Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my 36th birthday.  This morning I woke up, took a shower, and got ready for work as usual.  As I was getting ready to leave to go to work, I stepped in the bathroom to grab my glasses and took a glance in the mirror.  I've been pretty fortunate in that I've escaped the crows feet around the eyes that plague my family (so far, anyway), but there are two visible signs that I am aging:  1) Random gray hairs are appearing on my head; and 2) I seem to be losing collagen under my eyes so they look sunken in.  Its pretty depressing overall.  I was lamenting the fact that I was losing collagen under my eyes this morning and Cameron replies, "Well you should have went to COLLEGE N you wouldn't have that problem."  Ha ha, very funny honey.  Then he suggested that if it bothered me I should get Botox.  I'm just not an artificial kind of girl and I can't see myself getting injections of Botchulism in my face.  It just doesn't seem like a good idea. 

I know that aging is going to happen and I think in the scheme of things, the bags under my eyes should be the thing about my body that worries me the least.  However, having been an overweight person for most of my life, I always felt like my only presentable bodily asset was my face.  So, of course you can understand my displeasure at seeing my youth fade away.  I have learned to accept myself as I am as I've gotten older, but I still always want to look my best.  Oh well, vanity is pointless, I guess.  I should concentrate on more important things like family, friends, Jesus, and serving others.  Those are the really important things in life.  Not the silly bags under my eyes or my graying hair. 

It's been a crazy couple of months for me.  There have been family birthdays, the Kentucky Derby, parties, showers, and a wedding.  Last weekend I photographed my 2nd wedding.  I was very nervous because I always want to get the best photos possible.  I took over 1400 photos, which is a bit excessive, but that's what I do.  I always want to make sure I have multiple shots of the same pose in case someone blinks or frowns or moves or something.  The mother of the bride and I took a preliminary look at the photos on Saturday and they look good.  I'm pleased with how they turned out.  I hope to put up a few of the shots once I have finished sorting and editing the photos, which may be in a week or two.

In the mean time, I'm going to post a few photos from my road trip last summer.  These are photos I took in the great state of Arizona. 

Fire-damaged Tree in the Catalina Mountains

In 2003 or 2004 (I can't remember for sure), there was a very large fire in the Catalina Mountains that burned acres and acres of forest and completely destroyed the little town of Summerhaven on top of Mount Lemmon.  Summerhaven is beginning to rebound and the trees are growing again, but here and there you still see these trees that were ravaged by that devastating fire.

Wet Plant after a Rain Shower in Madera Canyon

Ski Valley on Mount Lemmon

Mountain Stream in Madera Canyon

Stream in Madera Canyon

Rocky Waterfall on Mount Lemmon

These photos were taken in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains to the south of Tucson and in Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north of Tucson.  Tucson is generally pretty dry and you don't see many running streams or rivers unless there is a pretty heavy monsoon rain.  However, you can often find running streams in the mountain ranges surrounding Tucson.  When I lived there, going into the Catalina Mountains was almost like going back to Kentucky for a little while.  It always made me homesick, but I love every moment up in the mountains.  Cameron and I used to go up the Catalina Mountain Highway and stop at look-out vistas and have picnics at different scenic views.  We still do that when we go back to visit every year.  I have lots of fond memories of Arizona.  You should visit Arizona if you ever get a chance.  It's beautiful there!

Until we meet again, thanks for visiting and leave a comment.