Sarah and I are sitting in her living room, which by the way, has a lovely beige sofa, which I am liking quite a bit--so there you go. The dogs, Olive and Oscar (Bostons) lie about as dogs are prone to do. I am trying to get Sarah to write a gratitude list.
"I hate those," she growls.
Well yeah, who doesn't hate a gratitude list when she's been moved to Arizona away from all things precious: Mom and Dad, Sugarhouse, the Maverick with chocolate yogurt, Cactus and Tropicals, sisters at lunch, a fabulous bookclub, Young Womens, seasons, especially fall, Lucy's grave, the bakery, Ruth's Diner, Great Harvest bread, friends, mountains, the Salt Lake Temple, big trees, grass, green and so on. No trouble writing a "What I miss List."
Now we will allow Sarah a things I hate about Arizona list, because it doesn't do any good to repress these things. Go.
Heat. Sun. Dirt. Dust. Walled neighborhoods. Threat of scorpions and snakes. The drivers. The names: "Happy Valley Road." "Surprise, Arizona," "Lake Pleasant," like they're trying to convince you of something. You WILL love it here. You WILL. "Anthem." "West Wing." Botox moms.
The gratitude list will be more difficult.
Sarah starts basic: food. She's grateful for food. The boys: Sam, Louis and Elliot. The dogs. Text messaging. phone calls. Video chats. Ceiling fans. Halloween decorations. A good ward. A really good house. Friends for the boys. Sam's work. Walking Elliot to school. Dishwasher, (a Bosch, no less). Visitors. Hola! Mexican restaurants and, get this, a really good German restaurant in Glendale. Who knew? Great malls. Super Target. Movies in the park. Lake Pleasant. That bar with the great hamburgers. White-tailed rabbits and burros. Moon Valley Nursery. No inversions. Lightening storms and sunsets.
Prospect for the future: Schnepf Farms for peaches and apples in the spring.
Okay, Arizona people, add to any of the lists above.
Snowcones, popsicles and a plethora of pools in the summer. People who come to visit you in the winter because there is a sun. Navajo tacos. The Grand Canyon. Mesa temple lights at Christmas (not to mention the new temple that is being built right near Peoria). Only having to put up with three months of hell to live in 9 months of beauty.
ReplyDeleteArizona is mighty fine - we've loved it for five years so far.
My neighbor moved here to Seattle from Tucson. She hates rain and longs for sunshine and heat.
ReplyDeleteOf course I didn't just move here from Tucson and I hate rain and long for sunshine and heat.
We do have green, green trees though...and the Puget Sound is a compensation...
I'm way too narcissistic to leave comments about anything except me. Sorry Arizona.
Mesa oranges from November to February. They are the best oranges I've ever had.
ReplyDeleteThe Superstition Ranch Market in east Mesa. Great produce, scarily low prices, humongous lines.
The weather we're having right now. While some of the US is getting spanked with early snows, we're getting into the cool weather.
Encanto Park.
Greer. Everything about Greer.
The hikes in the state: Clear Creek. Havasupai. The Grand Canyon.
The La Posada hotel and their in-house restaurant in Winslow, AZ.
Pinetop-Lakeside's Fall Festival.
Kartchner Caverns in Benson.
Page and Lake Powell (the Arizona side, of course!)
The foothills of Tucson.
Monument Valley.
Driving straight into a sunset on the I-40 on a fall afternoon.
Downtown Flagstaff.
Driving the Coronado Trail through Clifton and Morenci.
Prescott, its downtown and the foothills. Especially the old courthouse.
I could go on and on, but you're probably wishing I stopped a long time ago. There's plenty to despise about AZ and Phoenix's concrete jungle, but there's plenty to explore if you're willing to drive a bit.
PHX is 2 hrs, 8 minutes from Sedona(by auto). It's a must-do.
ReplyDeleteAnd Sarah? It's not rural Kansas. That's your mantra.
I NEVER dreamed I would land in rural Kansas.
check out Bahama Buck's in Mesa... my brother lives in Mesa and he took me there when I visited. I've never forgotten how wonderful the shaved ice tasted. Rancho de Tia Rosa has wonderful mexican food. A distant cousin is the owner. They have a fancy restaurant in Mesa and a Taqueria in the front. Both are so yum.
ReplyDeleteHome is where you hang your hat:
ReplyDeletehttp://twebsterarmstrong.blogspot.com/2011/10/places-i-have-been.html
Oak Creek Canyon in Fall. Matta's Mexican Food in Mesa. Fajitas. Sunsets. Sunshine. The mountains around Tucson. August rains/storms/skies. Saguaro National Monument. The Grand Canyon. Any Canyon. U of A campus. Olive Trees. The smell of Citrus blossoms on Christmas.
ReplyDeletedidn't some of the Twilight saga take place in Arizona?
ReplyDeleteWow-factor sunsets, Tia Rosa's green salsa, and frozen yogurt.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the heat, but frozen yogurt always tastes better in Mesa. (I grew up there but am now enjoying the four seasons on the east coast. Most of my family is still in AZ--so it's bittersweet at times... I understand your lists, Sarah. Chin up & best wishes.)
Oh, and Sedona?
You. Must.
apples in the spring?
ReplyDeleteBest thing about Arizona? It has Sarah.
Sunsets, Sedona and the vibrant blossoms of the cacti in the spring. I served a mission there and loved it, but Sarah can be grateful she doesn't need to go tracting when it is 110+ degrees.
ReplyDeleteOh this post is all too familiar. Especially that hate list but it gets better except in July and nothing here is good in July. But on the bright side there is a great list of suggestions here that I plan to use. Even just today I was planning a trip to the zoo the day after Thanksgiving. Where else can you do that besides Arizona and San Diego?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah. I tried and tried to like my Gratitude Journal because Oprah said it would be good for me. I dedicated time before sleep to think about what I was grateful for that day. I gave up after I wrote," I'm grateful this day is over" for the second straight week in a row.
ReplyDeleteFor me the only thing that works is a Thank You List. I can't explain the difference between a gratitude list and a thank you list other than to say the first makes me think of myself, the second makes me think of others.
As a side note, I invented Thank You List wayyyyy before Jimmy Fallon did it on his show. He is a copy-catter. Sarah, you have my permission to ditch gratitude and move on to thank you.
Since I grew up in Phoenix, got married in Mesa, Honeymooned in Oak Creek Canyon and went to college in Flagstaff, I have strong opinions about the state. The only thing I can add to everyone's comments is that if you don't have reservations to climb down into the Grand Canyon, don't bother driving the 6 hours from the valley. From the edge looking down it really is a big hole and the postcards you can buy anywhere look just as good as any picture you could take of it.
No snow. No freezing rain. No shovels. No parkas, boots, mittens, scarves and no training toddlers emprisoned in a snowsuit.
ReplyDeleteYup it's hot. But it's only 5 hours away to San Diego.
Maybe some basketball if they ever stop being greedy. And the Hale Theatre. And when that dust and dirt just seem to much, go get yourself a Sprinkles cupcake.
I feel your pain Sarah, I really do. There is nothing like following the Plummer husband around in his career. :)
ReplyDeleteBut...
I HATED Manhattan my first year. Like I wanted to crawl into a hole and die, hated. And then I LOVED it and would love to move back.
I LOVED NC, and then I didn't.
I LOVED NJ, still do.
I am learning to love Pitt.
I guess what I'm saying, is give yourself time. You never know your true feelings about a place until you've lived there at least a year. Give yourself time to make it feel like home.
What I hate: Arizona is hell on earth and was not meant to be inhabited by humans, except in January.
ReplyDeleteWhat I miss: my sister, who lives in Arizona and is the only reason I go there, even when it's a billion degrees.
Gratitude: it's only a 1 1/2 hour plane ride from SLC.
Aw, thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. Really this move would be more of an adventure for me if I didn't spend much of my time worrying about a close family member who is terminally ill and 650 miles away. I am thankful for many things in my life right now, especially how much closer our little family has grown since we moved.
ReplyDeleteHeather, you are absolutely right about there being a difference between gratitude and being thankful! For some reason there is guilt associated with the word "gratitude."
And yes, Sedona absolutely belongs on the list of good things. We took a day trip there Labor Day weekend and want to go back soon. Gorgeous!
Oak Creek Canyon is off the main drag in Sedona.When I drive through the narrow, winding canyon if I squint my eyes I can almost see the pine forests of Utah. Try it. You might see it too.
ReplyDeleteAnd on your way north out of Phoenix, feel free to wave to the temple protesters picketing the new temple site. You will find some of my family there. I like to remind them we are friendly bunch.
Hey, Sarah. Thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteHeather, THANK YOU for the thank you v. gratitude distinction. I am not grateful for gratitude lists, either. I'm going to try your way instead.
ReplyDeleteSarah, you know I miss your socks off. I'll keep Salt Lake warm for you. (Did you get the reference there? Like when you have to go somewhere for a while and someone says they'll keep dinner warm for you? It's a joke because Salt Lake is cold and Phoenix is hot.)
Amen to the "Gratitude v Thank you."
ReplyDelete(I've kids in Surprise. Great name for the city, don't you think?)