Day Seven Arizona

Sadly, this was our last day in Arizona. We had a late flight out so we just layed around the house today. I was up early and went for my daily 3 mile walk, came back, got my swim suit on and headed out to the pool for some reading. I wanted to bask in every spare minute of sun I had for I knew I was headed back to crappy Wisconsin.
Here is the gorgeous house we would be leaving soon.










The flight was uneventful, we grabbed our luggage (thank you Midwest we had no lost bags) and headed over to pick up our pup. She was beyond thrilled to see us, although she had a great time with her two sets of babysitters while we were gone. It was a long day. Why is traveling so tiring?
I so looked forward to a vacation after the last 6 months, and I enjoyed every minute I was there (except the damn car ride to Sedona). Back to reality slaps you hard in the face the day after a vacation and this was no exception. The weather was horrible, I was back and work,had no food in the house and laundry piled high. Get the picture?? My next trip is coming soon. Yep! Another trip.... and this time to Florida with my best friend Cathy at the end of June for a week. We are escaping the world of children, husbands and responsibilities of life to enjoy some time to ourselves. I can't wait! There is nothing better than a girls only vacation.

Day Five Arizona

Today we headed west to the Sunridge Canyon Golf Course in Fountain Hills. This was a desert golf course and we felt like we were in the desert. It was 100 degrees today with a slight breeze, and I mean slight. Our tee time was at 1 pm, of course the hottest part of the day. We actually did not mind the weather. It really did not feel as if it was that hot out. The course is carved out of a canyon with lots of cactus, native desert plants, elevated greens and tees and lots of trouble if your shot goes astray. This was my second favorite golf course. The course was very challenging, beautiful and fun. It seemed as if we were the only ones on this course today and when I asked the caddy who cleaned my clubs where everyone was he said "maam it's a little too hot for the regulars to come out today." Although our GPS system in our golf cart alerted us to the $39.00 replay special (who in their right mind would play again when it was 100 degrees) we opted to head home to the pool. And that is exactly what I did. I headed out for a swim to cool down and have a few cocktails by the pool before dinner.

Tomorrow..... the Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona.






It was so hot I went bald today!

Day Four Arizona!

Today we headed north about an hour and 15 minutes to Sedona to the Sedona Golf Club. Sedona is known for its beautiful red mountains. We had a great day of golfing with breathtaking views of the mountains. The temperature in Phoenix was about 89 and the temp in Sedona was about 75, perfect for golfing! This was my favorite golf course that we played while we were out there.






Natalie lounged by the pool and relaxed all day! She was in heaven.

Day Three Arizona

Day Two Arizona

Today was our first golf day. We headed southwest to Carefree, Arizona, to the Trilogy Golf Club of Vistancia. The day was cool according to Arizona standard, only about 69 and very windy. This was my least favorite golf club because it wasn't that scenic and probably because I didn't play very well. I hadn't hit a golf ball since August and was not sure how I would be swinging a club after having major surgery not that long ago. Well I have no upper body strength anymore, that was determined early on, but I actually could swing the club pretty good. I had some really good shots and some really bad shots! Oh my! All in all, a fun day!




While we golfed, Natalie found her spot at the pool for the day!

Did I tell you I loved this house? It was so nice. Large and spacious, new furnishings, tall ceilings, lots of windows and great decorating. One of the highlights was a cinema room with a 100 inch TV screen, surround sound and a great comfy couch. It was great watching movies in here at night. I finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire which I had bought before we left. Unfortunately I fell asleep a few times and missed the darn ending. I had to rewatch the ending the next morning. All the fresh air must have tired me out.

Day One Arizona!

Finally! The day I have been waiting for. Getting out of Wisconsin and visiting some warm country with sunshine. We left Milwaukee fairly early and with the 2 hour time difference landed in Phoenix at 10 am! We had the whole day ahead of us! Yahoooo! After getting our luggage we hopped a shuttle bus to get to the car rental facility. After a short 10 minute ride we arrived at this absolutely huge building housed with only car rentals. It was amazing how many cars were at this place. And of course it was amazing how long it took to get through the line and actually get a car. No mini vans were left so we settled for a Ford Explorer which we actually liked and it had plenty of room for 4 suitcases and three sets of golf clubs.
I had purchased a Garmin GPS for John for his birthday and had pre-programmed our home address beforehand so all we had to do was plug it in and go! We arrived at our destination in about 30 minutes. I found this house on vrbo.com. It is located in Anthem, Arizona, about 30 minutes north of Phoenix. Anthem is a small town but very nice. There is pretty much everything here that you would need. Starbucks, Blockbuster, McDonalds,and of course the Anthem Outlet Mall.
This was our beautiful house for the week! The photos on vrbo.com do not do the house justice. I was impressed!


It was very windy and a little chilly (69 degrees) so we headed to the grocery store and stocked up on some food for the week, unpacked and enjoyed the house for the rest of the day. The house was on a private golf course and our backyard overlooked one of the fairways and the mountains in the distance.

I was looking forward to some warm weather..... and that was headed our way.
Tomorrow...... our first day of golf! Now that should be interesting!

SUN!

I am excited! (and feeling good btw!) One of my New Years resolutions was to go on a a family vacation this year. With my health crisis, I strongly feel that a family vacation is in order. Natalie will be off to college in a few years and life is too short not to enjoy! (these were the arguments I used on the husband hahaha He finally caved in and sees my point I think) Despite the crappy economy and our medical bills, we are headed to Arizona for spring break. I have not been to Arizona in years and loved it when we were there last on a golfing vacation. I am using my medical transcription fund to get us there. And... I got a REALLY good deal on airfare!! I have been watching air fares for a few months, go up, go down, go up, go down. If you don't check them every day you may be missing out! In a matter of a few hours the price of a ticket (orbitz.com) went from $316 to $244 back up to $308 and even flight times disappeared and reappeared. I just happened to be checking AGAIN when I saw the $244 price and jumped on it(and that is for a nonstop flight, taxes included). I found a house (vrbo.com) in Cave Creek outside of Phoenix that looks great and perfect for our needs. Our needs being something with an inground pool(girls request), a decent TV( boys request), 3 bedrooms (kids hate to share) and out of the city (a must!) We aren't that picky. LOL It is something to look forward to help me get through this dreary January!