Happy 80th Birthday, Dad

 

November 30, 2012 was my Dad's 80th birthday. Being a twin, it was my Uncle Jim's 80th birthday too! (I hope his day was just as special!)

My siblings and I were fortunate enough to be able to fly to Arizona and spend some time with Dad to help celebrate his big day. We stayed in a vacation home outside of Tucson with plenty of room for everyone. My brother, his wife and their daughter flew over from the East Coast. My sister and her husband, as well as my daughter and I, flew down from the Pacific Northwest. My husband was unable to go because of the demands of the restaurant at this time of the year and my son needed to stay in school (he's a sophomore so missing too many days can make it nearly impossible to catch up). Each group arrived and left at different times so Dad was able to enjoy non-stop family for 10 days. Talk about an extended birthday.... wow.

Going to Arizona at this time of the year was a perfect idea! (Yes, siblings, I admit it!) The sun was bright in the big blue sky and the temperatures were PERFECT. It was in the low 80's during the day so if you sat in the sun it became down right HOT. Sweaty hot! It was AWESOME! The nights were cold so sitting outside beside the fire pit was pretty awesome too.

 

 

 

 

The house was huge - built with a lot of iron, tile and granite - and had many amenities including a gym (which I actually used once), an infinity pool and a jacuzzi (used them too - yes, me - I got in the water!). There were enormous windows everywhere! My absolute favorite part of the house was the back deck. It was huge and seemed to overlook the world. We were up high on a mountain side and the view was spectacular! I loved the vast openness of the area. At night we could see the twinkling city lights of Tucson. It was beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday morning (the day after Brittany and I arrived), I decided to get outside and enjoy the sunshine while getting in a little exercise. Dad's wife, Carolin, is a Park Ranger in Arizona and spends her days working outside, climbing up and down Picacho Peak. I knew she would be the perfect pal for a walking adventure so off we went! We decided to hike a nearby trail and just walk until we wanted to turn around. I had a little trouble breathing when walking uphill - couldn't inhale deeply enough - because we were high in the mountains (we were 2500+ feet above sea level and I live at 249 feet). The air was definitely thinner up there! Walking a trail in Arizona was a completely different experience than walking a trail in Washington. Biggest issue: When one is trying to keep one's balance on a steep up/down hill in Washington, one can reach out and use the friendly pine tree to steady oneself. In Arizona, using what one thinks is a pine tree in one's mind, which is actually a saguaro cactus, might lead to a very prickly situation. Those mamas aren't friendly at all! Luckily, I caught myself just as I was reaching out to grab that Arizona "pine" and saved myself from a lot of pain! While walking, I really had to pay attention to my feet, legs, arms, hands, head, etc. because every inch of the earth seemed to be covered and crawling with one type of cacti or another and they all looked extremely menacing! 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it though and again, the vast openness is what I loved most. You could see sooooo far! (I've been to Arizona a few times in the past and always leave there wishing I could stay!)

Carolin and I followed a trail that lead us to an old stone house built in the early 1930's. (Very cool! I love history!)

 

In the picture above, the RED dot is the house we were staying in. 

The PURPLE dot is the stone house! Awesome hike! :)

We then walked the trail a little further but soon decided to turn back because it was getting warmer out and we were not carrying enough water - as it was, I ran out long before reaching the house. Besides the obvious... having such a wonderful time visiting with family... that morning's hike was the highlight of my trip. I would love to go back and really spend some time out there on those trails! (Keep that in mind, Carolin!)

Friday was Dad's birthday. I started out with a 45 minute workout on the EFX Crosstrainer (which caused my butt to hurt for the next two days!) because I knew I would be eating CAKE and was trying to make up for it ahead of time. (I'm pretty smart sometimes!) The day started out with a bang (right, Dad?! heh heh) and we sat around visiting until it was time to get the party rolling!

 

For several days Dad had watched each one of us playing on our iPads, even 3-year-old Emme...

He decided he wanted to look into getting one in the near future. Well... he really didn't know how near in the future that would be! We got him an iPad! (Welcome to the iPad addiction, Dad!) He also received a really nice solar watch from Carolin (the only thing she has ever seen him want enough to actually Google it) and several other nice gifts. Our most special gift to him was a large photo book starting with his grandparents, then his parents, and then his life over the past 80 years. Such a beautiful treasure.

 

The rest of the day was spent learning the iPad... eating cake and ice cream... visiting... swimming... and eating more cake and ice cream...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a crazy time taking pictures...

 

Do you see Dad's face in the above picture?!

We didn't know he was there! hahaha!

 

 

We went out for a special birthday dinner in Tucson at The Grill at Hacienda Del Sol where they served us an awesome meal and a rich chocolate dessert for the Birthday Boy (and his little helper). We stayed up late into the night, simply enjoying each other's company.  It had been several years since my sister, brother and I were all together at the same time with Dad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday started out early, watching the sunrise and having some special visiting time with Russ. (I love my brother and sister very, very much and don't see either of them often enough!) We then went for an early morning swim in the beautifully warm sunshine! (On December 1st!! Unbelievable!) We enjoyed breakfast together, had another piece of cake (heh heh... I should have stayed on that Crosstrainer for several hours!), spent more time in the sun, taking pictures, and visiting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although Brittany and I weren't in Arizona long (four days), we flew home that afternoon with our hearts filled to the brim with unforgetable memories. I am so happy we were able to go. (Too bad Husband and Son weren't there but I knew they were with us in spirit.)
The entire visit was very meaningful and one that I will hold dear in my heart for the rest of my life. Thank you, family. I love you all.

 

Happiest of Birthdays, Dad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cynthia, Craig, Russ and Maxine: Thank you all so much for your generosity and for everything you did to make this trip successful and memorable. Love you mucho!