Wednesday, January 21, 2015

It's been a busy week. Thanks to 480-Termite for putting this list together.


Things To Do For February

Office: 480-837-6483 • Fax: 480-970-0090


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Phoenix Coyotes HockeyOur professional NHL hockey team hopes to howl its way to the Stanley Cup.  Jobing.com Arena, Glendale.
Various dates and times in February


Movies at the MuseumIndependent and classic cinema and documentaries relating to art, artists, and works on view in the Museum, usually followed by discussion.  Free with paid museum admission.  First come, first seated.  Phoenix Art Museum.
Various dates and times in February 


Free First Friday Nights at Children's Museum of Phoenix
Hours: 5-9 p.m.
Admission: Free

Our hands-on, interactive exhibits are designed to engage the minds, muscles and imaginations of children up to age 10 and the grown-ups who care about them. Climb to new heights in the Climber, navigate your way through Noodle Forest, or build a fort in Building Big. These are just a few of the adventures that await you at the Children's Museum of Phoenix
The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is open to the public free of charge from 5-9 p.m. on the first friday night of each month.

Performances at the Museum
Performances from the East Valley community.  Each performance is different.  Includes children’s plays, kid and adult film series, classical music.  Tempe History Museum. Free admission.
Various dates in February; Performance starts at 7 p.m.


Birds 'n' BeerBirds 'n Beer offers local professionals a fun and refreshing way to learn about Arizona birds and other wildlife while networking with fellow nature-lovers.  Have a cold brew while enjoying an enlightening and lively presentation on Arizona nature.  Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center in Phoenix.  RSVP requested 602-468-6470.  Free admission
Third Thursday of the Month.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m., program begins at 6:30 p.m.


Downtown Chandler Art WalkVisit more than 70 artisans set up along the streets in front of the unique shops and cafes of Historic Downtown Chandler.  Free admission.
Third Friday of the Month; 6 - 10 p.m.



Start a Tradition: Ho Wine Experience at Café Zuzu
Every Wednesday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Café Zuzu
Cost: Tasting is free, featured wine will be discounted. 


Need a little motivation to make it to hump day?  Every week Café Zuzu will be hosting a wine tasting featuring a new winery every week. Try out a taste, meet with an educated winery representative, and enjoy the featured pour at a special price all night. Make it a weekly tradition. 


Scottsdale ArtWalk
ArtWalks are free to the public every Thursday evening along Main Street from Scottsdale Rd. west to Goldwater Blvd., and on Marshall Way north of Indian School Rd. to Fifth Ave.  Restaurants, museums and free trolley and/or horse-drawn carriage rides are available during ArtWalk to transport folks from numerous free parking areas throughout the Scottsdale Arts District and Scottsdale Downtown.
Every Thursday7 - 9 p.m.


FOOD TRUCK CARAVAN
Ongoing weekly on Saturday
TIMES: Saturdays 6:30 p.m. -10:30 
5th Ave & Goldwater
Join us every Saturday night for street food, live music and community fun!
Find up to 15 of the valley’s finest gourmet food trucks serving delicious foods from around the world in one parking lot.  Our Caravan has over 35 trucks which we rotate each week.
Spend a minimum of $8.00 off of any truck and get an Ate on 5th card which gives you discounts to over 25 area merchants.  Lounge in our Caravan tent on pillows and area rugs or sit at one of our communal picnic tables with misters and/or heaters for your comfort and listen to live music under the stars.  Shop our Caravan Collection for apparel and gift items and check out our Caravan Couture line for your favorite canine gifts.


Scottsdale Art Bridge ThursdaysCrafters, jewelers, and artists displaying their work in an outdoor setting with live demonstrations and entertainment in Downtown Scottsdale on the Marshall Way Pedestrian Bridge.  Family Friendly.  Free admission.
Every Thursday5 p.m. - 10p.m.


) Desert Ridge Marketplace Concerts
Free concerts on two stages in North Phoenix at Desert Ridge Marketplace.
Every Friday & Saturday Night in January; 7 p.m.


Phoenix First FridayVisit more than 100 downtown Phoenix art galleries, studios and art spaces.  Free admission.
First Friday of the Month; 6 - 10 p.m.


Farmers MarketsVegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, breads, jams, cheeses, juices, local specialty foods and crafts.  Several locations.
Various dates, times, and locations in February.


Desert Ridge Marketplace Concerts
Free concerts on two stages in North Phoenix at Desert Ridge Marketplace.
Every Friday & Saturday Night in February 7 p.m.


Motorcycles on Main
The first Friday of every month is bike night in Downtown Mesa!  Join over 1000 motorcycles and their riders on Main Street for a Sturgis-style event that attracts bike lovers from all over Arizona and beyond.  The roads are closed to car traffic and open to bikes, riders and spectators for this family-friendly event.  Enjoy music, food, and the beer garden (ID Required).  Free admission.
First Friday of the Month



SUNDAY A’FAIR
February - April 05, 2015
Celebrating its 28th season, Sunday A’Fair features free outdoor concerts in Scottsdale Civic Center Park by the Valley’s top musicians, along with an arts-and-crafts market, fun activities for children and families, docent-led tours of the sculptures in the park and free admission to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).
Guests are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs or picnic baskets and enjoy a relaxing afternoon of great entertainment. Delicious foods from the grill, snacks and cocktails, beer, wine and soft drinks also are available for purchase.


WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN
February 01, 2015

Annually sporting the largest crowds on the PGA TOUR, the Waste Management Phoenix Open has gained legendary status for being unlike any other golf tournament. Not only is it one of the fifth oldest events on the PGA TOUR schedule, it also features one of the most unique holes on TOUR – the famous 16th. The 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is normally a routine 162-yard, par-3, but come tournament week the hole is completely transformed into a stadium with enough room for 15,000 screaming fans. It’s a great opportunity for players and fans to interact.
Combine that with 132 of the top golfers on the PGA TOUR including Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker to name a few and it’s easy to see why this event has grown to where it is today.



CHILLING & GRILLING TAILGATE WITH JIMMY MAC
February 01, 2015
Join Jim McMahon, Chicago Bear’s two-time Super Bowl champion and numerous Hall of Fame players and NFL Legends for a pre-game tailgate party. Enjoy live entertainment and one-on-one interaction with your favorite NFL Legends while feasting on a variety of tantalizing tailgate food and beverages.




SUPER BOWL XLIX
February 01, 2015
Arizona will host its third Super Bowl when Super Bowl XLIX is played at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015.



Harlem Globetrotters
Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 2:00pm

The iconic Harlem Globetrotters are coming to the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ with their unrivaled family show, featuring some of the greatest athletes on the planet. With incredible ball handling wizardry, amazing rim-rattling dunks and trick shots, side-splitting comedy and unequaled on-court fan interaction, this must-see event is guaranteed to entertain the whole family creating memories that will last a lifetime. 



Street Eats Food Truck Festival at Salt River Fields
February 7 & 8, 2015
 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.


By now you food truck fans should be gearing up for what's become the biggest food truck festival to hit the Valley each year. The Street Eats Food Truck Festival, presented by New Times, will bring more than 50 trucks from around Arizona and the country to Salt River Fields on Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26. Attendees will also be able to catch live music, eating contests, and cooking demonstrations.
The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. This year trucks have come from states including Nevada and California to serve up everything from milk products and lobster grilled cheese to fry bread and fried chicken.
Throughout the day you'll be able to see others people stuff their faces with food during Twinkie eating, hot dog eating, pie eating, sandwich eating, and (perhaps the cruelest of them all) saltine eating contests. They'll be held hourly from 12:45 to 4:45 on the EATERAZ Contest Stage.



Taste in Tempe
Sunday, February 8, 2015, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

After last year's sold out debut, Taste In Tempe returns to Tempe Center for the Arts Amphitheater Park for a second round of delightful culinary experiences. Enjoy live music and entertainment while sampling wine, beer and dishes from various Arizona eateries. Other highlights include wine seminars, cooking demonstrations, shopping and more.

http://kmle1079.cbslocal.com/taste-in-tempe/

Dancing With the Stars: Live
Sunday, February 8, 2015, 8:00 PM

The hit TV show presents your favorite stars live in a brand new dance spectacular. The event will feature a cast of the television show's most popular competitors, treating audiences to exciting and romantic performances. Dancing with the Stars dancers will choreograph brand new never-before-seen numbers and re-create some of the show's most memorable moments.

5th Annual Grape Arizona Wine Event
Sunday, February 8, 2015, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 

5th Annual Grape Arizona Wine Event - Phoenix Rotary 100 - Sun Feb 8 at 2:00PM
Grape Arizona Wine Event
Join us Sunday, February 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. to enjoy
the best Arizona has to offer from Arizona vineyards

Arizona Renaissance Festival
February 8-9 (Weekends through March)

Don't miss Raucous Revelry at the 27th Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival! The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 13-stage theater, a 30-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast -- all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure. You never know what you will find on or off the stage!

The Festival is an outdoor event that combines entertainment and wares reminiscent of what may have been found in a 16th Century European village market celebrating the arrival of the King and Queen to their shire. Walk through the gates to be transported back to a simpler more jovial time. Mingle with over 2,000 costumed characters, eat a giant roasted turkey leg; take part in games of chance and skill; cheer on your favorite knight; select a handcrafted rose for that special  someone...so much to see and do



Adults Only Self-guided Valentine's Day Luminary Walk
Saturday, February 14, 2015, 7:00 PM 

San Tan Mountain Regional Park
Enjoy an evening under the stars with that special someone for this adults-only Valentine walk. Tea lights will guide you to the path but your heart will lead the way. Interpretive Trail near the picnic area is open from 7-8:30pm.



Meet and Greet Signing | Keegan Allen | life.love.beauty
3PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14

The actor beyond the character Toby Cavanaugh on Pretty Little Liars visits to sign his original collection of poems, stories, song lyrics, and photography.



Just for Kids: Valentine’s Day Craft - San Tan
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 1:00Pm

Kids will be making Valentine's Day cards using nature-based items for a one-of-a-kind gift of love.





Nickelodeon's The Fresh Beat Band
Wednesday, February 18, 2015, 5:30 PM

This foursome teaches young kids about music appreciation while introducing subjects like melody, rhythm and tempo.

Cirque du Soleil: Varekai
February 19-22  7:30 PM

Deep within a forest, at the summit of a volcano, exists an incredible world called, 'Varekai.' The story begins when a solitary young man falls from the sky and is parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest. This kaleidoscopic world is populated by fantastical creatures, and this young man sets off on an adventure both absurd and extraordinary. This production pays tribute to the nomadic soul, to the spirit and art of the circus tradition, and to the infinite passion of those whose quest takes them along the path that leads to Varekai.



World Thinking Day
Saturday, February 21, 2015, 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Discover the world, without leaving Phoenix! Girl Scouts will take you on a trip around the world, just be prepared to dance, play games and try exotic foods! Plus, see a special performance from the Kawambe-Omawale African Drum and Dance Theatre troupe.


Matsuri Festival of Japan
February 21 -22 2015

All things Japan will be celebrated at the 30th annual Matsuri Festival. Dig into Japanese cuisine from Roka Akor, Asahi Bakery, Pink Pepper and more and shop from dozens of vendors. Don’t miss the traditional Japanese performances going on throughout the weekend across three stages.















Arizona Barber Showcase 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM


Elite Barber Shop & Master Fades Present the 1st Annual Arizona Barber Showcase on Sunday, February 22nd 2015 | Club Cloud N9ne: 3353 W. Greenway Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85053
This event will consist of a 3 category battle: Combover (Hard Part), Freestyle Fade and Lady Barber Competition. Plus, featuring a local barber showcase throughout the night, along with special performances by some of Arizona's best musical talent.


Best Food Truck of Arizona
February 22-23

Help decide who gets crowned king at the Best Food Truck of Arizona festival. All you have to do is eat delicious food and vote! Over 50 food trucks from across the state will be at Chandler’s Tumbleweed Park offering half and full servings of their dishes. The family-friendly event will also have a kid zone play area and live music to enjoy while you sample the best food truck cuisine in the state.




PARADA DEL SOL RODEO
February 26, 2015 — March 01, 2015
The Parada del Sol Rodeo is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned rodeo and will consist of four action-packed performances. As one of the oldest officially sanctioned rodeos in the country, the Parada del Sol Rodeo events include bull riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, and barrel racing, along with other family fun!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Did You See It?

Last night, January 13th local TV stations and many radio outlets across Arizona hosted a 30 minute documentary “Hooked: Tracking Heroin’s Hold on Arizona”. This documentary was created by Cronkite News of ASU. 

http://cronkitenewsonline.com says: At its worst, the life of a heroin addict is deadly and unforgiving.  From 2010 to 2013 drug deaths topped even the number of motor vehicle deaths in Arizona with 1,106 drug deaths compared to 711 motor vehicle deaths in 2010 and 1,200 to 770 in 2013, according to yearly reports from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

This is tragic…but real. 

For those of you personally familiar with our family, you know we found my sister-in-law, Mary Campbell deceased in her home a couple of years ago.

Mary was smart, I mean really smart. She was well read, a college graduate, and valedictorian of her high school. She simply got “Hooked” and could not stop drinking or taking pills. 

Mary had figured out legally how to acquire and keep 100’s of pills at a time. She drank and took pills together.  We couldn’t get her help because we did not have the legal rights to get her help. She was an adult, and in her case she was acquiring the drugs and alcohol legally!

Mary told professionals she was in control. 
When she fell and broke her ankle, the hospital staff simply asked Mary if she knew what she was doing, and she said, “Of course, you don’t think I’m an addict, do you?” 

After the professional left the room Mary, proceeded to tell me she did not like me talking behind her back. Very concerned I asked around and learned that if Mary didn’t want help, we couldn’t   force her to get help.

Then one Saturday morning (July 13, 2013) day during a well check, my husband Ken called and told me, “she’s gone”. Initially I thought Mary was finally tired of us being in her business and had simply packed up moved out of state. 

However, I was wrong --- Mary was dead! Oh, how I miss Mary. 

For you see, Mary and my brother Knox met at elementary school in Bandon, Oregon

By the time they were in high school, Knox and Mary had keys to everything. The high school front door, bus shed, busses, and most of the teachers’ cars. They married right after high school and we thought they would simply live forever. 

That is until Knox developed cancer. In those long years of living with cancer, hospitals, doctors, they both lost hope. Knox and Mary divorced after 26 years of marriage. 

Their life fell apart. My hope is with education we can help others not die from life stresses.

Please if you did not see the documentary, go on line and watch it. You might be able to save a life.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Merilee

Life is so very interesting --- stuff simply happens.  I thought until this morning I had written this week’s blog. The thought was, “So what makes January 1st so very different from December 31st?”

Then this morning happened.  I received a Facebook Message from a young lady, I truly admire, Amber Auer.

Sent at 9:59pm on Monday, it simply said “please call me asap”.  Immediately I panicked, you see Amber is an adopted granddaughter for me, the daughter of Merilee Brinson. 

In this day and age of instant communication a quick search on Facebook allowed me to discover Merilee died Monday, “t-boned” by a truck.  Not her fault, but she was gone!

WOW, how your life focus can instantly change! 

Merilee was on my “TO CALL LIST”.  However, honestly calling was not a high priority, simply an “around to it” this next weekend.

However that “round to it” call will never occur, she is gone.  This outcome has reminded me I need to really consider priorities, actions, and life.

Another Facebook Friend, Amber Chin not long ago posted “If you were really committed to writing in a journal for a life change, how long would you suggest it to be?  90?  150 days?  365 days?”

My response was, “every day for the rest of your life”. 

We all have priorities.  We all want our life to be perfect, end in a glamorous fashion. However sometimes it simply doesn’t work that way.

Merilee’s death reminded me of this today. 

She wasn’t perfect.  There were days when we’d laugh, and cry in the same call.  We’ve even slam down the phone on each other.  Once I told her, “You got yourself there, walk home!”  We fought like Mom and daughter.   But we loved one another!  Merilee changed, I changed - we grew together.

For you see we had a back story: 
Merilee and I met in Cross Roads at Central Christian Church.  I was a small group coach for a women’s co-dependency group.  Weekly, as a group we’d talk and walk through life together. There were tears, lots of them but we encouraged each another to take just one more baby step in recovery. 

Now years later I can see those baby steps have had major impacts in both our lives.  Merilee became an adult Mom to both girls, a nurturing grandmother and she even graduated nursing school, passed her exams and became a licensed nurse - a lifelong dream.


Yes, life is tough, and Merilee is gone way before any of us are willing to let go of her.  However, as she and I often quoted together, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path”.  (Proverbs 3:5)

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

What's Your Legacy?

On Sunday, Ken and I shared a Christmas weekend tradition of going to a movie.  This year we saw the movie “Unbroken”, the story of Louis Zamperini.

A brief summary of the movie, states:

“After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.”

This is too simple a statement. You MUST SEE this movie. I don’t care how old or young you are. Life is hard, life is lived, and life simply does not turn out the way we expect it to!
Consider Louis Zamperini’s life:

Born January 1917 to Italian immigrants he was a middle child.  His older brother was Pete and his two younger sisters were Virginia and Sylvia. The family moved to Torrance, California in 1919. They spoke no English. He was a target for bullies and he was constantly in trouble.
Pete decided Louis needed to run track to stay out of trouble and Pete would hit Louis with a switch when he slacked off in running practice. 

By 1934, Zamperini set a world interscholastic record for the mile.

In 1936, Zamperini decided to try out for the Olympics and qualified.

Zamperini enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in September 1941 and earned a commission as a second lieutenant. On May 27, 1943, while on a search, mechanical difficulties caused the bomber he was on to crash into the ocean 850 miles (1,370 km) south of Oahu - killing 8 of the 11 men aboard.

The three survivors (Zamperini and his crewmates, pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips and Francis "Mac" McNamara), with little food and no water, subsisted on captured rainwater and small fish eaten raw. McNamara died after 33 days at sea.

On their 47th day adrift, Zamperini and Phillips reached land in the Marshall Islands and were immediately captured by the Japanese Navy. They were held in captivity, severely beaten, and mistreated until the end of the war in August 1945.

His death had mistakenly been announced previously, when the US government classified him as KIA during World War II, after that plane crash.

Louis did not die before forgiving his captors and carried the Olympic Torch in Japan - some 69 years later. He died July 2, 2014.

You have to see this movie. 

Sit there and think about your life -- who do you impact?  What will they share after you’re gone!

THAT’S YOUR LEGACY!



Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Colony Christmas

Last week Ken and I were in Palmer, Alaska. We celebrated cold weather in a winter wonderland, where we attended  “Colony Christmas”. 

There were all the trappings of a small town from the turn of the last century. 

We attended craft fairs. The children built marshmallow snowmen and the adults toasted to one another at the Pioneer Museum. A string trio played Christmas music as people simply enjoyed each other’s acquaintance.

Our grandchildren baked Texas Tea Cakes and we attended the play, “A Christmas Carol” at the PAC in Anchorage

It reminded me of the night before Christmas: “Mama in her 'kerchief… just settled down for a long winter's nap”.

Palmer is a small farming community north of Anchorage, in the Matanuska Valley. Historically, in May of 1935, 203 families from Michigan and Minnesota relocated to Palmer in an effort to colonize the area.

I was able to visit with one of those pioneers this past week, Bonnie Larash. Bonnie was a 1 year old babe the year her Mom (age 19) and Dad (age 24) moved  to the Mat-Su Valley.

Bonnie, now 80, grew up in the Mat-Su. She has a picture of herself as a toddler I love!  She looks like Shirley Temple standing on a rugged driveway holding a slice of cheese letting the entire world know she will survive.

Bonnie told me Alaska has changed. But people need to remember, “It’s not like the TV shows, nor will it ever be”. 

She remembers 25 below degree days - using hot water from a wood fire and pouring the water over a frozen propane bottle to warm up the propane.  She needed to do this just to get it out of the bottle to shower to go to work. 

As a child, her first home was a tent. Yes, there was lumber, but her folks had to build the house --- no chain saws! When the families arrived they drew lots for the 40-acre tracts and their farming adventure began in earnest. The failure rate was high. There was no US currency; everything came from the company store.

After a few years, Bonnie’s dad realized that unless he got away from that co-op his family would die owing the company. So they moved into the upper story of a flooded out school house.  Life was hard.

Bonnie grew up and worked at Peggy’s Diner in Anchorage (by the way it is still there) where she earned $2.49 an hour and she raised three kids!  After the children grew up she was offered a job on the Alaska Pipeline, Pump Station 12.  She earned $12.49. She said it was the best job she ever had.

Bonnie is a treasure.  She has life experience!

Look around and you’ll find a Bonnie; I have a few of them.  There is my Aunt Knoxine and my Dad, Tom Campbell.  These people are remarkable, rugged individuals. They have survived life and have life wisdom.

                                                       
I like that!

This holiday, spend time with people who can teach you to learn to leave your own trail.