Trip to Arizona and Hurricane

We just got back from a two-week trip to Arizona. We left Saturday March 8 after attending Luke's baptism and get-together at Scott and Teresa's. Eric baptized Luke, which was really great and Alec and Eric played the violin as part of the baptismal program. They did a wonderful job. We left Scott's around 5 and arrived in Hurricane around 9 p.m. Sunday we left for Arizona and thought we'd go through Flagstaff because we checked the weather and it said 32 degrees, widely scattered snow showers, and no accumulation. Well, when we left Flagstaff, we found ourselves in a near whiteout situation, with 2 inches or so on the freeway. We saw a five-car pileup, a two-car accident, and numerous slide offs. We skidded once, but maintained control. I managed to snap the following picture while driving (scary). Anyway, we arrived safely in Surprise and had a wonderful 9 days there with David, Jenna, and the girls. It was pretty rainy and stormy the first couple of days we were there, but then cleared up and we have great weather the rest of the time, reaching almost to 80 degrees toward the end. David and I played two rounds of golf and I played 18 holes one day, meeting up with a couple from Surprise at the golf course that I was paired up with. Early in the week we went to the little park next to their house and flew kites. Check out the photos and videos that follow.

On Wednesday, we went to Scottsdale to meet David for lunch. We ended up at a pizza place called Oreganos and had some of the best salads and pizza ever. It was great. Then we went to a huge park where we lazed around, laying out in the sun, and took the girls on a ride on a miniature train and on a carousel. David met us there later and we had a great time. We alse went to "Sprinkles of Beverly Hills," an upscale cupcake store and ordered some yummy selections, which we took to the fancy Scottsdale mall and devoured whilst seated in one of the lobbies.


Many thanks to Jenna and David for being great hosts and putting up with us for so long!!! On Tuesday, 3/16, we traveled back to Hurricane. Wednesday it rained and was windy. Scott, Luke, and Seth arrived Wednesday night for Seth's baseball games. It was "March Madness" for basball and involved teams from Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Seth had two games Thursday in Hurricane and two Friday in Mesquite, winning two of the four games. It was a treat to watch him play. During the Hurricane game, Scott asked me to go with Luke to get him something to eat (whatever he wanted). He chose Wendy's. I asked him what he wanted - he said "The Baconator." This little guy has quite the appetite. After polishing that off, he asked about the chicken nuggets I had bought for Grandma. We also went out to eat Chinese food in Mesquite.



The four of us played golf at Sky Mountain Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. Check out the action by Luke.

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving celebration yesterday. All of the local kids and grandkids were here and we had some great food and fun. Check out the videos - the karaoke was especially "interesting," as I am sure you will confirm.

Trip to Arizona

Mom and I decided to visit Jenna and David and the girls and especially to celebrate Natalie's first birthday. So we packed up and left home on Tuesday 10/27. We drove as far as the Hurricane house and stayed there Tuesday night. Then on Wednesday we took off for Surprise, traveling through Colorado City, Fredonia, Jacob Lake, Flagstaff, and then to Surprise. The trip took a little over 6 hours. We had a great time in Arizona. I played 18 holes of golf at Great Eagle on Thursday with another threesome of "old gentlemen" and then on Friday David stayed home from work and we put in 18 holes at the Arizona Traditions course. We ate out at some great restaurants (Culver's, Ajo Al's, and BJs). We celebrated Natalie's birthday and I must say she really demolished the cake Jenna made for her - it was everywhere! We went to the ward "trunk or treat" at the church parking lot and Mom and I passed out candy while Cyrena and Natalie made the rounds. Natalie was dressed as a cupcake and Cyrena as the candle for the cupcake. I received several calls for contracts during our stay. One from AMD, with a promise of work starting mid-November. Also for a contract at Microsoft. In fact, we drove straight home on Tuesday so I could fly down and visit their facility in Palo Alto for an interview. That was a loooooooonnnnnng day (4:45 AM till midnight - down and back the same day). Have not heard back anything yet.

Fall Leaves in Apline

I took about 15 minutes snap some pictures in our yard. I was really amazed by the variety and color of leaves and foliage. Some leaves are totally green and fresh-looking, while others are vivid yellow, red, orange, and purple. Fall is always a wonderful time for color. Winter, not so much, unless you llike a lot of white. Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

A Few Days in Hurricane

Mom and I went down to the Hurricane home for a few days (Oct 14-17), and were joined there by Debbie, Lynn, and Jacob over UEA. Mom and I drove down on Wed and the Christensens joined us on Thursday. Lynn and I played 18 holes of golf at Sky Mountain golf course near our home. Jocob went with us and was thrilled to drive the golf cart. We thought maybe he would last 9 holes, but as long as he was driving, he was very content! Lynn and I had a great time on this beautiful golf course.

Thursday night we ate at ChuckARama and Jacob must've consumed 3,000 calories. That boy can eat! Friday we drove through Zions park and saw the IMax movie "Wild Ocean" at the park theater. That night we hit Jack in the Box where we enjoyed some tacos and burgers. Debbie ate?? about a dozen tacos - never making their way to her stomach - but he tast buds had a good treat anyway. We call them "spittacos." Saturday we lazed around, packed up, and went to - you guessed it - ChuckARama for lunch. Arrive home around 6 PM Saturday night.

Alpine Loop

We took off at 3 PM today and drove the Alpine Loop, ending up in Heber where we had burgers and fries and a very fine blackberry shake at Grannys (Jenna, remember?). The pics speak for themselves. Worth clicking on and seeing full size.

Golf in Midway

Last Friday I played the Wasatch Lake course in Midway. I picked up Curt at 6 AM and we got there around 7 AM. Our tee time was 7:36. His friend, Reed, from California was visiting, so we played as a threesome. The best part was the scenery (see the pics). I shot a 47 on the front 9 and lucked out with a 38 on the back. It was a great day!!