March 26, 2015: Ben and Sandy's Excellent Adventure (Day 1)

From Ben's phone

The adventure has begun. Ben and Mom. Mom and Ben. A quick trip planned in a short timeline. But life is short and time, a treasure. So we are off on our adventure.

The idea of a getaway began 19 days ago when Ben sent me a text at 2:51 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

I quickly surmised that my middle child, who doesn't like to miss a party, was creating his own party. Coincidentally my blog post the day prior was on his brothers spending a week together in Denver without him on Grant's spring break.

It was tempting. Very tempting. We hadn't seen my parents since last May at Ben's graduation. Although time is a scarcity these days, I bit. My counteroffer was that the trip would have to fall over a long weekend.

An excited Ben called his grandpa the same day to seal the deal. I was just as excited. I missed my parents. Spontaneous quick trips many times hold pleasant surprises and the best memories.

With a 19 day window to take off, I secured plane tickets, rental car, hotel, Cubs tickets and an itinerary that would start in Phoenix and end in Vegas. All in a convertible with my middle child in the middle of the Southwestern blooming deserts.

With great anticipation we hit the Omaha airport yesterday afternoon. I was able to carve an extra half day out of my schedule to give us a full day to play in Phoenix on Friday.

Ben wanted to know the agenda. We rehearsed the game times and cast of characters we would be meeting and when. A plan was executed. 90 degree weather greeted us in Phoenix as we were receiving texts on snow flakes back home. The convertible waiting our arrival was divine with Ben a very reliable navigator with iPhone in hand in the passenger seat.

Our adventure has begun. Last night was a nice family dinner with the Wells' clan, our loved cousins and aunt whom we don't see enough. Our gathering with a few new faces was wonderful. Laughter and great conversation filled our table.

Ben continued to expand his typical culinary restrictions beyond chicken strips, burgers and steak. His 'firsts' last night included truffle fries (not much of a stretch here), calamari and lobster. The truffle flavored spuds were well received and calamari rated 'good'. Lobster will probably not be a future order for him.

Day 2 of our excellent adventure begins with sunny warmth shining through our hotel window. We did buy tickets to the Suns game tonight, so a fun-filled sports day awaits. Happy Friday!!