Sunday Reflections – 15 January 2017

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Happy Sunday from Phoenix!

The boys are busy running their marathon. Holly and I will be going out to cheer for them in a few minutes. It has been wonderful putting the coats away for the last day and exploring totally new terrain for all of us.

This week felt a bit rushed as we were preparing for our trip. Winter weather took its toll on Holly’s dance. Ice storms made the roads very treacherous, so they closed the studio. The rest of us weren’t so lucky and still had to go to work.

We headed out for Phoenix on Thursday night, spending a few short hours at my parents’ house to drop off the dog and get a few hours of sleep before leaving for the airport at 2:45 AM. 5 AM flights suck, for the record. It was a full flight too, so we couldn’t even sit next to each other. We arrived in Phoenix at 8 and headed out for the Grand Canyon. Four hours later – we stopped for lunch in Flagstaff – we arrived to this breathtaking wonder. Neither words nor pictures can adequately do the canyon justice. It is truly a wonder in all its beauty and terrifying heights and depth.

After we had our fill of the cold, and it was cold at 40 degrees, we headed back to Phoenix and our airBNB for the weekend. It was an early night for all of us given the extremely early morning. Yesterday we did not do much. We got a late start, as we didn’t set an alarm and all slept late. The boys had to pick up their running packet, so we got to see downtown Phoenix. Then we explored Scottsdale and visited The Poisoned Pen. Later, we drove the marathon route, which ends at the Arizona State University campus. It was another early night so that the boys could get in a few miles (recommended before running a marathon) and get to bed early.

Connor finish between three hours and three hours thirty minutes. Jim is shooting for under four hours. Holly has fallen in love with ASU, so we are going to check it out a bit closer as we head towards the finish line. If the boys are up to walking later today, we want to check out the Musicsl Instrument Museum. If not, there are the football games, and the kids have homework. In fact, Connor has finals on Tuesday, so he has plenty of work to do.

We fly back home tomorrow morning, sadly. It has been a wonderful little getaway, but I do wish we would have been able to do a bit more sightseeing. Plus, I know neither Jim nor I is anxious to go back to work and all of the problems that await us upon our return. Still, one should never bemoan the chance to thaw out in January. The next time we will be able to go outside in short-sleeved shirts will be in April, if we are lucky.

Here are past posts from the last week in case you missed them the first time: