Time Out!

We spent an evening away as a family this past week. Because Troy can't work until the doctor releases him (hopefully at tomorrow's appointment, he will be released for some light duty work), we drove down to Tucson to visit Saguaro National Park.

We had a free hotel night thanks to all of our travelling this year. The kiddos were able to swim in the outdoor pool because it was heated, and it was 75 degrees that afternoon. Troy and I hung out around the pool and played cards while they went swimming. Later that afternoon, we went to see Night At The Museum and munched popcorn and snacks. Troy and I were thrilled to find they had Starbucks at the movie theater so we shared a Venti latte! That evening, we ordered takeout from Jason's Deli....yummmmm...turkey muffaletta is my favorite!

The next morning we braved the cool, windy weather and visited the national park to learn all about cacti. It was truly beautiful. We hiked several short trails, and the kids LOVED that. We are going to try to do a lot of hiking and bike riding when we get back to New York because we can use our National Parks Pass, strap on our Camelbacks, pack a picnic lunch, and have almost free family entertainment!

My favorite part of that day was when we were talking about how creative God is.....how many different plants he made....different colors....different textures. We watched a short slide show at the Visitor's Center that was narrated by an Indian chief who explained that the cactus sometimes look like people when viewed in the right light. Later that day, on our drive, Ian said, "It looks like they are holding up their hands to worship God just like we do!" That made my heart very happy!