Sedona with Kii
Kii took me away on a surprise vacation during the early part of this week. We planned it over a month ago, but he wanted to keep it a surprise. Turns out it was a wonderful surprise! He did an amazing job of planning everything and completely exceeded all my expectations.
Kii and I met back in August via a dating website. We've been seeing each other on a regular basis since then. The time has just flown by! We have a lot in common and get along extremely well. I hadn't mentioned him, because I didn't really know where things were heading. I can't say I have a clear idea of where things are heading, but I'm comfortable enough to write about him and know it's not going to screw things up.
Late last week, I got instructions from Kii on what to pack, but no detail as to where we were going. So on Sunday, he picked me up and finally gave me the details of our trip. We drove up to Sedona, a resort town known for its amazing scenery. Kii planned everything so well. We had a suite at the Hilton Resort and Spa, which was absolutely lovely. The trip started out with a sunset jeep tour. Our guide was a bit quirky, but we quickly learned that everyone that lives in Sedona is a bit quirky. The views on our jeep tour were beautiful and my pictures just don't do them justice. The two stops during the tour were at the Apache's Seven Pools and Devil's Kitchen. Sunday night consisted of a fantastic dinner at Cucina Rustica, a Mediterranean restaurant.
On Monday, Kii and I spent a couple hours hiking around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. The day started off a little chilly, but quickly warmed up which made for perfect hiking weather. I thoroughly enjoyed laying on top of Bell Rock and relaxing. When we got back to the hotel, we had a bite to eat then we headed off to the spa. Kii arranged for us to have massages! I had a hot stone massage, which was heavenly. I really enjoyed having the stones placed on my stomach and between my toes! Needless to say, after the massages, we did very little else that night.
On Tuesday, we ate breakfast at The Hitching Post, which was one of the most enjoyable places we visited (much to our surprise). We did a little bit of wandering around art galleries before heading out of town. Our goal was to have lunch at an old hospital turned hotel in Jerome, Arizona. On the way, we impulsively stopped at the Tuzigoot National Monument, which is a site of Native American ruins. Then we headed up to Jerome. It's a funny little town perched on the side of a mountain. Most of the buildings are frame houses, which hang precariously on the side of the mountain. We decided to explore a bit and found ourselves at the Jerome State Historic Park. It was there we learned that Jerome was once a billion dollar mining town. At it's peak in the 20's, 15,000 people lived in Jerome. The mines closed in the 50's and the town now relies on tourism by calling itself the nation's largest ghost town. Arizona owes much of its success to copper mining so it was fascinating to learn so much about the town where much of the mining took place. We ended the day with lunch at The Asylum, a restaurant in The Jerome Grand Hotel. The hotel was previously a hospital (at one time the biggest in the state) though not a mental hospital. It's known for being haunted, which is where the restaurant gets its name. Our time in Jerome was cut short by the need to head home and prepare for the holidays.
Kii headed off to California today to spend the holiday with his family. I'm staying in Phoenix and celebrating the holiday with a Texan friend, Matt, his family and friends. Friday I'll probably join the masses and do some shopping. On Saturday, I get a visit from Phil who is in town to celebrate the holiday with his grandfather. It's a little sad not to be with my family for the holiday, but having just seen them a couple weeks ago for the wedding, it's OK. I'm happy to be at home after being gone so much lately. The time away with Kii was exactly what I needed to feel relaxed and truly enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday. I have much to be thankful for.
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