acting like a tourist!

our incredible week in california has come to a close. we had so much fun!

having a blast!

We are thoroughly enjoying our California vacation! Getting to the Santa Monica Pier may be near the top of our adventures so far!!!

back to california!

just over a year has passed since we left our home in pasadena. today we travel back for a short visit! i thought it might be fun to blog while we are here. if anyone is still reading, i hope you enjoy!!

the end.

and so, we've reached the end.

the sky is big in pasadena lasted through four years of daily photos.  this is the one thousand four hundred and forty-first consecutive daily blog post.  this humble site has seen over 90,000 visitors and thousands of wonderful comments.

i set out to give myself an artistic outlet during my time in seminary, and i never imagined how big it could become.  it has been an incredible journey and i am extremely proud of the result.

but to be quite honest, i am ready for a break.  i'm sure i'll probably start blogging again sometime in the near future - maybe in a different format and certainly in a new location.  i don't know quite what my blogging future holds, but i can say that today's post is the last one for now.


i want to say thank you to everyone who has ever visited, and an even bigger thank you to those who have commented, become daily visitors, or added this website to your blogroll or rss feed.  your appreciation of my work has been what has kept this project going.



and finally, there are plenty of good blogs out there about pasadena and the san gabriel valley.  the sidebar of this blog contains many of them.
 
my favorites are these fine sites.  if you haven't already, please add these incredible blogs to your reading list...

pasadena daily photo (petrea is the best of the best and an incredible inspiration)
glimpses of south pasadena (laurie is also incredible, just further south)
91105 and beyond (newer on the pasadena scene, but lots of fun photos)
all over pasadena (the newest pasadena daily photographer whom i just discovered)
pasadena pio (our public information officer is an incredible blogger and wonderful person)
cafe pasadena (not a daily photographer, but knows and comments on ALL area blogs)
an immovable feast (my favorite local food reviewer)

#12 - parks

august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena.  

i have accepted a position at salford mennonite church in harleysville, pennsylvania.  we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena.  when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg.  i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city.  i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena.  i am going to start with ten positives and ten negatives, alternating back and forth each day.  concluding with my top ten things about life in pasadena.

#12 - parks

pasadena parks...  where can i begin?  well, for starters i wrote extensively on twenty of pasadena's parks (you can check out that series right here).  more than that, we have come to love the array of park options that abound as parents of a small child.  pasadena's parks are diverse in size, shape, and what they have to offer.  each one is unique in its offering - playgrounds? sports fields? pools?  check.  amphitheaters? nature walks? fitness equipment?  you bet.  trees, grass, and plants of all sizes?  we've got it. 

#8 negative - changing seasons (or lack of)

august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena.  

i have accepted a position at salford mennonite church in harleysville, pennsylvania.  we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena.  when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg.  i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city.  i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena.  i am going to start with ten positives and ten negatives, alternating back and forth each day.  concluding with my top ten things about life in pasadena.

#8 negative - changing seasons (or lack of)

don't get me wrong.  we loved the weather here.  a touch of snow on the mountains is all we ever saw, rare rainy days, and a very comfortable daily temperature make pasadena an incredible place to live.  but for two who grew up in the northeast, we miss having four distinct seasons.  this happy family photo was taken on christmas day with nary a snowflake to be found.  likewise, our fall season has only a few trees which lose their leaves.

okay, maybe i'm just being a nitpick with this one...

hangin' with dave

the los angeles zoo

after almost four years in this area, i finally made a visit to the la zoo.  this visit was particularily special because my daughter (let's call her "A" - she's not a baby anymore) was along for the ride.  A loved watching the various animals and her parents loved watching her expressions even more.