I hope your 2022 has been filled with as much fun, adventure, and especially love as mine has.
Here are a few pictures to let you know what’s been happening in my world as I make my 2022 social media break permanent.
Cheers, Amber
Starting off the New Year with a new do :)
This is my neighbor friend, E. We have a lot of fun together and this was an especially fun trip to Costco.
Oliver, my youngest of five cats, continues to be incredibly photogenic and just too cute.
In March, I started volunteering with a nonprofit, VNSA, which holds a book sale each February in Phoenix with over one-half million books for sale. It takes a whole year for the volunteers (some who have been doing this for decades!) to sort through the millions of book donations. I LOVE creating order out of chaos, so my volunteer time has been lots of fun. Join us at the 2023 used book sale on February 18 & 19!
On a visit to Colorado to spend time with my family, I took a chance and went out on a date. June 11…the day my life took a surprising and wonderful turn.
Everyone, meet Elijah <3
This summer, he tricked me into a hike up in Estes Park. While I am more one for an easy wander (what I agreed to), this hike (what actually happened) was well worth it. After a day in the mountains, we went to town for some shopping aka my reward :)
It seems 2022 was the year of falling Palo verde trees in Phoenix. The result of one storm was a tree down on my Airstream. Good news though - no damage. The poor tree is a lot smaller these days.
More summer adventures led us to Leadville, CO for a stay at Sawatch Base Camp (<— yes, that’s a link to it!) in the Turquoise yurt cabin. This is the view from the window. My brother, Bryce, has created a magical camp in the Sawatch mountain range. Elevation of over 10,000 feet!
Here’s my cutie and his cutie, Meeko, chillin’ in the yurt cabin. Right above us was a HUGE skylight that let us see ALL the stars at night. It was truly magical.
While in Leadville, I spent time with niece #1.
And look what we have here, niece #2!
Elijah made his first visit to Phoenix where we celebrated his birthday and he met my friends and my Mitchell Street neighbor family.
Back in Colorado, Meeko waited to see his Papa again…and to see me. Over these last few months and many visits, he has come to adore me. And I adore him!
And my poor crew. They aren’t the biggest fan of all my travels this year but they shower me with all the love and snuggles when I’m home.
As I mentioned earlier, 2022 is the year of Palo verdes. This one came down right on top of my car while I was in Colorado. Unfortunately, my car wasn’t as lucky as my Airstream and was badly damaged. I was honestly more upset to lose a huge, old shade tree.
Date night as the weather cooled in Colorado. I happened to win a very competitive game of putt-putt this particular night. A rematch is in store over Christmas if the weather warms up!
And a (date?) afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese. No, it was really to celebrate Niece #1 and her 2nd birthday.
The whole family together! My mom with us three kids :) From left, Carly, Bryce’s wife, with Niece #1. Me holding Niece #2. Elijah, Tyler (in town from Alaska), Bryce, my mom and her husband, Scot.
Fun date night surprise from Elijah. Same instructions, VERY different results. I was so nervous as I’m not much of an art person, but it turns out, I am pretty good at painting trees!
A lovely fall day in Arizona at the Desert Botanical Gardens.
Elijah joined me in Phoenix this year for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner eating outside with my neighbors as is the Mitchell Street tradition known as French Thanksgiving. Friday morning, all the kids and adults made their way to the park and played a game of kickball. Elijah’s team won, and he made the sole homerun of the game.
We celebrated my birthday (a week early!) in Cancun before heading back to Phoenix to celebrate with s’mores and hot chocolate among all my friends.
We enjoyed a day exploring Isla Mujeres, swimming in the ocean at North Beach and soakin up all the sunshine.
And now we hunker down for some puzzle time as we get ready for a white Christmas in Colorado.
