Greetings from Puerto Rico! I know I said I probably wouldn't be posting till after I got back, but this just couldn't wait! We were out on a drive today and were lucky enough to catch a police chase on video! Matthew was driving; I did the filming. He also gets credit for the video editing. Check it out! Put your speakers on for full effect, however, the audio contains language that may offend some people so you have been warned!

Hello everyone: Sorry to leave you hanging with no new posts but this week has been filled with trying to get everything ready for our upcoming trips to Puerto Rico & St. Maarten/St. Martin so that means lots of shopping! My mom (Adele) who is featured in all of our southwest adventures, has been off from work for the past week and is staying with us at our house. We've basically shopped-till-we-dropped every day while Matthew is working-poor guy! So, am I excited about our trip? Yes! Have I even put one single thing in a suitcase even though we leave in 2 days? No! Nothing like waiting till the last minute! I am doing load after load of laundry though and have picked up the most important items for a beach trip---sunblock & a new swim suit! Well, I had better run. Matthew has flown to Dallas & back today for work and his flight should be arriving shortly. I don't really have any new pics to add so I may not blog again until after we get back. Matthew will have his computer with him though, so I will try to get a post or two out while on location in paradise! If you don't hear from me for the next two weeks, it isn't because I don't feel like writing---it will be because I am too busy experiencing things to write about for when I get back! Check back in with me after the 29th! We get in around 11:45 p.m. that night so it may be June 30th or July 1st before I get another post out!

Oh yeah! I do have a picture to add after all! Today is my "little" brother's 24th birthday! And, since he hasn't been properly introduced on the blog, it might as well be today on his special day! Happy Birthday Bro!


From L to R: Nathan, Adele, & MaLeah

Well folks, this is it. The end of a long journey has arrived and this is my very last southwest post. You've stuck with me through thick and thin as we traveled through Arizona & Utah and of course who can forget our brief stay in Colorado & New Mexico via Four Corners. Our southwest trip was an amazing journey and one that I will definitely do again. We can't wait to come back! Thank you to the people of the area who were so kind to us on our family vacation. We didn't encounter a single rude person throughout our trip-and that is amazing in today's society, huh? Before I sign off, I have been wanting to include a couple photos of the pottery that my dad bought me and the necklace that Matthew bought me.

First the pottery: This was purchased at the Desert Watchtower inside Grand Canyon National Park. I do know it is Navajo made but do not know the cost since Dad was sneaky and purchased it without my knowledge. It was a very thoughtful gift though and my mom has one too and we are enjoying them very much. You should check out the selection there too. Does anyone recognize what is on the pot? Yes, that's right! It's Monument Valley!

Next the necklace: This necklace is also Navajo made and you MUST buy some jewelry from the local roadside stands. It is such a good deal. Any guesses as to how much my necklace was? It was $10! Can you believe that? So cheap yet so beautifully made. The gentleman, his daughter, her husband and son were on the premises that made the jewelry and we did get a photo with them but I am not going to include it on this post out of respect for their privacy. My mom also purchased some jewelry from them and hers is wonderful as well. Hers is turquoise and silver and mine is blue gold stone and silver. I didn't realize that the stones are actually dark blue, not black like they appear. You should see how magnificent it is when the light hits it. It is fully of shiny sparkles, hence the gold part of its name. So awesome! My mom got a bracelet and matching necklace and hers was only $15! She got bracelets for her co-workers back home and they were only $3! Don't be tempted to buy the jewelry inside Grand Canyon! This is so much cheaper and nicer and you can be sure it is Native American made because the people who make it are right there selling it! How do you find them? Well, we bought after visiting the Desert View watchtower. I believe the road was called 64. If you are just entering Grand Canyon National Park, you don't drive all the way to the visitor center area. You turn right at the stop sign to Hwy. 64 before you get there. Then you will pass the watchtower and just keep driving. You will eventually leave the park boundaries and start seeing the little roadside shacks. This is where they are selling the arts and crafts (including the jewelry). This is also the road that eventually leads to Monument Valley. Don't go here without visiting Grand Canyon first because like I said you do leave the park boundaries and will have to pay to get in again. So, do Grand Canyon first, then go here on your way to Monument Valley since it is a "must see" attraction too. I just gave you the above directions because they were the easiest to explain.

A couple tips: The best thing you can do for yourself on this trip to not get lost is to invest in renting a GPS from your rental car company. We did and it was a life saver! We had maps printed out from the internet but they were useless at times and the GPS helped us out. Also, one last tip, don't forget to bring long pants and jackets for this trip even in summer. We brought both and needed them! Also hats, sunglasses, and sunblock/sunscreen are a must. Don't forget comfortable walking shoes and socks as well.

O.k. here are the pictures I promised. One last thing: did anyone guess correctly where we are planning to go starting June 19th? Well....it's Puerto Rico! We will be there from the 19th-24th, then we will be in.....St. Maarten/St. Martin until the 29th! Don't worry, I will take TONS of photos of both and do lots of blogs on them when I get home. I will try to drop in and say hello before we leave but don't know how much blogging I will get done on the actual trip. You may have to wait until we get back home. I have sincerely enjoyed writing to you all and this isn't really the end...it's just the beginning! If you are a first time visitor to this blog or may have just missed a post or two, don't forget to scroll all the way to the bottom and then click on the months of May and June as many of my posts have already archived.

Signing off for now, MaLeah


About the photos: I apologize that the photos aren't of the best quality. Some are blurry because I was too zoomed in on the objects. However, I wanted you to be able to see some of the details. If you click on any of the photos, you can make them larger.

Well guys, here it is, my last post on the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. These photos are a collection of ones that either Matthew, Mom, Dad, or I took of each other during our visit. Since we are such a handsome group, I decided to save the best for last. ha.ha. Just kidding! ha.ha. Enjoy and be sure to check back later if you would like to see my pottery and necklace purchased from the Navajo. I don't think I have spilled the beans as to where our next adventure will take us. But, I will in my next post! Think tropical, think 2 different places in the Caribbean and that is all the hints you are getting! We leave June 19th and come back June 29th! Any guesses? If you are right, I'll give you a prize....special mention on my blog. ha.ha. I have told a couple friends about where we are going, so no, you can't guess. ha.ha.

Don't try this at home kids! ha.ha. This is my favorite photo of us goofing around. No, we didn't really touch the cacti....but while poor Dad was taking this photo of us he did back up into another cactus and got stuck! We thought it was funny; he didn't. ha.ha.

Above: Matthew & I with the photo that everyone has to take--us by the Greetings from The Sonoran Desert sign
Below: Mom and Dad with the same sign
Above: Dad takes a picture of an information placard and casts a cool shadow-is this southwestern or what? ha.ha.
Below: A great shot of mom and dad and a background of saguaro. Doesn't this look fake?

Above: Matthew and I with a cool rock formation behind us
Below: Me with Camelback Mountain behind. Did you spot the saguaro bloom?
Above: A great shot of the entire quail family that I didn't know had been taken when I last posted. Either mom or dad took this one. Not sure who.
Below: Matthew & I with the beautiful desert in the background.

Above: Mom and I with the same pose
Below: An Outstanding close-up of a rabbit. Again, either mom or dad took this and I just found it today.Below: A cute ground squirrel comes out of hiding

Above: Look how tall the cacti are!
Below: A beautiful (human) butterfly!
Above: Matthew and I enjoy the Desert Botanical Garden
Below: Mom and I look even shorter than we really are (and that is short!) compared to the giant cactiBelow: Cool dad with a cool cactus

Above: Matthew and I pose with the saguaro and other desert beauties
Below: Mom and Dad in the butterfly pavilion. The netting you see keeps the butterflies from flying away. In this shot, they are checking out photos on one of their cameras if you are wondering what in the world they are doing.

We were fortunate to be there in the early morning and get to see some of the desert's most adorable creatures out and about, before it got too hot. I just love animals! Also, aren't these butterflies gorgeous? Matthew, of course, took all these photos as well.

Hungry rabbits nibble at their breakfast. Did you spot both of them?

Above: Quail chicks! They were so cute. Their dad ran across the road first, then they quickly followed with mom bringing up the rear! What a treat to get to see these guys!
Below: 2 birds rest on a saguaro. Doesn't this hurt their feet?!
Above: Look closely can you see his "tongue"?
Below: It's twins! 2 orange butterflies rest together.
Above: a beautiful butterfly gets a drink of nectar.
Below: A cool shot from a different perspective

Above: Breakfast menu=purple flowers
Below: This beauty didn't leave the oranges buffet the entire time we were there

I hope you have enjoyed looking at Matthew's flower photos from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Here are a few more pictures from that day, these of plants and yes, he took these too. Yes, I know one of the plants (the beautiful saguaro, for which the Sonoran Desert is famous) has flowers so it would have fit into the "flowers" post from last time. But, I had lots of photos to post and breaking them up seemed like a good idea. I plan to do another post on animals and then one of people (pics that include us in them). After those posts, I only have some photos to share of some pottery and my Navajo necklace and then our time of reminiscing in the southwest will come to a close. Don't worry, since I am Always On Vacation after all, I have another trip coming up on June 19th!

One of the highlights of our vacation was the visit to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Matthew and I had been once before the previous May and knew it was a great time of year to visit, so we decided that Mom and Dad had to see it too. Before our first visit, I had no idea how cool this place would be. Seeing this little desert paradise is a must on anyone’s agenda. I’ve never seen so many beautiful plants and cute little animals hiding among them. There are volunteers all over the place here, so you know that in order for so many people to devote so much time to it, it must be a special place.

First, the particulars. It is $10 for an adult to get in and worth every penny. Be sure to get the sticker to go visit the butterfly pavilion too-more on that later. Tickets are cheaper for children and those under 3 get in free. See http://www.dbg.org for more information.

We have so many photos from this stop that I don’t know how I will choose which ones to post, therefore I have decided to post them in several blogs. This first one is dedicated to my wonderfully talented husband, Matthew, and his flower photos. I can't begin to describe how beautiful I think these photos are. He really has a love for the Botanical Garden and it shows through his work. I took most of the photos of the rest of the trip, but today was his day since he loves this place so much and I turned him loose with the camera. He did such a great job of capturing the flowers and I think he could have a career in nature photography. He will mortified that I bragged on him so much, but I do think these are quite spectacular.

Check out this one-my favorite, see the bees inside the blooms?