Well, we are here! The place is green, thanks to lots of spring rain, with warm breezes that smell like cut grass and palm trees. I'll get some pictures in of the house soon, it has beautiful white-tiled floors and a spacious sitting room for my reading:) But all that will come later, right now I can't wait to tell you all about our 6 day trip here. That's right, 6 days!
It all started on March 1 in Rexburg, where it was BLIZZARDING! Pablo and I rented a 10 by 10 U-Haul truck with a car dolly on the back, so the last thing we needed was skiddy roads, haha. But we only had to make it as far as Draper, UT that night so we just took it slow. Which we couldn't help either, since the dolly could only go 55 mph. That night we had some "fun" as the harness on the front wheel of our car slipped off and the car slammed into the side of the dolly.
U-Haul wouldn't help (even though they were the one's who put it on! Grrr) but we were blessed to have people around who were willing to help us out. Friday March 2 welcomed us with a foot of snow, so we were beyond excited to make it to Arizona with no more snow. We made it safely all the way to my close friend Charisse's house in Mesa, Arizona. It was a looong day and that made seeing my old friend and her welcoming home even more special. We talked a little bit, but not long. Charisse and I needed to be ready to leave by 4:30 am that morning for the Pheonix half-marathon and it was already very late.
5:00am Saturday March 3 found Charisse, her friend Cara, and I on a heated bus to the race starting line. The race wouldn't start until 7:00am so they had lights, music and bonfires to keep all us runners entertained. At 6:30am all 1,100 of us moved to the course and starting line. I couldnt believe it was time! It was perfect, the sun was coming up and the tempature cool and refreshing. My first half-marathon was about to start!
During the run I focused on the cool air and the wonderful smells that come from the dessert in the morning. I think that Arizona has an awesome color palete, with its reds, browns, khakis, greens and flowers. It was comfortable and relaxing, thats the best way to explain how the run was for me. I was pregnant, so I had to remind myself that I wasn't "racing" necessarily and shouldn't push myself. So I kept it comfortable. It was great:) When I reached the finish line I saw my wonderful husband cheering me on! So excited to see him and the finish line all together after 13.1 miles. 
(Charisse, me, Cara)
The end of the race had a MILLION tents for the runners. At least, thats how it felt. Everything from free coconut water, massages, fruit, breads, chocolate milk, power bars, jamba juice and more. I had, like, 2 mini bagels and bananas before we even thought about heading to the cars. And check out all the free stuff we brought home!!!
After a nice shower and a heavy lunch, Charisse and her husband Will and Pablo and I went shooting together. Will knows his stuff when it comes to the best places and good guns. We had a lot of fun shooting off .22 rifles and shotguns and AK- 47s. Turns out Pablo and I are both pretty good shots:)
We had a great time and I loved being with my childhood friend again after so long. That night we drove to my brother's house about 20 minutes away and went to Jesterz, a improv comedy show in Scottsdale that was hilarious!
Sunday, March 4 was spent relaxing with my brother, his wife Vicky and their 4 kids. Best. day. ever. Nothing beats a day with the nieces and nephews after 3 days of always moving, always doing something. Then Monday came and we had to say goodbye: goodbye to family and to Arizona:( We stayed the night a little more then midway, in Van Horn, Texas and finished up the trip on tuesday around 4:00 pm. It was nice to be at our destination! We had to unpack the 10 by 10 truck before we got too relaxed, but before we knew it we were settled in and feeling good:)
