My Arizona Trip, In Photos

It's officially been one week since I returned from my Arizona trip, and I'm still waking up everyday wishing I was there.  There is something to be said for getting up early, walking out the back door, and being greeted with warm sunshine on your skin and a view dotted with mountains and giant Saguaro cacti.  After enduring one of the most grueling Chicago winters in history, something as simple as a morning like that can make your whole day.  Your whole month, even.  Thankfully, April is finally here and I'm holding out hope that the weather here in the midwest will start to include a little sunshine of its own sooner than later.  In the meantime, you'll find me daydreaming about this trip.

I took a lot of pictures while I was in Arizona, and although I posted many on my Instagram account along the way, I also snapped some others with my DSLR and phone, and thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you guys.  Rather than give you a play by play of our vacation, I'll let the pictures do the talking this time.  More than anything, baby Essley and I had a lot of really wonderful family time while we were there, including a surprise from her Austin, Texas based cousins (you can read more about that here).  Other highlights included Robbie arriving at the end of our first week and reuniting with us after two weeks apart (and taking Essley to the band's show - despite the fact that she decided to have a sudden aversion to her noise-canceling headphones, resulting in us having to send the majority of the show backstage), a day trip to Sedona (now a yearly tradition for us), Essley's first time swimming, a girls' day which included shopping (I got my new favorite dress at Free People Scottsdale) and lunch at Dr. Andrew Weil's restaurant True Food, a visit with an old family friend who I hadn't seen in 20 years, lots of walks and down time by the pool, lots of delicious meals, and some much needed extra sleep. 

This Arizona trip to visit Robbie's parents and meet him out there for a break in the band's late winter tour has become an annual thing for me.  I remember last year thinking (hoping) that this time, maybe I'd have a baby with me.  Just a couple of weeks later, I got pregnant.  I can honestly say that having Essley along made the trip infinitely more special.  She did a great a job on both flights (I'm pretty sure she's got the travel bug in her blood), and it was so much fun watching her take in all of the new sights and sounds (and getting to spend time outside for the first time in her life).  I'm already looking forward to next year.