I just got back from the Grand Canyon with my family.

Emily and I flew to Arizona on Thursday. Lindsey missed her flight. She got on the next one and we had to wait a couple hours at the airport for her to arrive. We stayed in a very nice hotel called the Phoenician. Too bad we didn't get to sleep or see much of the hotel. I won't go into much detail on this one.

Friday we drove up to the Grand Canyon. Along the way we stopped in Sedona (too touristy) and at a Flintstones themed roadside attraction (spectacularly tacky). We arrived at the canyon in the evening. It sure is a big hole.

Saturday we hiked into and back out of the hole. It took five hours and was great fun. I have a very fit family and we made the long hike seem easy. But after dinner we were exhausted and went to sleep early.

Sunday Emily, Lindsey and I went horseback riding in the morning. It was a guided trail ride and the guide wouldn't let us go faster than a walk. The scenery was nice, but I would have liked to go faster. Lindsey lost her camera sometime during or after the ride. She was so upset you would have thought her best friend just died. After lunch, we took a helicopter over the canyon. It was amazing! I had never been in a helicopter, but I soon realized that it is the only way to travel. I'm trying to clear some space in my backyard for a landing pad. That way I will have somewhere to park when I buy one. That night before dinner Emily and I took another hike into the hole. This time we only went for an hour and a half. Nice workout before dinner.

Monday we headed back to Phoenix after a brief stop in Sedona. Mom, Dad, Emily and I had a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Lindsey opted to find takeout at another place. But she neglected to actually order any food, so she was quite upset when we left without waiting for her to eat. That night, we were suppose to stay at the nice Marriott near the mall, but were booked into the dumpy one near the ghetto. My mom was clearly not ok with the arrangements. She took care of the situation and we were promptly booked at the nicer hotel.

Yesterday our flight left at 9:30am and got in at 5:00pm. Stupid time change wasted the whole day. Emily and I brought small carry-on bags. Lindsey checked a large suitcase. Luckily her's was the first off the baggage claim. Or so we thought. Soon after leaving the airport, Lindsey got a message that Southwest had a bag with her name on it. We checked the trunk and realized that she had picked up the wrong bag. The bag we had belonged to a woman who was about to get married. Her wedding dress was in the suitcase. Lindsey turned the car around and swapped bags with the poor, hysterical bride.