Anna performed in the ballet, Coppelia, in April with her ballet studio and did a fantastic job.  The majority of the cast are older students but this year they invited some of the younger girls to join.  Again, lots of extra work and rehearsals for her, but she enjoyed it so much.

Anna and I participated in the Palm Sunday service at church and so enjoyed all of the great music that morning.  

Girl’s night with Anna included burgers and milkshakes for dinner, a special lotion treatment for our hands, and watching Parent Trap.  I love time with my girl!

James’ last 7th-grade band concert was awesome!  He played marimba on the first song and bass drum on the second.  You can see his head bobbing in the back of the band. 

The art show at Anna’s school included her aspen grove picture – so pretty!

April was a busy month attending and enjoying James’ track meets. 

Anna’s 4th-grade music class learning recorders

Since the kids were little, they have called crabapple trees, Leroys.  In the spring when these trees are blooming white and various shades of pink, the kids would say “Look at that Leroy!” as we drove around.  And the name has stuck.  Imagine our surprise when our new yard started blooming this spring and we discovered a Leroy of our own!  So beautiful. 

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!