Anniversarymoon...

2 days ago, Marc and I (and Maia, the in-laws weren't up for watching her for the 2 days) left in route to Sedona.  It's about a 2 hours drive north of us.  We've driven past Sedona but never "visited" the beautiful town.  It's home to many all natural, organic shops and eateries.  It's also home to the beautiful Red Rock Mountains.  Literally the ground and rock are red in color hence it's name.  We had a cozy suite complete with a king size bed, full kitchen, fireplace, and comfy sofa to enjoy TV or movies.  Sunday was our first day there.  We drove through the tourist area, the main town, and along the look out points before heading to dinner.  Marc had been to Sedona once before on a work trip.  He had dinner at a tasty Mexican restaurant that he wanted me to try.  Javelina Cantina offered authentic Mexican food in a small colorful dining room with very friendly staff.  The prices weren't too bad either.  Marc enjoyed tamales while I enjoyed fish and shrimp tacos and tostadas. 

The next day we slept in!  Enjoyed a movie we had rented before heading out to explore the area more.  We were told by many to make the venture up to Jerome.  Jerome is a hilltop "hippy" town that used to be traveled frequently by people traveling from Flagstaff to Pheonix but isn't visited near as often thanks to the highways these days!  Before heading to Jerome, we detoured to Slide Rock State Park (Marc had been there but I had not).  Since it was close to lunchtime, we used my handy dandy iPhone to find some of the top places to eat in the area.  We settled on a place called The Grapes which was in the middle of Jerome so off we drove.  The Grapes is small wine bar that offers a wide variety of tasty sandwiches, soups, and burgers.  Marc and I started our meal off with a stuffed portabello mushroom that was to die for.  The main meal for Marc was their famous Rueben sandwich while I tried their Tuscan berry salad, slider sized Tuscan chicken salad sandwich and slider sized Salami and Pesto sandwich.  After tasting all the yummy food that came from their kitchen, our waitress tempted us with a platter of their desserts.  We agreed to share a Creme Brulee and oh. my. heavens. it was so good.  Maia couldn't get enough of all the food we were letting her sample but when we let her try the creme brulee, she would actually scream at us for more bites the minute the spoon was pulled from her mouth!  Everyone was laughing it was the funniest thing.  With our bellies stuffed, we walked the streets of Jerome, drove up to their "ghost town" (there wasn't much to it so we didn't even get out), and then headed back to Sedona another scenic way exploring the Red Rock State Park area.  Maia was a it tired of the car seat (I can't blame her), so we headed back to the hotel for a bit to feed her dinner and decide on what we would do for dinner.  A place called Picazzo's Organic Pizza Kitchen had been on our radar since driving into town the day before.  We decided to order out, bring the food back to the hotel, and enjoy a movie while eating dinner.  Doing so allowed us to order a bit of everything we wanted to try but still keep us in budget.  We tried their Eggplant Parm, Cheese Ravioli Carbonara, Stuffed Peppers, Milano Pizza, and then enjoyed Olive Oil Cake and Tiramisu for dessert. 
Today we woke up bright and early.  Our anniversarymoon was over.  It felt like we had just arrived but it was time to head home.  Since we got such an early start we detoured on our way home to another place we wanted to try out for a tasty breakfast.  The reviews on their eggs benedict were enough to convince Marc he had to eat there.  (He LOVES eggs benedict)  I normally order a dish that samples different dishes but decided to go with the eggs benedict too.  I also read that their yogurt with berries and granola was a tasty dish so I had a small cup of that as well.  Marc, of course, enjoyed his breakfast.  I wasn't even done with one half of my plate and his plate was already empty.  With full bellies, we continued home where Marc's dad was anxious for us to to arrive to hand us off Rosalia and Garrison.  Apparently, they gave him a run for his money!  (No shock to me, those two are like that daily!!)
I will admit, Marc and I would have been content staying away from home a bit longer but we did miss the kids.  It was fun seeing them run up to us and tell us they missed us.  These days 6 kids can be A LOT but it never leaves us bored!  We wouldn't change any of it but we will gladly accept small breaks and getaways to appreciate each other without constant interruption.