My first flight of the year happened on January 2 this year. Sammie transferred to Grand Canyon University to complete her bachelor’s degree. Aaron, who was in Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve met us in Phoenix. Sammie and I flew on Hawaiian Airline’s Dreamliner. It’s a nice new plane, but there is still no WiFi! I’ve had WiFi with Hawaiian on their other planes. I wasn’t prepared for a no-Wifi flight with only movies and my Kindle. We landed close to midnight on Thursday. Aaron picked us up and we headed to the Fairfield Inn and Suites Phoenix Midtown. It isn’t a fancy hotel but we had a one-bedroom suite with a fridge and microwave. It was very spacious! Most importantly, it was conveniently located near GCU. Parking was just $7 a day and there was plenty of parking. They also offer free breakfast every morning.

The agenda for Friday was to pick up necessities for Sammie’s on-campus apartment. We started the day by driving to GCU. This way, we knew the system for move-in the next day. We shopped at Costco, Super Target, Marshall’s, and Ross. I shopped more than I’ve shopped in a long time. We had a late lunch at Olive Garden for pasta and unlimited salad. Happily, I had time to visit the hotel gym. I closed my exercise ring and got my 10K steps for the day. We relaxed with wine and snacks in our room for the evening.

On move-in Saturday, we loaded our SUV and headed to GCU. The process was very efficient and we were able to get our carload to Sammie’s apartment in one trip. Next, we headed back to the stores. Again to Super Target and Costco, and finally to Trader Joe’s to pick up groceries to stock the kitchen. After dropping off Sammie and the groceries, Aaron and I checked out the downtown Phoenix area. We had lunch at the Arrogant Butcher stopped at Frye’s for a few more groceries we didn’t pick up earlier. By then, Sammie was ready to be picked up had dinner together at Zen Thai. After dinner, we dropped Sammie off for her first sleep in her apartment with her roommates.

On Sunday, we wanted to be available in case Sammie needed anything on our last day in Phoenix. We had considered driving to Sedona but we will save that for a future trip. After breakfast at the hotel, we got some steps in exploring the neighborhoods around the hotel. We picked Sammie up after our walk. Then we visited Papago Park for a quick walk/hike to see the Hole in the Rock. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors. After our hike, we refueled with a bowl from Cava. I loved the steak and Harissa bowl and hope to try and recreate it. After lunch, Sammie had plans with her roommates so I hit the gym for a quick workout. We ended our Phoenix weekend by having dinner with Sammie at Yama’s Sushi.

We flew home on Monday without Sammie. She likes her roommates and had her first day of school. I’m so happy that Sammie is excited about her new chapter with great roommates and Hawaii friends at GCU. Living Hilo Style in Phoenix.