Arizona Trip - Day 7 - 12/29/11

This is about the time that I got the flu ... I really didn't feel too well but we went to the movies to see War Horse.  It was a decent movie, but nothing I'd rush to see again.

After the movie, we went to Pappadeaux for dinner.  I love this place and was feeling well enough to indulge in some oysters and lobster bisque.

After dinner, Brian and I went to spend the night at my sister's house so we got to spend more time with them and the dogs!

Arizona Trip - Day 6 - 12/28/11

Finally back in Phoenix, we had a day without plans.  My dad suggested that we go to the Phoenix City Hall because they have a Pheonix Museum with artifacts from the USS Arizona (the ship that was sunk at Pearl Harbour).  It's even free!

City Hall is in a very pretty area surrounded by memorials and gardens.  Again, it was a beautiful day.  The exhibits inside were very interesting if you like history ... which I do!

 

Above are items from the USS Arizona and the replica of the Peace train that France sent to every state after WWII ended as a Thank You gift.

The upstairs has lots of information on the state of Arizona and a replica of the House of Representatives Chamber from 1912, the year Arizona became a state.

Well worth a visit ... did I mention the admission is FREE?

The outside is lovely, as I mentioned.

We are standing in front of the USS Arizona anchor.

So, that night we had some dinner at home and went to the Phoenix Zoo for the Zoolights.  This was not free and the line to get in is long so make sure you give yourself plenty of time!

But, it is absolutely beautiful and a really fun thing to do for the holidays!  Below are a few of the many, many pictures I took.

Arizona Trip - Day 5 - 12/27/11

With only a short time left in Yuma, we went to the Yuma Fun Factory for some mini golf.

It was a beautiful day outside but Brian and his brother Chad kept arguing over the scorecard.  Brian ended up winning, regardless of what was recorded on Hole #3.  So, we had a great visit down in Yuma and we packed up our stuff to head back to Phoenix.

Once we got closer to Phoenix, we got a little hungry and decided to check out Alice Cooper'stown.  It's a cool reatsurant that has lots of sports and rock and roll memorabilia.  We had seen it on one of the travel shows about restaurants and we had to order the special ... the Big Unit!  This is one giant hot dog!

It was awesome, but we only were able to finish about a third of it.

Arizona Trip - Day 4 - 12/26/11

The day after Christmas, we headed down to Yuma to visit Brian's brother.  First thing we did was get gas for the car and prices this low just have to be recognized.

It's about a 3 hour drive to Yuma and it's pretty unpopulated along the way but there are some nice desert views ...

Brian's brother Chad and his girlfriend, Edyth and her son, Gabriel were glad to see us.  We had some lunch and she made really great Mexican food for dinner.  We played a board game called aggravation that Brian just could not win ...

Arizona Trip - Day 3 - 12/25/11

Christmas!!!!

Yup. we're wearing red & green.

We went to northern Phoenix to my sister's house for Christmas Day.  Did I mention the Christmas villages?  This is hers:

They have done a lot of work on their house and it looks like its turning into a home.

It was a very good Christmas and it was great to finally spend a holiday with my family.

They have a couple dogs, Bear and Mia.

And in case anyone is wondering ... this is my Christmas village:



Arizona Trip - Day 2 - 12/24/11

Christmas Eve!!!

My parents have an impressive Village at their house.  My sister and I each have our own as well but my parents is definitely the best.

They also get a real tree every year which is something Brian and I haven't done ...

My sister, Erica, and my brother-in-law, Jason, came over early on Christmas Eve.  Once they arrived, it was clear that opening presents would take a lot of time!

My mom made her famous holiday appetizers and we spent literally hours opening gifts.  We sort of have a rule that we open from oldest to youngest and we all watch as each person opens their gifts.  Its a nice tradition and we all love it but it takes a long time.

Great Christmas Eve in Phoenix!

Arizona Trip - Day 1 - 12/23/11

Our holiday trip to Arizona began on a Friday night after work.  Brian couldn't get the time off work so we had to take an 8:10 pm flight out of O'Hare.  We got there early and had time for dinner at Stanley's, a Chicago Blackhawks themed restaurant in Terminal 2.

The vacation started out great until Brian suddenly realized that he had left my laptop at the security check point.  He raced back and luckily, they hold everything until the end of the day.  When he returned, we promptly ordered drinks ...

No harm no foul!  We had a packed flight to Phoenix and arrived pretty early.  Flying into Phoenix at night is beautiful.  Once we arrived, my parents picked us up and we went back to their house and all went to sleep so we could get up early for Christmas Eve!