Scottsdale Trip

Oh, what a week! So after all three of us getting sick the week of Thanksgiving, I decided to take Leo to the doctor on the Monday before we left for Scottsdale. 

My mom landed in LA, we picked her up and had a quick lunch before the three of us went off to the doctor just to make sure we were in the clear to travel - which we were. So that night, we ordered sushi, loaded up the car, and got ready for our road trip to Scottsdale. 

At 5am, on my mom's birthday no less, her, Leo, and I, took off! We only had to stop once (in Indio), and Leo did fantastically. A 6.5hr car ride for a toddler should not be fun - but it actually was! He's getting an extra Christmas present for being such a gem! 

 

We rented a house in Desert Mountain, north of Scottsdale, so when we got there on Tuesday, we spent most of the day "moving in". Traveling with a toddler changes the name of the game when it comes to "vacationing", but being in a house vs. a hotel is SO much better. 

We met friends for happy hour to celebrate my mom's birthday and then got back to the house, made a frozen pizza, and went to bed on the early side. 

When I woke up on Wednesday morning - I was still sick, and had been for two full weeks, so I decided to go to an urgent care to get an antibiotic. I knew I had a sinus infection and was going to need something, so that was how I spent most of my day! 

 

Wednesday night was the rehearsal dinner, and since I was under the weather, and Leo wouldn't have lasted long, him and I decided to sit it out. We did meet up with the groom's parents for happy hour after my dad's flight landed, and got to capture some beautiful pictures of the sunset. 

 

 

Thursday was great - Leo and I were both finally feeling better - so while my dad was golfing, my mom and I took Leo to the park, and then into Scottsdale for some shopping and lunch! 

 

When we got back up to Desert Mountain, we decided to just go for it and take Leo to a really nice dinner at a steak house in the gates. I was hesitant to take Leo - he likes to move - and isn't quiet, but he proved me wrong. He was an absolute delight and we had the best dinner ever. 

 

The martini's (and view) didn't hurt either! 

   

That night, my sister - Aunt Birdie - landed in Scottsdale. We hung out together and she couldn't wait to get her hands on Leo the next morning. 

 

 

Friday was wedding day and Joel was supposed to get in Friday early afternoon, but his flight was delayed almost four hours so it threw our day off a little bit. I ended up staying back and missing the wedding ceremony so that I could wait for the babysitter - but once she got there, I ubered to meet my family in time to greet the stunning bride and groom.

Joel met us at the ceremony, right before dinner was served and it was so good to see him. 

Of course, at this point, most of my pictures go majorly downhill. As the amount of champagne I drank increased, the picture quality decreased.....

And the sign of a good wedding means the next day hurts and HURT it did. We all bummed around all day, before we joined all of the wedding guests for a country farewell party that I didn't snap one picture of! 

Since we had a sitter for Leo that night, my parents, sister, Joel and I decided to take advantage and go get one more drink at the steak house that we went to on Thursday. I got to indulge in one final French martini and we capped off a really fantastic wedding weekend! 

Joel and I left the next morning at 4:30 am and were back in LA before lunch. Leo did fantastic on the ride home and we only had to stop once for 5 minutes to fill up our gas tank! 

It was a great trip and now it's time to recoup before the holiday crazy begins again!