Happy Arizona Day!!

Did you know Arizona's birthday is on Valentine's day? When I was in Elementary school every Valentine's day we would have the Arizona man come and we'd have an assembly where we'd watch slide shows and sing songs about Arizona.

But it wasn't until I came home from my first year at college that I really appreciated Arizona's beauty. I suddenly loved the sage brush and saguaros. I love Arizona! In 2012, it will be Arizona's 100th birthday, and we're going to have a huge party!

So you can be in the know about AZ:

• Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.
• The bola tie is the official state neckwear.
• Turquoise is the official state gemstone.
• The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
• Located in Fountain Hills is a fountain believed to be the tallest in the world.
• At one time camels were used to transport goods across Arizona.
• The amount of copper on the roof of the Capitol building is equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.
• In Arizona, it is against the law for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs.
• In AZ, it is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.
• Any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask is considered a felony.
• The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitts Peak National Observatory in the city of Sells.
• The Grand Canyon is 227 miles long, 1 mile deep, and has an average width of 10 miles.
• There is a possible 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus.
• The hottest recorded day in Phoenix was June 26, 1990, when the temperature hit 122 degrees.
• The sun shines in southern Arizona 85% of the time, which is considerably more sunshine than Florida or Hawaii.
• In World War II, many Navajos enlisted as secret agents. Our enemies could never understand the Navajo language to learn our military secrets. (woowoot!)