Snapshot Saturday

This week I passed my RD exam and am now officially a Registered Dietitian!!! Yippie!!! I spent two weeks straight studying for about 7 - 10 hours a day and it finally payed off. It was probably one of the hardest exams I have ever studied for, but I'm so happy it is over and my long journey of trying to become an RD is finally finished! To celebrate I wanted to post a picture with flowers. Flowers always bring a smile to my face and I always feel so at peace when I am around them. This photo was snapped at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum about 45 minutes outside of Phoenix metro area. This is one of favorite places to go because no matter what the season, they always have flowers. Enjoy!

Cleo and I enjoying all the plants at the Arboretum

Snapshot Saturday!

This time of year it can be hard to see the beauty in the desert with constant days over 100 degrees. However, this week we have been blessed with rain and thunderstorms. I thought that I should post a picture taken after a rainy summer day showing there still is beauty in the desert where the colors of the sunset are simply magical.

Snapshot Saturday - Rainstorm at Sunset

So this time of the year in Phoenix, Az is, well, pretty......awful. It is hotter than hot everyday. It's over 100 degrees and I'm pretty much begging for a rainstorm or just some sort of water. Although it can be pretty unbearable here in the summer, there are times where beauty can be seen. Many times in the summer there are beautiful and amazing thunderstorms/rainstorms in the deserts around my house. I love driving out to them to watch the lightening, listen to the thunder and see the rain off in the distance. This photo was snapped during a summer storm off in the distance. I love this photo because the rain almost looked pink with the sunset in the background and pink is my favorite color!

SnapShot Saturday (well, it's really Sunday)

So, I forgot to post a photo yesterday and as I was looking through my files this morning, I found one that I absolutely love to show to people when they say Arizona is so brown! Well, that is mostly true, but if you pay close attention, there is tons of color out there in our desert, especially in the wild flowers. This is a photo I snapped when I was studying to become a dietitian at ASU. Every spring/summer time there would be fields and fields of these beautiful flowers everywhere. I absolutely loved walking around campus to see them as they always made me feel so much more positive. So next time you think Arizona doesn't have flowers or color, think again and remember that here you just have to look a bit closer. 

Snapshot Saturday - Peace

I think someone was trying to remind of something this week as I kept hearing this over and over in my head as the week went on. Every time I felt overwhelmed or scared, this would pop up in mind again. So, I thought I would share it along with a picture that resembles peace that was taken on a trip to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in superior Arizona in the spring.

John 14:27 I am leaving you at peace. I am giving you my own peace. I am not giving it to you as the world gives. So don't let your hearts be troubled, and don't be afraid.

Snapshot Saturday

This has been one of the hardest weeks ever! Saying good bye to my cousin has been so difficult and it's still so hard to believe that he is really gone and that I won't see him again on Christmas or Thanksgiving and play "spoons." I know that God has him though. To me, this photo taken during a trip to Sedona, Arizona represents God's reasoning. Many times we can't see God's reasons and don't understand it (shown by the glare of the sun), but if we are able to wait and fight the everyday fight of life we will one day understand. Just as when the sun finally descends in its own timing, we can see the entire mountain.

Snapshot Saturday - A Glimpse of Heaven

This weekend I lost one of the best men I knew, my cousin, Nathan. He was gentle, kind, sweet, easy-going, and had the best smile and funniest laugh ever. He was everything a real man should be and if I ever have a son one day, I hope that he will be just like him. Nathan never seemed to ask for more than he had, he always seemed content and happy with what life gave him. He was never selfish for more. That is something I will always remember about him...how unselfish he was. I hope to be more like him everyday. I don't understand why God took him, but I do know he is in a place that is beautiful and perfect. That he will always be happy and that is what is giving me peace right now...knowing he is LIVING in heaven. This photo represents a glimpse of heaven to me on a day that Travis and I were driving to Alpine, Arizona. When I saw this photo today, I knew that Nathan was there in heaven seeing even more beauty than we can ever imagine.