Mini Vacay to the Fiery Depths of Hell, I Mean Phoenix

To Do List:

*Pack Clothes and Toiletries - Check

*Pack Dogs' Everything - Check (but not really because I forgot the leashes, woops)

*Pack Ice Chest and Snack Bag - Check

*Give Husband a High Five for his Superb Marks on Exam - Check Check

*Make the Most Fantastic Sandwiches for the Drive - Check (Jay couldn't even wait until we got on the road, only 6 inches of his 12 inch sub sandwich made it out the door)

*Drive off into the sunset - Check... nice!

The drive was not too long...just a little uneventful. There really isn't much excitement driving out in the desert, and then when you turn out the lights, there really isn't anything to watch pass by. So a couple hours later we start to get close to Phoenix. We stopped in Tempe to fashion a leash out of some rope at a Home Depot. Jay liked the Eagle Scout way better than just going to the Pet Smart across the street. I stayed in the car while he went on his scavenger hunt because we noticed as we were approaching the store that it was 105 degrees outside!!! Are you serious, the sun had been down for almost an hour! That's when we began to understand the intensity of the scorching desert where which we chose to vacation. The new plan for the rest of the weekend was to stay in doors by the blasting air conditioner unless it was absolutely necessary to go outside. haha

However, the agenda did include a grab and go breakfast the next morning with the dogs. They even got their own bagels from the restaurant. We went to the park and let them run around before the heat was turned up too high. After re-hydrating and a cool down session in the hotel, Jay and I headed out for lunch at a well known pizza joint in Gilbert (suburb of Phoenix) La Piazza Al Forno. Guy Fieri suggested it and Jay was excited about the brick oven in the restaurant. Thankfully there weren't any tables available because that allowed us to sit at the 'pizza bar'. We were front and center for all the dough tossing action and got to chat with the chef who we remembered from the Triple D episode. Very Cool! So what do you think of our selections? Can you guess who ordered what?

One pie is the Italian Stallion and one is La Piazza Verde. The pizzas were made with the freshest ingredients. No shredded mozzarella here, only fresh slices. The dough was made that morning with flour imported from Italy, and the crust was a perfect texture and most importantly, not too filling. Jay topped his order off with a cannoli, of course.

With our bellies full of the culinary worlds' natural sedative, Italian food, we were set for a nap in the freezer we called our hotel room. We hopped into our oven on wheels (very carefully avoiding burns) and saw the truck was on the verge of melting right from under us. 127 degrees, a.k.a. the Fiery Depths of Hell.

The baseball game was next on the agenda. I said a quick prayer that the Astros would actually show up since this was Jay's only MLB game this year. With neither the Yankees nor the Rangers on the roster and it being Louis Gonzalez Day at Chase Field, I found the nearest beer stand to try to smooth things over. However the odds were against me, before the game started we had to endure a tribute to Gonzo's career with the Diamondbacks, and footage of his most memorable baseball moments. This was especially harsh for Jay to watch, since the top highlight of his career was game 7 of the 2001 World Series vs. the Yankees when he hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th off of Mariano Rivera. So my lasting hopes rode on the Astros, never a good position to be in. We left before the 8th inning when the Astros were down by 9. Oh well, the pretzel, nachos, and beer were AWESOME! Optimism won.

Unfortunately Jay had to fly out of Phoenix unexpectedly Sunday morning to attend his sweet granny's funeral. She was very ill, and had been fighting Alzheimer's for some months now. She is now reunited with her loving husband in heaven and is no longer feeling any pain. Please keep Jay, his mother Betty, and their family in your prayers.

I thought I would end this entry with a little love song by who else...Journey.

Loved By You

Every time is like the first time tenderly
Loving you is like breathing spring
Seasons change but your heart beats constantly
Count my blessing every day as you love me
As the sunset disappears across the northern sky
You look for forever in my eyes
All I can say, long as I have a voice
I’ll thank God above that I was your first choice

If I should die before I wake
I’ll go into the night whispering your name
If lying in your arms is the last thing that I do
At least I know that I’ll be loved by you

In about a hundred years from now
When all of my love letters are found
And someone reads these words I’ve written only meant for you
They’ll know how forever came true...

Let the years roll on by
These are the best times of my life
I’ll just smile when my days are through
Knowing that I’ve been loved by you
At least I know that I’ve been loved by you