Cache of the Day - Favorite Holiday!

Having worked over 20 years in retail, I don't share the same "favorite holiday" as most and in fact prefer Easter. The holiday is more relaxed and generally the weather is warm (although not this year!).


Here are some Easter cookies that Taylor and I decorated. Much easier than decorating eggs (and much tastier!).

Cache of the Day - Beautiful Day!

I've always admonished people for taking pictures of scenery. If you want scenery you can buy a post card. Include people in your pictures!

Today, however, I could not help taking pictures of scenery as it was such a beautiful day in Bloomington, Indiana.

Having grown up in the desert, I never understood the concept of "bulb" plants, but here they are! Planted in the fall and patiently waiting to appear to signal the new season.




I also never understood "blooming". Yes, the cacti occasionally display their flora in the Spring, but it is not as spectacular as these blooming Red Bud trees (my favorite - and they only bloom for about three weeks.)





What a perfect day to sit and read and relax, and here's the place to do it. Of course, I never seem to be able to relax, so I didn't actually sit here, but it WOULD be a nice spot to catch a view of the lake, just a little ways away from my condo.





Days like these are meant to be spent outdoors!

Cache of the Day - Wedding Fun

Dancing at the reception


Let's face it. The best part of the wedding is the reception. Nephew Dan and new bride Ali got married this past Saturday in the warm afternoon sun at a beautiful resort in Phoenix. The reception was great - excellent DJ, nice toasts from the best man and maid of honor, and yummy wedding cake and sparkling champagne.





Father-of-the-groom Steve and Mommy



Taylor and me at mother-of-the-groom's house (Rehearsal Dinner)

The bride and groom experienced their honeymoon at my old stomping grounds - the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Maybe the honeymoon is the best part about the wedding!



Dan and my mommy

Cache of the Day - Phoenix Activities

I'm just going to lump a bunch into one post, since so much has been going on.

Activities the last couple of days have been:






Seeing a band called Mogollon.

They played a mix of rock and country and were very good. I especially liked their "FiddleStix" number where the guitar player and the fiddle player each played one-HALF of the other's instrument. At the same time. Fast. It was amazing. My sister-in-law Kristi knows the band members so they took our requests. We invited them over afterwards but I think they were looking for a REAL bar. Good luck in Buckeye, Arizona!






Hanging out with bikers.

Here I am on my brother Steve's Harley. This was a lot of machine for me. Here are some of his biker buddies.





Eating at regional fast food places.

Can't find Jack-in-the-Box or In-n-Out Burger in Indiana, so I had to schedule these feeding activities into my time here.





Arizona sunsets.

Nothing more beautiful!

Cache of the Day - Offroading

Always wanted to do this, and we had the opportunity this week during my visit to Phoenix. The temperature got up to 105 degrees, but with the wind and dust blowing across your body, you hardly feel it. I also did my share of screaming. Daughter Taylor was perfectly fine going up 45 degree angles (and down!), even with boulders, cacti, and soft sand in our path.

My brother Jack (the brother formerly known as "Charlie") brought his Pinzgauer, an old Swedish army vehicle, down with him from Flagstaff. Brother Stephen (always known as "Stephen") brought his Jeep and two stepkids.

I loved taking a shower that night.

Cache of the Day - Karaoke

I've traveled to Phoenix to attend my nephew Dan's wedding, and my time here has been delightfully monopolized by friends and family. Having grown up here, and only getting back every few years, the limited amount of time is jam-packed catching up with everyone. But somehow it feels like I have never left.

I'll keep updating on activities here, as well as the emotional connections I have with Phoenix and the people I know, but for now I will report on what truly is a "cache", in whatever city it can be found. And that is one of my all-time favorite activities - alone or in groups. Karaoke.

My ex-sister-in-law, Carolyn Dausend, has a beautiful home, equipped with a complete karaoke set up, better than you would see in most bars. Many, MANY song titles to choose from. And lots of audience (she must have had 20 people in her house tonight). She knows my enthusiasm for karaoke, so she plans complete events around it. Although this was a "casual" evening (Karaoke Night is officially scheduled for this Monday), we did get a few songs in tonight.


Dan and bride-to-be Allie are performing a selection from "Grease" here, and friend Jeremy is outstanding with a Lighthouse number. I sang a Whitney Houston number and several selections from Broadway (most people didn't "get" that and, quite frankly, hadn't heard of most of the pieces). Carolyn ended the evening with her signature song "These Boots Are Made for Walking".


For those of us who love to perform, and especially for those who love to do it while singing, this was truly a "cache" of the day!

Cache of the Day - Identifying Career Opportunities

I stole this from Deb's blog. Part of my work is in helping individuals to transition between jobs, and one of the greatest treasures is helping them see that they need to focus on not just a job, but a PASSION.

Although this quiz is a very oversimplified and a small component of identifying the paths to take for the journey, it is kind of fun! Thank you Evil HR Lady!



Here's my results:

Your Career Personality: Capable, Friendly, and Energetic

Your Ideal Careers: Actor Advertising Executive Artist Counselor Entrepreneur Musician Politician Psychologist Teacher Television Reporter

The Quick and Dirty Career Test