Father, please forgive me. It has been a year and a half since my last confession...
er, uh - blog...and I suck for letting so much time pass, I know!
The picture above? Oh, that's nothing. Just the view from the driver's seat of my car when driving home each day. Rough life here in Sedona.
Why the sudden urge to begin writing again? Well, I was laid off from my job here in Sedona. Coincidentally the lease is up on my house. Since I don't want to sign a new lease and continue living here for another year,
I'm moving on again.
I don't want to leave the past year as one big mystery though. So I am going to share some pictures and provide a re-cap of the time I spent here in the lovely Sonoran Desert.
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Here we go!
Here we go!
The day I started work, July 9th 2012 my adorable and quirky nephew Finn was born. He totally stole my thunder! That day was supposed to be about me and my new gig. Everyone was supposed to be waiting around to hear how my day went and how I liked my new job. Instead, Finn came along and everyone was calling my brother and sister-in-law to see how Finn's first day was and how they liked being parents. Thanks Finn..
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From there it didn't take long for 'the boys', Olive and me to settle in. Toby loves spending time outside on my red rock patio soaking up the sun.
A favorite past-time on sunny days is watching out the windows for a lizard, then demanding that mom (me) let them out to chase it. Toby (on the left) actually caught one once. I think he surprised not only the lizard, but himself as well! I made him spit it out, and the lizard ran away traumatized, but unharmed.
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I went on a tour with the Pink Jeep company. They have a fleet of open-air serious off-roading jeeps that are pink (yep). The jeeps take you up and down steep hills and canyons and over the red rocks to see some sights that would take you hours to hike to on foot. There may have been a small snafu on one of the stops on the tour..
But I obviously survived (thanks to my pal Doreen)!
Otherwise I wouldn't be typing this blog!
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One of the perks of my job here was free hotel stays. One of my "free-cations" this year took me and my mom to Portland, Oregon & Seattle, Washington for a week. When you're on a budget, free hotels make great vacations possible. This was no exception! We practically ate our way through downtown Portland. Shout out to Blue Star Donuts, The Original Dinerant and to Cool Moon Ice Cream! Some of the best eats downtown!
Thank goodness we were walking the whole time or we would have gained too much weight to fit into our own clothes!
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In Seattle we met up with our friend Melinda (she lives there) and she
gave us the insider's tour. We took a ferry to Bainbridge Island, hit
up Pike Market and contributed to the historic "Gum Wall"! All in all
it was a spectacular trip.
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Sedona can be kind of quiet in the evenings. So, I spent some time
this past year honing my skills in the baking world. My friends and
family all know me as a great cook but an 'iffy' baker. So, I set forth
to tackle the impossible and learn to bake. I made home-made bread;
all kinds of cookies; perfected my banana nut bread; and other assorted
treats.
After a while I decided that, while taste is important in baking, presentation is really the proof that you're getting good at it. Sooo, behold my Fruit Pizza!
Oh yeah baby. I have arrived. I'm a true triple threat now. I'm a bread-winner, a phenomenal veggie chef and skilled baker.
Thank you Sedona, for your endless boring nights.
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Another "free-cation" this year took me and my mom to Colorado! What part?
All over the place! Our hotel was in Colorado Springs.
But we white water rafted in Big Horn Sheep Canyon on the Arkansas River...
Hit the historic arcade in Manitou Springs...
(this is where I found out mom was a sharp-shooter!)
Drove to the top of Pike's Peak (where I almost Pike's puked from the elevation change)
and visited the amazing & inspiring Wild Animal Sanctuary NE of Denver.
Funny things I learned while researching and/or visiting Colorado:
#1) Marmot is not only a clothing company that makes wonderful outdoor gear, but is a cute a furry creature that lives in the mountains of Colorado (and perhaps elsewhere - I didn't google Marmots extensively...)
#2) Pikes Peak Tea - made in Colorado and named after Pikes Peak of all things...who knew?! (honestly I didn't even know there was a peak in existence with the name Pikes Peak until I was planning my trip - ha!)
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Back on the home front I've been enjoying so many things here at 5,000ft above sea level..
The view from my backyard each day as I play with my dogs
The stunning beauty of the Sonoran desert - not just the red rocks, but the wildflowers
and cactus blooms
Harvesting my own tomatoes and squash from local farms
Spending time with my dad during his many visits and watching him enjoy my little "Willegan" (William Finnegan), his grandson
Checking out the local landmarks like the meteor crater near Winslow, Arizona
Watching my brother and S.I.L build their graphic design business from the ground, up - and attending their very first "First Friday" open house in Flagstaff.
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All in all I've stayed pretty busy here. Between a hectic work schedule, new friends, family, and exploring my new 'hood' you can see why I never took the time to blog!
Where am I headed in the future?
Who knows?! Right now the path for my future looks a bit like the street sign in the picture from my trip to Portland posted above. I'm kind of heading in all directions and no where at the same time. I have interviews in several different cities and states over the next few weeks.
I hope to have a concrete answer soon. The suspense is killing me!
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What will I miss most about my home from the past 18 months? So many things...
I will miss the way my favorite foods taste after having gone months and months without them. Sedona has very few food choices. Some things I never knew I'd miss as much as I did. Jimmy Johns is one of those things..
My nephew Finn. Watching him grow and learn, and become hilarious and quirky has been so wonderful. It has healed my soul in ways I never knew I needed healing. He's an amazing lil man and I'm so excited to see what the future has in store for him.
My niece Haley. She has joined my little family each time her parents have gone on vacation. I will miss watching her enjoy escaping the cold of Flagstaff and basking in the warmth of Sedona. I will miss watching her be a "big dog" with 'the boys'.
The many different sunsets from the rocking chair in my backyard.
The sunsets on the drive home from Flagstaff.
I will miss the way the mountains light up at night when the moon is full. Sedona is a "dark city" which means we have little to no street lights. The neighborhoods and streets are really dark at night here. I remember the first time I woke up in the middle of the night and there was a full moon. I thought a 'ghetto bird' was shining a light into my yard! I carefully peered out the windows around the house trying to figure out where in the heck all this light was coming from. Then I saw the full moon. I mean, wow.
Sedona in the winter. Breathtaking.
Finn. I know I already said Finn, but I'm really going to miss him.
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And I suppose I will miss these guys too:
My brother Tommy and S.I.L. Danielle. They have been instrumental in my life here in Arizona. I will miss the family days. Dinking around my house in Sedona for the afternoon; family shopping trips to Sams; cooking with my bro; checking out Flagstaff and Sedona together...so many things...so many days. It will be hard not to see them so often. I'll miss their hugs and the laughter we've shared. I'll miss not having family nearby. *sniffle*
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Sadly, boxes are being packed. The house is being closed down.
This amazing chapter of my life is ending.
Life doesn't stop and wait. So I am moving on.
This time I promise to keep you posted!
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