ARIZONA!

Sofia and I are in Arizona. I must say, getting here was much easier than I imagined. I was so worried about security at the airport and then I was afraid Sofia would cry on the plane. All of it was so easy...maybe a little too easy. Sofia only cried for maybe 5 minutes on the flight to Chicago, and that was because she was tired. I would have cried too, it was a small plane and there was a rather large gentleman seated next to us. Sofia slept the last 20 minutes of the flight and woke up after we got into O'Hare. Now talk about a big airport! Our next flight's gate was only a short distance away, so we were able to grab some lunch. The flight out to Phoenix wasn't bad at all. We lucked out and somehow ended up with an empty seat between us and the other passenger. Sofia kept herself busy by playing, looking out the window and munching on so snacks. The total flight was a little over three hours and Sofia was able to sleep for a little over an hour. I was happy when we landed and I'm sure I had a big goofy grin on my face as I walked up to Mom. I must say, it is hot out here. HOT. No getting around it. Sofia has been a real trooper though. The time change has been rough, and we both woke up at 6 a.m. (9 a.m. Ohio time.) She's kept up though. Today, after Mom and Ken woke up, we went out to breakfast and then drove an hour and a half to Payson, AZ. They're thinking of buying a small vacation home out that way and it gave me a good chance to see the desert. Sofia slept. The temp. there was a lot better than in Phoenix since we were about 5000 feet up. We went to a park, ate some lunch and drove around. After a couple of hours we headed back. I think one of the weirdest things out here is the cacti (is that really the plural of cactus?). They look so alien. Well, once we got back to the apartment, we all went for a much needed swim. They have a really nice pool here and the water was the perfect temperature, just bordering on bath water. Sofia had a great time in the pool practicing her kicking and putting her face in the water. I swear, nothing bothers that girl...not time changes, planes, or face fulls of pool water. Well, even though it's only 9:30 p.m. here, my poor body is still on Columbus time. Tomorrow we have nothing planned since everyone else has to go to work, so I plan on laying around, maybe going swimming, and sleeping. I hope everyone is having fun in Columbus (not to rub it in that I'm on vacation!). We miss you Ryan!