A couple of weeks ago, Micah and I threw around a few Memorial Day Weekend ideas that revolved around driving to lakes and going camping. We never really came up with a solid plan until about a week ago when Micah said, "I think I just want to stay home next weekend." And that is exactly what we did. It was glorious. We have been so busy lately, and it was nice to just sit around home, lay out in our amazing Arizona sunshine, and just not have a tight agenda for a few days. Micah often reminds me that we LIVE in a vacation spot... so why not just stay here? We didn't really have a plan. We didn't make rules like "absolutely no working" or anything like that. We just hung out, worked a little, tanned a little, talked a lot. It was exactly what we needed. On Friday night, Micah took me to one of our favorite restaurants in Scottsdale, Houston's, and then to the drive-in. We made a big, fluffy bed in the back of the truck and cuddled up to watch Pirates 4. I still don't even know the real name of the movie... Micah told me on Thursday that he wanted to take me to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and I thought he was joking. "They made ANOTHER one?" I asked. Is this Jaws or Saw or something? Way to market something to death. It was good, I guess. I decided I actually liked 4 better than 3, probably only because I cannot remember a single thing that happened in 3. Did I even see that one? I can't keep track anymore. Oh, and don't be grossed out by our cuddling, because it was minimal. It is way too hot in Arizona at the end of May to cuddle for more than 2.5 minutes. The extent of our cuddling in the our awesome truck bed - bed. On Saturday, we had one of those long, good, deep catch-up conversations that are sometimes hard to fit into a marriage even though you talk every day. Then we relaxed by the pool for a while before driving up north to BUY A TV. Yes, it's true. The Russums own a television. It's a lovely Phillips Magnavox circa 1995 model, complete with the bulky back, and it weighs about 30 pounds. We bought it for $10 on Craigslist and proceeded to watch movies for the next two nights. We were desperate. Both our laptops decided to forfeit their ability to play DVDs recently, and I didn't really want to spend all summer in our apartment without being able to watch a single movie at home. Our plan is to use Phillip, the 1990s dreamboat, through the summer while we work on moving into a new place, and then we will hopefully get a flat screen after we own our own home. We brought Phillip home, made delish homemade tacos, and watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs before bed. I'll just add the disclaimer that the Red Box was VERY picked over, but the movie turned out to be pretty cute. Mmm... fresh grapes for 88 cents a pound. Yes, please. Tacos. I love you. Testing out the new TV. It works! On Sunday, we went to church, ate grilled salmon on the patio for lunch, laid by the pool again, and then ran some errands which included washing our cars, going to Target, and looking at a house that we are interested in buying (more on that later). We came home and decided that tacos were so good the night before, we should just have them again, since we still had the lettuce, cheese, leftover shells and meat. Yum. It was just as delicious the second night. Then, for some reason, Micah was feeling in his most generous, rational, helpful mood and he CLEANED OUT HIS SPORTS CLOSET ON THE DECK. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's true. He willingly cleaned out a closet and got rid of stuff. I almost fainted. It looks beautiful, and now I don't have to sneak into the closet when Micah is at work and clean it out myself in the 100 degree heat... Oh hey hot husband in the hot sun. Yes, we live in a vacation destination. I love my life. Hello clean closet. I thought you only existed in my dreams! On Monday, we went to the coffee shop in the morning and just worked on our computers for a bit. I hadn't even looked at my computer since Friday afternoon! It was kind of refreshing. Then we worked out - Micah hiked Camelback while I hit up the complex gym... I'm such a treadmill girl. We reconvened by the pool where we caught up on phone calls to friends and family while lying in the warm, peaceful sunshine. We grilled steak for dinner and cleaned our house for Justin's arrival the following day. Yes, we have another visitor, and he is great! This weekend was the perfect amount of rest to prepare us for the next three incredibly busy weeks until we head out to California and Seattle on our real vacations. But until then, this weekend's staycation was the perfect vacation for me. ... Read more