Thursday, October 20, 2016

October Fridays, Take Three

shared through Susanne's blog--see the link up above.
Willow's Week in the Wilderness and at Home

1.  As I stated a week ago, I was out of routine this week.  My adventures involved a solo drive across the Arizona desert.  Really and truly, I don't mind the seven hour drive.  I cranked up Celtic Woman Christmas and The Messiah and sang along.  Since we do this trip from coastal California to middle of the Arizona desert on a regular basis, I know the rest areas, the coffee stops and the cheap gas stations.  And I'm thankful for safety on the highways.

2.  What always amazed me is the beauty of the desert.  (Yes, it was HOT. Fortunately, my car has good AC.)  The desert has its own wonders and I enjoy soaking in the colors and terrain.  The sparse but beautiful foliage with a green all its own.  The majestic and rugged mountains and mesas.



3.  The reason for my visit was to help celebrate this girl's second birthday!  Check out her cake--the girl loves Mickey and Minnie!


She loved driving the ice cream truck at the pizza place.


Her newest friends are Donald and Daisy.


Even big two year old girls can get tired.  The best way to sleep is to snuggle with all your friends.


4.  It was a great visit.  I had one on one quality time with both my son (Chaplain Dan) and his wife.  And of course,  PAL and I had fun, too.  I visited the yarn section of a store with family members and brought home enough yarn to make two more Weasely sweaters and an afghan. (More on those later)

5.  Back home and settled in after sleeping and sleeping, I've been catching up on some reading since this week it has been too hot to be outside much.  (Yes, it was unseasonably hot and super windy due to the Santa Ana Winds which I probably brought home with me from the desert.)
In one of my reading books, I came across this statement.
My quote of the week!

"There is no dignity quite so impressive,
and no independence quite so important,
as living within your means."
President Calvin Coolidge

13 comments:

Susan said...

LOVE the quote. Living within our means definitely takes courage and diligence, too.

Glad the drive is "automatic" with lots of safe places to stop. Your time away sounds awesome: one-on-one time and your many special moments with PAL. The photo of her sleeping with all the friends was precious. Made me smile and remember when my toddler kids did that. A crowded bed was just right for a good night's sleep.

Looking forward to hearing about and seeing your finished yarn projects.

Our weather in NO CA hasn't been bad at all. I feel blessed that your winds didn't come up our way. I hope you have a great week.

Faith said...

my husband and I LOVE the quote!!

your little granddaughter is precious...happy #2 to her....I love that age!

wow....your photos are so nice but I think I would be anxious a bit when driving through a desert. It seems so desolate. then again that is how my husband feels driving through the Adirondack mountains. 😜I love it of course!

we need some rain here in NYS. we are now in the midst of an official drought. most unusual for us. the forecast says rain for tomorrow so we are hoping. my sister's farm well is almost dry. they need a few days of rain!

Have an enjoyable weekend!

nikkipolani said...

Fantastic quote. I'm woefully ignorant about presidents and learned a bit more from your mention.

Glad you've had such a rewarding visit with your beloveds in Arizona (and a comfortable round trip). Those photos of PAL are precious.

Gracie Saylor said...

A wonderful five, and I appreciated the new to me quote, too. Have fun stitching! xx

Barbara H. said...

What a fun birthday! I love when family get-togethers but love one on one time in the midst of them, too. When we lived in SC but my husband was working in TN and I came up often to look at houses, I remember that nice familiar feeling of knowing where to stop and such as well.

ellen b said...

Looks like the wilderness trek was well worth every hour. Glad you made it safely both ways. What a little cutie PAL is. So sweet to see her with all her cuddlies.
I do like that quote you shared.

Wendy said...

Oh she's adorable. Definitely worth making that long drive for. Glad you had a good time.

Anonymous said...

What a sweet little girl. I agree that the desert has its own special beauty. Mary

Mereknits said...

Your trip sounds perfect. Happy 2!

snoopydogknits said...

What a beautiful little girl. Family are so precious! x

Susanne said...

Well seeing that cute birthday girl would be totally worth the trip. Beautiful picture of the dessert. It's funny that your quote came up right when we are watching Money Moron. LOL.

Gattina said...

I wouldn't mind to drive alone neither ! Years ago we went through the Arizona desert and it was so beautiful (and hot !) Cute birthday girl I bed you had a very nice time !

collettakay said...

It somehow strikes me as ironic to be driving through the desert and listening to Christmas music! What a sweet 2 year old! Thanks for stopping by :)

Colletta