Adios, Arizona

In two weeks, I'll be saying goodbye to Arizona. You've treated me well. I will miss you, but it's time for me to start a new chapter in my life, time to go back to my home grown roots. Although I say I will miss you, I've never really considered you home.
There are many things I will miss and some that I won't.
I will miss...
Your beautiful sunsets.
The diversity of things to do in the state.
Although not a fan of your sports teams, I will miss living in a town that has all the major sports.
Truly authentic Mexican food.
Speaking of food, tamales at Christmas.
The smell of orange blossoms in the spring.
How beautiful the scenery can be.
My random trips up to Superstition Mountains. It's been the mountain I've been to the most.
The snow-capped Four Peaks.
Monsoon season. Arizona can throw down a good thunderstorm. But they are few and far between.
Udder Delights
A few hidden gems I have found here: Tonto National Park and the Lava Caves.
Fiesta Bowl, never attended one, but loved how the city came alive at that time.
Having a Starbucks on every corner...or within a short driving distance.
Zoolights and Las Noches de las Luminaries
Midnight showings of the Twilight movies.
The Grand Canyon
The lights on South Mountain, they were always my sense of direction.
I'm sure eventually I'll start to miss AZ winters with no snow. :)

I'm not going to miss...

The heat!

The wretched smell in Gilbert at night.

The snow birds. Indiana might be enjoyable in the winter, the elderly people will be in AZ!

Black Widows and Scorpions

Southwestern Christmas decorations. Never seemed right seeing lights on cactus.

People expecting me to speak Spanish to them because they don't speak English.

And why we are on that, I'm not going to miss all the illegal immigration stuff in general.

The freeways. They are so bad!

The smog covering the entire valley.

Walmart trips.

My AZ allergies.

When it "spits dirt" instead of rain.

Not being able to walk outside without shoes on in the summer.
How ugly the desert can be.
My yucky, dry skin.

What I'm looking forward to in Indiana...

4 seasons! Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Being close enough to Chicago to watch a Yankees and White Sox game.

Attending a Notre Dame game.

Lots and lots of greenery everywhere. 

Blue Jays and Cardinals (the birds) in the winter time. 

The small town feel, it will take some getting used to, but I am excited for it.

Midwestern meals.

Trips to Chicago, Ohio, northern Indiana.

Family get togethers.

Christmas lights twinkling while covered with snow.

The first sign of spring after winter.

Midwestern homes with actual basements.

Exploring my state, finding the hidden gems. I never really did that before.

Being closer to Tennessee. I so want to go to Graceland! Uh-huh.

Cuddling up with a blanket, a book, and some tea on a blustery, cold day.

Wearing my hoodies more often!
My skin being hydrated because there is humidity in the air.
Taking some pictures at Lake Michigan again.
Lightening bugs, they bring back such memories of my childhood.


There's so much to miss, not to miss, to explore. I'm exicited about this adventure and can't wait to see what God has in store. Indiana is my home...my heart.

There's no place like home

In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy goes through a lot of trouble, a lot of pain, and she really just wants to go back home to Kansas. She's scared and frightened through a good portion of the movie. Early in the movie, the ruby slippers magically appear on her feet because she killed the wicked witch of the east. Dorothy proceeds on her journey to the land of Oz with these lovely shoes on her feet.

Dorothy misses home and really wants to go back there with her aunt and uncle. To her, home is a place of comfort, a place where she isn't scared, a place where she doesn't experience pain or suffering like she does in Oz. At the end of the movie, she finds out that all she really needs to do to get home is her click her heels three times and say, "There's no place like home."

Tonight as I sat in my car crying, I wished I could just click my heels three times and make everything go away. Make my hurt go away, make other people's hurt go away, make the world right. I wished it were so easy and wondered why everything was complicated, praying to God to help this person who was the reason for my tears tonight. I got a disturbing phone call and within seconds, I felt the walls of my chest starting to close in. I couldn't get to my car fast enough to cry in private. Walking to the car at church, hoping nobody would see me as the tears began to flow. As warm tears burned my cold cheeks, I just pleaded with God to please make it alright, make this person better. I sat in the car, in silence, for 30 minutes, just crying. Finally the cold started moving through my body and when I could no longer stand the chill because I was shivering uncontrollably, I finally turned the car on with the heat. I sat there for 40 more minutes, still crying as the warm air brushed my tear stained cheeks, not having the energy to even put my car in drive.

I just want to forget it all, just wanting to see the good things. I want to help this person, but in reality, there's nothing I can do. This person needs more help than I can give. As much as a "fixer" that I am, this is the one person I can't fix. All I can do is cry and pray things get better. This one person is my nephew, I can't tell you what's going on, but please pray for him. He needs all the help he can get.

There's no place like home.

There's no place like home.

There's no place like home.