Hello all!

Haven’t talked to you in a few months!  This year is already moving so fast and work has been busy, busy, busy!

My weight loss New Year’s Resolution went out the window by February 🙂  BUT… the resolution to vacation more and spend more quality time with my husband and our family is going great!

Case-in-point, we just returned from 5 days in Arizona.  We initially planned to go to Mexico, but changed our mind at the very last moment!

We decided to take a relaxing, sight-seeing trip to Sedona.  We flew into Phoenix and drove to our amazing hotel among the Red Rock mountain.  The weather was my kind of perfect, 80 degrees during the day, and 40 degrees at night.  We hiked, soaked up the sun, ate, relaxed, and even took a few tours.  My husband is part Native American so this was a really interesting trip, culturally.

We visited many Vortexes around Sedona.  I even got a chance to meditate on top of one!  Some Native Americans believe a Vortex is a place in nature where the earth is exceptionally alive with energy.  Energy from the earth swirls and draws to it’s center.  It was amazing!  I felt energy right away when my ears started ringing, then my right leg wouldn’t stop shaking.  It was so cool!

I didn’t know much about vortexes until one of my photographer’s at work broke it all down for me.  The energy flowing in that town is amazing.  It really forces you to spiritually stop in your place and be grateful.  I try and do that every morning when I wake up, but it was nice to do that for a longer period of time.

 

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We also got the chance to stop by and see the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park.  Stupas are one of the oldest forms of sacred architecture.  Buddhists have built them to promote spiritual deepening and healing.  People of all faiths were there praying and appreciating the silence.

 

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A few days into our trip we jumped in the car and took off to the Grand Canyon. I haven’t been there since I was a little kid, and my husband has never been there, so this was a real treat.

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The South Rim was the only section open this time of year, and it was packed!  We walked around for a couple of hours and really took in the sights and the fresh air.  Which by the way, was really hard to get used to!  Our hotel was on a mountain, several thousand feet above sea level.  My skin, my throat, lips, everything… was so dry!  I was huffing and puffing just walking up a small mountain!  I can’t imagine how people living in higher elevations do it, I’m sure they probably get used to it fairly quickly, but it was pretty tough for me, well worth it though.

 

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I can’t stress enough how beautiful the sites were.  Every morning we woke up to the beautiful Red Rock outside our hotel room patio door, and Bell Rock, Thunder Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and more were just a few short miles away.  Such peace and serenity.  No, it wasn’t the beach time in Mexico I was longing for, but this trip gave me so much more.  It allowed me to do things I’ve never done before, and really take in the beauty that this country possesses.   I honestly didn’t want to leave!  (neither did my husband!)

Don’t get me wrong, I still long for lazy beach days… but let me just say, after this trip, we have many more (nature) sight seeing trips ahead!

Have some suggestions?  Let me know, I’m all ears!

As always, thanks for reading!

 

XO, DP