Impromptu Mini-Vacation

Let me just start by saying two things:

1. Thank you to my great friend Cindy for motivating me to throw the kids in the car and go (definitely not typical for me, I'm too much of a planner!)

2. I LOVE Flagstaff

I could go on and on with reasons why, but I won't bore you...ok, maybe with just a few.

The weather (78 degrees, sunny and afternoon rain both days!)

The smell of pine trees

Adorable town and shops

4 years of memories from college (sooo much fun!)

Corbin still DJs weddings every now and then, and had taken a job up in Flagstaff for the weekend. The initial plan was for him to drive up, do the wedding, stay the night and head back in the morning. That was until I was motivated to drive up there with the boys too!

Why not, right?

I was a little nervous about the evening hours, since I would be on my own trying to get two boys to bed in a hotel room! We ended up staying in the hotel on NAU's north campus. They had suites, which was perfect (if you have kids and you've stayed in a hotel, you know how important an extra bedroom can be!)

We met Corbin around lunchtime and Brayden requested pizza,

so we headed to NiMarcos pizza.

Goofing around, waiting for our pizza!

Despite the face, the pizza was really tasty!

After lunch, it was time for Corbin to get ready for the wedding. The boys and I had the rest of the day to hang around. We went to Thorpe Park and relished in the fact that it was mid-July and we were playing outside!

Then we took a drive around campus to show the boys some important NAU landmarks

(ok, let's be honest, they could have cared less...but it was fun for me!)

Beautiful San Francisco peaks

After waving to Reilly, Tinsley and Mountain View, I thought it would be fun to drive by the Rec Center. This happens to be the exact location where Corbin and I met, and so it definitely holds some sentimental value :)

However...as I drove closer, this is what I saw:

I seriously almost cried (I know, I'm a girl). They tore down the old Rec Center and are building some fancy dancy new one :( I had a moment, then got over it. I still have the best part of that memory anyway!

I had a delicious sandwich from Crystal Creek, the boys had free food from the hotel (they wouldn't have appreciated the amazingness of Crystal Creek!), and we took one last walking tour of the campus. This time with Brayden on his scooter and Caleb in the stroller. I just couldn't get enough of the beautiful weather! Can I tell you how strange it is to be walking the same paths you walked as a college student, only now with your own kids? Strange but cool.

We settled into the room and the night was fairly painless!

Brayden watching Tarzan on his "own bed"

The next day, Brayden requested that we go on "an adventure in the forest." We drove up to Snowbowl and found a nice hiking trail. Another gorgeous day!

Brayden with his pen and paper, ready to draw pictures of animals he saw!

Caleb was quite the little hiker!

As we were headed back to the car, Brayden slipped and fell. Poor guy! When we got into the car, he said to Corbin and I, "Next time, can we go to a different forest that has sidewalks?" Classic city boy quote!

The morning ended with a stroll downtown to look at shops, complete with some rain!

And lunch at Oregano's, where Corbin and I had our first date (don't let him tell you different!)

Thank you Flagstaff for an amazing, beautiful and perfect weekend with my family!