Desert Refreshment

I got a great present from my family and friends in early March: I flew to Tucson, Arizona for five days to visit one of my very best friends, Erika. I say it was a gift from family because Damon agreed to me using a bunch of frequent flyer miles for my ticket and to going solo with the kids for a loooong weekend. It was a gift from friends because when I first mused about the idea while amongst some girlfriends, they all piped up and said, "Go! We'll help with your kids!" Without Damon's acknowledgement of my need for a getaway and my friends' willingness to watch my kids while he was at work, my wonderful trip would not have been possible.

Jillaire & Erika all dressed up for the Viewmont High Christmas Dance in 1995.

Erika and I met in the seventh grade. Our friendship really hit its stride when we were in high school, and we've been close ever since, despite not living in the same state (except summers) since we were 18.  She's been my most loyal friend and has visited me in almost every home I've had since we met. (I think she never came to Arizona, but her parents did!) She even visited us when we lived in the UK. (Erika and her husband were en route to their new home in Germany.) AND, she once tracked us down in the middle of church when we were visiting a random ward in Reno (while back in the US for Damon's brother's wedding in Lake Tahoe) and she happened to also be visiting her parents there that weekend. That's dedication, I tell ya.

Erika has lived so many (and so many international) places that I have rarely been able to visit her in her home, so this trip was a real treat for us both. We got haircuts and pedicures, watched movies, ate lots of Mexican food, attended the symphony, hiked among saguaro cactus, and went shopping. It was fantastic and relaxing. I slept until 10:30 a.m. the first morning I was there. It was heavenly.

Just about the only tourist-y thing we did, other than eating tamales and ogling giant cactus, was visit San Xavier Mission on the outskirts of Tucson. This amazing church and complex is literally set in the middle of the desert and is the oldest European structure in Arizona. Construction of the church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797, almost a century after the mission was first founded.

I loved the sunshine and the companionship I found in Tucson that weekend. Monday night I returned home to rain and a happy family: home sweet home.

Side Note: As a bonus, I had a layover in Salt Lake City on my way home that was nearly 3 hours long. Peter's fiancee Adrienne and her son were visiting him that week, so I got to meet them when they all picked me up for dinner!