Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Adventuring in Arizona

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I’d been wanting to do a road trip in the west, but taking two or three weeks to cover all the spots also just doesn’t seem realistic. I’ve got a freshman in high school and definitely want to squeeze in some more family trips before she graduates. Plus we had some Southwest Airlines credit that expires in June. 

Given all those circumstances: Greg and I looked to see where Southwest flew and where we could go for Spring Break. We landed on Arizona. As we talked through destinations, we decided to fly into Las Vegas, so we could start with the Hoover Dam. (I know that’s Nevada, but, really, we were barely there!) We continued to Grand Canyon and Sedona so we could fly home from Phoenix. 

Greg already had a surprise boys’ trip planned for Ben the first weekend of Spring Break. Considering those plans and flight availability and prices, we ended up scheduling our southwest road trip for Tuesday to Saturday. 

Admittedly, as the trip approached, I wondered if staying in three different places in the four nights would feel like too much. I also wondered if five days was too quick for a westward trip. 

I’m here to tell you: Take the trip. Sure, take this trip. Or take whatever trip it is you’ve been thinking about. This is one of my favorite vacations yets. 

I loved the different destinations and packed for them accordingly. We stayed in Sedona the last two nights, so that gave us a good place to regroup and repack. I brought extra, easy-to-pack bags (these specifically) so we could throw our dirty clothes in there rather than continually repack our suitcases. We used one for a snack bag in our rental car too. And now I like to keep them in my trunk for when I have to haul things in the house.

Five days for this leg of a westward trip was plenty. Yes, we hit the ground running, thanks to an early flight on Tuesday and a time change that put us in Vegas at 8:30 am Pacific time. We never really fully adjusted to the two-hour time difference and found ourselves ready for bed around 8 or 9 pm. We generally woke up around 6 am. 

I say “this leg of the westward trip” because I’m already thinking about the next trip. For our family, seeing the west with our kids seems to work well like this. 

Now, here’s what we did each day:

Day 1 – Hoover Dam

We left home at 3:15 am, flew out of Nashville to Las Vegas, and arrived at 8:30 Pacific time, meaning in time for a second breakfast with my friend Kayse. We ate a delicious meal at The Broken Yolk and wished we lived closer because our kids got along well.

Team Taylor headed about 40 minutes away to Hoover Dam, which was so interesting! We saw Lake Mead, did the Power Plant tour at the dam, and soaked in the warm sun on a windy day. I honestly didn’t know I would be so impressed with Hoover Dam and didn’t realize it was built during the Great Depression. We also got to stand in Nevada and Arizona at the same time!

We stayed the night in Kingman, Arizona, which had Radiator Springs’ vibes along historic Route 66. (Disney’s Radiator Springs was actually based on Seligman, AZ, which wasn’t too far away from us!) Kingman also gave us a delicious meal at El Palacio. We were asleep by 8 pm Mountain Standard Time after a long but good day.

Day 2 – Grand Canyon

We made our way to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday. It sure was, well, grand! My mind and camera really couldn’t capture the vastness. We started at the Visitors Center and walked to Mather Point and around Rim Trail to Grand Canyon Village. Then we rode the shuttle and got off at a few stops on the way to Hermit’s Rest. We walked 13,000 steps!

Some tips: I wish I’d packed reusable water bottles for everyone. We also should have brought more snacks and lunch options with us because those options were limited in Grand Canyon National Park. We did have dinner at Yavapai Lodge, where we also stayed the night

Day 3 – Bearizona / Sedona

We left Grand Canyon National Park that morning, ate breakfast right outside of the park at Foodie Club, and headed to Bearizona in Williams, Arizona. Yes, Bearizona is overpriced for a couple of hours, but we really enjoyed it anyway. It’s a drive-thru, walk-thru wildlife par. They seemed to rehab a lot of the animals. We saw lots of native animals and especially enjoyed the bears who were active and playing with each other. Rachel and the spotted jaguar shared a playful moment too.

We arrived in Sedona about lunchtime and ate at Sedona Pizza & Pasta then explored the Uptown area. Our Pink Jeep Tour that afternoon was the only activity we reserved ahead of time. It was such a fun outing! We did the two-hour Coyote Canyon tour and got to see Dry Creek and lots of red rocks. We had dinner at Oaxaca, which was yummy Mexican food with a southwest twist. Everyone was excited about the two-bedroom condo we are staying in after two nights in the tight quarters of hotel rooms.

Day 4 – Sedona

We had a great day exploring Sedona and ended the day with 16,000+ steps!

We started the day with a 4.13-mile hike on the trail that goes around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte red rock formations. We enjoyed the scenery and challenge together. The condo we have been staying in is just south of Sedona in the Village of Oak Creek, so we spent a lot of time down in this area, which has worked out well. We got our fill of Uptown the day before.

This day of exploration that unfolded as we went along asl included a brief swim in their clothes for Rachel and Ben, lunch at Tortas de Fuego in Village of Oak Creek (although there’s another Sedona location too), site seeing at Chapel of the Holy Cross and Airport Scenic View, dessert at Rocky Road Ice Cream Co., an impromptu scenic drive to Tuzigoot National Monument in Camp Verde, some downtime at the condo, and delicious dinner at Colt’s Grill in Village of Oak Creek.

Day 5 – Sedona / Phoenix

We enjoyed a little more of Sedona on this last morning of vacation before we began the trek home via Phoenix. We hiked 2.43 miles on the Baldwin Trail near Cathedral Rock. It was a great hike with ups and downs, flat sections, a quick detour to see Oak Creek, and lots of beautiful scenery. We had 7,000 steps by 10 am!

*****

I took a lot of pictures (of course!) and I shared them on Instagram and saved the posts in a Southwest highlight. Be sure to check them out if you want to see more of our adventures.

Another way we make traveling rewarding is using our Capital One Venture credit card. There are travel discounts and rewards. We get a higher percentage back in rewards when we make travel-related reservations, can cash rewards in to cover travel purchases, got reimbursed for our TSA Pre-Check application when we used this card as payment, and can book hotels and rental cards often with discounted rates directly through the credit card website. Win-win, I tell you. (Learn more here!)

11 Things I Learned in July

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Oh, July, you’ve been too quick. But you’ve been fun. I’ve driven more new-to-me roads than even before and been on some more familiar ones, but I’ve also learned more deeply to appreciate the journey. This month the journey has included road trips, boat rides on the lake, and afternoons at the pool.

People ask if we’re settled in our new house and I usually say, “Pretty much.” And that’s the short-answer truth. But the long answer: We’re as settled as much as we can be while there are still guys working on the enormous garage we’re renovating. That garage will house the piles of outdoor toys on our side porch that also serves as our everyday entrance. That garage will also house all my husband’s tools and camo attire and hunting accessories that are stored in various other places.

I’ve hung some pictures but there are stacks of others elsewhere, sitting out of our walking paths through the house but in plain sight. And we have this beautiful 10-foot long, floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelf that is still missing cabinets on the bottom cabinets where the board games still in boxes in another corner.

So, you know, we’re pretty much settled. Sort of.

I figure there will be more time for all of that when the kids start Aug. 10.

There you have it, July. You’re making me mourn the end of summer but look forward with great anticipation to a schedule. But, before you go, how about some things you’ve taught me …

1. The last several episodes of season 11 of “Grey’s Anatomy” we’re really good.

I burnt out on this show years ago but occasionally binge watch episodes I haven’t seen. Yes, Derek dies, which I knew before I even watched, but that storyline leads to some great TV.

And the last quote of the season? Perfection, nearly.

“You can build a house out of anything, make it as strong as you want, but a home, a home is more fragile than that. A home is made of the people you fill it with. And people can be broken, sure, but any surgeon knows what’s broken can be mended, what’s hurt can be healed, that no matter how dark it gets, the sun’s gonna rise again.”

– Meredith Gray in season 11 finale

Yes, then I kept watching into the 12th season. I know. So. Many. Seasons.

2. Elin Hilderbrand is a great new-to-me author. 

I saw her name when her endorsement was on the front of another book I was reading. I randomly chose “Summerland” from the library and then moved on to “The Rumor.”

{I’ve been on a bit of a fiction binge lately, as you can tell from my list of books I’ve read so far this year. And it seems Hilderbrand has many books, so that’ll keep me going!}

3. The Canadian side of Niagara Falls is prettier than the U.S. side. Of course, it’s also busy when it’s a double holiday weekend with U.S. folks celebrating Independence Day and Canadians having their own Canada Day. But, hey, it’s pretty!

We went to Buffalo, NY for a long weekend at the beginning of the month for the baptisms of my twin niece and nephew. It was a fun trip and we’re looking forward to being with my siblings and their families again next week … at the beach!

4. Hand, foot and mouth disease is no joke. That’s what Rachel brought home from Buffalo. Thankfully, turns out the case she had wasn’t even that bad, but there were still a few rough days.

5. Sometimes driving 180 miles one way with one friend for lunch with another friend is worth it. 

Of course, her van may break down and kids end up playing in the sprinkles at the park in their clothes. Road trips and friendships are always adventures worth having. {Here’s a little more on that.}

6. My kids and husband don’t have the same love of Krispy Kreme doughnuts that I do – even when the doughnuts are hot and fresh. Yeah, I can’t explain it either. But they do like watching them be made.

7. New Needtobreathe music is my happy place. Okay, this isn’t something I learned, but I love the new album so I needed to include it. My favorite songs are “Happiness, “Hard Love,” and “Testify.”

8. Detours keep us focused on the journey, giving us opportunities to see new places and appreciate the details around us. 

The most direct route to our new house in the country has been closed for three weeks – the majority of the time we’ve lived here. I’ve discovered various routes home, and I have my favorite that includes a beautiful field of sunflowers.

9. Even when a friendship spans decades, new traditions can be made. 

We went to St. Louis for the third year in late July {hello, hotness …} so we could go to Six Flags with our best friends. We spent three nights there and also went to a Cardinals game, Soulard Market, the {free!} science center, and the {free!} zoo.

And, really, I know the attractions aren’t actually totally free because local property owners pay for the science center and zoo, but it’s such a nice treat to tourists like us!

10. And when in STL in July, don’t buy right field bleacher seats for an evening game at Busch Stadium. With a 6:15 p.m. start time, we were in the sun until the sixth inning – and the last section to feel shade. Trust me, it makes a difference.

11. An old-fashioned DiscMan provides my son hours of entertainment. Hours, really. {And he’s cute!}

Tell me about your July.

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I’m linking with Emily Freeman like I do at the end of every month. 

Thanksgiving in Buffalo {a recap for #ThreeWordWednesday}

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We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Buffalo, NY, where my sister Cassie and her family live. And there wasn’t any snow, for those of you thinking we’re crazy to head into lake-effect weather for a holiday.

We actually had a couple days in the 50s, and then it was in the mid-30s the day we went to Niagara Falls and then three-fifths of my family ice skated outside.

It took us 15 hours – 764 miles and four stops – to get there. The big kids watched three movies – “Despicable Me 2,” “Matilda,” and “How To Train Your Dragon” – and Rachel dozed off between feelings. Grandmom was also with us.

In addition to Niagara Falls and ice skating, we had a big Thanksgiving meal with Cassie & Zac’s friends, ate wings (I managed one handed while feeding Rachel!), saw some friends who used to go to church with us in Kentucky, hung out with our almost-2-year-old nephew Lochlan, and played euchre.

On the way back, the big kids watched the same three movies plus “Princess and the Frog” and Rachel slept more. Thanks to less traffic in Ohio, we were able to shave off almost an hour on the way home.

Speaking of Rachel sleeping, she managed her BEST TWO NIGHTS up to that point while we were there and continued her six- and seven-hour stretches when we got home. She’s the best 10-week-old, ever, really.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that doesn’t have traditions for us. We’ve traveled often for it – Branson, Mo. … in 2011 and 2013; Charleston, S.C. in 2012 – and spent 2009 at home with our baby boy. Our favorite tradition is an annual meal with our friends. I say that like we only eat once annually with them, and that’s not true, but sharing in the holiday together has been special. And we did that last month this year.

This Thanksgiving was good. I coughed and blew my nose way more often than I wanted to. We spent two entire days in the mini van. But we made memories with people we love.

Buffalo didn’t have any snow, and my sister didn’t have her babies like I was hoping either. She’s 37 weeks pregnant with twins. I’m greatly anticipating their arrival, the updates about them across the miles, and visits with them this summer.

Until then, I’ve got Thanksgiving memories tucked away. Meanwhile, giving thanks is a concept I want to embrace more tightly regardless of the date on the calendar. {Tweet that.}

How was YOUR Thanksgiving?

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Want more insights? “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”