Road Trip to Phoenix! Part 1.

Sometimes you just need to get out of LA...stop and smell the roses and enjoy a little mini-vacation!  My family comes to visit a couple times a year and we usually take a road trip somewhere and I also go home a couple times a year to visit family and friends so that's a nice break from LA and I always come back refreshed and rejuvenated.  So I was stoked when Brad and I decided to drive to Phoenix and spend a couple days with his family and relax in the sun :)

The drive took just over five hours and we rocked out to Incubus' new album, along with some greatest hits, Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, and more.  Our first stop was Todd & Carley's to say hello to them and so that I could meet Maylen for the first time!  She was nearly five months old and absolutely adorable.  In fact, the entire time we were around her for the three days we were there she cried only once.  Maylen is by far one of the best babies I've ever been around and getting to play with her was an absolute joy.

Lunch at a Triple D Restaurant!

Brad, his parents and I went to DeFalco's the next day for Lunch because it was on 'Diner's Drive-In's & Dives.'  We ordered Gnocchi, a Prime Rib Cheese Steak, home-made Sausage, and a Calzone.  It was a lot of food but we ate nearly everything because it was all so good!  My favorite was definitely the Cheese Steak; melted cheese goodness, with steak, onions, and mushrooms.

That afternoon we all decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo which was so much fun!  Although, I was a little scared of the vultures that could fly around in the bird area, thank goodness we got to look at snakes in between; I was far less scared of them.  We must have caught the animals right after Lunch because a bunch of them were napping but the otters gave us a good show so that was neat to see.  The best part of the Zoo was doing the Giraffe Edventure and getting to feed Makope and be up close with her.  It was one of the best Zoo moments I've had in my life!

Since we didn't get to see any Bears or Sharks at the Zoo we ended the night with a Documentary called 'Bears.' It's narrated by John C Reilley and one of my favorite documentaries to date.  I kind of want John C Reilley to narrate my life...it was absolutely hilarious and if you haven't seen it, I certainly recommend it!

Feeding Makope at the Phoenix Zoo!

Part 2 of our Road Trip to Phoenix continues below...

Road Trip to Phoenix! Part 2.

Maylen loved the Go-Pro!

Brad and I spent Tuesday with Maylen and his parents but not before grabbing Lunch at Erbert's & Gerbert's!  It's my favorite sandwich place in Wisconsin and Minnesota (thanks to Jeff for reminding us their was one in Tempe) and great to get a little taste of home out in Arizona.  I got my usual Narmer, Brad got the same, along with some Broccoli Cheddar soup.  After spending the afternoon in and out of the pool it was time to get a little exercise.  Brad and I went on a long hike; I got us lost for a little bit (I'm usually really good with directions) but we made our way up the giant mountain and then back down in about an hour so it wasn't too bad.  And the view was certainly worth it!

She's such a cute lil' nugget!!

That night we had Dinner with Todd, Carly, baby Maylen, Brad and his parents at Pappadeaux which Brad's Dad has been telling him about for months.  It was one of my favorite seafood meals to date, not to mention, the company was wonderful.  We started with a Lump Crab and Spinach Dip (holy cow, this was fantastic, and I'm usually not a fan of Spinach Dip) and the Hot Smoked Salmon which was also really good.  Next up was an awesome Greek Salad and then came the main course.  I got the Chilean Seabass that had a cheesy crab gratin on top along with brussels sprouts.  It was so amazing I just kept eating even though I was full!  We didn't have any room for dessert but we had some after-dinner drinks and headed home.  

Brad's Mom and Dad had told me that when you're out hiking at night you can see scorpions with a blacklight, so after we got home, we went in search of some scorpions.  We found one about five minutes into our hike...woo hoo!  Sure enough, it did glow in the dark under the blacklight and I was happy we didn't have to go too far into the hike to find one!

Wednesday morning we all went to Waffle House (it's tradition at this point when I'm in Arizona) for Breakfast!  Always delicious and kept us full on our drive back to LA!  I was bummed to be heading back to LA after such a nice vacation but knew it was back to work for me so we jammed out all the way back home, saying goodbye to fabulous Arizona!

Overlooking the Canals in Scottsdale, Arizona

I'm seriously in love with Arizona.  I LOVE the weather, even if I haven't been there in the dead of Summer when it's ridiculously hot, I feel like there's so many other positives about it.  There's so much to do, and even living in a suburb you're close to all the cities.  There are so many different stadiums and sporting events to go and see and I always feel safe when I'm there.  It's definitely a place I would move to!

*Special thanks to Harry & Nancy for taking such great care of us while we were there and for always giving me such a warm welcome!  Thank you :)