i was really excited to go back to arizona. i hadn't been there for almost a year. i missed my family, and i missed the fresh air, and rain, and sunshine, and dry, dry heat. i was also super excited for all the visits i had lined up. the only hurdle in my way...flying to albuquerque with three kids ages 6 and under, all by myself. yes, i was very well intimidated. however, knowing the task i had ahead of me, i really tried to be as prepared as i possibly could. i did make a solo flight with the kiddies in tow not too long ago when i went to maine. so, i made the necessary adjustments, in the hopes that things would go even more smoothly. and i think they would have, if only...
i wasn't feeling too great the night before we flew out. my throat was scratchy, and i could barely swallow, which made for a rough night of sleeplessness. :( on tuesday morning i said a prayer, please just let me get through this day. and actually, it wasn't so bad. the kids did great, and if i didn't have to carry the fifty pound bag of camera equipment along with my kanga pouch filled with little mims, then i think it would've been just perfect....(mimzy wasn't the problem, the camera bag was), thank goodness i had been doing some weight training. seriously.
the kids did wonderfully on both flights. but for some reason, the last hour of the last flight, was so very long! we were all so restless, and finally, after the long wait, we spotted albuquerque below us. isaiah and makayah got their second wind, jumping up and down with excitement, and couldn't wait to run out the doors to see nana and umpa. oh boy, was it great to see them! we hugged and kissed and jumped into the car. we really should've gotten some fast food or something to eat along the way....but we made the mistake of eating at a sit down restaurant. it took forever to get our food, and we didn't get home until 1am window rock time, and 2am wisconisin time. i was so completely exhausted, and it didn't help that my throat started feeling sore again. the next morning i was so wiped out. i decided to go to the hospital. and that's what wednesday consisted of. hopsital, pharmacy, and lots of resting.
that night, was ten times better. on thursday, isaiah went out with the boys to girls camp (my dad is the stake president, so he had to drop things off and make sure they had everything they needed). while they were out, they went fishing, and isaiah caught a fish!! actually, he caught two: one baby fish that he threw back, and one larger fish, that he gave to some people who had fishing permits. ;) he had a great time, and i'm glad my parents were there with the kids while i was getting over my sinus infection.
i had started feeling so much better by friday and had tons of catching up to do. my good friend from high school (we hadn't seen each other since graduation! shame on us!) came over and we talked and laughed, and it was wonderful that we could pick up where we left off. it was so good to catch up on life. i'd really missed her.
we also celebrated my sister's birthday while i was there. we made a trip to king dragon and saw the tulley's. as we were leaving, i showed samiyah the smiling buddha statue, and she broke out into the same cheesy smile. then she spotted somthing that really interested her, and she almost nursed the statue! it was so funny, and we tried to get it on camera, but i had forgotten my phone in the car, and renee's phone had suddenly jammed. oh well. next time.
we were sad to be away from sam during father's day, but had celebrated with him the the week before. it was nice to be with my dad though, especially this year. he had gotten up during the church meeting and said how grateful he was to have us with him, most especially his grandchildren. i'm very lucky to have him as my dad.
and surprise! becky came to church with her little boy, daniel who is a year older than isaiah. they held hands and ran around church together, bumping into my dad along the way. my dad laughed when he saw them and said, "hey! you two look familiar! it's little aaron, and little robby!" it's fun how much they resemble their uncles.
it was great to have becky there, to visit, and laugh, and have her participate in our little sewing party. sam had threatened to throw away my fabric, so i decided it would be a good idea to pack fabric instead of clothes, that way, i'd be forced to make their pj's and shirts, and shorts, and skirts. however, i never counted on getting a sinus infection...so i was very behind. i love coming to my mom's house and sewing with her.
we ate way too much, and had so much fun with family and friends. i did a couple photo shoots with my cousin candi and her daughter, with rachel and her family, with becky and her family, with my sisters. we even took a drive around town reminiscing about high school days. we laughed our heads off. on monday before we left, we had a playdate with isaiah and makayah's friends, teancum and eden. popsicles, playgrounds, and good friends, what more could we ask for?
i was sad to leave, but really, had to get going...i had another photo shoot waiting for me in utah. reluctantly, we headed out to utah. there was a whole fiasco with chris accidently hijacking my wallet...but luckily i did have my d.l. with me and my parents were headed up the following day. we stopped in bluff for lunch with another good friend, the time from college. and actually, candi had driven up too. we all had lunch, and it was almost like old times...just way too short.
eventually we made it to provo (and when we drove into the valley, isaiah shouted out, "mom! i see the "Y" mountain! we're HOME!").
fun, exhausting, busy. family and friends are the best.
