I live "the sweet life" and I feel so grateful. We get to do so much and see so much and share so much with our girls. I feel blessed. Last week, the girls and I tagged along with my angel of a husband to Arizona. I say tagged along, because he had to work. We got to play.
Our first night of the trip was spent in Palm Desert. We drove to Palm Springs and shopped a bit before having dinner. We woke up early the next day to get a jumpstart on our day of driving to Arizona.
The first day in Scottsdale was awesome. Our weather here in the valley had been less-than-average. Unseasonably cold and yucky. We were greeted in Arizona with 98-99 degree temps. It felt amazing. Wayne dropped us off at Scrapbooks Etc. in Mesa for the day. I pre-registered for three scrapbooking spots. The girls and I enjoyed working on different projects, shopping, and die-cutting. I really love this store and there is so much creative inspiration all around. Wayne picked us in the early evening and we all went to dinner at a yummy burger place. Love that I took a Groupon chance on this place, as it was de-lish. Then we went to check into our hotel. We had requested a poolside room, but when we arrived all those rooms had been given out. So, the clerk gave us the next best thing. A villa. What???? Two-bedrooms, two massive bathrooms, a huge living room, kitchen, dining room, and our own washer and dryer. Did I mention our room was $91 per night and that included their rediculously overpriced breakfast? Oh, and we had our own pool. Not really, but since no one was using it, that's what it felt like. It was bliss.
Second day was a tad warmer. Not a problem for us. We woke up REALLY early because the girls and I were taking a 2-hour tour of the Sonoran Desert on horseback. What an AMAZING experience! My horse was Rojas, Hailee's was Chico, and Abby got sweet Annie. All I kept thinking as we were winding around the path taking in the breathtaking view of the scenery on this majestic animal was that I am so grateful. A moment (or many) of extreme gratitude. The beautiful flowers on the sagauros were still open and every rock that we trekked around was perfectly placed. Simply amazing.
Let me tell you about our guide. He was amazing. He was so knowledgable about the desert and horses. He was so interesting and had a way with storytelling. He was an incredibly learned person and gave the girls and I book recommendations, as well as fun facts about the area we were visiting. Loved that.
The gorgeous Sonoran Desert landscape. If anyone visits the area and finds a Nikon lens cap, it's mine. I dropped mine when Rojas started trotting!
Hailee and Chico
Abby getting a "hug" from Annie.
After Wayne picked us up, we grabbed lunch and Sprinkles to go. He enjoyed lunch with us, before heading out for more calls. The girls and I lounged for the rest of the afternoon poolside. It was awesome. When Wayne was done for the day, he suited up and jumped in the pool. What else could we ask for? Um, how about a beer for Wayne, a daquiri for me, and a couple of virgin pina coladas for the girls served poolside with some appetizers. Yum. :)
When we left the next day, we grabbed Sprinkles for the road. We headed to Lowes on our way out the state. Why? We bought a gallon of the returned paint in the paint section. Think $5 for a $20 can, because it wasn't someone's perfect color. It was a gift, of sorts. Our next stop was Salvation Mountain in Niland, California. It was a bit out of the way, but a place we all wanted to see. Wayne and I had first heard of it while watching Into the Wild. It was across the road from Slab City. So very interesting. We were able to meet and chat with the artist/creator of SM, Leonard Knight. We also gave him our paint donation. We visited his museum and took loads of pictures of all his work. It was really a great experience and he was such a neat guy. We would have liked to stay a bit longer, but it was SCORCHING HOT! We met a young woman who was spending the week interviewing Mr. Knight and researching the mountain and its visitors and we also met a young man (who reminded us of the main character in Into the Wild) who had been living in a trailer on the property. He told us he stopped by to see it, talked with Mr. Knight and thought he could help him out with painting. He said he had no other obligations and figured why not? He was such a free spirit and an interesting guy. Could you imagine visiting some place and staying there because you had no other obligations? I was fascinated.
We stayed one more night in Palm Desert before heading home. We always have fun together wherever we are, but home makes us the most happy. :)
I love my family's adventures. :)
Cool, huh?
The girls with Leonard Knight.
