Jerome, AZ

We met family in the cutest, hillside town of Jerome. As we are exhausting all the meetup locations for holidays between Las Vegas and Las Cruces, we went back to this cute, old mining town. My parents, Scott’s Mom and brother Duane, were able to meet at a 122-year old restored AirBnB.

When we first arrived and realized how many stairs it took to get from the parking area to the house, and noticed that the stairs connecting the top floor to the bottom floor were outside (yes, you read that correctly), none of us were thrilled. The house we stayed in, however, turned out to be amazing. The views were gorgeous and the kids loved running around the entire house, carefully navigating the steep, run-down stairs with Topo dashing close behind.

My Mom and I started Thanksgiving Day walking the crumbling streets of Jerome. The city was so quiet on the holiday; it was nice to explore without the busy sidewalks. We then spent Thanksgiving Day watching the Lions win a close one against the bears and feasting on a delicious meal prepared ahead of time by my Mom.

The next day, while waiting for Duane to arrive, we explored downtown Jerome and all the cute shops it has to offer. We drove to nearby Clarkdale, AZ to hop on the Verde Valley Santa Train. The train depot was so well done with tons of amenities prior to hopping on the Santa Train. Beautiful golden cottonwood trees lined the tracks as we chugged along to the ‘North Pole.’ When Santa arrived, he gave Ella and Miles some reindeer boogers (green jelly bellies).

Saturday was my 42nd birthday. I was able to watch the sunrise over Sedona with Miles on my lap and received the most adorable hand-painted wine glasses by Scott and the kids. After we sent Scott’s Mom on her way back to Show Low, we drove to Cottonwood to enjoy a hike on Jail Trail. This hike, at the site of an old town jail, meandered along a nearby creek with yellow leaves covering the trees and ground. It really was a perfect birthday hike for me as fall colors will always have my heart. Scott, Duane, and I went out on the town while my parents watched the kids for the evening. Jerome’s streets were lined with luminaries, its sidewalks showcased carolers singing holiday favorites and they had Santa in their firehouse. While I wish the kids could have seen all of this, it was so nice to enjoy a dinner out without their constant demands.

I will always do my best to be with my parents for the Thanksgiving holiday and while it was nice to travel to someplace other than Las Cruces for the holiday, we will most like do Thanksgiving in Las Cruces or Las Vegas next year. Up next: San Diego for Christmas!