As a child, I had a super tacky silver poster with a daisy on it which read, "Bloom where you're planted." Here I am, some fifteen years later, and life has planted me in the desert. I'll be the first to admit that I've been an Arizona hater for the last year. From the complete lack of change in weather to the poor treatment from Suns and Cardinals fans (is it my fault me teams are so much better?) it has been difficult not to shrivel and dry out around here.
In an active attempt to heed the encouragement from my garish childhood wall decor, I've decided to force myself to proclaim a few things that I don't hate about the "Valley of the Sun." Okay, here we go:
1) Sprouts Farmers Market. It's fabulous. In-season produce and whole foods for reasonable prices. I owe my lack of scurvy to Sprouts.
2) My Bedroom. It's perfect. I found the most wonderful shade of gray for the walls. It's calming and beautifully compliments the rest of my belongings. Too bad I have to move out next month.
3) Outdoor Malls. I love that I can get a tan and shop simultaneously.
4) Costco. Okay, I don't actually ever shop there... but the fact that I could buy in bulk if I wanted to is a good feeling. Also, they have frozen yogurt and pizza by the slice! That right there is worth the membership.
5) Palm Trees. Those are fun. I especially like it when they try to disguise radio towers to look like palm trees. So clever and oh, so effective!
6) QuikTrip and Blue Bell are around... It's like a little piece of home, though not quite so prevalent as in Oklahoma.
7) A Few Good Folks. In addition to my brother and sister, I've managed to meet a handful of pretty darn cool people. They sometimes help me forgot that it's 120 degrees, or that it hasn't rained in 6 months, or that the crime rate is ridiculous, or that the majority of the population is generally unfriendly, or that scorpions run around as they will, or that the cost of living is significantly greater than that of other places.
Yes. I can handle the desert for now.
9 years ago
