Beautiful Sedona

It was definitely vacation time, and a Judd and Kristen kind of vacation time. So we packed up Judd's car with a bajillion camping supplies, hit the road, and headed to Sedona, Arizona.

We had never been there before, but heard good things about it. One of the first big decisions was where to stay. Judd would have been totally fine camping the whole week, but I wanted a few days at a hotel. Then the big decision was whether to splurge on a resort... or pay less for a cheaper hotel that came with a totally awesome package kayaking deal on the Verde River.

Can't turn down a kayaking adventure!

So we spend a few days hanging around town, and checked out this highly recommended restaurant. I was really excited about it, because you could dine on the patio overlooking the mountains at sunset. But it took almost an hour for a waiter to acknowledge us and bring us drinks, and that was after we politely mentioned it three different times that we were being ignored out on the patio. So we started to walk out, because for what we were going to pay for the meal, it's kind of lame to be waiting that long. And the restaurant wasn't even that busy. But the manager caught us at the door, apologized profusely, and bought us appetizers and drinks. So that's why we're smiling in the picture, free food is always a happy thing!

We realized we didn't really have the right kind of shoes for all the hiking we wanted to do, especially since a lot of it would be in water. So we got these hippie/yuppie shoes (because that's what all the retired rich hippies in Sedona wear all over town, not just for outdoor adventures!). Judd absolutely hated that his were orange at first, but they're growing on him now!

Then we made our camp home sweet home for the next several days!

Check this out... maybe you already know this... but they make pancakes in a can! It's like whip cream... but with pancake batter! I saw it and had to have it. There's very little mess, and they were pretty good!

Slide Rock Park is one of the coolest things about Sedona. It's this trail along a river. In many parts of it, the rocks make natural "slides", hence the name. Families pack this place during the summer, since it's basically a cheap water park, but it was still warm enough in October to try and brave. I posted a few videos so you can see what I mean. I highly recommend it, probably my favorite part of the trip!

I miss colorful leaves!

So each time we go camping, we get more and more creative with our tinfoil dinners. There's very little in them that's actually healthy... but we're on vacation and they're so darn good! So in no particular order... beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, cream of mushroom, Velveeta cheese, mozzarella sticks, pancake batter, salt, pepper, garlic salt, barbecue sauce, brats, and whatever else we had hanging out in the cooler. Top that off with homemade camp ice cream!

Judd going down a rock slide...

And me going down a rock slide. I love the paranoid lady's voice in the background!

How did I forget this post?!?!?!

Lame award of the month goes to yours truly... for forgetting to post about hitting the three year milestone!

 That's right... Judd and I have been married for over 3 years! Our anniversary was July 12, and we celebrated by going to the RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay. I've written a ton of stories about how sustainable it is and all the community stuff celebrity chef Rick Moonen does... but I've never been able to justify spending the big bucks for dinner there. Until Judd got a sweet gift card to Mandalay Bay and we needed somewhere cool to eat for dinner.

 So there we are! I thought my lobster and shrimp pasta was awesome, but Judd says his crab legs were really, really salty. Like they just came out of the sea kind of salty. Which means they're fresh, right?

We then spent the weekend at the Ravaela at Lake Las Vegas, formally the Ritz Carleton. Fun Fact! This was the hotel Judd and I stayed our wedding night :) The pictures I took sucked, so I borrowed some off the website. Much more true to form!

I highly recommend this place. I'd take it over the Strip anytime. Plus, along with their regular pool, they have this hidden beach pool. You have to walk a bit to find it, but it's so worth it.

See what I mean about taking my own pictures? Both Judd and I thought we'd be cute and surprise each other with the other person's favorite snacks. So needless to say, this was not one of our healthier weekends. Although we did work out twice at the gym, so that counts for something.

So it was a great weekend, to honor a fantastic three years! Here's to many, many more. And to learning how to take better self pictures. Although it was pitch black outside so I really couldn't see anything!

Thoughts on Current Events: The world would be a better place if there were more people like Steve Jobs. I've always admired the man for being a great innovator and daring to think to the next level. He inspires me to want to do things bigger and better. I almost cried watching the commencement speech he gave back in 2005. Watch it if you get a chance.

 This Conrad Murray trial is pretty interesting. Even if Michael Jackson was completely hooked on Propofol, clearly there had to be negligence somewhere. I wonder what the outcome will be.

 Speaking of trials, Amanda Knox is home! I totally thought she was guilty of killing her roommate a few years back. But the new evidence brings up more questions than answers. I hope someday, justice can be served to Meredith Kercher.

 Sarah Palin and Chris Christie won't be on our presidential candidate list. So it's basically Mitt Romney at this point, right? I mean, they're not going to drop Rick Perry's racist hunting camp anytime soon. And Michele is basically a joke (what the heck? Don't discourage people from getting the cervical cancer vaccine!!). And does anyone else even have a shot?

 Gossip Girl is back, but the show has gotten kind of dumb. I feel it's lost some of the wittiness that made it awesome a few years back. But it will hold me over until The Bachelor is back. Gosh I watch such awful shows. But one show that is not awful is "New Girl" on FOX. Judd has the biggest crush on Zooey Deschanel who I can admit is pretty adorable. We like the show, it's pretty funny. And Tosh,O, because he reminds us so much of Judd's brother Telly, who's serving in Afghanistan. I think Tosh is his long lost twin.