Christmas with the Valiquettes

Our trip to Phoenix was great. It started out bright and early at 3:00 a.m on Chrismas Eve with a slow drive to the airport. The drive was slow because we had blizzard conditions. Thankfully, our flight made it out of Minneapolis after the plane was thoroughly de-iced. We arrived in Phoenix mid-morning and spent the rest of the day with Lance's family. We had a delicious turkey dinner that night. Christmas morning we opened gifts and went to an afternoon showing of "Sherlock Holmes". I think we all enjoyed it. We spent the evening eating leftovers and playing games. On Saturday we all got up and went to a nail salon to get pedicures and manicures and then went out for lunch. That afternoon we just hung out at the hotel pool. Some of the local people probably thought we were crazy lying in our swimsuits and working on our tan in 60-degree weather. We really didn't care though, because the sun felt awesome! On Sunday we walked around a big mall, had some lunch, and then headed to the airport. I have to admit that being away from my family and seeing palm trees and desert instead of snowcovered evergreens was not easy. However, I am very thankful to be able to spend the holiday with such a wonderful family.

Everyone with smiles after being pampered at the spa.

Anne, Wendy, Kylee, Art and Lance are enjoying their pedicures. I had a manicure, and Travis sat on the sidelines.