{Dipping My Toes Back in the Water}

Hello, strangers!

What is it about a major life transition that puts blogging squarely in the back seat? LinkAdventures has been decidedly neglected for months, and people are one person is protesting my moratorium. Truth is, I miss this 'ole blog of mine. :)

What context it will take on remains to be seen, as the population of LinkAdventures has been reduced by just under 50% and what I want to share on the world wide web appears to be evolving. But I've been told more than once not to overthink everything so damn much! Interestingly enough, I heard this from ten different sources in as many weeks. If that many random people in your life come to the same conclusion and feel compelled to share it with you, perhaps it's worth taking note of, right?

With reckless abandon, I'll share and let the wind blow me and my little blog where it may ...

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There's been lots of fun stuff happening. I haven't been very good about getting my camera out to document most of it (bad photographer!). That is, in part, because I'm staying present in the moment and enjoying what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with!

A couple highlights include a fabulous, homemade gourmet vegetarian meal with the Law family; going to see DisneyNature's "Chimpanzee" with Paul for Earth Day; attending a book reading with Jeff to hear seven-time Olympic medalist Amanda Beard talk about her memoir In the Pool, They Can't See You Cry; exploring the Tempe Art Festival with friends; and tea at The Phoenician with my new landlord and friend, Patrice.

I was honored to participate in Pat's Run this year. (I walked it with Lindsay in 2008.) It's a big deal in our community -- a 4.2 mile run for a good cause! My friend, Jeff, rallied and got ready to do it with me even though he hadn't run in six years after having both knees reconstructed. What a trooper, that guy! (If you want to support this cause, you might be able to do a "Shadow Run" in a city near you. Check it out here.) We got to meet up with the Hendricks family before and after. It was a fabulous way to spend a morning!

I've already had a couple sets of company in my new little house in the city. Aaron and Pam (my brother and sister-in-law) absolutely, unequivocally saved me by flying in the weekend after I moved. They were on a very specific mission to turn my box-filled mess of a house into a home in a fast 36 hours. They've both been through similar transitions and they know it can be a scoach overwhelming. We spent the first night reconnecting over wine, food and great conversation at Postino Wine Cafe. But at 5AM the next morning, Aaron was up and making sure us girls were, too! Aaron attacked the living room and Pam was in charge of the kitchen. I bounced back and forth between them. By the time they left on Sunday morning, everything was hung on the walls, my living room and kitchen were completely done, and I had a largely settled place to start my new life. As if that wasn't enough, they bought me all kinds of things to get me started including stuff for my kitchen, tools, plants, coasters, and more. :) I'll be forever thankful to them!! I'm so lucky to have these two (and their four kidlets) to love.

Then, my girl Jen -- who I've been friends with for 22 years now! -- flew in for a fabulous girls weekend. We had so much fun! Wine, a spa day, laughs at The Tempe Improv, good food, an awesome hike on the Cholla side of Camelback Mountain, shopping, and gobs of effortless conversation. A perfect weekend! It was wonderful to be able to focus on each other for four distraction-free days. Moments like that in life make me stop and thank The Universe for the amazing friends (which I count as family) I've been blessed with!

My "LinkAdventures" continue, even though they feel different today. It's all a lifestyle choice. Mine is on a mission to give back, explore, integrate into my community, experience new things, enjoy moments big and small with good people and a smile on my face -- determined to fill the air around me with positivity and sparkle! I think it's going to be a good summer. :)

{Jingle Bell Pop}

Happy holidays, all! I hope you're having a season filled with festivity, tradition, family,

and memory makers. I wanted to take a minute to thank all the people in our lives

for their friendship and love in the last year. You make our world a better place by being

in it! All of us over here at Link Adventure wish you a very Merry Christmas ...

It's been a weird holiday season for us this year. The cherry on top came yesterday when I

finally had to concede and admit I am really sick. I was in bed all day yesterday, getting up

only occasionally for fluids, medicine or snacks. I managed to have some face time with my

brother (thanks to Apple) and drag my sick soul into the shower and get ready by 11AM

today. Not breaking any records!

But in keeping with the holiday streak I'm on this year of blogging myself in or with silly

seasonal accessories -- I snapped a photo with my $1 reindeer headband today. :)

Merry Christmas!

I'm determined to get well, and I have a stock pile of medicine to help me do it.

And, of course, the best medicine of all -- puppy love!

So, please have a safe and happy holiday! Enjoy each other and the season in good health

and boundless joy. Cheers!

{Homemade Baby Scrapbook}

It seems like there's always a baby being born to someone we know -- part of the deal

when you and most of your friends are in their 30's, I guess.

Mike (David's co-worker) and Crystal are next in line to board the parent express. Their

family will soon grow by one bundle of love who will no doubt be the conductor of all

things in their family for many months to come. Some friends of the mom-to-be threw

her a lovely shower over the weekend. I decided to bring something homemade as their

gift -- an 8x8 scrapbook that they can add their own photos to once the baby arrives.

I used this one, which I made last year, as a guide for about two-thirds of it. Having it for

layout inspiration meant I didn't have to recreate the wheel for every single page, and it

sped things up a little bit. I did my best to use neutral colors since the baby's gender is

going to be a surprise. It was actually more challenging to go neutral than I expected,

but I think it worked in the end.

Each page has a space for photos that are 5x7, 4x6, 3.5x5, or 2x3 wallets. The background

for each picture is slightly larger than the photo. So, it'll create a nice border that helps it

pop off the page.

Blah, blah, blah. Let's get a look at the thing, right?

Your wish is my command ...

I'm loving gray these days. It seemed like a good neutral color for the album cover.

I typed up a "stats" sheet for the parents to fill out once the baby arrives. "The name we

gave you ... your date of birth ... time you took your first breath ... length from tip to toe

... every ounce of you is perfection." It must be so exciting for parents to document the

beginning of a brand new life.

This page will work for photos from the pregnancy, the nursery, her baby showers,

or the day of birth.


A spot for 5x7 photos.


They'll want to document their new family of three!


I imagine a sequence of expressions, crying pictures or sleeping pictures here.


While this will be Mike and Crystal's first human baby, they do already have a four-legged

kiddo at home. He's a gorgeous, sweet black lab named Gauge. This page is for him and

the baby. :) The sticker at bottom left says, "Every child should have two things: A dog

and a mom willing to let him have one." Yes, indeed.


I just love this orange and white paper. It's so fresh and happy. The jungle animals

seemed like a perfect fit since that's the theme they chose for their baby's nursery.


Pride and Joy -- Yeah, I thought that was clever phrasing. :)


This is another page where any photos of the baby will work. Nice and basic.


Had to include a grandparents page. Across the bottom, it says,

"They sprinkle stardust on the lives of little children."


The very last page says, "The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping baby."

With that, I just needed to pop it in a box and wrap it for gifting! How adorable are

my sweet, faithful assistants? My goodness, I love those two. :)

I had a great time at the shower. (It was fun to get dressed up and do the party thing.)

You can't go wrong with a chocolate fountain, tons of fresh fruit, beautiful mini cupcakes,

and lovely Bellini's made with bubbly and fresh pureed fruit. Indeed.

{Wordless Wednesday: Home}

{Links Lately}

The people have spoken.

You see, I put a little poll on the right margin of this site asking you what you wanted to

hear about next on Link Adventures. The most popular answer was posts about us. (If

you have an opinion, go over and cast a vote.) So much of what we do is basic, day-to-day,

regular stuff -- not unlike everyone else. No one wants to hear about laundry and taxes,

I'm certain. But I thought I'd try to blog a little more about the Links. Here's a mini update

-- punctuated with cell phone photos -- to get things started ...

I can't get over how cute my husband is. :) I mean, how lucky am I?

I feel happiness radiating from David's aura lately. He seems to be in a pretty good place

-- peaceful, smiley, calm, patient, and agreeable. He's overworked and under rested of late,

but that will smooth itself out soon enough and return to "normal." He's back on a running

regimen now after letting his training schedule relax for a bit. He ran 21 miles in the last

week to get started. It's hard for me, a non-runner, to believe that's a "getting started

week!" His next event is the Seattle half marathon in June.

I've started Skyping with my friend, Alejandra, on Thursday evenings. She moved to

Boston a year and a half ago, and we've so missed our regular long talks over dinner.

We talk about where we are and what we're thinking. Then, we set small weekly goals

together -- things that help us feel more like us and give us balance in our lives. It's

been wonderful, and I'm so thankful for her calming, sincere, creative, wise presence

in my life! You know, they say it takes a village to raise a child, but I think it also takes

a small village to get one through adulthood successfully.

Oliver is recovered from his wound. (I think I was the only one that was concerned. Ha!)

He's been enjoying his normal routine of playtime with me punctuated by long, lazy naps.

And a Link update wouldn't be complete without these two angels. Their dips in the pool

are becoming more regular now that the weather is getting warmer. We're all trying to

enjoy the outdoors before it gets too hot. This is a perfect time of year here in Arizona.

That's it for today -- just a quickie look at the Links. I'll be back with more on another day.

{The Dangers of Being an Indoor Cat}

Cats are tough.

Oliver is my first feline. He's taught me a lot, with his latest "lesson in cat" being yesterday.



Turns out, there are hazards lurking around this house I didn't know about. My indoor

cat found a way to get a one-inch gash on his side that went all the way through the skin.

I discovered his wound in a totally random fluke of luck Tuesday morning. (It was hiding

under a lot of hair.) I would have never known anything was wrong by the way he was

acting. His routine was totally intact -- eating, drinking, playing, pottying, and sleeping

as normal.

It was a rough day for him, and it rattled me pretty good, too. Poor angel. I have no idea

how it happened or when, but it was instantly clear we needed to make a trip to the vet.

(Apparently, infections happen fast in a situation like that.) I was a little comforted when

his doctor said it could have happened as recently as the last day or two, based on how it

looked. And I was extremely happy to be able to have him getting fixed up within an hour

of realizing we had a problem. (The people at our vet office are amazing.)

Mr. Oliver Hope Link got about ten staples, antibiotics and some good pain medication.




Now, he's on the road to recovery. Whew!

{A Moment of Silence ... A Moment of Gratitude}

Days like today make me stop and think about how thankful I am for the normalcy in

my life and for the beings -- both people and animals -- that I'm lucky enough to love.

I can't imagine what the poor people in Japan have been going through for the last
12 hours. The chaos and loss must be absolutely overwhelming, and sadly they have

only begun to deal with what will no doubt be a very long and layered recovery. My

heartfelt condolences go out to them. They're up against such a comprehensive

scene of devastation and loss.

Photo credit: Google Images

The human, structural and economic toll will be huge, of course. But this morning

as I watched the coverage from the safety of my living room, my three little fury

angels were snuggled up around me. I thought about all the helpless animals in that

country who didn't survive or how the ones that did are no doubt operating in fear

as they navigate the new circumstances under their feet.

It made me appreciate living in Arizona. Yes, our summers are insane and a little over

the top, but we don't have to contend with hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes

(at this time anyway). So, on a day-to-day basis, my four-legged friends are safe and

won't have to worry about their lives getting thrown into total chaos. Today, I'm

grateful for that. I hope their world is always this safe, comfortable and predictable.

{It's His Day}

Mommy loves you so much. ♥ ♥ ♥

{Not His Best Holiday Season}

Oliver made a swift switch from social holiday helper to the epitome of a scaredy cat.

He was by my side while I wrapped, cooked, decorated, & prepped through December 21st.

But then, he met Beau, who arrived with David's parents on the 22nd. He was not a fan.

We see sweet beauty when we look at Beau ...

But Oliver saw something entirely different, probably in this department ....

Because O was terrified of Beau! He spent the majority of the next 17 days in the six inches

between the wall and couch in the living room. I felt so badly for him. It was no way for

the little guy to spend Christmas or New Years. (Tear, sniff!)

Our company left today. I'm going to need to do some damage control to make sure

my Oliver feels safe and knows he's loved!

Incidentally, Beau got on fabulously with our other two, Norah and Killian. He is such a

wonderful boy. We were sad to see him go. Oliver, on the other hand, was not. :)