Red Butte on a Rainy Spring Day

It rained at the garden before we arrived and right after we left, but there was at least an hour of blue sky and sunshine while we were there.
It was my first time taking Alena to Red Butte Garden without Roger; 

I never wanted to go without him.

I know we will be busy this weekend and really wanted to see how the garden is growing.

It changes so quickly and I didn't want to miss anything.

I enjoyed the adventure immensely. 

I think Alena's favorite part was when we hung out on the swing. 

I read. She swung. We were both very happy and will definitely return.

The sun was shining through these gorgeous flowers in large pots.
They caught my eye even before we left the visitor center.

The long grasses were blowing in the cool breeze.
This should be a video.

Loved these climbing roses and the color combination against the arch wall.

I took this while sitting on a bench that overlooks this view.
A great place to sit and read. Alena was very patient today.

This arbor tunnel has fruit trees climbing up the sides.
The daffodils everywhere are gorgeous.

This little house and its scenery are in a big pot in the children's garden.
You can't see from this angle, but there are tiny plastic koi fish in the pond.

Big Bear Park

I was hoping to find a park somewhere close to the dollar theater. I figured we could buy lunch, take it to the park to eat, and then easily get to the theater on time. I was pleasantly surprised there is a park near the theater.

I like the mostly old-fashioned playground. All the painted metal looks vintage and brings back so many memories. They have metal slides which I haven't seen in years, probably because so many parents have complained about how hot they get in summer. There are likely other safety issues going on here, but I liked the park anyway. Also, not every park has swings anymore, especially ones that are low enough for Alena to get on by herself. I posted more pictures on my Instagram.

The park's address is 930 E Onyx Ln., Sandy, Utah 84094.

Scheels Aquarium

Worth seeing and free! 

Scheels at 11282 State St, Sandy, UT

Sufficient

"Sufficient" is the word I chose for this year. 

I meant to use it to help my self-control -- 

to stop when I've eaten enough, 

read enough, been on the internet enough. 

It represents not trying to do too much or too little-- 

Have I had sufficient exercise? Have I done my part? 

It's a word of self acceptance, of not being too hard on myself. 

It's a word of gratitude. I have enough. I am enough.

This week, I watched this life-changing talk on grace,

starting with this easier-to-watch shorter version. 

As a perfectionist who felt like a frequent failure, 

who might as well not even try or even begin, 

I didn't understand the principle. 

Now I do. I am looking at myself differently.

I have found new hope.

Friends in Passing

It was fun at the zoo today.

My granddaughter is on the right, wearing the heart coat. 

We don't know the girl on the left.

Children are so good at fearlessly approaching new people and experiences. 

We generally lose that as we grow older, maybe partly for our own safety.

We are instructed by people, time, and experience.

Yet, the older I get the more I realize how much we all have in common.

Some of the distance we create hurts more than keeps us safe. 

We learn from the children.