Prescott, AZ

Arizona is home to many little treasures. One of these treasures is a small city called Prescott. It used to be the capital of Arizona, so there are many old buildings and even a town square. Prescott is a beautiful place with cute boutiques and wonderful restaurants. Terry surprised me with a short trip there for Valentine's weekend and we fell in love with the charming town.

We stayed at Hotel Vendome, a quaint inn that was owned by young newlyweds. The hotel was built in the 1920s and located right by the town square, the heart of Prescott, and within walking distance to the town's many restaurants. Terry purchased the Valentine weekend package, which meant it included fresh flowers, a waffle breakfast bar, chocolates, dessert, and a free meal to an American jazz grill, 129 1/2.

We left Sunday after church and arrived in the afternoon. The owners had made reservations for dinner in advance for us and we killed time by spending the afternoon browsing in the cute little shops around the square. When it was time for dinner, we walked there. I swear, it was the most convenient little town ever! Everything was close! 129 1/2 has live jazz music, which was so much fun to listen to, and the food was delicious! Fortunately Jaden wasn't too fussy, although it's always hard to eat out with him. Everybody at the restaurant just loved him though and didn't seem to mind his occasional crying. He attracts admirers where ever he goes.

We spent the next day at Jerome, an old mining town. It was a ghost town until the 1960s, when a group of hippies came and established residency there. Now, it is a tourist town with high end art galleries and boutiques. We loved learning about its history from the museum there and even went to the haunted hotel to see if we could catch any ghost sightings. No luck!

Once we went back to Prescott we had dinner at the Taj Mahal, where we discovered to our delight that they serve sweet na'an bread! We haven't been able to find it since we moved to AZ, so we were sooooo happy to finally eat the yummy bread we have always loved from The Bombay House in Provo.

The next day was more browsing in the shops and going to the Sharlot Hall museum, where we learned even more about Arizona's history and the remarkable woman the museum is named after. I love going to museums and this one was particularly interesting...we saw the first home of the territorial governor and then the home of the governor when Arizona became a state. Big difference! I'm so glad I live in modern times.

Before leaving we had lunch at a Japanese restaurant called Esoji. Many locals boasted that the sushi rivaled the best of Tokyo, so I couldn't resist. It was delicious and I introduced Terry to tempura. Since he loves all fried food, I knew he'd like it.

We were very sad to leave but it won't be our last time in Prescott. It was a wonderful trip and I kept thinking about how much Louise and her family would have loved it there. Maybe next time they're in town we can all take a short trip up there. Oh, and I found the cutest little children's resale boutique there, called One Sweet Pickle. Another reason to go back up for a visit.

Getting chubby.

Chillin with Dada.

Terry still hasn't given up his dream of starring in a Western.

Still sticking his tongue out.

Apparently the restaurant is haunted too!

Jerome, AZ

I thought this picture of Jaden was hilarious. Yes, I love cowboy hats too.