Our first family trip, flying was to Mesa, Arizona! Taking an airplane ride required a little more planning than the usual road trips we had been taking. I couldn’t just throw everything I thought we would need in the back of the truck and go. Family travel is the best!
Our Arizona trip was super important for another reason, our Cubbies had just won the World Series and we were heading to spring training. Three games in three days, fly in, fly out, it was going to be a quick trip. The boys each packed two pairs of shorts, swim suits, three underwear (you know…they didn’t want to pack any. “Mom we are only going for three days!”) Pack your underwear boys! One shirt was packed because they were wearing one and we were going to buy them each one there. No socks #arizonaheat, a hat, toothbrush, a book, two magazines, two lego guys and they were all set. Shh…I didn’t tell you this but they also fit in their blue bears and blankeys. They did a great job packing, and we had started teaching them to pack themselves around the age of five, we always do quality control and sometimes play our veto card, but not often.
For Marty and I, our backpacks were pretty much the same, shorts, shirt, pj shirt, underwear, toiletries, (but really we are so low maintenance, so not much.) We also threw in hats, magazines, cell phones and chargers and really that’s about it. We love our long drawn out vacations but we also like quick trips!
We landed late at night, and had a car reservation. The condo we rented through Air BnB was very nice and included a pool, which we also like to have! We were set to enjoy our weekend and baseball! Go Cubbies!!!
The ball fields in Mesa were so super nice! We went to games at Sloan Field and the Rockies field, both looked brand new and had all the amenities of a major league ballpark.
It was blazing hot in Arizona in March and we found shade under the stands, next to brick walls, and standing next to the ice cream kiosk. The boys loved all the fun activities each field had for kids like playing wiffle ball on a mini-field, getting autographs, standing in line for free promotional items and of course eating as much food as possible.
Marty’s cousin lives in the Mesa area so we met up with him and his wife at Top Golf for dinner and a ton of fun golfing at night….with lights….so fun!! The boys loved Top Golf, and since none of us were overly concerned about our golf score, the adults ended up chatting as the boys took our turns golfing. Trips are so much better when you build in time to make connections with friends and family who live nearby. It doesn’t take much time and our memories of that trip will always include Matt and Mandi. How do you “TOP” that?
Our family really enjoys the outdoors and we always find a way to enjoy the areas hiking trails. BUT…we were all a little nervous being in an area of the country hiking, so we put it off until the last day, but we just couldn’t let it pass by and not get out into the wild. We went to a small trail with inclines and declines that was perfect for us. We say dessert flowers, cactus, lizards and more! It was super hot and so different than the hiking we are used to doing in Wisconsin, but we did it!!! P.S. We got lost and Marty and Cooper went off the trail to get back to the parking lot we could see about a mile away, to then drive the car to the trail end where Mason and I met them. Our family cracks me up, never a emergency, but always an adventure.
