Last Day in Arizona

Today was our last day in Arizona and, though it was snowing a lot of the day, we made it count. We didn’t get out of the house until 11 this morning because it was snowing pretty hard up until that point. We went to Williams and walked around downtown to get souvenirs from a couple shops. It was still snowing and sleeting at that point, and the town looked really pretty in white. We came back to the house after running by the grocery store for a few things for our trip home and cleaned out the fridge for lunch (we had meat and vegetables that we hadn’t even cooked yet). We wanted to go see the Grand Canyon one more time before we left, even though we knew that it would be snowing there and we weren’t sure how much visibility there would be. We left around 3:00 to go there and, sure enough, it was snowing when we got to the park. When we pulled in to the parking lot at the first lookout point the wind had picked up and it was a full blown blizzard, so we stayed in the car for about 10 minutes until it died down. When we got out, it was still windy and snowing a little, but it was bearable enough. The view took my breath away again, maybe even more than the first time. The weather made the view so much more interesting! You could look down towards the bottom of the canyon and see snow just floating hundreds of feet below, and there were areas of white descending on different areas all across the canyon. At the point where we stood at the South Rim, you can look across and see the North Rim, which is 10 miles away! Today, it was not visible at very many areas because of the snow. It really showed how huge and vast the Grand Canyon is because just from what we could see from that one lookout (which only shows a part of the canyon), there were so many different things going on (weather-wise). In one spot there would be a section of white where you could see that it was snowing, but then in another spot there would be sunshine hitting the rocks…and in another spot it would be dark and cloudy where you could tell that it was raining. It was so cool. Again, as with so many other things that we have seen on this trip, I don’t have the words to describe it. We drove to a couple different lookout areas, some with trails along the rim that we walked on, and enjoyed the view as long as we could handle the cold. Oh! I nearly forgot…Bryce got his wish and got a wooden flute for his souvenir this morning, just in time to bring it with us to the Grand Canyon. He practiced a lot between about noon and when we got to the park at 4:00, and by that time he had gotten actually kind of good at it. He could make some nice noises with it, and did a good job playing it quietly when we were in the car. He has nearly perfected part of “My Heart Will Go On” and has hopes of learning several more songs. He brought it out with him any time we got out, and he played it as he walked on the trails on the rim. We just smiled as we watched and listened to him, because he was genuinely in his element and we didn’t want to ruin that for him. He finally got his movie moment 😊. It was hard leaving the Grand Canyon, and we turned back to take several last looks as we walked back to the car after our last lookout point, trying to soak in and engrain into our memories as much as we could. On our way out of the park we saw several elk on the sides of the road, some of them very close to us! My dad also said that he saw some antelope on the way home, but the rest of us missed them. We got back to the house around 6:30 and had leftovers for dinner and packed up most of our stuff. I attempted to make AIP scones for my mom and I to be able to grab for breakfast for the next two mornings as we travel, but they turned out really bad…which happens often these days when I try to bake. It’s hard baking without eggs, wheat, dairy, sugar, and everything else that makes baked goods worth eating. I really don’t know what went wrong though…oh well…this is a rabbit trail. So, we packed up most of our stuff and my mom and my siblings played Spades while dad packed the car and I worked on butchering some scones. Our plan is to leave by 6:00 in the morning and drive a full 14 hours until we reach Fort Worth where we will spend the night. My favorite person is going to meet us for breakfast 😉 and then we will head back to Nac with plenty of time to clean the church and get unpacked and unwind before Sabbath Day.

I wanted my family to contribute to the blog, so I asked each of them what their favorite part of the trip was. It took more effort to get some of my family members to respond, but here is what they had to say…

The first thing my mom said was that she has realized that traveling with older children is easier because we are not as needy. When she said that my dad chimed in and said, “Except when it comes to packing the car!” Mom believes that we can have more fun together and just enjoy the vacation instead of having to worry about everyone’s needs. She appreciates that we get along well because, as we have gotten older, we have come to understand the importance of vacations/trips and we want to make the best of this time. I definitely do think that is true. We all cherish trips together and want to make as many good memories as possible, and I think time and maturity help out with that. Mom decided that hiking and watching her children enjoy nature were her favorite parts of the trip. Dad said, “same.” Really though, my dad couldn’t choose one thing that was his favorite part, he loved it all. He always enjoys seeing new places and beautiful things. Anabelle said that her favorite part was hiking in Sedona yesterday. She loved being up high and being able to see so many things from multiple vantage points, and it was humbling for her to realize how small she was. I think she also liked getting as close to the edge as possible at the Grand Canyon without giving Mom a panic attack. Clayton’s favorite part of the trip was riding ATVs because he “likes to go fast.” I asked him what else he liked about that part of the trip, but he claimed that it was just going fast that he liked. I know that’s not true though. Clayton has a little hidden eye for beauty that he would like to pretend is not there, because it makes him seem sensitive or dare I say…vulnerable. He was amazed by the sights that we experienced over this week, and I actually heard the word “beautiful” come out of his mouth one or two times. Bryce said that his favorite part of the trip was also the ATV ride, but he didn’t even get to drive. He enjoyed sitting behind Dad though, and it was fun for him because Dad would do a bunch of “yeets like drifting and stuff.” He like being able to sit on the back of the ATV and take in the scenery as Dad drove. I think I would add that he also reveled in playing his flute at the Grand Canyon…but that might be a little cheesy for him to admit himself. I guess that just leaves me…and I’m not sure that I could pick one thing to classify as my favorite part of the trip. Every day we had here was a good day, and for different reasons. I loved it all. Each thing we saw was beautiful in its own way, and everything that we did was a blast because we did it together. I love sharing experiences like this with the people I love most, and there is something special about being united in a common sense of wonder. To me it’s the best kind of bonding experience there is…and that is why I love vacation with my family so much. Now, I told you I’m an honest writer, and I don’t really have trouble sharing things, so I am going to get a little personal…bear with me 😉. If I can be totally honest with you and say one thing that I loved most about this trip, it wouldn’t be any of the destinations or activities themselves (though they were INCREDIBLE), but rather the feeling of wholeness and contentment that I felt this week. I felt more like myself at times this week than I have in nearly a year, and that’s not an exaggeration…I wish it was. I’ve already said that I have been sick for a long time. I really do not remember the last time I felt truly healthy, and that weighs on me a lot. It affects me more than I would like it to, and it has had a negative impact on my mental, emotional, spiritual, and (obviously) physical health. I have not felt like myself in a long time, but there were times this week that I felt the way I used to…complete and happy without a worry in the world. My goodness it was refreshing. I was happy because my family was happy, and because being on vacation with them is one of my favorite things and feels so familiar. Also, being surrounded by the beauty that we experienced this week really fed my soul in a huge way. My doctor has told me before that “nature walks” are good for your health because of the chemicals/hormones that the combo of exercise and fresh air release into the body, but I think they’re even better for your spiritual well-being. Seeing and experiencing with your own eyes various realms of beauty and creation is something that uniquely brings you closer to the One who created it. I took many deep breaths of relief this week, inhaling gratitude and exhaling worry. Everything that I saw reminded me that I am very much loved and cared for by a God who is real and present. I was reminded that just like every Arizona pine, cactus, or bush was carefully put in its exact spot, I was also delicately placed right where I am supposed to be in this moment, trials and all. How comforting it is to rest in that fact. I was also humbled, because there is so much more to the world than my little worries and pains, and there is beauty to be found everywhere. When I get home I will aim to look for little beauties in my everyday life to keep my eyes up and away from my struggles. The world is a big, wonderful place, and my little bitty world is too, it just takes a little bit more effort to see it as such. God is good to me, and just as He keeps careful watch over the Grand Canyon, the hills in Sedona, the elk and the wild horses and the lizards, He keeps a close eye on me, His needy child. I knew these things about my Lord already, but I was given some much needed reminders this week through what I saw and experienced. And also, another thing…my family just brings out the best parts of me, and spending a week with them in an amazing place was the perfect combo for jolting me back to myself. I don’t want to go back to reality on Monday, but I’m going back to work and to my adult life with a more positive attitude and happier countenance than when I left last Friday. God is good, His creation is incredible, He never changes, and He has blessed me and my family in countless ways.
Thank you for indulging me and following along this week. It’s always nice knowing people care about what you have to share. I'll put a few last pictures down below.

Lots of love,

Emma Kay, for the fam