We went on a whirlwind trip back to Phx

When Gramps passed away it was not a big surprise. He had cancer, two different kinds, that he had been living with for a while, and had been doing pretty well until quite recently. So we were preparing ourselves for the inevitability of the situation, and in doing so, decided if when it happened if PJ would go by himself or if we would go as a family. Financially speaking, PJ going it alone was the way to go, but really that was not a choice. We are a family, and so we travelled back to Phoenix as such. We left Fort Wayne and drove to Indianapolis 2 Fridays ago, and got on a plane. Considering there was a 2 hour delay in addition to the 2 hour drive and being there and hour early and the 3 1/2 hour plane ride, our kids were CHAMPIONS!!! There was no screaming or running amok or melting down. Everyone did great- even PJ (sorry honey but unless you are sleeping you aren't always the best passenger). We arrived in Phx, and like last time, the first order of business was Jack in the Box. Mmmmm. Two mystery meat tacos and a Jumbo Jack for PJ, and just the tacos and fries for me and the kids. (We call them mystery meat but really I believe they are soy.) Then we drove by our old house on the way to Debs. It looked the same. Good. I had forgotten about the new copper porch light and house numbers we had put up. It really looked nice. But we heard the poor trees calling out to us: "Water... water please... anything, just a drop..." so I am contemplating sending an anonymous postcard requesting they give the trees a little drink. After all we did pay a purposefully homeless arborist a reasonable amount of money to prune them to health and perfection!
We spent the afternoon with Tom and Deb catching up and with the kids sleeping. They took a very well deserved nap. Actually, the first thing Ava did was make herself at home with the little desk Deb keeps for the kids and then we put them down. Then PJ passed out on the couch!
Everyone (almost) came for dinner that night and it was really nice to see everyone. Casey's little one came too and it was nice to see the kids all play together. Saturday we continued to catch up and take care of some things that needed to get done, and prepare for the guests coming to the house after the service the next day.
The service was really beautiful. One of the songs they played was "How great Thou Art" and after PJ and I remarking to each other how that song always reminds us of Gram, we recognized the voice of the singer as none other than our old friend Joe Feeney from the Lawrence Welk Show! Ava would have been so pleased. At the gravesite there were 3 Navy men there who played Taps (stunningly good) and presented the flag to Debbie. It was tearjerking. Seriously. Beautiful. Afterwards we all swarmed back to the house for food and drink and to celebrate Wally and comfort one another. It was so nice to see all the family- Gramps' brothers and their families came up from Tucson, and some of them I had either not met or not seen in several years. It was awesome for me that everyone got to see the kids. They were so great.
That night we met Brendan and went out for some hijinks. We didn't stay out too late as the day had been long (kids getting up at 4:30 a.m.!!!) and hard. But Brendan is always a must see. Also B props to you- the house really looks good. It looked better than I think it may ever have since I have known you. You're doing great!!!
Monday was a recovery day. The boys played golf at the Biltmore (very posh) and Deb and I took the kids and went to visit Becca at her new townhouse! I did not keep a close enough eye on the boy and he knocked over a bottle of nail polish, where it broke on the tile floor. But, the tile was a super fast and easy clean up! Not as much as his shoes which required a bit of remover. Seriously I was super glad she did not have carpet! After that there were hawks eyes on him at all times, and it was fun to see Becs new place. It's super cute and just the right size for the three of them. The kids had fun playing, and after golf Tom and PJ came by and we all hung out and took pictures till it was time to go home and feed the chickens.
That afternoon we decided it would be fun to go out for Mexican food. When Bec arrived we decided it was between the original Garcia's on 35th Ave or Tee Pee down the street, we decided Tee Pee since we wouldn't have to deal with traffic. I suggested walking (!!!) and after the initial surprise of the notion wore off it was decided that it would be a good idea and aid in digesting. Deb rode down in Becs car with her since she had the baby, and we had some awesome yummy mexican food. I haven't found the best mexican food here yet, so Tee Pee was a special treat. We enjoyed a stunning sunset and a bright red Camelback Mountain on our walk back home, and it was the perfect ending to the trip. We left bright and early the next morning, and with no delay found ourselves back in Indiana after a 3 hour trip with the kids being awesome again.