Madelyn and I flew from Wichita to Mesa, Az on March 20 and arrived back in Wichita on March 24. We loved the gorgeous weather in Arizona (I could definitely be one of those retired snow birds) and had a great time spending time with Jini and her family. Although Madelyn missed her daddy greatly.
Day 1: We arrived in Mesa, Az and picked up the rental car. Madelyn could not believe that there were real cactuses (cacti?) in Arizona. We drove about an hour to the Phoenix area, ate a late lunch and then went to the mall to kill some time until Jini got off work. We then went to Jini's house and hung out with her and her family that eve and had dinner a local mexican place. When we arrived back at Jini's house we took her dogs for a walk and then headed to bed.
Day 2: We got up and got around and headed to Sedona and Flagstaff, Az with Jini and her sixteen year old daughter, Hannah. we saw hot air balloons coming down from a morning flight, which was beautiful with the mountains in the back ground. It was neat watching the scenery change as we made our way higher up the mountains. Sedona was beautiful and a fun touristy place to shop. We drove around checking out the beautiful scenery, had lunch and did a little shopping. Then we headed on to Flagstaff. The further we drove the more snow we saw. It was reported that Flagstaff had a foot of snow just days before we arrived. Jini drove us around her old college campus and then we found a place to play in the snow before heading back down the mountain. It was in the 50s so it was perfect wearing short sleeves and playing in the snow. I may have thrown Madelyn down in the snow and she may have thrown a snowball right in my face. Once we got back to Jini's house we said our goodbyes and Madelyn and I headed to the hotel to check in. After relaxing at the hotel for a bit we drove around finding a place to eat and ended up at a steak house. We were both tired from our day of traveling and crashed soon after we arrived back the hotel
Jini and Hannah
Day 3: Madelyn and I walked across the parking lot to enjoy a greasy breakfast at the Waffle House then drove to Jini's house. Jini drove us to a nearby mountain hiking trail. The three of us hiked up and then back down the mountain, which ended up being a 2 mile hike. Hiking was one of my favoritine things of our vacation. The weather was beautiful and the view from the top of the moutain was amazing. After the hike Madelyn and I headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up and then Jini and her thirteen year old son, Daniel, picked us up at the hotel. We headed to downtown Phoenix to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then to the Science Center where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Once we arrived back to the hotel Madelyn decided to attempt a swim in the pool where she quickly discovered it was much too cold and the hot tub was a better option.
We made it to top!!
Just finished hiking the moutain behind us.
Meeting of the minds
Wheelchair race with Daniel
What the heck??
Bed of nails
Day 4: - This was our last day in Phoenix so we made the best of it by going to the Challenger Space Center in the morning. Madelyn didn't even really know about the Challenger so it was kind of neat telling her about it. I also told her exactly where I was when it happened (Mrs. Catlin's 5th grade class). After the space center we went on a tour of the University of Phoenix Cardinal Stadium. I thought it was really cool how the grass field is retractable and during the off season it is outside being taken care. We also got to sit in a $140,000 loft and hang out in the opponents locker room. Madelyn was not nearly as impressed about the tour as I was but some day she will be able to say she was in the stadium where there was a super bowl. After our tour we headed to Mesa, Az. found some hispanic hookers by accident, a place to eat a late lunch and then checked into our hotel. Madelyn went swimming and then we to locate an outlet mall during rush hour. I could have lived without that experience. After shopping we made a failed attempt to locate a Cheesecake Factory and settled for ice cream from a gas station. We settled in early as we had to get up for a very early flight the next morning.
Day 5: Up shortly after 5am, gathered our stuff and were out the door within 20 minutes. Once we arrived at the airport we returned the rental car and then stood in a long line to check in and walk through security. Once through security we couldn't pass up the chance to spend more money at the airport gift shop before boarding the plane. One hour and forty-three minutes later we were back in Kansas and so ready to be home.
It was an all around great trip. It was a first experience for me to plan a trip and to basically navigate everywhere all by myself (thank goodness for a smart phone that has awesome navigational skills). It was a profound experience for me and definitely a confidence builder. I'm ready to plan the next trip. Now, just waiting for that money train to get here.
