A Trip to Tucson

Jason and I get the question ALL THE TIME..."why do you cheer for Arizona Basketball?" Did we go there? No. Are we from AZ? No. So real quick, the story behind it is this...Jason started cheering for the Wildcats in 1995. He's always been a big college basketball fan and as he got to know the '95 team and the legendary coach Lute Olson, he grew to love the team, follow them and eventually become a super fan.

When Jason and I started dating, Arizona always played on Thursdays and Saturdays during the season so if I wanted to see my new boyfriend on those days I pretty much had to be at his house watching basketball which I really, truly was OK with because I love college basketball. BUT, I cheered for the Gophers and the Jayhawks so didn't really care too much about Arizona. As I watched more games and got to know the players {primarily Jerryd Bayless} I liked the team more and more. Then, for Valentine's Day in 2009, I surprised Jason by planning a trip to Arizona to see the boys play. 

After seeing a game at McKale Center, I was hooked. 

And the rest is history.

When planning our babymoon trip to Arizona, we knew we wanted to go at a time when The Wildcats played at home so we could see a game and it worked out that they were playing Arizona State - their rivals! We left Scottsdale for Tucson in the morning on Wednesday {the 17th} and went straight to the bookstore upon arrival. 

  

After spending a small fortune on new Arizona gear, we grabbed some lunch on campus and walked through the mall which lead me to miss college in a big way and also regret not going to a school that has weather like U of A does. 

  

After a couple hours on campus, we headed to our hotel so that the toddler and the preggo could nap and gear up for the game. Once we were all rested, we made our way back to campus to eat on University at a place that came highly recommended called Frog & Firkin. It did not disappoint! The food and atmosphere were great and the weather was perfect.

  

A highlight was definitely icing my hubby! It's fun to ice people when you know they can't ice you back!

  

  

About an hour before game time we made our way to McKale Center! I truly can't say enough about the arena and the atmosphere, definitely unlike any college basketball game I've been to anywhere else. We watched the boys warm up, said hello to one of the refs that we actually know through my dad and then made our way to our seats. 

The Cats were favored by 12 but Jason and I had a feeling this game would be a pounding - and it was! We ended up beating those dang Sun Devils by 38 {99-61!} Kenley was SO into the game, it was adorable! She was cheering, on the hunt for the mascot Wilbur who she calls "Willburt" and entertaining everyone around her. It's safe to say she is a Wildcat fan for life after this. 

  

 After the game, we hung around in hopes of saying hi to one of the assistant coaches that we've gotten to know over the years at my dad's summer tournaments. In doing so, we were able to meet a couple of our favorite players - Kaleb Tarczewski and Ryan Anderson both of whom were so sweet to Kenley! 

  

 Overall, it was another amazing time in Tucson! I am so glad it worked out for us to make a game and to introduce Kenley {and my mom} to the awesome-ness that is McKale Center and the Zona Zoo! I can't wait until we can all go back again...and bring our baby boy!

Babymoon!

Last week was a dream. I can't at all complain about daily life because it's pretty great, but we are definitely guilty of falling into a routine at our house, a routine that doesn't always put quality time as a family {or a couple} at the very top of the list where it should be. Having 5 days together as a little family on vacation was so wonderful and much needed, especially before a teeny little boy arrives and turns our world upside down. 

Jason, Kenley and I flew to Arizona last Monday to visit my mom in Scottsdale. Kenley and I have made a girls trip to Scottsdale the past two years but Jason hasn't been out in years! 

  

We got off the plane and immediately picked up In-N-Out, because, YUMM-O. And then put on our suits and got some sun {and come Z's} then later that night made our way to Grimaldi's for some amazing pizza. 

  

Tuesday, we were up and at em and ready to enjoy the beautiful Arizona weather.

  

Jason and I decided it was a perfect morning to climb a mountain. I had climbed Pinnacle Peak last year and knew it wasn't super easy but felt that I could do it despite the large bowling ball now protruding from my tummy. Climbing this year ended up being significantly more difficult than last year but I was proud of myself for doing it. I even got some great comments from other climbers which made me feel awesome - one lady told me I was going to have a super strong baby, another told me a baby had never been born on the mountain and I could be the first {which maybe was an insult since I still have 10 weeks until I'm due} and my favorite comment was from a lady who was struggling up and told me I was an inspiration. 

  

Tuesday night, we got a late tee time so Jason and my mom could play 9 holes and we could mess around without anyone behind us. It was the most gorgeous night for golf and we had a great time.
  

  

  

Wednesday, we went on a little road trip to Tucson for an Arizona basketball game which I will recap tomorrow because it definitely is worthy of it's own post.

Then on Thursday when we got back to Scottsdale we all took some naps, spent some time in the pool and then Jason and I got to go on a date night! We had an incredible dinner at The Capital Grille and then saw Zoolander 2.

  

It was so great to have some time alone with my baby daddy and we had so much fun. When we got home, we lit a fire, snuggled up and enjoyed some cocktails {NA for me for course.}

Friday was our last morning with our JJ, so we started off with a nice walk then spent the rest of the morning by the pool before we had to bring him to the airport.

  

I was super strangely emotional about Jason leaving {thanks hormones} but when I thought about it, I realized that we really needed this time together without the distractions of every day life and I was super sad to see it come to an end. Plus, being away from my hubby for 6 days is always tough. I am so grateful that we were able to take this trip and have this quality time before family member #4 arrives in a couple of months!