Like No Time Had Passed

Pheonix, Arizona | New Years of 2017

When you travel, you are in constant hunt of people you can stay with. It’s one of the beauties of networking and friends. Prepping to fly to Arizona, there was a little anxiety. I was headed to see people who I hadn’t seen since I was 9. The Norriss’ were a huge part of my childhood. Even if I don’t remember a lot of our memories together, I do know the moment I walked into their Phenoix home, that everything was going to be fine. I hopped back into the family like we had spent no time apart. Laughing about traveling, telling stories, and working together to get a meal on the table. One day out from their eldest daughter’s wedding, the Norris family was in full swing of slicing bagels for the reception, steaming dressed, planning speeches for the rehearsal dinner, I felt at home. Even though I hadn’t been in this home. The power of hospitality is unmeasurable. I am so thankful for this family. They welcomed me in with open arms. Letting me play with their children, teaching me how to drive a stick shift, taking me on hikes and road trips, and feeding me all the time. 

This trip was by far one of the greatest on my record. Kayra and I spent New Years skimming wedding photos from that morning, and when the clocked strikes 00:00 we ran outside to the block in search of fireworks. The fog was thick but our spirits were high. We might as well had seen a whole show for how full my heart was. If I’m honest, I was not sure what this first week of the year would hold. When you travel solo, stay with friends, and do not have car, you don’t have control over your plans. 

A flood of emails started coming in and it was incredible. Wedding inquires from out of state filled my inbox. I was on a high! After a last-minute confession to Kayra that I really wished we could go the Grand Canyon, she leaped into action. The next afternoon we were on the road to Flagstaff, her college home. We chopped and cooked sweet potatoes (just as everyone should.) and feasted on the living room floor with bowls of soup as well. After some time of stories and laying around, we curled up in sleeping bags. Possibly the easiest wake up for me. I couldn’t contain my excitement. Before long we were on the road headed an hour and a half up the road to nothing less of a world wonder. After a wrong turn (or two) we arrived. Kayra wanted to give me the full effect, covering my eyes till I was at the very edge. She released her clasp around my face. My heart skipped a beat, and my brain couldn’t quite fathom what my eyes saw. That sounds super poetic and dramatic, but I’m being honest. It didn’t look real.