Arizona: Splash Down

The Joynts we super gracious to let us invade their home for the week.  The kids were beyond ecstatic that they had a pool--with a waterfall--in their backyard.  Lots of quality water therapy took place!

Go Cubs, Go!

Being in Arizona this time of year means 1 thing: the Cubs are at Sloan Park!  Ruth flew in and joined us for one of the last Spring Training games of the year.  While the Cubs did not have a great day, it was a great experience for our kids to see them in action.

Lucy LOVED the sunflower seeds that Tim sent!

Mitchell opted for some cotton candy.

Classic ballpark hot dog for Owen...

...and then a nap.

Lucy found the 1 monkey in the whole place... and named him Rizzo.

Spring Break 2017: The Departure

This year for Spring Break we headed southwest to Arizona.  Needless to say the kids were VERY excited to head off to new places.  We drove down to Detroit in order to catch a VERY early flight the next day, but it was very worth the early wake-up!

As background information--I had suffered through 18 days of vertigo in March;  in fact, I got a shot in my ear drum the day we left in efforts to stop the spinning.  While the vertigo did break,  I was exhausted and not so stable most of the trip.  Everyone was really good about taking care of me throughout the trip, and I am sure it was a nice treat to get away.

School's out!

When we got to Phoenix later that day, we made our way to our friends' house and relaxed in the sunshine for a while.  The kids loved shooting some hoops!

Shhhhh! Don't Tell!

   We surprised the kids this year!  They had no idea where we were going for spring break.  "Mom just went to Hawaii, and Dad is going to Arizona in May, so we can't do anything big...."

   Meanwhile, we had all sorts of people behind the scenes helping pull off this monster surprise!  I packed their shorts and warm weather wear up, and Grandma and Aunt Mary met ahead of time to get the suitcase in location.  I drew up clue cards:  the 1st set to lead them to Aunt Mary and Uncle Marc's, and the 2nd set to be delivered once we got to Chicago.  

   We arrived in Naperville and Marc and Mary jumped right into character, helping build the story that we were going to be at their house for the week.  We started off with some quality hot tub time.

Then we dyed eggs for Aunt Mary.  Great success!

Then, we went to Uncle Marc's casino and played poker!

   The kids went to bed unaware of what tomorrow held.  

   After breakfast, we called them around the table to "plan the day."  This is when we gave them the second set of clues.  I have to admit, the clue cards were largely nostalgic for me, Ruth, and my mom.  Papa Frank had drawn clues for Ruth and I when we were kids, and they were rather challenging because of his "artistic" abilities.  

Legoland

"Mini" Golf

Pirates + Swimsuits = Pirate Pool

Mitchell lost a tooth in Florida once... we put it in a  mug.

What's half of a railroad track?  A monorail.

After we played at the park and got a brief visit with Cousin Amanda, we were shuttled off to the airport courtesy of Mary's Midwest Logistics.  Then the rest of the adventure began!

Jamaica!

This year Ken and I made an escape to Jamaica while the kids had time with Grammy (see STP post).  After the unusually subarctic weather we had this winter, the island get-away was particularly therapeutic.

We stayed at the Oasis at Sunset Beach in Montego Bay.  This was the view from our room. 

One day we went down to Negril.  The Jamaicans as a whole are extremely polite and welcoming; they are, however, CRAZY drivers.  We were very thankful that we did not rent a car for this vacation, but instead booked a driver for the day.  On the way our driver took us to a roadside stand where we got to drink coconut water.  They chopped the coconuts open for us and plunked in a straw.  Surprisingly, it does not taste like coconut.  There is also A LOT inside.  

Once we got to Negril, we spent some time at 7 Mile Beach, finishing the day at Rick's Cafe.  This place is well known for its sunsets.... and CLIFF JUMPING.  There are people who work there as lifeguards, and they are massively muscular.  We quickly found out why.  As they drum up money from the crowd, they take turns climbing up to a perch some 85 feet above water level.  They do one-arm pull-ups and wave to the crowd before taking the plunge into the ocean below.  Customers can also jump, from either 25 or 35 feet.  Ken readily took this challenge... twice.  I was happy to spectate.

Margaritaville on 7-Mile Beach.

Birdman.

Handstand into dive.

Ken on jump 2.

Post-dive.

Most of the time we were in a state of relaxation on the resort.  There was a lot to see and enjoy.

Our dinner spot most nights.

Super fantastic drum line Wednesday night.  WOW!