Welcome to Arizona

In the winter and spring photographing our properties is my favorite part of my job. (In the summer it is my least favorite, but I am not thinking about summer until it gets here.) I get to spend the day with the Superintendent and learn about their life and ask them all kinds of landscaping questions and we drive/hike all around these beautiful properties that we maintain. Personally, I believe that grass should not exist in the desert and we are stupid for forcing it to grow. But, environmental concerns aside, look how incredible it is.
Most desert plants have natural defense mechanisms (like 2" thorns, needles, hooks, barbs, etc.) that make them look violent, but the ones that don't are really neat. Especially if all you've ever known are Midwestern plants and you come out here and see a mesquite tree and go "Oh, that's what I've been putting in my grill!" By the way, this is what perfect winter turf looks like.
So that is how I spent the majority of my day, today. I came back from my photo shoot and found a new cubicle put up around my desk! I know most people think cubicles are awful, but I've been wanting one ever since I moved to my new office, so it was like Christmas to come back and find it there. :) It is just gray now, but I am going to decorate it with all kinds of pretty things and people are going to want to hang out at my cubicle. I have a large empty space behind my desk, so Sam suggested I put some cushy chairs and a basketball hoop back there so my clients can chill out. Sounds good to me! I created my dream office space on Polyvore (which you ought to check out if you care anything for fashion or interior design)- very retro, a little masculine (all of my internal clients are men) and way fun.

*I didn't realize it would make a slideshow of my Polyvore collages, so you have to click through to find the office one.

Find me on Polyvore

Choking hazard

I just filed our taxes. Ouch. Whatever we did, we did it WRONG. We could support a Mexican family for several months on what we have to pay the government by April. Wow, that is a huge blow.

But hey, I found a great place to take pictures at work! The bathroom in our office is like a glowing white space station, or something. Not really a space station, but I sure couldn't think of anything else to call it. The light is almost unnatural, it is so white!

It hurts my heart to think about our taxes. We are pretty much used to giving things up, but this is not just giving something up, it is also setting us back in our life plan at least 6 months. Sickening, no? I hold very loosely to plans, but geez, not so loosely that I'm okay with the government dictating when we can move, change jobs, start school, have kids, etc. Thank you, Obama, for your idiotic stimulus package that just screwed us right into the ground.