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Back in October we started looking for a second home in Arizona. We stumbled upon Agritopia while driving around the Chandler/Gilbert area. One of the things I had hoped for was a neighborhood that wasn't your typical Arizona neighborhood of endless tan/beige adobe homes...homes that all looked so much alike. I was also hoping for locations to shoot families and seniors. I also wanted a real neighborhood feel. Agritopia fit the bill thousands of times over...and then some. The neighborhood is in the town of Gilbert which was named one of the fastest growing towns in the nation a few years ago...sadly the housing market took a huge dive here in Arizona over the past two years and the prices have plummeted. Most certainly a buyers market!!!
Agritopia is built around an urban farm that has been owned by the Johnston family since the 1960's. The entire concept of the neighborhood is ultra-neighborly with great detail paid to how the streets are laid out, and how the homes surround the farm. A restaurant, coffee shop and farm stand are also incorporated into the neighborhood. Everything about it is thoughtfully built and it's location to so many stores, mountains, the city of Phoenix and trendy Scottsdale is amazing.
So this week we are spending the first of many weeks in our new second home....one that we will visit often and rent a bit to those we know. The house and those in the rest of the neighborhood are so colorful....houses sit on tree-lined streets or beautifully sculpted courtyards like ours. Here is a peak around Agritopia. Our home is three bedroom, two and a half bath, with a large loft that the men in my life have christened the "MAN CAVE". No problem...the rest of the house is mine:)
A view of our courtyard....ours is the yellow home on the far right. No lawn to mow....maintenance takes care of everything. |
| Some of the lovely larger homes that are on the tree-lined street.....beautifully manicured and gorgeous colors. |
| This is Joe's Farm Grill...owned by the Johnston Family. All the vegetables and fruit come from the neighborhood farm. People were lined up 50-60 deep to enjoy the grill. The design is similar to a 1950's restaurant...the building was the Johnston homestead at one time. The grill has been featured on the Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". The food is incredible.....hence the long lines on a Sunday afternoon. |
I'm writing this post at "The Coffee Shop" which shares a garden with Joe's Farm Grill. The weather is perfect...not a cloud in the sky and the temperature is a balmy 78 degrees. I am enjoying birds chirping in the trees, little children singing to their parents and a soft breeze blowing past me. I can't image a better place to be. This might rank up there with a favorite place in Italy:)
Pictures of the house to come as we start furnishing it...we have the basic necessities...the LARGE screen tv for the MAN CAVE and blue ray disc player, an amazing couch for the cave that seats six, beds for each bedroom, and all kitchen accessories. The downstairs needs to be furnished but that will come in the next few months. If anyone out there is looking for a place in the Phoenix area, let us know. We may be able to accommodate you!!!
A fun side-note....we met our next-door neighbors today. Brandon and Kerry will be having their second baby girl today. They have a daughter that looks to be just about a year old. Brandon mentioned that he noticed that our son's car had Indiana license plates. Brandon is from Bedford, Indiana. Home to the late Dr. Stephen Williams (Caroline...I though you would like that!) A very small world indeed. Now I'm going to sit back and enjoy the view and the weather. |
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Zionsville Family PhotographyHow do you thank someone who has helped to raise your child? Back in 2003 our youngest was only ten years old when he began tennis lessons at Team Witsken Tennis. Rick Witsken began his business in 2001 to honor the life of his brother, Todd Witsken, who like Rick, had gone from high school to college and then to professional tennis. I remember meeting Rick for the first time in late 2003 when I drove Adam to one of his first lessons. During the lesson I heard Rick say things to my child that he would repeat over and over again for the next 7 years. What Rick drilled into my child's head was that to be a good tennis player you have to work on the fundamentals and practice. To be a great tennis player you have to have a good attitude, conduct yourself with the utmost in sportsmanship, look people in the eye when you speak to them, ask others about their lives, enjoy the people who surround you, make friends wherever you go....and work on the fundamentals and practice. I give Rick one third of the credit for the young man my son has become.
Flash forward to last night. I did not want to go out in blistering winds and snowfall that Indiana was being pounded with, but I would not have missed Rick being inducted into the Indiana High School Tennis Hall of Fame. Along with two other inductees, Rick was honored not only for the outstanding high school tennis player he was, but more importantly for the work he has done in tennis since then. As a testimony to how much he is respected, three of his current high school players felt the need to witness his induction. My son being one of them. Along with Rick's family and friends, the boys were able to acknowledge with their presence how much Rick has given to their lives.
So Rick....Congratulations. But more importantly....thank you. |
| Yes, they are very close:) |
| and the only image from last night that was worthy of color.....Rick and Whitney's daughter, Brittany. (It was so dark in this venue!) |
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One of things that I hope all of my clients would say, if asked, is that I am fair, honest and straightforward regarding my business practices. A photographer lives in two worlds most of the time....the world of artist and the world of business. I try on a daily basis to make sure that all of my clients have a wonderful shooting experience, are thrilled with the end product and recognize that value of the finished product. This week two totally different companies, both in the business of customer service, left me with two TOTALLY different tastes in my mouth.
My husband has been looking for a new vehicle. His current vehicle will be sent out west to our college student so that he may use it for an upcoming internship he has acquired. So the car shopping process began. In a 24 hour period, at a Honda dealership in Avon, Indiana....my taste for car salesman took a serious drop in the honesty polls. I truly believed that things had changed in car sales with the introduction of Saturn, and their no haggle pricing. Gone supposedly were the days that you felt violated when you left a car dealership. Not so......and I will not name the Honda dealership in Avon, IN....but if you Google the name of the town....
And then the other side of business....the good side. A few weeks ago, Old Betsy....our loud and crabby furnace...decided to start her journey to furnace heaven. We call our local heating and air-conditioning company,Control Tech, to have them take a look. A blower motor was replaced, but the technician warmed us that Old Betsy was passed her prime. And to add insult to injury, her sister, Miss Freeze....the air conditioner....had blown her last bit of cold air....and we would be wise to replace both while all those federal and local rebates were floating around. A few days later Jim Bridges, Control Tech's sales manager came out to explain our options and presented three different units and the benefits of each. Never during my conversation with Jim did I feel pressured to pick the most expensive unit. He spent a good amount of time explaining the various options and then left my husband and I to make the final decision. A week later Jeremy and Adam, Control Tech's technicians came to install the units. They arrived on-time, were courteous and friendly and answered any questions that I had about the new equipment. My home was left in the same shape it was before they arrived, but now I had a new heating and air conditioning unit that is keeping us toasty again.
The difference between these two businesses?? The car dealership claims "TLC" toward their customers but never delivered. The heating and air-conditioning company claim "great customer service" and delivered it over, and over, and over again. I know that Control Tech will forever have our business. I know of one car dealership that will never see a dime of our money. I hope my clients always feel that I treated them with respect and honesty....and if I can't deliver that, I need to get out of the business.
And since a post is always better with a photo.....here are the new additions to our family. Beauty and the Beast:) |
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Aunt Norma....Forever Smiling
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In the early 1970's I was always excited to see the silver-blue Bonneville convertible rolling up our driveway. My Aunt Norma and my Aunt Ann would have 5-6 kids piled in the back...no seatbelts....laughing and honking the horn. The memory is so vivid I can actually feel my feet jumping down our front steps, rushing to the side of the car to grab the first kiss from my aunts. Everyone yelling and calling out as if we hadn’t just seen each other a few days before.
I have five mothers. One who is my biological mother and the others....her sisters. I saw all of "my mothers" often. Of the eighteen grandchildren these sisters produced, fourteen lived within twenty minutes of one another. I saw my cousins frequently! My real mother is irreplaceable, however; the other mothers are a close second.
Aunt Norma radiated happiness wherever she went, with whomever she knew….and even those she didn’t know. I can’t recall a time that I was in her presence and she wasn’t happy. She brought joy and laughter to every gathering we had. The day I became engaged to my husband, we headed to my home to spread the news. The second place we went was my Aunt Norma’s home. She was so excited that she jumped up and down and did her famous belly dance for me….her dancing skills were amazing! Each and every trip that we made from Indiana to New Jersey included a stop at Aunt Norma’s.
My aunt had many loves but there were five at the top of her list. Her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her family and her friends. My Aunt Norma and Uncle Bob met 46 years ago and were married for 44 years. They shared a special bond, admiration and love for one another….I can hear her calling out to my uncle…”Hey Babe”. The center of my aunt’s universe revolved around three people….her children…Jeanie, Anthony and Michael. And from those three came the bright shining stars, her grandchildren. A little over a year ago my aunt flew out to Indiana to spend a week with my mom. Even though we talked about everything under the sun, and laughed up a storm, her eyes would sparkle the most when talking about her five grandsons.
I’m not really sure if five sisters could be any closer….I can only imagine the secrets that each of them holds for the other. Their brother, my Uncle Robert, is the rock that they all lean on. Now that two sisters are gone, it makes all of us want to hug each other a bit tighter. And we do.
Thank you Aunt Norma for being that sunny person I could always go and spend time with. You are a part of me forever. The love and joy you brought to all of us is what I will hold near and dear. What I see now when I think of you is a memory from the backseat of the Bonneville….the top is down, the sun is shining, we are all laughing. You look back at me from the front seat and all I can see is the beautiful sparkle in your eye and the deep dimple….taking us on our next adventure.
The early years.... |
| Joyful....Joyful....Joyful |
| The loves of her life....her husband, her sisters, her friends, and her children. |
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Zionsville Photography :: PersonalI've always heard voices. Voices that tell me to do this or that. Voices I would be better off not listening too. The biggest voice has a very nasal sound and she might be considered a whiner....many of you might be imaging a New Yorker...pushy and matter of fact. Her name is "Procrastination" and she has lived within me my entire life, and I would like to evict her. When I decided to start writing "A Better Version", she swiveled her head around like Sybil and asked, "Why do you want to go to such trouble now?"...."Why not wait until Spring?"...."The weather man said a wind chill of 12..why would you go out in that?" This voice has always been with me helping me to not exercise and helping to pack on a whopping 18 lbs. So early this morning in Indiana, it started to snow. It snowed all day long, and at the moment, it's still snowing. When I finally got home this afternoon I had to have a very loud conversation with Procrastination because I decided to go outside and run. She stood over me while I put on my cold weather gear saying, "Wouldn't a cup of tea and some toast be great right now?"...."There's a great episode of Friends on television"....she continued right until I walked out the door and down the driveway. Funny enough Procrastination is impervious to the cold, because she ran beside me the entire time trying to coax me back into the house. I ran/walked for 45 minutes blasting The Fray the whole way, and then when small icicles were forming on my scarf, I decided to head in. Procrastination giggled to herself thinking that she had won the battle. She didn't today. I chose not to listen to her and it was very hard.
The other voice is more recent. This may sound odd and peculiar to some, but I have a Saint watching over me. The short story is I believe this saint, Saint Catherine of Siena, has always been with me. It hadn't been until a recent trip to Siena, Italy that I realized our connection. So she is the one I turn to when Procrastination needs a swift kick in the ass. The one I turned to this afternoon when I needed help getting out of the door. Score one for Saint Catherine.
So the voices battle everyday to keep me working toward "The Better Version" or not. Today was a good day.....we won:)
Things I know I should be doing......DRINKING LOTS OF WATER!!!! |
| Eating lots of these...... |
| And my trainer Kay is willing to answer questions...she'll probably be a guest blogger very soon. Cyndy wanted to know if Kay could get her to look like the Marilyn photograph hanging in her gym.....not necessary Cyndy....you are beautiful enough:) |
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