Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Phoenix

Matt and I had an amazing time in Arizona! Despite some cold weather and a little rain, it was a wonderful little vacation filled with great food, great landscape, and great friends.

We flew into Phoenix last Wednesday and headed straight to the Grand Canyon. As Matt mentioned in a previous post, this was my first time there and it did not disappoint. The views are just magnificent and the Canyon itself, just gorgeous. We stopped at a couple different view points and just enjoyed the scenery. I definitely want to go back someday and hike down the Canyon, camp and hike back up. I highly recommend a visit if you have never been there; it is an incredible site.

From the Grand Canyon, we drove back down to Sedona. There are not enough words to describe the beauty of Sedona. The drive from the Grand Canyon to Sedona is pretty amazing, especially the last 15 minutes down side of the mountain along Oak Creek. After checking into the hotel and some freshening up, we headed to dinner at L'Auberge de Sedona. Even though it was a chilly evening, we decided to sit outside by the creek. I wish that I would have taken some pictures of the setting because it was beyond gorgeous. To have dinner down by the babbling creek was extremely romantic and the perfect way to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. Our dinner was fabulous, but nothing beats the setting of L'Auberge.

We woke up fairly early on Thursday to some sun and cool temperatures, perfect for a hike through the red rocks. We had gotten a recommendation from our waiter the night before for a 5.8 mile loop through Brins Mesa. Long story short, we ended up missing a turn somewhere because it ended up being an out and back hike. Regardless, the landscape is like nothing else and the hike ended up being very nice and about 2 hours long. The pictures we took do not do the beauty of the red rocks justice, but they will have to suffice for now.

From Sedona, we drove back to Phoenix to meet up with Craig, Vic, and the rest of the guests that were in town for the wedding. After a few beers (no, not for me) and a couple hands of Euchre, we headed to dinner at Oregano's, which was delicious. Friday we woke up to rain and clouds, but the guys headed out for some golf, while the girls enjoyed some relaxation at Copperwynd's spa. Craig and Vic planned an amazing rehearsal dinner at Cantina Laredo. We filled ourselves up with lots of chips, salsa, guac, and fajitas before heading to Barcelona for a night out. I absolutely loved Barcelona, it was such a cool club. I will have to admit that this was one of the few times during my pregnancy where I wish I could have had some cocktails. There was an amazing band and a huge dance floor, not to mention the the bottle service for everyone. A lot of fun was had by all!

Because there was so much partying on Friday night, Saturday turned out to be a very lazy day, until the wedding, of course. The sun decided to come out about 2 hours before the start of the wedding, which was perfect. The ceremony took place on the lawn outside of the resort, overlooking the valley; it was gorgeous. Both the bride and the groom looked beautiful and so happy. We then had drinks and appetizers on the patio before moving inside for dinner and dancing. The night was such a blast! Congratulations to Craig and Victoria, your wedding day was perfect. Thank you to both families for a great weekend; we had such a wonderful time with everyone! I am looking forward to another trip to Arizona, hopefully in the near future.

Here (Grand Canyon and Sedona) and here (Phoenix) are the links to all our pictures.