This Is It!

:) 9-21-10 The Vogtritters

Ohhh my...It's here...the last day. As promised the year was full of ups and downs, crazy moments, dull episodes of existing; and amazingly enough, absolutely chock full of blessings unending!!!

Unfiltered, In Focus and with the right Shutter Speed, this year long picture blog has been captured. Thank you for your interest, comments and love. Goodnight friends...

One Simple Wish

1 Paradise Valley, AZ 9-20-10

It's your turn...You are sitting in front of a lit candle and everyone is looking at you, waiting for you to make a wish. Do you take it seriously and actually "make a wish" or do you quickly blow the candle out and get on with the eating of the cake?

It was my turn today (actually, I've blown out three separate candles on three separate days) and honestly, as I look at the people gathered around me with cameras poised for the puckered lipped, air exhaling event, I am blank.

How can I capsulate all the wishes I carry on a daily basis into one single moment with one single crystalized wish? So, here is what I think as I dramatically lean in for the snuffing of birthday lit candle, "Thank you". That's it...One simple wish...

Love you friends and know that I am undeniably grateful for each and everyone of you, for this life, my family and for my faith in Christ. God is good...Goodnight everyone. :)

Last Song

2 Paradise Valley, 9-19-10

Time does not become sacred to us until we have lived it, until it has passed over us and taken with it a part of ourselves. ~John Burroughs

It is the last song my friends...the end is drawing so near, I can feel it now. Sadness at the thought of not sharing my thoughts and pictures anymore...Happiness at the ability for one full year of sharing my thoughts and pictures...

Time has passed quickly and definitely taken a part of me. Goodnight friends.

Say Goodnight

3 Ethan, Scottsdale, AZ 9-18-10

The day started like any other except the looming aspect of having an appointment to get my body dunked under water; measuring my fat vs. muscle ratio. Really!?!

Keep in mind, that July 2008, was record of same measurements and attempts to match great numbers (make that AWESOME numbers) were a point of personal obsessive maneuvers. i.e. no alcohol, sugar and limited carbs. For how long you ask? Three weeks!!!

Finding the water mobile station for the test was an adventure, but both my best buddy and I marched in ready for the hold your breath, claustrophobic experience. What follows next is a verbal visual for you of me throwing myself into an embryo position in the corner of the mobile trailer. The numbers for me were astronomical (as if I had never worked out) and my friend on the other hand, peachy perfect! Waaaaa....I'm depressed. Tail between my legs defeated and frustrated. Time to say goodnight to the past and strangle the future! Focus on healthy and lean NOW...Understanding that today's choices are under appreciated for tomorrow's desired goal. Make it great my friends and choose right :)

What's Up

4 Spencer S., Scottsdale, AZ 9-17-10

Tucson Twinkle

5 Tucson, AZ 9-16-10

She thinks she is soooo grown up. Sliding against the law with drinking, living in a house with 4 other girls and learning the new skills of cooking, cleaning and laundry.

She calls mostly when she needs something and writes almost never claiming her college class work keeps her busy all the time.

I think I'm soooo grown up. Raising two children and married for 26 years. Drinking excessively when I feel like it and avoiding the skills of cooking, cleaning and laundry.

I'll call her mostly when I want to lecture her about being grateful for her life or not calling me often enough. I claim I can't call her when I want to tell her I love her because I'm running too many errands or working out.

This is why when I see her and she sees me; We both fall into each others arms, hugging and kissing and feeling remorseful over our lack of ability to control the inevitable...independence from one another. :) Loving my Tucson twinkle moments now more than ever!

Hot Hot Hot

6 Paradise Valley, AZ 9-15-10

I can't breathe...and it's not because of the weather. Sure, it's unbearably warm at this time of year, but combine that with the continuous peri-menopausal 'hot flashes' and what you have is H-E-Double Toothpicks!!!

Lord have mercy on my soul, but being hormonal is challenging enough let alone the disgusting sweats that will ignite without provoking and continue through all hours of the day and night.

Breathing is optional as I find a weird satisfaction over surviving each and everyone of my "personal summer" hot spells. Here's to you staying cool amidst those that are scorching hot! Goodnight friends...

Not Funny

7 Paradise Valley, AZ 9-14-10

Full Circle

8 Paradise Valley, 9-13-10

Dedication

9 St. Barnabas on the Desert, Paradise Valley, AZ 9-12-10

God Is Alive!

10 Saint Barnabas on the Desert, Paradise Valley, AZ 9-10-10

Christians are to be good news before they share good news. The music of the gospel must precede the words of the gospel and prepare the context in which there will be a hunger for those words. What is the music of the gospel? It is the beauty of the indwelling Christ in the everyday relationships of life. ~Joe Aldrich

Love Letters

11 Hilary C., Picture taken 2009, M&M Art-E2D Studios, Paradise Valley, AZ 9-10-10

It seems altogether like stealing, but here is my homage to my seriously sweet friend pictured here. She is inspirational, loving and extremely intelligent and her passion for poetry had me following her blog, "This Same Flower". Here is a snippet of one of her days...

I've been rooting around for some time now looking for something to put here, something to justify my claims. So here is one, one that I love.

Morning

by Billy Collins

Why do we bother with the rest of the day,

the swale of the afternoon,

the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his notorious perfumes,

his many-pointed stars?

This is the best-throwing off the light covers,

feet on the cold floor,

and buzzing around the house on espresso-

maybe a splash of water on the face,

a palmful of vitamins-

but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,

dictionary and atlas open on the rug,

the typewriter waiting for the key of the head,

a cello on the radio,

and, if necessary, the windows-

trees fifty, a hundred years old

out there,

heavy clouds on the way

and the lawn steaming like a horse

in the early morning.

I heart her words which are shear love letters to my soul. Goodnight friends...

Final Healing

12 Paradise Valley, AZ 9-9-10

One reason that sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake. ~Billy Sunday

The Hump

13 Paradise Valley, AZ 9-8-10

Double Up

14 It's 2 "Passions"?, Paradise Valley, AZ 9-7-10

Today was a day of being over exposed. Writing a text message to a friend led to over analyzing my ulterior motive, which in turn, led to me over dramatizing my friendship, which led to an emotional over exposure of my insecurities!!!

Have you been there? Where the tiniest of situations turns into a major crisis? Thank God for another friend who clearly talked me off the ledge and back into the world of reality!

Between hot flashes and hormonal imbalances sans numbing devices like alcohol or serious doctor prescribed drugs, I'm a mess! Seeing double when it comes to anything involving my 5 senses...Xanax anyone? :) Hugs friends

Labor of Love

15 Robert Christian Dior Vogtritter, 8 lbs. 3 oz., 9-6-93, Paradise Valley, AZ 9-6-10

Seriously, laboring on labor day with this giant, precious boy. Gorgeous, inquisitive, cautious, brilliant and loving as a newborn and still carries those qualities now.

Happy birthday to Bo! My baby is truly growing up too fast!

Happy day friends...

Blessings

16 Bo V., Paradise Valley, AZ 9-5-10

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen

God is alive friends...

Childhood Perceptions

17 Tiffany & Breanna, Paradise Valley, AZ 9-4-10

She shared of her memories when she was younger (mostly negative) and I glanced at the little girl she was raising thinking, "What will her daughter's recollections be"?

In life, we are given such a gift of taking our past and morphing it into our presents and sometimes, if we are cognizant of it, we imprint them on our futures. What have you carried with you and passed on?

Tonight, we kind of set the story straight just a bit and saw first hand how when you choose to remember the bad, bad is all you will see. Try to rewind the tapes of all the people involved, show some grace to allow for errors and reglue the pieces of your psyche that were broken by your childhood perceptions. Love you friends.

Temptation Resistation

18 Jeremy & Raquel, Scottsdale, AZ 9-3-10

What makes resisting temptation difficult, for many people, is that they don't want to discourage it completely. ~Franklin P. Jones

Virgin Goals

19 Virgin Olive Oil, Scottsdale, AZ 9-2-10

Yes!!! It's another chance to commit, to make a difference and change ordinary into extra ordinary!!! How? Simply by deciding to fully douse myself on fire with a new goal.

Try it with me! Think of something you've wanted to start but have found a million reasons to not begin...For the next 19 days, commit to starting your new, virgin goal!!!

Yaaaay...You are going to love it! Sharing is caring by the way, so when you begin, go ahead and post it. Write it in the comment box and let's forge ahead together! Geez, it's only for nineteen days. Go for it friends.

20 Days!

20 Paradise Valley, AZ 9-1-10

Here's to 20 more days and a goal completed! Sadly, as happy as I am to be nearing the end, I'm openly admitting that I'm going to miss being connected to an outside world through a photo a day and words.

Bless you my followers for being faithful and caring enough to check in from time to time. Some of you have even spoken to me personally about how some of the blogs have touched you and had eerie similarities to what is happening in your life.

Could this be because when it comes down to it, we all are remarkably alike? With fears, joys, loves and experiences that unite our moments and make us aware of what we have in common instead of what separates us by differences. Goodnight my friends...