Kim and Tom Visit - Feb 2017

Snarrs and Dodds on top of Camelback

Kim, Tom, and the kids had two spring breaks this year (Feb and April) so decided to use one of them to come to Scottsdale to see Tom's brother as well as us.  Of course, with the swimming commitments of the kids, there were a few complications in the logistics.

They all flew in at about midnight on Saturday.  With 5 of them we both had to take both cars to pick up the whole gang.  Oddly, it was raining as they arrived, and the week they were here ended up being one of the coolest on record.  We went straight to our house to put the kids to bed while we had a few beers with Kim and Tom.  The next morning we all got up, packed up, and immediately headed out to meet Tom's brother so we could drive up to John's cabin in Happy Jack.  It took about 2 hours door to door - and we got to drive through some reasonably heavy snow as we went over the pass to get to the cabin.  The cabin is in a subdivision designed for log cabin houses.  When we arrived, Alicia was there waiting for us, along with their three girls Tori, Cassie, and Maddie as well as Alicia's brother-in-law.  For lunch, we had burgers and hot dogs. We went for a walk in the afternoon, and then played some games before dinner.  For dinner, we had fajitas and guacamole.  The Sunday was just relaxing over breakfast, then we had to head home so Keith could get Shawna to the airport for a flight to Chicago.

Opening Day of Spring Training

Kim and Tom and the kids took the 4Runner and did a trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon until Thursday night - including a helicopter flight over the canyon that was a surprise for the kids.  On Thursday night, Keith met them at Macayo's on Scottsdale Ave for Tom's birthday dinner.   We then came back to our house - where Shawna arrived after her trip to both Chicago and Florida.

Friday was a pretty packed day.  We started by hiking Camelback - all the kids made it no problem at all.  We even got parking spaces at the trail head to Shawna's happiness!  We wanted to have lunch at the Pasty Shop but there was not really enough time before we needed to be at the next stop: Opening Day of Spring Training for the Giants vs Reds at Scottsdale Stadium.  There are 15 teams that hold their spring training in the Cactus League, and it was pretty cool to go to such a small stadium to see the game.  There was plenty of food and drinks - and we had tickets in the outfield on the grass.  We left the game a bit early to stop by the store and start getting dinner ready. 

Riley and Ryan Horseback Riding

Dinner was a cookout at our house - we grilled steaks and sausage for Kim, Tom, and kids as well as John, Alicia, and their three kids.  We started with guac/chips as well as tuna poke by the pool, then ate dinner inside (including the grilled meats, mexican quinoa and mexican corn), and wrapped up the evening with the inaugural use of our cobbled-together karaoke machine.  John's kids were really good, and while Riley was shy to start, she was owning the microphone by the end of the evening!

On Saturday, Tom had to leave to take Kaley to a swim meet, so Keith took them to the airport early in the morning.  Sadly, Shawna started feeling really poorly, which ended up being the beginning of her being sick for 7 days.  So the rest of the weekend was mostly Keith, Kim, Ryan, and Riley.  On Saturday, we hiked Tom's Thumb and then had pizza at 1000 Degrees pizza before going back to the house for a swim.  We ordered in dinner, watched a movie with the kids, and then headed out for a 9:30pm flight at iFly.  It was all of our first time to do it - really cool! 

Kim Horseback Riding

On Sunday, Kim decided we'd go horseback riding at Macdonalds Ranch.  It was a pretty cool hour ride - we ended up as a private group since no one else was scheduled at the same time.  The rest of the day was relaxing - with dinner ordered in with a movie again.  On Monday morning, Keith had a flight out for work and Kim and the kids left at 6am so we all Ubered to the airport together.

Martin and Michelle Visit - February 2017

Keith, Michelle and Martin on the Flight to Scottsdale

Martin and Michelle came to visit us in Scottsdale (Keith and Martin used to work together at Aimco).  While it was a quick 36 hour whirlwind visit, we were excited to host them.

Keith was in Denver the week before so was able to get on the same flight from Denver to Phoenix on the Friday afternoon as Martin and Michelle.  He saw them as they were sharing a drink at Root Down, and all sat together on the plane - helping burn Keith's Southwest drink coupons.  We Ubered to the house in time for a bottle of wine before heading out to meet Tim and Jodi for dinner at Spiga.  Dinner was delicious - the baratta appetizer was great and we shared the the caprese salad and short ribs over polenta.  After returning home, we shared another couple of bottles of wine, with Keith bailing out and going to bed before the others!

On Top of Camelback

Saturday was a busy day.  The first stop was the traditional trip up Camelback.  Like the previous weekend, we dropped the car at Keith's work and Ubered back and forth to the Echo Canyon start.  After the hike, we (of course!) headed over to the Cornish Pasty Company for lunch.  The waitress knew our order before we could even tell her - a tell tale sign that we are becoming regulars there!  The next stop of the day was Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe.  We shared a couple of beers before we started the 2:30pm brewery tour which was led by a guy who ran the operations.  It was probably the most informative brewery tour we have been on.  The tour was only $10 each and comes with 2 free beers afterward.  We were able to sit on the outdoor patio enjoying the beers before driving back to the house.

Brewery Tour at Four Peaks

We had only a bit off time to shower and get ready for dinner - but enough time to share a final bottle of wine and show them our Uganda/Rwanda gorilla photos.  Dinner was at Ocotillo - while the food was delicious, the service that evening was spotty - they had run out of the wine that Michelle wanted and one of the entrees we had ordered so we quickly had to place another order.  We shared a vegetable dish and crudo for appetizers and then Keith and Shawna shared the pork tenderloin for an entree and also tasted some of the pasta that Martin had ordered.  The restaurant is very lively with seating options both inside and out.

Shelly had to be back in Denver for work Sunday morning so they left the house by Uber at 6:30 am.  We used the rest of the day to catch up both personal items and work.