I love having visitors!! Especially in Phoenix, because our house is perfect for guests and I like to think I know this town pretty well (hint: all are welcome!). One of JJ's former teammates and his beautiful wife came to town for some "unofficial organized team activities" (one benefit of this darn lockout).
They had never really been to Phoenix, so I wanted to make sure they got a great tast of what the desert has to offer. After a late night arrival Easter Sunday, we tried to let our guests sleep in a little bit. The goldens had other plans. Before I even noticed they were gone, they had rammed open the door and jumped in bed with our poor jetlagged friends first thing in the morning. Good thing they are dog people (although we don't ever really associate with people who aren't dog people).
Monday morning we went for a hike on North Mountain to show them some amazing views of the city and of course I had to take them to AJ's for lunch and iced tea after the hike. Its a Bliss tradition. The afternoon we took them on a quick driving tour and ended up in Old Town Scottsdale. We wandered around window shopping a bit before we need a chance to cool off. Lucky for us we were right in front of the Sugar Bowl, an adorable, classic ice cream/soda shop. After the afternoon sugar rush I wanted to show them the Arizona Biltmore, one of my favorite places in Phoenix. We drove the loop looking at the spectacular houses (read: mega-mansions) and then walked around the resort property. The boys couldn't pass up a chance to play with the giant chess set (JJ was victorious) and then all four of us played a game of croquet (JJ won again, of course). As the sun started to set, we headed over to Sierra Bonita for a classic Southwestern dinner. The food never disappoints.
Tuesday was a bit of a blur, JJ and I had to run around to different appointments and errands, and that was day 1 of the training activities they were in town for. We did go to the Diamondbacks game that night, and they won! Wooo!
Wednesday I had to report for jury duty (I got picked for a trial, but that's a whole different story...and possible blog post, still deciding) so we didn't get to do much that day. For dinner we went to Sun Up Brewing Co for burgers and (root) beer. They make their own, and it is fabulous!
Thursday we had the afternoon free, and made the boys take us to the Phoenix Zoo! I love the zoo, and anything slightly theme park related so it was a great way to spend the day. We even got snow cones! That night was the first round of the draft so we held a mini draft party at our house, complete with Uncle Sam's pizza and wings, a staple at our house.
The week flew by and I wish they could have stayed longer, but we are already trying to figure out when we can visit them on the east coast! God is so good, and we are so lucky to have such wonderful friends. It is crazy that even though we were only in the same place for such a short time, our connection was strong enough to last! Cheezy enough?
