Addendum: The beginning of this post mentions the wonderful week we spent skiing with my cousin Gregory. Gregory loves the mountains, and skiing speaks to his soul. An expert skier, he skied Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, and Brighton during the five days he spent with us. Yesterday he drove to Denver, absolutely thrilled to spend the next week exploring the Colorado resorts.
While composing this post, I learned that Greg broke his femur today while tree skiing in Breckenridge. We are so sad. Oh, how I wish we were right there to help him! I know this is such a disappointing setback, especially since Greg has been planning a future ski career.
It's a humbling reminder too. As much as we love it, skiing is risky, even for those as talented as Greg.
Greg, we want you to know how much we love you and that we're praying for you. Awful as this is, I'm so glad it wasn't worse. I'll take a broken leg over a broken neck. You are so strong--I really believe that we will ski together again. (With a healthy dose of caution, of course.) And with or without snow, our home is always open to you and yours. We're family!
***
I believe that there are great aspects to living anywhere. This past week, my cousin Gregory came to visit from Long Island in order to ski the Utah mountains. (It was SO fun to see you Greg!) On a similar note, Christy came up from Arizona and is skiing with Jason at this very moment. It's gotta be special to enjoy the fresh powder when snow is a rarity.
Well, at the beginning of February, we decided to escape Utah and visit Christy and Ben down in Phoenix.
The beginning of our trip was frigid. We parked our minivan at Jason's work and took Trax down to the airport on a super cold morning. Having booked super cheap flights on Frontier, we packed light and made it to Phoenix without any hassle.
Our chilly start helped us appreciate the Arizona warmth even more. On our first afternoon, Christy took us to the Musical Instrument Museum. My kids were in heaven!
Back to the MIM, they have 15 thousand instruments in their collection. I was blown away by the immense variety of instruments played around the world. There must be something universal within the human soul that yearns to create music.
While the collection was massive, a few instruments were massive all on their own. Check out this octo-bass!
Naturally I sought out the french horns. Apparently not all are brass instruments!
The Experience Gallery was a favorite for my budding musicians. (Speaking of which, Eli has a new obsession with the clarinet, but that's a story for another day.)
Brooklyn said the MIM was her very favorite museum ever. Wow! Glad you liked it so much, Buttermilk. Originally Brooklyn wasn't flying to Phoenix with us because it conflicted with her CADCA trip to DC. When CADCA got cancelled due to Omicron, we quickly booked her a ticket to join us instead.
The next day Christy took us on a lovely hike around Spur Cross Ranch. I just can't get enough of the saguaros! I suppose you get used to them eventually, but to me they are as exotic as palm trees. Nothing says "sunny vacation" like a cactus.
Apparently Talia wants to hug. Careful! They're sharp.
The trail was particularly fun because of the multiple creek crossings.
Most people passing through Phoenix get to enjoy the sunshine and the cacti. Only the most favored, however, get to relish the haute cuisine Chez Spackman. Oh my heavens! Were we ever spoiled. We dined like there would be no tomorrow. Here's Christy tossing homemade pasta. Note the freshly made sauce simmering on the stove as well.
For breakfast the next morning we indulged in Christy's homemade croissants and pains au chocolat.
Not to worry, we balanced ourselves nutritionally by eating grapefruit picked right off the tree. I don't even like grapefruit, but they were so amazing that I devoured two. Wish we all could grow citrus in our backyards!
The sour oranges aren't as good for eating straight, but still beautiful to look at.
Back to our culinary adventures, Ben made his famous chilaquiles with homemade roasted tomatillo salsa and pickled red onion. A few mouthfuls, and you can die happy.
More laminated pastry dough?
How about Christy's renowned artisan bread? (Drool away.)
Not too shabby, especially when you consider we were only in Phoenix for three days. Thank you so much Ben and Christy, not only for the delicious food, but for involving our family in its creation. I love this picture of all the mini-chefs in the making. Future generations thank you as well!
I may not have the culinary talent to repay you in food, but I gladly offer the services of my handyman husband. No better place to hang out on a Saturday night than at the Po.
Some photos of Ben and Christy's cool house. If I remember correctly, the previous owners were artists who specialized in metal working.
Sunday was stake conference, so we enjoyed church via Zoom given the Covid surge. Afterward, Ben led us in a really enlightening Old Testament discussion about Ruth. I wish we lived close enough to Come Follow Me together more often!
That afternoon we headed to the Salt River in search of wild horses.
Great place for a Sunday afternoon stroll. Talia and Christy even match.
Feeling the love.
Monday morning Jason, Talia, and I headed out for an early trail run before heading to the airport. Good morning Phoenix.
This is where the warm fuzzies end. As soon as the first group of us arrived at the airport (we had to travel in shifts since we won't all fit in a car), we learned that Frontier had cancelled our flight. It was a quite the fiasco rebooking. The next Frontier flight wouldn't get us home until late afternoon the next day! In the end, they told us we could repurchase tickets on a different airline and that they would refund us the cost up to $200 per ticket. With that deal in mind, we flew Southwest and made it home that evening.
Ready to fly.
In the end, the cancelled flight with Frontier has turned into a bit of a battle. We are struggling to get them to honor their agreement, but thanks to some helpful intervention from Ben over Twitter, we are gaining traction and hopeful that they will still reimburse us for our flights as promised.
Looking at these pictures has helped me feel more peaceful about the entire situation. No matter what, the trip was well worth it! Plus, Christy and Brooklyn's pastry dough made it through security. (It was a close call. Apparently it would have been confiscated if it hadn't been frozen.)
The taste of Arizona right in Salt Lake. Thanks again for the amazing weekend, Christy and Ben!
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Update: Gregory finally made it home to Long Island, NY late March 10th. He has a titanium rod inside his left femur bone. It was a challenge for Janet (his mom) and me (his uncle) to retrieve him from his Frisco, CO hospital, get his hostel belongings in Breckenridge, drive his rental car back to Denver, and get everything prepared for his return flight from DIA to LGA. To his credit, Gregory is unfailingly polite and grateful, even in the midst of unrelenting pain and discomfort. He is a fine example. We all wish him a full and rapid recovery. It was great to catch up a bit with both Greg and Janet, but I hope the next time we meet we will not be in crisis or cleanup mode. It all reminds me how important family connections are. ... We are blessed to serve and help in whatever way we can when the need arises.
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