For those of you that didn't know, John and I took Spring Break to go on our quite belated honeymoon. We were lucky enough to have been gifted a time share in Scottsdale, which we used as a launching pad for many adventures. Here's a list of our lessons from Arizona:
1. Sun Country Airlines rocks. On the flight out, we not only got the typical beverage service, but a warm cheese sandwich, cookie, and LifeSavers gummies sample!!! I think the first and only time I got real food on a flight was when I flew internationally... And I must say that the meal we received in our free upgrade to 1st class on the return flight was MUCH better than home cooking. For all those in the MSP area, forego the monolopy and head straight to the Humphrey Terminal for real service by an airline!!!
2. John is fascinated with fast cars. We arrived in Scottsdale, and were offered an upgrade on our rental car. When we finally found the car we were to take, we found a cherry red 2006 Mustang.
John was in love for the entire trip, especially while climbing the mountains to the Grand Canyon. Of course, the fire was only fueled by all of the BMW's, Mustangs, Hummers, Lexus, Audis, etc - and all new and shiny. The Saturn doesn't look like such a good ride anymore....
3. Pool time is essential. Although I am more of an adventuresome type of girl, John made me realize the beauty of daily pool time - sitting, reading, people watching, and swimming. I can't really remember the last time I took a good chunk of every day sitting by the water - probably at Leech Lake with the family... The only warning of pool time - make sure your pasty Minnesota body has SPF 30 on it (John set a good example for me).
4. There aren't mountains in Minnesota. There was a mountain (Camelback) in our hotel's backyard, however, and so we decided to attempt the 1.5 mile hike to the top, ignoring that we were increasing 2700 feet over that distance. John and I have hiked before, but the mountain was, well, a mountain and it tried to kick our bottom on the way up. The view was well worth it, however.
5. Home remodelers are the same, no matter what part of the country they're from. We went horseback riding one day, and were hitched together with a family from PA. We kept encouraging their daughter to kick her pokey horse (Pedro) into high gear. When the 2 hours was up and we were quite sore, we all headed to the local source for grub. We got talking, and soon the conversation turned to homes and home remodeling. We're going to be exchanging digital photos to determine who has the biggest project.
6. National Parks do close down occasionally. John and I had a bet - if the Grand Canyon was closed, we could head to Vegas. Of course, luck has it that the park did indeed evacuate the day we decided to head up to it. A truck with potentially hazardous chemicals had overturned and the whole canyon was evacuated. Luckily, it reopened within about 2 hours, but John isn't going to let me live down a free trip to Vegas for him.
7. Don't forget to charge your digital camera battery. This is especially important when visiting what is deemed as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World (the others are the Northern Lights, Mt. Everest, Great Barrier Reef, Victoria Falls, the Harbor at Rio de Jenerio, and Paricutin). We were about 5 minutes into our oohing and ahhing, when the angry red flashing battery sign came on. This typically means we have about 5 seconds before the system shuts down. So, we stopped shooting, wandered around, and finally came to the perfect spot to watch the sun go down. Our neighbors were clicking away, while I was waiting for the best opportunity to try to take one quick shot.... the "juice" had been saved all day. This was what I was able to capture:
8. Cable - despite 50+ channels, sometimes there is still nothing good on. While John may be fine watching ESPN's poker turnament, at 2p on a Tuesday, it simply does nothing for me. After being in a static reception hole here in St Paul, it was a relief to not have to fight to get a good picture. However, I can only take too much of spoiled brats planning their dream Sweet 16th Birthday Party. What was worth watching was all of the coverage on the immigration rallies in the Phoenix area. It makes you realize how lucky you are to have been born an American, to not have to hide in a society that doesn't want you, but relies on you to function.
9. Becky gets cranky when its warm! I have known Becky for a good many years now, and she never ceases to amaze me. From October til April, from the minute she gets up until the second she falls asleep.... she is cold. I mean, frozen to the bone! Now for those 7 months, I can understand being through a Minnesota winter.... but then from May through September she is .... too hot. Hello? How can you go from one extreme to the next, maybe its a new form of biopolar disorder. Im going to call it Becky's "Bipolar-bear" disorder. We were down in the desert and it was um.... like 90 out. She was too cranky, because..... wait for it..... she was too hot! So for all those men out there who have been through this.... just beware "bipolar-bear" disorder is harsh.
10. Life is made up a lot of small things. Take the fact that I had a Cherry-Red Mustang 2006. To Becky, it was just a car. Hello? It may be just a car to her, but these are the little things in my life that will have me smiling for months. That car was able to go 95, without any problems! Which in case the rental agency is reading, that's according to what Becky told me. Although Becky says that were not going to get a shiny new Mustang, I have a feeling I can persuade her. Anyway, the little things such as conquering my fears of heights over a cliff, riding a horse that was considered the "instigator" to all the other horses, makes for great memories! We did so many fun things, and they were all so small and ordinary. Like cooking together, eating every meal for a week together was really special. Its not the fact that we had this "really cool" trip.... although it was really cool..... it was that we had fun and enjoyed each others company.
Okay, so its been a while since the last update was written.... but it's because we've been working hard! The end of last week was a big push - the temporary wall finally came down, most of the framing was completed for the kitchen, and the bathroom was put in (floor one night, sink and toilet the next). This was all being completed while John and I were working all weekend (much thanks to Eric who pulled a late shift on Saturday). This week we have been continuing to work on taping and mudding the bathroom (third coat done today), re-working some electrical, and generally organizing. 
Last night was another (very) late night push with Pat working plumbing in preparation for our new appliances (beautiful front loading washing and dryer, fridge, flattop stove, and dishwasher -- all delivered today). Granted, our space isn't really ready for most of it yet, but it's still nice to have - once step closer to moving down. The other important thing that happened today - John's wish of cable was hooked up in time for the NFL draft. I had no idea how important a day tomorrow was.... I guess I have a lot to learn!
