Tag Archives: empty nesters

winter weekend at the grand canyon 

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View from the South Rim at Grand Canyon National Park

View from the South Rim at Grand Canyon National Park

For the second year in a row, we found ourselves headed to Arizona on Valentine’s Day. Last year, we spent the long weekend in Scottsdale and Chandler. This year, we decided to spend the weekend at the Grand Canyon for several reasons. Scott had never been there before, and the last time I visited was in 1969. The forecast was calling for record-high temperatures. And, the icing on the cake, admission to the national park was free for the Presidents’ Day weekend.

Cruiser's Cafe 66 in Williams, Arizona

Cruiser’s Cafe 66 in Williams, Arizona

The reason for the trip was in Phoenix, so we had a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner there and then set out for the Grand Canyon the next morning. We took a quick detour to Williams, Ariz., to visit the Grand Canyon Brewing Company. Unfortunately, it was closed during the off-season, so we walked around the town a bit and decided we definitely want to come back and visit when everything is open.

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confessions of a packaholic

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Ready for the weekend!

Ready for the weekend!

We just returned from a spontaneous four-night trip to Arizona, planned just two days before we left. As we were getting ready to leave, the differences in our packing styles and thought processes were pretty entertaining.

It was snowing as we left Colorado and headed to Phoenix, where record-high temperatures were supposed to be near 90. Our plan was to have a nice Valentine’s Day dinner in Phoenix, then head out the next morning for the Grand Canyon, which meant higher elevations and hiking.

If you’re keeping track, that means we were packing for snow, sunshine, hiking, a night out, cold temps, warm temps, hot temps and several long drives. Not counting toiletries or what we were wearing when we left the house, here’s what we each ended up bringing along.

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30 things I learned while traveling abroad

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We learned that, given enough alcohol, we will eat haggis.

We learned that, given enough alcohol, we will eat haggis.

Our trip to Ireland and Scotland was very educational. I learned some things about myself. Scott and I learned some things about each other. And I definitely learned some things about traveling in these countries. Here are 30 things I picked up, in no particular order.

  1. We are not good with maps. We got lost. A lot.
  2. The Irish are quite possibly the friendliest people on Earth, until they get behind the wheel of a car. Then they’re crazy.
  3. Even after touring the beautiful Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry, Scotland, and seeing all of the care and skill that goes into making some of the finest Scotch in the world, I still don’t like it.
  4. Given enough alcohol, we will eat haggis. Continue reading

arizona road trip, part 1: glenwood springs to scottsdale

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Looking for John Wayne.

Looking for John Wayne in Monument Valley.

Our second major empty nest road trip took us from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, to Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona, for a Valentine’s Day getaway. It’s a lot of miles to cover in a day, but the topography and scenery vary so much that the drive doesn’t seem to take that long. Especially if you’re the passenger.

It was cold and wintery when we left our home in Glenwood Springs and headed west through Rifle, Grand Junction and Fruita. Our first stop was in Moab, Utah, which is beautiful anytime of the year. On this day, the magnificent red rocks had a coating of snow against a brilliant blue sky. Continue reading

a few of my favorite things

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A snowy Christmas Eve at the Pine Creek Cookhouse.

A snowy Christmas Eve at the Pine Creek Cookhouse.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it: the music, the movies, the decorations, the hustle and bustle, even the bell ringers. I love the spirituality and kindness that spread throughout families and communities as people come together to celebrate and to help each other. I love the traditions and the memories it brings up of holidays past.

In addition to raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, here are a few of my favorite things about the holidays: Continue reading

three things that i have learned

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Leaving, on a jet plane.

Leaving, on a jet plane.

They say that with age comes wisdom. Since I turned 50 over the weekend, I thought I would share three of the most important things I learned during my first half century.

1. There’s no such thing as a small tear in the seat of your jeans. Throw them away. Think you’ll keep them and just wear them around the house? You’ll forget. Throw them away. Think you can sew and that you’ll get around to fixing them? You won’t. Throw them away. Throw them away before you wear them Christmas shopping.

2. I should not drink wine and attend an auction of any sort. At a live auction, I will drink wine and bid against myself. It’s true. I’ve seen me do it. At silent auctions, I will drink wine and become so fixated on something that I lose perspective and try to keep other people from the bid sheets … without being obvious. I often succeed on obtaining the item, sometimes at a cost that far outweighs its actual value, but I rarely succeed at the not being obvious part. Continue reading

when the chicks fly far from the nest

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Learning to Fly.

Sending a son or daughter off to college a few hours from home is challenging, but manageable. Sending one to Ireland for four months, now that’s a different story.

I’ve lived in nine cities in six different states, went to college 2,000 miles from my parents and I love to travel and explore. We’ve always encouraged our kids to have a sense of adventure, and both considered colleges far from home. But when they both chose to stay in-state, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Living three or four hours away gave them the freedom and independence they needed. It gave me peace of mind knowing that if there was an emergency, I could get there pretty quickly. That changed this week.

On Monday morning, we drove our daughter to the airport in Denver to begin a four-month study abroad program in Cork, Ireland. It’s an incredible opportunity, and I am so excited for her … but it was a long drive home. It was also a long and awkward elevator ride back to the parking lot after we said our goodbyes in the airport. I only cried for a couple of minutes, but it probably seemed much longer than that to the man who stepped into the elevator with us at the last minute. Bet he won’t do that again without taking a closer look at the occupants first. Continue reading

motorcycle road trip: lake city, colorado

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Our cozy cabin in Lake City, Colorado

Our cozy cabin in Lake City, Colorado.

I love small towns, and Lake City, Colorado, is one of my favorites. We spent many happy Fourth of July holidays there camping, riding dirt bikes, watching the parade and the fireworks with the kids. Although the full-time population is just 400, it’s a very popular place during the summer. Campsites became harder to find and our visits dwindled. I hadn’t been back in six years, so we decided it was the perfect destination for our first overnight motorcycle trip.

Waterfall near Redstone, Colorado.

Waterfall near Redstone, Colorado.

Packing light is not one of my skills, but I was able to squeeze one night’s worth of my stuff into the travel bag that sits on the back of my bike. Actually, there was a little room to spare, and another small bag that fits on the top that I didn’t need, so longer trips are definitely an option. Continue reading