What do you see in the clouds....

One of my favorite things to do is to find things in the clouds.  Have you ever looked up and swore you saw a two headed dragon or a pirate ship?  I could spend hours lazily watching the sky change from a landscape, to a ladybug, to a princess.  If I can, I will capture them in a picture.  So far my most favorite one is this elephant.  Can you see him.........

Do you know your best friends phone number.....

I realized today that I do not know very many phone numbers by heart anymore.  I can remember my grandmothers number from when I was five years old but I do not remember my best friends number right now.  With the ease of new technology we no longer "need" to memorize numbers. Why would I need to know a number by heart when all I have to do is push a couple buttons on my phone?  BUT what if you lose all those stored numbers? Or (like a patient I had today) you end up in the hospital and your phone is nowhere to be found? Would you be racking your brain trying to remember a number you never tried to memorize in the first place? My challenge to you today is to take it back old school and put those important phone numbers back in the best phone book ever...your own brain!

Act F.A.S.T. and recognize a stroke......

I recently had a patient who experienced a stroke.  It was scary for her and for us as care providers.  Because we were aware of how to recognize the signs of a stroke the patient will be ok. I thought I would post something today for those of you who may not know what to look for...

Lake Havasu......

New Zealand is on my bucket list but I bet a lot of people have Lake Havasu on their bucket list.  I cannot post about another place in the world without giving props to my home and one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Bucket List....

I think everyone should have a bucket list of things they want to see or achieve in their lifetime.  This is one of the things on my list.......New Zealand!!

Open a phone book.......

There are some days that I want to get out of the house and do something fun but I cannot figure out what I want to do.  When this happens I just grab the phone book, close my eyes and open it.  Whatever I find on the page I use as inspiration.  I landed on plumbers this time so after some thinking I figured...plumbers....pipes......water.....where do we get our water?....soooo, I decided I will take a little sight seeing trip to the Parker Dam and check out the aqueduct.  Not a conventional way to figure out what to do but it encourages me to use my imagination and see new things.  Unfortunately I have yet to land on ice cream parlors.

Butterflies......

I love butterflies and how they have become not only a symbol of new beginnings, but also of happiness and peace of mind. I have noticed in my life that a butterfly always seems to show up at the perfect moment, usually when I am struggling with a decision or in need of a pick-me-up.  I take those flutterby's as a reminder that I need to cheer up, put my chin up and make the changes necessary to bring me back into a place of peace.  Today is one of those days....

Wind out of my sails.....

On this windy day in Lake Havasu I feel that I have had the wind taken out of my sails.  The original direction of my blog has been called into question and I find myself at a loss with how to continue it.  We have been challenged to take our blogs "world-wide" however my blog is solely dedicated to Lake Havasu and my love of this community.  How do I take this blog outside of the place it was designed for? This is a point to ponder........

The power of fear.....

I read something the other day that really resonated with me.  It said "Sometimes the things that you are the most afraid of are the things that make you the happiest."  I do not know who wrote that quote but I wish they were aware that it helped someone....me! That quote has challenged me to try something new that I am afraid of.  I am a little bit of a scaredy cat and am not always willing to try new things. Now I am not saying that I am going to jump out of an airplane anytime soon but I am going to try to challenge myself to try something new that I normally would not have done out of fear.  I challenge you to try something you are afraid of........

Autism Awareness Day.....

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Please share your support by wearing blue today. Visit https://www.facebook.com/worldautismawarenessday to learn more.

Smile vs. Frown......

There is an old wives tale that says it takes more muscles to frown than to smile.  I am not sure if that is true but I think it is much easier to smile.  I am getting wrinkly around my eyes because I smile so much......I wouldn't change those wrinkles for anything!!!!!  A smile can make a persons entire day better so smile at a stranger, smile at a friend, smile in the mirror!

Furrbabies on the brain.......

I must be in full blown furrbaby mode. Here is another event that I think will be really fun and a good way to show support for our local shelter. 

They have so many animals and are always in need of food and toys.  Please consider donating directly or indirectly by attending this fun event:

Yappy Hour.....

This sounds like a fun event for people with furrbabies and a percentage of the proceeds benefit our local humane society. Stella is too little to go but my other two might like to mingle....

I love charitable cause events.  Anything that combines having fun and helping others is my kind of gig!  Hope to see you and your furrbabies there!

Meet Stella.......

We got a new puppy!!!!! We lost our golden retriever, Tippy, 2 years ago and haven't been ready to move on with a new big dog.  That all changed this past weekend.  Paws of Parker got in 8 beautiful border collie/black lab puppies that were only 5 weeks old.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to rescue a shelter dog and round out our family once again. Our little dogs hate her right now but I am positive they will all be best friends once she is 10x their size. Hahahaha!  Furrbabies make life so much fuller.

If you are in the market for a new family member please consider adopting from one of our local shelters, there are so many cats and dogs in need of a good home:
http://westernarizonahumane.org/
https://www.facebook.com/WesternArizonaHumane?fref=ts
http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/Parker__Lapaz_County_Animal_Shelter_rId206_rS_pC.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PAWSofParker/


Meet Stella..........

Camping "out of town"...

I hear so many people say there is nothing to do in Havasu.  Sooooo not true, sometimes you have to use your imagination.  We travelled an entire 8 miles out to Standard Wash the other weekend, set up camp, did some dirt riding, rock crawling, bbq'ing, sitting around a camp fire and had the best time camping "out of town."  You don't have to have a camper or an off-road vehicle to enjoy our desert landscape either, we have often driven a mile or two out in the desert, set up a camp fire and roasted hot dogs and s'mores.  Get out and try new things, or enjoy some old things you didn't think you could do here. Make life fun!

Denise's Day

If you feel the need to get your charity on this weekend then our community will not disappoint you.  The annual Denise's Day is being held at our local rodeo grounds.  Denise's Day is a fundraiser in honor of Denise Madrid, who sadly passed away from cancer.  All the proceeds go towards local families who are battling cancer.  It's a wonderful event and fun for the entire family!

Visit their website and Facebook page for more information:
http://www.denisesdaylhc.org/
https://www.facebook.com/DenisesDayLHC

Weekend fun

I'm a little bummed because my new job has me working on Saturdays which makes me unable to attend all the fun events Havasu has to offer. One side of my blog was going to be posting pics of the events. I am hoping my schedule will change soon. In the meantime I will ask friends and family to allow me to share their pics of events they attend. To be continued.......

Hug your loved ones...

One of the reasons I decided to blog about learning to love life is because I appreciate how fleeting life can be.  I have more family members who have passed than I have living.  It saddens my heart to say that loss has once again struck my family.  Tomorrow I will be attending the funeral of my cousins beautiful seven month old baby boy.  Life is so unfair sometimes.


We have an obligation to ourselves and those around us to live as big as possible.  We must love ourselves, others and our surroundings as much as possible because we have no idea how soon it will all be taken away.  Hug your loved ones every chance you get!!

Calling all American Idol fans...

Any American Idol fans out there? If so than this post will make you so very happy. American Idol season 6 winner Jordin Sparks will be on the Main stage at Kokomo's Havasu on Saturday, March 14th!!!! Hope to see you there!

Singing in the rain.....

I am so happy I did not have to work a 12 hour shift yesterday and today because I would have missed the rain! It is very rare that we get a slow steady rain here in Havasu. Usually the rain comes down at a break-neck speed with the force of a hurricane sucked up by a tornado.  Within minutes the entire town is a maze of rushing rapids that quickly re-landscape entire neighborhoods.  This rain was a slow, lazy, hot cocoa kind of rain that made me so happy.  Although I love the sunshine it is nice to have a little break from it now and then.

Get out and do something...

So, I run across people on a daily basis who tell me how boring Lake Havasu City is.  I get so annoyed when I hear that.  My response.....find something to do so you won't be bored.  This weekend there are a couple really fun events that I encourage all of you bored couch lovers to attend:

1st is the 5K Color Dash. Not only will you get a little fun and exercise but you will be benefitting the Havasu Community Health Foundation and Havasu Health Walk Challenge.
http://cd5k.com/

After you burn away this past weeks calories, put some of them right back in by going to the Music Brews and BBQ Championship at the Nautical Beach Resort.
http://musicbrewsbbq.com/

So get of your behind and get your running shoes on, your charity on, and your appetite on this weekend!!!!!

Cool Breeze

I love this time of year in Havasu because the weather is so unpredictable!  Last week we were living it up outdoors in cozy 80 degree temps and this morning I wake up to a cool breeze for the north and the smell of rain in the air.  I sat on my back porch with a cup of coffee watching the hazy clouds roll along and felt so grateful.  Who says we don't have four seasons?

Artic chill? Not here.

I have family in Missouri.  They have been snowed in for a week!  I feel a little guilty because I was outdoors today enjoying some paddle boarding on the lake and eating up the warm, sunny, and clear day in Havasu. How lucky are we to live here?

Support of a community.

I met a woman today who loves Havasu as much as I do. It was refreshing to hear someone talk about our home with such enthusiasm. Sadly, she lost her son in a horrible accident but was able to find a positive to her tragedy. Although I don't feel that it is my place to share specific details of her story, I do want to pass on her message. She spoke of how supportive our wonderful little town was to her family during the worst time of their lives. People she didn't know reached out to provide support. Because of the community, she found a strength and desire to give back to others and has become involved in many charities she wouldn't have otherwise. She was really inspiring. I hope I will start hearing more and more positive stories like theses that I can share with you all.

Good life!

Rockabilly and Fireworks! BOOM!

There are so many fun events in Havasu and this weekend is no exception. Rockabilly weekend is here!!!! I look forward to it every year. How can you go wrong with good music, sweet rides, beer, and junk food? Even better is finishing off each evening with a healthy dose of fireworks!! I am a 4th of July baby so I definitely have a soft spot for fireworks!! I hope everyone gets out and enjoys what our beautiful community is offering this weekend. Safety first!

My first blog post ever!

This first official post is my attempt at seeing how this all works. I am a little anxious posting a blog because although I talk a lot, I don't know about posting it. I have the general concept of what I will be blogging about so I appreciate everyone's patience.