Easter Weekend 2021

                                      

Our Easter this year looked incredibly different than last year in pretty much every way, shape and form.  Last year, we were at the height of the first wave of quarantine, the weather was cold and rainy, and we didn't get out of our pajamas or leave our house other than to "egg" a few friends and pick up some groceries for our Easter feast for four.  And this year, we were blessed with beautiful sunny and 70 degree temps, a family almost fully vaccinated, and a sweet baby nephew to celebrate!  Taylor and Kate welcomed their baby boy, Theodore Curt, to their family the Monday of Holy Week, and were just getting settled as a family of three.  We all met together at a park to let our kids and puppies run free, hunt some eggs, and of course, all stare a whole lot at our precious little nephew.

Some sweet memories from our Easter week...

Our first Sunday back to church in over a year called for matching outfits with my girl and a picture to document (with our puppy, of course!).  I wasn't prepared to feel so emotional in church that morning, but my goodness it felt good to be back worshiping in community again.  Now we anxiously await no masks, big hugs, and all that lingering in the atrium.  Soon, soon, soon.  

Other than carving pumpkins, I can't think of a holiday "tradition" I loathe more than egg dyeing.  But this year, I may have finally found a technique that is both creative and effective.  Using a tub of Cool Whip, some gel food colors, and some toothpicks, we had fun experimenting with lots of color swirls and scoring some pretty great results.  And the kids' favorite part was definitely the fact that they could lick their fingers when they were done.  Last year's shaving cream, not so much!

One of my favorite things we did last year during Holy Week was our own Good Friday "last supper."  We baked bread together, poured wine and grape juice in fancy glasses, lit candles, and read about the Passover meal.  We did the same this year and even though instead of baking bread together I baked it myself while the kids were at school, we had to start our meal late because Cruz's baseball practice ran over, and our meal and conversation was interrupted by sweet neighbor kids "egging" our house, I wouldn't have changed a thing.  I'm feeling such a nudge to prioritize these family meals as our spring schedule gets busy and know without a doubt they won't always look pretty but they'll give us an anchor at the end of every day.  And hopefully point us back to our truest anchor, who loved sharing the table with his people. 

And a gorgeous Easter Sunday!  So grateful for the hope we can find in springtime, a world opening back up, and most of all, that empty tomb on Easter Sunday.

Our Arizona Spring Break, Part 3

 

Well, after a pretty rocky start to our Arizona Spring Break, we finally landed in a pocket of paradise, otherwise referred to as Sedona.  Maybe it was all due to the mysterious cosmic forces that emanate the red rocks (Sedona is said to be home to more vortexes than anywhere on the globe), or maybe it was the fact that our lovely little hotel, The Arabella, had heat, or maybe it just felt good to be out of the car and stretch our legs, but we LOVED this charming little city surrounded by red rocks.  The air was fresh, the sky was blue, and the margaritas and fresh guacamole definitely hit the spot for our well-traveled souls. :)

We had 36 hours to explore all Sedona had to offer and we packed in more hiking than I expected to do on our original itinerary.  I think we were just ready to stretch our legs!  We walked the city for a bit, devoured some Mexican food, and then definitely got lost on Marg's Draw trail directly behind our hotel.  Turns out trails in Sedona are a bit different than the trails we're used to.  We off-roaded too long and realized we were very lost just as the sun was setting.  Of course, visions of dead phones, no water, rattlesnakes, and pitch black trails miles from our hotel were all circulating in my mind after our previous few days. ;)  We eventually found a house on a bluff, climbed their barbed wire fence onto their private property, and took the road back down to where the lights were.  We were getting a little desperate! 

After some wine, some hot tubbing, and a very good night's sleep, we got up before the sun to start our day at Cathedral Rock.  The weather was perfect and it felt good to try a challenging climb first thing in the morning.  We didn't make it to the top this time, but decided we now have a reason to revisit.  Mila just wasn't having it, and Beau stayed back with her while Cruz and I trudged up further.  There, on a small cliff waiting to see if Cruz and I were going to make it, they met Joanna, a woman who also bailed halfway up.  They kept each other company and we all climbed down together.  I'm still not sure which was harder - the climb up or basically sliding on your bum back down!

Our next hike was Soldier's Pass, a 4.5 mile trail that takes you through some of the best Arizona has to offer.  We chose this one because it sounded like it had various features to keep us entertained all day long - and it did not disappoint!  Offering gorgeous views of the red rocks, a number of water features, and a secret cave only found off trail, this was such a great trail to spend the day on.

We found the cave!  Success!

We worked up quite the appetite and had the best tacos and Mexican Cokes to follow, then explored Tlaquepaque, a Spanish inspired arts and crafts village in Sedona.  We had the best afternoon!  We let the kids pick out a souvenir, ate some yummy gelato and sipped beers on a pretty terrace, tried on silly hats, and walked until our feet had nearly forgotten how much time we had spent in the car the day before!

And last but not least, Airport Mesa trail for more hiking, more vortexes, and one killer view.  Hiking, tacos, hiking, tacos pretty much filled up our time in Sedona, and we wouldn't have had it any other way.