive and well!

Shhhh, don't let my "parents" know that I did this. I heard my "mom" and "dad" talking and they said some of you thought I was dead, so I thought I'd better post a quick note to let you know I'm alive and kicking (or at least alive and breathing).

While I'm here I thought I'd post a few pics to let you know what my day normally looks like.

This Longaberger basket is where I sleep at night. It sits right at the foot of the bed between "mom" & "dad". I know it's an expensive bed for a cat, but my dad kept getting mad because I was laying on top of his legs to keep warm in the middle of the night. He'd get so frustrated that he would accidentally kick me off the bed. I'm sure he didn't mean it, because he was half asleep, so I'd just climb back up on his legs after he got settled again. My mom thought it might be a good idea to help me find a warm place to sleep (besides dad's legs) so she bought several regular cat beds, but I just couldn't settle into them. I don't know, they were just scary and kinda lumpy and seemed so ordinary. Finally she remembered that I used to climb into the mail basket a lot so she tried out this one and I LOVED IT! What a smart lady she is. Anyway, this is my comfy cozy spot at night.

This winter I also started sleeping up between mom and dad once in a while when I know they're not going to roll over on me and sometimes when mom gets up in the morning, she leaves the covers on top of me and I get to snuggle under the blankets until I'm ready to get up.

The blue and white bench is my afternoon or evening spot where I sleep when mom and dad are in the family room. I like to be in the same room with them, so this is a good place where I can keep an eye on both of them to make sure I can get up quickly to follow them if they leave the room.

This red throw rug is a new favorite. I like to scrunch it up and wrap it around me during the day when mom and dad are gone. But be careful. You might trip on it when you come in the door.

And this last pic is just a shot to let you know what I look like when I just wake up or I'm a little grouchy. Don't mess with me then!

So the only thing left are my 3 other favorite times of day. Dinner time around 5:30 when Dad comes home from work and I harrass him until he feeds me. Then when mom sits down on the sofa in the evening I do a cute little trick by laying perfectly still and looking pathetic next to her until she gives me a few treats. She loves when I do that!

Oh yeah and bedtime which is around 10:00. I'm always there to get up and wait in the hallway to let them know that it's time to go to bed if they forget.

So that's pretty much my life: eat, sleep, nap, sleep, eat, and sleep. Don't you wish you were the Shred Head?

Our dear old Shredder...


I just had to take a picture of Shredder sitting in the sun. It's so cute how she picks a spot on the carpet where the sun is shining and lays there until the light moves.

I've realized lately that she has all these specific spots in different rooms where she goes to snooze at different times of the day. She's getting old but she's still a smart little creature.

Check out my niece, Lisa's blog about babysitting in a 6 million dollar home that used to be Phoenix Suns, Dan Majerle's!! And the guy that she babysat for is the president of the parent company where Terry works. Cool huh?

A perfect Easter holiday:

We went to Open Door Fellowship to church to worship in song, celebrate the resurrection and see several dear people baptized. The place was packed!!! Standing room only. How cool!

After church Amy & Andrew came over (doesn't he look handsome in his beard?).

We gave them their Easter "bucket". I haven't given up giving the "kids" Easter baskets yet (even though they're not kids anymore)...cuz it's just fun to shop for them. I mailed Kevin's earlier this week. We missed having Kevin there with us but we did call him and visit for a little while. I'll be glad when he has a little more freedom to be able to come and visit us once in a while. We really miss him!

See Amy's new Leandro Barbosa Birthday T-shirt? Fun! Terry just told me that he heard the reason the Suns don't have an LB jersey at the store is because it sold out so fast. They didn't anticipate the high demand for his jersey. What were they thinking!!! He's just so sweet!

We watched the Suns beat the Lakers then had a delicious dinner with ham, fresh vegetables and scallops all cooked on the grill. Oh and the scallops were grilled on sprigs of rosemary...mmmm. Terry is becoming quite the grill chef. I love that he's trying new recipes and our meals are so much healthier and tastier cooked that way. I could eat grilled veggies with a little bit of olive oil and lemon pepper every day! I couldn't get Terry to look at the camera, but doesn't he look great in that blue?

The weather was so nice that we sat out on the back patio to eat. It was a gorgeous breezy afternoon!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

I hope you're enjoying a day of thankfulness and worship. Hallelujah, HE IS RISEN!!!

We enjoyed a wonderful Good Friday service and will be seeing lots of folks baptized this morning at Open Door. What better way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.

It's a beautiful morning. Current temp 66, today's high 86 degrees. Amy and Andrew are coming over for dinner and to watch the Suns game. Terry's going to make a delicious ham on the grill. It's too bad that Kevin's not here to enjoy the day with us. We miss him!!!

I'll post some pics later and for some reason, all the photos from Amy's birthday post disappeared so I'll post some more back there as well.

Have a wonderful day!

It's discouraging when I post news and don't get any comments. Is it because no one's reading or just not interested? I guess it's my own fault since I've been too busy to post much. Things are looking up at work though and I'm praying that things will quiet down in the coming weeks. If so, I should have more energy and time for things at home, family, friends and other ministry, and church...

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY AMY !!!!

Wow!!! Our little girl is now a quarter of a century old!!! Of course, that makes her sound really ancient, but we all know that life is just beginning at 25.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. Amy Teegan is our first born and only girl. She was the first grandchild and the first girl born in 3 generations on her dad's side, so needless to say there were many attempts to spoil her. I think overall, considering she had 15 or so aunts and uncles, plus grandparents, she did pretty well.

I'm so thankful that she's part of our family. I love the fact that she's always been independent, even as a toddler. I love that she doesn't let the world around her dictate her likes and dislikes. She's always felt comfortable with a style of her own. She was never ashamed to buy and wear thrift store clothes and hand-me-downs and never worried about name brands or the latest trends.

Amy has always been very smart & creative in so many ways. She started reading very early and to this day, always enjoys a good book over almost anything else. In elementary school she skipped 3rd grade, did some amazing artwork and she & a neighbor friend created a newsletter just for our street. At a young age she became interested in acting and singing through our church kids' programs and continued that into high school and beyond. She even had fun doing a small part on a TV show (with her uncle's connections). It was always a joy for me to watch her perform. I LOVE listening to her sing and watching her act. She comes alive when she's on stage.

It's so sweet that although she tries to pretend that she's tough, she's so sensitive to the things around her and actually cries very easily (like her mom).

I cherish the fact that she and her brother, Kevin, are and have always been best friends (except for a year or so in Jr. High). I love that she's his biggest fan, loves to brag about him and isn't afraid to show that she loves him.

I'm thrilled that she has found a wonderful husband to share her life with. Andrew is such a sweet guy and he adores her. I look forward to seeing where God will be taking them in their adventures in life.

I love that she sets goals for herself and meets those goals. (like getting a master's degree in English)

I'm so glad that she lets me hang out with her sometimes and that we get to scrapbook together with a few friends once a month or so. I truly cherish the times that we have together because I know that they may not always be so often or they may not always live so close.
Amy is a treasure to me and I'm so proud to say that she's my daughter.

Oh and did I mention that she's becoming an amazing photographer? She's also a huge Phoenix Suns fan (like her parents) and that makes her dad, very happy!

Be sure to go to her blog and check out her photos and wish her a happy birthday!!!

It's Spring in the Desert!

One of the things that I'm not too thrilled about at our house is the "desert landscaping" in the front yard. I miss the rich green lawns and huge shade trees of the midwest.

If you've ever been to the southwest, you know what I mean. Some yards still have traditional grass and trees and others are quite beautiful with xeriscaping (drought tolerant native plants) and trees like mesquite, palo verde or acacia, small boulders, and even some cactus. But our yard is pretty much a bunch of gravel with a small mound near the entrance covered with really UGLY lava rocks where 3 huge palm trees used to be. We had the trees removed, but haven't really had (or made) the time to get the rest of the yard in better shape.

At this time of year, God brings some beauty into our lives through the flowers that bloom all over the yard among the stones without any work from us. We get yellows, oranges and blue/purples that greet us every day. Sure, there are some weeds among them that should be pulled, but I like the added green, so I don't mind.

You'll also see that there's a bird in the ocotillo cactus. This one and our prickly pear cactus should start blooming soon as well. The photo of the prickly pear isn't from our yard, but it looks much the same. I'll post a pic when it's more in bloom.

So although our yard needs lots of work and could look much much better, we do enjoy this time of year with our freebie flowers from God.

Hopefully we'll be able to make some time in the next month or so to get the yard in better shape before the heat of summer hits.