top 10 things we loved about our trip to scottsdale

10. our hotel-- how amazing was the jw marriott?? from it's jaw-dropping lobby to the millions (how do i know? i counted.) of flowers in bloom around the property, we were instantly in love. we settled into rock-star living faster than you could say "american express black card". too bad we want champagne wishes and caviar dreams on a mountain dew and mac & cheese budget, but we took full advantage for 72 hours straight.

9. how do you keep 11 kids entertained for hours on end with whining kept to a minimum? two words: lazy river. i think if they could have figured out a way to sleep on those tubes come bedtime, we could never have removed them from the pool area. at one point they were the instigators of a "tube-train" where strangers hopped on, and i counted 28 tubes at one point! yah, our kids are waaaaaaayyy ahead of their tubing time. 8. greatest chips and salsa ever to be served poolside. having a server come around every 10 minutes to ask if you need anything can be habit forming. truly. at the end of the trip when chandi was placing an order for a pitcher of diet coke by herself, we knew it was time to check out.
7. arizona diamondbacks game--sitting just 2 rows above the in-stadium swimming pool had it's advantages. despite the unfortunate fact that they were constantly referred to as the "d-backs", (huh? time to re-think THAT nickname, people ) a fabulous time was had by all. highlight of the evening? watching jared break up a drunken brawl, and the kids making the best use of the "foam fingers". oh, and the baseball game!
6. the beauty of the desert--now, i'm already converted to living in an oven, but the nights were so breathtaking and we enjoyed sitting out under the full moon eating outside at the desert ridge outdoor marketplace. downside? chain smokers going for a new record of consecutive cigarettes smoked in one sitting. who wants to smoke and freakin' eat at the same time?? i swear, i'll never get it. but then i have to remember that some people don't get why i want to wear painful shoes, either, so it was tolerance all around.
5. boys and girls dormitories. renting 2 extra rooms for our plethora of kids was downright genius. the male dorm housed dallen, braden, b-rad, and spencer. the female dorm consisted of katie, chandi, abbey, mia, and abby hanks. now, if darrin could only have figured out how to get gracie and ellie in on a short, mandatory exchange student program, everyone would have been satisfied.
4. the jews--yes, you read that right. with the week of passover coinciding with our vacay, we noticed a large group (400 plus!) of men and boys walking around wearing "little tiny hats'. (thanks, abby hanks--i couldn't have said it more eloquently.) we made friends with one of the families out on the lawn and had the most interesting discussion with them about their religion. they were all 'modern orthodox jews' who came out from back east for the whole week to stay and worship and play together. they even invited us to join them that night in their 5 plus hour feast. we respectfully declined, considering the sheer numbers we had, but giggled over the prospect of a bunch of mormons from utah crashing their passover party. it was awesome to get a glimpse into another religion, and they were so gracious to answer our questions. (btw: they refer to themselves as "jews", so i am being pc....)

3. big kids getting bigger-- with older children ages 15, 14, 13,11, & 10, we reached a big milestone: "teenager alone time at the desert ridge marketplace for hanging out and a movie. at. night. (gasp!) those kids asked, with low hopes, figuring the automatic "no. NO." was gonna come. the look on their faces when we said, "okay"?? priceless.

2. hoover dam-- if you want to see a grown, 34 year old man act as giddy as a school boy with a crush, then go with our geotechnical engineer friend jared to see this modern marvel. we did find out that, no matter how many times you say a word with "dam" in front of it (ie, 'dam door, dam bathroom, etc. you see where i'm going here) it NEVER gets old.
my favorite part of hoover dam? the photo below that jody snapped of our european friend who thought it was "shirts off" day. you can't make this crap up.

1. good friends we adore-- being the traveling fools that we are, russ and i have talked many times about the fact that we could just plan hundreds of trips with only our family or each other, but being able to share it with those we love makes it even more meaningful. thanks, hanks and larkin families--we love you!! here's to many more good times....

notice the little gangsta in the back, throwing the peace sign with "gangsta new jersey tool" lips? yeah, i wonder who's child that is....... always drawin' (see slang term of the day), that one.