White Mountain Heaven

This weekend was the Gila Valley Temple dedication in Thatcher/Safford, Arizona. The Temple dedication is a sacred ceremony that can only be attending by worthy members of the Church, 8 years and up. That meant that we would be stuck, since we have two little ones at home. It was broadcast at all the Stake Centers in Arizona several times, so one of us could have gone at different times. We saw it as a good opportunity to take a much needed break. We had no Sunday obligations with callings and our bodies, souls, and family needed some relaxing time together.

We decided to rent a cabin in Greer, Arizona. Our friend, Carol, helped make it more affordable... and more fun! We left the Valley of the Sun Friday afternoon and after a few stops to grab movies, lunch, and a overturned RV, we arrived at the Greer Lodge about 5:00pm. We originally planned on settling in and heading to Eager to get groceries, but the kids were spent and we were hungry. We half enjoyed an over priced meal at the 373 restaurant. Two kids who have been in the car all day have a hard time sitting in a restaurant. Ethan enjoyed walking out by the lake and looking at the geese more than his $6 Mac & Cheese. Memories.

We headed back to the cabin and Addy got the kids settled, bathed, and one in bed while Ryan went grocery shopping. He arrived back at the cabin about the same time Carol did.. he just did it a little slower than she did. :) After both kids were tucked snugly into bed, Ryan headed out to check out the stars with the borrowed telescope but didn't have any more of the already breathtaking views than we did with the naked eye.

The cabin and woods surrounding were gorgeous. There were two small streams behind the cabin, a grassy area with dandelions under the shade of the tall pines, picnic tables and chairs placed in just the right spots, a cute walking bridge to join paths together... simply heaven. The sound of quiet with Ethan's constant sound effects of defeating droids with his lightsaber, the cool breeze, the warm sun, the fresh smell of the pines, the vast amount of stars in the sky. We enjoyed it all!

We did have some not-so-pleasant time too. Eliza was the first to show signs of a cold/sinus problems and didn't sleep much. The first night we clocked about 4 hours of sleep and the second... maybe 3. The trip was sleepless, but definitely restful. We can't wait to get back to the cabin and enjoy the beauty of the White Mountains.

Post Edit:
We rented Cabin #15... Here's the web site in case you would like to have a look.
http://www.greerlodgeaz.com/home