4th of July

I hope everyone had a great extended 4th of July weekend! We spent part of the time with friends, which involved swimming, eating too much delicious food, and some pretty intense guys vs girls Sequence battles. Sunday we headed up north to Cottonwood to escape the valley heat. Joke was on us though, because impending storms meant the heat and humidity was worse than home. Not to be deterred, we wandered around the old main street part of town and did our fair share of wine tasting. Definitely making plans to go back there. 

Afternoon Tea

This past weekend my good friend and old roommate Leanne came to visit  and the weather was gorgeous so we tried to spend every second that we could outside. We packed our weekend with girlie things such as 1920's lady detective shows, British costume dramas, exploring local towns, and high tea on Saturday afternoon at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree. We're talking a full 3 tiered stand of deliciousness and pots of tea. The scones especially were incredible and we spent the afternoon catching up and drinking our tea on the patio. It was all very tasty and civilized with little golden spoons and mismatched tea cups. Everything was great, but I would recommend this place for its scones alone. Ah-mazing.

Wild Wild West

About two weekend the hubs and I visited Cave Creek, one of my favorite towns in the Phoenix area. We went for their "Western Days" weekend, so our trip was full of cowboys, horses, and awesomeness. We went to the flea market, various antique shops (where Kace scored both a Stetson and some cowboy boots for $50 due to his crazy bargaining skills), and some outdoor patios for dinner and drinks. Places like this remind me just how much I love the southwest and how stoked I am to live here. Also, can we talk about these desert sunsets? Because they are freaking amazing. 

Sedona

A few weekends ago the hubs and I went hiking in Sedona for the first time. Can I just say how incredible it is up there? Our trail had gorgeous colors, a good mix of desert and tree cover, and great trails. I'm looking forward to the weather cooling down here so hiking can be a more frequent adventure. Mostly because it gets me off the couch and actually doing something active. Oh yeah and there's the whole beauty of the outdoors thing, because incredible views definitely make working out easier!

Westward the Tide

Arizona has been amazing so far. Of course it's April so the weather is perfect, and I'm at home since my new job hasn't started yet so my view might be a little skewed. But still. One thing I just didn't expect was the vast variety of landscape and temperatures in the state.

I always just assumed Arizona = desert and hot. But we stopped for a night to camp in Flagstaff before we finished our trip to Phoenix and it was a beautiful 50 degree day with pine trees and a gentle wind off the mountain. It was like something straight out of a book. I would have thought I was in northern California if I had not just driven over the state line earlier that day.

We grilled trout over a fire, sat and took in nature's beauty after driving 1600 miles the past few days, and - my personal favorite - got to live out my dream of being Laura Ingalls Wilder in a log cabin for the night. True, our log cabin had electricity, a mini fridge, and a tv, but close enough!!

Yep, I've gone western. Now all I need to do is find me a hat, boots, and start saying ain't and y'all. Oh and figure out what on earth to wear when the temperatures start hitting 115 degrees in summer....