Sunset Comes First in The Valley

I'm really getting used to living in the Mountains of Utah, but I must say that I frequently realize little different things, and learn to appreciate them more each day.

This evening as I was driving home, I was sitting on Antelope Drive and noticed that it was still beautiful and sunny on the Mountain in front of me, but I was sitting in the shadow of sundown.

It really makes for some gorgeous sunsets out here though, for often as the sun goes down behind  the mountains on one side of this huge valley (which used to be a lake) it reflects on the clouds and bounces down on the mountains of the opposite side causing them to be an amazing shade of pink.

Lovely, aren't they?  It is also interesting to note that the sun hitting from different angles exposes new folds, creases, caves and ridges on the mountainsides.  It seems like every time you look at them, there is something different to see.

I have experienced Summer, Fall and now Winter here in Ogden, and now I am looking forward to Spring.  The crocus are already peeking out of the soil, and although I am sure we will see more snow before the Spring comes in full force, It is exciting to see the changes already taking place in our surroundings.

I love living in the valley, because for one thing MOST of the snow falls in the mountains.  I can, therefore, walk around down in the valley without having to stomp through snow, but when I do want to play in the snow, I just go up the mountain and snowshoe or ski, or tube … what wonderful choices.

There is definitely beauty in all seasons here.

But, being here in Summer, Fall and Winter has shown me something I had long ago forgotten, and that is just how beautiful the changing seasons can be!

The beautiful gardens of summer with their daisies, and roses and flora of all kinds…

The amazing colors of Autumn in the mountains are incomparable!

Rivers flow through canyons and wildlife abounds.  Buffalo on Antelope Island as well as Bighorn Sheep and Antelope.

Migrating Birds of hundreds of varieties in the thousands, flying into the area around the Great Salt Lake on their yearly travels.

So much to see, so many beautiful trails to hike, caves and amazing rock formations.

No, I never would have thought that anyone or anything could take the Okaloosagirl off of the also amazing and beautiful Gulf Coast with it's Emerald Green water, dolphins and sugar sand; but I have discovered a new love.  A new love that is just as beautiful, inspiring and amazing.  And to add to the beauty, there are two little granddaughters here (as well as a beautiful, loving daughter) that I just couldn't stand to be 2,000 miles away from.

So, as we explore Utah together, I will share pictures (which really can't do it justice) and tell you stories and share my "bucket list" adventures with you, and hope you enjoy reading and seeing it as much as I do!

PEACE, LOVE AND JOY

Linda

Around The World In 18 Days!

In just 18 short days, Melanie and I are about to get on a plane and head to the Far East...halfway around the world! 

Neither of us have ever been there and with each passing day I get more excited about what we will see and do while we are visiting Shanghai, Bejing, in China and Bangkok, Koh Sumai and Phuket in Thailand!  What a bucket list of a trip this will be!  I am going to ride an elephant in Thailand for sure! 

All our arrangements have been made by my son, Charles.  We will be staying in some fabulous hotels/villas in some beautiful and exotic locations.  My husband just gave me a brand new Canon Rebel t3 camera so that I can hopefully take some amazing pictures to record this fabulous trip!

I look forward to experiencing the cultures of both countries as well as their food and scenery!  Everyone keeps telling me the shopping will be quite fabulous as well, so I expect I will be doing some of that too!  We will be gone for two weeks and arriving back home just in time to get ready for Christmas. 

I love travel, and am looking forward to adding these two countries to my list of already visited!  I hope those of you who read my blog regularly will enjoy the many things I plan to write and the pictures I plan to share!  I don't think I will run out of things to talk about for a very long time!

I will be reviewing the plane rides and the restaurants and tourist sites.  I hope to get a few really special pictures of people and places to share.  There is a "floating market" in Bangkok which I am looking forward to seeking.  Everything about this trip will be "new."

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!  We will be taking the girls and heading for the beach on Saturday.  We love to share Thanksgiving at Harbor Docks where the owner sponsors a donation dinner to benefit Habitat for Humanity and Second Harvest every year.  The servers are volunteers from all over the country, and the entire proceeds from the event go to the two Charities!  Last year they raised over $17,000 for these worthy charities!  What a great way to say thanks for the many blessings we have received this year.

I have prayers in my heart which will travel around the world with me for a friend whose husband is fighting cancer.  I will share these prayers with my "Chinese daughter" Lilac.  She is a sweet Christian young woman who lives in China and works with my son Charles.  I met her and have gotten really well acquainted with her on SKYPE!  We talk regularly and share things about our respective countries, and our shared belief!  It has been amazing!  We are both anxious to meet face to face and share hugs!

Well...I must sign off for now, but I promise to be back soon with some amazing pictures and information!

GOD BLESS - Peace, Love and Joy!

It Isn't Over Yet!

Sunday I decided that it was finally time to see the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  To say that I enjoyed it would be and understatement!  It is a marvelous movie about the lives and choices of a bunch of individuals.  They are not OLD people in spite of all the trailers that would lead you to believe that is the case. 

In fact, one of the central characters in the movie is a very young hotel manager and his very young girlfriend.  Everyone in this picture seems to learn something about himself/herself as the story progresses. 

In the beginning of the movie you are very briefly introduced to six senior adults, all coming from different backgrounds and circumstances.  Each one of them brings to the movie a set of choices.  It is fascinating to watch as they are transported to a culture which is so very foreign from anything they have ever experienced.  There is a Civil Service retiree and his wife of forty years.  There is a Judge.  There is a newly widowed woman who has never struck out on her own in her entire life.  There is a lady who is English and going to India to get a hip replacement after finding out her wait in England would have been six months.  Then there is the little guy who is the hotel manager/owner who is trying to build something beautiful and exotic and wonderful in memory of his father. 

Each of the characters has a different way of handling their new set of circumstances.  To say the least the Most Exotic is not exactly what ANY of them expected. Upon arrival they immediately have to make a decision of whether to stay or go.  For some of them the decision is easier than others. 

This movie will make you, no matter what age you are, examine your direction and priorities in life.  I felt saddened that about 90% of the people watching the movie on Sunday were over 50.  This is NOT JUST A MOVIE FOR SENIORS!  This movie has valuable life lessons for each and every person out there.  One of my favorite lines of the movie was "Everything will be alright in the end, and if it isn't alright, it isn't the end yet!"  What a marvelous way to think! 

This is a movie about learning to take risks and step out and make the best of the situation you are in, no matter what.  It is a movie which states you are NEVER too old to learn something new or to take a risk.  Without taking a few risks, you will miss ever so many wonderful experiences in life!

I used to sail in the Bahamas with a friend of mine for 2 to 6 weeks at a time.  It was just the two of us out there on a 37 foot catamaran in that great big Caribbean.  Oh, there were times we were nervous or scared, but I wouldn't trade those marvelous, exhilarating experiences for anything.  There were risks for sure, storms for one...pirates for another!  But that time soaking up the sun, sailing on the winds and dodging storms are priceless memories. 

I have a new friend in China who I talk with every day now on SKYPE.  China...huge, mysterious and entirely foreign to anything I have ever known.  The desire at the top of my "bucket list" now is a trip to China.  I am not afraid to go alone.  I am not afraid to experience a completely different culture and learn from it.  How about you?  Have you worked on a bucket list?  Do you have things you would like to do during this short span of your lifetime?  Plan for it.  Dream about it.  Make it happen!

I recommend The New Exotic Marigold Hotel to anyone who wants to see great acting, colorful and exotic backgrounds, culture different from their own.  Heck, it's a great movie, just go for it!  I promise you will not regret it!

God Bless - Peace, Love and Joy

2001 Things To Do Before You Die

I have a little book given to me by my dear friend Vicki a couple years ago. The title is "2001 Things To Do Before You Die."

A quote from the jacket reads: "All the things you always wanted to do but never took time to live out are written down in this handy checklist." Some of the things are simple tasks like play with Clay, or bake brownies. Others are a bit more challenging, like climbing Everest or jumping from an airplane.

I have had a wonderful time checking off the items I have already done, and lining up those things which I still want to do. I went horseback riding on the beach in Vieques....check another one off! I also have a Private Pilot's License...check!
See the Eiffel Tower...check!! It is also fun to look back occasionally and see some of those things I have completed. And by the way that terrified looking person with all the padding and protective gear is me. I did ice skate in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean...and it was great fun and I didn't break anything! Check!

I have even added some things to the checklist (there are spaces in the back of the book to add your own bucket list items).

What are your "Things". Do you want to fly in a hot air balloon, or jump from an airplane (NO I am not jumping from an airplane while I am still alive..think that one might kill me)! Even if it is something like making Baked Alaska, you need to write it down now and do it.

One thing I am sure of however, is that every one of us have a list of those things we have always wanted to do and never taken the time to complete them. I still want to learn how to ballroom dance. I tried taking my sweet hubby for dance lessons, but three lessons in he decided that sweating in the arms of another woman was not something he was willing to do. Oh well, if I am gonna do that one, it will have to be by myself.

Hubby and I completed another "bucket list" item when we rode in a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park last Christmas. It was absolutely beautiful in spite of the fact it was freezing cold.

So here is my challenge to you. Do it now. Start your own bucket list. If you need a little help, buy the book "2001 Things to Do Before You Die" by Dane Sherwood...it is really a nice little book. Or, just buy your own little journal and begin your list. Come on now, I know every one of you have got things you want to do. Don't wait...do it now....live it!

Sunday Morning..Now Is The Time

Sunday has always been a day of peaceful reflection for me. I look back over the week and how quickly it has passed and how little or how much I might have accomplished in that time.

I have a little book called 2001 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE. I have been using it as kind of a "bucket list" of things I have and have not done in my life. Some of the things, such as becoming an Olympic star, were never within my reach. Many of those things listed I have been lucky enough to complete. Some were easy to complete and others were not. I recently checked off "riding a horse on a beach". That was actually one of the easier tasks, but definitely one of the most fun ones!

I got to complete that task with two of my four children, which made it even more special. Do you have a "bucket list?" You are never too young to start one.
Reflect today on your life so far. Have you graduated from High School, College, met that "special one", gotten married and had children? Want to write a book?
Climb Mount Everest? Whatever, your dreams and aspirations may be; large or small...begin today to work on them. Live each and every day to the fullest and enjoy each and every minute. Yes, there will be good times and bad times, highs and lows in this roller coaster called life; but, make the most of ALL of it. You won't regret it.

I Can't Wait!

I can't wait until I can go to school, is one of the first requests we make as small children. Then it goes something like this. I can't wait until High School; I can't wait until I graduate from High School. I can't wait until I am 21. I can't wait until I find the perfect mate and get married. I can't wait until we have children.
I can't wait until the children start school! Boy, I can't wait until these kids graduate from College, then we can....and so on!

How much of your life have you spent saying just "I can't wait"? Be honest now. Your can't wait for it moments may not have been exactly the same as those above, but I'll bet at least some of them hit the mark! Then, suddenly, you find you are sixty or more, and you begin thinking about just how fast those years have gone by. You have been married how many years now? Your children are how old now? Weren't you just 21 a couple of years ago?

Okay, the point I am trying to make is...quit wishing your life away! Enjoy today for today! Don't put off doing things until later, later may not get there. I have a "bucket list" of things I would like to have done, and I am working on it every day! Take time to enjoy each day for what it has to give. Just as rain replenishes the earth, new experiences and new people replenish the individual. You want to be young at 95? Then enjoy each day, get out there and walk, but don't just walk...take time to "smell the roses" and notice the birds singing and for pete's sake smile! Smile at everyone you meet. They may or may not smile back, but then again, you are spreading joy.

Lastly, be sure to reach out and love those around you. Be like a puppy dog and be thrilled each time our loved ones walk through the door, kiss them goodbye and tell them you love them every time they leave the house. It is great to plan for the future, but enjoy TODAY!!!

The Bucket List

If you haven't seen the movie "The Bucket List" you need to add it to your list of movies to view! It is funny, poignant, sweet and to the point! Sometimes we go through the day to day motions of life, and forget to take time to stop and do important, crazy, fun and enlightening things. Sometimes we are too busy raising families, don't have enough money or just plain don't make "living" a priority.

I recently had an opportunity to fulfill one of my own "Bucket List" dreams. I have always wanted to ride a horse down a beautiful beach. Earlier this month, I got the chance to do just that!

As it turned out, this little adventure not only fulfilled my dream of riding, but proved to be one of the most interesting, hysterical and just plain fun times of my entire life. Thanks to Elizabeth and her wonderful Paso Fino horses on the island of Vieques my family had a wonderful two hour adventure.

I don't know how much you know about Paso Fino horses, but they are lovely animals and although quite strong, they are also SMALL! The island of Vieques, Puerto Rico has hundreds of them living in the wild, and believe me, they own the roads! You have to drive quite carefully to avoid hitting them. I had read about Elizabeth and her horses on line when exploring what to do in Vieques. We made our reservations for a two hour tour after arriving on the Island and checking in at the W Resort and Spa.

The day of the ride, five of us arrived at Elizabeth's and filled out releases, and shared how much or little experience we had riding. I used to ride quite frequently as a child, but it had been about 30 years since my last ride. My daughter has ridden quite a bit lately. One of the young men said he had had riding lessons as a young boy, but from the events that followed, I decided he must have slept through a lot of them. I don't think the other two young men had ever ridden before. Elizabeth took us all out to the stable, and after saddling up the horses, gave each of us one to ride according to our experience and the temperament of the horse. My daughter and I decided to wear helmets, just in case.

Upon mounting my horse, I turned to watch my son mount a SMALL, and I mean really small, Pinto. My son is 6'3" and muscular, and the vision of him on that tiny horse still makes me giggle! We all mounted up, and with a guide at the front and one at the back, proceeded to make our way through the tiny town of Vieques toward the beach. Mind you, there were cars on that road, and we had to be careful to move to the right every time one passed. I chose to ride at the back of the group, and so I got a view of everything going on ahead of me. Well, not only was my son's horse small, he was unruly! He would just take off and go left or right to the side of the road to munch on any vegetation he found appealing. My son would pull the reins and fuss at him, but this was a stubborn beast! The carrying on and the language were hysterical. I actually laughed so much that my rib cage was sore the next day!

After about fifteen minutes of riding through the town, we finally arrived at the beach. It was astoundingly beautiful. The somewhat rocky beach with the aquamarine water spread in front of us was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. We proceeded down the beach with the guides at either end of the group, stopping several times for pictures. The young men actually galloped several times along the beach. I opted to make it a more leisurely adventure, however, knowing the helmet would only protect my head, and there are a lot more breakable parts on my body!

The ride was incredible and I wouldn't trade all those great memories with family and friends for anything. Another thing has been crossed of my bucket list, and I intend to keep choosing new adventures and traveling to new places as long as I am able.

Join me, you won't regret it.