If not interested in reading our journal from our Spring Break trip you can skip down to the photos.....

If not interested in reading our journal from our Spring Break trip you can skip down to the photos.....


Arizona Spring Break Trip March 23 - March 30 2013

Friday March 22

After work we all hopped in the armada and drove to Milwaukee. We stayed at a Comfort Suites just a couple miles from the airport. I believe this is the first single room hotel we have ever stayed in with Greta. What a challenge. I basically shipped Matt, James, and Noelle off to go find some snacks while I tried to nurse Greta to sleep. Everyone came back a half hour later to find her still awake. Finally by 9pm lights were out and we all were drifting off to sleep. Or trying too.... Come to find out neither Matt nor I sleep very well. He finally got up at 1am and went to the neighboring gas station....he must have sensed I needed a snack....turkey sandwich at 2am never tasted so good...even while sitting on the bathroom counter making as little noise as possible. Good thing we aren't staying in any more single hotel rooms!!

Saturday March 23

We woke up at 4am to get moving....our flight was supposed to leave at 6:30....didn't happen. We finally took flight at 9:30am. Something about oil?? Maybe it was a good thing because Greta burned some energy running around our gate. We are now 30 min into our flight to Dallas and she is zonked in my arms. We missed our connecting flight in Dallas so we grabbed lunch at Chili's. We were on stand by for the next flights. We finally made the 3:30 flight. We were exhausted by the time we made it to grandma's. just enough energy to grab dinner out with grandma & grandpa and go to our condo to hit the sack. Our condo is in Tempe. It is 3 stories, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 car garage, pool table, community pool. It is really kept up nice. Grandma & grandpa even rented a high chair, stroller, pack n play and set them up for us. Our place is 25 minutes down the road from Grandma & grandpa....a quick drive on the interstate. Good thing for the "anchovy lane" as Noelle calls it. It is actually called the HOV lane...it is a carpool lane. She calls it that cuz it rhymes with anchovy. Tonight we ate at Red Robin on their outdoor patio.

Sunday March 24

Today was a chill day at Road Haven --grandma & grandpa's community. We started by attending their church service. Jim was the worship leader for the service and also sang in the choir. Jim always has a good message to deliver....plus a few jokes. Matt chose not to sing this year with his dad in front of the congregation. I think after the fact he wishes he would have sang....several people came up to him and said they missed not hearing his voice and guitar solo. After church we all went for a swim. The pool is heated to mid 80's so even I didn't get cold. Greta loves the water too. After lunch Greta went down for a nap and I went to my favorite store here....Fast and Easy. It is healthy food individually packaged for people who are on the run. I spent 2 hours there....$180 later I stocked up for the week. I wish this grocery chain was local....I'd never shop anywhere else. Once Greta woke up from her nap we headed back to our condo for a chill night /move night (the Bad News Bears).

Monday March 25

This morning dad and grandpa went golfing. The rest of us chilled at Road Haven (swimming, Bocce Ball, golf cart rides around the park and to the dog park). Once dad and Matt returned from golfing I did my first mid-day run in the Arizona sun. It felt awesome to sweat! Afterwards we headed back to our condo to chill. Tonight we tested out our condo pool....was it cold! We sat poolside for awhile and pointed out airplanes to Greta as they flew overhead. Our evening ended with homemade smoothies made with my Nutrabullet I got for my birthday while watching The Pawn Stars on TV. We also played some pool...dad and Noelle versus Jill-Jill and James. The game ended with Greta wanting to play too. Doesn't work to well with a 13 month old sitting on the top of the pool table.

Tuesday March 26

Today we went to The Arizona Science Museum. I feel in love with the biology section. My favorite exhibit demonstrated the different brain waves when relaxed versus very alert. Two people put these helmets on and sit on opposite ends of a table. The object is to get a little ball on the table to drift away from you by keeping super relaxed. Meanwhile you watch a screen to see your brain waves. What amazed me was Noelle's ability to think of nothing and have her brain waves simulate sleeping---yet she was still awake, sitting playing the game. We asked her...what do you think about?? She says it is easy.... I think about nothing. Now when Jill sat down to play....my brain waves looked like I was solving the most complex problem....Even when trying to think about "nothing".


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