Arizona sunshine...

 This year for Girls Weekend we visited Katie in Phoenix! As always we had such a great time. Despite the two pregnant ladies (Me & Ronna) fighting off morning sickness, lack of sleep and swelling of the feet! Katie's parents live just around the corner from her and were so kind to let us crash at their place. :)

We had such a wonderful day going to the Mesa Temple together! Katie had been bragging up the food so afterwards we ate in the temple cafeteria, which was a first for the rest of us. It was really good! I loved being in the temple with these ladies and am so grateful for them all. :)   

Later, after some serious shopping, Katie took us to this awesome wig shop! I had never tried on a wig before in my LIFE... but we had so much fun experimenting with different styles. :) The lighting wasn't the best but I think you get the idea. :) 

Cheri found her fav pretty quickly.

We had a fantastic time snacking & gallery hopping in old town Scottsdale. Later, we stopped in for a late night treat at the famous Sugar Bowl ice cream shop. The Sugar Bowl is where Family Circus (the comic strip) originated and was written.

Katie was a great host. Among the temple, wigs, art & ice cream: we saw an awesome yodeler perform, ate at lots of yummy restaurants, went purse shopping, saw the Adjustment Bureau, spent many late nights talk talk talking and received a first class painting lesson from Katie. :)

Matthew Rojas, Esquire...dad and husband extraordinaire! It's always great to see how our kids have grown and catch up with the guys. All of Katie's family lives nearby so we got to spend some time with everyone. This picture is dedicated to all of our great hardworking husbands who take over our motherly duties each year and support us while we become women of the wind for a few days! We are grateful for  them! Until next year....Houston 2012. :) 

Austin IS WeIrD. Check.

Each year my dear friends & I (from our Ann Arbor days) reunite for a little girl bonding time. The last week of March was our Girls Weekend (Austin)....30 something style. Our husbands went to Law School together at U of M and while they were buried in books with blood shot eyes, we made no haste for discovering what sisterhood is all about. :) Since graduation we have made it a yearly tradition to get together and visit one of our- neck of the woods. Phoenix. Houston. San Francisco and this year Austin! (Cue music below- Just one of the fantastic Austin Gigs playing around on the streets as you walk around)

There is a saying about Austin and while I have been there several times before visiting Cheri, I had not yet fully experienced Austin's "weirdness" in its true form. Until now...

The first thing that was weird about our GW Trip was that KATIE....was not able to come this year. Boo Hoo. Yes, thats right, our artistic amis was suffering from major back issues and therefore could not make it this year. As I write, she is recovering from back surgery. She was with us in spirit & web chats though. xoxo Katie.

The food was amazing! Katie was SO there with us every step of the way. It was almost like you could see her watching over us! ;)

The Boutiques there are great but BE careful..... you just might get flashed. Lets just say that nursing is a VERY open sport in Austin and this particular mom was lacking a brazier as well. Whoopsie! lol People there are friendly too....like this passer by who wanted to be in our picture. I had to get a picture of this Boutique because my maiden name was Luther and in my entire life I have never met anyon

e with my same last name. Austin is cool though...so of course there is a Boutique "Luther's".

There are artisans of all kinds in Austin and the the kind man that offered to take our picture overlooking Lake Austin was no exception. He had a real eye for the nat-ur-al! 1....2....3.....CHEESE!

Happy Birthday to me! Birthday Margaritas- Mormon chic style.

This "baby girl" is pretty much the weirdest... yet cutest I have ever seen. ;) I wanted to take her home.

Never knew one could play the saw.....this girl was seriously so kind and sweet.

The Food was AMAZING. Did I say that yet? Me taking a picture of Ronna, taking a picture of the Amazing Food.

Katie is that you?

In our adventures we stumbled accross this sweet candy shop. While succombing to candy store ecstasy, Ronna defeated a beastly stool while harnessing her inner core strength.

They have all these vintage-y antinque shops around. Wait a minute....is that Al Gore!?

Apparently, Austin is the home of the largest bat colony in the US. They live under this bridge. At dusk they fly out and its supposed to be really cool. We don't know cause they didn't fly the night we went. It was too windy. There are approximately 750,000. I stole this pic from the internet.

For Katie. Cupcake hocker stall. :D

Swimming in natural springs in Zilker Park. Ronna & Cheri dove right in. I took a little more convincing for me to get in the 68 degree water. Brrrr. It was dang cold but after a while it wasn't so bad. SPRING WARNING: "Topless welcome. If you don't have a suit, your underwear will do just fine!" We, of course, came prepared!

Last night with the girls. Having dinner at a yummy restaurant overlooking Lake Travis. The band & atmosphere were great. We always have such fun. Thanks to our sweet hubbies who year after year encourage and support us! It is always hard to leave fam but it is SO refreshing to go. I always come back feeling so energized and reborn as a woman, wife and mom. :D

(Tip: If you are getting this post via email click on the underlined hyperlink HallsRock at the bottom of the post. It will direct you to the blog where you can watch the videos that are missing in the email.)

The real San Francisco treat.....

Every year me and my best friends from Ann Arbor get together for our girls weekend retreat. We now all live throughout the US and so each year we take turns hosting. This year we visited Ronna in San Francisco! It was my first time as an adult visiting the bay area but I tell you..... I fell in love! I think it is the most gorgeous of all the big cities. Too bad it is SO dang expensive to live there. Oh, well.....we can always come visit right Ronna?

Ronna, Cheri & I pose in front of Lombard Street. The most crooked street EVER.

Katie, Ronna, Caitlynn, Cheri, Benjamin & me... in the first holding cell in Alcatraz.

Alcatraz. Despite the fact that it was a US penitentiary for some of the most notorious criminals such as Al Capone and many of his gangster friends.....the island itself was gorgeous. Gardens and wildlife galore.

Katie snuggling with Ben and his cheeks.

At a lookout point on top of the Academy Museum of Art.

At the Academy of the Sciences aquarium.

Touching star fish, sea urchins and other un-identified sea objects.

Cheri in front of one of the massively beautiful redwoods....in Muir Woods.

The golden gate bridge and me.

Bring on the San Francisco food baby! We tried it all....from fancy seafood, chowder on the pier, and sandwiches on classic San Francisco Sourdough. This was a place called Lucca's. The sandwiches were some of the tastiest ever.....people will sit on dirt to eat them. Yum!

Can I just say how much I love these ladies!? Well I do. A LOT!! Until next year girls! What happens in San Francisco stays there right?

Soul Food

Last Thursday my girls flew to Houston and we celebrated our annual girls weekend! We became friends in Ann Arbor while our husbands attended University of Michigan Law School. If getting through law school together doesn't bond you...I don't know what will. At graduation we all vowed that we would take the time at least once a year to get together and so far we have!

L to R: Me (Houston), Katie (Vegas), Cheri (Austin) and Ronna (San Fran)


They arrived Thursday night. Friday we enjoyed a facial, dining out and shopping. Saturday we went to the Kemah Boardwalk down by the coast. Sunday I dragged them all to 8:30 church after staying up until 2am, plus the time change...yea, they love me. Late Sunday afternoon it was time to go home. I already miss them.
Windy day on the boardwalk. We ate mexican, rode the crickety wood roller coaster (thanks Katie), enjoyed some hot chocolate....oh...and did some more shopping.

Last year everyone (except me) was pregnant and this year we got to enjoy the new babes. Amelia Love Anderson & Eden Rojas. They are both perfect angels all weekend and were content to listen to us all talk talk talk, go a few places and oh yea... and talk some more. This year...I got to be the tired pregnant lady.