The Weather is Here, Wish You were Beautiful!

I'm still alive...just thought I'd put that out there. And I made a successful move to Mesa, Arizona almost a month ago!

My dad helped me drive a 10' moving truck and my car out from Memphis, a trip we made in three days, and I met my brand-spankin' new step-family during a stop overnight at his place in Oklahoma.

My domestic project now is to fit a whole 1-bedroom apartment's worth of stuff in to...1 bedroom. I'm living with my cousin Ashley and her two little girls, ages 6 & 2, in a 3-bedroom condo, thanks to some very auspicious circumstances, and enjoying getting to know these fun, fun girls! Ashley & I hadn't really spent much time together in the past 12-15 years, so it's been good to get reacquainted, for sure!

Can I just say that I love, Love, LOVE the desert!? The dry air is so freakin' great after 5 years of such ridiculous humidity in the Mississippi River Delta of Memphis! It's true, 105 degrees in Phoenix feels like 90 degress + humidity in Memphis. I can totally handle this...as long as there's shade available once in a while! It's really being IN the sun that makes it HOT, but the air is definitely doable.

My new job at the Anasazi Foundation has been an adventure, as I hoped it would be! Last week I went out on the trail for 8 days of training after a week of in-office training. The first day we hiked 8 miles along creek bed. I thought I might die, but it's amazing what the human body is capable of! The first three days were tough, and I questioned a lot whether this living primatively, hiking, no showers/facilities, sleeping on the ground stuff what really something I wanted to do every other week for the next several months of my life. I could make a difference with PEOPLE in other ways, right?! But after some really good experiences during the second half of my week, and after getting the hang of all the survival logistics, I'm pumped about it! I'm doing a second trial week starting Wednesday, just to make sure I really want to commit, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a great experience! I really enjoyed getting to know the YoungWalkers I worked with, although we had some struggles at first. The principles are true, and the way the program embodies them is a great method!