After an amazing 10 day vacation I am back to the grind of real life and all of it's everyday annoyances. So, to try and hold on to some of the "vacation mode" I was in I dedicate this 10 on Tuesday to some of my favorite moments/places/things from my vacation.
1. Sedona and Slide Rock. One of my favorite places to visit despite the tourist trap it has turned into (I live in a huge tourist trap so who am I to judge). The red rocks, cool air, favorite swimming hole. I especially loved seeing Nate enjoy the cliff jumping at Slide Rock as I would never have the nerve to do it myself.
2. Staying up late talking with my dad. It's been so long and some of the memories he shared I had never heard and so this was really something I cherished over the course of our vacation.
3. Seeing Katie again. Can't believe it's been over 4 years since I have seen her. Loved seeing her new house and spending the afternoon BBQ-ing and catching up. Have to make sure I see her every time I am out in Arizona:)
4. Swimming in my dad's pool in the early AM (before anyone was up) and in the evenings (after the sun went down). Loved the time to myself in the mornings and loved the time it gave Nate and I to be goofy and playful in the evenings. Sometimes in everyday life he and I forget to be goofy and fun and so this was some much needed time together.
5. Drive in movies in the middle of a lightning storm. Awesome. Being stuck in the car during the pouring rain...not so awesome. But for that first 45 minutes it was an amazing evening. I miss the lightning storms that occur in Arizona. We just don't get storms like that here on the coast of Califonria.
6. Happy hour for Wade. First it was good to see he is doing so well with his cancer treatments and to catch up some with him. Second, it was awesome seeing some old friends and spending an evening with them. Wish I could make it out every month for these Happy Hours.
7. Seeing the Holmes family. They are one of the main reasons we've ever considered moving out to Arizona. We've missed a whole year of Olivia's development and this time she was definitely not warming up to us like last time. Still, it was good to see her and especially to see and hang out with Amanda and Ian.
8. Traveling with teenagers. Not so bad. Except when they were whining but overall bringing someone along for Alex to hang with was the best idea ever. Definitely was a much more enjoyable trip than in the past with her.
9. Lulu, my dad's dog. She was so fun and cute that I *almost* thought a dog would be fun to own. For all of 10 minutes.
10. Cooking dinner for my dad. I left Arizona when I was 23 and my idea of cooking was pasta with (jarred) sauce on it. Now cooking is one of my favorite things to do so it was extremely satisfying to make him dinner, especially since he had opened his house to us for the visit and made us feel so welcome.
This was the first time I realized how much I miss not living inArizona. The climate, my family, my friends. The cheap houses to buy. It was hard coming back to California. Even the cooler weather was hard to take (i know..I know...poor me). Guess I will have to make a better effort to visit Arizona more than once a year so I don't get so homesick.
sounds like a great time jen!! glad you had a good vacation with your family and friends :)
Posted by: Nicole K. | August 13, 2011 at 11:31 AM