This post contains affiliate links
Prescott, Arizona is a small town rich with history and it happens to be my husband Derek’s hometown. We recently visited to surprise his grandma for her 95th birthday and we had a great time! Although there is a small airport in Prescott, there aren’t many airlines with direct flights there. We ended up flying directly to Phoenix via Southwest (AKA Southbest), rented a minivan (IYKYK), and then drove up.
The drive was absolutely lovely as the sun set over the mountains. Seeing the mountains reminded me of where I grew up in California. The temperatures cooled as we drove north and that combined with the dry air was a welcome relief from the Texas heat.
We stayed at an Airbnb just minutes from my in laws and right across the street from Flinn Park. It was cheaper than any of the hotels in Prescott and the fact that there were multiple rooms, a kitchen, a washer and dryer, and the proximity to the park sold me. On our first night there, were were pretty exhausted from traveling and the time zone change but we still stopped at my in laws to deliver Derek’s grandma’s birthday present.
We then headed to Walmart for a pickup. I misunderstood flying with a pack ‘n’ play and brought ours to the airport. It would have cost $125 to fly it one way which was out of the question. We abandoned it by an airport trash can which made me sad because I would’ve preferred to bless someone with it. It was given to us for free when I was pregnant with Addie though so it wasn’t too big of a loss. We ended up picking up a portable crib for about $60. Then we headed to the Airbnb which was small but perfectly suited our needs. The closet in our bedroom fit the portable crib so we placed Owen’s sound machine in there and that’s where he slept during our stay.
Many of our mornings began with the kids playing at Flinn Park and coffee from The Porch. The Porch shares a space with a church and I believe was started by Christians. It’s been a favorite stop of ours on every Prescott trip. The coffee shop changed ownership in 2020 and we enjoyed meeting its current owners, Jesse and Rudi. They are sweet folks who took the time to chat with us nearly every time we were in the shop. The coffee was excellent, as always. I enjoyed a cold brew almost every morning. I decided to be adventurous on our last day there and tried the Iced Brambleberry Latte. It was exquisite and I wish we had something close to it here. We also enjoyed their breakfast sandwiches which were incredibly delicious!
We observed via their Instagram feed that a Pureflix movie was filmed in the shop so we did a free trial of Pureflix via Amazon and watched the movie. It was clearly low budget and the plot was predictable but it was still fun to see our favorite Prescott coffee shop featured as well as other parts of the city.
One of our favorite discoveries of this trip was a free indoor playground with a coffee shop in Prescott Valley. Hosted in a warehouse were two playscapes, one for big kids and an enclosed one for babies. We visited on Saturday morning as it had rained making Flinn Park wet and unavailable for our kids’ use.
On the Sunday we were there, we headed north to Williams, AZ to check out Canyon Coaster Adventure Park. This was something Derek really wanted to do so we all went along for the adventure. My mother in law, Debbie, came with us and it was great to spend time with her and have help with our kids. The weather in Williams was perfect and we arrived at the Canyon Coaster shortly after its opening. We headed inside to fill out waivers and purchase tickets and Derek asked a staff member if he could use his drone while on the coaster.
The staff member told him no and the manager, Timmy, happened to be there for that conversation. He informed us that one guy had ruined things in the past by using his drone without permission and felt it was okay to do so since he had a license to fly it. Timmy asked Derek what kind of drone it was and when Derek explained that it was for action sports and showed him some footage from one of our Galveston trips, Timmy changed his mind.
He told us he had paid someone to capture drone footage and it seemed like what they delivered didn’t meet his expectations. He gave us complimentary tickets for the Canyon Coaster and the Summer Mountain Tubing in exchange for Derek’s drone footage. While each ticket usually includes riding the attractions once, Timmy informed his staff that Derek could go as many times as he wanted! We were surprised and delighted — what a kindness from the Lord! Prior to riding the rides, we enjoyed lunch at the Canyon Coaster Bar & Grill and it was exceptional!
We initially planned for my mother in law and Ava to ride the coaster together and for Derek to ride alone. I was hesitant to sign the waiver considering I would have to sign off on my own death. My awareness of the Titan submersible story made me really hesitant to do so especially since I have three children who rely on me. Addie was too scared to try the coaster so we waited with Owen while the others took their turns.
We were loading up the kids in the minivan when Derek asked if I would ride the coaster with him. I told him that while I hate coasters of any kind, I love him and would give it a try (the experience reminded me so much of when I agreed to parasailing over the ocean on our honeymoon because I was trying to be a good wife).
My mother in law kindly stayed in the van with our kids and I signed the waiver and hesitantly boarded the coaster. It takes me a while to think things through and I felt that rushing through signing the waiver earlier wasn’t wise. This time, I read it in its entirety and rationalized that with the Titan incident, there had been multiple warnings and red flags and people proceeded anyway. This was unlike that incident as there were no red flags I was aware of and I had seen everyone who tried the coaster that day come off unscathed.
I didn’t necessarily enjoy the coaster ride but I did get some pictures of the beautiful mountain landscapes that surrounded us as we rode. Since riders control the speed, I asked Derek to make it go as slow as possible. The feeling of free falling isn’t one I enjoy at all. I was grateful for the opportunity to deny myself and put my husband’s preferences above my own and I was hoping that I somehow modeled to Addie that God can help us do things that seem scary. I believe the Lord gave us this experience so that we wouldn’t allow what happened that evening to determine the goodness of our day.
We returned to our Airbnb tired from the day’s activities. Derek headed to the park with the kids and I walked into our room to nap. I barely made it across the threshold when Derek burst through the door with Addie in his arms. He informed me that she had broken her arm and we needed to head to the ER right away. I usually would ask to see it but for some reason, I didn’t. I initially remained calm and made sure we had everything we needed. I’ve never seen Derek that panicked before and I hope to never see him that way again.
He knew where the ER was because he had been there many times as a kid, including a visit after he also broke his arm. We were there within 5 minutes and I suggested that he get Addie checked in while I took the younger kids to my in law’s house. I dropped them off and began driving back to the ER. At that point, reality began to slowly sink in and I felt super anxious. We had never had a child with a broken bone or a child in the ER. It felt increasingly stressful since we were also away from home.
I entered the ER and a security guard escorted me to Addie’s room. It was really painful to see my girl lying on the bed crying and looking so sad. Addie was pretty upset at first and didn’t say much. She was in excruciating pain too and a bit of shock. Nurses Amy and Jonathan attended her and they did an exceptional job. We were informed that she would have to be put under for her arm to be reset. If we opted to not do this, it would likely mean surgery later. The situation felt like we were losing either way. Having her be put under made me nervous as I had to sign a waiver which twice acknowledged that the procedure could end in her death. Although I knew the chances of this were slim, it didn’t make filling out the form any easier.
I cried silent tears as I read the form wondering if I would regret my decision and whether or not I was a good mom. Only one parent was permitted to be present for the procedure and we decided it would be Derek. I felt so guilty for not being there and like I was letting my daughter down. My love and appreciation for my husband grew in this moment because he told me it didn’t matter which of us was there because we are a team. This made me feel a bit freer but I still sobbed as I walked out of the ER begging God to preserve Addie’s life.
I had enjoyed using our rental minivan up until this point. It was a new model and had much more technology than I’m used to in a vehicle. Many of the features proved helpful but it was frustrating to have to Google how to turn on the headlights when I was already feeling so overwhelmed.
I filled up the van with gas prior to heading to my in law’s house to attend to my younger children. I don’t know if I was still holding the nozzle of the fuel pump as I replaced it or if it was because the gas tank was different than our own but I somehow managed to spray gas all over myself. I wanted to break down crying but didn’t have time to. I was frazzled and scatter brained but still made it to my in laws. I wasn’t there long when Derek called me and told me that Addie was done, the resetting of her arm went well (although Derek informed me that it was internally traumatizing for him), and she was being discharged. I put Owen in his car seat and left Ava with my mother in law since she was having the time of her life being spoiled and headed back to the ER.
I pulled up to Addie who was cheerfully waiting in a wheelchair. She was still under the influence of the morphine and other drugs they gave her and informed me that she would like seven tacos from Taco Bell. At that point, I would’ve ordered her 100. We drove through Taco Bell, ordered tacos for her, and parked to figure out our next steps. Derek called his mom and spoke with Ava to see if she wanted to spend the night. She said she did which was also hard for me because it was her first time spending the night somewhere without one of her parents or siblings.
We returned to the Airbnb, put Owen to bed, and then I fell asleep next to Addie. One of the warnings we were given in the ER is that during the process of being put under, she may stop breathing. They were adequately prepared for that situation and thankfully we didn’t have to face it. I still felt nervous though and wanted to be near should any issues arise in the night. Addie slept as she normally would and I hardly slept at all. It takes me a while to process things and I think the experience reminded me of when she was a baby and had to go in the NICU shortly after birth. I don’t know if there’s anything harder than wanting to help your child in a medical situation while being unable to provide help.
We had been greatly enjoying our trip up to that point but once Addie broke her arm, I really longed to go home. I think my heart was wanting some normalcy. We spent the next day checking out a few thrift stores because Prescott has some good ones. I would’ve loved more time to shop without my kids but also wanted to make things special for Addie. I wanted to also ensure that Ava received attention as she had done well with my mother in law and made some choices where she put Addie’s preferences before her own.
Derek and I were supposed to go on a date the night Addie broke her arm so we rescheduled to the following night. We had dinner at Murphy’s and walked around downtown Prescott. We stopped at Fite & Sons Mercantile for ice cream and it did not disappoint. We returned to the Airbnb with ice cream for our kids and Derek’s parents and began cleaning and packing to head home the next day.
On our last morning in Prescott, we stopped at The Porch before driving to the Phoenix airport. Our flight home was delayed a little which I struggled with but the flight itself was smooth as Owen slept for most of it. Our trip was unforgettable for many reasons and overall, we had a great time. We’re happy to be home but we can’t wait for our next Prescott trip!
