Arizona

This summer we are headed to California! Yay, no more Texas!

We found out about a week before we were planning on driving to Orange County that our apartment wouldn't be available for another week after we had planned on getting there...so we were rerouted to stay in Phoenix, Arizona so that Kirby could sell with an office down there until we could move in.

So we shared a tiny apartment with a guy waiting for his wife and baby to get into town, and my sister and her husband. It was my first time in Arizona (where my dad served his mission). I learned something very important...Arizona is SO hot!

We didn't get out much...other than to Target every single day...but we did make time, on Sunday, to visit the Mesa and Gilbert temples. Talk about beautiful! The Gilbert temple gates were locked, but we walked around the perimeter in awe at the beauty within the gates. The temple itself is basically a fairy tale castle, and the grounds were a mini version of the garden of Eden.

The Mesa temple had (probably) the most incredible temple grounds I have ever walked on (and I have been to 15 temples). Not only was it GORGEOUS, but it smelled like heaven must smell of nothing but flowers and fresh greens, was completely silent other than the songs of the sweetest birds, and simply took my breath away.

The temples were honestly the highlight of the week. But let me just say how PROUD I am of Kirby. Each summer he has gotten a sale within his first day of selling, and this year it was the very first door he knocked! Go Kirby!

Each night Henry and I went on a walk around the apartments to help pass the time while we wait for Kirby to get dropped off. The apartments were near an airforce base, so while we were walking we would literally see at least 20 airplanes fly over out heads. Henry was mesmerized. I would point at the blinking lights in the sky, and he would follow my finger directly to the plane, and then watch it go out of sight...such a smart boy. On one of the nights, while we were watching a plane above our heads, we caught sight of the brightest shooting star, and Henry clapped...it was such a magical moment that I will treasure forever.

 
first night in big boy jammies

 Gilbert Temple

Mesa Temple

The night we saw the shooting star