my week (by David)

Well, now you know what happened while I was out of town. Makes me kind of glad I wasn’t here! I flew to Phoenix for work, for the record. It wasn’t a vacation, all fun and games you know. Ok, well the truth is, I was going to a friend’s wedding and worked in a meeting with a client while I was there, allowing my company the privilege of paying for my plane ticket. Yeah, I’m generous, huh?

After my meeting on Thursday morning of the before-mentioned week (May 15th), I was in Phoenix with friends until Saturday night. My friend, John LeSueur, got married on Saturday. We’ve been friends since we were about 8 years old. Another Las Cruces homie, Lance Olivas, flew down from Utah to join us.

Thursday we had the Mormon version of a bachelor party—we went to a Diamondback’s game, then to dinner at Majerle’s (remember Thunder Dan, Suns fans?).




Thursday night was in a weird hotel. It seemed like a low-income apartment complex that had been converted (half way) into a luxury hotel. Take a look at the sink and all the hooks on the right wall:



Here's a better shot of the hooks. Seriously, how many towels did they think I'd need?

Now check out the drape things on all the walls (and flat screen tv), and the bed was on a pedastal kind of platform:

It was fun to kick around Phoenix for a few days. Lance and I got a sweet rental car, since we don’t own cool cars like this ‘stang in real life. Of course, when you’re not trying to pick up chicks, the cool car does lose a bit of it’s luster. It was fun anyway.

Here John and I are trying to look cool next to the car. He had just changed out of his tux, check out the awesome sock statement he's making!

As part of the Las Cruces reunion, we also met up with Jamie (Thurston) Bloomfield and her husband Keith. I hadn’t seen her since before my mission. Wow, cool to get everyone together again. In case you are wondering, Jamie still bounces around a mile a minute, only now she has a husband and three kids in tow. Lance and I hung out at her house for a while and then crashed their 11th anniversary dinner.

The wedding was nice. I hadn’t been to the Mesa Temple since I was a teenager, and never for more than baptisms. It was really cool to go inside and see the rest. John was relieved to get my approval of his bride, Rada. Apparently my opinion was essential. At least in my mind.

That afternoon we drove around Phoenix and checked out a few places I wanted to see. First on the list was the house we lived in. Good old 2416 West Marlette. My family lived in Phoenix when I was born, we moved in 1983, I think? Well, we found the house. Close by was the park where Jeff, Michelle and I would walk through on the way home from school. I remember we’d get in trouble for getting candy at the snack bar. I don’t know, but I’d assume now that I am a parent that my kindergarten-self wasn’t too smooth at keeping quiet about that kind of thing. I found the school too.

This is a model house inside the Pomeroy's Missionary store. I'm sure I'm related to the owner somehow, but it isn't a close relation.

Across the street from the Mesa temple is Pioneer Park. There is a statue of the four men who led a group of pioneers from Utah to settle the area. One of them is an ancestor, I think he's the one I got my red hair from. Anyway, here's a picture of me and grandpa. I sure hope he's not the one I've got my back toward...

I had the pleasure of flying out of Phoenix at 9:55 pm. With the time change, that put me in Houston at 2:30 am Sunday morning. At least there was no traffic on the drive home. I’ve never made it so fast!