Let me start by saying: This week has been unbelievably busy. I haven’t had a ton of time to reflect on my trip. I’ve started a new job (yay!) and I’m really excited about it. But it has put some planned posts on the back burner, so this particular post took a little longer than intended.
Jake and I went to Arizona last week to visit his cousin Amy and her fiancé, Sarah. First off, we love hanging out with these two. We laugh a lot, and loved the opportunity to see them after not having seen them since the summer. Plus, Amy went to NYU with Jake and I! Also: to give you some perspective, I’ve never been this far West before. It was my first time experiencing “dry heat” and I was pretty much fascinated by, well, everything.
Like, THE CACTUS. What a crazy fascinating plant. Amy was telling me that it takes 50 years for these giant cactuses to even grow “arms.” We went on a hike, (which I was originally nervous about because I’m not super athletic) and I saw so many GIANT cactuses. To me, this was unbelievably cool, and I kept wanting my picture taken in front of them to show just how big they were. For reference, I’m 5′ 2″.
We also went to the Phoenix Zoo, another highlight of the trip. Amy is studying for her PhD in anthropology at Arizona State University, making her particularly fun to visit the orangutans with. I was face to face with one through the glass, and all the animals were incredibly active. It was a (rare) rainy day in Phoenix when we decided to go, making the zoo less crowded and the animals super energetic. We heard a lion roar (like, wow…), watched a leopard run around its exhibit, and saw gibbons swing energetically from branches.
Vest is J.Crew Factory – sadly no longer in Gingham, but the vest itself is a must have! Long sleeve white tee is L.L. Bean. The bag is from Portugal made by Victoria Handmade Bags – go snag a bag and support them – they hold up so well and are beautiful. Sneaks are part of the J.Crew x New Balance Collab and I’ve had them for years! They are great!
I also took some lovely photos of these three at dinner…we had such a wonderful time together! I’m so glad that we decided to book this trip…such an awesome experience!
We plan on definitely going back some day! Thank you to Amy and Sarah for hosting us – can’t wait for next time!
