I'm a nervous flyer--did you know that about me? Before every trip I acknowledge the possibility that it could be my last and by the time I get to the airport, after saying goodbye to the babies I cherish, I shed a few silent tears and try not to think about how sad life would be without me in it! This fear was born on a post-mission flight from Hades when our plane hit a tropical storm over the Pacific and I was sure we were going down. Passengers were screaming in fear as I was holding my breath, terrified. The plane felt as stable as a toy jet in the hands of a toddler and when we finally landed I thought that if I ever got on a plane again it would be too soon. But life had other plans, and I'm proud that over the last 15 years I haven't let that discomfort get in the way of our global lifestyle. I will say, however, that the adventure drought that Covid-lockdown delivered has found me rusty, and navigating my nerves as things are opening up has been interesting. I'm out of practice. My big life feels foreign and our little world feels more comfortable than ever. And that's not wrong, and that's not bad, but I also don't want to miss out on so much goodness because of what could--but probably won't--go wrong.
A few weeks ago I went to Arizona on a girls trip with some of my BYU roommates. It had been planned for months--AirBNB booked, flights scheduled--and I had been so looking forward to spending time with them, but the week of the trip I started looking for every possible reason to cancel. This is not like me, I promise you, because I am the FOMO Queen and want to be at literally ev-er-y-thing, but I was so nervy and feeling so conflicted that I could have bailed and never looked back. But I didn't. Quinny and I have been talking a lot lately about doing hard things, because coming out of Covid has not been a cakewalk for her either, and we made a deal that she was going to be brave without me at home, and I was going to be brave on an adventure with my old friends. Being brave doesn't mean it wasn't hard. Poor Quinny ended up in the office with an I-miss-mommy tummy ache and I spent a good portion of Friday morning trying to console her while feeling my fair share of mom guilt. But, you know what? She scored four goals in her Saturday soccer game and had the best time eating Happy Meals and watching a movie with her Dad at home. And in Arizona? I reconnected and relaxed and bonded with women who are smart and interesting and beautiful and also an integral part of the patchwork quilt of my life. I'm so glad I went. And Quinny? She lived without me for a weekend (barely, her words).
Since I'm opening my vulnerability door wide open at this point I'll fill you in on another little secret, I always take one last airport selfie before take off. Just in case.
Roomies, back together again! Oh my goodness you should have seen us shopping and laughing and trying on clothes like teenagers. We all left with some pretty cute duds and Last Chance meant that we got hundreds of dollars of deals. I love that place!
I think my very favorite purchase of the trip is a cream jumpsuit that is what dreams are made of. Or maybe my lime green skirt that is going to be the highlight of my spring!
Saturday was spent in work-out clothes from sun up to sun down. We went on a hike, rented a Surrey and rode around the city, ate yummy food, and ended up in the hot tub (at that point we put on swimsuits, haha!) We blasted Jessica Simpson, made partial fools of ourselves, and one of us even got a work-out (thanks Ash). It was a full and a fun day!
How many random people do you have to ask before you get a decent picture? So. dang. many. it's. ridiculous. But we finally got a couple cute ones and we were so pleased with ourselves.
We hiked-ish. Does a ten minute walk count?!
Hot tubbing for hours and talking about so many interesting topics and people and ideas. These women have all lived wildly different lives and hearing their perspectives was so wonderful.
Peace out, Arizona, but not for long. Until a few months ago I had never spent any time in Arizona but now I feel like I'm always planning a trip or two in that direction. I could live there and love it. I hate the cold. And I love cacti. (And mostly--I LOVE Bahama Bucks!!!)
