“I HATE relaxing!”

That is the funny quote of the week from Ree. It’s a great quote to describe our fun, action-packed Arizona trip to see my little bro and his wife.

It was a great visit! We kicked things off with some scenic desert trail riding.

Immediately after the trail riding, super-SIL Jane and I hit the spa for fantastic massages. As I’m sure all of my, ahem, mature friends will agree, that decision was genius. New family rule: from this point forward, post-ride massages shall be mandatory for all adults.

In keeping with the western theme of the day, we grabbed some grub at Rustler’s Rooste. That place is a hoot. Long-horned bull in the front of the restaurant, fun headbands and cotton candy for the kiddos, delish t-bone steaks... Yeah it was a hit.

Did a lot of other fun outdoorsy things, naturally. Hiking South Mountain, for one – dang, that preserve is just gorgeous.

It wouldn’t be a proper family visit without some fierce backyard competitions. We started with corn hole and giant jenga:

And ended with late-night s’mores. Mmmm.

Thanks Bob and Jane for a wonderful time. We loved spending time with you in your beautiful desert playground.

PS: Thanks to Jane for the awesome trail-riding pics! I don’t have any of my own pics from that ride because my phone dropped in the toilet right before saddling up. Gah!