I went to Arizona for Mother’s Day weekend this year with my Mom. We went to see my sister and my nieces who live in Phoenix and watch my sister graduate from college. No Husband! No Kids! Wait. What?! That’s right, it was my first time being away from all of them. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would know how to act. I mean, it’s been two years since Jade was born and I have never been away from her. My husband and I went on a cruise once when Gabriel was two, and he stayed with his Nana. Other than that, I have never been away from my children. I panicked a little bit.
My Mother’s Day Weekend in the Desert
My Mom and I flew out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport at 8:10 Thursday morning. To say I was nervous was an understatement! Motion sickness at 10,000 feet is not fun. I may or may not have pulled the doggie bag out at one point….but thankfully I didn’t have to use it. That would have been mildly embarrassing!
My Mother’s Day Weekend in the Desert
We arrived in Phoenix at 9am….there is apparently a three hour time difference there or we possibly went through a worm hole. I’m not sure. It is also rumored to be extremely hot in Phoenix….but you couldn’t prove it by me. When we stepped off the plane, I was glad I wore a long sleeve shirt and pants. It was only 70 degrees outside…in May? Oh dear. My sister had told me that the week before they had been in the triple digits. I packed for desert weather….
My sister Holly, took us to the community college rose garden first. It was amazing to see thousands of roses and not one bit of fungus on them. In Georgia the humidity is extremely high and roses are not fond of it. I took enough pictures of the roses to fill an album. They were gorgeous!
After several hours meandering through the rose garden, we went to pick up me nieces from school. My goodness how they have grown in three years! They were just as excited to see us. The first thing they wanted to do was go home and introduce us to their “pets.”
Two words, Hissing. Cockroaches. I never thought I would see the day that I allowed a cockroach crawl on me, but when they are your nieces most beloved pets and they are named Stephanie, Amy and Rosie….you concede. There was also Croc the Leopard Gecko, and Zelda the Tarantula.
That night we met my sisters fiance, Eli and his family at dinner. It was quite breezy and cool out on the veranda, but I had so much fun! The food was delicious and the company was fantastic!
My Mother’s Day Weekend in the Desert
The next morning we began the three hour trip to Sedona. Every hour that we drove, we watched the temperatures drop. We stopped at a rest stop and to enjoy the view. We realized as we stepped out of the car that we were under dressed. My sweater and jacket were not warm enough!
When we arrived in the Coconino National Forest in Sedona it was only 42 degrees and extremely windy. Brrrrrh! We hiked my sisters favorite trail and collected beautiful Sedimentary and Metamorphic rocks….yes, we all have rock collections, why? Hey, I’m a homeschool mom and she is going to be a science teacher. This is completely normal!
As we heading back from our hike, we got caught in a sleet and hail storm! That’s right, Arizona was now pooping ice on us. Go figure.
As the other adults grumbled about the pelting of ice, my nieces and I squealed with excitement! It was quite the adventure. We spent the rest of the day exploring the sites and shops of Sedona.
My Mother’s Day Weekend in the Desert
The following day, Saturday, was my sisters graduation at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. During the 4 hour drive to Flagstaff we watched the temperatures drop again. Once we arrived, we were surprised by the snow on the ground!
Really, Arizona? First ice, and now snow?
Regardless, my beautiful sister and her lovely fiance, both graduated with degrees in education and with honors! They also already had jobs as teachers lined up!
And so, my time in Arizona came to an end. I did not experience the blistering heat, I did not get to wear shorts or sandals, but I did experience the beauty of this lovely state. I am thrilled that I got to see my sister, nieces, and Eli. I adored our time together with our Mom and our trip back was pleasant….no turbulence or doggie bags needed. But the best part of my whole trip, was in fact seeing the smiling faces of my little family once again.
Although I do hope to go back to Arizona for a wedding in September!
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