NEW YEAR'S IN ARIZONA

We flew out a few days after Holly left to go home from Christmas, to go see Holly in Arizona. (We were really missing her after a few days) We thought it would be great to spend her birthday with her! We flew out in a bad snowstorm and projected very low temperatures for Salt Lake and thought how fun it would be to be warm in Arizona. Guess what . . . IT WAS UNSEASONABLY COLD IN ARIZONA! They even had snow (a few flakes) and freeze warnings while we were there! We still had a lot of fun, even though it was coat weather there too. Holly took us to some of her favorite eating places and shopping centers. We saw fireworks from her living room window at midnight on New Year's Eve. (I think they were at the ASU stadium) We were able to go to church with her in her single's ward and see how she fixed up her apartment. She has really adjusted to being so far away. WE ARE SO PROUD OF HER!

John, waiting outside a yummy Italian restaurant.

Notice how cold he looks! But it was worth the

wait for him, because he claims he had the best

dessert ever here! It was a half baked peanut butter

and chocolate chip cookie with ice cream on top.

Seeing the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple!

We did this on New Years Eve!

They have a missionary choir that sang every night for an hour.

They sang Christmas songs and songs about the Savior. There

were missionaries everywhere talking to the people. It was really

neat to experience this!

I know this isn't the best or most flattering picture of me -

but it shows I was there and that they put lights up in the

palm trees.

Holly pointing out that they put lights in the orange trees!

We wanted to pick oranges off the trees, but felt it might be like stealing.

I wonder what the temple does with all the citrus fruit off the trees

on the temple grounds.

Holly and her Dad with the Mesa temple in the background.

After the temple lights, we went to eat at the Native New Yorker.

They have the best bbq wings ever! (We ate there with Steve when we

took some of Holly's stuff down the 1st time and had to return.)

They have lots of good food there! After that we went back to

Holly's apartment to play games. At midnight we watched the fireworks!

HOLLY'S BIRTHDAY!!

For Holly's birthday, we went to the Botanical Garden and spent some time walking around. It was a very large area. Then we went to eat at an Asian food place. We then went back to Holly's for her birthday cheesecake that we picked up at the Cheesecake Factory the night before.

A picture of all of us at the Botanical Garden.

We took lots of pictures here (too many to post)

and had a really good time.

A Christmas tree made out of poinsettias.

You can tell that it was unseasonably cold, because

all the poinsettias are starting to shrivel from the cold.

I am sure it was beautiful in it's prime.

These 3 trees are a glass sculpture done by the same artist that did

the sculpture for the Symphony Hall here.

Holly's Birthday Cheesecake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOLLY!

We did a lot of other things. Holly showed us the sights of the area she lives. We shopped for her birthday and enjoyed our time spent with her. As her dad always says, "SHE'S A GREAT KID!" (He says that about his other daughter also.) We are blessed with the BEST!!