It's now official--my parents put an offer on a new home, and their offer has been approved. We're moving.
I've never moved before. Never. Not once in my life. I've heard different stories from friends about their moving experiences--fun, terrible, difficult, easy. I'm not sure what to expect.
I do imagine it will make my life a bit more difficult. Instead of being a short light rail ride away from school and a quick drive from work, I'll be a 30 minute drive from school (not counting traffic) and a 30 minute drive from work. For the first time in my life, it will take me longer than four minutes to get to my boyfriend's house, more than 10 minutes to get to church, and more than 20 to visit my friends at Grand Canyon University.
I'm a little scared. I'm leaving the only house I've ever known behind, and moving into a house that is in no way mine--it is my parent's. They picked it, they plan on living in it for a long time, they're simply letting me move with them. And I'm a little unsettled by this.
I want to live on my own (with a friend would be great). I want to be able to pay for an apartment, to purchase my own groceries from a farmer's market across the street from that apartment. I want to have a kitten and a corgi, and take the corgi for walks and give the kitten a scratching post (which would be useless because my future cats are going to be de-clawed.) But I'm 19, and let's face it. There's no way I can afford all that. Not even the apartment. (I could probably afford the cat, though. But I'm "not allowed.")
So, for now, I'm going to wallow in my half-freedom, and save up for that impending day when I will be able to afford an apartment, and enjoy spending money on the adventures I can afford to spend money on, now.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The Adventure That Started it All
It was over two years ago, now, when my AP Literature teacher first handed out the papers. It was for extra credit, and we were to show them to our parents, get their signature, and have them check one of the three boxes:
Nevermind that my favorite teacher (from Honors Freshman English, to AP Literature, to Creative Writing) gave birth to her baby boy prior to the trip, and was therefore not able to attend. It certainly would have been an entirely different trip had she come along (her replacement was the drama teacher, who was fun, but strict), but it was a wonderful trip nonetheless--even if I didn't get to taste any French wine.
We were able to pull out all the stops in Paris--the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, the Louvre, the opera house, and a river cruise on the Seine. The best part is, I was with my best friends Becca and Bailey. And while we learned that putting the three of us in a hotel room together is a bad idea, their presence truly made part of the trip as unforgettable as it is.
Besides pulling all the stops and seeing all the views, I learned to not be stingy with travel money. For heaven's sake, while you're in a different country, buy all the souvenirs you want! And eat all of the crepes, because there are none quite the same in America, and you''ll work them off when you hike la Tour Eiffel, anyway.
Of course, I also learned that after the sixth cathedral or painting of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, it all starts to look the same. I now like to say, "If you've see one cathedral, you've seen them all." However, France and Spain both differ dramatically in that aspect. French cathedrals really all do look the same, with similar rose stained glass windows, and tall Gothic style architecture, but Spanish cathedrals range anywhere from La Sagrada Familia to La Catedral de Cordoba.
It was somewhere between Barcelona and Costa del Sol that my love of travel seriously took flight. One night in Madrid (I believe it was Madrid), my four travel mates and I set out on an adventurous walk without letting our group leader know. While nothing really important happened on this walk (it was at least 8 pm, the sun was beginning to set, and nothing exciting was open, an exciting revelation came to me: I am an adult. I can make responsible choices, without notifying anyone, and have fun without getting into trouble.
Our late night walk in Madrid has become the essence of travel. Being spontaneous and smart, maybe breaking a few guidelines here and there, but understanding that, in the scheme of things, adventures are what make the memories, not lifeless nights spent in a hotel room 'midst a world that needs to be explored.
- I am interested in sending my child on a trip to France
- I am interested, but cannot afford it
- I am not interested
Nevermind that my favorite teacher (from Honors Freshman English, to AP Literature, to Creative Writing) gave birth to her baby boy prior to the trip, and was therefore not able to attend. It certainly would have been an entirely different trip had she come along (her replacement was the drama teacher, who was fun, but strict), but it was a wonderful trip nonetheless--even if I didn't get to taste any French wine.We were able to pull out all the stops in Paris--the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, the Louvre, the opera house, and a river cruise on the Seine. The best part is, I was with my best friends Becca and Bailey. And while we learned that putting the three of us in a hotel room together is a bad idea, their presence truly made part of the trip as unforgettable as it is.
 |
| Notre Dame, Paris |
Besides pulling all the stops and seeing all the views, I learned to not be stingy with travel money. For heaven's sake, while you're in a different country, buy all the souvenirs you want! And eat all of the crepes, because there are none quite the same in America, and you''ll work them off when you hike la Tour Eiffel, anyway.
Of course, I also learned that after the sixth cathedral or painting of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, it all starts to look the same. I now like to say, "If you've see one cathedral, you've seen them all." However, France and Spain both differ dramatically in that aspect. French cathedrals really all do look the same, with similar rose stained glass windows, and tall Gothic style architecture, but Spanish cathedrals range anywhere from La Sagrada Familia to La Catedral de Cordoba.
 |
| La Sagrada Familia, June 2011 |
 |
| La Catedral Cordoba |
It was somewhere between Barcelona and Costa del Sol that my love of travel seriously took flight. One night in Madrid (I believe it was Madrid), my four travel mates and I set out on an adventurous walk without letting our group leader know. While nothing really important happened on this walk (it was at least 8 pm, the sun was beginning to set, and nothing exciting was open, an exciting revelation came to me: I am an adult. I can make responsible choices, without notifying anyone, and have fun without getting into trouble.
 |
| Bailey, Becca, Hayden and Loni |
Our late night walk in Madrid has become the essence of travel. Being spontaneous and smart, maybe breaking a few guidelines here and there, but understanding that, in the scheme of things, adventures are what make the memories, not lifeless nights spent in a hotel room 'midst a world that needs to be explored.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Summer Trips Beginning to Form
There's no way this summer is going to be as eventful and travel-filled as last summer was, but that's because I have a job this summer and I can't claim my vacations are "pre-existing" as I did before I was hired in the middle of last summer. What I've learned from working is that life is all about balancing the spending and making of money, and my two summer trips look perfect for that.
In May I shall be traveling to Tahoe with Daniel as soon as school gets out. We're going to take a two week road trip surrounding his sister's wedding, which will include Vegas, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and Highway 1. We're paying for basically everything, except for room and board in Tahoe and Vegas. His parents are also giving us a little bit of money (what would have been one airfare ticket) to help us along.
In June my neighbor's daughter is getting married in Colorado. I originally didn't want to go on this trip because it surrounds my birthday (I hate traveling on my birthday), but then my mom mentioned that I could bring my lovely "brain-twin" Becca, and since she and I were already planning a 5-day weekend camping trip to Colorado, we just decided it would be better if we accompanied my parents as they would pay for everything and we would get to have just as much fun going off and being adventuresome.
So, in summation, California road trip with my sweetheart in May and Colorado Adventure trip with my best friend in June. And who knows--I'll probably join my other best friend Hannah on a 5-day weekend trip to her uncle's cabin in July or August. All in all, it's going to be a rather inexpensive summer of traveling, and I am so excited.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Sufjan Stevens and the Rialto Theater
It sounds like the beginning of a good children's book. Sufjan (SOOF-yan) is a whimsical name, and the Rialto Theater is the place of dreams.
This past Monday was the first time I ventured down to Tucson for a concert, and I can honestly say there is nobody else I would have rather gone with.
Daniel, our friend Harley, and I piled into the Subaru at 5:30 on Monday night, half an hour behind schedule. We really didn't make it outside Phoenix until 6, but we made it to the theater by 8, when the show supposedly "started."
Harley kept mentioning that this was a miniature road trip, but I have to disagree. A road trip occurs when you stop, smell the flowers, and take photographs either on the way to your destination, or as your destination. We certainly didn't do that.
However, we did listen to some great music, yelled at other cars who sped past us, and talked about how school was going.
By the time we found parking and navigated our way to the Rialto Theater, it was 8. We hurriedly got in line to pick up our tickets from will call, and entered the theater.
The lights were very festive, red, and Christmas-y, and a large spinwheel was set up at the back of the stage.
The opening act, one of Sufjan's backup singers, was standing on stage doing a comedy routine related to Christmas. We stood and listened for five minutes, when she left the stage. I suppose we were later than we expected.
Half an hour later, fashionably late, Sufjan Stevens and his band appeared on stage. It was time to get the party started!
Now, we should have known from the title of the concert (The Sirfjam Stephanapolous Christmas Sing-A-Long Seasonal Affective Disorder Spectacular Music Pageant Variety Show Distaster) that it would consist entirely of Christmas music, but we were optimistic that other music would be included as well.
I suppose it's a good thing that not one of the three of us are Grinches, because it was entirely Christmas music. It was honestly like going Christmas caroling inside a theater, and Sufjan was the choir director. He would pick an audience or band member to spin the Wheel of Christmas, and then play the "chance-chosen" Christmas carol, and encourage the audience to sing along. It was certainly unlike any concert I had ever been to before, but it was fun.
The Christmas music ended nearly 2 hours later, at 10:30, with a paper snowfall and his song "Christmas Unicorn." It would be an understatement to say that some of his songs are downright strange, but it was fun to dance to at least.
After a few minutes of the audience yelling "Encore!" and "Get back here and play some normal music," he returned alone, with his guitar, and without his unicorn horn on his head, and began to play a few songs from his most popular album, Come On and Feel the Illinoise.
I'm pretty sure I was jumping with joy by that point. Not only is that the only album of his that I own, but he began the 4 song encore with one of my favorite songs of the album, and then continued the encore with 3 of my other favorite songs. Hearing him play Chicago, Casmir Pulaski Day, and John Gacy Wayne, Jr. made the concert 110% worth the drive to Tucson.
Before long, he gracefully took a bow and left the stage. I took my phone out, saw it was nearly 11:30, and encouraged Daniel and Harley to jet out of the venue. I had 9 am classes the next morning. We left the venue, perused the merchandise table (it was all cd's and LP's, and I have no more room for either of those in my collection at the moment), and headed to the car. We ran into my friend Ben, and reluctantly turned down an invitation for coffee with him. I needed sleep.
I crawled into the back seat of the Subaru and fell asleep the entire ride home, while Harley and Daniel bantered about school, music, and the next concerts they want to go to. All in all, I certainly would not be opposed to going to another concert in Tucson, but it would be great if I could do it when I didn't have class the next morning.
Daniel, our friend Harley, and I piled into the Subaru at 5:30 on Monday night, half an hour behind schedule. We really didn't make it outside Phoenix until 6, but we made it to the theater by 8, when the show supposedly "started."
Harley kept mentioning that this was a miniature road trip, but I have to disagree. A road trip occurs when you stop, smell the flowers, and take photographs either on the way to your destination, or as your destination. We certainly didn't do that.
However, we did listen to some great music, yelled at other cars who sped past us, and talked about how school was going.
By the time we found parking and navigated our way to the Rialto Theater, it was 8. We hurriedly got in line to pick up our tickets from will call, and entered the theater.The lights were very festive, red, and Christmas-y, and a large spinwheel was set up at the back of the stage.
The opening act, one of Sufjan's backup singers, was standing on stage doing a comedy routine related to Christmas. We stood and listened for five minutes, when she left the stage. I suppose we were later than we expected.
Half an hour later, fashionably late, Sufjan Stevens and his band appeared on stage. It was time to get the party started!
Now, we should have known from the title of the concert (The Sirfjam Stephanapolous Christmas Sing-A-Long Seasonal Affective Disorder Spectacular Music Pageant Variety Show Distaster) that it would consist entirely of Christmas music, but we were optimistic that other music would be included as well.
I suppose it's a good thing that not one of the three of us are Grinches, because it was entirely Christmas music. It was honestly like going Christmas caroling inside a theater, and Sufjan was the choir director. He would pick an audience or band member to spin the Wheel of Christmas, and then play the "chance-chosen" Christmas carol, and encourage the audience to sing along. It was certainly unlike any concert I had ever been to before, but it was fun.
After a few minutes of the audience yelling "Encore!" and "Get back here and play some normal music," he returned alone, with his guitar, and without his unicorn horn on his head, and began to play a few songs from his most popular album, Come On and Feel the Illinoise.
I'm pretty sure I was jumping with joy by that point. Not only is that the only album of his that I own, but he began the 4 song encore with one of my favorite songs of the album, and then continued the encore with 3 of my other favorite songs. Hearing him play Chicago, Casmir Pulaski Day, and John Gacy Wayne, Jr. made the concert 110% worth the drive to Tucson.
Before long, he gracefully took a bow and left the stage. I took my phone out, saw it was nearly 11:30, and encouraged Daniel and Harley to jet out of the venue. I had 9 am classes the next morning. We left the venue, perused the merchandise table (it was all cd's and LP's, and I have no more room for either of those in my collection at the moment), and headed to the car. We ran into my friend Ben, and reluctantly turned down an invitation for coffee with him. I needed sleep.
I crawled into the back seat of the Subaru and fell asleep the entire ride home, while Harley and Daniel bantered about school, music, and the next concerts they want to go to. All in all, I certainly would not be opposed to going to another concert in Tucson, but it would be great if I could do it when I didn't have class the next morning.
 |
| I didn't realize how close we were to Hotel Congress until I looked up as we exited the parking garage. |
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A Local Adventure
Some days, when you are tired and simply feel like laying around, that is what you need to do. For me, that was last Saturday. I planned on going to the last home football game of the season, but by the time I had finished lunch, I predicted the first quarter of the game would be over before I even arrived.
Rather than rush to the light rail to simply sit and be bored for forty minutes, then spend another two hours sitting on a hard metal bench, cheering desperately for ASU to score (our season hasn't been all that great), I decided to grab a picnic blanket, my book, Daniel and his camera and head downtown.
We each ordered either an iced tea or a toddy coffee from Fair Trade Cafe, and spread out in the nearby park with our books. We had every intention of reading them, but we decided talking would be more enjoyable. We discussed classic authors, foreign countries, and where we want to move someday. All in all, it was a nice rest from our busy lives.
When that became humdrum, we folded up our blanket and set out on a walk to capture the various and unique street art adorning the sides of buildings throughout Phoenix.
Rather than rush to the light rail to simply sit and be bored for forty minutes, then spend another two hours sitting on a hard metal bench, cheering desperately for ASU to score (our season hasn't been all that great), I decided to grab a picnic blanket, my book, Daniel and his camera and head downtown.
We each ordered either an iced tea or a toddy coffee from Fair Trade Cafe, and spread out in the nearby park with our books. We had every intention of reading them, but we decided talking would be more enjoyable. We discussed classic authors, foreign countries, and where we want to move someday. All in all, it was a nice rest from our busy lives.
When that became humdrum, we folded up our blanket and set out on a walk to capture the various and unique street art adorning the sides of buildings throughout Phoenix.
 |
| Wallace and Ladmo |
 |
| Sentrock. I have one of his prints at home. |
 |
| Fabulous framing, if I do say so myself. |
 |
| I saw this being painted at First Fridays in November. |
 |
| Brewery parking lot. |
 |
| Part of a new park on 3rd Street and Roosevelt. |
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Oregon Photos
June 28 to July 7, 2012
I
honestly feel like there are no words to describe the amazing trip I
took to Oregon this past summer, so I am going to let some photos do the
talking now, and allow our recorded videos to do the talking later,
after I get them all uploaded to YouTube. If
you really like all of my adventures, then come over and see the fully
edited (and too long for YouTube) documentary movie Becca and I made
about our trip.
                                    |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)