Road Trip to Flagstaff AZ!! Day 4

Day 4- Shopping in Downtown Flag!

Our day started off early as Kendra and I went to step aer

obics at 8:15... holy cow what a fun class but man does it kick your butt!! After we burnt off some calories we were ready for a day of shopping and touring downtown flagstaff!!

Our first stop was to go see abby in the fun store she works in.. after trying on coats and clothes that we definitely couldnt afford we headed to the Old Town Shop- the greatest stores in downtown flag! We stopped into the candy shop so kendra could get some goodies for her family, and then we looked at all the fun clothes and jewelry in the Basement. All of this shopping tired us out, so we decided to refuel at the most amazing burger place called "diablo's burger"... a new lil hole in the wal organic burger place.. soo good!

After lunch, we headed over to Pulium Airport to ensure that we were present when Molly arrived in Flagstaff... to ensure this, we were there 30 minutes early :) To keep us entertained for a little while were the 2 cutest puppies waiting for their owner to come off of a plane. They were 8 weeks old and super cute! It makes me really want a puppy!!

The time finally came when Molly came off the plane and into our arms for a group hug (minus abby) it was a great reunion and kendra captured it :) It was so funny when Molly got off the plane she was wearing flip flops- in 20 degree weather! so she came inside without grabbing her carry on, so she decided to try to go back outside.. well the door said DO NOT ENTER, but that didnt stop her :-D she was then stopped by the cop and told that she was violating federal law!! All she wanted was her bag haha, so the cop had to grab it for her :)

After we picked Molly up our next stop was to go the most "flagstaffy" place- Macys coffee shop.. the place where the hippies hang out :) We wanted to surprise Abby because she thought Molly's flight was delayed, so we had Abby come to the coffee shop :) That was fun to see Abby walk in the door and take a double take on the brunette sitting at the bar!

We enjoyed our good flagstaff coffee and then headed back downtown to do some more shopping :) but first we had to get some pictures of the girls :)

Hhopping was successful and dad was smart by opting out on shopping and going home to start dinner (chicken enchiladas!!) So when we got home the house smelled delicious!!! We enjoyed our first family dinner together and then prepared ourselves for another night of fun games- "cien" and "scrabble slam"... lots of laughter occurred and it was amazing!

Its times like these that make my heart smile... all the good times we have together laughing and reminiscing on all the funny santa pictures, horrible outfits or haircuts we had... I am definitely blessed to have this amazing family! I am super excited to get some sweet time in with them! I think distance is the best thing because it truly reveals how much you appreciate the people who love you...even if they live miles away majority of the year!

Road Trip to Flagstaff AZ!! Day 3

Day 3- Adventure to the Grand Canyon!

Today we headed 70 miles north to one of the 7 wonders of the world: THE GRAND CANYON!!

This was the first time Kendra had ever been to the grand canyon, so I had to make it the greatest experience ever... so i made her close her eyes as she walked to the edge of the grand canyon so that when she opened her eyes there was going to be some major shock value!

Like everyone who gazes at this amazing creation, you are pretty much speechless as you look on this gapping hole in the ground... it almost doesnt seem real... I love looking at it, even if it is the 100th time i have seen it :)

I must say, i love how small of a world this is- we met up with a friend of a friend of Kendra's who works up at the canyon! We chatted it up for a bit and then continued on our adventures to hike some of the grand canyon. I guess I didnt realize how much it snowed until we started hiking down the Bright Angel Trail and it was covered!! It was a pretty sweet experience walking along the snowy trails in the grand canyon!

We hiked for maybe half a mile or so and then turned back...we were ready for something warm to drink :) As we headed up the snowy terrain to reach the El Tovar Lodge, we would catch ourselves stopping and gazing at this magnificent creation that we couldnt even fathom... pretty cool :)

I think the snow made the effect of the whole trip 10 times better... it was gorgeous!

we headed back up to the El Tovar to take more pictures and fulfil our goal- smoke a cigar, in rocking chair at the Grand Canyon.. haha it was quite an experience (that was short lived haha) but hey now we can say we did it :)

After we drank our hot chocolate and smoked a little bit of the cigar we called it a day and headed home... we definitely took our fair share of pictures but there are too many to include for the day... plus pictures dont even do this glorious place justice!

The greatest part of the 1.5 hr long drive back home was the fact the peaks were in front of us the whole time and what a gorgeous sight that was!

What a great day it ended up being! We got back and had the best meal ever- creamed eggs on toast! Then we played a lot of games of Rummikub and Cien,.. way too much fun! Tomorrow we are going to get up and go to a step class (totally excited) then we are going shopping in downtown Flagstaff!! Man the Lord is good and I am so thankful for such an amazing roommate and friend to share my home with!!

Road Trip to Flagstaff AZ!! Day 2

Day 2 of the Road Trip!!

Well today our plan was to get to Albuquerque and eat lunch with some cousins and get to Flagstaff by dinner which would total about 9 hrs driving time... we were definitely ready for the long trip once we got our starbucks to fuel us for the morning :)

The first stretch of the trip was going well- we were energized because of the coffee, singing to the music...it was great! however all that coffee got to us, so we had to stop somewhere and all that was available in the middle of nowhere New Mexico was this sketchy little place on the side of the road..

so thanks to the griswold instinct of "adventure (fill in the blank)" this became the new "adventure bathroom"... and when i say adventure bathroom i mean you have to pay $.25 to go haha.. it was pretty hilarious actually :)

Rright next to this ghetto pit stop was this awesome abandoned church, so kendra being the adventurous type decided we needed to go check it out... and we did and i am so glad we did! it was awesome- there were still pews in this place! we definitely had to take pictures at this place!

After our fun mini adventure, we continued on our way to the cousin's house for lunch!

As we headed west, Kendra definitely getting excited when she saw snow on the ground :)
By 1pm we finally got to my cousins house where we had a lovely home-cooked meal prepared for us-corn chowder, home made bread, fresh fruit... YUMMY!! It was so great seeing them and catching up on life, but sooner than we realized we were back on the road.. but first had to capture the kodak moment with the cousins :)the girls! kendra, me and Debbie
the cousins! me, Jonathan and debbie!
The first sign with Flagstaff of it.. 312 miles to go yippee!
Ok, so we were not too happy when we were 30 miles outside of Gallup (our next pit stop) when traffic was at a stand still.... set us back an hour...
however, when we asked the random truck driver next to us what was happening, he told us the sad news of a construction worker got hit by a truck and thats why there was traffic..we later found out he is miraculously still alive but in critical condition... After the minor delay in the trip we were back on the road and finally to good ol Gallup where we had to capture the... cultural experience that Gallup has to offer :)
This sign was in honor of our roommate stacy love :)
This was the lovely mural right outside of the bathrooms at the Gallup pit stop :)
And below is our interpretation of a modern day kokopeli hehe
Yeah we had way too much fun at the place :) but out journey had to continue- still 3 hrs to go!!!

it was unfortunate that it was already dark before the arizona border, so the beautiful mountains will be a surprise in the morning :) We got to my house just in time for a late supper- this yummy Italian sausage tortellini soup-yummy!! It was so nice to not only get to Flag safe and sound but give my family a big ol hug!

Tomorrow is where the true adventure begins...we will get back into the car and head 70 miles up to go see the magnificent GRAND CANYON!!! We are goin to do a little bit of sight seeing, hiking and...well it will be shared tomorrow! Good night!

Road Trip to Flagstaff AZ!! Day 1

Road Trip to Flagstaff- DAY 1

Well, praise the Lord, finals are over and the time has finally come! Kendra and I have been roommates all 4 yrs and I have yet to take her to my home...but have no fear, the opportunity finally presented itself in our senior year!!

December 16th, Kendra and I left Big D to head west on a great adventure riding in "Gretta the Jetta". Our plan was to drive to Amarillo the first day, then knock out the rest the next day. The car was successfully packed (by 3 girls) sheep and all :)

We headed north up to Oklahoma City, but our trip didnt progress quickly due to a couple of stops :) We didnt get to far because we ate at Logans restaraunt (merely because we had a gift card we wanted to use)- but we were fueled by our steak salads- YUM!

our next stop was to go see Kathy's puppy Tex and let him out (and to play with him a bit :) ) So that was another pit stop we made before we really hit the road... we were tempted to take the puppy with us but figured that probably wouldnt be a good idea... we gave the puppy a kiss goodbye and finally hit the road for Amarillo!

The first stretch of our trip was going to take 7.5 hrs, but with our Ipods fully loaded and fun road trip gifts to open, we were set!! Good convos and duets were the entertainment for the night! We ate at good ol McDonalds and got to the hotel in Amarillo safely (a few hours later than we expected), but hey, we made it and thats the most important thing!

Plan for tomorrow:

-Drive half way to Albuquerque to eat lunch with some awesome relatives (yeah for home cooked meals!)

-drive the last 5 hrs to good ol, snow covered mountains flagstaff and spend some sweet time with the family!!

More adventures to come but thus far its 2 thumbs up :)