The next few weeks went by without any major complaints from Courtney and at the first of November Ron and I flew back to Arizona for a week. We left on the earliest flight and arrived in Phoenix at 8:30 a.m. and were greeted with beautiful weather. In less than an hour we were able to check into the Hampton in Tempe and pick up Courtney in Mesa for breakfast. When we first saw her I immediately noticed the difference in her. She was smiling and relaxed, which helped us relax. We took her to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast before going shopping. The conversation was pleasant and Courtney explained the classes and meetings she was attending at extended care. I gave her an update on our dog and reassured her that Roxie was doing well and was happy. Out of the blue she told us she wanted a bicycle. Most of the other girls there had a bike and Courtney had borrowed the "house" bike and decided she liked it. Of course we were happy to oblige since we were always encouraging exercise.
We started our shopping spree at Arizona Mills where we bought her two pairs of shoes and some jewelry. Wal Mart was next on our list where we purchased a bike for Courtney. Luckily, we had rented a SUV which the bike fit in nicely. Football games were starting so we headed back to the hotel to watch one and relax until we went to a late lunch-early dinner at Fudruckers since Courtney had to return by 5:30. She was so happy to be out she really enjoyed just hanging out with her parents in a hotel room. After dropping her off we went to a liquor store and then to the hotel, we fixed ourselves a drink, turned on the t.v. and totally relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Sunday morning we picked Courtney up by 9 a.m. and went straight to Arizona Mills mall. We had breakfast in the food court and went to an early movie "Bodies of Lies." Went to Charleston's for a late lunch and to Wal-Mart for more shopping for things Courtney remembered she needed. On the way to the hotel we stopped at a convenience/liquor store across from the hotel and bought cigars for Ron and flavored cigarettes for Courtney. They wanted to enjoy the cool weather and sit outside and smoke and relax before getting Courtney back by five that afternoon for a meeting. Conversation was still relaxed and pleasant. The only time Courtney became tense was when we were trying to understand where the gps was telling us to go. Ron's driving sometimes got on her nerves. But for the most part we all just enjoyed being together.
We would not be able to see Courtney until next Saturday so we left Monday morning for Flagstaff for four nights. We had a large suite at the Embassy Suites and were looking forward to the free drinks at happy hour each evening. Both of us felt like we could really relax. We found a wonderful restaurant for lunch, the Beaver Street Brewery & Cafe. The ham and artichoke sandwich was the best sandwich I can EVER remember eating. Ron was impressed with his chicken salad and beer. We didn't do much the rest of the day, just walked around Old Town Flagstaff and did a little shopping. I bought a new purse and Ron bought a bottle of wine from a wine shop. (There are no wine shops in Tulsa.) Decided on an inexpensive dinner at Granny's Closet after happy hour. Wasn't near as good as the Beaver Street Cafe, but we needed to watch our spending once in a while.
Tuesday we drove to Williams to catch a train to the Grand Canyon. I had been under the impression that we would have beautiful scenery along the way and at one point have a nice view of the canyon. I was so wrong. Boring, boring, boring. But at least there was a little entertainment along the way (the train was robbed) and there was food. Following the recommendation of one of the outlaws, we ate at the El Tovar, a historic hotel at the Canyon and it was outstanding. The weather was a lot colder and windy. We took a lot of photos of the canyon and went in every gift shop on the south rim. Couldn't get back to Flagstaff fast enough.
Unfortunately the recommendation we were given for dinner that evening was very disappointing. Josephine's came highly recommended and Ron couldn't wait to get there. We both had the cheapest thing on the menu, lamb meatloaf for $19.95 and it was not that good. Our only consolation was that we had a few drinks (free) before we went to dinner.
Wednesday we left by 9:30 a.m. for the thirty minute drive to Sedona. I had been looking forward to showing Ron Sedona. There is something very peaceful about Sedona for me. I don't know if it's the vortexs or red rocks but I love going there. Maybe I associate it with a new beginning for Courtney, sober and safe. Shopping usually helps me get my mind off of anything I might be obsessing about at the moment and the unique shops in Sedona were especially helpful.
Didn't buy that much, just a couple of tee shirts and a black Indian hand made pot. We ate lunch where we could sit outside and enjoy a panaramic view of the rocks.
Later in the evening, after happy hour, we went to the Lowell Observatory and looked through the giant telescope that was used to discover Pluto. We saw a galaxy far, far away. We loved it.
Next we went to Cracker Barrel for a rather bland dinner which was actually better than the $20 lamb meatloaf. And there was PEACH COBBLER!!! I love peach cobbler very much.
Thursday morning we went back to Sedona and hiked in the Boyanton Canyon, had lunch at the Open Range Grille & Bar (yum) they shopped some more. For our last evening in Flagstaff we ate dinner at Denny's (uck).
Friday we drove back to Phoenix via a different route. We went thru Sedona and stopped in Jerome for lunch. A small town on a hill, Jerome has the typical main street lined with shops, none of which really interested me that much. Upon the recommendation of a woman at a shop in Sedona, we ate lunch at the Haunted Hamburger. While this restaurant was renovated by the current owners there were some incidents that were deemed paranormal, hence the name. Apparently a ghost liked to hide the workmen's tools. (I think the workmen hid their tools so they would not have to work!) Anyway, the place was packed even though the hamburgers were average.
As we were relaxing over lunch I received a call from Courtney. She had a small sore on her forehead when we had seen her last weekend but it had turned into an abcess and was considerably larger. She had to go to a minor emergency center and needed me to call and give them our credit card number. Another woman who was a nurse (thank God) went with her for support and sat with her while the doctor lanced the abcess so it could drain. Having an abcess lanced is VERY painful but Courtney held up well. I wasn't particularly worried but the staff at the half way house certainly were. I received a call from Jenny who told me that Courtney would have to be quaranteened because of the possiblity her infection was MRSA or anything else contagious. Well, that worked out just fine because we had a suite at the Hampton Inn and we were more than happy to have her stay with us and I knew she would be elated at staying in a hotel for a couple of nights.
It took us about an hour and a half to get to Mesa and pick up Courtney. She had a large band aid on her forehead and had a headache. Went to the pharmacy to pick up her antibiotics, a drive thru to get her lunch, then checked into the hotel. We had plans that evening to go to dinner with Bill, an old friend of ours and his girlfriend. Courtney did not feel like going out to dinner and laying in bed watching t.v. was much more appealing to her. Ron and I had a drink (or two?) with Bill when he came over and we were to meet up with his girlfriend Marilyn at dinner. Bill took us to J. Alexander, an upscale restaurant with delicious food and wine. Added to that being with a fun couple like Bill and Marilyn made the evening one of the best we had had in a long time. Ron was very, very relaxed. Fortunately Bill was driving.
Saturday we slept in and waited until the last possible moment to get the free breakfast the hotel offered. We started off the day at Arizona Mills where we saw a movie and went to the pet store to look at the boxer puppy again. For a late lunch/early dinner we went to Mill Street to look for a restaurant. Since this was close to the Arizona State University campus there would be plenty of places to eat and we wound up at Uno's and ate pizza. After lunch we toured the unique shops along Mill Street and at a bookstore Courtney bought two books on recovery. We were impressed that she was actually reading entire books, in fact she seemed to crave anything she could find on recovery. I couldn't remember the last time she read a book. You could probably count on one hand the number of novels she had ever read.
On Sunday afternoon we spent two hours in the minor emergency clinic while Courtney had her abcess rechecked and get lab results so she could get a note from the doctor to prove she did not have MRSA and could be allowed to return to the halfway house. There was enough time left for us to go back to Mill Street and eat at P.F. Changs before taking Courtney back. I hate taking her back because I always cry. She doesn't. Nothing left for us to do except go back to the hotel until our flight left the next day.
