A relaxing vacation!

A few girlfriends and I have been trying to plan a trip for a few years now.  We had planned on going on a trip to celebrate turning 30, but now all of us are 31 and almost 32.  Even though it is late, we still got the trip planned and spent 5 days in sunny, warm Arizona!

The trip was wonderful!  We arrived on Friday, went out to dinner, grocery shopped for the house, had a few drinks at the house and relaxed in the hot tub.  Saturday we drove to a popular hiking place and hiked for a hour or so, went to lunch with a friend that lived down there and ended with pedicures.  That night we made an amazing meal at the house - steaks, asparagus, a mixture of potatoes/carrots/onions/peppers/mushrooms, a light salad and some garlic bread.  Sunday we drove a few hours to beautiful Sedona and took in the sites.  We also went on an EXTREME jeep tour - and it definitely was extreme!  After the tour, we had lunch, shopped and headed back home.  Monday we spent the whole day at the pool as it was 90 and sunny and ended the day with a nice meal at an italian restaurant.  On Tuesday, our last day there, we cleaned the house, shopped and went out to lunch before we caught the shuttle to the airport. 

The vacation was a great mix of chatting, relaxation, great food, drinks, shopping, excursions, sun, exercise, reading, etc. It was just what I needed.  It was hard to be away for so long though, that was the longest I have been away since we had kids, almost 9 years ago now.  I was excited to get home and see all their faces!   We had such a great time together that we decided we are going to try and do a trip, small or large, every other year.   It is such a blessing to have great friends that I have known since 6th or 7th grade!

Thanks to Mike and my friends and family that helped out with the kids.  It is great to know that when I am away so many people are there to help with the kids.  I really appreciate it!

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Dinner at the Mexican restaurant

Hiking

They laughed at me when I took pics of my food but this salad was so pretty and delicious!

On the extreme jeep tour

More jeep tour

The rock formation on the right is supposed to be snoopy on his back - this is in Sedona

Dinner on Monday night after being at the pool all day - we all got a little red!