Arizona: Hot, Hotter, and Hottest

Now for the Arizona trip. I still do not have the pics from my mom so I will put those up later, but here is a summary of my adventures. I know a lot of people were beyond worried about me driving there alone, and some even told me not to. That made me want to do it more. So, I did. I drove ten and a half hours alone to Arizona. Honestly, the drive wasn't that bad going there. I turned up my music and enjoyed it. I sang quite badly, and cheesy dancing may have been involved. I did really well even with the detour. The only embarrassing moment I had was when I was singing and dancing with the windows down, and someone pulled up beside me and started singing and dancing with me. Uh... I passed Zions National Park, a place with a 1400 foot zipline at Mystic River, Coral Pink Sand Dunes National Park, and the Grand Canyon. My drive was beautiful, and I found a few places I want to visit again. When I got to the resort, Mom was waiting for me at the entrance and eagerly got in my car and gave me a hug. When we pulled up to our little condo, Dad was waiting at the door to wrap me in a tight hug saying, "Hi, Sunshine!!!!" I missed these guys even though it hasn't been that long since I have seen them. Our vacation was simple, relaxing, and fun. One day we went to historic downtown Scottsdale. Ryan and I each got something at a jewelry store (I got a ring and Ryan got a knife for his collection), and we played on a giant cowboy boot on which I got stuck. One day poor Ryan got sick so I slept in the living room with my momma, and we almost got killed by a flying fan blade (not really. it just flew off the fan). Mom and I went shopping at the mall another day. I got some really good deals at Banana Republic. I got a seersucker skirt, a yellow paisley skirt, a nice navy button-down, and leopard print capris. All of the bottoms are different sizes which is weird, but I'm not complaining. I love all of them. I got to see my cousin Ami, her husband, and their kiddos. It was my first time meeting her little girl, Olivia, and I fell in love. I love babies. I used to really not like them. At all. Every time I was around one it wasn't cute, or it threw up on me. Little Olivia is a doll and made me dream of the day that I will have a little girl to dress up and have fun with. So, since I have not been home for a summer in two years, I have not had homemade ice cream in forever. Mom and Dad were gracious enough to bring the ice cream maker, and we made some. We invited Ami and her family over to enjoy it with us, and we went swimming afterwards. It was so good!!! I got to make dinner for my family one night. My momma really likes the twice baked potatoes I make with broccoli and bacon so I taught her how to make them while I was doing it. We all enjoyed those. We also went to see "Now You See Me" in the theaters together. That was a fabulous movie! I have had a hard time lately finding new movies that will keep me entertained, but that one was good. I did not see the end coming. Quality movie right there. Speaking of movies, I brought "Pitch Perfect" to watch with my mom. Ryan ended up watching with us. Now, I know that it isn't the most appropriate movie, but it is so funny. Mom and Ryan liked it so much we ended up watching it another day with Dad. It's just funny and so cute at the end. One day, dad made us steaks on the grill for dinner. They were so good and tender, and the corn on the cob and baked potatoes we ate with them made for an outstanding meal. I just love food! While he was cooking, Ryan and I went to play frisbee outside. I think that may have been one of my favorite moments of the trip. We could just laugh and have fun throwing a piece of plastic back and forth. Quality time with the little bro is the best. On the last day we were there we went to the zoo. I love the zoo, but we picked the hottest day (it was 120 degrees) to go. You did get close to the animals, most of the animals were actually out, and there was no one there. I had so much fun there! There was even a petting zoo which I love more than seeing all of the exotic animals. Mom even let me feed the goats. These goats were pigs, and let me tell you, I got mauled by goats. They tried eating my shorts multiple times, and when I came out of there, I had numerous long, skinny bruises from where they climbed up on me and slid down. I still had fun though. I did get a little overheated, but I cooled down at the indoor aquarium we thankfully saved for the end. When we got back to the resort, I took my little brother out for frappuccinos. That is kind of our thing, and the cold beverage was perfect after our zoo trip. We then went swimming and went to Ami's for dinner to see her one last time. Saying goodbye to my family is never easy, but the next morning I had to. I will miss them until I get to see them once again. My way home was a lot harder than my way there. I still listened to music, but I was exhausted. I stopped at Lake Powell for the beautiful view but was on the road again not long after. On my way home I got attacked by tumbleweed. Yes, tumbleweed. I also drove through two thunderstorms. Fun times. So, now I am officially a big girl. I made a long trip on my own.