The Boulders

Dress: Madewell || Shoes (old) Sole Society || Similar shoe styles: Here & Here || Bag: Here

Adam and I took a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, over the Memorial Day weekend. It was much different than the normal anniversary trips we take each year. In the past, we have visited NYC, Chicago, Boston, and NYC again (because we both love that city so much). But because we were also celebrating the future arrival of our little one, this trip needed to be more low key… At least for me. Not wanting to venture back to the beach (oh, the horror!), Adam picked Scottsdale – something totally different than we have ever experienced.

We stayed about 40 minutes outside of Old Town Scottsdale in a resort called, The Boulders. At first, I was a little worried that we were so far away from the city (and in the desert, no less).  Like I said, we are used to being in the hustle and bustle, and this place was the exact opposite. But it turned out to be exactly what we needed.

We drove into “town” a couple of nights, dining at restaurants like Montauk and The Mission. We ventured to Cave Creek and had amazing pizza at Alberto Ristorante. We played Top Golf in Scottsdale (which I am now obsessed with and cannot wait for it to open in Nashville later this year). We made a late lunch stop at Shake Shack – and, let’s be honest, I could have eaten there for every meal! And of course, we made time for some of Scottsdale’s fabulous shopping at Kierland Commons.

It was there that I found (actually, Adam picked it out) this adorable chambray off-the-shoulder dress from Madewell. Upon first glance, I thought for sure it wouldn’t fit the bump but thankfully I was wrong. It is the perfect dress that can be worn casually or dressy. I recently wore it to our friend’s rehearsal dinner and just changed up the shoes to make it fancier.

With all the fun excursions, it was our resort that made us never want to leave Arizona. The Boulders is a gorgeous and was recommend by our friend and fabulous travel agent, Alex Stockton.  It makes you feel completely removed from the rest of the world. It is so quiet that when we first arrived, Adam and I were whispering to each other without even realizing it. I was obsessed with our little casita and its rustic desert vibes. We went to bed early (partly this pregnant girls fault), got up early (again…my fault) and spent the day sitting at the pool with a fantastic view of the boulders.  Yes, they do actually have boulders scattered throughout the property.

I am not used to looking at rocks, cactus, or dirt.  In Tennessee, we have grass. Normally my view of choice is the ocean. But there was something very soothing about the view of the boulders. We had plenty of downtime during this trip, which led me to pray… a lot. More than I probably have in a long time. A lot about the future, a lot about worries back home, and a whole lot about our baby girl. Being in a different but safe setting seemed to allow me to hear Him a little better.

One morning, while Adam was playing golf (which I wasn’t happy about until he offered to get me a pre-natal message), I had an abundant amount of time to myself. So, God and I spent a lot of time together… just talking… while I looked at the boulders. And those boulders started to remind me a whole lot of Jesus.

God is our rock. He is our firm foundation. He is steadfast and strong. He is the rock that is higher than I where we turn when our heart is overwhelmed (Psalm 61:2). It was not lost on me that in that moment, with that gorgeous view, that God was reminding me that He is strong enough to fight my battles. And because of that moment, I have a newfound love for boulders – and our majestic desert getaway.