Spring Break week #4 the Final one!

PHOENIX or BUST!

I think this year's last week of Spring Break was the best! Usually it is the hardest, but since we decided to go out of town this week as a family it was great!

Sunday (4/24)- Easter. We didn't take any pictures, but there was lots of chocolate eating, basket finding and family time. All after a wonderful church service of course. There was also packing and getting ready for our trip to Phoenix.

Monday-we got up not to early and headed out to Phoenix. It didn't take that long to get there. We checked into our hotel, The Pointe Tapatio Cliffs and the kids went swimming. Then we headed over to my friend Kelly's house for dinner. We had a yummy dinner and the kids loved playing with her kids. After we left her house we decided to visit Mary Coyle's. It is a wonderful ice cream shop that I grew up going to since it was right down the street from my house. It moved locations, but it was still a favorite place of every ones. The kids really thought it was fun and that the ice cream was yummy. Adam wasn't able to finish his Jolly Green Giant, but I sure loved my banana split, which was oh so yummy.

Tuesday-we had all these fun activities planned and all the kids wanted to do was stay at the resort and swim at the pool. Fine by us. We played tennis and ping pong in the morning and spent the rest of the day at the pool. We went to target after dinner and bought a new game, Farkle. The kids have had fun playing that ever since. We also went back to Mary Coyle's for dessert. Still so yummy. Wednesday- spent the day at the pool again. Damon went to the driving range. That afternoon we took the kids back over to Kelly's and Damon and I went on a date. It was my month to plan the date and I didn't disappoint. We went to South Mountain and rode horses with a wrangler to the T-bone Steakhouse. It was a sunset ride and the Phoenix Desert did not disappoint. The Saguaro's were in bloom and we could see from the west valley to the east valley. It was really beautiful in a desert sort of way. Dinner was fabulous. We rode back with our wrangler, Andrew, at night and the desert was just as pretty in the light of the moon. We both really enjoyed our evening and the kids loved playing over at Kelly's all night.
Thursday-we went out to breakfast at IHOP and then over to the resort's sister resort that has a water park inside it. The kids loved that. We floated along on the lazy river, slid down water slides and swam under waterfalls. It was very relaxing. That night after dinner we took the kids on a tour of my old stomping grounds. We went to my high school, old house, old pool, Encanto, where I life guarded with Kelly, drove past were my old elementary school was, Encanto and ended up the tour at Mary Coyle's one last time. I still can't believe they are closing their doors after 60 years. It makes me so sad. It was such a Phoenix establishment. Lily ended the night in tears because she didn't want to leave Phoenix or all the fun we had been having. All of us felt that way.




Friday-The Royal Wedding. So fabulous. The pageantry, the city, the people, the history all of it was great. The happy couple both looked stunning. I loved the dress, hair, tiara, and everything. Kate looked beautiful, just like a princess. After we got back to San Diego and had dinner we watched more on TV. Lily put on her crown and insisted we call her Princess Catherine. It was pretty funny. She loved watching all the royal hoopla just like I did with my mom back in 1981. The drive home was fine. We stopped in Yuma and had ourselves some good ole fashion A&W root beer from the A&W place. Very yummy.



It was a great vacation full of laughs, good times, great friends and memories that should last. It was wonderful going "home". I am so at ease there and I always feel like I fit right in. I don't always feel that way in San Diego. It's hard getting back to reality as I know the busyness of school and life will soon take over again. It's sad because it is our last time of a full month off for spring break. Noah goes to a traditional schedule next year. It's hard watching our little family grow up, but at the same time we are happy that they are. 11 weeks til summer break!