Las Vegas

In my last post I mentioned that I had a 26 hour stop over in Las Vegas during my ramblings in March. (20 of those hours I overlapped with my sweet Celeste.) I would never have put Las Vegas on my vacation list but I ended up loving my time there. If you ignore the gambling and other vices, it's a pretty cool place to tour. The architecture is unbelievable!! Bellagio was my favorite because 1) of the Italianate building and furnishings 2) the Conservatory, which was be-decked with plants for Chinese New Year and took my breath away 3) the sales associate in the Lobby Shop knew we were never going to buy a purse but she brought out even her most expensive line and let Emily and Celeste try them on--oh, that I had a few spare $$$ thousands--they looked so beautiful with those bags on I just wanted to buy them two or three and lastly 4) the water show...it was ballet with water. The temperature was just right for strolling and this city of lights and sights never sleeps so one can wander without being conscious of the time.

We stopped at La Creperie for crepes...the girls had hazelnut and chocolate and mine was a savory with vegetables, yummmmmm......

Over the years I have seen the original "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign in movies and that is the one sight I really wanted to see (I know this means admitting to being old enough to be an Elvis fan). We were driving along when Nate suddenly pulled over and parked just out of a lane of traffic and the picture you see here was taken. I just found it on one of Emily's blogs (The Vegas) and I was so excited I "stole" it....now it's a double exposure.

After a Long Absence. . .

It's summer again here in Kentucky. It is the perfect evening as I write. The temperature is 71 degrees and virtually no humidity. My gardens are growing. My furbabies are freshly bathed and I am in the hammock. This is the life!!
What a year it has been!! My sweet Celeste graduated from college and has her first grown-up job (you know, the kind of job that comes with a retirement plan and health insurance!).

My beloved son David married his darling Missy and now I am officially the mother of 3...I love you Missy dearest (and you too David!.) Life is so good!
I finished 14 more credits toward my doctorate while I traveled to Seattle, Reno, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Tampa, Sarasota, Naples (FL) and St. Petersburg. I have seen the ocean from coast to coast in the first six months of 2008. In Las Vegas, I overlapped with my daughter's visit to Emily and Nate's new home. It was 20 hours of fun and catch up. What a life!
God has blessed me with health and happiness and contentment. The sorrows and worries have been there too but I wouldn't ask for it to be any different...these keep me mindful that my every breath is grace from God; my waking and my sleeping and my learning and my traveling and my loving others are dependent on God's mercies, which are new every morning (praise Him from Whom ALL blessings flow.)
These are a few of my favorite snapshots from my life in the last year.