In Which: I visit the Land of the Cactus

My awesome big sister Meghan just landed a great Speech Language Pathologist job in Scottsdale, AZ. On Friday, we packed up her entire life into the Camry. On Saturday, we began the Arizona adventure.

See you later, Provo!

The drive was great--we rocked out, ate snacks, and had some sister heart-to-heart moments. Overall, the perfect girls road trip.

It was interesting to see the scenery change along our drive. As a Washingtonian at heart, the cactus plant has always been something I saw in Speedy Gonzales, Roadrunner, and Peanuts (Snoopy's brother Spike lives by a cactus in the middle of nowhere) cartoons growing up. So going to Arizona is like stepping into cartoon land. The first time I was here in Arizona, I had to touch a cactus plant to believe it.

It was raining when we arrived in Scottsdale--just lightly, but it made Arizona feel just a little like home. Like a sign that the little Washington girls were in the right place. 

We were welcomed by Meghan's good friend Erika Ehlert, who has been living in Scottsdale for the past year. We crashed her place and immediately went shopping to stretch our legs, then back for some much needed sleep.

Sunday was relaxing and beautiful. Church didn't start until 1pm, so we slept in (till 8, which is luxury for me!), showered, had some relaxing reading time, and painted nails before we had to go brave the Paradise-somethingorother Singles Ward. 

After church, we made and ate dinner together, then went for a fun drive to see the new Gilbert Arizona  temple.

 

We wandered the grounds, learned some new locust facts, then cruised back to Scottsdale for some Alden's ice cream.

Then today: Adventure's End. Going home is always a bittersweet thing for me. I get very attached to whatever little home I create for myself, and as much as I love adventuring and vacationing away from home, I am always a little bit glad to go back. This going home is particularly sad because Meghan and I don't live in the same state anymore! It has been so great being at school together. We have gotten to be such good friends. I will really miss getting to see her so frequently. Also, for this short weekend, all three Grange sisters were in the same state again! Even though we didn't get to see Stephanie, it was kind of nice just knowing that she was somewhere nearby having a blast with her companion, Sister Halle.

And now, here I am at the Phoenix Airport. I have another hour and a half left before I take off for Utah. Then the weekend is officially over. Back to work, back home.        Back to Scott!!