Cenzy's 100 Years of Memories

In our Quinn's List nomination form, we ask "Why are you nominating this child?". We learn so much about our babies and their families from this one question, I always love reading the answers - you can feel the love and admiration for these children just leaping off of the computer. 

One of my all time favorite responses came in April from Cenzy T's mom:

I'm nominating our daughter Cenzy

because I want her to be able to experience

100yrs of memories in the short time we have with her. 

THIS is exactly what our goal is, why we exist. And oddly, the second I read it I had visions of roadtripping through the country.

After 'meeting' Cenzy and her mom over a video call and learning about their passion for all things outdoors and Jeep-related, we decided to do just that! An RV trip: Phoenix > Sedona > Grand Canyon > Lake Havasu. They even braved the Arizona August heat, like the warriors they are. It was a big challenge - a ton of planning and research went into this Quinn's List experience, and it is one of the best ones we have done to date! 

Kristen, Cenzy's mom, was so kind and basically wrote this blog post for me, so I'm going to leave the narration to her words and awesome photos. Cenzy had a medical incident during the travel over to AZ but thankfully recovered well and swiftly, and the family was off and running on schedule.

Leavin' on a jet plane...

"Once we picked up the RV the next day it was smooth sailing.  Our girls loved being able to stretch out as we drove, while still able to look out the windows at the scenery so different from home.  Sedona was a great town to walk around and tour.  Once we parked the camper we spent the next few days walking and exploring the small town and stores.  The Pink Jeep Tours were great and Cenzy loved feeling the breeze through her hair as we toured.  The weather was a little warm walking around town but not bad once we were in the jeeps touring."

Look at this gorgeous family!!

If you haven't been to Sedona - GO! Amazing beauty, everywhere

Pink Jeep Tour

"The next stop was the Grand Canyon for 2 days.  We got to travel on part of Route 66 and stop at some of the small towns to walk around.  We saw a shoot out in town after eating dinner at one of the local restaurants." (Eileen interjection here - Whaaaaat???) "It was really neat how they shut the whole street down in the middle of town for this shoot out every evening.  The next morning we got up to do our Grand Canyon tour, it was more then just seeing the Canyon.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area and history of the Canyon. We stopped along the way to the Canyon and he discussed different animals and foliage that lived in the park surrounding the Canyon.  Once at the Canyon it was an amazing site for our whole family to enjoy.  Even though our 8year old said its just a big hole in the ground lol."

Grand Canyon

Oh! So this is a shoot out. The costumes comfort me a bit ;)

Love love and more love!

"Lake Havasu was our family's favorite spot though.  It was simple and relaxing.  We enjoyed spending our first night there in the lake until the sun went down.  It was very calm and relaxing - even Cenzy enjoyed a little splashing and lounging in the lake all day.  We decided to do a guided boat tour the next evening around Lake Havasu.  It started just before sunset, so we got to be out on the lake for a sunset tour.  They pointed out the light house replicas around the lake, copper canyons and took us into a small corner of the California border.  We also got to see the London Bridge and drive across it as well, I would definitely recommend this tour to others if they go out."

Chilling in the lake

Boat tour of Lake Havasu. Look at those awesome smiles!

"This trip could not of been planned any better!  Our family enjoyed our time together and the memories we got to make with Cenzy.  It was a perfect trip for all of us our 17yr old and 8yr old both found things that they enjoyed about being out west.  We want to try and make another family trip out to that area again in the future."

Daddy's girl! 

Warning: Cuteness OVERLOAD!!

Thank you Kristen, Cenzy and the whole family for allowing us to play a small role in this amazing life you are giving sweet Cenzy. 100 years of memories is exactly what life is all about.

(And thank you to our awesome partners at Sand Highway RV in Sun City, AZ for all of your help!)



Want to help other children like Cenzy? Donate today, or visit our Events page to learn about upcoming fundraisers in your area. The nominations are not slowing down, and we need your help to continue making Memories For Life!