Phoenix Vacay - Part Two

Ok, so where were we? Oh yah, I was basking in the sun, reading a book, and enjoying the feeling of not having to be any where, or talk to anyone. I am definitely one of those people who relishes her alone time. You'd think I'd have tons and tons of alone time since I live alone, but I feel like I am barely home, and thus, barely alone. So having an entire day to myself was absolutely wonderful!!

Heidi and Chris got home from work so Heidi & I went to run a quick errand before dinner. Chris was handling dinner, so we figured it was best to leave him in his domain.

Ok, a word about Chris. Seriously, the guy can cook. In this picture, he is working our dessert, which was an Italian Souffle - a recipe of Giada's from Food Network (love her, but hate that she' so dang tiny even though she seems to eat everything in site...)

That is a make-shift double boiler on the stove in front of him. Yah, he know what a double boiler is & how to use it. I got a double boiler for Christmas and have had to explain exactly what it is to multiple people. But this guy knows now to use one. He also made home-made whipped cream for the dessert. Seriously! Like I've said, Heidi is one lucky lady!! Oh, and Chris has a new nickname which Brooke came up with: Marty Stewart. He doesn't love it, but I am sure it will grow on him!! ;)

Abby and Ryan drove up from Tucson for the night. I am so glad I got to spend some time with them! Abby moved to Tucson in May so I have only seen her once this year (T-giving weekend), so it was wonderful getting some more quality time with this young couple. Plus, I have the honor of being their maid of honor, so we had wedding stuff to discuss... and I had to do some research for my speech!

Within moments of their arrival, I asked made Abby open her birthday gift. Yah, her birthday isn't until Feb 27th, but I wanted to be there when I opened her present. If you haven't figured it out yet, I SUCK at surprises and presents. I usually have to buy gifts as late as possible. Otherwise I want to tell people what I got them, or give them the gift right away. I pretty much always tell my sister & sister-in-laws what I got their boys for Christmas/Birthdays before the kids open them because I get so excited about the gift. I've been like this since I was a child. My mom used to tell me what 'we' were getting dad for Christmas, but I'd always tell him! So one year she made me promise not to tell dad what I got him. I remember sitting in the living room, practically bursting to tell him. I asked him if he wanted to guess what he got for Christmas & he declined. I said,

"Well, I promised mom I wouldn't tell you what I got you for Christmas... and,
well, it's not a wallet!!"

Yah, it was totally a wallet. I thought reverse psychology was totally going to work. I didn't fool him.

Anyways, back to the present! Abby has become quite the Betty Crocker, so I figured it was time for her to have an apron. I found this adorable (IMO) apron at Patina. I've said it before, I'll say it again. If you live in Minneapolis and are struggling to come up with a gift for someone - go to this store!! They have at least 4 different stores in the MSP area. Check them out!! Oh, but be careful - you might walk away with gifts for yourself!!

Before dinner, we took some pictures together. Here's Abby and I (wish I was tan, not albino!!)

And here's a picture of Abby and Ryan - aren't they the cutest couple?

I am so excited for their wedding on 8/8/09. It'll come so fast! I have 2 other good friends that are getting married on that day - I guess that is a popular day in '09 to get married!

We sat down to a delicious meal of Vodka Cream Pasta, salad, and bread (sorry, no pics). Heidi even had little place cards. She truly is Martha Stewart!

After dinner, we brought out some games. I had Abby & Ryan bring up Apples to Apples, which has become a family favorite. Actually, the first weekend that I met Ryan, we introduced him to this game. Ryan and I have a very similar sense of humor when it comes to this game, so end up picking each other's quite a bit! We also played a great game called "Loaded Question" which is a WONDERFUL way to get to know random facts about people. I won't go into the gist of the game, let me just say - I learned a lot about Abby, Ryan, Heidi, and Chris. Abby & Ryan - don't be surprised if some of these learnings end up in my MOH speech (which I'm already working on, btw!)

The game got pretty interesting at times, so Chris broke out some Patron to sort of loosen things up a bit. Us girls didn't partake, but Chris & Ryan are both fans of high-shelf Tequila, so enjoy a shot together. Aside from both being fans of Tequila, Chris is an electrical engineer, which is the field Ryan is studying, so they got along great!

The next morning we headed out to hike South Mountain, which is a hiking trail close to where Chris & Heidi live. The weather was gorgeous - in the 70's with lots of sun. AZ really is beautiful - it's completely different from the beauty of MN, but I appreciate the rugged geography & love the cacti!

We hiked about a mile to a summit and took some photos

We could have kept going to another summit, but I was pretty winded and was just finally starting to feel better so figured I better not push it. So we headed back down.

Abby and Ryan then headed back to Tucson. It was so much fun seeing them. It's hard having Abby so far away, but I know it is temporary. When she finishes her RN program, she'll have a 3 year commitment to the hospital that is sponsoring (aka paying for her!) program, then they plan on relocating to the MSP area. So I know it won't be long and we'll be in the same city. Abby has decided to come back for my Graduation Party (on May 30th) which I am so excited about! So I will see her in just a few short months!!