Photo Diary: Phoenix

Mark's parents were headed out west to visit his moms side of the family and invited him along last fall. In attempting to save a few extra days of vacation for maternity leave, I (pouting like a child) dismissed the idea of being able to go. Until I chatted with Deb and tackled logistics -- I'd be able to meet up with them on the second part of their trip, my OB gave the greenlight, and I only used  two vacation days! 

Hallelujah.

Side note: Does anyone else feel weird calling your in-laws, your in-laws? I can't bring myself to it (I call them Deb/Rex or Mark's parents), they feel more like a bonus set of parents I was blessed with, "in-laws" sounds so abrasive to me.

We stayed at the Sheraton which was perfect. Great views of the mountains and close to everything. Plus, they had the BEST ginger ale. Seagrams, I asked :)

One morning this guy woke me up at 4:30a with a grand plan to "watch the sun rise" from our balcony. 

Sweet gesture, insanely early. 

I stayed in bed until the very last second, then rose. I'll admit it now, totally worth it. 

Deb's family are the sweetest people! No exaggeration, each of them has an infectious personality just as she does. We spent the days seeing/meeting/hanging out with everyone and soaking up bits of Phoenix. 

Camelback Mountain

We "should" have set out earlier and Mark "should" have brought tennis shoes but all in all, a fun hike. Everyone on the trail was so friendly and the views were amazing.

Stumbled upon The Henry en route to hike and are eternally grateful for fate. We sat on their expertly decorated patio feasting on huevos rancheros and carrot cake pancakes(!) with nary a care it had begun to rain.

Of note: I know one way to get home, yet I can recall, in detail memorable meals from months ago. Its a gift...

Making dinner for everyone -- lasagna, garlic bread and salad

Garlic Bread

Roast a head of garlic (peel off most of the skin, chop of the top to expose the cloves, drizzle a little olive oil, wrap in foil, roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool enough to touch . Squeeze cloves into a bowl and mash with softened butter (half garlic/half butter), forming a paste. Spread onto french bread, top with cheese and bake until cheese is oozy.

Consume entire loaf, alone, with no regrets.

Repeat visit to The Henry (told you, that good). This time for their breakfast sandwich and fresh squeezed orange juice. 

As swiftly as it began, our trip was over and head home

But first, Pinkberry.