Last week we took a family vacation with my parents to Arizona Here is part one of our trip.

Our first night in Arizona, we stayed in Flagstaff and had an incredible breakfast at La Bellavia Restaurant just off of Route 66. With more than 10 types of Eggs Benny, well, it had my vote from the beginning (the 147 4 star reviews from Yelp didn’t hurt either). We sprung for a larger SUV and the drive up to the Grand Canyon was spectacular. It was sunny and as we climbed up higher the vistas began to be more and more beautiful.

It was my mom’s first experience at the Grand Canyon. Although, I had seen it before, I was awestruck again. It is breath taking. Literally.

I can only imagine what it was like for Garcia Lopez de Cardenas when he discovered the Grand Canyon in 1540. Did he stumble upon it? Did he see it during the day or make a frightening discovery at night? Did he stand and look at it with the same awestruck wonder. I bet he did.

However, I will say it is harder to enjoy the experience with a 2-year-old. Especially one that is off on her sleep schedule and views this “wonder of the world” as a hole in the ground. I did get a chance to take a few photos, see my mom sing “How Great Thou Art” and take a minute to realize how amazing this world is. So even though this was a very different experience from my first visit, it was one full of memories, laughter and awestruck wonder.