I've Fallen in Love

Just a random side note, on the way to Sedona, we drove along the Mexican border for hours. Its crazy how close the border is to the highway, and its also weird going through checkpoints where they ask you if you are a citizen, or seeing highway signs that have a US town with an arrow pointing one way and a Mexican town with an arrow pointing the other way. Definitely a fun part of the experience, and since we didn't get to go through Roswell or Albuquerque (to save time and money? not my choice..) this was definitely a good trade-off.

Anyways.. Talk about BEAUTIFUL! Sedona is it.
I used to say I had two favorite places in the US - Bar Harbor, Maine (and a lot of areas around it) and Santa Barbara, CA. Well, now I have three. I went there expecting just to see amazing scenery, but found a town that had incredible shopping and even more to offer than I expected. The red rocks can't be described. Pictures don't do them justice (same with the Grand Canyon). Every time you move your head it seems like you've found a better view or angle.
We planned on camping here but when we arrived we found out it had been pouring the two days before and that there was a chance of rain that night. In this area flash floods are a real concern so we just didn't want to risk it. The weather was nice (but we did get to hear thunder echo off the rocks) but I'm still very glad we stayed in a hotel. Usually I think it is a waste of money, but this hotel had a great location at the top of a mountain with incredible views. More importantly, within an hour of checking in we saw two tarantulas and a squished rattlesnake within walking distance of the hotel. If I saw those and had to sleep in a tent.. I would have freaked out, and let's not get started on what my mom's response would have been.
I would try to explain how gorgeous the views were, but it's really just pointless. There is no way to do it justice. The first evening we were there it stayed pretty cool so our hikes were very pleasant. The next morning we woke up and went to hike Bell Rock and Cathedral Butte. I almost wore pants and a sweater because the morning was so cool and then I ended up dying of heat in shorts and a tank top - it got REALLY hot. The dog was dying but Zach and Connor were able to run up Bell Rock and see some great views from (almost) the top. I went up pretty high, but felt bad leaving the dog with my parents, plus I think I felt a lot better not on the edge of a huge rock.
After that hike we went back to hang out the hotel and enjoyed the pool for a while. I didn't plan on going all the way in, but Zach gave me no choice (shocker). Since then my hair has been curly because I've been too lazy to straighten it. We went back to do some shopping after that because we were all way too tired to hike anymore. When we first arrived in Sedona we went to this place called Tlaquepaque (T-Lackey-Packey) which had AMAZING shops and the most beautiful layout. The shops all had really artistic and unique things in them, and I wanted to buy everything. I knew there were a lot of other nice shops in town so I decided to see what the rest of the places had before buying anything, and we ended up never going back so I only got one thing! My only disappointment in this trip so far.. After the pool we went to the shops downtown instead, which were pretty tacky and touristy. By the time we tried going back to Tlaquepaque the shops were all closed - they closed at 5. Super lame. But, I will one day name a cat Tlaquepaque because it is SO fun to say.
The next morning we went on another hike, which was completely different than hiking Bell Rock. It was about 7:30 AM when we got there and mostly in the shade so I was cold most of the time. It was a lot more wooded than Bell Rock, but the end had this incredible rock that Zach climbed and almost got stuck on.
We ate at two places twice - Wildflower Bread Company and NY Bagels and Deli (or something). Both were really good. Wildflower had a great patio with an amazing view and the people that worked there loved the dog. They would bring him water and came out to take pictures with him. Their food was really unique, but along the lines of Panera.

Zach's rushing me - I'll finish later. (and food is on the grill...)