In Which Windy Dawn Spends a Weekend in Phoenix

I've been promising my friend Beth I would visit her in Phoenix for over 5 years and I finally got around to making good on my promise.  Recently I flew down just for the weekend, Friday to Sunday.  It was a fast trip, but full of fun times, good friends, lots of food, and sun!  Here's a recap of my adventures.

Friday

Flying into PHX just as the sun was setting was spectacular as the sky was a beautiful dark blood red.  When Beth picked me we immediately agreed dinner should be top on our list to do.  We headed over to In N' Out Burger where we met up with our friend Rachel for lots of talking, laughs, and the best burger I've had in years.  Animal Style.

Saturday

We had a slow start on Saturday since Beth had to work a couple hours in the morning, so I slept in and got ready at my leisure.  I also re-met Malana, Beth's roommate.  We had met once before, many years ago, which we vaguely remembered.  Malana made me laugh, she blasted the music singing and dancing around while in her pajamas.  I knew she and I would get along fine.

Once Beth returned from work I was able to officially meet Baxter, her pet tortoise.

We then took a walk to the closest Dunkin' Donuts to get a free half dozen and so I could enjoy the warmth of the sun on my skin again.  I'd not been to a Dunkin' Donuts since I lived on the east coast (about 13 years ago).  The selection had gone down and it's more of a coffee shop now, but the donuts tasted every bit as delicious as I remembered.

Regrouping back at home we picked up Malana, and one new friend named Michelle whose living room was right out of the 1970's.  It reminded me a lot of my grandparents home.  It's pretty sweet.

We drove around stopping in Mesa to see the Temple.

We checked out an awesome used bookstore with ladders that slide along the walls to reach the books.  Used bookstores make me happy.

 

Dinner was at Carolina's in Phoenix, and some of the best Mexican food I've had since, well, Mexico.  We then explored a little of Phoenix, luckily Michelle had enough knowledge to be our personal tour guide.  She took us to the top of the Hyatt Hotel for a spectacular view of the entire city just as the sun was setting.  There is a restaurant at the top that rotates around while you are eating so you really do see the whole city.

Our evening plans were quite unique.  We attended a double feature of 2 back to back musicals: Honk (story of The Ugly Duckling) and Aladdin.  Here's the cool part, the musicals were performed by adults with developmental and other challenges (including deafness, blindness, and autism).  I wasn't sure what to expect from a group like this with these special needs.  However I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was and how great everyone performed.  They sang, they danced, they laughed, we laughed, it was a blast.  The company is called Detour Company Theatre, and you can check out their website here.

We crashed that night by watching an episode of Psych, particularly so I could see what they called the 'Psych Kiss'.

Sunday

I'm no longer young enough to attend a singles ward but I can still visit one, right?  That's exactly what I did on Sunday.  Beth and I drove to Tempe to attend a YSA ward there.  No I wasn't looking for a young single man to hook up with as an excuse to move to a warm and sunny place like Arizona.  Instead I was looking for an older, married man who already means the world to me.  President Kempton, my mission president, is currently serving as a High Councilman assigned to the singles ward.

Upon arriving at the chapel a few minutes before the meeting began I headed straight to the stand where I found my mission president sitting.  As soon as he saw me he jumped up and came right over to me with a big hug.  It had been over 8 years since we last saw each other in person.  As he hugged me he whispered in my ear, "this is such a sweet moment".  I love this man.  I love this man for many reasons.  Partly because he loves me and it's so easy to love people who already love you.  And partly because we shared many wonderful experiences from our missions together.  And partly because President Kempton taught me more about knowing my Savior, Jesus Christ than any other human on this earth.  He did so by sharing his own personal testimony and knowledge, and he did so by being an example of a Believer.

If this wasn't fabulous enough just minutes later Sister Kempton came into the room and I was able to see his sweet wife again.  Sister Kempton is kind, thoughtful, and all around wonderful.  Seeing both of them again was just what I needed, it was the highlight of my trip.

Due to the shortness of my stay in Arizona we did not have a lot of time to catch up.  At the suggestion of President Kempton we had our own "Sunday School" where we found an empty classroom and visited with each other.  We talked of their large family, current callings in the church, the motorcycle President is supposed to be learning on (yes!), and of other missionaries we served with.  Sister Kempton is not particularly a fan of math, but she was very curious about what I do.  This is another reason I love her, she actually asked about what I do and she actually wanted to know and she actually allowed me to explain it to her.  People like this are a treasure to me.

It finally came time for us to leave so Beth and I headed out for one last feast together before dropping me off at the airport.  I'd heard great things about Sonic Drive-In.  Mostly I think of the time my brother-in-law needed to have a Sonic burger so he and my sister drove 3 hours to Portland just for dinner.  If Aaron thinks it's that good, then I figured I needed to sample one.

I had a great time in Phoenix and, honestly, I can see myself living there one day.  Particularly because of the sun and warmth, but also because I already have a few fabulous friends there.  I'm going to drop in more often (hope you don't mind Beth!).