This post is part of my Amore Arizona series that I mentioned in my post on Contentment,
in which I write about and post pictures of the things I love about Arizona.

• Beads, beads, and more beads!
• A book that represents the several books I’m currently reading or have just finished this week
• “Teach Me To Long Stitch” craft book that is the beginnings of a plastic canvas craft kit for Miss Munchkin’s upcoming birthday

All making for a very messy dining table, indicating the need for finding a more permanent place for beading projects.

• Munchkin has gotten so good at writing/typing/spelling that we were able to have an hour and a half Skype conversation, all in words. I see many more conversations in our future.
• We spent a pleasant couple of hours in early January with Bill’s cousins in Tempe, having lunch and catching up on family news.
• David spent the Christmas / New Year’s holidays with us. David and I spent an afternoon in Bisbee, eating lunch, walking the downtown and window shopping. It was great fun. I took several pictures of the snow falling – it was cold that day! We had a pleasant time together, as we always do.

In January, there were things that deserved editing:

• Charles had a very serious bout of food poisoning in January, so severe that he was hospitalized for two days. These are the times when I most dislike living so far away. All you can do is hope and pray and wait for updates. Luckily he recovered and was able to be back to work a week later, but it was still a very scary time.
• My Uncle Kent’s memorial service was held on January 3rd, a very sad way to begin 2013. It was held in New York, so I was not there, but I was glad that my brother Eric and my mom both were able to attend and represent the family. Having lost my father less than two years ago, I know what my cousins Roberta and Rebecca are going through and I think about them every day, holding them in my heart and sending hugs and love.

In January, there were the moments that hold our lives together:

• I had yearly lab work done to check on my thyroid levels and a follow-up doctor’s visit. Other than cutting back on some sweets/breads and losing a little weight, his advice was to have a better year in 2013 than I had in 2012 with a lot less stress.
• January was full of usual things like getting the car serviced, my having a cavity filled, a bathroom sink replaced, and the furnace not working one morning (nothing serious, just the new furnace is very fussy about dirty – or even slightly dirty – filters!).
• I signed up for a weekly FarmBox of fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. We received our first box the last week of January and I was quite pleased with it. I have wanted to do something like this for years, but never had the opportunity. It is a good feeling to be supporting local farmers.
• I completed two crochet projects – a granny square Christmas stocking and a granny square lapghan. I also worked on a couple of crocheted jewelry projects, which I will be posting about here in February.

In January, there were mountains climbed:

• My anxiety issues seem to be fading away. I’m not sure exactly what has helped – walking daily, adding more protein into my diet, the natural supplement kicking in better – but whatever it was, I have not had any symptoms since New Year’s Eve, for which I am grateful.
• My one big goal this year was to walk daily, and while I’m not yet at 100% success, I did manage 23 walks in the 31 days of January.
• My desk has remained (mostly) clean and neat and I have been working diligently on getting Quicken up to date (after procrastinating the first two weeks of the month).
• I participated in a “Values” workshop at Thirty Day Focus, which was a very worthwhile experience. I discovered a few things about myself, had other things reinforced, and ended January with a much better outlook than I began the month. I highly recommend Thirty Day Focus and will likely take another of their monthly workshops later in the year.

In January, there were pitfalls to overcome:

• We have been trying to cut back on desserts (sweets) and lower our carb intake this month. I sent a huge care box to David full of items we shouldn’t be eating. So far, mixed results. But each day is a new day to begin again.
• It seems like every January is a stressful one on Bill’s job front and this has January has been no exception. He says it is months like these that make driving truck seem like a really good alternative.
• I continue to have to deal with many issues concerning my dad’s estate and I will have to make another trip to Alabama soon, possibly the end of February, definitely by mid-March. His house is empty now, so there is some cleaning out of personal effects that needs to be done, along with lining up an auctioneer for a sale later in the year.

At dusk, on the way back from picking Bill up at work, I pulled over and took this “sunset” picture:

Those clouds should have been a warning, as we woke up Tuesday morning to snow and ice everywhere! Not enough to shut things down here, although there were several accidents due to icy streets/roads. The eastern portion of Cochise County was pretty much shut down with several inches of snow and wind-driven snow drifts, along with some icy roads. Thankfully the sun was shining and things melted off fairly quickly. And no, I didn’t go out and take any pictures of the snow. The wind was blowing and it was COLD!

When I took Bill in to work this morning, I saw rainbows!

There’s just a hint of a second rainbow to the left of the brilliant rainbow. I took this as I was coming off post, looking back west to the Huachuca Mountains.

The sky/cloud/mountain interplay the last few days has been quite spectacular when we have been taking our daily walks. I took this yesterday afternoon:

This is looking east, towards the hills around Tombstone and the taller mountains beyond.

I hope to get a chance to drive out of town a bit sometime today and see what photo opportunities arise.