Arizona, we miss you! Warning LONG!

My wonderful husband journaled our whole trip while we were in AZ. I did not edit a thing. He should have been a writer. Thanks Honey!

Sunday:
We were sound asleep at Mammaws house when I heard a frantic “Craig it’s 4:30 we gotta go”! We were able to get everyone up and ready to go and unloading our luggage at the Louisville airport at 5:00. We start our trip by being 13 pounds over weight in one suitcase so we begin transferring clothes into a bag that had two car seats inside easy enough and we are off. We made it through security no problem and headed directly to gate A-11. The flight was on time and after a quick Blueberry muffin we boarded the plane. The kids are so “ahided” (excited) they are in a plane headed to Arizona. While in flight Rylee looked out the window and said “daddy look WATER” no honey those are clouds “nah ah” yes they are, and arguing until she was convinced she once again proved her daddy wrong. Two hours... 15= Alphabet songs, 13= Mary Having Little Lambs, 9= Tinkoe, Tinkoe, Wittle Sta’s, 5 times changing seats, Wyatt needing the restroom 3 times, a coloring book full of scribbling and an orange juice later we landed right on time in Houston. Grabbing our things and head to gate C-14 grabbing a sandwich @ an airport SubWay to eat while waiting for our next flight bringing the sandwiches with we get to C-14 ALREADY BOARDING so, we do as well. Sandwiches hit the spot on the plane waiting for take off up, up, up, and away we go. The kids are looking tired Rylee next to me and Wyatt next to Marlene I figured I would close my eyes and see if Rylee would follow my lead, Bingo. My arm was grabbed pulled to her side and used for a pillow nothing to it. I dosed off for a little while when I woke after hearing “This is your Captain, we will be making an unscheduled stop due to some health problems of the co-pilot sorry for the inconvenience ” I wake and grab a magazine. After 40 minutes I was having hard time believing there was not a place to land a plane in 40 minutes and no signs of slowing down I lean back to ask Marlene where exactly the pilot said we would be landing? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I was obviously sleeping harder than I thought because no one around us heard the announcement. We land in Phoenix on time grab luggage hop a tram ride, to catch a bus ride, to get a rental car. To the hotel we go finding it no problem the problem was they had no room available yet. Let’s go to the nearest visitors center to see what there is to do around here. Well we find one on the map and off we go. Ten miles down BAM there it is great big sign VISITORS CENTER WELCOME, we hang a right and we are in the parking lot. Everyone is dressed so nice we almost feel out of place. The doors open and the only thing we see is a 15’ Jesus inside a cathedral type room surrounded by pews. Uhh do you think we are in the wrong building? I don’t know, I didn’t see another door anywhere. Lets walk over to the sign by the road and make sure I read it right. Yep this is the sign I saw VISITORS CENTER WELCOME Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. So Marlene goes back in for directions to the nearest (VISITORS CENTER). Dad stays outside with the kids 5 minutes go by….. 10…………15……………… Craig come here. One of the sisters gotta hold of Marlene and talked her into looking at the art work of Jesus, fair enough but don’t tell me for a second that lady won’t be outside that door when we exit waiting to convert us. Nope she did one better she had a Book of Mormon in her hand to give to us. It was a very nice experience and she had a lot to talk about but the kids where antsy to get running around and the day was young. After quick directions, off we go. We find the welcome center and CLOSED. Par for the coarse. Why not go see what was exactly behind this whole Arizona trip. Off to Superstition Mall to see the Star Spangled Carousel. What a work of art it will fit right in at the park. The kids got to ride and I videotaped. After a quick bite to eat and some time at the mall playground it’s to the hotel to get a room 6:30 we make it to room 239 time to unwind. We have a kitchenette in the room so Marlene went to the local store to stock up on groceries. Dad got the kids ready for bed and sound asleep at 10:30. Goodnight!

Monday:

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo that dang rooster crows just as early in Arizona as it does in Lamar. The kids never enjoy sleeping in which still does not make sense to me. It seems as though they would eventually grow out of waking up before 6:00 but they haven’t to this point. So up and at um with cartoons, arguing, I NEED A PILLOW, I need a pillow, I’M COLD, I code, I’M HUNGRY, I hungy, (Pete and Repeat) running in and out of all the rooms until mom or dad partake in the morning activities. Happy vacation= dad, Happy baycation= Wyatt, Hapbecaten= Rylee. Let’s get ready to go have some breakfast downstairs…. Breakfast was good! The kids and I went out to play in the yard while mom got on the Internet. ½ hour later Wyatt is hungry (bottomless pit) so back down for breakfast AGAIN! Ok who wants to go to Sedona I do, I do, I do, I do WELL, let’s go and that is exactly where the Hoosiers little rent-a-car headed. We went due North on I-17 towards Sedona on the way we stop at Montezuma Castle National Monument what a neat place with a village built right into the mountainside years and years ago.

After a short visit we have PB and J by the river and off we go.

Next stop, picture stop, dad pulls over mom jumps out, oh did I say dad stopped I mean mom stopped because dad wasn’t insured on the AZ rent-a-car, mom does jump out to get her shot. While she is out dad thought being the Safety Director in all would use the flashers, they work fine, a little to good (STUCK!) we wouldn’t expect any less. Good thing mom brought the butter knife to spread the jelly on our sandwiches it is unstuck and ON THE ROAD AGAIN. ¾ mile farther oh man look at that view stop so we can get another picture. Mom gets the picture and away we go 1 mile more ohmagosh look how beautiful…. Let’s keep going. Bell Rock Next right pictures…. Mom gets back in and the wheels keep a spinin. 20 minutes later the sign reads Sedona City Limits. Let’s find a welcome center oh there’s one pull in mom goes in to find out what there is to do until we see the sun set. Rylee sound asleep in the car. Dad and Wyatt tell knock knock jokes, 5 minutes…..10…dad where is mom………15……dad where….she’s coming Wyatt..17..there she is. The Hyatt Regency Hotel got a hold of her we are now going on a hour and a half tour “FREE” while the kids do arts-n-crafts with no obligation to commit to time share, and $100 dollars to spend on supper. Did I mention there no pressure to commit. Well it sounds to good to be true, we talked ourselves out of it and back to Bell Rock for a hike and maybe a couple of rocks for souvenirs (shhhhhh) they were really small surly they won’t notice their gone. What a great time we are having.

The sun is showing signs of descending if we time it right we can grab a bight to eat and make it to sunset overlook just in time. Back to Sedona some good-ole-Burger King burgers and a mad dash to the sunset. Right on time what a view (thank you Marlene for insisting we do that). Wyatt however may disagree, while doing his Wyatt running around like a mad man, takes a mean, nasty dive straight to the ground and I can tell you if there was a list of places I would choose not to fall, running, with shorts on, number one on my list would be the Mountains in the Dessert. There is nothing but rock. Well he cries, his knee bleeds, and everyone is thinking who lets their kid run around like that anyway. Mom gets a napkin out of the car and a nice man watching the view walks over with a hand full of energy food (chex-mix) to help take the pain away and would you believe he stopped crying almost instantly. Of course with a sister that worries about her "Bubber" like Rylee, her coddling makes it all better.

The breath taking view goes below the mountain and we retreat to the hotel.

2 hours later we pull in and get ready for bed. And it is only Tuesday…wait a minute oh my gosh it’s only Monday. Nighty night!

Tuesday:

Yee-Haw the trick to kids sleeping in is simply run them until their knees give out all day, than let them stay up until mid-night watching their portable dvd. We made it to 7:00 this morning. Get up get ready and go eat. After a yummy breakfast burrito and ½ hour of Spiderman /Green Goblin tag your it outside in the spring like weather with the mowing crew hard at work (never thought I would smell fresh cut grass in February. Back to the room to get ready for fun at the zoo. Opening the door to dads cell phone ringing everyone is meeting at the Mall in 30 minutes to go over logistics of the ride. So off we go I get the information I need. I’ll be back at 7ish to start labeling parts for take down. Back to the room for lunch WE LOVE LEFT OVERS. We be eatin samitches and watching us some Tella Tubbies. Now burn up some more highway to da Zoo.

We got back to the hotel at 5:00 for a frozen pizza dinner with carrots, the snack that smiles back (multi color cheesy goldfish) and a big-o-glass of milk, with the boob tube playin Free Willie. Mom heads down to do a load of laundry. I will be leaving for work soon and will be there most of the morning. Headed to Superstition Mall to disassemble the ride. Six of us worked through the night carefully removing piece by piece a whirlwind of dolphins, dragons, horses, fishes, puddy tats, and tigers. It was very demanding work but while keeping with it at 5:00 am we laid down the shaft, the last piece of the puzzle. Taking a right out of the mall parking lot and onto I-60 West I will be in bed by ¼ to six good night, or morning or aaaa whatever you wanta call I am not going to argue with anyone at this point.

Wednesday:

My family let me sleep while they went for breakfast and were kind enough to bring me a plate for when I wake. Mom and the kids went out for a little bit to Fiesta Mall Wyatt reported they got a cookie, played on the playground, bought a Power Ranger telephone, and got all his hairs cut he looks so much handsomer. Rylee reported uuuummmmmm I got a Bandi (Bambi) and aaaahhhhhmmm a cookie nnnn-mm-nm (M&M) went to a paygound. Sounds like they had fun than came back to have lunch then nap! The first official one of the trip! When we wake from our slumber the family agrees Amazing Jakes is the place you otta be so we loaded up the car and headed out.

That place is amazing. First things first Wyatt wants to try his luck at Laser Tag! There must be something about shooting your dad and getting away with it because I couldn’t reason with the kid when I woul tell him when we work together we could get all these other kids running around and score more points, my vest would shake and shut off for 5 seconds. Wyatt just smiled. The kids went on playing skee-ball, video games, dancing game, go-carts, bumper cars, and much more. Let’s eat pizza fill the bellies and keep playing. Time to go rock climbing our family is not very good at that sport and we move on. Scoring as many tickets we can before we have to leave to get the priceless jewels behind the glass case. Woopie cushion, flying army men, pop rocks, flying glider, bounce ups and zoom zoom cars. 7:30 time to go back to hotel so Dad can get ready to start his day. We load parts throughout the night and I return home just in time for breakfast 8:00am.
Thursday:

Thought I could just stay up and hang out but lost the battle. Went to bed and mom and kids went to Children’s Museum they had a great time and came back for lunch, before nap time.

After nap we hang out for a short time and head North to get a good picture of the family in front of a cactus so we drive, and drive, and drive, 30 minutes later we have to stop because we are running out of daylight.

We find a cactus but not exactly what we were expecting oh well it is gonna have to do. Take the shot and head for supper Claim Jumper very expensive but very large portions and good.

Finish up by going back to the hotel to pack for trip home at 4:30 tom. morning.