It was never my intention for her to take care of it, but I have to say she sure did a good job. One funny aside before I share the trip details - a few days before I figured it'd be a good idea if she had my itinerary and vice versa. At that point we realized she was booked to come home Sunday, and I was booked to come home Monday. Oops. Thank goodness for Southwest and how easy they make it to change flights.
I saw during the days leading up to the trip that the low would be about 105. I guess I shgould have known that before, considering it was Phoenix in June. But you just don't realize how icky hot that is until you're sitting in it. Amy travels for work. A lot. So she got us hooked up with a suite at the W Scottsdale. They told us at the counter we'd been upgraded, but I don't think I expected this level of hook up. We were in one of their best suites. The living room - yep. It had a living room.
The view from our huge patio. Notice how empty the pool is. That'll be important later.
While we explored the room, we quickly realized it was rather warm in there. We donned our swmisuits and made our way to the pool, stopping by the front desk to alert them to the heat level in the room and the fact that even though it said 65 on the thermostat, it was probably about 80 or 85 in the room. It's a good thing all the cool people out there had sunglasses on or the sight of my white skin might have blinded them. I'm also extremely thankful I'd bought a new suit and left my big grandma, skirt-dress suits at home because I would have been a very white fish out of water.
After a few fruity cocktails and some pool time, we wanted some lunch. More than an hour later (apparently the fact that the kitchen wasn't receiving food tickets for over 25 minutes when the hotel was sold out and the pool was packed didn't raise any flags in said kitchen), we went back to our chairs. At this point it was 2 p.m. and it was beyond blazing hot. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a big pool "scene" person and I have a history of skin cancer, so at this point I was about to melt into a puddle. I went back up to the room, and noticed it was hotter than before. While the a/c guys were there apparently for the second time (we still can't figure out what they did the first time), I snapped a picture of the pool several hours after our initial arrival. See why it wasn't my "scene" anymore (and this was before it got really crowded)?
Amy also returned soon with what resulted in one of my favorite pics of the trip. Yummy champagne in a Coors Light bucket.
Once the a/c guys left again, assuring us they'd fixed whatever was wrong, we decided a nap was in order. We let the champagne chill and we quickly nodded off after lots of sun and cocktails. When it was time to get up we realized that whatever they'd done had helped a little but not as much as you'd expect. If you ever want to see two women get dressed as fast as they can, boost the temp in their room. I think we were both showered, prettied up and dressed in an hour. We left for dinner and the show, and notified the front desk again that the a/c was performing at a less-than-optimal level. Amy asked what I wanted for dinner, and I was pretty much no help. And this is one reason I love her - the ability to find the perfect place to eat. How did she find it? She used yelp and found that bunches of people raved about the bacon-fat heirloom popcorn at Citizen Public House. Think it sounds weird? You're very very wrong. It's salty heaven in a bowl.
After dinner, we were off to the show. And words really can't describe how amazing it was. Idina Menzel is talented, funny, humble, bawdy and simply unbelievable. She sang songs from Wicked and other shows as well as some of her albums. She had developed a very close relationship with Marvin Hamlisch, and you could tell she was still affected by his passing last year. The show was even better than I thought it would be, and I even teared up a few times - especially when she sang "For Good" from Wicked. A cappella. Without a microphone. And with so much clarity and beauty that everyone in that theater was stunned into total and complete silence. Not a sound was uttered until the crowd roared up in unaminous applause. I wish I could say the a/c situation had improved but it hadn't. Another tech came up and made some adjustments that helped us through the night, but we quickly got up and out and enjoyed a little more of Scottsdale before making our sad goodbyes at the airport.
Our parting present from Arizona? A cheeseburger animal style with a chocolate shake.
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know that you've rewritten mine
By being my friend
While these words reflect a friendship coming to a close, so much of what they say applies to my friend. We've known each other for about 12 years, and even though we'll go months and months without seeing each other, she's taught me so much about being a good friend. We've both changed so much over the last 12 years, but as we've grown we've found new and better ways to be there for each other. I'm thankful each day that she's my friend, and I hope everyone out there has their own Amy.
And to Amy - thank you for your friendship and this amazing trip. Like every trip with you, it was far too short but filled with more laughs, fun and memories than seem possible in a given amount of time. I love you honey.
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