Valley of the Sun

Sun. That's right. Warm, hot, bright sun. Aaron needed to travel to Phoenix for work and I was happy to tag along. Aaron's trip was originally planned for longer than what I could get time away for so he adjusted his trip so I might have the chance to go. I still was reluctant to leave the girls for four days and because we're saving money for other travels, I passed [bitterly] on the offer. After living with my decision for a few days - forging through ice, snow, negative wind chills - I quickly changed my mind. If Aaron was going to be in a place named for sun, there was no way I was going to sit back in Michigan in the cold! So we took a much-needed break to cure our winter blues and save our sanity in this bitter winter. It was HEAVEN!

 View of AZ from the airplane. So desolate and wild and dry and barren - these are the lands the federal government "gifted" to the Indians to live on

The girls did great, splitting their time between both grandparent's homes. This trip really wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the grandparents and we couldn't have asked for things to go any better. It was still hard not to feel like "Worst Parents of the Year" taking off on a warm vacation by ourselves. To help ease our time apart, I put treat bags together for the girls, buried in each of their suitcases, one for each day that we were gone. During our trip I got a message from Kayla, "You're the best Mom! You have a treat for every day!". Win, win!

Candy necklaces, one of the treats

Making gack with Grandma A

The AZ landscape is so stunningly beautiful. I was enthralled with it - from the lush green valleys, to the arid climate with cactus and dry river beds (we didn't see a single stream or river bed with water in it), the mountains, rolling hills, red rock canyons, and Indian reservations.

Montezuma's Well is a large crater lake fed by groundwater springs in the middle of the desert and has existed for hundreds of years. It is a National Park because it is the site of ancient Indian dwellings dating back from 1100-1300. 

This is one of the remaining home structures from 1100 that has been well preserved tucked in the limestone walls of Montezuma's well. I wondered, how did the people get into their home? Seems treacherous! Because if you slipped, here's Montezuma's Well you would've fallen into! 

Aaron longed to run into wildlife, any wildlife - snakes, coyotes, road runners, antelope, tarantulas, lizards - but alas, we saw none.

 More ancient native american dwellings preserved so well in the limestone walls of Montezuma's Well. It's so crazy to think about how old these are and that we were walking in the same exact spot Indians did 1,000 years ago!

There are a lot of species of cacti! They come in so many shapes, heights, and colors. I was intrigued by the variety!

We spent one full day traveling 2 hours north from Mesa to Sedona, home of the Red Rock Canyons. You've probably seen a photo or poster of the red rocks before, they are one of the most photographed areas in the world. Now I know why, they are stunning! And they literally appear out of nowhere. We drove, drove, drove and didn't see any red mountains that extended a mile into the sky. Then, almost right before we got to Sedona, there they were! 

 Chapel of the Holy Cross built into the side of the mountain. We climbed up the hill to stop in and visit. Breathtaking views from up there!

The four-day trip felt both so long and too short at the same time. Being apart from the girls, it felt long. In the sense of having enough time to do all that we wanted, it felt way too short. It was long enough; however, for me to successfully forget what snow looked like. Win!

My first time to Arizona didn't disappoint! I can't wait to go back.

Sunset over the mountains surrounding Phoenix looking out from our hotel balcony on our last night