Parents come to town: Part II

The family at Macaroni Grill for lunch

On Sunday we took the parents to our church in Litchfield Park. They got to see Luke play in the church band at the contemporary service and we got to meet up with my cousin, Sarah and her son, Nathan. After church we went to the Macaroni Grill for some delicious lunch (that bread is addicting!)

The rest of the day was spent at the house relaxing and catching up. We hadn't seen them since the wedding, so we had a lot to talk about. And it was so nice to hear stories about when Bill and Kate were our age and how they got to where they are now. So much wisdom and experience! To keep the relaxing feel to the day going, we grilled out on our teeeeeeeny tiny grill. I unfortunately didn't take any photos...we were too busy talking and cooking. But believe me, the food was good! The Grillmen did an excellent job and Kate and I did a good job preparing the food :)

The next morning I unfortunately had to go to work :( But Luke took the day off so he could spend some more time with the parents. They first headed up to Cave Creek and did some shopping and sightseeing.

Luke and Bill do some sight seeing in Cave Creek, AZ

From there, they headed to the Desert Botanical Gardens. It is wildflower season, so they got to see the gardens in full bloom. And while I was at work, I got this little photo on my phone:

Luke and the parents at the Desert Botanical Garden.
I seriously almost cried when I got this...I almost got up and headed to the botanical garden, too :)

The headed over to Scottsdale after to take a walk around the library, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Scottsdale Mall (not the actual mall). We met over by the big LOVE sculpture and couldn't resist taking some photos!

The LOVE statue at Scottsdale Mall

Then it was time for some food! We had planned on going to Sam's Cafe at the Biltmore Fashion Park, but when we got there we found out that they had shut down. So we walked around and ran into True Food Kitchen. They use local, in-season, healthy foods to make delicious drinks and meals. We got so much food, so much fun...it was amazing...I will let the photos do the talking:

The guy at the bottom right is the famous chef, Andrew Weil. He was giving a demonstration to a lucky group at the restaurant while we were there.

We had a great time with Kate and Bill...we only wished that they were here a little longer! But we can't wait to visit them in December!! :)

The parents come to town: Part I

A couple weeks ago Luke's parents, Bill and Kate came to town for a few days. We had a blast catching up and exploring Phoenix with them! They arrived on a Friday evening and I took them to one of Luke and I's favorite restaurants: Pita Jungle. It is a healthy eclectic place with a huge menu that both vegetarians and meat lovers will enjoy. The hummus, lemonade and sweet potato fries are a must!

The next morning, we took the parents to the Goodyear Swap Meet. It is a great place to people watch and find those one-of-a-kind items that you wouldn't find in the mall (I don't think they sell beer drinking monkey statues at the Scottsdale Fashion Mall (; )

We then took them to the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium to check out the animals. This zoo is a little different than Phoenix Zoo in that it has penguins (whohoo!) and it has more opportunities for visitors to interact with the animals.

Luke feeds a bird

A penguin!

Luke, Kate and Bill at the aquarium

After the zoo we grabbed a quick lunch and headed home for some rest...dinner was going to be a doozie, so the parents needed to be well-rested :)

We headed to Scottsdale to eat at Luke's favorite Mexican restaurant, Los Olivos. This was a place we had looked forward to sharing with the family. The big tortillas, chips and salsa and drinks were all delicious. The ambiance was great, as well...minus some drunk Scottsdale punks ;)

And if dinner wasn't enough, we took them to my personal favorite eatery (and probably Bill's): Yogurtland!

Can you guess which one is mine?
Hint: find the one with the most fattening toppings :)

Kate and Bill enjoying Yogurland alfresco.

NASCAR at Phoenix International Raceway | Part 2

About one hour before the race was to start, we headed into the track to check out the cars and find our seats. We sat right along turn 4, which ended up being a great spot to see the wrecks! As we waited for the race to start, I plugged in all the driver frequencies into our scanner and Luke kept a look-out for dust storms...it was so windy.

This Papa Johns Pizza character greeted us when we walked into the track.

The national anthem was played by an amazing trumpet player and Luke Air Force sent out some fighter jets for the fly-over. There were even guys parachuting into the track. And then it was time for the race. As the engines fired, Luke looked at me. I think he knew the engines would be loud, but not deafening loud. Thank goodness for our scanner and ear plugs!

A parachutist and the flyover during the national anthem

As the race went on, the sun began to set. We had an excellent view of the sunset and it was cool to see how the track changed as the sun went down.

A view of the track in the afternoon, evening and night.

A couple of the wrecks

The race was fun to watch, and it was even more fun listening to the drivers complain about their cars over the radio. Some drivers had flowery language (Dale Jr!).

Dale Jr. said whaaa?

Like any true NASCAR fan, we ended up not staying for the whole race...not because we weren't enjoying it, but we didn't want to deal with the onslaught of traffic. Even though we live a few miles from the track, it was faster for us to park our car at a concert venue about 15 miles from the track and take a school bus back to the car. With us leaving about 45 minutes before the race ended we were able to get to our car and back to our house just in time to avoid the traffic. And we got to see the end of the race on TV in the comfort of our PJs and couch :)

NASCAR at Phoenix International Raceway | Part 1

For the past two years, Luke and I have been residing in a small suburb west of Phoenix called Avondale. The town is made up mostly of houses, schools, a Fry's Grocery Store and (more) houses. But if you travel just a few miles south heading toward the Estrella Mountains, you will run into Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Two times a year (April and November) Luke and must plan our week around the NASCAR events. Not because we are attending, but we need to get around all the fans and participants. The streets are packed with team haulers, motor homes with massive grills strapped to the back go 30 mph and our when we walk through our favorite Fry's grocery store it makes us wonder if a hurricane is about to hit the desert. And when the race starts we can hear the engines and the fly overs from Luke Air Force Base shake the house (Why hello there, B-52!).

This year instead of fighting it, we went with it. We stopped off at the PIR business offices a couple weeks ago and picked up some cheap tickets to the race. It would have been a shame if we never went to a race that was less than 5 miles from our house.

Luke had never been to a NASCAR race, which I found odd since he lived in North Carolina. I had been to a few races: a Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis and two spring races in Bristol, TN. I knew that if Luke didn't care for the race, he would enjoy watching crazy rednecks in their natural habitat ;)

Luke at the entrance of Phoenix International Raceway

Jimmy Johnson's trophy for the past 4 years.

The race in April is a night race, so we got to the track around noon on Saturday. Thanks to our good friend and co-worker, Chris, we were able to get to the track fast. He had a media pass/amazing parking spot inside the track. Luke and I hopped out right before security got to us, ahha! We made our way into the track and we were engulfed with hard-core NASCAR fans. And boobs. Every sponsorship booth came with two skimpy-clothed blond chicks. The fans got a kick out of handing their baby boys over to them to take a picture...the girls had NO IDEA how to hold a baby...wish I took a picture! :)

We played some games and won some prizes: a couple beer cozies, snacks and beer openers. All items any NASCAR fan wouldn't have already, but look the heck out if any of those items were thrown at you. Chances are a drunk dude with a full glass of beer will try to jump you to get that cozie. That happened to me. Twice. It's all part of the NASCAR experience, I guess.

A free photo with "Kyle Busch." Luke noticed that they photoshopped his sunglasses. Heellllooo, get your light sources correct! :)

While we were walking around, we happened to run into some drivers. Greg Biffle was doing a little Q&A with a NASCAR radio show, Juan Pablo Montoya had a Q&A, as well at the Chevy tent, Ryan Newman (who ended up winning the race) had an interview with SPEED Channel that we happened to run into and we also got on the pre-race show on SPEED, where we saw Kyle Petty and Kenny Wallace. We happened to tape the pre-race and saw ourselves multiple times. We stick out like sore thumbs! Notice how we are one of the few people without our favorite driver's t-shirt.

The drivers we ran into

We're on TV!!

New Glasses

After 3 years with the brown glasses, I have switched back to black. Still breaking them in, but I definitely like the new style. :)

Disney Trip: Days 6-7

Our last day at Disney was spent at EPCOT. Every time I go there, I always forget what EPCOT stands for. A long time ago, one of the Disney bus drivers told me it stood for "Everyone comes out tired." He wasn't lying, so we will just go with that.

We started the day by going to Test Track. This ride features actual tests that many manufacturers use. We went through various tests such as extreme temperatures, brakes, grades and we got to speed around the track at 60 mile/hr. After Test Track, we headed over to our favorite ride in probably all of Disney "Sorin'." This ride makes you feel like you are gliding through various parts of California. It is such an easy-going ride, but the whole thing feels so real...it is a great escape.

While we were there, the Disney Flower and Garden Festival was just getting started. It runs from March 3-May 16. Throughout the park there were various characters carved out of shrubs, flowers and other natural plants.

Luke and I in front of the Minnie and Mickey flower statues.

These things reminded us of the Edward Scissorhand movie.

Next up was the World Showcase. We started at the Mexico Pavilion, ate some lunch and did some shopping. Alexis and Luke picked up a mask and decorated them at each country we visited. We love shopping at the Chinese, German and Japanese Pavilions. And rumor is they might add a new country to the line-up: Turkey.

Luke is obviously enjoying decorating his mask with Alexis :)

Having some fun in Morocco!

After going through all the countries, we headed over to the big ball, Spaceship Earth. They recently renovated the ride (some of the stuff they had in "the future" part of the ride had actually happened!) and made it more interactive. Still, a lady fell asleep in on of the pods behind Dad and Kathy. Dad was nice and woke her up as the ride was ending :)

I had found a tea set in China that I was dying to get...a good price and made in China. I can't wait to find an excuse to get it out of the box! We had dinner at the Coral Reef Restaurant, where you eat seafood right next to a giant aquarium.

Spaceship Earth

The next morning, it was time for Luke and I to head back to Phoenix. It was quite an interesting journey back to the desert: we had a 3-hr delay due to terrible weather (planes were getting hit by lightening and tornados were all over the place) and I came down with the 24-hr flu bug (thanks, Lexi ;) ). We had a great time in Disney, but it was so nice to be home!

'Ohana: The best meal at Disney, Part II

Then came the meats...the waiters bring the meats around on big skewers. You tell them how many you want, and they give you twice as many. They had steak, chicken, pork and our favorite: shrimp. Last year, Amanda's friend, Dani, came to Disney with them and had about 30 of the massive shrimp. She's also 5'2", 100 lbs. It's the magic of Disney.

The cooks prepare the meats on a big indoor pit.

(I wish I would have taken a better photo
of the shrimp and other meats...I was way too busy at the time, though :) )

Again, the chef came over to present Luke his main course: fried vegetable tempura and tofu on a bed of rice and dried noodles. It was massive and tasted so good! The chef got a good kick out of our reactions. Though we go to Disney often, these sorts of things really make each vacation stand out.

Luke's main course: veggie tempura with rice, dried noodles and tofu.

And then finally, the dessert - the one Dad had been waiting for 365 days to eat- the bread pudding. Words cannot describe how delicious this stuff is. It is addicting. And the waitress brought out two helpings. We were nearly dead by the end.

Dad is serious about the bread pudding

But there were a couple people at our table that weren't enjoying it as much as Dad, Kathy, Luke and I were. The chef, who was working on the other side of the room, took note. He brought this thing over for Amanda and Lexi:

Amanda with the "Chocolate Volcano"

Seriously.

This chef is the best.

Again, we thanked him profusely, and even got a picture with him.

Us with the Chef at 'Ohana. (I obviously didn't get the memo.)

We sat at the table for a good 15 minutes after, unable to get up. The Hawaiian dancer hit on Luke and gave us some leis. It was awesome.

Needless to say, we will be back next time we go to Disney.

'Ohana: The best meal at Disney, Part I

If you know the French Family well, then you probably know that we venture to Disney on a regular basis (1 time a year, sometimes 2). Over the years, we have memorized the maps, experienced all the rides, received countless autographs from the Disney characters, but the one thing we have grown to love more as we got older was the food.

For the past few years, we have used the "Disney Dining Plan." With this plan, we get one quick service meal (think McDonald's), one snack and one sit-down meal every day. So besides breakfast, we were set for the day. I kept all of the receipts from our trip, and it turned out that we saved about 50% on our food bills. This plan pretty much locks you on Disney property (if the resort hasn't already), but if the food is this good, so be it!

So, after a long day at Animal Kingdom on Tuesday, Luke, Alexis and I headed to the Polynesian Resort to meet up with Dad, Kathy and Amanda. They were lounging on the beach next to the Seven Seas Lagoon. The resort is so peaceful and is in the best location possible. Someday we will stay at that resort...someday.

Once it was time to check in for our reservation, we headed to 'Ohana, the place we would be feasting for the next two hours. We were seated right next to where they cook all of the meats, and a prime location to watch the parade of little kids with the Hawaiian singer.

'Ohana is set up a little different than other restaurants at Disney. The meal is already chosen (no menus needed) and everything is family-style (big plate of food; share amongst yourself). The meal is also 50% meat, so Luke made sure to ask the waitress for the vegetarian options.

Little did he know, he was in for the meal of a lifetime.

I started off the night with some alcoholic drink in a huge pineapple. Not sure what all was in it, but it did the trick.

Fruity drink in a pineapple

The first course was some coconut bread, salad, pork dumplings and bbq chicken. We could have just eaten this and walked away happy. Luke received a some hummus and pita chips, presented by the head chef himself...pretty fancy, huh?

Pork dumplings and bbq chicken. Salad in the background.

Hummus and chips

The second course was broccoli and noodles. Luke got his own course: fried green tomatoes on a bed of mashed potatoes with Cheetos and some amazing Asian sauce.

Broccoli and noodles.

Fried green tomatoes on a bed of mashed potatoes, accented with Cheetos.

Next up, the main course!

Disney World: Day 5

Since Luke and I received a free day at the park, we thought it would be fun to go to Animal Kingdom, since Luke hadn't been there before. The park is only open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., so we got up early to get there when it opened. Around 7 a.m., Lexi walks in and says that she wants to go with us. Dad and the girls were not planning on going to Animal Kingdom since they were going to see La Nouba at Cirque du Soleil. However, Lexi being the youngest and most apt to getting her way, came along with us. :) We didn't mind...we don't get to see her often, so it was nice to hang out with her. It also gave the rest of the family some time to do whatever they wanted to do.

Luke at the entrance of Animal Kingdom

We started out the day by running aaalllll the way to the back of the park to the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. This is by far one of the coolest rides at Disney: You ride on a huge jeep through an "African safari." Though it is definitely not the real-deal, it is about as close to it as it can be. It was so neat riding around and seeing zebras, elephants, lions and other animals. And it looks like they had quite a bit of space to roam around.

Lexi on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride

After the safari, we ran to the other side of the park to get Fast Passes for Expedition Everest roller coaster ride. Fast Passes are great if you hate waiting in lines. All you do it grab a fast pass ticket and come back during the time frame on the ticket and you can pretty much walk right on the ride. So we headed over to the Finding Nemo Musical. This production isn't the typical theme park kinda show...the singers are amazing, and the puppetry is very cool. After the show, it was time to ride Expedition Everest. Lexi and I shared a seat and as we were heading up the first big drop, she yells out "I don't think I should have gone on this ride!!" I cracked up as I saw the terror in her eyes. (Good sister, I know) But after a few seconds, her hands were up and she was loving it.

We grabbed some lunch back at the front of the park and made our way to Dinoland U.S.A. And being smart people, we thought it would be a great idea to go on the Primeval Whirl...a roller coaster ride that spins...and spins...and spins. And then jerks you around. Awesome.

Lexi on the Primeval Whirl roller coaster

To finish the day, we did a little shopping, saw some animal exhibits and watched the Festival of the Lion King Musical. It is almost like a mini version of the Broadway show. Again, excellent singing and acting..and kids were dancing the entire time.

Us with Jiminy Cricket

Luke experiencing the joys of being a big brother ;)

We left Animal Kingdom and made our way to the Polynesian Resort for dinner with the rest of the family. There will be a separate blog post for the dinner. It was that good. :D

Disney World: Day 4

On Monday, we headed to Magic Kingdom. We have been here so many times, but it never gets old. Walking through the turnstiles, hearing the music and seeing all the colors and happy faces makes me feel like I'm 5-years-old all over again.

Luke and I were able to get a free day at the park this year by participating in Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day" program. Back in February, we went to ASU and helped high school students sign up for scholarships and summer camp programs. We had a blast, and it has even encouraged us to do more volunteerism.

We started the day by taking some quick pictures of us and the castle. One of the Disney photographers even helped us take some pictures and gave us a couple tips (Get everyone in the picture, and a little bit of sky). We then headed over to Space Mountain and only waited for about 5 minutes to get on the ride. After a quick ride on the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, we wanted to get Luke on some rides he has never been on: the Tommorwland Speedway and the Teacups. We were hoping to get him on the Dumbo ride, but he said he would save that ride for when we have kids..haha!

Lexi fulfilling her sister-in-law duties by driving Luke nuts

Lexi and Luke on the teacups

After a few more rides (Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster), we headed to Main Street U.S.A. to do a little shopping and wait for the afternoon parade.

This is just ridiculous...

Luke and I before the afternoon parade

We did a little more shopping and then it was time to head over to the Contemporary Resort for the character dinner at Chef Mickey's. This is a great time to see all our favorite characters (minus the enormous lines that you would find at the park) and have some good food..the mac n' cheese gets me every time...seriously I'm 5-years-old there.

Dad and Kathy with Pluto at the Disney Character Dinner at the Contemporary Resort.

After dinner it was time to go back to the resort and digest. Luke and I (and a last minute addition) had to wake up early the next morning to go to Animal Kingdom.

Disney World: Day 3

Old Key West Resort

On Sunday, we slept in and explored the resort a little more. Luke and Dad had tickets to see the Atlanta Braves play a spring training game at Disney's Wide World of Sports, so we headed over to Downtown Disney to grab a quick lunch and get them on a bus to the complex.

Luke, Lexi and Amanda on the boat to Downtown Disney

Lexi was feeling a little better. She definitely wasn't 100% but she could eat a little bit of food at lunch. After Dad and Luke left, us girls did a little shopping and then headed back to the resort to rest and lay out at the pool. Old Key West was holding a pool party while we were there, so Lexi and I played a couple BINGO games, while Amanda soaked up the sun. Amanda also enjoyed the entertainment...such as this guy:

Amanda enjoyed watching the lifeguard dance.

The girls at the pool

For dinner, we headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to eat at Boma's African Buffet. We love visiting this resort: when you arrive people from Africa greet you and have interesting artifacts, bones, etc. to share. And when you walk outside, you get to see giraffes, zebras and other animals in the "African Savannah."

The buffet features African and the traditional American buffet foods (I wish I could remember some of the African food! It was all so good!). By the end, we were stuffed, and Lexi got an extra dessert from our waiter! She is so spoiled...

Lexi with her special dessert.