Practice, Practice, Practice

Out of all the information I've gathered from other professional photographers, one thing stays the same... practice!  
The other night, Nathan and I were outside and I was messing around with the depth of field.  (It's so nice having digital so I can see the results right away!)  Here is what I came up with...
I used the 80 m lens, f/22.  To me, the result is kind of a flat looking picture since you can see the detail on the sidewalk (which also needs to be swept!)
This next shot was also with the 80 m, but this time the f stop was 1.8, wide open. I think shooting wide open produces a creamier image. Jerod didn't like this one though because the middle flowers were out of focus. Can't please everyone right? :)
So, which shot do you like best?