Deb's Real Life

It's the middle of January and we're feeling like springtime here in the Valley of the Sun. Temps were in the 70's and Papago Park beckoned for this week's quick 3-mile hike with Jeff and Wyatt.

Papago Park is situated smack-dab in the middle of our glorious city. Check it out for yourself right here:  https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/papago-park and then get out there!

You can see how the cave-like formations and red-rock buttes were conducive to home-making for the ancient Hohokom who lived in this area thousands of years ago. But here's what I didn't know... German prisoners of war were held nearby during World War II. So much information to glean online!

 

The trails are pounded gravel and quite easy, especially for a novice like myself. There were a few mountain bikers out on the trails and families with children making a morning of it.

 

The crevice above was a rocky climb up and through to reveal the whole of downtown Phoenix.





Gorgeous, right? The younger me used to dream of a real life such as this. Blissful marriage (check), loving family (check), career (blech), and unmitigated joy from sun-up to sun-down (mostly.) Living here in Phoenix with my hubby - I have it all, I truly do. I've never received an Academy Award, a Grammy, a Nobel Peace Prize, a pay-raise, or recognition for being a fantastic toilet bowl cleaner. But this is my real life and I love it.

My real life self...

Wakes up every morning by 7am with a sun-shiney smile.

 

 

 

I tidy the house,

Read a few books, blogs, papers, and magazines.

 

 

 

 

Most days I research new travel ideas.

 

 

 

 

I Facebook, Tweet, Instagram, play a few games and

 

Phone my mom.

 

 

Hanging out with good friends is a pleasure and

Exercising is not! (but a necessity to be sure.)

 

Volunteering at a local school keeps me busy.

 

Around here I'm also known as the Pool Boy, Yard Man, Housekeeper, Chef, CFO,

Wife, Mom, Auntie, Sister, and Grandmama to a couple of sweet pups!

 

 

I'm blessed with good health and know that I'm living the real life of my dreams.

 

 

Living My Real Life

:) Deb



My Beloved Grandma Kay

My beloved Grandma Kay was a traveler. She went to Ireland for a few months in her 60's in a rented VW Bus with her brother and sister-in-law. She rode the ferry up to Whitehorse, Alaska a few times and regaled us with the tales. She and her man-friend, Kermit, made several driving trips up and down the west coast from Oregon through Mexico. They rode the train from Quebec to Vancouver one summer, and she always came home with funky, oversized turquoise jewelry. (Thanks grandma!)

My grandma taught me a lot about myself when I was willing to pay her mind. I like to think that I am somewhat like her - the good parts of her I hope.

And so... I am both a traveler and a reader. Grandma Kay instilled a love of reading in my bones when I was a snip of a thing. She loved romance and history and mysteries and the Bible and Reader's Digest too. She would read to me for hours cuddled up together on her big orange couch.

When I was little, my grandma would read me this poem, but always changed the last line:

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good

She was very very good

And when she was bad

She was Debbie.

 

That last word is supposed to be "horrid." Hilarious.

Like my grandma, I will read anything. I love books, newspapers, magazines, fiction, non-fiction, and my Twitter-feed. Perusing the latest issue of Oprah Magazine I came across an article entitled "20 Questions Every Woman Should Ask Herself" and one of the questions is:

Do I Have Enough Fun?

 

I'm pretty sure that I do have enough fun. Some might think I have too much fun while others may think there's always room for more. I believe that fun is a necessary endeavor to fill our lives with joy. The ability to capture moments of fun and spontaneity along with visiting new places, trying new foods, and sampling new beer is well worth my efforts. My grandma's life was not an easy one. She married an alcoholic and went back to college at age 40 to become a nurse. But she lived a life that was filled with fun. Our fun was shared (with lots of hugs and love) - reading, shopping, and day-tripping in Southern California.









Everybody has their own sense of fun in this world and mine, well...

Today and every day, I choose JOY.

 

 

 

My grandma saved me in so many ways. I'll forever be grateful for her presence in my life. That and a love for crispy fried chicken.

I miss her every day.

Deb (her #1 GD)

Habit-Forming

According to the Oxford Dictionary a habit is a settled or regular tendency, especially one that is hard to give up. Additionally, according to Psychology Today habit formation is the process by which new behaviors become automatic.

It is said that old habits are hard to break (I'm speaking about you chocolate chip cookies) and new habits are hard to form (regular exercise I'm now channeling you.)

In that vein I will tell you that my dear husband and I completed our second hike of 2015. Is it a habit yet? Not sure, but it was highly enjoyable. Last weekend after Hike #1, we went out and purchased (he went out and purchased) some trekking poles. This pair of highly sophisticated and user-friendly poles (one for me, one for him) came in super handy this past weekend when we traversed some gravelly trails. I am the only one who used a trekking pole, by the way.

If you know me, you know that I am a bit unsteady, have occasional vertigo, and broke my wrist hiking a few years back. For these highly rational reasons, I have avoided the mere mention of hiking like the plague. But... I'm now creating a habit out of regular exercise and that includes weekend hikes.

Out to South Mountain we ventured again and took the Ridge Line Trail from the Ramada area at the beginning of the dirt road. Eventually I'm going to have all these trails and the hiking lingo down pat. Suffice it to say that I did not get any blisters, I did not fall, and our two hour trek was splendid indeed.

 

 

 

 

P.S. - that picture of me on top of the big rock was taken about 30 minutes before I broke my wrist.

...and the habit continues!
Cheers :)
Deb

What's a Girl Gotta Do?

Motivation...

a. Shedding for the wedding!
b. Healthier living.
c. A better wardrobe.
d. Crazy good weather.

So... we've decided to not only get in better shape but to hike Arizona. Yep. Me, who has said a thousand times that I will not hike again - I am going to hike.

And here are the new shoes to prove it.

My sweet husband and I have started small this first week of January and set out for South Mountain Park (https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south-mountain.)

Sun was shining, sky was blue, air temp at a crisp 45 degrees ~ a perfect day for hiking.

Oh... the cool stuff you'll see out in the desert. There are loads of trails here for beginners and a good friend of mine who is a serious 7-year hiker (Thanks Chris Huch) set us in motion. Even Wyatt got a chance to wander with us!

Our easy 2-mile hike did wear me out a bit but I'm raring to keep it going next week. I'll keep you posted - cheer me on!!

Hike #1 - South Mountain Phoenix
:) Deb