Mom got a time out

Saturday afternoon my friend Joy called and asked if I'd go to the cabin with her. So I did- even though my 'responsible' side was doing everything to try and to talk me out of it. I put that 'responsible' side in the coat closet and duct taped its mouth shut. When exactly is it that I began to be so 'responsible' anyway? And why do I wait until I'm ready to lose my mind up in here (up in here) before I think - HEY, I NEED A FREAKIN BREAK?! You know me. You know I like my me time. You know I am spontaneous. What happened? When did I stop taking me time and being spontaneous? Needless to say, I went and I am glad I did! It was a nice 2 hour car ride with great conversation. We were rained on during the drive to the cabin- the smell of wet pine trees is just unbelievable- I had forgotten. We drove with the windows down hyperventilating from inhaling as deeply as we could. It was so incredibly peaceful and serene. Once we got there, it was about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix... need a sweatshirt? That would be an affirmative. After walking around the property, taking endless photographs that did absolutely no justice, and finally eating dinner, I spent the evening having great conversation, watching the fire, and really getting back in touch with myself. I could have stayed a few more days but even just the one overnight was plenty to rejuvenate and get centered. The weather was gorgeous and everywhere you looked was a picture perfect postcard. The cabin is near Mormon Lake which is SE of Flagstaff. Unfortunately the Elk we hoped to see were nowhere to be found as hunting season is open so they were all scared off - bummer. However, we did see other wildlife such as chipmunks, ravens, frogs, swallows, dragonflies, tadpoles, minnows, horses, dogs, and lots of beautiful flowers in the meadow.

I promise that I will take time to be alone with myself more often... and also be more spontaneous. NATURE RULES. Here's just a few of the meelleons of pictures I took. (Click on each to see close up.)

I used a Canon Powershot SD630 digital camera.