just one more reason I'd rather be in the garden....

sandhill cranes

I wish the picture would have turned out better, but it's difficult to take photos through your windshield!

My first iris!

My mom let me dig up a few of her extra iris last year. Like so many of my perennials, I moved them in early spring so I didn't get any blooms. This year the fans are loaded with buds, and yesterday the first flower opened!

So pardon me while I revel in iris bliss for a moment :)

sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Fez is back

And this is why I need a new camera with a better zoom. I love photographing our neighborhood visitors.

The Big Thaw

Last week the backyard looked like the photo on the left. Turns out that March, when Jami's breaking out with a serious case of Spring Fever, is one of the snowiest months here. Welcome to Minnesota!

Don't get me wrong, I love snow, but come on, it's MARCH! I'm ready to get my hands dirty again, I'm ready to go on walks that don't involve slipping on ice, I'm ready to bask in the sun.

Six months of snow is enough for me, which is why I'm happy to report that there's now a small pond in my driveway as demonstrated on the right.

Bring on the Big Thaw, I'm ready for this:

we are ON for Vegas!

I am so incredibly psyched - we are *so* heading to Vegas for the wedding!

It's bizarre that we've come full-circle: I originally thought of Vegas, but then I second guessed myself thinking that I'd want to choose every little detail; however, I am *so* not a bridezilla! I'm actually quite indecisive, and it would be much less stress for me to pick a package and show up. the most important thing is to enjoy our time with friends and family and celebrate. There is no way I'd be able to relax if we had the wedding at our place. I spazzed last year when we hosted my fiance's parents!

We're still going with Labor Day weekend so now I just need to choose a package. So far Mandalay Bay looks great - I love the outdoor Valley of the Falls location.

I'm currently doing research on the various hotels and chapels. Any advice or tips? I'd love to hear from you!