Thursday, October 9, 2008

Don't forget me :(

This past weekend we drove out to Arizona. I've never been to Mesa & to be honest the only experience I've had with Arizona is Quartzite. Omg we all know how much I LOVE that place.


So needless to say I wasn't expecting too much. I tried not to expect anything so I wouldn't be too disappointed. I am definitely the pessimistic one in our relationship & even though I love Paul sometimes his "everything is sugar & spice & will work out in the end" speeches get a bit old. Especially when I'd rather wallow in self pity.


So early Saturday morning we got up, dressed, packed & kissed the poochies good-bye & told them to wish us luck. I think they might have wished more for themselves because what can I say? Arizona was pretty awesome.


On the drive there we saw a lot of this:


Now you can only play count the cactus for so long. :/




Thankfully the drive wasn't that bad. I drove from Cali to Quartzite & Paul drove the rest of the way (only 4 1/2 hrs. total, not too shabby). As soon as he hit civilization I noticed one thing right off the bat.


The freeway was bare....bare & free of any tagging!


I really wish I took pics but believe me I looked. Nothing on the ramps, street lights, stop signs....nothing. I didn't want to jinx anything so just kept an eye out. Little did I know Paul was noticing the same thing. If there's anything I hate is the awful look & aura of tagging. It's pointless & a disturbing reminder that there's a bunch of dumb asses in the area.

As we drove further into Az I noticed that the traffic was a lot calmer. There were cars on the road but no one was in a hurry, cutting in & out of lanes or riding our ass.
So far so good.


The city we'll be working out of is Mesa but we looked in the city of Gilbert (two exits away) for a place to live. As soon as we exited Power Rd. into Gilbert we were warmly welcomed by a huge sign glowing Super Target. If you know me, you know my love for Target. There was a grand opening for a 76 gas station. Full of free food, drinks, snacks, a jumper & a wall for rock climbing set up for kids to run around & play.


Just as I was settling down & getting rid of some anxiety the real pressure started.


Apartment hunting. BLAH! So after the first place I was already burnt (we arrived close to 1pm) & wanted to grab a bite to eat. New York Pizza Dept. was highly recommended & not a far drive so we headed out.


Cute right?

As soon as we went inside I noticed only one other family eating there. Maybe, they don't pick up until late afternoon? So I went to the bathroom to wash up & I'm not sure what hit me but I realized that this is it. When we go out to eat it's just going to be Paul & I. My aunt won't be waiting or meeting us anywhere. I won't be able to solve the child menu puzzles with my cousins & I can't grab sushi with Diana every time I'm sad.


I thought I was fine but reality hitting me out of nowhere really shook things.



So, I walked back to our table, sat down & cried. Paul held me & just reminded me of all the opportunities moving would give us & Cameron. I know he's right. I know this is the right thing to do. But moving still hurts my heart.




Before leaving the waitress gave us a welcome packet.
It was full of goodies. Menu, coupons & free dessert voucher. I don't know if she felt bad for us or was just truly nice but it did put a better light on the situation.

We went to a few more places. I didn't love any of them. Paul was still stuck on the first place which I liked but didn't love. Before leaving to Az I googled dog parks in Az & found Cosmo Park.


Wow! It was better than we imagined.
Full of dogs (most dog parks that we've been to have 5 or less) it had a man made lake for dogs to swim in or play fetch. There was even a ramp so the dogs could run off of it & jump into the water.
Obstacles through out the park to run over, under & through.




I couldn't help but get excited & look forward to bringing Oscar & Sadie back.


An Amphitheatre. Paul already envisioned Shakespeare being played. :)





There was even a kid area which I'm sure we'll visit plenty with Cameron.


To top it all off the restrooms were sparkling clean with no tagging! As you can see this "no tagging" feature is huge with me. When I asked an employee at one of the apt. complexes if they have somebody come out & paint over tagging she replied with, "what's tagging?" I had to explain that it's graffiti. She said, "we don't have that problem in Az." Music to my ears. Now I'm not naive. I'm sure it's somewhere but in the full two days we were there I didn't see it once.


But it's nice to know that if I do see some at Cosmo park there's a number I can call.
Oh, & I will. :)

We finally found (the last place we visited before heading home) an apt. I LOVE in an area that compliments our needs. But I'll save the stories & pics for another post.

10 comments:

Valerie said...

Forget you? NEVER! Though I haven't "met" you, I'm going to miss you. : /

Sarah Elizabeth said...

I love the Mesa area! I have family there and it's beautiful! And that dog park looks awesome! I'm so jealous!

I know how hard it is to move, I'm 3 years new to IE (from the Bay Area) but you'll meet new people, especially with a new baby and you'll adjust - I promise!

sherthebear said...

you can't be forgotten! I am sure that it will be a great new adventure for you and your family!!

Kristy said...

I've noticed that about AZ too. I don't know what they do to keep it away but they do. It's a really nice treat.

Angie Eats Peace said...

The dog park looks awesome.

Super Target + No tagging = Sweet Deal.

Becki said...

Super Target? That's gotta be a sign!
We can't possibly forget you!

Brenda said...

Forget Brandy? Never woman, you are one of a kind. I'm glad you guys found an apt. you love! :) That dog park is sooo awesome...I'm sure Cameron will love playing there too! And a Super Target??? Shiiieet. Can I move with you? HAHAA. :)

JennB said...

Mesa is nice. I won't be reading this post for a while. I don't want to cry. I miss you already.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to AZ! I never thought about tagging until you mentioned it, but you're right- you won't find much here. If you venture into the slum areas of inner Phoenix, maybe a little, but not much. Cosmo's park is awesome, we take our dogs there all of the time, and everyone is super friendly. Joe's Farm Grill is a great restaurant just down the street, and you'll think your at a 1960's midwest farm. Gilbert is a great place to live, you'll love it!!!!!

Anonymous said...

You write very well.