misszoot.com

Sunset at Catalina State Park

We are home from one of the best trips of my life. Not only was it exactly what I needed in terms of hanging out with my brother, which is always good for the soul, and taking a break from being a Mom which is what I needed to boost my energy for the holidays. It also inspired the photographer in me with new scenery. And finally? We ate some hella’ good food. Which is awesome for my waistline.

Fisheye Lens at Catalina

We discussed a few times how much Dad would have a) Loved that we were doing all of these things together and b) Probably have come along with us. He loved the desert and always talked about heading up to the Kitt Peak observatory. That entire night I thought of him.

My brother’s house was also awesome. He’s done a much better job about turning Dad’s weird possessions into workable decor in a modern home. My favorite was what he did with the globe and random medical accessories.

He finally found a new light for the bulb, but the best part is what it’s sitting on. My Dad was a biomedical engineer at a hospital for 25 years. He accumulated a lot of cool medical items like Display Only false hips and shoulders that would get thrown out when they were no longer needed for display. That’s what’s in the glass cylinder…Display Versions of titanium hips and shoulders! And around the base of the cylinder? Some sort of surgical brace. If I could have found a way to sneak the entire contraption home, I would have. Dad would have been amazed that his dusty box of cool medical gadgets could be displayed in such a pretty fashion.

And then…of course…there’s Lance Armstrong. My brother and I agreed Dad wouldn’t have come out for the book signing with us, but he would have loved to hear our goofy stories about it. And he would have loved to receive one of the autographed copies for Christmas. But seeing us waiting in line like giddy school girls at a boy band concert? Would have just made him shake his head in awe. Which made us completely happy to think about.

Most importantly, we had a great time as a couple. MrZ even humored me by holding my hand every where, which he hates to do. We needed that time to remember that we like each other as more than The Other Person To Pass Poopy Diapers Off On. It’s hard to remember that sometimes.