Phoenix 2012

Lance and I went on our last "babymoon" this past weekend.  With Benjamin we went to Cancun, but for some reason we did not go anywhere when I was pregnant with Evan.  The consensus was that a babymoon is definitely the thing to do, and that Phoenix was the perfect choice for ours.  I used to live in Phoenix and have been meaning to return for about 15 years.  It was really great to see all of the old sights that I remembered, and to share it all with Lance.  What made the trip even more wonderful was that we visited Carly, Phil, Juliana, and Graham.  We got to see their new house and to get a glimpse of their lives in the Scottsdale area.


We stayed at the beautiful Montelucia resort, which is situated right at the base of Camelback Mountain.  The weather was really more like California, since Phoenix was in the middle of a cold front which had brought the temperature down by 20 degrees.  At some points we even felt cold and sought refuge by a large fire that was constantly lit near the main entrance to the resort.  Thankfully, the pool was heated to a very comfortable luke warm, and I was able to indulge my inner fish.  On Friday we sat by the pool under a cabana for most of the day.  Lance sipped various alcoholic beverages while I indulged in a virgin Pina Colada.  That night we went out to an amazing dinner at the nearby resort, Royal Palms.  We really outdid ourselves, as Lance ordered steak with a "side" of lobster, and I ordered feta-stuffed lamb and lobster bisque.  Yum!  The food was great throughout the trip, but we did notice that every meal was twice as big as it needed to be.  By the last meal that we had on Sunday, we had learned to share a dish.


Other highlights of our trip included a trip to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, a quick tour of the Desert Botanical Gardens, and a drive up to the beautiful Tonto National Forest.  I remember how amazing I always thought the desert landscape was, and how incredible it is to see how the landscape changes on the drive from the desert to the pine forest in the mountains, just an hour away.  It really is surprising how beautiful cacti can be and just how many varieties there are.  In fact, one of my favorite aspects of the trip was seeing the different plant life that thrives in the Phoenix area.  The landscaping around Scottsdale was incredible, and featured many plants that we have here in Austin but also some tropical plants like the bougainvillea.  I really am a plant nerd!


Finally, the best part of our trip was visiting our great friends.  Their little girl Juliana has gotten so big and can even change her own diaper!  We met Graham for the first time.  What a happy and cute little boy!  Even though we miss them living here in our neighborhood, it was great to see that they were so happy in their new home and that they had so much help with the kids from family all around them.  We had great conversation following a Christian movie on Saturday, and it was a blessing that the conversation turned toward our faith.  We all agreed that we should be life-long friends and plan to see each other regularly throughout the years.


We missed our boys dearly, but it was truly therapeutic to get away for a few days.  Whenever I started to feel guilty, I remembered that everyone benefitted from our trip.  The grandparents adore having the boys spend the night, the kids are spoiled rotten, and Lance and I are re-energized and renewed by a relaxing weekend away.  It is my dream, and I think a reasonable goal, that we do this once or twice a year without feeling guilty!