On Valentine's Day my parents flew in from PA for a 6 day mid-winter visit. Friday morning was school for me, but Mom came with me because we only had a half day. I wanted her to see my school and students just to get an idea of how different it is from back east. Friday afternoon was...rainy!!! It never rains here but it rained that day. We lounged and ran some errands and then Keeper cooked us dinner.
On Saturday I took Mom (and Chloe) down to Tempe Town Lake for a 5 mile jog. Then we went to Dilly Deli for lunch and dropped Keeper off at a Neuroanatomy Preview at school. As fun as that sounded, Mom, Dad and I went to spend the afternoon at Desert Botanical Gardens. We were still a few weeks away from the wildflower/desert blooming season but everything was lush and green (just not much color yet). We had a nice afternoon at the Gardens and then picked Keeper up from class. Sunday morning was a long run (14 miles). Mom decided to bike it with me on the Scottsdale branch of the canal system and then down the Greenbelt Parkway (through Chaparral Park). We then spent the afternoon in Old Town Scottsdale milling around the souvenir shops and then took Chloe to the dog park at Chaparral Park.
Monday marked the start of Quarter 3 for Keeper (back to school after a 3 week hiatus). Mom and Dad and I decided to head down to Saguaro National Park for the day. We went to Saguaro West and hit up the visitor center first. After viewing a worthless movie we did a short hike, and then ate a picnic lunch in the park. We loved the plants, birds, and views but there's n
ot much to hike to in the Park. We took a scenic drive and then headed back north. We stopped to look at the Casa Grande Ruins on the way home. I was disgusted (but not overly surprised) to find that unlike me, some dog owners do not check the websites of parks and landmarks to find out whether or not dogs are permitted (they were not allowed at Saguaro National Park or Casa Grande National Monument). Not only do these modal citizens bring their pets but they don't even seem phased when their dogs urinate on ruins that are thousands of years old! So rude!
On Tuesday I took a personal day off from school and Mom and I did an 8 mile run in the morning. Then we went out to lunch with Dad and Chloe. I took them to the Biltmore Fashion Park (outdoor mall) so Mom and I could shop Macy's while Dad and Chloe lounged in the courtyard. After finding some bargains for Mom, we took Chloe to the dog park and let her run off some steam for awhile. Since Tuesday was Keeper and I's third (!) anniversary and he had class until 7pm, I cooked dinner (with some help from Mom) and made chocolate covered strawberries for him.
We had a great visit and I think Mom and Dad were happy to get out of the cold for a few days. I was sad to see them go because now I won't get to see my family until June. In other news, the weather is absolutely perfect (70s-80s) and marathon #4 (San Diego!) training is going well. Keeper is plugging away at school and we've decided to apartment-hunt in anticipation for a move this summer. We love our neighborhood/complex, but this part of downtown Phoenix is pretty sketchy and we'd like to find a safer area for the next few years...
