aqua images in CA

How does that happen? Well, because I love aqua blue. And come on, this is Southern California. It's everywhere!
We had to go pick out several surf boards to use as props for the Marriage Getaway at Bo's Cafe and I went a little crazy snapping pics. Is it just me or does this picture remind you of a collection of colorful Fiestaware dinner plates. Anyway, Randy and I were surprised to find out that just one of these surfboards cost waaay more than both our first cars!






For all you fabric lovers, yes, that is a piece of Amy Butler fabric that Nancy draped over the podium. Don't you just love how it coordinates with the colors in the skimmer board!
And speaking of my dear friend Nancy... she coordinated all the details that went into making this Getaway such a huge success... I mean everything, the lovely gift bags, picking out the menus, transforming the ballroom into Bo's Cafe and tons more. She is one talented gal! Check out her amazing images from the Getaway on her blog here.

We loved working along side these dear friends that we have known for 30 years! And what better way to fellowship than over a meal at the beach house... homemade soups and stew and crusty breads... and check out the dessert on Nancy's blog!

where in the world has linda been

in San Diego!


To surf? Umm, no. Remember, I can't swim.
But last Wed. Randy and I drove over to San Diego for a Marriage Get Away Conference that Leadership Catalyst puts on and we were a part of the music for the conference (check them out here) and the first night we stayed mere steps from the Pacific Ocean in Del Mar!
What a beautiful beach house! Thanks to Lee & Sandy!
I took this pic early Thursday morning watching the surfers catch the big waves. How do they do it!

Then we stayed at the Four Seasons Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, CA the rest of the week. Oh my gosh! What can I say... waaay out of my league... fresh orchids every day, unbelievable food, our bedding turned down each evening, huge plasma TV, down pillows and duvet. What a treat! But truly another world. (this pic was taken off their web site here)




Check out the views from our balcony! Gorgeous. Breathtaking.


Met so many wonderful couples from all over the country. Once again I was so moved by the power of these truths that are communicated to these couples. Randy and I always come away renewed and more intentional in our love and commitment to one another. I am so thankful to be reminded that our marriage needs to be a priority.


Like I said, delicious food! But look how pretty these desserts are!

Here the guys are rehearsing at the beach house. Ok, I know one of them is my husband, but I gotta say it... these guys are good... I mean really good! On Saturday night they played a concert of fun, oldie songs... "brown eyed girl", "dream baby", "love me do", "love potion no. 9".

Man oh man, I am such a groupie!
More pics to come.

apple pie

This is all I have to show from our family gathering last night... the apple pie I made from the apples I brought back from Wisconsin. I couldn't believe I forgot to take any pictures! Well, they loved the pie along with the split peas soup and the Honeybaked ham and the scalloped potatoes. A delicious Fall meal was devoured by all, along with lots of sweet love and laughter!

Later as I climbed into bed, I was tired but so happy, and I sensed some of that familiar contentment going on inside... and... dare I say, a smidgen of peace and... could it be... umm... joy?!
Aaah yes, joy. Yup, it's all coming back to me now.
Thank you God.

love my crazy kids

I am going to see these four fab kids tonight and I can hardly wait! It is getting harder and harder to get us all together and tonight will be our first for dinner since we got back from WI.
I hope they are ready for the 900 pic slideshow of our trip to WI!



These are a couple pics from Shawn & Nicole's annual Halloween party. Tyler and Miranda couldn't be cuter! What a fun party! What a crazy bunch and I am sooo thankful for each of them, especially my little grandbaby growing inside that cute little flower!


Ok, so I dressed up as a French Gardener. Not sure what a French Gardener looks like... but I happen to think I look like one. I found my "made in Paris" blouse at my little thrift store for 99 cents and I'm wearing my baby blue crocs and my garden hat and cute apron... and well, I'd say I pulled it off.
Randy's western shirt was also found at my little thrift store for 99 cents. He about died when I told him he was wearing it for Halloween! But he was a good sport and looked oh so very handsome.

thankful in November

I can't believe it's November already!

But there's lots to look forward to... the SUNS start their 40th season tonight! GO SUNS!

My beloved GREEN BAY PACKERS are 6-1. Which excites me to no end because Phoenix is hosting the Super Bowl this year and I would love to see my PACKERS there!

What else... oh ya, 32 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yeah! Now that I'm a working girl, I will need all the days I can get! I do love shopping. But I'm not a Mall shopper. But then again I do love all the hustle & bustle that comes with the Holiday season in the Malls.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First and foremost, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving. I am going out on a limb here but well, I have plans to post most every day till Thanksgiving... an exercise in becoming aware of all that I am thankful for.
I don't know about you but I am feeling rather negative lately and I don't like it one bit. I am well aware that I usually suffer post-vacation blues, especially after the trip we had. It was so wonderful, so perfect. And then reality sets in. Our older van breaks down. While Randy is fixing it, he notices that our desert front yard rocks are floating in water... the main water line had busted. Not good. All in the first day that we are home. And it has gone downhill from there. We have basically had our older van towed three times in the past week. Not good. But it's fixed and running like a champ again, thanks to Randy.
So how do I remedy this attitude of doom and gloom? By choosing to believe that I am so blessed... that I have all that I could ever want or need... that HE is enough, all that I need... and that I am enough, just as I am. My prayer is to go into the Holiday season with peace, joy and contentment.
So today, this first day of November, I am thankful for my health... the health of my family... the health of my little grandbaby yet to be born... the health of my parents. Let's choose to take better care of ourselves. Let's have a really great day.

more WI pics

I know. Enough of the WI pics... move on Linda. Well, I can't. When it's 98 degrees (yes, it was 98 degrees on Sunday!), you gotta escape somewhere. So I give you a few more images of what I left behind, of where I would like to be, of why I can't let go just yet...



My Dad and his beloved John Deere tractor... his very first John Deere tractor... that he got back in 1969. He has bought many since then, but has never let go of his very first John Deere.
Now I know where I got it from... my being all sentimental, nostalgic, wistful and overly attached. I've cried when we traded in vehicles that our kids came home from the hospital in when they were born! I know, silly, but true.


My very favorite fruit... my very favorite colors... raspberry red and aqua blue. Everytime I look at this lovely image, I want to shoo that fly away. Do you see it? (clic the pic and see for yourself)


We fell in love with my niece's kitty Tazz. She is sooo loving, that she actually hugs you! She especially loved Randy.

My Mom loves when I come home so I can give her a little makeover... the usual cut and style. She looks so great! She is so healthy and full of energy that I can hardly keep up with her. I am praying Randy and I are as active as my Mom & Dad are at their age.



What an inspiration you are to so many. Love you Mom & Dad!


We saw many of these lovely pheasants while in Wisconsin. Randy would slow the van, I would roll down the window and point and shoot... um, with my camera. Have you ever seen a truer red!


I just made this picture my screen saver because I love it so much.
One day I wandered along this country back road taking dozens of pictures, wanting so badly to capture an image that would do justice to the moment, so as to never forget how this moment made me feel.
This image takes me back there every time.

haunted mansion

My family adores the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland! I'm serious, it's their favorite ride! SO a few years ago when we went to Disneyland in December, they were in heaven because you see, the Haunted Mansion combines my husband's two favorite holidays... Halloween and Christmas! And while waiting in line they had all the Christmas carols written along the concrete walls using fun, scary lyrics. So like any musical family would do, we started singing these songs in four-part harmony and well, the reaction was quite flattering. Everyone applauded cuz, well, we sounded pretty darn good. So we spent the rest of our time at Disneyland singing Christmas carols while waiting in line. And can I just say, we were even getting requests! We actually toyed with the idea of proposing to Disney that they hire us each year to entertain while waiting in long lines. What do you think... we'd be sorta like undercover employees that sing while walking around Disneyland... think about it.
Oh, the Larson Mill was found at Big Lots a couple years ago. My maiden name is Larson so I had to have it!


So anyway, it has been Randy's quest in life to find the ultimate Haunted Mansion for Halloween. (um, the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is like over $300.00) So as we were heading back to Phoenix from Wisconsin, we found ourselves in this little town in Kansas and we're eating at Country Kitchen and I mention to Randy that I had not gone to a thrift store in over two weeks. We had gone to plenty of yard sales while in WI, but no thrift stores. Just as those words came out of my mouth, I see across the street a big sign that says "Nifty Thrifty". My heart starts racing, my hands begin to sweat, my husband sees where this is headed and bless his heart, drops me off at Nifty Thrifty while he gases up the van. Love that man.
I walk in and I quickly sense that I have hit the motherload of all thrift stores. *Oh*my*gosh* Vintage sewing notions galore! The coolest 4-H mug with the 4-H pledge on it! (50 cents) A huge zip lock bag filled with packages of rick rack! Fall decorations and other real cool stuff.
As Randy and I were checking out I notice this Haunted Mansion on a table in back of the register. She tells me it's for sale but doesn't know how well it works. But in our eyes, it's perfect. We'll fix it if it doesn't work! She sells it to us for $20.00. We are so aware that we have uncovered a one-of-a-kind treasure. All the way home, we wonder what happens when you push the button. Well, wonder no more. Randy puts in fresh batteries and we were stunned! This computerized song begins to play in sync with various colored strings of lights and creepy, scary sounds and flashing, spooky, lighted windows. We were blown away! What a treasure! All we could imagine was our little grandchild pushing that button one day! How fun will that be!
Here it is! Be sure to turn up the volume!

kate spade bag

Are you thinking I spent that much for this darling bag? Do you not know me better than that!
Here's the story. Well, I happened upon my neighbor's yard sale this morning and we became fast friends. She's from Minnesota, so what's not to like about a fellow-mid-westerner! My eyes quickly landed on this hot pink wicker bag. I put my glasses on and saw what she paid for it and thought no way... she probably wants more than I want to spend. She quickly told me she doesn't put prices on her items, because she heard you could make more by not going to all that work. I told her I do the same thing... but that I didn't want to insult her, so she needed to name her price for the bag. She asked if FIVE DOLLARS was OK. I choked out a YES as calmly as I could! Can you believe it?! And I love it to pieces! Oh and the inside is black with white polka dots! Tooo cute!
I'm not a designer kinda gal, so it's not about getting a kate spade purse... it's about getting something I LOVE for a song!!

the mighty Mississippi

More Fall pics from our travels throughout Wisconsin. (hey, I took over 900 pics!) We would get in the van most everyday and just hit the road. And around every bend would be these breathtaking settings that images can not even begin to capture.





I love this aqua blue bridge towering over the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Minnesota. We really enjoyed the National Eagle Center that had just opened the week before in Wabasha. Check it out here. A must see if you are ever in the area.


My Mom, Aunt Selma and I hanging over the edge of my favorite scenic overlook along the Mississippi River in Alma, Wisconsin. We found these blue-berried branches to take home with us. And the berries have yet to fall off!



And then just when you think you've seen it all.... along comes this!!

Door County

I*LOVE* DOOR * COUNTY*
I love Door County so much that you can imagine my sheer delight in finding a plum colored sweatshirt that conveyed those very sentiments... "When I grow old I will wear purple and retire in Door County!" I was so tickled that I let out a squeal of laughter! You see I had just said to Randy earlier in the day that I wanted to live here someday! And get this, it was on a clearance table outside on the porch of one of those darling little shops... originally $55.00. And... oh, you know me so well... paid $13.00!!


I was looking through my Oct. issue of Martha on our trip and found out that these odd looking squash are called turban squash. I have never seen such vibrant colored squash before!


Love the Halloween artwork on this bottle of wine, and appropriately called "Hallowine". How fun and festive!


Door County is simply one of the most beautiful places in all of Wisconsin. If you look at a map of Wisconsin, you will see that it sorta looks like a mitten... well, Door County is the thumb of the mitten.
It was so much fun traveling through Door County with my brother Gary and his wife Kathy. So much to see and do... climbing up the 75 ft. observation tower at Peninsula State Park, the 130 year old Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, more wineries, hiking along trails, darling little shops in every town, discovering honey crisp apples (yum!) and sampling tons more local foods. And the day could not have been more perfect... blue skies, in the 50's, soft breezes off the Bay.






Be sure to scroll down and read my other WI posts if you are just now tuning in. We are back in Phoenix now and the weather has cooled off since we left. So happy about that! Check back for a couple more WI posts. Later!

a local Wisconsin winery

I had no idea we had a local winery near the family farm where I grew up. One of the highlights of our WI trip was the TENBA RIDGE WINERY near Blair, Wisconsin. (check out the winery here) For three glorious hours we literally felt tranported to another country. What an amazing experience!



My sister-in-law Debbie made an appointment with the owner John for Randy & I to experience our first wine-tasting and tour of the winery. Sooo interesting! John does not filter his wines and unlike the store-bought wines that take a mere 45 days from start to finish, his wines take over four years! We brought home 2 dry reds, also a cranberry-apple sweet and a blackberry sweet. They are all exceptionally smooth and bursting with flavors. Don't I sound like I know what I'm talking about now!!

John has been making wines since 1952 and started this winery in 1989. His children own wineries and vineyards in Sonoma Valley and other parts of the country. What a fascinating man. After the wine tasting and tour we all went out on the veranda with our cheese & crackers and chocolates, sipping wine and taking in the gorgeous countryside.


He does not do any shipping, nor does he sell his wines in any stores and still sells over 15,000 bottles from his winery each year.

So, I can now check off one of the things I wanted to do before it's too late... and that was to go to Napa Valley. This was just as thrilling... truly a delightful surprise! One we will be 'savoring' for a long time.