One morning we visited Cave Creek, AZ – a touristy western town, much like the ones in CO.  We did some shopping and ate ice cream for lunch. 

That evening we enjoyed some yummy Mexican food. 

One day we visited Queen Creek Olive Mill about an hour away in Queen Creek, AZ.  The tour and lunch were fantastic.  We learned how to choose a good quality olive oil and what to look for.  And we learned the climate in AZ is similar to the Mediterranean so olives grow very well.  The olive trees were beautiful.

We went to a nearby pond and fed the ducks, geese, and pigeons. 

And we admired Amy’s backyard – full of raised beds of growing vegetables.  We picked various fresh lettuces, kale, and arugula for a salad one night.  So fresh and delicious.  Gardening in Colorado is tricky business, so we loved enjoying her garden.  

We enjoyed plenty of downtime together too – a movie night with ice cream sundaes, long naps, and time to crawl under the covers and read.  Time to chat and catch up and time to make homemade pizzas on the grill.  

The trip home went well and we enjoyed a different route through Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and the Raton pass.  We decided to drive home in one long day and loved seeing our mountains come into view as we got closer.  The kids are such great travelers.  It’s much easier road tripping with older kids now! 

I so enjoyed seeing where Amy lives – it helps to be able to picture someone in their house and surroundings.  And Amy has waited patiently for us to visit.  We all enjoyed getting out of town for a while and seeing someplace new.  Thank you, Kenny, for agreeing to make this drive, and thank you, Amy, for a wonderful visit! 

Over Spring Break in March we took a family road trip to Phoenix, Arizona for the week.  We have talked about making this trip for a long time to see my college friend, Amy, who has faithfully visited us in Colorado for many years.  We finally made it happen!  We had never visited the southwest before and we all had such a wonderful time.  March was the perfect time to visit – the weather was beautiful!  

The first day we drove through Canyon City and west to Salida.  We stopped in Saguache for lunch.  A tiny town where all we found to eat was the 4th Street Diner – a little hole in the wall but great food.  We continued on through Pagosa Springs, Durango, and to Cortez, CO, where we stayed the night.  Staying in a hotel and swimming in the pool was of course one of the things the kids wanted to do.  

Most of our first day of driving looked like familiar territory – going through mountain passes and slight changes in elevation.  A pretty drive, definitely, but because we were still in CO looked somewhat familiar.  We all agreed it was nice to drive somewhere new, though, and see new things. 

The next morning we visited Four Corners, about 45 minutes from Cortez.  It was a chilly and windy 45 degrees and hardly anyone was there.  In the summer I’m sure the place is bustling.  But, we have our token photos to prove we’ve been there.  This stop was one of the things Anna really wanted to do on the trip so glad we could make it happen.

The next part of the drive down into Arizona and through the Navajo Reservation was so pretty.  The Painted Desert was beautiful and I loved seeing the different landscapes of red earth, rocks, and bluffs.  It was dry and windy and desolate, but beautiful in its own way. 

The elevation changes were evident as we drove.  As we neared Flagstaff we climbed to a higher elevation than Colorado Springs, and the terrain reflected that.  Beautiful pine trees and snow looked like Colorado. 

We continued on, descended into Phoenix, and arrived late that afternoon.  The temp quickly rose to the upper 70’s by the time we arrived.  One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the hills full of cacti as we neared Phoenix.  James was the first to spot a saguaro cactus, and they were everywhere!  In CO we have pine trees covering hillsides and in AZ cacti cover the hills.  Again, so different from the vegetation we’re used to and so beautiful.  

One morning, Kenny, Anna, and I walked Amy’s neighborhood.  We admired the palm trees and enjoyed seeing the different kinds of cacti in people’s yards.  

Later that morning we had brunch at a great little restaurant and enjoyed a flight of eight different kinds of bacon.  The food was delicious and we all loved this place.  Anna’s colored pig picture made it on the wall!  

We are in a very busy season with the kids right now.  April has been crazy, and with about four weeks of school left, the crazy will continue through May.  

James finishes track season this week – a separate post all about track will be coming soon

While we live closer to both schools and ballet now, the number of trips back and forth hasn’t changed.  One day last week was a marathon day.  I picked Anna up from school at 3:30 pm, dropped her at home on my way to get James at 4:00 from an after-school band rehearsal, went back home to make a quick dinner so Anna could eat early, took James to track practice at 5:15, came back home, took Anna to ballet at 6:00, went home, picked James up from track at 7:15, and picked Anna up at 7:45 pm.  Kenny typically helps with the evening chauffering but had a commitment this particular night.  

I want to remember these days and what they were like.  When the kids were babies and toddlers I remember thinking that the “running around years” looked so fun and cool!  And they are fun and cool!  A day will come when I will miss carting James & Anna around.  

Dress-up day at school

Last week it looked like we might need to evacuate our home for a nearby grass fire.  It was a warm, very high wind day, and a fire started about a mile away.  Other nearby neighborhoods were being evacuated so Kenny asked me to start putting together some clothes and toiletries for all of us.  He had been out for a few errands, and couldn’t get home due to road closures in our area.  James was at school and Anna was home with three friends over.  So, another mom offered to get James early from school, Anna’s friends started helping her pack, and within 30 minutes or so, we had a suitcase and Kenny’s laptops packed. 

We are grateful in the end we didn’t need to leave our house and that the fire was taken care of.  That evening I was completely exhausted.  Packing that quickly and expecting a knock at the door asking us to leave was a bit stressful and I was done.  I scratched the new recipe I was going to make and instead made comfort food – scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast.  I was surprised by how tired I was from this event and how many emotions there were because of it.  We learned two things from this day: 1. Don’t neglect to pray for rain!  2.  Make an emergency evacuation packing list.  I didn’t even think about photos and keepsakes – just the necessities.  A list would be very helpful. 

Two days after the fire we had colder temps, a little rain, and snow.  Enough snow to cover the peak again!  Gotta love springtime in the Rockies.  And, James and Anna are getting used to jumping on the trampoline in all kinds of weather.  Look closely and you can see the snow.