Spring Equinox - Wallpaper Freebie

A WALL PAPER FREEBIE - ARIZONA PHOTOGRAPHY

Happy First Day of Spring! I love spring in the desert. The dusty, neutral colored plants begin to bloom with bright and festive petals, bringing the buzzing bees and whizzing hummingbirds with them. For once the air feels slightly cool and fresh, unlike the staleness of the Arizona summer heat. Something about that crisp, spring breeze invigorates me, giving me the idea I can do anything. Gratitude seems to blow with each gust of the gentle wind, inviting every little creosote branch to dance in it's presence. And I too feel like dancing! Arizona seems to be a little behind this year, but the tiny, yellow blossoms popping up on my mom's palo verde tree says spring is coming!

In honor of the beginning of spring I'm sharing a few of my favorite springs images I've captured, that you can download to use as a wallpaper on your phone or desktop. Just click the photos to open in a new tab, then right click, and save. Enjoy!

Phone:

Desktop:

A Fresh Cup: The Best Coffee Spots in Flagstaff

"I spend way too much time in coffee shops."

"There's no such thing."

Andrea seems to be a queen of coffee, thrifting, and all things local in Phoenix. When we met up to take these photos, I had to confess to her that coffee took up way too much of my time and she kindly let me know that is not possible! I love following along with Andrea on social media to see what fun, new places I should try out in the Valley (you should too)! Which got me thinking maybe I should spread some love for my town and share some of my favorite places. In honor of Andrea and her love for coffee, I'll be sharing my curated list of local Flagstaff coffee shops! (Sorry to say Macy's is not on my list.) If you're wondering where to get some good coffee and need to know a little backstory/commentary before you decide which place to make your regular spot, then look no further! 

Cedar House: Whenever I'm hanging out at Cedar House, someone walks in with a friend who has never been in before. This friend will say something along the lines of, "It's so cozy in here," and I nod furiously in agreement from my corner spot, twitching from a condition known as too-much-caffeine-not-enough-food. Cedar House has a sense of community different from other coffee spots, which is why I love it so much. The walls are lined with shelves holding locally made goods and every customer seems to have some kind of report with the baristas. I, again smushed as far back as possible into my corner, know no one, but still enjoy pretending I am apart of this community. Just kidding! When I lived a mere ten minute walk from Cedar House I was beginning to become a regular the baristas recognized. And really, Cedar House hasn't just made a community based on being a regular who needs a coffee fix, rather their community is based in a love for their town and the people in it. Cedar House also has some of the most fun creations! Shermanator? Yes, please. If you want to shop locally handmade items and take in the beautiful view of Mt. Elden while sipping on your coffee, this is the place!

Single Speed: Back in the day Single Speed was but a roaster and where it sits today was a little coffee shop called Higher Grounds. This was MY place. The cafe ran as a non profit and had the perfect seating layout. I spent too much time here and never thought I could love another coffee shop as much. I would go to Phoenix and be incredibly annoyed that nowhere was as good. Then one fateful day, I entered MY spot to find it was no longer what I had fallen in love with. It was under a new temporary name and business model (goodbye good feels of the non profit), the kitchen was shut down, and someone dared to change the seating arrangement!! I kept coming back in hopes that for some odd reason (mostly due to the temporary name) the pervious owners would show up again and be like, "Gotcha!" Finally, a new sign was put up reading "Single Speed" and the chairs and tables were rearranged like 10 more times.

Even though I was honestly (and weirdly) devastated, I realized this was still the spot I brought all my friends who were visiting from out of town. Let's be real, Single Speed still has great coffee, a centric location, and friendly baristas. Their refill system is also the easiest for a socially awkward person as myself. When you go to fill up your cup of brewed coffee there is a little jar that says, "Refills 50¢" and you realize, "Woah, I can just serve myself instead of harassing a barista to take more of my money or to fill up my cup while they are actually trying to make complicated espresso drinks!!" It's also just a very obvious refill policy, instead of some places, where after a year of being a customer I'm finally informed they give one free refill if you ask for one. Admittedly, this is probably my fault for not reading the menu closely enough, but when I'm over-caffeinated I need obvious people! Single Speed is the reason I refuse to use my quarters anywhere besides the refill jar. If you're downtown with some extra quarters and looking for good cup of coffee, you know where to go.

Bookman's Cafe: As a kid, my dad would take my brother and me to Bookman's all the time to search for the new scifi or Thich Nhat Hanh book he wanted. My favorite location had a cafe in the front right next to all the sheet music. I don't think I ever bought anything from there, but I was oddly fascinated with the idea of a Bookman Cafe. Before I could ever get a job to finance my coffee addiction and actually buy anything from the cafe it closed down. How would my life unfold without this opportunity in the future?! Then I moved to Flagstaff where, great news, there is a Bookman's Cafe!! It's one of the few coffee shops open past 6pm, so if you also spend your time working into the night and would like to not be a complete hermit, then Bookman's Cafe has you covered. You can also use Bookman's credit at the cafe! I have never been more incentivized to trade in my books or CDs, than when coffee is involved (but I actually never have because my brother works at the library and thought he would expect me to donate books to children, but great news, he fully supports trading in for coffee). Bookman's is the place to head when you want to study late or your friends pay you back for gas with Bookman's credit (my friends do this)!

Kickstand Kafe: My favorite coffee place in town! It seems to be a hard balance between pleasing my picky coffee tastebuds (I'm not that into any coffee with a slightly bitter taste) and also the annoying, financially responsible side of me. Usually coffee shops can do one or the other, but lo and behold, Kickstand Kafe does both. I got pretty into cold brew a few years back and then quickly out of it because most coffee shops were using concentrate they purchased, which usually left my mouth with a hint of cigarette butts, then charging $5 for a little cup. However, Kickstand in fact does make their own cold brew with a special roast made for cold brewing and the only thing it leaves is me wanting more! Also, it's so well priced that sometimes I feel like I'm a sleazy character making some kind of shady deal where I know I'm obviously getting the better bargain.

My current favorite drink is the Smooth Jazz, coffee with two shots of espresso, cinnamon, and honey. I would stay for hours ordering one smooth jazz after the other if I didn't know that was bad for my health and my bank account. Honestly, I find this to be a great reflection on my self control. Bonus: if you are into eavesdropping or people watching, like I am, then Kickstand is a gold mine. Since Flag High is right down the street, many a teenager comes in to hang out. High schoolers are way more enthralling then the rest of you boring adults because they don't care about who hears them and they are not as curmudgeonly, so everything is exciting. For example, when it snows, while the proper adults are like, "Oh, I wonder how this will affect the roads?" the high schoolers are racing out to go take pictures of themselves trying to catch snow on their tongues and also demanding the boys in the group stay behind to watch their pile of snacks. I dunno. I see some kind of commentary in there and it's sweet. If you enjoy great tasting/priced coffee with a side of social commentary, then you belong at Kickstand.

Share More, Consume Less

Share more, consume less is a motto that can be implemented in many parts of our lives, in ways we might not really consider at first. Let's knock out the biggest and probably scariest way right now!

If you just take a glance at the slideshow or photos below you are probably thinking, "How can one person be so beautiful/precious/adorable/glow-y?" To which I would say, "You don't even know the half of it!!!" Sometimes I hear people say their friends are sunshine personified and I don't know what they mean. Are they friendly? Is their smile blinding? Do they have a really high fever that maybe needs medical attention?

After getting to know Saleena I understood the saying a little more. Although, I prefer to describe her as a sunbeam straight to your face (you cannot ignore the presence of Saleena and I wouldn't want to). I wish I was capable of pinpointing exactly what it is about Saleena the Sunbeam that makes her so, but I never could figure it out. Until, I saw the little slogan stuck to every stranded, yellow Ofo bike in Tempe, "Share More, Consume Less". The Ofo bike slogan is talking about commercialism and transportation, but I don't think it's magic has to just stop there.

Saleena is constantly sharing herself, who she really is, with everyone around her. This was what drew me to her. She doesn’t make it hard to get to know her or to be able to relate to her; she puts it all out there. There’s no hiding her personality or trying to be anything other than herself. You can take the time to get to know more about her life or her thoughts, but you don’t have to try and dig up her personality. Which, I think is something that a lot of us don’t do. We either hide to protect ourselves or try to deflect in a way so we can feel cooler and more important around others.

But get this: when we try to appear cooler or get the approval of other people, we're actually consuming! We want to take in and consume the acceptance of others; we need their attention. I find myself doing this at times and it always feels kind of off.  Have you ever noticed yourself doing this?  Doesn’t it feel weird?! I can’t really enjoy the company I’m in when I’m so focused and concerned about how I’m presenting myself.  I think it’s rather taxing when we set out to consume attention or approval from others because let’s be truthful, once you get approval, it’s not enough. You have to keep going.

If instead we are being honest, allowing our true selves to show, then we shift to sharing! Which in turn opens up those around us to share who they really are too. Sure, there will probably be someone thinking, “Wow, this person is too much, what a dork.” But, I’m going to go ahead and guess they are a consumer. If they were a sharer they would either A) just be stoked that someone else was out here being open and honest too or B) think, “Cool, I know who that person is and they’re not really my cup of tea” and move on their way!  Can you imagine what life would be like if we were all sharers? It’s sounds pretty nice to me! This kind of sharing ourselves takes vulnerability though, which can be a little intimidating at first, so if you’re needing a bit of encouragement or some small steps to take, here are a few suggestions:

• Be Present! First things first, shake off the consumerism. When you focus on the present moment you can take note of what you do out of seeking acceptance. When you start to notice the little actions you take to gain other’s approval, then you can begin to put a stop to them! They’ve probably become habits, so you’ll need to be mindful, but once you start to undo these behaviors you’ll be a little more open to sharing.
• Share Your Feelings! And I mean all of them, not just the happy ones. There is a lot of talk about negativity and cutting out those negative, toxic friends, but let’s not confuse darker emotions for pessimism. Negativity is when someone is constantly tearing something down, telling you other people, ideas, or hobbies are lame and dumb. Being sad, angry, or lonely is not negativity! Those are normal human emotions, which can even be shared in positive ways. Make a joke about being irritated or just let out a big sigh and exclaim your irritation. Either way, you’re letting yourself be more vulnerable and sharing yourself with others. If people are allowing themselves to be vulnerable back, then they are probably going to be able to relate with your feelings and... Ta-da, you know have both shared a little bit!
• Ask TRUE questions! Yes, sharing is not just about you, you, you. Sometimes sharing yourself means sharing your ability to listen! This is a big one for me and I'm still figuring out how to tackle it. During conversations we often like to respond with our own experience or anecdote, but sometimes it’s nice to stay focused on the other person. Ask them questions to further learn more about their story instead of rushing into your own points. There's a couple people in my life who will text me a link to an article or event that they think I would enjoy after a conversation we have and even that makes me feel so heard. Showcase the side of you that is a great listener (I'm looking at you, Ali)! 

So, let’s all take a page from Saleena’s book and embrace the idea of “Share More, Consume Less” in a new way.  How will you start to share more in your life?

xx Ali

Wandering Alone

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” - John Muir

I know you love nature. You know how I know that? Because you're a person (unless you are my mom's dog perhaps after suddenly learning to read)! I really believe we all love nature and feel a connection to it in some way. Maybe some of us don't enjoy bugs or don't like getting our new shoes covered in dust. Maybe some of us don't understand how land can be a resource just in itself without having to drill into it or dig it up. However, I don't think I've ever heard someone, after looking at a beautiful picture of the Grand Canyon, exclaim, "How ugly." We all have an appreciation for the outdoors (or at the very least the idea of the outdoors), but we experience it on varying levels.

But do we have an appreciation for being alone?

Do you revel in the beauty of being alone as much as you do nature? It's something I find myself going back and forth on often. Perhaps the idea of being alone is the same as the idea of the great outdoors. It looks pretty, it sounds nice, but some of us aren't really feeling it when we actually have to experience it first hand! However, there is something about putting those two together that really makes some magic.

When John Muir wrote, “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in,” he knew exactly what I feel when I find myself out on a walk alone. The presence of anything wild, whether it be the tall trees, the singing birds (honestly they mostly squawk at me threateningly), or a cold wind, calms my mind so that I can really hear what is inside of me. The worried thoughts seem to vanish and make room for what's really important. I feel peace and an appreciation for what I have in my life. I feel appreciation for myself! All these ideas flow into my mind and I never once tell myself they're impossible or unachievable. In nature, I almost feel invincible (at least to the modern world and negativity, not so much to those birds that won't stop circling me).

Have you too noticed a change in yourself when you take a walk through a field or a forest alone? Tell me! What changed? Maybe you haven't, but I still hope you can enjoy these photos of Michelle enjoying her own peaceful walk in the snow covered trees. Comment one of your favorite photos below!

xx Ali

Into the Depths

Geology is one of the campers' favorite environmental lessons by a land slide (magma slide??) because they get to venture down into lava tubes! The lava river cave is actually fairly well known, attracting a lot of out of town visitors. When we cross paths with these visitors on the way back out our campers get really excited to share all the information they just learned! It's pretty cute and I'm always grateful for the willingness of strangers to embrace some 6th grade enthusiasm.

Capturing the experience of the lava tubes is a fun challenge for me since the only source of light I use are the headlamps every camper has on their helmet. As you can imagine, excited middle schoolers can be a bit squirmy, so the headlamps turn every which way, flashing all over the place. It's a game of patience to set up a shot and wait for enough 6th grade heads to turn in the right direction, creating the perfect lighting! When I look back at these pictures I'm flooded with feelings of excitement, nerves, and discovery that bounce of the cave walls as the campers begin their descent. I hope you feel a little bit of their experience in these photos too!