Weekend getaway

Our family was in need of a weekend getaway to relax, spend time together, and celebrate some good news from Ryan's work…so we booked a last minute trip to Sedona.  How lucky are we that this amazing place is less than two hours away!

~We kicked off the weekend with a quick wine tasting at Arizona Stronghold in Cottonwood.  (Pics courtesy of Lily, so excuse the fuzziness)

~After our tasting, we drove the 20 minutes to Sedona, checked in, ordered a pizza, and headed straight to the pool.  My two swimmers have come a long way this year and it's so much fun to be at the pool together! (And even better to sit on the edge and watch while Daddy played! :)

~Saturday morning, we slept in (just kidding, the Osterhaus clan is awake with the sun!).  After a solo run, I met up with Ryan and the kids for a joint run/bike ride/sight seeing/park play adventure.  My idea of a perfect morning!

~We then headed to Grasshopper Point.  We started with a short hike, and then hit up the swimming hole to play in the cold waters.  A few older kids were climbing a cliff, walking along a ridge and jumping off into the waters below.  Lily immediately said "I WANT TO DO THAT" to which I at first ignored….she isn't known to be overly adventurous or brave.  After she continued to insist, I said "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" and then continued to ignore.  (I've said it once, and I'll say it again, heights bother me and there was no way I was going to let Lily climb up there and then jump off into unknown waters).  

Luckily for Lily, her dad is less protective (and chicken) than her mother….after a little persistence, I gave in and off they went.  Ryan will admit he was a bit nervous on the ridge walking to the jumping point…it's fairly high and very narrow.  Dad jumped first, and I just knew our girl would chicken out and he'd have to go back up to retrieve her.  But after Ryan counted to three, off she jumped…and came up with huge smiles and so very proud of herself.  Me, well, I was shocked, amazed, and a little in awe of our girl.

After all that excitement, we were tired, hungry, and ready to relax.  We headed to the Indian Garden Oak Creek Market for a tasty lunch outside while watching a storm roll in.  Heaven for us this time of year!  The rest of the day was spent napping, watching the rain, and then walking to dinner.  

~Sunday morning, we did touristy Sedona.  We booked the Sedona trolley, learned a bit of history while William loved riding a "train", admired the beautiful red rocks, and toured the Chapel of the Holy Cross.  Such a fun hour ride for all ages!

~Our final stop of the trip…the Sedona airport and lunch.  While I might not recommend the restaurant, the views on the drive to the top of the mesa were out of this world, plus the airplanes taking off and room for the kids to run made it worthwhile!

Our weekend was exactly what our family needed….quality time together, lots of relaxing, a little adventure, all in one of the most beautiful places in the world.