A Much Needed Jolt of Sun

I meant to blog through this latest trip of mine to avoid the whole lengthy vacation post with an overwhelming amount of pictures, but while there, never felt the gumption to post. So, long vacation post with an overwhelming amount of pictures it is....

I might have cried on Thursday morning after waking up to this scene if I didn't know we were immediately departing from it. I haven't been this glad it snowed since December (I didn't want to miss any of our nice spring weather since it's been so long in coming). We were in the car and on our way by 7:30 am. Arizona, here we come!

I took a few SP where I tried looking forlorn and disappointed, but I think my face works better with the traditional smile.

We wanted to enjoy the drive both to and from so we decided to go one way and back another. We stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park which also includes the spectacular Painted Desert Wilderness. It was beautiful but cold. We quickly took pictures and then jumped back in the van.

Within the park are some remains of historic route 66, including the old power posts that ran alongside it. The overgrowth and forgotten road had me feeling all kinds of wistful, even though I had never driven on it. History does that to me.

Seth and Sam exploring some petrified logs. I had no idea what to expect in the petrified forest and when we were about 10 miles away, I told Jay, "Man, how crazy is it that we are in the middle of the desert now and within minutes in a forest?!" Jay replied, "Oh. Uh-oh. You are going to be so disappointed. Um...it's not really a forest anymore." I laughed and felt dumb. And I wasn't disappointed. It was amazing to see these stone logs.

All sorts of minerals seeped into the logs over millions of years and replaced the tree's tissue with stone.

Henry appreciated the logs in his own way.

Our first night in Phoenix, we called our old friends, Cory and Libby and Doug and Jenny, along with their kids (minus Jenny's Taylor) and met at In-N-Out burger for dinner. It was great, and crazy (remember, there were 15 of us) to see them.

Jenny is so full of energy and light. I wish I could have spent more time with her but it didn't work out.

Friday was a great day. It was in the upper 70s, but plenty warm to take Seth and Sam swimming in the morning. All you really need for a successful family vacation with young children is access to a pool. They were so happy jumping in over and over and over again. And, since only crazy families from Colorado think to swim in 70 degree weather at 9:30 am, we had the pool to ourselves.

I was there, but toes is all I need to capture on film.

Friday afternoon was equally as fun. I emailed and arranged to meet Amy S. and Kelly for lunch at Kelly's house (which is gorgeous even with it's beautiful but poorly designed kitchen appliances). I had met Kelly briefly at a blog part last summer, but really got to experience the wit and charm that makes her blog so delightful firsthand at her home. She had made a delicious salad and banana cake and I even met three of her four gorgeous girls. It was my first time meeting Amy, who has long impressed me with her prose, cake decorating, photography, and cooking skills, not to mention her poetic way of describing life with boys. I was a little worried about feeling like a third wheel around these two, as they go WAY back, but it wasn't like that at all. Blogs are wonderful ways to make friends. The kinship I expected and anticipated to feel with these two women was there and even though my voice wasn't what Amy was expecting, there were few surprises. Strange as it may seem, a couple of hours with these two virtuous women didn't include even a hint of awkwardness.

I really wanted to go to the temple afterward, but decided Saturday would be a better day, and headed back to the hotel where Jay and Henry were both having a nap and Seth and Sam taking a breather before heading off to Amazing Jake's: an indoor amusement center.

It includes a buffet, so we ate to our heart's content and then went to play. Honestly, I don't know how to feel about it. It was a lot of fun, and the boys had an amazing time (they don't call it Amazing Jake's for nothing) but I don't seem to have the personality to find amusement in waiting in lines and chasing after toddlers, particularly Henry, who just wants to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. That's not to say I didn't have fun. I did. But, I'm also ashamed to admit that the thought, "This would be so much fun without kids," crossed my mind. It made me wonder if I resent chasing after Henry here, somewhere 1/1000th the size of a real amusement park, if I'm even capable of enjoying a place like Disneyland.

Henry loved the rides. Libby's boys, Jackson and Jefferson sat on either side of him because I wasn't sure he couldn't be the first to find a way to squirm out of his seat.

Having way too much fun to think about trying to escape.

Next we hit the teacups (called chocolate cups here. No copyright infringement or anything). My days of enjoying constant spinning are over. Holy dizziness.

All the boys stood in a long line to drive the Go-Karts. Seth was tall enough to drive his own, and have his own passenger. Tall enough, but not quite brave enough to put the pedal to the metal. He definitely created a bit of a racing hazard with his cautious speed.


Jay gearing up for his NASCAR debut.

Poor Henry waiting. We didn't have enough paying drivers for him to go with the boys, and after one 30 minute line, no one was willing to stand in it again. So...he got to watch.

Cute Libby with her adorable sleeping daughter, Jordan.

A second ride on the Frog Hopper.

More teacups. I mean, chocolate cups.

Finally, finally, after trying the train and the carousel and all sorts of video games that he gave up on, we found the baby area which completely entertained him. I sat on a bench and watched him do his thing.

Saturday morning, Jay left the hotel really early, like a quarter to five, to run in the Pat Tillman Race at ASU stadium. Since I mentioned it before, I thought I'd congratulate Jay on his fantastic run. He ran 6:04 minute miles finishing the 4.2 miles in just over 25 minutes. He finished 66th place overall out of about 20,000. I'm telling you, there are sweet rewards for those with passion:) Mostly, I'm just really glad he had a great time. And I was right, he was back at the hotel just as we were finishing up breakfast.

Later, after more family swimming, he, Seth and Cory left for their first NASCAR race, the Subway 500.

They had pit passes, which allowed them down on the race track before the race. Here, Seth and Jay are standing in front of victory lane.

Jay found Tony Stewart"s (his favorite driver) pit area. No sightings of Tony, though. Except for in his race car, that is.

Seth, standing in the middle of the track with Jimmy Johnson's car in the background.

I think this was a warm-up lap, but it might have been right after Darrell Waltrip said, "Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let's go racing, boys!"

They had great seats to watch the action during pit stops.

Mark Martin took first with Tony getting second. Jay said the day was perfect and could only have been better if Tony had won. Seth agreed that it was one of his best days ever. Not my cup of tea, but I'm glad they all had such a great time.

We left Sunday morning with the Grand Canyon as an out-of-the-way stop on our drive home. Neither of us realized how much time it would add on, but we are both glad we went to see one of the great wonders of the world on such a beautiful day, and with so few tourists to compete against for views.

Standing at Mather Point on the south side of the canyon. Pictures do not even come close to capturing the majesty of the place.

A self-portrait at another pull-out. My battery was blinking and I wanted enough battery power for one last picture so didn't take as many as I should have at the Grand Canyon.

They say you can stand in four states at once, but that is a myth. The truth is that you can only stand in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah at the same time between the hours of 8:00 am and 7:00 pm, and we were too late when we showed up at 8:15. So, that memory will have to wait for another day.

I love all my boys who make these fun trips possible. They are such good travelers and willing sports to go wherever we feel like taking them and I feel grateful to live in our free and beautiful country, where the spectacular and historical are so accessible.