by laura beth

We spent a week with Erica, Shawn, and the kids after leaving California. Phoenix is hot. I can't handle the hot. But we had a lot of fun. Elisa came down from Cottonwood for a few days, and it was nice to see her as well. We were able to go to Xander's Kindergarten graduation and pool party, ate a lot of watermelon, went on a hike with Erica, Xander, Ava, and a few of the kids Erica provides daycare for, watched some movies-including My Bloody Valentine 3D!, and spent two glorious days at Cibola Vista. Erica and Shawn are time share owners at Cibola Vista, which makes for awesome "staycations". It's amazing that even in the rough economy (both Erica and Shawn lost their jobs to cutbacks last year), we were able to stay at a pretty darn nice resort. We had visits from Kenny's cousin Leticia, her two girls Isabel and Sophia, and her mother-in-law, our friends Joe and Amber Mieras, our friend Jamie Meyer and his son Asher, and Todd Behlow. We spent most of the at the pool and waterslide. It was a perfect escape from the relentless Phoenix heat. It's always nice to spend time with Erica and Shawna and the kids, and Elisa. I wish we could see them more often. Unfortuneatly we were unable to make it up to Cottonwood to visit the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Maybe next time. On to Tucson!