Mindless Chatter: M.I.A.

Move #3, the final voyage

Well, those last six months went by fast! Life as a recruiter has kept me busy. Attending career fairs and networking sessions have been enough to make me collapse in my bed every night. I'm loving every minute of it!

So, I've been here for a little over six months now, as previously stated. I've moved three times and am currently flying solo. I loved my first apartment - I lived in North Scottsdale and the area was phenomenal. For those of you who don't know where Scottsdale is, it's right outside of Phoenix and is pricey as all can be. Needless to say, I found a new place that was a little bit easier on the wallet. Eventually, I ended up living on the outskirts of Phoenix. I'm closer to work, and in a more manageable apartment.

Since I've been out here, I think I've had more people visit me than I had in the entire two years I lived in Oregon. I still need to get my Dad to visit, he never did see where I lived before. He has a bit of a flying problem...he's going to have to get over that soon.

The final leg of packing in Oregon
- August 2012 -

So, six months. In that time I've been to: Texas, Indiana, Virginia, Oregon, and New York. The first four were because of work, and NY was because of the holidays. I ended up heading back to Oregon at the end of August and drove the rest of my stuff down in a rental truck. It was nice having everything again, I'm still lacking in the furniture department. Goal for this year: buy a couch and a dining room table. For two weeks over the holidays I went home to visit my family and friends. It was nice being there and enjoying myself, not worrying about packing, finding a job, or school work. It was a good two weeks, but I was ready to get back to the [relatively] warm weather of Arizona. I say "relatively" because the week after I got back, Arizona went into the 30's for a couple days, freezing everything. Cacti and foliage were dying left and right, and the pipes in peoples houses were bursting. We don't have furnaces out here. We have "heaters." While it was cold for Arizona, it wasn't too terrible for me. After all, I had just left the cold temperatures. I was still semi-used to them.

I crossed another item off of my bucket list since I've been here. I already crossed off my visit to Ted's in Tempe when I was here in June for my interview, but I finally had In-N-Out Burger. I wasn't super impressed. I learned from my brother that I had neglected to have it done "animal style" so I missed out. The second time I went I took his advice and I still wasn't convinced. Another item soon to be crossed off (after my last career fair in April) - owning a dog. I want to rescue one from a shelter, and I think it would be a good start since I'm inexperienced in dog ownership. Very excited.

"Buffalo New York" dollar bill
@ Tortilla Flats

Driving through Arizona is pretty, and I've been several scenic places with friends/family that have visited. Flagstaff, Sedona, Tortilla Flats, and Canyon Lake are all gorgeous places with breathtaking views and picturesque moments. Tortilla Flats was fun, their population is only six people (that's right, I said "six") and their restaurant makes pretty fantastic burgers. It was fun because the place was covered in dollar bills with people's names and the places they were visiting from. My mom and I sat at a table with a dollar bill that read "Buffalo" next to us. We both thought it was funny.

The longer I live out here, the more I love it. Making friends and getting out of the apartment and doing things has been a bit difficult, but I don't give up easily. I have my job in order, now the rest of my life will fall into place. Eventually.