an Afternoon in Tucson

I say this often, but I think it's worth repeating. Sometimes, stepping away from the computer, disengaging from things that take up our time and refocusing that extra time into more meaningful experiences can be renewing. Like a breathe of fresh air. Speaking of which, it's Spring here and with a very rainy Winter it created a very green Spring. A few weeks back a friend on Facebook posted this quote about the desert:

         "In order to find the desert beautiful, you have to have very small eyes."

That is a perfect way to describe life spent here in the desert where our terrain is sometimes hard to see past. I wish someone had pointed that out when I first moved to the Valley, it may have made the transition a tad smoother. :) Now though, I suppose because I passed the 10yr. mark and there appears to be no immediate plans to move out-of-state, I try to take in little details. The cactus buds getting ready to bloom, the tiny hummingbird nest near our front gate, even the way the air smells  in the evening while the golf course is being watered. I think when you stop to appreciate all the small things, much like stopping to smell the flowers, it makes time slow down a bit. 

In honor of Spring, I wanted to take the kids out exploring and we decided to take a day trip down to Tucson to visit the Sonoran Desert Museum. Basically a zoo of native Arizona animals/reptiles, mixed with a Botanical desert garden. It's nestled into the rocky hillsides just outside of Tucson which created a perfect backdrop for photos and we were there in time to see the wild flowers still in bloom! The kids and I thought it was great, a little warm in the mid-afternoon (bring a hat & water and arrive early) - there was lots of walking and even more to see and discover! 

The kids gave the museum 4 thumbs up - Chase liked the animals and Alaina really enjoyed the walk through bird aviary and the hummingbird garden. Definitely worth putting on your list of things to-do when visiting Southern AZ!

Oh! and I even had some time to scrapbook over the Spring Break ~ in case you thought I had given up on scrapbooking :) I did a little guest designing for Little Black Dress kit club. I can post all of the photos later this week, it was a fun color palette to work with!