Hiking Camelback December 1996
11 years and four kids later November 2007
Paul and I went away for the weekend. We physically did not go far but we went far away from our normal schedule and responsibilities. It felt like a true vacation even though we didn't travel. It was so nice to actually have Paul all to myself. It is so rare to have a Saturday where you can wake up and say "What do you want to do today?". We are all so busy running our kids around to sports and birthday parties and doing church assignments, yard work, etc. etc. it is a treat to take a break from it all. We hiked camelback mountain on Saturday afternoon. If you have not ever done that hike I highly recommend it. It was a lot harder than I remembered it but so worth the effort. It is an amazing view from up there. It is a great 360 view of the valley. It was especially neat for us because the last time we stood there was 11 years ago. It was Paul's 3rd year of dental school. We didn't have any kids yet. We looked out over the valley and wondered if that is where we were going to live and raise our family. We were not totally sure about AZ at that time. It was fun to remember that time and think about all that we have been through together since then. We are so glad that we are here, we love AZ.
It seems crazy that we have had 4 kids and been in AZ 9 years already. Time flies. When I turned 30 I was just happy and excited to be 30. I loved where I was in my life. I never have wanted to be younger than I am. I would hate to have to go through the whole dating game again. I would not want to start over bearing children and going through all the schooling etc. I was just very content and happy to be 30. I am now 34 approaching 35 and I mostly have those same feelings except for that fact that my body does feel like I am getting older. My knees for one are starting to feel different. That is the only part of aging that I dont like, other than that I actually like getting older. I have learned so much from my experiences and from wonderful people around me. I think I am easier on myself and others. I don't care what people think of me as much. Of course I still do a little. On the other hand there is so much more I want to experience and learn. I have so many things to work on. It scares me that I haven't progressed more in certain areas. I look forward to each new chapter in my life. Anyway the hike was a good way to sit back and reflect on this journey called life. I just hope I am able to make that climb again in 10 more years.
