By virtue of moving west we now live a mere 770 miles from our closest relatives - Renee's Aunt Camille and cousins Anthony and Ashley in Phoenix. So naturally we decided to visit said relatives. After braving a downed power line on a major highway, a monsoon in Arizona, lighting storms in the desert, and rush hour traffic outside Los Angeles on the day before Thanksgiving, we made it to Arizona.
In order to survive many many hours together in the car, many steps were taken to keep ourselves amused, including completing multiple crossword puzzles, listening to our wedding reception music (including "I Love Rock 'n Roll" for loyal reader Janine) and listening to the
Glenn Beck Radio Show to balance out our NPR-heavy radio listening habits. We were particularly enlightened by one caller's suggestion to aid the economy by eliminating all debt. Simple as that, right?
After sleeping in on Thanksgiving (which led to Renee missing the Macy's parade for the first time) we went for a run in the Arizona sun, during which we were confronted with the smell of barbecued turkey and chicken, not something either of us are used to in our midwest/east coast experiences. This was followed by a soak in Camille's hot tub, also a Thanksgiving first for us both.
Once Thanksgiving afternoon came and the Lions had lost to the Titans before our breakfast cereal was digested it came time for the meal. Anthony and Ashley cooked an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and entertained us for many hours. Both Jeff and Renee became Rock Band experts and are currently taking offers from music labels across the country.
Additionally, Anthony and Ashley recently got two kittens - Gizmo and Lexi. Needless to say they kept us amused the whole weekend. As can be seen below they took a particular liking to Renee.
Even when Thanksgiving was over the fun was only beginning. In addition to starring in a Rock Band of one Jeff kept very amused with Aunt Camille's actual drumset (he clearly plays best with a cutoff t-shirt) and Anthony and Ashley's ping pong table (a spirited doubles match was enjoyed by all). We also starred in Anthony's soon-to-debut movie on YouTube.
Before leaving on Sunday morning we were able to enjoy some authentic New York pizza (yes, in Arizona) and also watch home videos of Renee and Anthony's Grandma on Saturday night. We made a rule on the drive home to stay at least 150 miles away from Los Angeles, which necessitated a trip through the Mohave desert. At the one gas station within a 100 mile radius we saw a sign that read (paraphrased):
This is a business
We do not choose to be here
It costs a fortune to operate in the middle of nowhere
You choose to be customers
Please do not complain to our workers
Does this mean there are government-subsidized gas stations? Does anyone know if these actually exist? Plus, at this station we encountered the most unfriendly worker we're seen in quite some time. Although we figured that if we had to drive 100 miles round trip to go to work at a gas station where apparently customers complain all the time we'd be grumpy as well.
But in the end we had a great time in Arizona and are very grateful to our Phoenix hosts.
