Quote Dump 2015 (Cleanin out my phone notes..)

"No Reason to stay is a good reason to go"

"If you're not prepared to look stupid, then nothing great is ever gonna happen"-House season 2

"Follow inner guidance with absolute conviction"

"We don't listen to understand, we listen to respond"

From Allegiant (part of the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth):
"On a normal day, a few hours can contain long stretches of watch-checking, of empty time"
 
"Everyone has some evil inside them, and the first step to loving anyone is to recognize the same evil in ourselves, so we're able to forgive them"

"If someone offers you an opportunity to get closer to your enemy, you always take it"

"Maybe forgiveness is just the continual pushing aside of bitter memories, until time dulls the hurt and the anger, and the wrong is forgotten"

"Requiring a person to disappear, to fade into the background wherever they go, is no better than encouraging them to punch one another"

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
"The world is divided into the people who imagine their own funerals and the people who don't. Smart and artistic people naturally fall into the former category"

"Dying is easy. Living is hard."

...aaand finally, from "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova:
"Be creative, be useful, be practical, be generous, and finish big"

Conversation with the cable guy today:
 
Cable Guy (CG): So, did you just move here? (due to the mess that is my house currently)
 
Me: No, I moved here over a month ago, but I've been in Atlanta
 
CG: Oh, are you from Atlanta?
 
Me: No, I'm from Kansas City
 
CG: Oh, the weather is way warmer here than KC
 
Me: Well, I've been living in Phoenix for the last few years
 
CG: Oh, were you born in Phoenix?
 
Me: No, born in San Jose, CA.
 
CG: Wow.

:) I love my traveling life.

Not a huge surprise, I didn't make my deadline of posting all my travels before arriving in Florida. The last few weeks have been crazy! I drove from Phoenix to FL, a few days later I flew to KC for a conference for work, flew back to FL and drove to Atlanta for a month stay for work. The good news is I'm "stuck" in a gorgeous Residence Inn with Jack. I have quite a bit more time for relaxation than I've had in the past year. So.. I *hopefully* will catch up on here.

This post is all about my super fun stay in Marina Del Rey, California! I lived there for a little over a month for work. I have always loved what California offers. Nice people, nice weather, and there is always something to do. I finally saw the Hollywood sign (I've been to Cali a million times, but never found the time to find the sign).

 If you've ever wanted to go to the sign, beware! It's terribly hard to find. We actually thought we had to climb a mountain to find it. That's not the case. However... we climbed said mountain and got to see the greater LA area from above.

Of course, what is a trip to LA without going to the Santa Monica Pier? We found this little birdy on our travels :)

 I cannot believe it's been over a year since I've posted. Oops! Great news, I move to Florida in less than a month! I've told myself I will post on this blog every trip I've made in the last year before I move. Today's travel is THE GRAND CANYON.

 Living in AZ, the South Rim is obviously closer. However, my sense of direction and the fact that my passenger was sleeping resulted in accidentally ending up in Utah & the North Rim. It was a happy surprise, the North Rim is way more pretty (and less touristy) than the South Rim.

Some more random AZ pics, in no particular order. First off- Fourth of July!

Snow boarding in Flagstaff. Saying I'm terrible at snowboarding is an understatement. Regardless, it was fun :)

I had a super bright idea to buy a record player. This is probably the best investment I've made in a long time. To me, there is nothing like hearing music from a vinyl.

One of the best things about Phoenix? Street Tacos!!! mmmm they're unbelievably delicious.







 One day, I decided I hated the very boring white walls in my house. I grabbed a bottle of wine and set out on putting decals on my wall. By the time I was done with the bottle, the trees were up! They were moderately crooked, but I think they add character to my living room :)

"Memories are all we end up with. At least pick the nice ones."

Land of extremes. Land of contrasts. Land of surprises. Land of contradictions.... That is Arizona. ~Federal Writers Project, Arizona: The Grand Canyon State, 1956

I've officially lived here for more than a year :) I'm going to try to make it a point to upload pics every couple of days to get caught up.

My first few days out here I got to experience one of the biggest haboobs in Arizona's history. Right before a storm, the wind picks up the sand and dirt in the desert and brings it to the valley. Then, everything - and I mean everything - gets covered in dust.

So, one day I saw a haboob coming in, rushed to a mountain, and took pics of the city.

 

Even though Arizona is such a large city, there was a night where the stars were especially bright...

Oh, and the moon seems extra large here, too.