More Phoenix

I think my parents go to Phoenix once a year.
I think.
I haven't made the journey for a few years.
Sure, I once flew down there and met everyone and then we all traveled home together. I remember this because that was the year I got sick and Great-Grandma gave me expired Pepto-Bismo and I was still sick and couldn't manage to actually puke in the toilet and also Brandon got all vomity when we made it back home. Remember that, Brandon?

Anyway, the point is that I kind of forgot what the drive to Phoenix looks like.

Well, it looks like this:

This time, we made it to Phoenix, stopped by the G's house (that is Great-Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma's house), took a look at the freaking awesome rental, and then went to the grocery store. My mother was in charge of one thing this trip: food. She was a little concerned about making it all happen, and was rather stressed, so my cousin Mary, her mother and I went along to help my mother at the store.


You'll notice Mom and Mary working on some produce. I had the job of picking up some oranges. Aunt Linda decided to help by talking on the phone. This was her 4th phone call, and we had only been in the store for about 5 minutes.


I will get to the actual work of the trip later, but what? What is this next picture you ask?

Well it's the Ball family plus me! Yup, those fine people came up from Tucson on Saturday night, dropped their young one off with me and went to the temple. I took good care of Lillian and sent her over to the neighbors house (who happen to be Great-Gma's 2nd cousin or something...) where we got Easter M&M's. I was waiting for my mother to come because she was going to pick up Lillian, take her to the rental and I was going to do some painting at the G's house.

As Lillian found herself in a strange land and her parents just deserted her, she clung to me for dear life and kept saying, "Riah, Riah." I wasn't sure how the hand off to Mom might go, but the Easter M&M's helped a little bit. She still had her reservations about this whole thing, though. Soon Mom came back with Marissa and Audrey, Lillian and Audrey are now best friends, Lillian remembered my mother, and she was good to go.

Phew.

I also wanted to give a shout-out to the Balls for sleeping in the living room even though Grandpa gets up at 4 in the morning, makes a lot of noise, and umm... somehow I forgot to mention that?

Sorry about that. Way to duke it out.

The next morning we went to Church, hung out, ate lunch, and then took that picture. Amanda and Lillian are still in their Sunday finery, Tyler is in his driving clothes, and I am ready to go back to work at the G's house. I am wearing my "Technical Team" t-shirt that I got at a temp job. I am also standing a little distance away from the family so they can easily cut me out of the picture and they can have a nice keepsake. I figured, seeing how they have done that once, they might want to do it again.