Tucson

For Labor Day weekend, Elizabeth came up with this great idea that included meeting in Tucson and surprising the Balls. And, really, it was a very satisfying surprise. Amanda dropped everything she was holding, shrieked, and didn't even wake up her children. Amanda was pleased to see me, but I don't think Ethan was. He seems a bit on the fence about me in general. 

PS, that photo was taken in the Ball's backyard. Their swanky backyard. With the swanky grass, and the swanky view of the swanky lake in their exclusively swanky housing development slash gated community. 

The next photo is basically what everyone looked like all weekend. I realized, while going through photos, that we were rarely in a condition fit to be posted about on a blog. So we might not get too many photos of us hanging around the house. Cause seriously, it was pajama time and crazy hair for most of the weekend. 

While Amanda practiced her skills and maintained her talents (playing righteous hymns on the piano), 

I too practiced my skills (fishtail braiding)

and maintained my talents (InStyle reading).

Even though we were setting great examples and being super awesome with our talents, the girls were not impressed. 

Oh well. So the weekend was awesome because Elizabeth brought her dog Jack. And I love dogs. The weekend was also awesome because we had a project. We were going to paint the living room. So, we dismantled the living room, and essentially made a mess. Stuff was everywhere. But we got it done. We were amazing.

 Then we had to wait for the paint to dry, and everybody waited in their own way. 

At some point during the weekend Tyler bought a barbecue. It was Labor Day Weekend, so of course we needed a barbecue. He put that thing together with lightening speed.

I also luxuriated in 100% silk sheets (it's high class or nothing at the Ball residence) 

We took multiple walks around the lake, 

Did awesome physical activity like sit ups, 

balancing,

taking pictures of Odette, 

and climbing over fences to get into the big dog park. 

Big dog park = cooler than little dog park. Obviously we had to get in there. 

Apparently the Balls are the only ones who participate in Church. They had multiple people call them and ask them to cover for them. Tyler and Elizabeth taught a Sunday School lesson to 14 year olds, Jacqueline and I taught the 5 year olds (or something) and Amanda was in charge of Sing Time in Primary. Good thing the Balls had all those surprise visitors, or who knows what would have happened! 

Lillian and I did some reading. I love reading. 

Nora and Jacqueline also did some reading, but they were a bit more proper and ladylike. 

We ate a lot of fabulous things, including ribs and tri tip. Yeah, that's right. tri tip. I'm telling you, nothing but the best for the Balls. 

On Monday we hit up the Zoo. This was an awesome photo op that that the girls kept hogging. 

So Jacqueline and I had to move them a long.

And in the end the girls were still in the picture. They are so sneaky.

At the zoo you have the opportunity to feed the giraffes! You have to wait in a special line, but it's all worth it cause I got to see this awesome mohawk: 

I got a fab souvenir that matched my outfit. 

After the zoo (which had no pics of Elizabeth because we couldn't figure out how to pass off Jack as a medically necessary working dog, so he and Elizabeth had their own adventures outside of the zoo.)

we went for my very first Sonoran hot dog. Thankfully, Amanda had done her research (or seriously, we probably wouldn't be friends) and we went to the best hot dog place around. 

If you can't find it, just remember that it is across the street from this building with this creepy van:

It looks disgusting. When the ingredients are listed it sounds disgusting. But when you eat one, all you can think about is how you want to eat another. Seriously. They were very good. They knock the socks off of a Chicago Dog, that's for sure. 

After hot dogs we went back home to lay around and look at the paint job. Amanda noticed some places that needed to be touched up.

I noticed that I had never played Angry Birds before and what had I been doing with my life? 

It was a fabulous weekend, made possible by Elizabeth. It was wonderful to spend time with people I love and just chillax. And by chillax I mean live life and stay busy and do a lot of work like paint a living room, balance on things, read magazines, braid hair, watch movies, cook, and make jokes. I loved every minute of it. I especially loved night swimming in the salt water pool. I need to do that more often.