Under the Chocolate Weather

My mom started feeling ill last night and went to bed very early. I could hear her coughing during the night and knew that she was going to miss out on the awesome chocolate festival in Glendale today! My grandpa's wife had the great idea to visit the Chocolate Affaire of Glendale this weekend. There was a preview on the news last night, so we knew it was for us. My mom did make it out of bed long enough to wish us well and then we were off.

Before filling our stomachs with sugary goodness we needed to make an important stop at Der Weinersnitzel. This fast-food institution, celebrating their 50th birthday, is a favorite of my aunt's. A round of chili-cheese dogs for everyone!

Now, on to chocolate...

It was your basic people's fair with craft booths and bands playing in the street. There were not as many chocolate vendors as I had thought there would be. At least four booths came into my eyeline, but there could have been others. Each booth had huge lines and we were reluctant to stand in one. Eventually we found a short one that had such things as coconut haystacks, turtles, and bon bons, so we stood in line. But our eyes were looking for something more, i.e. chocolate dipped strawberries and bananas! We gave in to our cravings and stood in line for these most sought after treats. We even splurged on some chocolate dipped marshmallows.

After fighting crowds and standing in line we decided to get out of there and head home for dinner. Chocolate in hand we were back on the road again. As we pulled into the driveway we could see some plastic grocery bags laying by the front door. There were 3 bags filled full with more oranges and tangerines from the neighbor. So, tomorrow we have to look forward to more fresh squeezed juice - awesome!

The chocolate was a great treat after dinner and everyone was able to partake, even mom! Yummy!!!!

We sat around a bit after dinner and let grandpa talk stories, but soon we realized that it was bedtime. Renting a car from Advantage Rent-a-Car turned out to be not the best choice. Our reservation is for 4 days, so if we are not back precisely 96 hours after our check-out then we will be charged $18.99 per hour. This is causing us to be at the airport 3 hours before our flight takes off - what a pain! I do admit that we are adding to this ourselves by making an all important stop at In-N-Out Burger by the airport. By my calculations we need an extra half-hour to make it work. In order to make a 2 pm flight we are leaving my grandpa's house at 9:30 am!!! Silly us :)

Desert Phoenix

Well, here I go, it's been awhile since I've written! Hailing today from Phoenix, Arizona. It's supposed to be dry desert country, just like the UAE, but when we arrived on Wednesday morning it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Unbelievable! Arizonians were experiencing a cold snap, and quite a big one. My aunt, my mom, and I were coming from a frigid -17 degrees Fahrenheit, so we were glad for warmer weather that didn't necessitate mittens and fluffy coats. Our mission was to arrive safe and sound at Grandpa Evans' house in Glendale, just north of Phoenix.

Upon our arrival breakfast was waiting, even though it was noon. We ate heartily! Who can deny home cooked goodness? It included fresh squeezed orange/tangerine juice, the citrus being acquired from a neighbor. Afterwards, we sat around the kitchen table and let grandpa talk stories to us all day. Stories about buying his first horse for $60 (including "a 300 year old saddle") and being so proud, then having his uncle comment on how big the horse's feet were, and having his heart sink. Others about trying to slide across a type of zip line but falling and having the pulley land right on his head and splitting it open. Grandpa had us in tears because we were laughing so hard! Boy, can he tell a story! Around 7:30 pm, my aunt, mom, and I wandered off to bed as we had been up since 4:30 am (or earlier!). Out for the night.

On Thursday all the old folks decided to go gambling at the local Native American casinos. I, on the other hand, stayed at home to work on homework. It was a quiet day, and no one won any money, so it wasn't a lucky one :( Dinner at the Big Apple was delicious though - all you can eat beef ribs for just $12. Again, food I couldn't say no to!

IKEA was Friday's stop. My aunt had never been, but her daughter had been boasting about it for months, so she was excited to see what the fuss was all about. She spent most of the time exclaiming, "wow! The prices are so low! Look at this, it's only $30!" It was great fun! My whole intention was to buy another computer desk, similar to the one we bought in the UAE, but they didn't have the table top I wanted. I was disappointed, but IKEA will soon be gracing Colorado with it's presence so it's not out of my reach just yet!

Happy after a day of shopping, we arrived back at my grandpa's to find a home cooked Mexican meal! Oh yum! Beef enchiladas, home-made tortillas, tamales, rice, and fresh cooked beans. I shall be 800 pounds when I leave this state!!!!