Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Summer Fun!

For those of you around my part of the world... the movie theatre in Canyon Country has free kids movies every Tuesday and Wednesday. The movie changes each week and starts at 10:00 am. If you want a decent seat, get in line by 9:00. This morning we saw "Inkheart". What a great movie. All about the power of books and reading. Since I'm such an avid reader (most of the time), I really enjoyed it. The kids loved it too. Next week they are showing Everyone's Hero and Madagascar 2.

Hot, hot, hot here! I'm sure it's near 100 degrees. After Tae Kwon Do I think we'll head to the pool for a little while. You know it's hot when even I am anxious to go in the water.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Kids at the Canyon

Cute, aren't they? From left to right: Amanda, Rebecca, Lauryn, Spencer, Temera. Rebecca and Spencer are my niece and nephew. They joined us for train ride and Grand Canyon experience.


Where Have We Been?

So, it's been a while since I posted. Why, you might ask? Thursday night we got home too late from the Grand Canyon... Friday night we got home too late from the D-Backs v. Angels game... Saturday night I was way too tired AND I didn't want to pay for internet service just for a few minutes of uploading.

And we're back....

Thursday: We got up early and took the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon. It is a 2 hour and 15 minute ride through Arizona to the Canyon. I've been before, but it still is amazing no matter how many times you see it. Of course, the girls just wanted to know where the "big hole" was. I'm not sure they really got the splendor of it all... they did think it was cool and really, really big. I think they were more enamored with the dogs that were around the park. That's okay... I'm sure they will be back. We had lunch, saw some amazing Navajo dancers and then headed back on the train. Surprisingly, the kids were pretty good on the long train ride. We didn't see any wildlife (we never do), but between the portable DVD player, Nintendo DS, and ipods, they were kept busy. When we got back to the depot, we headed back to the hotel for a little while and then out to dinner. Yep, we got home late and were way too tired to do much else.

Friday: Headed to Phoenix by way of Sedona. If you have never been to Sedona, you are missing something truly amazing. This place is definitely a wonder. The scenery is so breathtaking you can barely look away. Yes, it's hot... but ice cream solves that problem! I think I want to retire to Sedona. We shopped, ate lunch and then it was back in the car heading to Phoenix. By the time we got to the hotel (Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs) we only had about 1/2 hour to change and then head over to Chase Field where we were seeing the Diamondbacks play the Angels. Really beautiful stadium and the Angels slammed the D-Backs. The kids didn't have such a wonderful time. All they wanted was their cotton candy and when they were bored with that it was time to leave. Hey, at least we made it to the 7th inning stretch.

Saturday: Woke up really late... planned on going to Glendale, AZ to do some cool shopping and have lunch at a really great BBQ place. Ended up going to Glendale (not so easy to find without street map of Phoenix) but most of the stores were empty (damn this recession) and it was getting too late in the day and the kids really wanted to go to the pool at the hotel. So, we headed back to the hotel and went straight to the water. Tapatio Cliffs is a very unique hotel. There are tons of different buildings housing the rooms that are stacked up the hillside. The room was beautiful - a suite actually, which was great for us since the kids could be in one room and we were in the other. The pool was very cool... a water slide for the kids and waterfalls all over the place. A lot of people but it was fun. Amanda was on the water slide for 2 hours. Then, dinner that night at Rustler's Rooste. Fun, good food, beautiful sunset. Ahhh.... I think we were ready to go home.

Sunday: Breakfast and then home. Actually, the drive to Santa Clarita from Phoenix is only 6 hours. Much closer than I thought. It took us 7 hours because we stopped for lunch and then stopped for Lauryn to go the bathroom. We got home about 7:00 last night. Soooo very tired!

Monday: It's Monday. Glad to be home. We picked up Jazz this morning and everything is just like it was before we left. Seems like we never went on vacation. Kids are bored (OMG) and it's back to the same old routine.

Hmmm... I need a vacation!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Day 3 - Route 66 to Flagstaff

The best part about today... Hackberry, Arizona. This can't even be called a town... it's a general store in the middle of nowhere right along Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman. We had been deciding if we wanted to continue on Route 66 or just take the 40 to Flagstaff. We ended up doing the rest of Route 66 and boy, are we glad we did.

So we are driving along enjoying the nothingness of Arizona when we flew by this tiny little general store that we barely noticed. I said to David, "Hey did you see that? What a cute little store", and we turned around and drove back.

Hackberry looks exactly like an old general store and gas station that was around back in the 40's and 50's. Nothing has changed... the pumps don't work anymore and the old cars are all rusty, but this little place has more charm and character than anything I've seen so far on this trip. The kids got cokes (the real thing in a bottle that needs a bottle opener) and I got a Route 66 T-shirt that says Hackberry, Arizona.

On to Flagstaff. The rest of the way was uneventful except we did see a coyote cross the street... that and some other strange little animal. Might have been a praire dog or something. I'll have to research that.

So, now we are in Flagstaff. Had to stop at the bookstore of Northern Arizona University (NAU) so David could get his obligatory college t-shirt. Planning on going to Salsa Brava for dinner. Salsa Brava was featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network as one of the best homemade restaurants. Mmmmmm.... can't wait to try their fresh, made at the table guacamole.

Kids are behaving for the most part (getting a little crazy when we are in the hotel room too long) but that's to be expected. They are having fun stopping at all these strange little places. Tomorrow will be great... taking the Grand Canyon Railway to the Rim.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Day 2 - Route 66

So we did the buffet thing this morning for breakfast. Can't stay in Vegas without doing the buffet thing. I had oatmeal, David had eggs benedict... the kids... well, the kids had dessert!

Now, we thought it would be fun to drive down old Route 66 in Arizona. Neither David or I had ever been in this part of Arizona before. We drove from the California border along the old road to Kingman, AZ where we are staying for the night. The drive is definitely interesting... the scenery is beautiful and the road really does take you back in time. Other than a few cars here and there, we were pretty much out there alone. Very curvy and very isolated. The highlight was the little almost-ghost town of Oatman. The town was once thriving but it's pretty much a tourist attraction now. It still looks like it did years ago but the stores all have tacky souvenier stuff. The best part was the donkeys (burrows?) that roam wild in the town. They are all over the place and the stores sell bags of carrots that you can feed them with. The first donkey we saw was only a week old and was nursing from his mother. Awwwww.... can you say the cutest thing I've ever seen?
So by now it was around 2:00 and we were all starving. Just our luck... none of the restaurants were open in Oatman (hub of civilization that it is). Well, we just got ourselves back on the road and headed to Kingman.

A few words on Kingman (a few words because that's really all it warrants). There ain't hardly anything in Kingman... although we did get to see the Kingman High School cheerleaders (the Bulldogs) who were getting photographed at Mr. D'z Diner for a spread in Arizona Highways magazine. Great 50's Diner... I do recommend it if you are ever in these parts. I got the cheeseburger, Mandy and Lauryn had grilled cheese and Temera and David got the Day Old Spaghetti. Don't ask... I'm hoping it was just the name, not the real thing. Oh... the desserts.... heavenly. Chocolate cake with hot fudge and brownie sundae.

Bedtime... the sun and heat really wear you out. Tomorrow, off to Flagstaff.

Day 1 - Las Vegas


Surprise, surprise! Today was actually a pretty good day. We left the house this morning at 9:15 am - only 15 minutes behind schedule. Had to drop off Jazz at the Kennel... pretty sad... we will all miss him so much! Then we were on the road to Vegas. Amazingly, the kids only asked, "Are we there yet?" a handful of times. They were too busy drawing with their pads of paper and magic markers that Grandma bought for them. We didn't even put on one DVD the entire trip.

So, lunch at Mad Greek in Baker. Gyro's... so yummy! Of course, the kids got hamburgers. I guess I can't expect gourmets from everyone. We'll have to work a little harder on their ethnic taste buds.

We got to Vegas about 3:00 and were at the pool by 3:30. Hot, but not too hot. The kids had a blast swimming. A quick bite to eat at the hotel and then we were off to the Strip to party! Okay, so party means dessert at Serendipity 3 at Caesar's Palace... but what can you expect with three kids under 10? If you are ever in Vegas, I highly recommend the Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3. Amazingly refreshing.

We topped off the evening watching the water fountain show at the Bellagio. The kids were awed by it.

Couldn't publish today because the hotel (South Point) charges $12.99 for internet access. Highway robbery! Will wait until Kingman.

So tomorrow... off to Arizona. Hotter...and hotter... and hotter!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Getting out of Dodge

Vacation Day! I'm up and dressed while the rest of my family is still sleeping. Typical! I still have a few things to do before we go and I like getting it done before "they" get up.

So today we'll be heading to Las Vegas. Since it's a Monday the roads shouldn't be too crowded. Of course, we'll stop for lunch at the Mad Greek in Baker, CA. Yummy! If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it. Unless you really have an aversion to Greek food and then don't bother. Then on to Sin City. Hey, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. (But I'm sure I'll be writing about it so it won't stay secret for very long.)

Oh good... I hear children stirring... time to go do the mommy chores and get this show on the road.

Bon Voyage!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Leaving Tomorrow....

It's Sunday... Happy Father's Day! We are about 90% packed and I am dead tired. I am so ready for a vacation... I think we all are. Still need to run the dishwasher, do the last load of laundry, and take out the trash. I'm hoping to leave by 9:00 am, but those of you who know David... 9:00 just ain't gonna happen.

I just had a thought... this will be our first vacation where I didn't pack not even one pull-up! A very scary thought! And believe it or not, I don't think we'll even be using the floaties I bought for Lauryn... SHE CAN SWIM!!!! She taught herself. Just jumped in the pool and there she went.

So, I will try to blog every day, but not knowing the wi-fi situation where we will be, I can't promise I'll be able to publish every day. Keep checking back. Oh yea... there will most likely be photos and videos as well.

Off to dinner... you know, Father's Day and all.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

2 More Days

Ahhhhh, Saturday! Woke up late today, took the kids to Tae Kwon Do class and now we are going to run some errands and pick up those last minute items we need for the trip. Then, this afternoon we will finally take the suitcases out and begin the arduous task of packing. Let’s see… there are 5 of us and we will be gone for 7 days. That’s 35 outfits, at least 15 pairs of shoes, 5 pairs of sunglasses, assorted hats, purses, stuffed animals, and a cooler full of water and snacks. Oh, and several bathing suits each, cover-ups, flip flops and floaties.

Then there are the “others”… portable DVD player, 4 ipods, 2 nintendo DS, one leapster, one laptop, assorted earphones, travel games, books, notepads with magic markers (no crayons since it will be over 100 degrees and who wants THAT mess in a car), GPS, maps, triptik, AAA Guide, tickets for the Diamondbacks game, hotel confirmations… Jazz (we’ll be dropping him off on the way) and his paperwork (proof of vaccines).

What am I forgetting? There must be something.

Friday, June 19, 2009

3 Days and Counting

We made it to Friday… only a weekend to go before our trip. Despite the fact that we’ve known we were leaving for months now, for some reason we have left everything to do until the last minute. Hmmm… what a surprise.

So what have we left to do? Charge up cell phones, ipods, DVD players, laptops, nintendos… put new batteries in Leapfrogs and car earphones, wash the car, wash the clothes, get the suitcases down from the top shelf of the closet where I can’t possibly reach (even with a chair). Oh… and I need to get Temera a new bathsuit and cover-up and a new pair of shorts for me.

I don’t know… staying home seems so much easier.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

4 Days and Counting

Lauryn keeps asking me, “Are we at the sticker yet?”.

I have a wall calendar hanging in the kitchen and I put a yellow “Vacation” sticker on June 22. Every day, Lauryn asks me if we are at the sticker. She is excited to go on vacation, but she is a little unsure of what that means. She’s a little afraid that we are leaving and aren’t coming back home. This, of course, has caused her to want to pack up her entire room to take with her. She has stuffed everything she owns into suitcases and paper bags… anything she can find. So now I have to “unpack” before I can actually “pack”. Oh dear!

We are all a little concerned about Jazz, our beloved Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. Jazz will be spending his vacation in a kennel, hopefully making friends with the other puppies around. We bought a special new “toy” for him… a stuffed animal for him to chew on… that we are taking turns sleeping with ourselves so our scents will be all over it. Hopefully he won’t miss us too much. We will sure miss him.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

5 Days and Counting

My house is being cleaned today… why? Because I’m one of those people who can’t possibly pack for a trip and leave my house for a week unless everything is spotless. Since after a week on the road, I will be feeling dirty, grubby, bloated and tired beyond belief, coming home to a “clean” house will be heaven.

And while my house was being scrubbed, vacuumed and dusted, I took Amanda and Lauryn to the library to pick out a book to take with them on the trip. Never mind that we’ve spent the last two weeks actually “buying” books to take… no, my little angels want to go and “rent” books to take. Go figure!

Also stopped at the AAA to get a triptik to take with us. I’ve been hearing stories of Route 66 and how parts of the old road aren’t on current maps anymore. I wanted to be sure we didn’t get lost and wind up in Denver or something. Not that I wouldn’t love to go to Denver, been there before and it’s a lovely town. Just not what we planned on this particular trip. So, the AAA travel agent puts together the triptik for me after I specifically told her I need the Route 66 part from California to Flagstaff. I get in the car and open the triptik to find… she highlighted the FREEWAY part of the drive… NOT the ROUTE 66 part of the drive. Lovely!

Oh yes, and we are putting together all our DVD’s for the trip. Thankfully we have a DVD player in the car. The kids are already deciding what they want to watch first, second, etc. Come on kids… I thought the point of this trip was to be enjoying each other and the scenery! Come to find out… my kids just want to watch movies!

The fun is just beginning…

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

6 Days and Counting

What were we thinking? Taking our 3 girls on a week-long car trip through Arizona? My girls... the ones that fight over everything from what movie to watch to whose shirt that was before it became Lauryn's. (Because, eventually, everything becomes Lauryn's.) Last summer we cruised to Alaska. One place, one room, and we could dump (I mean, lovingly place) them in the Kids Camp when they got to be too much!

No, this time we'll be one big happy (?) family in our Honda Pilot cruising down Route 66 trying to find the Grand Canyon. Please spare me the references to the movie "Vacation"... we've heard it all. If we can come home in one piece, I'll consider it a successful trip. Vacation? Maybe not so much. I know I'll need that spa day when I come home.

So, we'll be blogging our way through because we wanted to share our journey with all our friends and family. Not sure of the internet situation. Hopefully we'll be in some places that have actually heard of the internet.

Our itinerary is: Leaving Monday for one night in Las Vegas. We figured driving straight through to Arizona our first day might not be such a good idea. Tuesday it's off to the old Route 66 - stopping for the night in Kingman, AZ. Next two nights we'll be in Flagstaff, with a train ride to the Grand Canyon in between. Then on to Phoenix where we'll actually be at a "resort" for the remainder of the trip. Come on people... there are only so many Best Westerns I can stand.

Should be fun, right?