Phoenix New Years

I'm not sure that I've mentioned how much I love Cafe Rio, but I do. It may even be an addiction, but I don't mind being addicted to this little Mexican slice of heaven. I literally ate there every other day of my vacation. Ya I was gone 10 days=5 times=Delish.

Well after my blissfully wonderful Christmas in the Country of Parowan, I headed South for warmer weather and to ring the New Year in with some of my favorite people.

Being that I use to live in Phoenix, I have been back a few times since I left in 2006, but it is insane to think that the last trek was February 2008! How I've missed my Arizona home and so this trip was long over due but we packed the fun and food in my 3 days there.

Drove to Mesa for this treat. Way too good to me Krista.

We really did more than eat over these 3 days...but not much. So as the following pictures reflect, Krista and I hit up every restaurant we could think of and had a blast doing it.
So here's Bahama Breeze in Mesa, a little shaved ice delicacy reminiscent of my childhood in Hawaii. Good stuff.

Krista had a coupon AND a gift card to Cold Stone, I mean you just can't pass that up! And we surely didn't.An early stop by Chick Fil-A for my poison of choice- Diet Dr. Pepper just makes me happy. Maybe I'm shallow or just easily elated, but I love DDP from the fountain. Divine.

Oh the memories at Red Robin. I first think of Ashley's surprise 21st birthday party, remember Ash?! Aww...I miss you girls already. Oh and their Buffalo Chicken Wrap is to die for- not to mention the endless fries. Ya the diet starts in 2010.

MoJo. A Frozen Yogurt shop that Krista and Ashley shared with me. You just fill the cup up and they weigh it! You put whatever you want in there...it was so fun, not to mention tasty.

We rang the New Years in at a Singles Dance. All I have to say about that...is at least I got to bust a move...and remember how single I am. Thank goodness I was surrounded by great friends :).

Krista getting the party started! This is Martinelli's, aka the Mormon Champagne..haha.. It's sparkling cider for all my Non Mormon readers.

Toasting to a New Year and great friends that have made 2009 a blast. Krista and Ashley, you make me laugh and just make my heart happy. I love you.

Sporting our Christmas PJs.

Enjoying the Arizona Sun and exercising our 2nd Ammendment. Shooting up the Desert. The only way to ring in the year!

Krista and I enjoying the gorgeous weather and catching up on some reading. I love laying in the sun, I'm definitely doing more of that in 2010.

Big Ash modeling the Christmas gift I gave her. I think Spain looks good on you Ash.

Practicing our modeling shots. America's Next Top Model better just watch out! Haha.

Oh I love you girls! Thanks for making this such a great, great New Years. Feels like I never left.

Just a sampling of the madness we created in 3 days together.

Went by way too fast, but it was exactly what I needed and the best way to bring in 2010. It would have only been better had I gotten to see Jen and Em..but luckily for us, Jen (my old roommate, who was in Peru with her family for the Holidays) is getting married in less than a month! Craziness!

2009, you've been wonderful, but I can tell 2010 is going to be even better!

Christmas in the Country

You would think with a new camera for Christmas that I would have taken more pictures...alas, I was a slacker and rather than documenting the gloriously good time, decided to just enjoy it. It was wonderful! I spent the whole Christmas weekend in Parowan, Utah where my Grandma Shurtleff lives and where we've spent Christmas for the last decade. This town has not changed a bit. And even though we tease about it's somewhat backward manners, for an Air Force Brat without a hometown, I do love a place as constant as this. Always feels like coming home when I get on Main Street.

Here is my amazing Grandma. She is a social butterfly and always takes good care of us when we come to visit. I adore her and so does the entire town. We tease her as the doorbell rings every 15 minutes with townsfolk coming to pay homage to the "Queen of Parowan". What can I say? She's a Shurtleff.

Cousins. It doesn't seem to matter that there's at least a decade between us. We have the best time together.

McKenna sporting Nathan's Christmas present. Mom and Dad wanted to get him ready for his new gig in Casper, Wyoming-complete with a Duster as well. He'll blend right in ;).

Nathan and McKenna. Pretty sure they were entranced with Joe and Lauren's Call of Duty skills. Wouldn't be Christmas without video games I guess :).

Shot of Grandma's table. We've had so many great meals and conversations around this thing. Good, good memories here.

Yup, Call of Duty. I don't get it. That's all I have to say.

Kicking it in the living room. This is one of those magical spaces that just seems to expand and fit dozens of people comfortably...I'm not even kidding. We all seem to squeeze right in. Love it.

I'm so grateful for the time I was able to spend with my family. Grandma, parents, brothers, cousins, Aunts, Uncles...I just love them. And when you mix in Cafe Rio (now available in Cedar City!! and soon to be in DC!) and a best friend willing to drive 3 hours to hang out with me in Parowan, Utah (I love you Tiffany), it makes for an absolutely perfect Holiday.

Can't wait till next year.

DC Blizzard of '09

Alright, now I went to school in Utah and have experienced "blizzards" of sorts but never one that shut the whole city down. Yes maybe we are a bit wimpier here in the Capital, but when you get 20.5 inches in a little more than 24 hours it does lend itself to a crisis. So yes we've been snowed in now for 2 days, cancelled church and everything. In the middle of it all and in between baking cinnamon rolls and one of our 4 movies, we decided to have a go in nature's powder.

Yes this is my house. Isn't is just so incredibly charming? I think snow looks good on her, makes our yellow door just pop :).
We seem to like to do things together, it's a condition what can I say?

This honestly was only midway through the storm, I really should have taken a picture this morning as I dug my car out for 3 hours.

There was no driving through this, though people of course tried and then left their cars on the side of the road. Just had to let it run its course. We're hoping we can get out tomorrow. Especially since my poor roommate Kim's had her flight home for Christmas cancelled twice.

What snow day is complete without a Snow Angel? Yes that would be me, hard to recognize when I'm bundled up. Might explain why a neighbor thought I was the Landlord this morning. Ya, the landlord is a man. Not the highlight of the weekend.

But hanging out with my wonderful roommates, reading, sleeping, eating and eating some more would definitely be the highlights. It would have only been better had the blizzard hit on a work day ;)

Morocco

Wednesday night the 25th of November we headed for Casablanca, Morocco. Not without adventure though. At the Barcelona airport we were noticing that everyone around us checking in for our flight had their checked bags wrapped. As in wrapped with Saran Wrap! We were getting nervous as they all looked like locals and so when we got to the agent we asked her what the deal was and she looked around and leaned in and said "There's trouble in Africa". What the?! Trouble in Africa! What does that even mean?! Haha. As you can imagine, we freaked for a second and then just decided to carry our bags on- apparently "trouble" means they go through your bags and take what they want.
Even with flight attendants who didn't close all the overhead bins or a full suitcase under my seat (not even mine, the guy next to me- it was my good deed of the day) and food that looked expired, we managed to get into Casablanca alive and with all our belongings. Royal Air Maroc wasn't very Royal is all I gotta say.
Luckily Julie was in charge of Casablanca and we stayed in a very nice 3 star hotel with all the fixings even waiters who hit on you and give you roses- that would be Julie. She was quite the hit in Morocco, that light skin and dimples, not to mention bright brown eyes- had men stopping and staring- literally all over the country. Could give a girl a complex ;).
The only major site to see in Casablanca is the Mosque that sits on the ocean. It is the 3rd largest in the world. The other two are in Saudi Arabia and we wouldn't be allowed in, so getting a tour -of this was quite a treat-even if our tour guide spent more time on the phone that with us.

I'm sitting on the wall of the mosque with the Atlantic Ocean behind me. Pretty wild to think I'm on the coast of Africa and on the other side of my own ocean.

The Mosque.

I think they were on a field trip of sorts. They were so stinking cute I had to sneak a picture.

Another outside shot of the Mosque- this is only a sampling, I really did go camera crazy here. It was just so beautiful!

This is inside the Mosque. It holds up to 75,000 people. Our tour guide says its only full during Ramadan. It was amazing inside. The roof opens to give more air since there is no air conditioning.

Back outside.

Here is our tour guide, not on the phone. It was rare but at least she explained each part of the mosque, like this is the bottom of the mosque and they call it the Turkish baths though its not ever been used.

Turkish baths.

Julie chose an authentic Moroccan restaraunt for lunch and it was divine. I had kuskus (sp?) and vegetables with chicken and we were the only ones in there, so we got the royal treatment.

After Casablanca, we jumped on a train to Rabat, the capital of Morocco and went straight for the market. It was insane, as you can tell from Kim's face, but it had everything! From leather jackets to purses to scarves to nuts to movies to shoes. You name it, they sold it.

Breakfast in Rabat- though it really could have been any of our stops. Bread for breakfast seemed to be the theme- not that I'm complaining as I am a Carb Addict.

Kim thought the size of our room key was quite ridiculous. It was, so we had to take a shot of it.

Kim and I posing in a park in Rabat.

Kasbah des Oudaias (don't even ask me how to pronouce that), this was a 12th century fortress on the edge of town in Rabat. People still live here though it has miraculously been preserved quite well.

I had to get a picture of this. Our conceirge told us that the next day (we'd be gone by then) was a holiday in Rabat where everyone barbequed and slaugthered a lamb- don't quite remember the reason for the holiday but it was suppose to be a huge party!

This is just one of the doors to a home in the fortress.

Another door. There was quite a bit of bright blue paint and with the contrast of white stone it looked like I imagine Greece looks- though I've never been there- hopefully my next trip over the pond will include it.

Still at the fortress and still sporting our new scarves.

I had a thing for doors this day.

Sitting on the wall of the fortress with the ocean behind me and a cemetary below. It was a really cool view.

Back to the market. What can I say we couldn't get enough! It was really crazy but definitely a must have experience in Morocco.

I couldn't resist. I mean is this an International Phenomenon or what?!The Twilight Series in Arabic in a mostly Muslim country. Insane.

Speaking of insane. I'm guessing Moroccans are a bit delayed (though the previous picture would prove otherwise) or just obsessed, but this is a Happy Meal with Yoda on it! Ya, the theme was Star Wars and last time I checked there hasn't been any new Star Wars movies in quite some time. Who knew?

Though we were only able to spend two days in Morocco I do feel like we got a good taste of the country. It was rather hectic and chaotic and not nearly as clean as European countries but the people were friendly (minus the men staring at Julie), the food was delicious and the shopping was excellent.

After Morocco we headed back to Paris for another day or so and it was perfect. We lounged around with my parents, had a huge Thanksgiving feast with all the Paris missionaries that my parents-of course-volunteered to feed. It was so wonderful to just spend time with my parents, it is funny that the older I get the harder it is to leave home. They really did make this trip. I am so blessed.