Arizona

We just got home from Arizona last night just after 10pm. We went down there for Rick to interview at AT Still, a medical school in Mesa, AZ. It was a great trip! But just like after any trip, it was nice to finally get back home. 

Wednesday morning Rick got up and went to class until noon. As soon as he was done he came home, we ate, finished loading the car up and headed on our way. Kimbri and I had been working on getting everything ready pretty much all day on Tuesday so that we could leave as soon as possible on Wednesday. And I'm glad we did because even leaving soon after Rick's class we still didn't get to AZ until after midnight! But the drive actually wasn't too bad. Kimbri did amazing! She totally zonked right out as soon as we left and took a good nap. Here's a picture of her snoozing in the car.

After  she woke up she played with toys, ate some snacks, looked at books, etc... and was just overall a good little traveler!! 

After driving for about 5 hours Kimbri fell back asleep and took another good nap! It was a pretty late nap but that was okay by me since we were just going to be in the car anyway! We took a wrong turn somewhere just past Kanab, Ut and ended up going on US 89A through Kaibab National Forest instead of going on US 89. Luckily it took us right back to US 89 but instead of a more straight shot road we were twisting and turning on an extremely curvy road!! But once getting out of the forest part of it, just as the sun was setting, we came out into the open to see a beautiful landscape! The sun was just hitting the rocks so perfectly and it made for a beautiful view! So even thought it was a total mistake, it turned out to be a nice little scenic detour. But we made sure to go the other way on our way home, because it seriously was a very curvy road that I didn't feel like going on again. 

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures the rest of the trip. I guess I just forgot to whip out my camera. But really was a great trip! I guess it was a more stressful trip for Rick since he was the one going to the interview but I think he had a great time seeing and learning more about the school and after the interview was all over he had the rest of Friday, Saturday and Sunday to relax so it turned out great! 

So after arriving to Shelby and Rue's house late Wednesday night in Gilbert, AZ, we chatted and finally went to bed around 1am. But it really felt like 2am for us because AZ doesn't do the whole daylight savings thing. So we were super tired! Kimbri had woke up when we got there and was awaked while we were talking and visiting with Shelby and Rue. When it was time to go back to sleep she went right to sleep but then decided to wake up several times in the night! Which doesn't usually happen! I think the long day of traveling just messed her sleeping schedule up! 

Rick got up early the next morning and toured Midwestern, another medical school about an hour away. He hasn't been invited for an interview there yet but since we were in the area he decided it would be worth going to check the school out. 

That afternoon he attended class at AT Still with a current student, just to see how classes were there and to find out a little bit more about the school. He is very interested in AT Still so he wanted to do everything he could to show his interest and to be prepared for his interview on Friday. 

That evening we dropped Kimbri off at Brookie and Daniels house, some of Rick's family that lives in Mesa, and went to the social that AT Still held for those being interview the following day, plus one guest. So I got to go with him! It was really neat to be able to be a part of it...to see the school and meet some of the faculty and hear about what they had to say about their school. They fed us little sandwich wraps, fruit and vegetables as we sat around in different groups talking and asking questions to the faculty members and the student ambassadors. 

The next day, Friday morning, Rick got up and attended his interview from 8am to about 2pm. It was a long stressful process for him but at the end of it all he felt really good about it and has high hopes! One of the interviewers was ended up being the professor of the class that he had attended the day before and whom he had already talked with! What are the odds?! So he felt like during the interview he was able to talk really comfortably and confidently with him from the get go. We couldn't believe that he just happened to be the one interviewing Rick after he had already talked with him and gone to his class the day before! It worked out great! 

Friday night, after all of the stress of interview day was over, we got to meet up at a park in Mesa with a ton of Rick's family that lives in AZ. It was fun to see all of the again! I haven't been to AZ since before we were married. They are all so nice and welcoming and just made me feel so much part of the family.  All the kids played and the adults chatted and visited and we had a grand old time! 

One REALLY hilarious and funny side story... While we were at the park I decided to take Kimbri's shoes off. Instead of wood chips, like most all of Utah's parks have, they had sand. So I thought it was a great idea to take her shoes off and let her walk and feel the sand. I thought she would love it! But I was very, very wrong.

She could not stand the feeling of sand!

As soon as I stood her back up, barefoot in the sand, after taking her shoes off, she got a super nervous and scared face and immediately clung to my leg, pulling at my pants, wanting me to pick her back up! Hahaha!!! It was soooooo funny!

I called Rick over to show him how funny it was. She got nervous all over again. After several attempts of standing her in the sand, she eventually was okay with standing in the sand. Then after a little while longer she took a few steps but was walking super slow for fear of falling. Because she's never walked in sand before she soon fell, and put her hands in the sand to try and hoist herself back up like she normally does after sitting down.

Oh no. She freaked out. She immediately pulled her hands away from the sand, having it still stuck to the palms of her hands, looked up at me and just pulled the saddest, most scared face. It was like a bug or something was crawling on her and she couldn't get it off. Although maybe a little weird for her, Rick and I were just cracking up over the whole ordeal. She seriously hated touching the sand!!! 

We wiped her hands off and she started walking again. When she fell again, she started to put her hands back down but saw the sand. She leaned/turned to her right to put her hands down there but about an inch away her hands stopped because she just couldn't bear touching the sand again! Haha! So she used her momentum and eventually figured out how to stand up without using her hands to push herself up! She used all that leg muscle in those cute chubby legs of hers and figured out a way to NOT have to touch the sand. It. Was. Hilarious! 

Kimbri was worn out by the end of the night and fell right to sleep on our way home after visiting family at the park. 

Saturday was another fun day that we all just got to hang out as a family and relax and enjoy being together. We woke up and had a lazy morning. Shelby made an incredible breakfast consisting of breakfast burritos with yummy apples and grapes. We lounged around and eventually got ready for the day. 

After Kimbri's mid-day nap we all went out to eat at a place called Ned's Crazy Subs, I think that's what it was called. We = Rick, Kimbri and I, Shelby and Rue, and Shelby's brothers plus the wife of one of her brothers - I can't remember her name. We got the lunch special that was $6.39. It was a pretty great deal. It came with a 12 inch sub, chips, a drink and one of those sweet awesome long pickle slices. Can you tell that I love pickles?! Especially when I'm pregnant:) Kimbri loved the cheetos and ate several bites of my pickle. Yep, she takes after mommy with her love for pickles. And Rick and I shared parts of our sandwiches with her. Also, we let her have a couple sips of our drinks which caused another hilarious, classic Kimbri face to appear. I had pink lemonade and Rick had root beer. Good times!  

Saturday night Shelby and Rue hooked up the Wii and we played bowling and baseball. I've never done that on the Wii and it was actually pretty fun! We also made a trip to the store to get some food for the drive home so we wouldn't have to stop for food on a Sunday. We got stuff for peanut butter sandwiches and a couple cans of ravioli. We also got some stuff to munch on while driving like bananas, carrots and some crackers - which Kimbri of course loved! 

Sunday morning we got up and went to church at 8am, went back to Shelby and Rue's house, loaded up, and headed out the door! It was such a fun family trip! The drive home was pretty good, too. Except for a one major slow up because of construction issues that set us back almost a whole hour. But other than that, Kimbri did great again and we got home safely last night! 

I'm so glad that Kimbri and I got to go to Arizona with Rick! It was so fun. And who knows? We could end up moving there next year if Rick gets accepted! I guess we'll just have to wait and find out!