With no job prospects for Alyssa immediately on the horizon, we decided to load up the car pre-Thanksgiving week and head for Arizona. This was to be Alyssa's first trip to "The Grand Canyon State" and there were nine nieces and nephews who hadn't seen her for a very long time. I was anxious to check on Carey's well-being and see baby Lucy for the first time. (Carey is doing great and as for Lucy, what a beautiful baby girl!)
Some highlights from the week:
- beautiful weather for the drive down through some of the most incredible country in the world
- getting to see Xander and Elijah in their last soccer games of the seasons - Jared coached Xander and Maxwell's teams this year - very neat! Elijah can really jump to defend the goal.
- time at Sara and Jared's home in Chandler, Arizona
- Uno Attack
- dinosaurs that glow in the dark
- yummy chili potatoes
- picking up Claigh at the airport Wednesday - It is always better with Claigh!!
- Gilbert, Arizona hospitality
- Jenny kindness (Thanks for the use of your bedroom Jensen. We really appreciate your sacrifice and graciousness.)
- Thanksgiving Day football in the back-yard
- two large tables - five gallon bucket seats - cup confusion
- Turducken ala Todd (Todd likes to add a little flair!)
- the best - I'm not kidding - the very best chocolate pecan pie ever - Thanks Sara!
- And - tasty pumpkin gooey butter cake ala Carey with fresh whipped cream - I think Thanksgiving is really about the desserts isn't it? Well maybe not just the desserts if you have Turducken!
- rescuing Brig from his nap - We all wonder when he will discover he can really get out of his bed on his own.(lol)
- a few hours alone with Lucy in the early morning on Friday
- Todd's mom Ellen. She is a phenomenal mother-in-law and grandmother and is currently living with the Bailey crew.
- Ellen Bailey roast - You haven't lived till you've had it!
- Jacob smiles
- cousin fun times
- Wii sports
- Alyssa re-connecting with Jen Barberia and Benny
- Seth jokes
- Noah, Jennie, Jacob, Elijah, Jared, Todd and Claigh's hike up Squaw Peak Saturday morning
- Einstein Bagels for Alyssa - The girl is really missing the bagels from back east so this was a real treat for her. There are no bagels in Portugal and believe me, Idaho Falls hasn't discovered bagel goodness yet so it had been a very long time since she has had one.
- discovering a flattening tire before we got onto the highway home. This meant a full morning at Sears on the way out of town. There was a crack in one of the stems and a recall on the tires so all four tire stems had to be replaced and the tires rotated. This meant a late start for us but we were grateful to not be stuck in the middle of absolutely no-where with tire trouble!
- my first time over Hoover Dam - That was impressive!
- a stop in Henderson, Nevada for supper to visit with Alyssa's best friend from High School and her husband. FYI Hugo Fam: Janelle and Fabian look great and are doing super. We really enjoyed our short time with them.
- Not Good - I got very sick Saturday night in Cedar City making it necessary to head straight for home first thing Sunday morning. We had hoped to see Joe and attend church with him but plans had to be adjusted. Thankfully by Wednesday, I was up and about again . . . AND
- Alyssa was fortunate to have work within two days of arriving home. Now that's a true blessing.
How we love our two Arizona families!
December 8th is particularly special to this family because that is the day we celebrate our very own Stephen Wade Stalcup! I love this picture of Steve with his oldest child Brynja. Good dads are a premium and Steve is a great dad for his four (soon to be five) children. Steve works as a manager for Tractor Supply Company and is known as "Vorian" in the Lenox world but to us he is simply one of our best blessings.
