good food. az pt 5

I was a little spoiled with food while on vacation.  Nathan and I went to In-N-Out, of course, but we had plenty of other wonderful meals with friends and family during the trip.  As the memories that last the longest, they're the ones I'm using to wrap up the AZ series that went on a week longer than I planned (my bad!)!  And thank goodness it's finally warming up in Minnesota - I need to be on a patio again!

Early on in the trip, we went to dinner with some good family friends and had phenomenal steak, ribs, salads, and a jalapeno dip to die for - this coming from the girl who hates anything spicy.  There was a ton of good food between it, some relaxed trips to the deli and plenty of leftovers, and the trip was wrapped up nicely at a fantastic sushi place.  We were seated around the hibachi grill and my birthday was celebrated, which meant I got to stand next to the chef and play around a little.

What was truly fantastic about that particular dinner was the family with two kids sitting next to us.  My grandpa gets a look on his face, one that can only be described as pure joy and wonder, when he sees his loved ones or anyone under the age of 14 having fun.  Getting to see this look as he watched the kids trying sushi and talking with us about their dirt bikes was the best souvenir of the trip.

hiking. az pt 4

Hiking (read: exercise) is not my favorite thing in the world.  I promised Nathan last year that we would go hiking and, when we did, it was awful (kidding!).  I was dramatic, as usual, and we made the hour and a half trek there and back and had a fun time.  This year, of course, Nathan was dying to go again, and I promised him he would.

On one of the days we had no plans, we drove ten minutes to Usery Mountain Park and got ready for the hike.  I had so much more fun than I thought.  Honestly, I think last year it was that I didn't want to look weak in front of Marathon Nathan.  I knew that I could handle it this year, so I just let myself have fun.  It was such a weight off of my shoulders to just know I could do it.  The wind caves at the very top were fantastic, and there were ground squirrels everywhere - weirdly cute!  Stepping out of your comfort zone on vacation is terrifying, but can lead to new traditions and fun memories.

What have you done on vacation that was out of your comfort zone?

in-n-out burger. az pt 3

I'm slow on these updates (four weeks left of school already!?), but here is part 3 of my spring break trip!

How I miss In-N-Out Burger.  Maybe it tastes so good because it doesn't exist in Minnesota, but I personally just think it's because it tastes like heaven.  I've been doing this stupid health challenge with Nathan (more of that to come...) and I can only think of In-N-Out, chocolate, and wine.  And soda.  And peanut butter.  And cheese.  Anyways.

Nathan and I took a day to go shopping at an outlet mall about 45 minutes from the house, and made sure that an In-N-Out was in a 10 minute radius at some point on the drive.  We made the stop and it was delicious.  On our way out, Nathan bought two burgers for the road and ate them both before we made it back to the house.  He claims he bought them for us to each have one, but his asking me if I was going to eat one sounded more like "you can have this if you want, but I'll fight you for it".  One of the many enjoyable parts of the trip, I still like to tease him for it.

Arizona sunsets. az part 2

Every time I travel to Arizona, one thing remains constant: sunset will be watched.  Arizona sunsets are one of the most beautiful things to see, and at the time of my trip, it truly was magnificent.  In preparation for the equinox, the sun lines up between the two palm trees and sets so beautifully.  This was taken on my last night, so it was setting slightly behind the house.  If anyone tries to tell you cloudy days are the worst, that may be true, but they make the best sunsets.

There were a couple nights where sunset was watched not only with family, but also with good friends and good food.  There was jalapeno dip and salmon dip I didn't think I would like as much as I did, cheese trays that I could have devoured, and wine that tastes as good as the company you're with.  There were conversations of life and of beauty and of work and as I sit at home in unseasonably cold Minnesota, these are the moments I miss most.  When I look back through my memories, trying to find the ones that stick out to me as "movie moments", these are the ones I want to find, where the only thing missing is the carefully selected background music.

jet setter. az part 1

I apologize for the lack of posting going on.  I took a much needed, week-long vacation with Nathan to visit my grandparents in Arizona this last week.  My goal was to get a few posts done and queued up before I left, but the week got to me and it didn't get done.  Am I making an excuse?  Yes and no, but I'll explain my logic to you another time - long story short, something I love doing (blogging) should not cause me a ton of stress.  Anyways.

Vacation was...interesting.  I celebrated my birthday literally 9 hours before our flight was set to leave, and I am forever grateful to Nathan for keeping me in line and managing the situation.  Not a bad time was had, just interesting and good for stories, which is what counts, right?  It was so wonderful to be picked up by my grandmother at the airport; thus beginning a week full of fun, food, drinks, family, and friends.  Oh, and the S's - sun, swimming, shopping, and sushi! (Nathan would be upset if I forgot the putting green he spent hours on, but it doesn't fit in with the S's.)  I'll be giving you all more details throughout the week, I can't wait to share!

Travelling is something my family does a lot.  I've grown up knowing that if air travel is happening, checking luggage is not an option ninety-nine percent of the time.  Whether it's two days or two weeks, it had better fit in a carry-on sized suitcase (I can't talk about my London Fog suitcase enough!  I'm keeping my eyes out for a new one).  We've all heard the rules about packing light - rolling clothes, minimizing what you bring/wear, limits on pairs of shoes, etc.  I have a couple not-so-common tricks to share with you when it comes to what to bring in your purse/tote.

- Magazines
I have a habit of not reading magazines right away and building up a stockpile.  I throw three in my suitcase, two in my bag, and recycle them throughout the trip.  By the time I get home, I'm five magazines short, and my bags are a bit lighter (with more room to bring home souvenirs!).

- Water
While I love splurging on things when I travel, the cost of a bottle of water is outrageous in some places.  Hotel cups are full of germs.  I throw my empty water bottle in my tote, and fill it up when I get past security.  These water bottles are so handy for packing light!

- Books
Okay, this one is so/so for me.  I love having an actual book in my hand to read, but the Nook/Kindle/iPad has made it so much easier to bring books on vacation and not let them take up so much room!  My rule of thumb is if I feel like I need to bring an actual book, it has to be a thin paperback - everything else needs to be on my Nook or iPad.  It makes my bag so much less bulky to just have one device, instead of four books I would likely have in my bag.

It's not much, but just a few tips for your bag to help things go smoother and your shoulder to not hurt so much!  Can't wait to share more of the trip with you!