We are officially over half way through our time in Arizona! Homesickness is definitely starting to kick in and I’m counting down the days until I can squish my little nephew and do my job in the office instead of remotely, but we are still having so much fun out here in the desert.
Will and I went on several adventures in month two, a lot of which we blogged about (click here to see our adventures). I accidentally deleted a ton of pictures from Ramsey Canyon and Tombstone and cried when I realized I had done it. But I still ended up blogging way more than I had anticipated because there is just so much to do and see when you live in a new place!
The #SuiteLifeofWillandJamie
Hotel life is still treating us well. I’m building a rapport with the maids and they make fun of how much coffee I drink. We don’t do a lot of cooking in our kitchenette, but the other night Will grilled some steaks and I made some mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli and it was delicious.
Date night is one of my favorite things in life, but sometimes we just really don’t feel like leaving the hotel. Cue the couch-bed. Discovered in college and perfected over the years, here’s how to make your very own.
Needed:
2 couches you can push together.
All the pillows and all the blankets in the world.
Netflix.
Unhealthy snacks and beverages.
Helpful tip: if you can’t see the TV over the couches while in a comfortable position, opt for a laptop instead.
Ideal for parents of young children or when one of you isn’t feeling well.
That’s right, I’m still working my booty off. Or rather… I’m working it ON because pancake booty is out of here when you’re doing 80 Day Obsession.
Side note, I’m not a Beach Body coach. I know I mention it a lot, but I am just talking about life, and I don’t go to the gym. I work out in my living room. And I have the booty gains to prove it.
I just passed day 40 in the program and am over half way through!
It’s kind of comforting to me that the biggest car troubles I’ve ever had have been dead batteries (knock on wood). It’s great that Will has a lot more experience with cars than I do and he is perfectly capable of changing a battery. It kinda makes your girl feel all safe and fuzzy, you know?
Food
The food in Arizona continues to impress us. From the unexpectedly excellent service at Denny’s, with their quotable mugs and their delicious all-day-breakfast menu, to the once a week free dinner at our hotel, it’s not hard to get fat in the southwest.
Literally. Will and I had two dinners one night because we found out the free dinner at our hotel was nachos after we had already eaten.
In-N-Out, you blessed place. How am I ever going to leave you again? Animal style burgers (google that secret menu, y’all), chocolate milk shakes, and fresh from the potato slicer fries. You are the apple of the west coast’s eye.
Tacos are life! There’s a whole crew at our hotel who crash every taco joint in town on Tuesdays. Our small group back in North Carolina (#TacoTuesdayCrew where you at?!) is totally missing out.
Another helpful life tip: listen to the locals. Go where they go, eat where they eat, and ask them what the best thing on the menu is. You won’t regret it.
Date night, amiright?
I used to have/still have this irrational anxiety about eating at Chipotle because every time I’ve eaten there I don’t know what to order and I end up not liking what I get. I enlisted the help of a professional this time (Will) and he held my hand through the process so that I could discover what my life has been missing all along.
Burrito bowls.
Give me all of them. I want them 24/7.
Also, on top of that, is Culver’s. We actually went to Culver’s three times in one week. Will was legitimately upset when I pointed this out (because it’s not healthy and we’re both trying to do better with our nutrition). But let me break it down for you. Their ice cream is out of this world and we always order their concrete mixers. Will’s favorite is vanilla with Oreos and marshmallow creme. My favorite (which I actually discovered this last time we went) is vanilla with peanut butter and hershey’s. I also really enjoy vanilla with butterfingers.
Adventures
Most distinguished among all of our favorite things in Arizona is all of the exploring we have been able to do. From the “standing up rocks” of Chiricahua National Monument to the wonders of city life in Tucson, we don’t know how we’re going to see everything we want to see in the time that we have left. Good thing we’ll probably be back here at some point in the future, eh?
There was some kind of something happening in Tucson—Second Saturday I think they call it. A lot of businesses were in on it—hosting special events or sales. In the evening there were food trucks and musical guests in blocked off streets of downtown. There ware jazz musicians and country artists. Will and I drove up for a few hours for some good food and city exploring. We popped into a cool photography gallery downtown and spent some time looking at pieces valued at several thousand dollars.
My favorite adventure we went on was definitely exploring the Coronado Cave at the Coronado National Memorial (which you can read about here). I actually shot a lot of video so maybe one day I will put that together for you guys. All that I’m going to say is that if you’re in the area, Coronado is a must see.
Last but not least are some of my only surviving photos from Ramsey Canyon and Tombstone that I mercifully saved to my phone before I accidentally deleted them from my camera.
We went to Ramsey Canyon with a couple we met locally who took us under their wing to show us what their town is all about. We went up in the mountains early in the morning to this nature preserve to “spot some critters.” We saw a lot of deer, a wild javelina right by the road, and even a whole flock of turkeys.
Tombstone was super interesting and I would love to go back. We ate at a great restaurant, took a stagecoach tour of the town, had chocolate malts and milkshakes at an ice cream parlor, and toured the famous Bird Cage Theatre, which was a part of the red light district. Downstairs beneath the bar and performance parlor is where the longest poker game ever played occurred—lasting over eight years.
August came and went and we had a blast. We’re ready for fall, for cooler weather, for building upon friendships we have made, and for even more adventures.
September began with a bang—Labor Day weekend in the Grand Canyon. Those blog posts are coming up soon, so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already!
What adventures did you get up to in August? Leave it in the comments below, and If you enjoyed this post, give it a like!
Until next time,
Jamie out
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