Cora and I had the pleasure of accompanying my mom, Karra, and Levi (younger sibs) on a leisurely 26 hour drive to the great state of Arizona to visit my big brother Derik, his lovely wife KaBreena, and their adorable little girl Krystonna! It was spring break for the kids, and mom and I figured everyone could use a little sunshine, so we spent a total of 4 days in the car in order to enjoy 4 fabulous days with the much missed Payne family. Okay, so the sun was just a huge bonus...the real draw was getting to see our brother and his family who live entirely too far away!
The 13 hour days were long, but the kids did amazingly well. We watched movies, listened to audio cds and music, and munched our way through. Seriously, I may be cured of junk food for a while! I couldn't wait to cook a real meal when I got home (although we did have some awesome lasagna- compliments of KaBreena, and killer BBQ- thanks to Derik, while we were there)!
Along the way in Utah, we had the pleasure of seeing (and taking advantage of, for free food and bed) our Uncle Brad, Aunt Deb, cousin Ashley, brother Daniel and his wife Emily! I think it had been about 13 years since I had seen this part of my family...it was so fun to catch up, although we didn't have nearly enough time in our race to make it to Arizona!
My Nana and Grandpa Roger provided a much needed break in southern Utah. The sun was shining, and we could tell we were getting closer to our destination! They had some very cool parks near their home, and the kids were able to expend some pent up energies before the last leg of our journey.
When we finally made it to Arizona, we spent our time in the beautiful sunshine, catching up with old friends (Brian and Kim Bower), going to the zoo and aquarium with another friend (Harleen!), getting pedicures, shopping, hiking, and most of all hugging and kissing on that beautiful Krystonna as much as she would allow!
We were late to bed and early to rise, taking advantage of every second possible that we had together! All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Thank you D and KaBreena for letting us invade. Thanks to mom for the ride! Thank you Brian and Kim for an awesome dinner at Margaritaville (You really shouldn't have!).
On the way home we stayed at a Super8 in Lehi for the sole purpose of letting the kids swim! No pools open yet in Arizona = disappointed kids. So we got to see my Uncle Will, his wife Meri, and their kids. We swam until 11:00, ate pizza, and had a fast and furious visit with them!
Wow! Isn't family wonderful? I thank God for the possibility of eternity with mine!
*pictures of this trip will follow in another post.
1 comment:
Wow, that is awesome!! What a fun trip for everyone!! I am so jealous you got to enjoy some sweet sunshine! Glad you guys had a great trip, and I am sure it is also nice to be home with your hubby!!
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