For my birthday this year Rick and I took a quick trip down to Phoenix.
We caught a late afternoon flight leaving after Rick's Temple Service.
We arrived without delay and were able to grab an amazing dinner at none other than the old Garcia's Restaurant. We hadn't been to that restaurant for years, and...oh my goodness, it was super delish!
It didn't help that we were really hungry by the time we got there.
We were able to stay at the Courtyard for those couple of nights.
Rick got up early the next morning to do some initiatory work at the Phoenix Temple. He had never been there, and I had, so he needed to go see it. After he got back we both drove over to the Gilbert Temple for a session there. I love the Gilbert Temple, and it was nice to be back.
After our session we met up with Robert and Mary at Oregano's Restaurant. It is a family favorite for them. We had never been there so we were excited to go. While the food was good, the exciting part was the visit with Robert and Mary. They are amazing people and we loved catching up with them and the goings on in their family. After lunch we drove to their home that they bought a couple of years ago. They did a big remodel just after moving in, and we got the grand tour. It is a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood. Their backyard and pool area is truly amazing!
That evening we stopped and had a light dinner at PF Changs.
I had TWO gift cards in my purse, so we got to use one up.
That night we enjoyed relaxing at the hotel and doing a little swimming.
The next morning was MY BIRTHDAY!! I turned fifty eight this year!
We decided to go to breakfast (since I love a good breakfast) and we found a First Watch not too far from our hotel.
My food was too good! I ordered the lemon pancakes with the meal, and they did not dissapoint!
That afternoon we just fiddled around Scottsdale.
We found a fun toy/candy store and had a hoot reading cocktail napkins with the funniest sayings.
We ended up buying a book that was published by the company that makes the napkins.
We're easy to entertain! HaHa!
After that we went back to the hotel for a rest and then headed out for the evening.
We drove to downtown Phoenix and had dinner at The Kettle Black Irish Pub.
Who doesn't like good pub food?
The real reason to go to Phoenix?
Another MLB game!
We stopped at the official store and bought us the needed merch to look like fans:)
It was a fun game except for the disrespectful and loud Philly fans sitting behind us.
You know, last year when we went to our first ball game...the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field just hooked us. It has been really fun to get to so many games. I think this tradition will continue until we see all the teams....maybe:)
The next morning we got up super early to go on a balloon ride.
We drove thirty minutes to get to the meeting place. After getting signed in we rode for another forty minutes to get to the balloon launch.
We got to see this beautiful sunrise.
And got to watch the balloon being filled.
Other balloons launched before us, and it was a breathtaking sight!
Finally we were up, up and away.
We flew for about forty five minutes reaching a height close to a mile.
It was very peaceful and nice.
Afterwards we were treated to a small breakfast.
It wasn't much to write home about, but that's ok.
We had an experience.
After the flight we headed back to our hotel, packed our bags and got over to the airport to catch our flight home. We flew Frontier Airlines which saved us a bit of money and worked out just fine.
Happy Birthday to me!!
