I wanted to go to the Grand Canyon

We just returned home from a trip to Phoenix, Arizona. It was a family reunion of sorts for Steven’s family. I’d met about half of the 17 people that were going to be there. Going into this trip the only planned event as far as I knew was a Diamondbacks game. I was worried that this trip was going to turn out to be kinda boring. 

So I started to do some of my own planning. I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, and I hear it’s a big deal. I looked a few things up and asked around about it. I wanted to go but I underestimated two things: (1) the heat, (2) how included I would feel in this family. 

1. Arizona is hot. People say it’s a “dry heat” so it’s not that bad. FALSE. 105 degrees is hot no matter what. They also say it’s much cooler in the shade there. The thing is, there aren’t any trees. No one bothers to mention that part. 

2. God had other plans. God’s plans weren’t to keep me entertained but to show me that I was included in this new family. From watching The Bachelorette with Aunt Priscilla to playing homerun derby in the cul-de-sac with 15 people I felt overwhelmed at this great new family I got to be a part of. There was no point where I felt like an outsider or like I needed to cling to Steven’s side to survive. 

It reminds me how God invites us into his family. He calls me his daughter and I didn’t do anything to deserve that role, he just loves me that much. It’s an amazing thing to feel so loved and accepted when all you did was show up with low expectations. 

Honestly, I didn’t even think about the Grand Canyon until the plane ride home.  I’ll probably get there someday, and I hope I get to experience it with my family.

Here are several sideways pictures for you:

My father in law had on this cute little number

Mother in law and father in law. I get to call them mom and dad.

Ten-year-old Tori ready to go shopping!

Brother in law Josh doing impressive pool things

My husband doing impressive pool things.

Me and my new boyfriend/cousin, Baylor.

Luckily for me my husband and boyfriend get along well.

Weekend Project

I don’t go into our back yard very often. In fact, I think I’ve been in our back yard five times in the past three years. I try to make it out there at least twice per year to check on the weeds. 

A few weekends ago Steven told me we needed to fix up the shed. I told him I’d already discovered a much easier solution… just avoid the back yard like I do; it’s very easy to do. A few minutes later we left for Lowes. 

He worked in the ridiculous Oklahoma heat all afternoon on Saturday while I ran off to Tulsa to play with friends. On Sunday I actually got out there and helped out with the painting. Check out “our” work! 

My husband: A kid at heart

Things my husband said while at the beach this past week with my family:

 “I’m going to pretend I’m paralyzed from the waist down and I can only use my arms to drag myself to shore. Who wants to join?!”

 “Instead of just throwing the Frisbee to each other lets count and see how many in a row we can get!”

“Stand on my back while I go underwater and hold my breath. I bet I can do it for 60 seconds!” ... "I think I did it, you guys were just counting too slow."

“Play this game with me: you bury your feet in the sand and then see if the waves knock you over!”

“You’re laying out again. You’re boring. Why are you so boring? I need someone to play with me.”

“I’m going to pretend I’m a dead body that floated up on shore and see which way the waves contort my body”