Skip to main content

Blogging On Vacation



Can you guess where I have been?  I had been saying I was going to visit my mother and relatives in Arizona but upon return, I realize I went on vacation.  A real one!  No cooking, no cleaning, no rushing around.  It was heavenly and all thanks to my beautiful mother.  I miss you Mom!  

My two year old son was with me while Dad took care of the older two at home.  They had a guys weekend for sure.  Lots of sports to watch and to play together.  They even cleaned the house and did the laundry while I was gone.  Kudos honey!



My toddler had four other children his age to visit while in Arizona.




I had lots of free time for chatting while they played in the backyard at my cousin's under the orange and grapefruit trees.




We were even treated to another delicious version of Paulie's Salmon.  



Smelling the scent of  blooming orange blossoms drifting through a shaded patio while sipping coffee made me deliriously happy!  





The desert has a beauty all its own.  I found it was even more beautiful in close-up detail.




















We stopped at a lovely Franciscan retreat center and I briefly explored the grounds.






It was nestled into the curve of the mountain.  There was a labyrinth for meditative walking and healing gardens where flowers were just beginning to bloom.



My favorite spot was at the foot of this huge mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  A nearby fountain trickled quietly and begged a traveler to stop and sit a while.




Reflecting sunlight illuminated the mosaic and Mary appeared to be glowing with love and purity.



Returning to the East Coast on a chilly March day was a bit of a shock after so many breezy, beautiful sunny days in Phoenix.   Sometimes it is hard to believe that people live in dramatically different landscapes and climates from the one in which I live.  What a wonderful world!







I had thought I would be able to blog while away, and I did once, but now I am back and looking forward to returning to the familiar family routine.   I missed blogging, connecting with commenters and keeping up to date with the bloggers I love to read.   


Most of all I missed the feeling of all five of us being together as one family.  We belong together ~ not apart ~  and being reminded of that is the greatest souvenir of any vacation.


There's no place like home.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Julie@beingRUBYMarch 30, 2011 at 6:28 AM

    Hi Misty
    Thanks so much for popping over my way and your kind comments...

    I love your post today.. some beautiful shots.. and I really love mexican religious icons and architecture.. fabulous

    Have a wonderful day!!... ciao xxx Julie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary JoMarch 30, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    Hi Misty ~
    These are beautiful pictures...and I can just smell those heavenly flowers. Our dear friends live outside of Phoenix, and you are so right, I cannot believe how different the landscapes are!

    Lovely~
    ~Mary Jo

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

~Grace and peace to you~

Popular posts from this blog

Locally Grown {stuffed green peppers recipe}

  Last weekend we took the whole family to a nearby produce stand.  We were craving something that tasted fresh from the garden and since I don't have my own garden, we found this place.     The fields were full of fall-colored flowered.  Can't wait for those cooler days to come.         But for now, we are reveling in the height of summer sunshine and produce.       It's easy to go overboard here and buy much more than you can use in the next few days.  I don't even like okra but they look so inviting in those cute blue crates.     These tomatoes inspired a caprese salad for lunch: tomato slices cut into quarters, hunks of fresh mozzarella, snipped basil leaves, salt, pepper and drizzles of olive oil and red wine vinegar.       These strawberries wound up being dunked in Silky Chocolate Fondue .       Every girl dreams of doing her shopping with one of these adorable woven baskets, doesn't she?       Even the boys had fun playing in the sand while I took m
6 comments
Read more

Savoring Summer {Staying in the Season}

The desk full of binders, calendars, sports schedules and dreamy ideas is where I currently find myself, while my mind continues to stray back to the mountains and clouds of our trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We have been home for a week and I decided in future, I must come home better mentally prepared for the onslaught of emails and to-do items that pile up when we go away for two whole weeks. The fact that school resumes one week from today only intensifies the pressure to get it all done right away. Usually at this point in August I am eager for cooler, less humid days hinting at the beauty of spicy Autumn flavors. Not this year. I am so invigorated by my return to normal movement following the long recovery from knee surgery that I don't want these summery days to end. At least not until they officially end on September 23, 2014. This year feels like a do-over, the last one so consumed by injury, pain and slow, slow, slow recovery. My mind is bursti
1 comment
Read more

Saturday Surfing {favorite spots from around the web}

Saturdays are the perfect time for a little aimless web-wandering and here are few of my recent reads I'd like to recommend to you. The Wild Surrender of Motherhood by Carrie Ann Moss @Annapurna Living This new website launched this week and is absolutely lovely. Remember Carrie Ann Moss from the Matrix movies? Well she is now the founder and inspiration behind this blog.  Here is an excerpt of her vision for annapurnaliving.com : FROM CARRIE-ANNE ... “To see womanhood through eyes of grace.”  My desire is to live in a world where nourishment is valued. I believe a nourished family will lead to a nourished world. I believe life is beautiful and that our divine purpose in this world is to nurture the earth by respecting it and being grateful for what it provides us. My wish is to inspire others to create beautiful, honest and satisfying lives. My Other Ex: Women's True Stories of Leaving and Losing Friends   @A Design So Vast Unfortunately, over the past few
7 comments
Read more