Arizona

We had a great time in Arizona.  My stepmother was getting through a bout of bronchitis, but luckily she was well on the mend by the time we left.  On the first night we were there, my sister Katy decided to bash her face into the dashboard of her friend's car.  She's kinda weird like that.  (Or the driver may have hit a post in a parking lot, that sounds more accurate.)  So we gave her an appropriate amount of sympathy and then took pictures of her banged up face to post on Facebook.  As we do.

Dave won the Hank's Open trophy this year - apparently it was quite a close race.  Sara walked away with the kid's Wii bowling overall championship, but oddly enough, Jacob, Jackson and Madison all also trophied in their respective age groups.  Jackson gave quite a wonderful runner-up speech.  Watch out, Sara, because he's coming back next year!  My dad wrested the farkle - or farkel if you prefer - trophy away from a gracious(ish) Tory.  Perhaps next year, we'll all understand why the farkel trophy featured cards.  Probably not though.  Money changed hands.  As we do.

What else?

We missed Dan and Amanda and Adam and Jim.  We met Harrison.  Everyone had a job.  Except for me, but I still found a way to keep busy.  The kids made $16 in tips, and I don't even know how much they conned out of Uncle Ron.  We learned a new card game, 313 (or something, I'm not sure), that the kids and I are still playing here.  We hiked a mountain, or a hill, depending on your perspective.  No fossils, but we did find some cool rocks.  I drove on Canal Road.  It was hot.  Jacob and Katy built a fire and we had smores.  Everyone wore pink.  As we do.

Then I drove 12 hours home.  There were only 2 times when I considered putting the kids out of the car and driving away.  But I didn't, because that would be wrong.  Though if you're a parent that's taken a long road trip with kids, I know you know how I felt.   (I find that saying to myself over and over again "Children are a gift from God," helps get me through those rough moments.  Now that we're past the age where I can slip them a little Benadryl anyhow.)

So, you know, just the usual 4 days with the family.