Work has wrapped for me for the year. I'm taking a week and a half off to close out the year. I'd hoped to take more, but I realize that in my role, the end of the year is always a mess. I bumped some of that time to my Jersey trip and kept this time to break away and recharge. Part of that was getting away from the house that I spend so much time in and getting a nice mental reset.

Surprisingly, Friday the 20th was mellow at work. The last few years, it has been a madhouse and I've still ended up working late going into vacation. The universe gave me a gift and I was pretty relaxed all day. I left a few minutes before 5. It has probably been years since I have been able to do that. I was very much looking forward to the upcoming trip. I got my errands completed, got the car loaded up, and just mellowed out for the night.

Saturday, the 21st, I got in the car and headed north to Sedona. The ride was pretty easy. I was on autopilot most of the time. The traffic was light and the drive was easy. I was staying at the Hilton Bell Rock Resort. I arrived early as it was on the way to everything else. I decided to stop in and see when I may be able to check in. I was pleasantly surprised that I could check in immediately. I also got a free Diamond status room upgrade to overlook the mountains. I grabbed everything, got it settled in the room, and unpacked.

I've stayed here every year for the last 9 years and love it. The original plans were to drop everything and then head north to do some exploring. Those plans changed quickly. I got into the room and just immediately felt relaxed. I decided instead that my only plan for the day was to eat later. I caught up on some things on the internet, watched a movie, laid in bed and looked at the mountains, and mentally just checked out. It felt amazing. For the first time in a very long time, I felt very peaceful, calm, and relaxed. I appreciated that.

I hopped in the car and headed to Oak Creek Brewery. I've gone here every trip for a while. I like to grab some food and wander around Tlaquepaque. This time, I got there a little earlier than normal. This let me catch the sites and have a good meal before things got too crazy. The food as always was great and I enjoyed just walking around and taking in the decorations and energy. From there, I headed back to the hotel and didn't do much. I made some site updates, watched a movie, and just continued to relax and unwind. I did head out for a bit to a secluded area that was much darker so that I could see the stars. I saw a lot and it appears that my phone saw much more.

I had interrupted sleep all night but still woke up feeling good on the 22nd. I got most of the room packed and dropped things in the car. I then headed to the restaurant and grabbed some breakfast. It was better than I could have imagined. I headed back to the room, grabbed the rest of my stuff, and then started the trek northward. I chose to take the 89A to Flagstaff. The drive was frustrating. It is mostly one lane and I was behind a driver that stopped at yields with no traffic and did 5-10 mph under the limit. I finally got to Flagstaff and started on the east side of the city. I hit up Home Depot and some other shops, saw Flagstaff Mall and ate, and then made my way over to Bookmans and The Geekery.

From here, I headed over to the Hampton Inn where I was spending the night. I got lucky and was allowed in early here also. I got the room squared away and spent a few hours just catching up on things and relaxing. I have a few shops that I always hit up here and decided to make a run through those. After that, I dropped the car at the hotel and decided to walk to the Teppanyaki restaurant. It was well recommended by a member of my team. I got detoured to the wrong street and the distance to get there was more than I felt like putting in. I headed back to the area of the hotel and instead grabbed some Olive Garden before walking back and settling into the room.

I woke up fairly early and pretty decently rested on the 23rd. I grabbed breakfast downstairs and then relaxed for another hour in the room. Just after 10, I headed south back to Phoenix. I had one pitstop at Rock Springs Cafe for some pies before calling it a trip. I'm grateful for this chance to travel and the time away.