heat and love in arizona

you know how sometimes you just want to be with your mom?? lately, i’ve really craved that familiarity, that nurturing, that unconditionalness – this girl just needed her mama.

so when my mom told me she was heading to phoenix to visit my sister and see my niece gracie’s dance concert, i said “i wanna go!” and we booked a last-minute ticket. a quick weekend with my mom plus my sister and her family? – yes, please. we decided not to tell grace and her sisters that i was coming, and it was so fun to surprise them on friday night!

my mom and i shared grace’s double bed that night and it was pretty cathartic to lay in the dark talking with her.

the next morning we got the treat of being able to watch shawni give a speech about motherhood at a conference in mesa. she did an awesome job and it was so great to be there. mom and i got to help a little with the presentation.

and then we rushed to grace’s dance concert, which was so so fun! it brought back a lot of amazing memories of my dance days.

i had a pretty epic swim party with all five pothier kids – in 112 degrees you need to either be indoors or in a pool! mom and i also got to see the progress on the new house shawni and dave are building. that evening us adults went out to dinner and stayed up late talking.

after a lazy sunday morning and then church, we had a lovely dinner and then it was time for me to leave these so, so, so loved ones and head back to the bay.

(max, lucy and dave were there too…!)

love them so much, and feel so happy that i only have to wait a few weeks to see them again!