1800 miles put on the rental car, 4 National Parks, 3 states, the hottest week on record (122 degrees F), 2 best friends, and 1 engagement ring later! But I am getting ahead of myself, let me start at the beginning. The very beginning, and for us moms, and parents, it’s that moment you allow yourself permission to practice self-care, relinquish any parental guilt, and don’t let any shame permeate reminding yourself that other people’s options are their business. I know, it’s easier said than done, but only once you achieve this can you enjoy yourself, otherwise someone else will be renting space in your head during your entire adventure!
We flew out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and landed in Las Vegas around 8:30 pm Vegas time. The first thing that hit us was pure excitement. Between the two of us, we have 5 children, he has shared custody and I have my awesome teenagers full-time. His elder mother lives with him full-time. We each have cars a house and a household to run and maintain. We’re both in the process of launching our second career, mid-life. To say we’re a little crazy might be an understatement, we live life to the fullest! And when you live life to the fullest and put others before yourself it’s important to schedule self-care, you are allowed to do something fun and exciting for yourself and this trip was precisely that!
Once we landed after the pure unadulterated excitement hit us the heat did! It was 117 degrees as we stood in the parking garage patiently waiting for our rental car. It was so hot the moisture in my eyes was evaporating. It turned out that the week we went ended up being the highest on record thus far. I had never been so excited to see a silver Toyota Corolla, little did I know just how many awesome memories we would be making tooling around in that Toyota. You haven’t fully lived until you’ve had the opportunity to go on an awesome road trip through the southwestern portion of the United States with your best friend.
Once in our Toytota, we headed North to Saint George, Utah! But first, we knew we needed to stop at a Walmart and get a cooler, ice, cases of water bottles, snacks, and prepackaged salads and sandwiches for the next day.
Tip: Plan ahead when it comes to meals, grocery stores are sparse in Utah, so when you see one stop off and purchase a cooler to keep food in and plan on having food on hand for a couple of days. There are hardly any fast-food restaurants. The restaurants and grocery stores you find will close early. We were surprised that grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations were closed by 7 pm, and even the pools closed by 6 pm. Keep an eye on the gas tank, don’t let it drop below half a tank, and use the restroom when you pump gas. Drink plenty of water, by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated.
Two hours later we were officially in Utah and exhausted! We knew we had a busy morning and day with visits to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon Nation Park.
We blinked and it was morning, thank God for coffee, between the time change and the heat we would have been dragging butt without it. We stopped off in the lobby to top off our coffee and then headed out. I was beyond elated to hop in the Toyota and head to Zion.
How did we land in Utah as our destination? A little backstory, I fell in love with Arizona as a child, we would visit during spring breaks, and recently we had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon. The varied topography is breathtaking, from the Colorado Rim and Basin to the Rang Provance. Then I started seeing images of Utah and OMG! It was instantly on my bucket list. So when Brent asked where we should go I gave an enthusiastic request for Utah! He thought I was a bit crazy but he trusted me and Utah did not disappoint!
We pulled up to the entrance to Zion National Park and I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, you could cut the anticipation with a knife. We stopped at the visitor center for maps and to use the restroom before venturing out. It was at this point that we both took notice of other families, couples, and park dwellers, not one looked happy. To say it was hot was an understatement and it seemed like what should be a magnificent adventure through one of our country’s most beautiful National parks had turned into a deep repugnant chore. Hikers were drenched in sweat and the young, middle-aged, and elderly were all vying for a bit of shade. We decided that between the immense heat and the fact that we had a bit of a time constraint since we wanted to also visit Bryce Canyon National Park we opted out of the shuttle experience and continued on the scenic route where private vehicles were allowed.
WOW! I can see why Zion National Park is part of one of the most scenic in the United States. The high plateaus, deep, sandstone canyons, Navajo Sandstone cliffs, pine, and juniper, clad slopes, springs, and colorful hanging gardens. The images don’t do the park justice, it’s hard to encompass the entire view from one flat image, I did try to include a car or person in each so you have a reference of the the scale. Note how tiny that large camper looks in the image below.
The tunnel connecting the west side and east side of the park was built in the 1920s when vehicles were smaller this is why there is a one-way traffic control. It was a little eerie with just us traveling through the tunnel. As we drove towards the light at the end of the tunnel a new topography emerged, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I had no idea the west and east sides of the park would be so different, you literally feel like you’re emerging in a different state.
The combination of red, brown, pink, and salmon from varying forms of iron oxide in the rock, and the rounded quartz grains from ancient deserts and sand dunes made for a view that was out of this world. And don’t even get me started on the smell, it smelled like Christmas thanks to the pines. It was so unbelievably peaceful, that we couldn’t hear a car or person for miles, all that could be heard was the occasional gust of wind through the pine trees, as if God was whispering to us.
It felt like a slice of heaven on Earth and when I turned around there he was on bent knee. To say it was romantic is an understatement, it could not have been more perfect if we were on a movie set and someone said, “action”. And as breathtaking as the view was, at that moment it all disappeared and all I saw was him, his deep brown eyes watering, the sincerity and nervous quiver in his voice as he expressed utmost respect, admiration, commitment, faith, truth, loyalty, and what an honor it would be to have my hand in marriage. As I gazed down into my best friend’s eyes I knew we weren’t naive, we have each been through life experiences, and we know that love isn’t an emotion or feeling but a choice we make each day to will the good of the other and that constructive disagreements and effective communication is a must and humility, vulnerability and faith are nonnegotiable.
We are transparent, guileless, and above any naivety, we’re fully aware of the fact that the statistics are against our favor. That 67% of second marriages end in divorce. But that means 33% of those second marriages thrive. We’ve had all the deep and difficult conversations. We’ve each been there for the other through difficult times in the past couple of years and quite honestly, I don’t know how I would have gotten through them without him. He brings peace and calm to me that I have never experienced before, he challenges me in a positive way towards growth, and he encourages me to be a strong woman which takes a very strong and secure man, he is not intimidated, and he’s inquisitive, he gently provides insight when I need to see something from another perspective. He actively listens without rushing in to fix the dilemma. We respect one another, argue fairly, and seek to understand the other before being understood. We make a great team, and partnership, where he leaves off I pick up and where I leave off he picks up. Our sense of humor aligns so well, we’re both goofballs, just ask our kids. And I’d be amiss if I neglected to bring up our children. This marriage isn’t just about us. We have five highly influential adolescents to think about, to model a healthy relationship for, to be fully present to, to allow them to vocalize their feelings, and emotions, sit with them, and discuss them. This will not be an easy journey but looking back on every treasure I cherish in my life they didn’t come without sacrifice, patience, perseverance, resilience, selflessness, passion, compassion, and love. That being said, I literally could not imagine going through this journey called life with anyone else and what’s more, I couldn’t imagine having to do it without him by my side.
We did discuss the prospect of an engagement with the children before our trip. We both firmly believe in keeping the children abreast of such life-altering decisions. Additionally, the children are familiar, we attend Mass together, have broken bread, had gatherings, and gone on trips together throughout the past couple of years, all of which we believe are imperative to growing neural pathways and building strong connections in relationships.
I said YES!!! And just like that the foreground came back into view, the wind rustled in the pines, and we were on cloud nine, with permanent smiles plastered across our faces!
As we winded through the remainder of the park we passed Bison and then we were on to our next stop, Bryce Canyon Nation Park!!! We entered Zion National Park as best friends on a road trip and exited as an engaged couple!
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 