Anniversary Getaway

Joe and I got to have a little getaway to celebrate our 13th anniversary.  We went to Sedona, Arizona and stayed at the Hilton resort.  My parents came down for the week and graciously watched our kids for 3 days while we enjoyed peace, quiet, and no commitments.  We drove there late Tuesday night after Clark's baseball game and arrived at 3:00 in the morning drinking caffeine, eating snacks, and talking the whole way.  (Okay, I did take a couple of quick naps along the way)

Wednesday morning we slept in, headed to the gym, and had an early lunch at Ken's Creekside.  I had an amazing pear and apple salad and Joe got a yummy burger.  The restaurant was recommended to us by one of Joe's  colleagues and it was delicious.  After lunch we went to Tlaquepaque, a unique outdoor shopping district with nice restaurants, fancy art galleries, and upscale stores.  Joe helped me pick out a gift that he has been secretly planning since Christmas but it never happened then, so he did his research and found the store in Sedona for my anniversary/Mother's Day gift.

After spending some time in the little village, we walked through the town enjoying the red rocks, tourist "traps", and shops selling artifacts and handmade items.  Later that afternoon, we got some ice cream and drove out to Jerome, an old mining city on the side of the mountain.  It is known for being the most haunted city in the United States.  Tourists especially love to visit Jerome around Halloween and eat at The Haunted Hamburger restaurant.  It is a really laid-back town with some interesting buildings and people that live there.  I loved the signs on the store doors.

Another sign read, "Dogs welcome but children must be leashed"

We enjoyed a romantic dinner at Cucina Rustica that evening and sat outside with firelit torches, candlelight, and background music played by a guitarist.  It was so nice to enjoy our food and conversation without wrestling kids or telling them to behave because we are in a restaurant!  The food was great too. 

Thursday we woke up to watch The Royal Wedding recap and then headed over to Devil's Bridge for a hike.  The dirt road leading to the trailhead was pretty beat up so we didn't venture very far in Joe's little car and I think the hike along the road was longer than the one to the bridge but it was fun.  When we got to the bridge, we laughed at the people daring each other to walk further along the bridge.  The bridge was fairly wide but it was a long way down with some pretty strong breezes!  Your mind starts to wander and play tricks on you when you stand out there but it was fun.  Joe took pictures while I walked to the middle.  Then a man from Greece offered to take some pics of us together if Joe would walk out to me.  He didn't make it quite to the middle but we got some pictures anyway.  The photographer told us to kiss and took about 30 pictures of us.  It was like our engagement pictures all over again.  He kept yelling at us to do different poses and it was funny.  Then we hiked down to the bottom of the bridge to see how thin the bridge really was and headed back to the car.

Happily married for 13 years!

Devil's Bridge

Here I am!  Right in the middle!

Under Devil's Bridge

That afternoon we went swimming and then got ready for a delicious dinner at The Barking Frog.  The dessert was a sampler trio and we thought there was no way we would eat it all but it was so yummy that we gobbled it up.  The server was surprised and laughed when he brought us a box to take the dessert home but it was already gone.

Bell Rock

Friday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then checked out.  We had some time to kill so we went to the outlets for the "swap meet" and talked to different people about their Indian jewelry, whistles, and photography.  We hit the road early afternoon, grabbed dinner in Kingman at a yummy Thai restaurant, and came home to find our kids happily enjoying their grandparents.  We had a really great time and it is always so fun to reconnect and spend time together without life's busy-ness.  I am so grateful that Joe is my husband and my love for him grows deeper and deeper every day as he serves me and our children and is the best he can be for us.  Happy 13th Anniversary, Joe!  Love you!