How do you pronounce PHX?

After SLC, I made a stop in Phoenix. My girl Kylie always says her place is mine, so I took her up on that. 


Kylie and I met in 2009 when we both were in a new hire class at Sammons in Des Moines. They did a 3 day offsite kumbaya for all new hires and Kylie and I were in the same class. Going into sessions like that, you know you have to find someone to become at least "three day besties" with. Here we are 15 years later (gross) and I couldn't love her more.

Kylie and her family went off to Vegas for the weekend so I got to spend time with her on the front and back end of the trip. I didn't know I needed it, but I told Kylie on my way out of town that the alone time that weekend in the comfort of her place was just what I needed.

I got in late on Thursday and Kylie took off Friday morning. I think I worked a 16 hour day on Friday but it was necessary and I slept well that night!

On Saturday, I hiked Piestewa Peak Summit Trail on Satruday. And by hiked, I mean rock climbed. I wish I would have had my hiking boots (limitations of two suitcases) because of the rockiness, but overall it was a fun and challening hike.


That night, I met up with my friend Kacey for dinner. at North Italia. Kacey and I met probably a decade ago through our mutual friend Clint (Kid Rock is Boss - another post). Kacey and I have had a lot of fun over the years! She's got some really cool things on the horizon and I'm super proud of her!

Kylie got back Sunday and we immediately ran to Barstool to watch the Iowa women beat USC on Caitlin Clark's jersey retirement day! Aaron joined us just to trash talk.


Next Stop: San Fran

Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skydiving on Christmas

Image
I left for Puerto Vallarta today. Yes, I left before Christmas and on my mom's birthday (love you, mom!) but the timing worked out well and I saw my whole extended family at Thanksgiving so I felt ok about missing out this year. I have been to PV a number of times, I know people who live there, and I knew others who would be there during the same time this year so it all worked out well. This stay was in an Airbnb in the Romantic Zone. It was a little bit of a walk to the action but also allowed for some quiet time and some good R&R. I was on PTO for this trip and it was nice being able to check out for a few days.  There were a couple of planned activities/excursions, but mostly it was just going with the flow day by day. There were multiple days spent at the beach and the rooftop pool at the Airbnb. I was invited on a boat one day with friends for a late afternoon/early evening trip to do some whale watching and to catch the sunset on the water. If you've never experience...
Read more

Más queso fundido por favor

Image
Today is my 40th birthday and I'm in Puerto Vallarta for a couple more days yet. Rachel has been down here with me for the trip and we've had the best time! We haven't done any excursions or anything too exciting - just a lot of time spent at the pool, beach, and eating melted cheese! Rachel and I have been on many trips together so there's not usually a lot of pressure to do much - so we haven't! She’s a great travel partner. We did go and see Amy Armstrong one night. She dubs herself the “Voice of an Angel, Mouth of a Sailor.” I have seen Amy a handful of times over the years both here in PV and in Chicago. She never disappoints! We're staying in an Airbnb right in the heart of the Romantic Zone. This is my first time staying within true walking distance to the action in PV and it's been a great experience. The weather has been cool, but you can’t complain! I do want it to be warm enough so we can be in the water - I’m like a kid in those waves. I'm w...
Read more

Hasta Luego, Des Moines

Image
I left the condo for the last time today. Closing is tomorrow, but I had a package delivered so I stopped back and worked for a few hours in the (mostly) empty place. The new owners kept a decent amount so it was never fully empty. I'm not flying out until December 19 so I chose to stay at a hotel in downtown Des Moines for five nights. I could have stayed with friends and it was a little weird staying so long in a hotel in Des Moines, but I just wanted to start my journey early and take the airport shuttle straight to the airport on the 19th. It was emotional leaving the condo on December 14 to go to the hotel but when I left on the 16th, I felt at peace. When I moved back to Iowa after the 2008 campaign, it was only supposed to be a few week stay as I plotted out my next political job outside of Iowa. I had no intentions on staying in Iowa but here I was for the next 16 years almost to the day (not working in politics, thankfully). I kept a few totes and pieces of art, but other ...
Read more