Back from Arizona!!!

We made it back on Monday night and had a great trip. We spent the first five days with Kristi's parents in Sun City West. We had a hotel room with a heated pool so the kids swam alot and played with their cousins Austin and Jordan. The kids hadn't seen their cousins in almost 4 years so it was good to get together with them.

Grandpa Faris, me and the boys went to a Winter league baseball game with is made up of minor league players and that was fun. The boys got about 30 autographs so hopefully one of them will make it big. We went to the Heard museum and learned about the southwest Native Americans. It was a little much for the littlier kids but there were different activities for them to do. We also got to eat some deep fried Okra which is a favorite for Kristi and I.

One day we went to Cabelas and were able to see all of the stuffed animals. It was quit a deal if you haven't been to one I would suggest it. There were hundreds of stuffed animals like bear, elk, polar bears, snakes, goats, lions, zebra....the list goes on. They also have fish tanks with trout, catfish, bass, etc.

We spent the last five days in Gilbert with my folks. Grandpa heated the pool so again the kids swam a bunch. It was in the mid to high 80's the entire week which was great. Kristi went to the women of faith conference with my mom on Friday and Saturday. I took Kody and Kailin to a run in Surpise where they both ran a 5k and I ran a 10k. Grandpa also went and Margie met us there and ran with Kailin. Margie was a lifesaver because Kristi forgot about the conference when we signed up to do the run and had it not been for Margie Kailin wouldn't have been able to do it.

We all survived the run and had a good time. We just swam a bunch for the 5 days but mostly relaxed. The last Sunday I went down and watched the Ironman Arizona in Tempe. I took Kody at 0630 to watch the swim start. 2200 people alll swimming in the lake at once was quit a sight. Kody and I had breakfast at the Waffle House, which is my favorite breakfast greasy spoon on earth. They don't have them in Oregon so I happened to find a way to go there 3 times for waffles and hashbrowns with cheese, onions and ham, mmm mmm good.

Kody and I went back and got the rest of the family and went back and watched some more. The poeple have 17 hours to finish it so we watched for a while and went to lunch. The swim is 2.4 miles, the bike is 112 miles and the run is 26.2 miles. The pro triathletes finish in about 8 hours and 15 minutes while others took the entire 17 hours.

Kristi and I came back at about 8pm and stayed until midnight when it was over. It was like a huge party but nobody was drunk. The music was blaring and people were just going crazy cheering on the finishers and they seemed to appreciate it. We had a great time and were very glad we got to see it.

Anyway, we had a great trip but it is nice to be home. Nothing beats home!!!