AZ Family Trip 2019 - The RC Bickett Gang

It was sometime this winter, and we were all just tired of the wintery cold when Ellie and Jackson were asking when they get to go back to Arizona. Jackson really wanted to go somewhere hot which got me to thinking that there was no reason we couldn’t go down this summer after school was out. It seemed like a pretty good idea: I could drive the kids down so we would have a car to get around in; we really didn’t have anything scheduled to get back for so we could stay a week or two; Brian could fly down and enjoy a part of our stay with us; and it would be super hot by the middle of June. When it came time to put some serious thoughts to the trip the best option was that we all fly down for a week and rent a car to pop around in.

Ellie, Jackson and Dad on one side of the plane.

Just Keep Swimming

The kids were able to get in the pool right away the next morning after we landed at Jody’s new spare bedrooms in Fountain Hills. I think they were in the water for three hours before we could convince them to get out for lunch. Later that evening we grabbed a bite to eat and took a stroll down to splash in the fountains and see the large fountain in the lake. Before I could even get the words out of my mouth they were in the fountains and soaked from head to toe. But at 90 degrees, it really wasn’t a big deal.

Birthday Splash

The next day was June 14th so we celebrated in true birthday fashion and had donuts for breakfast before we jumped in our suits, packed up some towels, sunscreen and waters and headed to Big Surf Water Park for the kid’s birthday day. When I was visiting my grandparents as a kid, I remember how much I always wanted to go to Big Surf. And I don’t know how many times I drove past it when I lived with my aunt. Needless to say, I was just as excited as the kids, to finally get to see that huge wave pool.

Jackson holding on tight for the next big wave.

Ellie and Beth coming down the waterslide.

Brian and Jackson getting ready for the slide of their life.

Next Stop: Mesa

After a day at the epic water park we planned to meet Auntie Sherri for a grand birthday dinner. Since Jackson got to choose this year’s birthday theme, it meant that Ellie got to choose where the birthday dinner would be. She just happened to choose one of our favorites — P.F. Chang’s. What can I say, she has really good taste.

Riding with the top down on our way to Auntie Sherri’s.

The next day we got up and went to our favorite park to walk with LuLu and play before heading back up to Fountain Springs for the afternoon. It turned out that Auntie Linda heard Jody was at her new place and decided to drive over and see it. (So sorry we didn’t get any pictures with Aunt Linda). The kids were ready to splash once more with Beth.

Ellie always love to just spin and sway on this swing.

By this point we had been in the heat and sun for three good days so for Father’s Day we decided to stay in, treat Brian to a great BBQ, take naps and then we leisurely made our way to the movie theater to watch the live action version of Aladdin. The movie was great, but I think the Broadway Show Aladdin was a tad better.

Enjoying the reclining seats at the movie theatre.

Arcade Mania

For their birthdays, Auntie Sherri gave the kids passes to a giant arcade. I think she secretly just needed an excuse to go there. We spent four hours playing every game imaginable. Jackson and Ellie’s favorites were the racing games. Brian and I took over the Jurassic Park shooting game and left the game booth with a little ringing in our ears.

Bickett family race. It’s Brian for the win.

When our time ran out we grabbed a bite to eat and then slipped into some bowling shoes for ten frames. It was a fun game of glow bowling with comical screens that showed how many pins you got down. I’ve never laughed so much during a game of bowling.

After the arcade, we journeyed out past Mesa a bit to visit Great Uncle Delwin and take some family photos among the cacti.

Rooting for the Home Team

The next morning we headed up north again to visit with Great Auntie Carol. We had such a tasty lunch and it was so wonderful to visit with her and hear about all of her and Uncle Raymond’s RV-ing experiences after they retired. Sadly, we couldn’t stay long because we had to get going to our next fun experience.

When we booked flights, I also thought it would be fun to take the kids to a professional baseball game. It turned out that the Arizona Diamondbacks had a home game the last night before the returning flight home for Brian and the kids. It also worked out to invite two of my very good friends from college to watch the game with us. Overall, the Diamondbacks didn’t play that well but it was a fun experience for the kids and a great time to catch up with old friends and recreate a photo from about 15 years ago.

Outside of Chase Field. Let’s play ball!

Ellie and Jackson weren’t too sure this was a good idea.

The picture on the left is from the last time Joel, Cory and I were at a ball game.

Time to Fly Home

An evening flight out meant there was still time to make a splash in Auntie Sherri’s pool before leaving. Brian had the great idea to fly home with the kiddos on a Wednesday, leaving me to stay for a few extra days, and fly home on Saturday. It was a wonderful time to have lunch with a good friend from high school, tackle a mega climbing wall, take a relaxing float down the Salt River with Sherri, and go for an early morning desert hike with another good friend.