...redesign with spring symbols!

Today was picture perfect. The sky was blue. The blossoms were at their peak. I couldn't help snapping a few shots to play with digitally. I love it when the Bartlett pear trees get to this stage. I like to call it "celestial bloom" because it reminds me of a very sacred place. The tree is nearly dressed in white. This photo also has a bird's nest in it. A pair of birds have been making a home for their future family. It's a sweet symbol of spring.

...be a sneaky puppy!

Lucy knows that she isn't allowed to get up on the couch. So, she skates the line of obedience/disobedience by laying just her head on the couch and looking up at us with big puppy eyes. "Can I PLEASE come up there with you?!" Last night she was pulling this routine even though she was tired out. She fell asleep begging...

...pinkify!

Okay. Maybe I'm just making up the word "pinkify," but I thought it was appropriate. You be the judge. I snapped this gloomy shot this morning as the sun rose over the leafless trees blanketed by fog.

Blah. I just couldn't leave it there.

"Pinkify" works now, doesn't it?!

...vacation!

I can feel the warmth of the sun through my eyelids. The smell of salt tickles my nose. The distant sound of a seagull's squawk tells my ear that I am not entirely alone. My feet sink deeper in the sand as the water retreats once more to the ocean. The gentle breeze at my back seems to gently push as if offering a hand to steady me.

With a sigh, I turn my head. My eyes flutter open as my hair grazes my face. Strands moistened by the humid air stick and stay. I brush them away with my hands. The wind gusts again, sending more wisps of hair twisting towards my face like tentacles.


Tentacles!

My dozing consciousness is startled awake by something in my peripheral vision. My calm is broken by what I now recognize as a stranded jellyfish lying on the shore just behind me. It must have hitched a ride on the last few waves. Now abandoned by its carrier, the jellyfish lies dangerously strew across the sand.

Another wave rolls forward threatening to mix tentacle with ankle. I stumble sideways to avoid the ethereal strands now floating in the shallow water.


Out of danger, I survey the area. The size of the jellyfish is impressive.


Something about this situation strikes me as familiar.
Gradually, things come into focus for me.

It's just Lucy's old rope bone!

I need a VACATION!

...cry uncle!

This is what happens when you repeatedly taunt a 175 pound Marine:

...bloom!

I have one tiny narcissus on my porch that bloomed this week.

I wonder if it knows how cute it is.

...go to the temple.

There's been a recent rise in curiosity about the LDS temple. Most folks that read this blog know that I am LDS. I wanted to share that I saw two families become eternal families today in our local temple. That means they can be together forever. What a blessing it is to have the temple--what a sacred place that is! If you want to know more, check out the video.


You can also view and/or share the video from the YouTube site.

...reflect Lucy.

I've mentioned a few times on this blog that my dog, Lucy, is a good sport. Well, she puts up with me taking pictures on our walks. I imagine this is quite comical to watch--I'm telling her to stop every 10 feet or so in order to snap a photo. She's trying to keep herself busy while I get my shot set up. Then she see's a bird, and I might as well forget about my focus. She pulls on the leash, I yell at her to "stay!" because my viewfinder goes blurry, and the bird gets away without being captured by dog or film!

This morning was not unlike the above scenario. However, this morning I also turned the camera on Lucy. The pavement was so wet from the sprinter snow (see previous post), that you can see Lucy's reflection in the pavement instead of a shadow. Click on the picture to see the reflection in greater detail.


The leash is a bit distracting in the shot. Oh, well. Without it, the bird would probably have been caught by Lucy's teeth!

...have sprinter!

Ah-yes! It's that time of year again. The grass is greening, tiny flowers are blooming, the trees buds are opening, and...it's snowing?! Sprinter is here! No. It's not track season. I'll explain. Sprinter is that crazy season that sometimes pops up when you think spring is here but winter refuses to let go. I'll also illustrate by sharing some sprinter pictures I took this morning.

See the buds on the tree? See the snow falling? (If you don't see the snow, click on the picture for a larger version.)

That's not Photoshop; it's sprinter!

Here's a close up on a bud. See the bloom? See the snowflake on the branch just beyond the blossom?

Sprinter!

This forsythia bush is blooming its yellow flowers. But what's all the white in the background? Snow.

SPRINTER!

...tie Lucy!

Well, my husband was having a little fun with Lucy again. If you saw the "...light Lucy" post back in December, this might look familiar. My husband came home from church, took off his tie, and decided that Lucy should be wearing one!

Lucy really is a good sport!

...appreciate the irony.

Yep. I posted a new, spring background...


...and this is what it looks like outside.

...share the good news minute.

In our local Relief Society (the women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) meeting, we have "good news minutes." It's a time (usually right after the weekly announcements) when we can share some good news with the sisters. This Sunday, one sister raised her hand and shared that the movie, Twilight, comes out on DVD later this month (March 21st). I'm thinking, "yes!" The news was well received. How great is it that an adult women's organization is giddy over a teen vampire love story?!

To be totally honest, I don't believe that everyone in the room was marking their calendars to rush the local DVD retailers on the 21st. However, it did bring smiles to everyone's faces. That's what a good news moment is all about, isn't it?!