Getting Away for a Bit
Sometimes it’s hard to remember to relax in the middle of the stress and hustle and bustle of life. Last week, we did just that. I only checked email a couple of times, and then only to knock down the hundreds that came in. It was an amazing breath of fresh air. Here are a few photos to show y’all what it was like. 🙂
We escaped to Arizona to help celebrate my parents’ 40th Anniversary. It was a great trip!
This photo is the clan at the misnamed Montezuma’s Castle. The weather was delightful that day and everyone had a great time learning how to be an archaeologist. I’d tell you who’s who, but I think it would only confuse you! Let me just say, Mom, Dad and each of my siblings and their families made the trip. It’s the first time we’ve done a big trip like this since I was 16. I certainly hope it’s not the last time!
Later that same day we traveled to Tuzigoot at the recommendation of the Ranger who gave the archaeologist talk. Tuzigoot was fun because the ruins were reconstructed so we could climb around inside them, unlike Montezuma’s Castle. Here’s a photo of the family at the top of Tuzigoot. What a fun word!
I enjoyed not only seeing the ruins, but learning some of the history behind the ruins. For example, they were a WPA project during the 1930s. Right now I don’t imagine a book set there, but you never know. Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely sources.
And can you have a trip to Arizona without going to the Grand Canyon? Methinks not! We skipped the Canyon on the day that would have blown us across…more to come on that day’s adventures!
It was still chilly in the morning at the Canyon, but spectacular! I got in a couple of hikes along the rim. The last was at the tail end of the red shuttle bus area — 1.1 miles of hiking with my brother Josh, Dad and Abigail. It rocked! The trail was a thin line that we followed. I was kind of relieved when we ran into a couple who was equally relieved to find us. They wondered if they were ever going to reach the other end of the trail; we wondered if we were on the right path.
I needed this break. With a baby coming in the next 4 weeks and a couple new contracts plus teaching ramping up for the summer, I needed the chance to back away from it all and just relax. I’m hopeful I’ll have fresh creativity now that I’m back. So how do you relax when you need to get away from demands for a bit?
