Tulips!

Happy Good Friday! I'm very grateful for the day off, and Tyler decided to take a vacation day so we could head north to Mount Vernon to see some tulips. Two years ago on Good Friday we had the same wonderful idea and it was gorgeous, albeit very windy and rainy: http://lauritalee.blogspot.com/2010/04/beautiful-tulips.html. This year, mother nature cooperated with some sunshine however it has not been warm enough for many tulips to bloom unfortunately. It was still beautiful and we enjoyed the day particularly with the daffodils in bloom. 

Lillian loved this sign!

As you can see, the tulip fields were still pretty green!

Happy spring!

NACADA Portland

The NACADA conference is one of my favorite professional development opportunities each year: National ACademic Advising Association.  This year was my fourth regional conference: first was Missoula, next was Seattle, then Calgary and now Portland.  Three best parts of this trip: reuniting with Miss Beth in downtown Portland for a lunch date, amazing gluten free beer at Deschutes Brewery and a delightful breakfast date with Abs! 

Beth and I:

Becca also loving the gluten free beer!

Most of the SU gang at Deschutes:

 Breakfast with Abby!

Love these signs!

In addition to some fun times, Tonja and I presented at the conference on the topic of advisors encouraging student self-advocacy skills such as using office hours, speaking up for themselves, networking, etc.  It felt great to have my first conference presentation under my belt with such a supportive audience.  Next NACADA stop is looking to be NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE!!

Saguaro

Saguaro National Park was so beautiful and amazing that we went there twice in the four days we were in AZ. I loved how diverse the landscape was, the wonderful views, and of course, being in the sunshine. Thankfully I am not as sensitive to sun as I used to be :)

Tyler and I made a video of some of our pictures and video clips. I hope you enjoy it! 




Pancho and Fisch were wonderful tour guides through the dessert.  There were so many cacti to see and we even saw a lizard.  Thank God no snakes! 

Here I am playing around with my camera again.

I wanted perspective on how tall some of these cacti are!

We learned that this type of cactus is one you don't want to mess with: cholla cactus.

Last but not least, I will leave you with a few favorites of the two individuals that made our trip fantastic and memorable :)  Thanks, Fisch and Pancho!!!!

U of A and Mount Lemmon

Little did I know, Tuscon is surrounded by beautiful moutains.  Outdoor activities are just a short drive away and we sure took advantage of that!  On Friday morning, we walked around the University of Arizona where they were setting up for a book conference.  I loved the scenery, although I couldn't done without the nasty wind that decided to hit Tucson that day.  Here are some of the sights on campus:

From the top of the parking garage, looking north at the Catalina Mtns (Mount Lemmon):

View from hotel window:

Looking toward downtown Tucson:

You may remember that I love Palm Trees!



By the time I finish blogging about this trip, you may also notice that I love cacti!

Go Wildcats! 

Ok, now this is a cool cactus!

Loved this orange tree against the brick!



Now, here comes the real scenery: Mount Lemmon.  Incredible.  Fisch and her brother rock climb here often.  I can see why!

Surrounded by cacti at the bottom, rocks and snow at the top.

Wow, so many different view points!

It was chilly up there!

Long and windy road...

Beautiful snow :)

We went shopping at the ski resort and bought these head wraps.  Super cute!!!

Who knew I liked pink so much?!

On the way down, we went on a nice hike with great photo opps. I experimented with my camera's "super vivid" setting.

Fisch has such a great eye for photography.  LOVE this photo!

So much fun!!!!

Whawhoo...on top of the world.  Can't wait to go back and explore more trails!



a visit with Fisch!

I have a lot of bloggin' to do so please stay tuned.  Last Thursday, I headed down to Arizona for some *fabulous* and much-needed sunshine and a visit with Fisch who recently relocated (sad for us, happy for her).  Tyler was there on business, convenient huh?, so we were all able to enjoy the time together.  I was in awe of the scenery.  Mountains on all sides, palm trees, cacti, sunshine...

On Thursday evening, we had an AMAZING dinner at Guadalajara restaurant.  If you are ever in Tucson, this is a must-eat-at kind of place.  Wow!

Salud to $3 margaritas!

Even better, custom made to order salsa, right at your table!!!  Muy deliciosa (see, I remember my spanish)!

My carne asada.  I don't think this picture does it justice.

I think I better just make this post about food and beverage, just to make Amy hungry.  I seem to be good at that :)

On Friday, after a day of exploring the mountains, we stopped by a fun wine bar across from the university.  Very nice.  Here is Tyler amidst the scenery.

On Saturday, we headed North to visit with Beth's parents.  They fed us very well also and I must have been so enamored with Scooter the dog that I didn't capture any photos.  It was fun to visit with them and hear more about their lives.

Gluten-free cupcakes were also consumed that day.  Wow!  :)  I had lemon, Fisch had german chocolate, and tyler had cherry amaretto.

Later in the day, I learned what a Sonoran hot dog was.  Oh my.  The 'dog' was wrapped in bacon and topped with all sorts of goodness.  Not exactly gluten free, so Fisch savored this treat while I opted for some carne asada tacos and the most delicious beans I think I've had in a really long time. 

On Sunday, we visited Mosaic Cafe for brunch.  Fisch and I opted for the featured item from the Food Network: Huevos Rancheros with Chorizo.  Can I just say amazing?!  Even my dish without cheese was just fabulous.  Wash it down with a mimosa/bellini, and we were good to go :) 

Fisch, thank you for showing us a wonderful time!  I hope you don't think I am only going to post a blog about food, more details to come :)