Arizona is SO strict!

My girl and I took a field trip to Arizona last weekend, and it was grand. We had the pleasure to visit with peeps from both sides of my amazing extended family, which really makes me happier than any girl should be allowed to be. My girl is a great travel mate, everything is super awesome and exciting and she can't wait for the next super awesome and exciting moment. She goes from "I can't wait!" to "That was so great!" and back a million times an hour, and her smile is a permanent fixture (with the notable exception of her face while we waiting in the interminable security line at the airport as our scheduled departure time ticked closer and closer).

The main reason for our visit was to attend the bridal shower of my niece on Bill's side, who is marrying a lovely guy we've gotten to know quite well over the last few years. My girl, as you might expect, can't WAIT for the wedding. It was a busy weekend of activities and fun and frousin love, and I've got good stories from both families that I look forward to sharing.

A funny thing we discovered about Arizona is that there are strict rules about how much time babies are allowed to spend in bars. The guys found this out the hard way during the bridal shower when our resident baby got the boot from the simultaneous boyfest. No babies after 6pm. Isn't that weird? I mean, what harm can a baby possibly do in a bar?



Anyway.

The next day we were enjoying some outdoor activities, and we spectators got to comparing our side heel click skills, as spectators are wont to do. My girl has been in the habit of breaking into a heel kick at random times, much to the delight and confusion of all who surround her. Naturally, the park was a perfect place for her to bust out the moves.

Little did she know that her extended family has a secret hidden talent trove of heel kick aptitude! No sooner was my girl observed heel kicking than an exhibition was born, with siblings calling each other over to show off double clicks, side to side clicks, and clicks of astounding vertical clearance. It was awesome!

Later that same day, we made our way to a nearby pub for lunch and libations. It was well before 6pm, so once we assured the barkeeps that these two reprobates were under our supervision, they were allowed to stick around.

Aside: how annoying is this? My son has recently begun agreeing to pose for photos because it turns out that he does indeed want to be a part of our family archives.

I digress.

There she is! With the groom.

Sure, there were pitchers, but it was a perfectly acceptable venue for both young and old, mature (Clara) and immature (me).

 

It was a learning experience! Irish car bombs are science.

Eventually, some of the gang wandered inside to check out leisure activities, and certain cousins discovered a long, vacant passageway. See for yourself (scroll quickly):

 

Really, could she be any more awesome?

Here my girl gets a critique from her cousin Patrick.

She appears to be landing? I was distracted by shuffleboard and merriment. This went on for ages.

Oh yeah, now we're talking.

Does the student surpass the master?

Let's see how he stacks up

He goes so fast he blurs!

You can't win 'em all, grasshopper

Why not stick to more appropriate bar activities for a Sunday afternoon?

I hope Arizona will proudly maintain their tolerance for minors in certain establishments, at least during daylight hours.

They are, after all, pretty much always the best looking peeps in the bunch

And they make excellent designated drivers