So Much to Love in Arizona

In October I flew to Arizona to spend the weekend with the Allens to celebrate Nan's 50th birthday.

We  spent the first two days in Sedona and I quickly learned there was so much to love there! 

The gaucho's are rather handsome 

and the shops are so fun to browse.

There are miles to hike or bike and wander. 

 If your group includes a few who might be less than thrilled at the prospect of hiking  then your next best bet is the Pink Jeep tour.

I loved the red rocks, hearing about the mysterious vortex located there, and all the local folklore.

 Loved seeing their version of Mt Rushmore

and hearing all the funny nick names they have for their rocks

Loved wandering the location where several movies had been filmed

Watched these two harass each other and made bets on how far down the trail the beautiful Lexus SUV would get before the driver realized there wasn't a chance in the world that they were making it and called for the tow out of there.

We loved scrambling around on the rocks and the views that took our breath away.

There's no way we could really take it all in so naturally a plane ride was in order.

Nan and I love that mischievous smirk and watching these two together as we waited for our tour.

Our little trouble maker had all of us laughing.  

He didn't introduce himself as Carlos to our tour guide like he did on the Jeep tour

No the plane ride was all business for him

These two rocked the headsets!

Loved getting a different view of the rocks we had just seen from the Jeep

But our destination was the Grand Canyon! 

I hiked the Grand Canyon with my family when I was in the 8th grade and had bronchitis. I hadn't been back since.

The direction of the sun and the glare from the windows made taking pictures a little pointless, but I'm glad that I got a couple that were clear. I would love to get back and do some exploring on foot!

As the sun was setting we hit one last tourist attraction.

The Church of the Holy Cross is pretty, but the view from there is even better. I loved the way the colors played on the rocks as the sun hit them.  In some places it almost looked like they were glowing.

I loved going out to a different movie every night we were there

I loved our late night food runs

I loved that I got to have Cafe Rio for dinner one night

I always love watching Carter and Devany interact and the love they have for each other. The teasing is  hilarious and incessant!

I loved meeting Carters roommates and then being able to tease them a bit too. #brandonhands

I loved that Carter and Dev made sure that Nan and I were appropriately dressed in team apparel to watch the Niner game that week. I died laughing at their reaction to their mom wearing Carter's hat!

The Lion King or The Titanic?  Love the witty and super sarcastic sense of humor that all of them have.

  Love that I was able to spend a wonderful weekend in a beautiful place with people I love.  Grateful to call them friends.  Blessed to call them family.