The same thing struck me this time about that house as it did in January. It is SO quiet at night. The house is high on a hill in a cul-de-sac and is pin- drop silent at night. The sheets seem a little more rustley than most but now that I think of it, maybe it is just because it is SO quiet there. It is very comfortable and we were grateful to be able to break up our journey by staying there.
Monday morning we were off to Henderson where we stopped for lunch at what started out as a deserted park, which we had all to ourselves till a few late comers joined in. We made it there in good time because as Matt described, “Jon has a lead foot” (I didn’t get it at first either.) Most people had a potty break but I wasn’t interested once I heard the doors had been busted off the stalls. We could already feel the weather warming up. This was welcomed since we had left snow in Heber. When it was snowing on Saturday Matt said, “This is so depressing!” But I tried to look on the bright side by telling him that if it was gorgeous weather then we wouldn’t be as anxious to leave. Therefore we would enjoy the 85 degree temperatures of Phoenix that much more.
The reason we chose to go through Henderson was so we could stop at Hoover Dam. The last time our family was there is when Mallerie was a baby and there have been big changes since then. There is a new bridge that if you stay on you will miss the dam entirely. You also won’t know that you are driving on one of the most amazing bridges ever. Lucky for us we were going to the dam so we saw the bridge as we rounded the corner. It took our breath away.
As we pulled into the parking garage we noted a sign for taller vehicles to stay on the main level. We turned in there because we were special since we had the luggage shell on top of the van. The lady waved us off that we still had plenty of room so we needed to park up on one of the other levels. We weren’t special. We had to wind up to the fourth level before finding two open spaces. A guy at the ropes for that level opened up a new lane- just for us. This must be because we were special. Then we saw that anyone could now drive in this new lane. We weren’t special. The parking garage is just how I remember, all shiny. This made the van tires squeal with delight even though we were only going 5 mph. So we all got out on the fourth level and as we waited at the elevator Matt suggested, “Let’s take the stairs!” We did and we felt SPECIAL.
Lake Mead was incredibly low, which made the dam seem that much higher. I was suddenly remembering my mom saying she always hated taking kids anywhere there were cliffs. She would have been dying.
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| The kids asked why there was a white line. So I'll tell you the same, "That's how high the water is spposed to be!" |
I got a touch of vertigo peering over the side. Jon had Paisley (4) held tight as he helped her look over the wall. Because the lake was so low she had to lie ON the wall. A fella in a golf cart scooted up to tell him, “No kids on the wall!!!” but Jon couldn’t hear him. The fella was trying to get his attention till finally he called out, “Scott!” The only thing we can figure is that he thought Jon was Scottish in his plaid shorts, green tee, and a hit of red glinting off his bushy beard. You can imagine the older girls especially got a kick out calling him Scotty for the remainder of the trip. Jon had Paisley’s purse tied to his belt loop. I asked if that is where he keeps his bag pipe cleaning equipment. Check him out.
We wanted a group shot under the Hoover Dam sign before heading back up to the parking garage. We gave our cameras to a passerby. She didn’t get the sign in the picture but big smiles were on our faces as we stifled laughs. As the lady pointed the camera Lindsey called out, “1-2-3-Dam!”
Our next pit stop was in Wickenburg, AZ. Something caught my eye as soon as I was out of the car at Circle K. A jail bird tied to a tree. It took me a moment to realize it was a statue. I called the boys over to look. As soon as they realized he wasn’t real their first inclination was to start beating him up. What’s with that? As we used the restroom and got refreshment, this statue held the kids in one place. There was a button that played a recording of the true story behind it. Little Zeke (2) pushed it again and again as soon as the recording stopped. That was his job.
The kids did so well in the car, even little Callie. I told Matt, “It’s as if we buckled a stuffed animal in her seat.” Grayson seems to have done a 180 since our last trips. I don’t know if it’s because he knew he would being seeing Adren at every pit stop or if he’s out growing the temper bursts, bit I’ll take it! Still, even with snacks, and movies, and Harry Potter on CD, we were ready to get out of the car as we rolled into the Marriot Residence Inn in Phoenix that evening around 7 pm. I went in with Matt to check in. Grayson and Adren (7) and Eli (6) came in as well and ran straight to the pool. By the time I caught up with them, Grayson’s shoes were off and Adren was nearly waist deep in the hot tub. They were ready as well.
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| This goes without saying but this boy lives in his Indiana Jones hat "from the Halloween store." |
Our buildings were adjacent to each other and each room had a loft upstairs. I felt like I was back at the dam as the kids hung over the half wall. The flyer on the fridge read that it was Italian night at the hotel and that dinner would be served in the dining area. We hadn’t seen anything like that when we checked in so we stuck to tradition and found an IHOP.
We were seated right away but not soon enough for some. Lindsey brought one of her stragglers to the table who had wandered into the kitchen! We took over three tables but none were brave enough to try the chicken finger waffle combo. We filled up on breakfast only to go back to the hotel, go to sleep, and meet again in the dining area for more breakfast the following morning.
Tuesday:
The complimentary breakfasts at Residence Inn are a huge bonus for us. They have it all from hot dishes, to a make your own waffle station, yogurt, juice, oatmeal, cold cereal, and muffins. Adren learned the hard way that you can’t toast a muffin with the wrapper still on. I missed the fire but the room was still a little smoky when I entered. Graham wanted the same thing every day: cereal, juice, and a muffin. He was usually well under way when I sat down. He called over from the Geertsen’s table, “I’m sitting with the Gouldings!”
The pool was the next item on the agenda. Matt and Lindsey loaded up on floaties and pool toys at the nearest K Mart. The pool after all, was to be the main activity for the trip. I went to the front desk to get towels. They asked, “How many?” I counted, “Fourteen.” He thought I was joking, “Really, how many.” After handing over the towels he noted that we would probably have the pool to ourselves that day. I said under my breath, “I can guarantee it.”
I had told Jon and Lindsey that as soon as they committed to coming on the trip I kept having that line from Seinfeld run through my head that Frank Costanza says to the Seinfeld’s about moving to Florida, “We’re gonna be at the pool…we’re gonna be at the clubhouse…we’re gonna be all over that shuffleboard court and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Lindsey said while she was getting ready to swim that kept going through her head, “We’re gonna be at the pool…” I had watched Julie and Julia before the trip and couldn’t get Meryl Streep’s perfect interpretation of Julia Child’s out of my head and found myself talking like her. So as I got ready to go sit by the pool I kept saying in that voice, “The wives here, they don’t DO anything…” Doncha love that movie?
And do anything we didn’t! We relaxed by the pool and read and talked and laughed. I noted that Zeek’s hair looked just like Bill Murray’s in What About Bob and couldn’t look at him without saying, “I’m sailing!!”
There were two separate incidents where both Adren and Grayson found themselves in deeper water than they could handle. This put enough fear in them to play it safe. None of the kids could stay away from that hot tub. The last day we were there there was an “Out of Order” sign on it. Matt and I looked at each other, “Could we have done that?” Lindsey came outside right then and noting the sign also asked, “That’s not cause of us is it?” We couldn’t have?!
We watched the kids like hawks at the pool and hadn’t seen any funny business. I hadn’t been as diligent about watching my library book and saw it floating in puddle of water under my lounge chair. I guess I was to busy rubbing sun screen on the kids. I was certain it had to dry before the kids got back in the water but Lindsey said I didn't have to. Again it Julia’s voice I told her, “Oh but I do, I am VERY conventional!”
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| Look I gave myself a tattoo! |
There was some down time between swimming and our evening activities and I found myself outsided with Callie. There was a breeze so I got her princess kite out of the back of the van. I was thrilled that after about 6 tries I got it up and had all the string let out. She wasn’t as impressed as I hoped. But Mallerie saw it out the window and came running out. She then went back inside to get Graham because that is the thing he was most anxious for on our trip, “When are we going to fly kites?” When Mallerie went inside he was sound asleep. She woke him and brought him out but he was much too sad and grouchy that we let him go back in and sleep. The next day he was in better spirits and the wind was even stronger. As soon as I took the kites out of the trunk they set sail. He was delighted. The Geertsen’s kites took a little more effort till we discovered it’s all in the string. We switched and they went up just fine. The directions read: Don’t fly near busy streets. I looked and saw the freeway within stone throwing distance: check. Don’t fly near buildings. We were nestled between the hotels on the tennis court: check. Don’t fly near trees. We were under a canopy of leaves: check.
Our big plans for the night were in Mesa. I had read in the Ensign the schedule of all the pageants for the year and was tickled to learn that the Easter Pageant on the Mesa Temple grounds was going on when we would be there. We debated back and forth on whether to eat in Mesa or before leaving. Matt suggested Church’s chicken in Mesa. It made perfect sense to me. We eat Church’s chicken before going to the Temple. The restaurant was about a 25 minute drive. Once inside we noted that all that grease was heating the place up. Anytime Matt opened his mouth to ask a question the guy said, “It’s all fried, we don’t have baked chicken, orange chicken, grilled chicken, it’s all FRIED.” That wasn’t Matt’s question but he ordered up a bucket while the women folk set up picnic outside. With it being so hot inside the restaurant it seemed a shame to not sit out in the breeze.
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It was such a lovely night and perfect for an outdoor pageant. We had chosen to go to the dress rehearsal night because smaller crowds were promised. Well, I can’t picture it MORE crowded. After wondering if we’d ever find a spot to park, we found one right in the Temple parking lot. The grounds were immaculate and I was happy to see orange trees to point out to the kids. The pageant couldn’t have been done any better. It told the story of Christ’s birth all the way to the resurrection. Live animals were used and every so often they let out live doves. When Christ was baptized it was done in real water. The cast was huge so they truly represented the mob. Up above the angel choir was lit up so white they looked fluorescent. The ending was all it should be and was just beautiful. It seemed like there should have been a larger applause but I think since it was a church thing people weren’t really sure what to do. Also it was the dressrehearsal. All our kids seemed to be paying attention to the program except for Graham and Callie who couldn’t stop rolling down the hill and running up and down the steps. We watched Graham follow the wrong dad for a while before he realized his dad was still sitting on the blanket. Hehe.
We waited out the traffic at Dairy Queen afterwards with some dipped cones on the lawn. It’s awkward for us Heberites to say Dairy QUEEN after saying Dairy KEEN for so long. I mean, we realize our way is the weird way and everything; it’s just strange to say. If you were watching from afar you would have wondered what in the world Lindsey was doing that had all of us laughing by waving her arms around wildly and then all of us joining in in laughter. Well, you’re just gonna have to wonder too. Hehe again.
I was glad to see that the streets were not lined with people handing out anti-Mormon literature like they did when I was a kid.
I thought that maybe we could do something in the morning and then swim later in the day when it was really hot but as soon as the kids were done with breakfast they started getting on their swim gear. The Geertsen’s were already at the pool when we got there as well. Lindsey shrugged, “This is all they want to do.” I concurred, “You can’t fight town hall.” She had a fresh stack of magazines to thumb through. It was a little disappointing though to read all about Reece Witherspoon’s wedding only to see the photos had washed away with my library book.
We made a day of it at the pool, not even going inside for lunch. Matt and Jon fired up the grill. We had hamburgers, they had steaks. And you know what? They deserved them.
By the end of day two at the pool the Boc’s were getting a little crisp. I was faithful at the sunscreen as best I could but the sun is even more powerful than you think. I didn’t burn except for my scalp. It hurt to brush my hair in the slightest. That evening the kids suggested I fix my ponytail before going out. I confessed it was too painful to even brush. Grayson’s legs were hurting and poor Ava could barely get a shirt on. Again, Ava was the troubled one. Poor thing.
The gals were going out for a night of shopping on the town! Matt had his computer in the room so I Googled an outdoor mall called Desert Point. This shopping area had everything a mall does plus big stores like Ross and Target around the perimeter. After we were dropped off I decided I needed some sort of stroller. We walked to Target. Two hours later we emerged with lots of things EXCEPT a stroller. I had to take advantage of having my personal shopper Lindsey in tow. Paisley wanted to play hide and seek in the shoe isles with Callie but Callie was having a hard to cooperating. Paisley would start counting and Callie would as well, “Nine, Ten.” Paisley would open her eyes, “You HIDE.” She’d start counting again and so would Callie. “NO, You HIDE!” Paisley was getting a little impatient. So I stepped in and told her to count one more time and I’d help Callie hide. I picked her up and set her on the next isle over. As soon as I set Callie down she started counting again, “Three, Four…” Paisley came around the corner madder than a hornet. It was so funny. Matt asked what we did in Target for so long. I told him the little kids were trying on dresses and hats and carrying purses. He asked what Zeke did during this time. “He tried on dresses and hats and carried purses.”
Back outside the sun had set and the shops were nearing closing time. I did sneak in a purchase at a Sterling Silver Kiosk. By the time I glanced back the guy had the doors down and was all locked up. There was a stage with a big screen of music videos playing. We told Callie she should go up and dance, “NO!” But when she saw Paisley was willing to boogie she joined in happily. Callie dances like a limping funky chicken going in circles. I wouldn’t change a thing. However, Paisley stole the show. She dances in slow motion with a pained expression on her face. This left Ava begging for more and she was still laughing about it as she fell asleep that night. We hated to cut the dancing short but we were hungry and had to get into Paradise Bakery before they shut their doors as well. Katrina got a Tuscan sandwich that changed her life. Back outside we sat in front of a large fireplace to gab and let the little ones doze off. Ava kept her distance from the fire somewhat because of her sunburn. We sat there under a roof of palm trees until our rides came.
I don’t have any pictures of the girls outing because Matt had the camera at the boys outing. The pictures will tell their story:
Thursday:
At breakfast Jon and Matt were thumbing through brochures when I sat down the next morning. It was decided we would hit the zoo/aquarium. The zoo was on the same road we turned off our hotel onto but took nearly half an hour to get there. It was a very long road. We passed some sort of air base where planes were taking off and doing drills or something. This provided some entertainment for the ride. I rolled down my window any time I saw an orange tree to try and get a whiff but alas, the car was moving too fast. I never did get the whiff I wanted.
Our first adventure at the zoo happened right in the parking lot. A car window had been bashed in and the tinted glass was all over the ground -an apparent robbery that we reported to the front desk. The license read CNDRLY. We figured our other option was to walk through the zoo asking, “Cinderelly? Cinderelly?”
The aquarium was first, followed by the log flume. Only Zeke was too small to ride. Lindsey asked, “Can he just sit on my lap?” The worker, I don’t remember her name so we’ll just call her BUTCH, said, “I could lose my job.” None of us wanted that so Lindsey stayed behind to get some shots. Graham’s reaction, “You’ve got to be kidding me!!!”
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| I wasn't interested in getting splashed in the face so I used the park map as an umbrella. Where there is a will, there is ALWAYS a way.  |
The last stop was the petting zoo. The kids couldn’t stop following the tortoise around because apparently it had gas. The goats tried to eat Callie’s shirt and then Katrina’s. We pitied the worker who had to sit in the stinky stable all day cleaning up after the animals. It made me wash my hands just watching. It was now time for the zoo to close for real so we headed back to the hotel. The animals seemed to be saying, “YOU get to leave?”
It was time for the complimentary hotdog dinner at the hotel. We let the kids fill up on those so they would be good and fed and the adults could go out for some real food. They all got situated in our room with popcorn and a movie. Then Matt and I, and Jon and Lindsey headed out to a place I kept spotting off the freeway, Bobby-Q. It was perfect; the ambiance, the food, the company, all perfect. We noted the dessert menu offered ‘Death by Chocolate.’ It wasn’t soon after this that we noticed something out of the ordinary at the table behind us. The family members were all crowded around someone who seemed totally unresponsive. Soon the paramedics were there wheeling this man away. I could have sworn it was Nelson Mandela. Your guess is as good as mine as to what happened but we decided against ordering ‘Death by Chocolate.'
Friday:
Wa wa waaaaa. Pack up day. Graham didn’t want to leave and it was breaking my heart. I could feel his pain. We did have another fun stop ahead of us though: The Grand Canyon! After a four hour drive we were at the check-in booth. We were given a map and brochure as to the best way to see the canyon by car. We didn’t have to drive long before that first glimpse through the trees. Wowsers.
We pulled into the next view area. This area was not protected by any barriers and the kids were feeling more confident than we were at getting close to the edge. The Canyon is indeed Grand. We pulled into nearly all of the view areas along the Desert View of the South Rim. At the Grand View Area we actually got to hike down a ways. This was exceeding all of my wildest expectations. I’ve only been to the Grand Canyon once before when I was about 14 with my aunt Linda. We only stopped at one area briefly and it had big barriers around it. So I didn’t know we would actually be able to walk along the rim and then hike down a ways. Some of us felt like we had hiked for a while but when we looked at the map we had barely made a dent. The write-up warned to not go down to the bottom and back on one day. It’s that deep. I think all of us really enjoyed the Grand Canyon, maybe even more than we thought we would, and its magnificent beauty. In hindsight though, I probably shouldn’t have chosen the GRAND CANYON to break in my new-sweet-fancy-hiking shoes for the first time.
The sun was setting and we were torn between watching that and looking around the gift shop because as you guessed, IT WAS CLOSING. I purchased a magnet but I am still having remorse for not picking up a couple of prints I fell in love with.
