Road Trip

So last Thursday afternoon, we (my parents and I) decided to leave Friday morning for a road trip to Arizona. My parents had actually started to move down there last fall but plans changed and they are going to UT instead. In the process of moving, they hauled most of their belongings and my Dad's ginormous boat down there. On his return, he brought the boxes and stuff so the boat (his baby) remained 16 hours away. We decided that we should head down and get the thing before he started his new job and had to take time off.

Well, Grandma and Grandpa decided and I decided that the kids and I needed to come. Since Grandpa moved down there, Abbi has prayed fervently that he could be kept safe from the big cactus (sahuaro cactus to be exact). That and all the stories and things I have told them about growing up in Arizona made Abbi and Jake very interested in the state. I was also very interested in stopping at Pancho's. A Mexican food place that I have very fond memories of when we lived in El Paso actually, but they have one in Phoenix.

Anyway, we packed up Friday morning and headed out. After eight hours in the car, we arrived at Bluewater New Mexico and we camped, yes camped in February, in the truck. We had a campfire with Jiffy Pop that the kids thought was so cool and we slept in the cab of the truck with Grandma and Grandpa in the bed of the truck. In the morning, we went down to the freezing water, Abbi was upset she couldn't go for a swim. Then we were on the road again.

As we approached Gallup, Abbi noticed some "cliffs" that looked just like the ones in Radiator Springs. Cars, Jake's favorite movie, was based on the old Highway 66 and they took a lot of thing from the actual area and adapted it for the movie. We arrived in Phoenix that evening and I got to go to Pancho's. The only craving I have had in all my pregnancies was for a cheese tostada from this restaurant. Obviously, that was never fulfilled, until Saturday night. SOOOOO GOOOOD!!!! The only unfortunate thing is that I want another one!! That is not likely to happen. Then we went to Ikea- I love that place!!

We were able to see my Uncle Dewalt and his family. They were kind enough to let us crash at their house and Abigail took a big liking to my cousin Thomas. He is fourteen and he was a very good sport to put up with her following him around and asking him a million questions. My Aunt, with help was kind enough to make us breakfast and Abbi wouldn't sit until she knew where Thomas was sitting and she wouldn't pick a drink or get anything to eat until she knew what he was going to eat and drink. Thanks Thomas for being so great to her. Then she found Thomas's sister Sarah and asked her about three million questions as well. Thanks again guys!!

Abbi had a great time with my cousins and Isaac took a liking to Uncle Dewalt. It was a lot of fun to visit them and be at the house where I have so many memories playing with their kids closer to my age. It was a blast!! The next morning, before we left town, we stopped to see an old friend of mine, Emily. IT was so wonderful to see her. I miss her so much and it was nice just to see her in person and give her a hug and see how she is doing. I love you Emily. As we were headed out of town, we had to stop at an In and Out burger because I had never been to one. Then, the big moment came when we found a place to pull off the road. Grandpa, Abbi, Jake and I hopped out of the truck and went for a little hike. We got to see all the desert plants and several different varieties of cactus. I know it sounds crazy, but the kids have never seen cactus and they have heard a lot about it so they were absolutely amazed at the different kinds and how often they appear in the Arizona desert.

We took off Sunday morning to come home and Grandma suggested that we would only be an hour or so from the Grand Canyon. We decided that it would be a lot of fun to take the kids to "the big hole in the ground" (as they call it). So we took the huge detour and the kids thought it was great. We were at the South Rim and we walked along the path for almost a mile and back and made some great memories. Then we headed back. We stayed at a hotel in Holebrook which the kids thought equally as fun as any thing else on the trip.

Before we really got on the road Monday morning, we decided to humor the kids and stop at a tourist-y gift shop off the interstate near the petrified forest in New Mexico. They had fake tipi's up and a weather rock and some of the petrified trees. Abbi kept asking where the Indians were that lived in the tipi's. It turned into this huge conversation about how 'Indians' are just like everyone else and live in houses and drive cars now. They didn't ever live in tipi's in the southwest anyway. She had so many questions and it was funny to try to get her to understand. Then after a super long day yesterday, we made it home at about midnight last night.

It was a really short trip and we spent most of it in the car, but we all had a really good time. I might say this a lot, but I am so grateful for my parents. They are such wonderful grandparents. They did so much this past weekend just to humor my three and four year old. I am so grateful that my children have supportive and happy grandparents. Thanks mom and dad!!