Spring in Arizona

Last week Rick and I spent some time in Arizona.  Rick's brother, Brent and his wife Lar are serving a mission for the Church in the Tuscon area.  They will be ending their mission in May so we wanted to go down to spend a day with them before their mission comes to a close.

We flew out of SLC on an early morning flight on the 24th.  After getting our rental car the first order of business was to get some grub.  We found an IHOP and had a nice breakfast....pancakes included!

We then decided to drive over to the remodeled Mesa Temple.  While we did not go inside this time we loved wandering the grounds and taking in all of the beauty.  The temperature was in the 80's and just felt so good for the soul!  The flowers were in full bloom.... even the annuals!!  It gets me excited for warm weather to come to our area so that I can get my own flowers planted.  

Everything is so drab at home right now.  

Seeing the beautiful colors brought joy to my heart.   

After walking around (passing the massive amphitheater for the Easter Pageant) we walked across the street to the Deseret Book and browsed for a bit.

It is nice to see the remodeled infrastructure that the Church has brought to revitalize the old Mesa area. 

 It looks very nice.

Next we drove over to the Hole in the Rock and climbed up to get some pictures. 

 It afforded a nice view of the valley!

 After the Hole in the Rock we drove the two hours south to get to Tuscon.  We checked in at the Fairfield Inn Tuscon and immediately got on our swimsuits to go for a swim.  The wind had picked up and it was a little chillier than earlier in the day but we had a nice swim together being the only ones in the pool!  

After our swim we drove to Caruso's Italian restaurant on 4th Street and had a nice dinner.  Rick ordered a Penne pasta with chicken and white cream sauce and I ordered a personal pizza.  We were so full at the end of the meal (and I didn't even finish mine) but I wanted to take a piece of cake home.  I ordered a lemon cake and was too full to eat it that night and then completely forgot about it!  We left in in the fridge when we checked out!😒  

The next morning we drove thirty minutes south of Tuscon to Green Valley where Brent and Lar have an apartment.  We took a tour of their place and then Rick and Brent went to go visit a couple of elders in the district while Lar and I sat and talked.  After they returned we went out to lunch.  We had the most delicious Mexican food at El Patio there in Green Valley.  The food was so flavorful and delicious!  We all loved our dishes!

After lunch we drove into Sahuarita to see the beautiful chapel they attend.  

Of course, we had to get a picture!

Next we drove over to Saguaro National Park.  It was really a beautiful landscape with thousands of gigantic saguaros and other cacti.  Some people would say that this terrain is not very pretty but it truly has a beauty of itself.  It was surrounded by mountains and some cactus even had blooms.  Lar mentioned that in a couple of months there will be lots of flowering cactus in the park.  We enjoyed taking pictures and enjoying the scenery!

After our National Park tour we drove to Agua Cliente Park and walked around.  Since it is still winter the grass was not quite green but there were many old trees to give shade and a fun pond filled with turtles.  It was a nice place to stop and see.

After visiting the Park we drove back to Sahuarita to visit the Haws family.  Nathan and Monserrat invited Brent and Lar (as well as their guests, us:) and another family from the Spanish Branch, Brother and Sister Aquino and their son, Gabriel.  There were a total of eleven of us in all including the children.  Sister Haws (Monse) had prepared a wonderful dinner of lasagna, potatoes, salad, bread and fruit.  It was nice to sit and visit with them during dinner.  Brent and Lar brought the movie The Fighting Preacher to watch after the dinner.  We stayed for about thirty minutes of it and then thought we should get back to the hotel before it got too late.  We really enjoyed our time with everyone.

The next morning we had an Initiatory appointment at the Tuscon Temple.  After the ordinance we met up in the celestial room which was very peaceful and serene:)

Here's a couple of pics from the temple....

Next, we drove a few miles to a nearby Farmer's Market.  I bought a new hat.😀  It'll be good for travel because it can be wadded up and still retain it's shape.  

Rick had to get some ethnic food.  A Pupusa, a Salvadorian dish.  It was like a pancake filled with meat, cheese, and beans.  He really liked it.  I got some fresh squeezed lemonade.😋

After our time there we went to JC Penney's and an Outlet Mall to do some shopping.  We found some clothes for Eric for his birthday and some fun clothes for me:)

Lastly, we made our way to back to the Phoenix Airport for our flight home.

It was a quick trip but we made some good memories!  Thanks to Brent and Lar for their hospitality in escorting us around their mission stomping grounds!