Arizona Therapy

  So, I just got back from a trip to Scottsdale, AZ last night, and I can't even put into words how glad I am that I went, but I'll do my best.  When I heard about the Resolve Walk of Hope going on in AZ, my first reaction was, "Wow, that would be awesome if they had one closer to me.  Oh well.."  But, as I thought about it, I realized that Matt and I could use a mini vacation, and he has mentioned wanting to go to Scottsdale.  I also felt like it was something I could do that would help me in the healing process, and I was right about that.  The whole weekend was so relaxing and wonderful.  It didn't hurt that two of my friends went with me to support me in the walk and share some good times and another one met me after the walk to visit for a while.

  Saturday was the day of the walk, and we headed to El Dorado Park at a little after 8 to get signed in.  The table where we checked in had someone handing out boxes of OPKs, which was very nice and also kind of funny.  Obviously, they know that TTCers need all the help they can get.  People brought their dogs, some brought their little miracle babies, and some wore shirts about infertility that made me smile.  One I saw said, "My baby survived the ice age."  Two ladies from BBC joined my team for the walk, so I got to meet them there, which was really nice.  The walk was only a mile, but it was beautiful outside, and it was really peaceful and relaxing.  Our group ended up winning a medal for best team name, which was cool.  My friend made it up but gave me the medal.  Here's a little picture of our team (minus the husband) and one of me with the friends that went with me:

I also got to hold a baby pig and a baby goat at the petting zoo they had at the walk, which made me really happy, because there are few things cuter than baby animals and they don't make me sad like human babies sometimes do.  

  After the walk, we grabbed some "brunch" at this place we found, and I was super excited to be off of the gluten free and dairy free wagon temporarily so that I could enjoy some delicious fried catfish and cheese grits.  That wasthe best southern food I'd had on the west coast.  Then we did a little hike at Hole in the Rock, which was fun.  

After our little hike, we went to the zoo since it happened to be next door and we didn't have anything else planned, and then we hit downtown Scottsdale for dinner at this ridiculous burger place that knocked our socks off and pretty much undid all the activity we'd done that day.  Who cares?   Matt had found a place that served fancy scotches and cigars, so we humored him (and my friend's husband who was also there) and hung out there while they enjoyed their scotch and cigars.  

The weekend was incredibly relaxing and full of laughs, which was exactly what I needed.  The place we stayed offered bungalows instead of typical hotel rooms, and was a hidden gem.  They had fruit trees (I stole a grapefruit, because it smelled so good and needed picking) in their beautiful, quiet courtyard area, and though we didn't get to utilize them, they have free bike rental for their guests.  Everything was just perfect.  

Also, on the way there, this song came on on my Ipad, and it made me think of how far I've come in just a little over three months.  Obviously, the song is more about healing from a relationship, but so many of the words spoke exactly what I feel.  To me, it's about knowing that something is hard and feeling that it's a struggle, but knowing that you're still standing, and it will get easier with time.  So, here it is.  Maybe some of you can relate:

"Three months and I'm still breathing...."