we love arizona & our arizona family

I have so many other photos on the professional camera that we haven't edited yet - but I decided to go ahead and post our point-n-shoot/phone photos in a post! (If I wait for them all I may never show you our trip!)

The following photo is of JoAnn & her family. JoAnn & I used to work together in Indiana (she did sales and I did graphic design and marketing for the corporate offices of a regional restaurant), but it was on our first trip to Arizona to visit her in her new home 5 years ago that she became a truly SPECIAL life-long friend. You know, one of those rare people that you feel actually become part of your soul! I love her so much and traveling to Arizona to visit her is one of our all-time favorite things to do. In October Dan had the opportunity to visit them and he took photos (including this one) for their Christmas cards.

In March we had the opportunity to go together and it was, as expected, an AWESOME trip. So, what did we do, you may ask? Well....

We ATE! (In-N-Out trip #1 on way home from airport with JoAnn)

...and we ATE. (One of the drawers in our guest room in JoAnn's house! She also always has a personal stocked fridge with anything you can imagine in it in our room too!)

... and we ATE. (In-N-Out #2)

...and ATE. (Famous cinnamon rolls at The Good Egg for breakfast, just before hiking up a mountain! Doesn't sound smart, does it? But it was GOOD!)

...and ATE some more. (Sushi - Oh my, YUM.)

..and guess what else we did. We ATE, more. (Mexican in Tuscon.)

...and ATE again. (In-N-Out trip #3)


Okay, so we did eat, A LOT. A lot more than these photos show actually. :) But, we also had the amazing opportunity to do some business while we were in Arizona. We had three families lined up to do photos while we were there, which was the entire reason we were able to do the trip in the first place. We are so blessed to have been able to work with these amazingly kind & fun families. We really bonded with them in the short times we spent with them. I feel weird even calling it "work"! You can see more on our business blog, brandphotodesign.com but here is a highlight of our family photo sessions....

Family #1 in their backyard...

Family #2 in their backyard...

Family #3 by an old saloon...

And speaking of "work", if you've never climbed a mountain, it's AMAZING!!! The photos are so deceiving as to how steep it was & how much effort every step took, but it was also such a rewarding, unique and fun experience! Dan and I hiked half way up Squaw Peak one day. We liked it so much that we went back the next day with JoAnn to do it again. My muscles and Dan's fear of heights both wimped out near the top but JoAnn made it all the way! 2.5 miles up, 2.5 miles all the way back down!

See Dan? Look close!

Beautiful views.

Stopping for water...AZ is hot - and we LOVE it!

About 2/3 the way up...



...and back down... Going back down was a lot easier on muscles but took a ton of balance.



Know what cures muscle pain? Um, a HOT TUB! This is JoAnn's back yard, complete with real rock waterfalls, pool, hot tub, outdoor fireplace, full outdoor kitchen, flat screen TV, and two-story patio. Oh, and one more thing: coyotes just beyond their fence! (Eek! :))


We decided that since we've never been to Tuscon we'd do an overnight trip there! In past Arizona visits we've always taken between 1-4 days of our trip to travel to nearby places. In the past 5 trips we've gone to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, San Diego, and Sedona. When we told locals we were going to Tuscon they all looked at us funny and asked simply, "Why?" Well, we did go, and we had a great time. But, we decided that leaving Phoenix to go to Tuscon is like someone leaving Indianapolis to vacation to Fort Wayne. "Why?" :)

JoAnn & her husband Kevin sent us to this amazing resort, JW Marriott Starr Pass Tucson Resort & Spa. I snapped this photo as we drove in.

Dan took this photo that evening from our room. We {heart} Arizona!

The one thing we did find in Tuscon in the short time we had to spend there was this cute little ever-so-famous Mexican joint, Mi Nidito. They are as known for having so many famous people visit as they are their greasy, traditional, Mexican, delicious food! We glanced over photos of stars such as Bill Clinton, Enrique Iglesias, and the Man vs Food guy while we waited in a tiny waiting area over an hour for a table. It was worth it. The food was great and the night was fun.

Sorry it's a blurry phone photo - Man vs Food guy!

Dan used his camera as a weight to try to work off some of the food in our hotel room the next day - HA!

One of our FAVORITE things to do in Arizona is just to hang out with the JoAnn & her family. Grilling out (there we go with the food again), renting movies, going on walks, Starbucks runs, staying up all hours of the night talking about life, and laughing, laughing, laughing all the time. JoAnn & Kevin's son, Tommy, is 10 and Dan always gets some good "father-son" time in with him when we visit. :) Playing basketball, throwing a football, and watching Tommy's football and baseball games are some of the favorite activities.



I had to snap some photos of their house because it is soooo beautiful and so comfortable and inviting, and we ALWAYS feel like family when we are there. We are so thankful to have such good friends.

JoAnn, Kevin, and Tommy, (Maryfrances wasn't home this trip - we missed you).... We cannot thank you enough for always taking us in as a part of your family.... You are some of the most kind and generous, wonderful, genuine, insightful, loving people and we are so thankful to have you in our lives!!!!