Sisters in Sedona

September 29, 2011 - I flew to Phoenix to meet my sister for our first ever kid-free, girls' weekend. When I arrived we went straight to the mall for dinner & shopping.

Saturday, Julie had booked appointments at the spa for manicures & pedicures. And afterward, I decided to have my hair cut. (new cut, pictured on the left.) It's been awhile since I've had bangs, but I kind of like them. After that, we shopped some more!

Sunday morning we got up, packed our bags & headed to Julie's friend's house for breakfast and conference. Then we hit the road for Sedona.

Above: Me, outside of our room at the Sedona Summit.

After we checked in, we walked the grounds for awhile.

In the evening, we played games, spent some time relaxing in the hot tub & chilling out in our room watching TV and eating some sugar. :) The next morning, we left early for a segway tour of Sedona. Since they move solely based on your balance, they take a little getting used to, but once I figured it out, I had a blast riding the segway.

Julie & I on our segway tour.

This is the view from the bridge, pictured above.

L: The former home of Lucille Ball. They keep a life sized replica of her on the balcony. - R: One of the many sculptures on display & for sale throughout Sedona. I think you can take this one home for a mere $6,000.

During our segway tour, our guide took us through the grounds of Exposures Fine Art Gallery. It's said to be the most prestigious art gallery in the southwest and artists come from all over to display they art there.

Julie & I outside of Tlaquepaque, Sedona Arizona's Arts & Crafts Village.

The grounds and shops at Tlaquepaque are truly beautiful. The man who built it, promised not to remove any of the trees in order to complete construction. Because of this, there are trees literally growing through walls and in the middle of shops. Our tour guide said that Sedona attracts many artists, and each believes that their artwork is "the best!" ---We certainly believed him after perusing the shops. The cheapest thing in any of them was about $25.00 and that was for a simple beaded bracelet. We saw a cute little, simple 9 inch x 9 inch painting with a price tag of $625. If that gives you any idea of the outrageously overpriced art. I will not deny that the art was beautiful, but I could find similar art somewhere else for a fraction of the cost.

At the end of our tour, we had the chance to cruise around the streets of a near by neighborhood & pick up the speed. I cruised around at a peak speed of 12.8 mph. If you ever have the opportunity to ride a segway, do it! They're so much fun! Now I know why Julie wants one.

After our tour & window shopping at Tlaquepaque, we walked over to a nearby resort and strolled through the grounds. We fed the ducks.

Then we came across this giant chess set.

For our evening entertainment, Julie booked us on a helicopter tour of Sedona. Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but there are no doors on the helicopter. It's completely open to the outside. The ride was a little breezy, but so much fun!

Just some of the gorgeous views on our tour.

Julie shot this beautiful view. I was seated in the middle of the front & Julie was seated on the side, in the back, so we passed the camera back & forth a few times. A little scary to do, since there were no doors.

I just love this picture.

L: We saw several cliff dwellings during our tour.

L: Three Brothers rock. - R: An aerial view of Sedona Summit, the resort we stayed in.

A breathtaking view of Cathedral Rock. (highlighted by the sun, near the center)

Apparently, the most photographed rock formations in Sedona.

The drive back to the San Tan Valley.

I love spending time with my sister. She planned so many fun adventures for us & we laughed a lot! We had one amazingly eventful weekend! Thanks Jewels! A girl couldn't ask for a better sister! And thanks to my husband, Joshua, & my Mom for taking such good care of my boys while I was away.