Arizona Sun Rays

Kenzie and I just returned from Phoenix where she had her first travel meet of the season. We were looking forward to some Vitamin D and friend time as a nice February reset. We arrived a day before she had to compete so we had time to relax. The girls chose to go to the mall-who is not surprised?  We ended up at Fashion Square which had the most high end stores I've ever seen in a mall. The highlight of the day was when we were let in to browse at Louis Vuitton. When I mean we were allowed in, I'm not kidding. There were security personnel whose job it was to decide if we could enter or not. The gal out front looked at their cute teenage faces and decided it was worth it. The girls walked around just in awe at the amazing product. When a sales associate, Andrew, invited them over to a case and let them handle the products I thought some of the girls might just pass out right there. The girls were gushing over the new spring release colors, and were confident that if they pooled their money they could afford a single $1000 wallet to share. I think we spent and hour in there before they were ready to go. The rest of the day was spent walking, shopping, and eating. 

 

McKenzie was apparently allergic to Arizona (or had a brief head cold), as she was a sneezing disaster every time she went outside. So that evening we hunkered down to watch a show before heading to bed. The next day was the meet and these girls need their energy!  

After her ankle break it has taken McKenzie awhile to build up her strength and endurance again. It has taken an agonizingly long time and she still isn't 100%. She was cleared to compete a modified vault and beam routine. It wasn't the routine she wanted to perform, but at least she was competing again and that feels good. 

As much as I love watching her perform, I also love watching her on the sidelines goofing off with her teammates. These girls have been together a long time and they are my absolute favorites!

After the meet we were craving some ice-cream. We found an amazing little spot called The Skookie Bar. The warm cookies with ice-cream and toppings were to DIE for! It was a perfect way to finish off another great trip. 

(I love these trips with this girl!)