Road Trip with the 'Rents

A couple weeks ago, my parents and I took a road trip down to Arizona for the weekend.  When's the last time you were secluded in a car with your parents for 10 hours?  I couldn't remember either.  But part of the fun being a grown-up is sitting in the driver's seat while your parents ask you every hour, "Are we there yet?"  I guess it's just payback...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITSQoO-N9LxRkhZsA7rZTJKthpzyPWuA14eLTdvlF-A4xGe2gN10DYSUzQVyNo7wYDe8fikhr17DDHJdAfOP7ZCosnixVw9jCNqxS_xPbEFY5t7h5MIBEJypMCFhZAsSKDIrlq8n4cH1D/s1600/P1050546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITSQoO-N9LxRkhZsA7rZTJKthpzyPWuA14eLTdvlF-A4xGe2gN10DYSUzQVyNo7wYDe8fikhr17DDHJdAfOP7ZCosnixVw9jCNqxS_xPbEFY5t7h5MIBEJypMCFhZAsSKDIrlq8n4cH1D/s320/P1050546.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Taliesin West</td></tr> </tbody></table> Some of my dad's friends from Wisconsin spend their winters in a town outside of Phoenix called Apache Junction.  So we headed down to visit with them for the weekend and do a little sight-seeing.  Yes, I was the odd person out...but after 25 years, I think I'm used to it by now!<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Our first stop was Taliesin West, the former winter residence of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his students.  They would spend the summers in Wisconsin (where it wasn't so hot) and winters in Arizona (where it wasn't so cold).  I found the 1.5 hour tour to be absolutely fascinating as we walked through all the buildings, learning about Frank Lloyd Wright's eccentric views and lifestyle, his architectural brilliance, and his teaching style.  Each student of his at Taliesin West was given a small stipend and was responsible for building their own lodging out in the desert wilderness of the property.  The theory was that you learn something by actually doing and experiencing it.  And if you can't build something you would live in yourself, how can you build something you expect other people to live in?  The students had a rigorous schedule and once a week they were required to dress in their evening finest to give a musical performance for the group.  If a student did not know how to play an instrument when they arrived, they had to learn while they were there.  Located on the outskirts of Scottsdale, today Taliesin West still offers a unique degree/apprenticeship program for young architects and they still live on the property.  Some of the master architects teaching the next generation were students of Frank Lloyd Wright himself.<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH_PvFHVS_qisIJiV-KZE6VLMvpxqfUrjLYFqLJhBjq8P_KFODSuDngaa4nPhYfmCNpRalkY2nJHdlnaK1mYVyvtbXkWRvNts-12MbMffdcojFQ2VFMStKXGF8dsn92y_KVrImY43pos9/s1600/P1050581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH_PvFHVS_qisIJiV-KZE6VLMvpxqfUrjLYFqLJhBjq8P_KFODSuDngaa4nPhYfmCNpRalkY2nJHdlnaK1mYVyvtbXkWRvNts-12MbMffdcojFQ2VFMStKXGF8dsn92y_KVrImY43pos9/s200/P1050581.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Spring"</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> Next we headed to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  Now, I am not a fan of desert landscape, nor do I like cacti.  But I have to admit that the garden was a beautiful display of God's creation.  Plus, the sun was shining and the sky was clear blue.  Ironically, there was a display at the garden that day by an artist with the last name Haas.  He took nature-inspired objects to create four large faces, each one representing a different season.  I liked the one called "Spring" best.  But my favorite part of the garden was all the cottontail bunny rabbits hopping around.  They were so cute!<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DTrt6aVEquJfTDg1fypT8NgOTUSSJBJJBxNbXZTJzWDkA33gXm-T8zU1hz-8-XBeHRE9ym64sLhR5qTYMx88yA2VFTGD8ShYmHYpxmAY7GGHOulVDVuw-jT6-18ycgkx0i_s5U9dRVPC/s1600/P1050571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DTrt6aVEquJfTDg1fypT8NgOTUSSJBJJBxNbXZTJzWDkA33gXm-T8zU1hz-8-XBeHRE9ym64sLhR5qTYMx88yA2VFTGD8ShYmHYpxmAY7GGHOulVDVuw-jT6-18ycgkx0i_s5U9dRVPC/s320/P1050571.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with parents and friends at Desert Botanical Gardens</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> We ended our day at a place called Organ Stop Pizza Parlor.  It is literally a pizza joint with a giant pipe organ.  The organist takes requests and plays several sets throughout the night.  On the one hand, it was neat to watch the pipes and hear the fun songs.  But personally I am a fan of more complex, classical organ music.  Call me a snob if you want, I just know what I like.  But overall it was a fun experience and I'm glad we went.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQP3VLpebs-4EVrxwIhsqj8IZczhl_GVDCSd4rvGpzuZoKJF2LG5XvSedLm81VHOkzHX2_MPJ1bRuToZjgcvlmRa-NuiWpQbab263VxAjF6VWaLBIgEE3TjmweXWSSCKATyyj9I6etgpW/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQP3VLpebs-4EVrxwIhsqj8IZczhl_GVDCSd4rvGpzuZoKJF2LG5XvSedLm81VHOkzHX2_MPJ1bRuToZjgcvlmRa-NuiWpQbab263VxAjF6VWaLBIgEE3TjmweXWSSCKATyyj9I6etgpW/s320/photo-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes, he is literally a one-man-band with a pipe organ at a pizza place</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> The next day we went to church and took some scenic drives afterwards.  We ended up in a town in the middle of nowhere called Tortilla Flat.  Apparently some people were stranded there once back in the day and they only had enough resources to make tortillas.  And since it's an area of flatland in a basin, they named the place "Tortilla Flat."  Today it's just a restaurant, a few stores, and a population of 6 people.  I'm not sure where they live, because I didn't see any houses.  Tortilla Flat is basically a tourist destination, and a good pit-stop for motorcyclists.  But good luck trying to get your cell phone to work there!<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKn-ztS1tDlm1lHsqilQ2Osqrz6DGvEDmsI-tcfxREYf0srGtq5ly6wp2gyrf1T7bRnXF92mlpjzx6gXXUZxI6MjRyeW7JFa3odzoaE9y761Akk0c4ce0QPV8cfbn1wk8AhiDMlKeue_ev/s1600/P1060604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKn-ztS1tDlm1lHsqilQ2Osqrz6DGvEDmsI-tcfxREYf0srGtq5ly6wp2gyrf1T7bRnXF92mlpjzx6gXXUZxI6MjRyeW7JFa3odzoaE9y761Akk0c4ce0QPV8cfbn1wk8AhiDMlKeue_ev/s320/P1060604.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the saloon door at Tortilla Flat</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> After our weekend of exploration in the Phoenix area, we drove up to Laughlin, Nevada.  Named for the guy who purchased the land and built Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort & Casino, the town is basically one street of huge casinos along the Colorado river.  In fact, our hotel room overlooked the river and it was a beautiful view.  My parents just wanted to check the place out, since they had heard about it before (and you wonder where I get my sense of adventure?).  The "highlight" of my day was being the only person under 50 years old at the breakfast buffet.  But if you're looking for a nice, quiet, inexpensive place to play the slots on your way to/from Arizona, Laughlin is perfect.<br /> <br /> I've been to Arizona several times in my lifetime and I thought I wouldn't want to go again.  But I enjoyed this trip with my parents and the time we had together.  I got to see a lot of things I had never seen before, and I am always up for trying something new!<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCeX4QeShWTxXws6fLyaW8ThanYT0vsBKsLeDI6vKETiFh_NCGuZWINWJMXT09rS979zGkCbfa0gP3RPGvBOjVHQw3W99wNbiJty9wLLMhMB6pRl5GThkhkm21UmqeZDjl2AbGp6w-Cu4/s1600/P1060638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCeX4QeShWTxXws6fLyaW8ThanYT0vsBKsLeDI6vKETiFh_NCGuZWINWJMXT09rS979zGkCbfa0gP3RPGvBOjVHQw3W99wNbiJty9wLLMhMB6pRl5GThkhkm21UmqeZDjl2AbGp6w-Cu4/s320/P1060638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Hiking with my Mama...seriously, where are those sunglasses?!</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

Road Trip with the 'Rents

A couple weeks ago, my parents and I took a road trip down to Arizona for the weekend.  When's the last time you were secluded in a car ...

Read more »

New Year Commitment

I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the beginning of 2012....attending the Rose Bowl, making new friends, quitting my job, getting my heart broken for the first time, losing my Aunt Mary Jane, having the adventure of a lifetime....none of these things were expected.  And although 2012 was a difficult year for me emotionally, God has still been faithful.  Looking back on the past 12 months, I would say that God has pushed, pulled, poked, and prodded me along this difficult path in hopes that I would finally trust Him.  Obviously, I am a stubborn person!  Somehow everything I had hoped and planned for in 2012 got twisted around and ended up being completely different than anticipated.  But in spite of it all, I was still blessed this year with visiting many amazing family and friends, having an abundance of new adventures, and taking a step closer to my German language goal.<br /> <br /> I had planned on being in a completely different place in life at the start of 2013, but yet here I am.  On January 1, 2012, I was so excited about the new year and all the plans I had made.  But today, on January 1, 2013, I am actually scared of what is in store for me this year.  Will I find a job?  Will I make it into a school?  Will I get my heart broken again?  Will I lose someone else close to me?  I really don't want a repeat of 2012.  Now that the year is over, I want to leave it in the past.<br /> <br /> That's why I am at least thankful for the opportunity to start over.  It's nice to hit the reset button each year on January 1st.  Even though we don't know what's up ahead, at least we know it won't be the same as what we left behind.  Everyone deserves a new start, and a new year provides that for us.  It's a chance to refocus on our lives, reorganize our affairs, and reaffirm our commitment to God, family, and mankind.<br /> <br /> For myself personally, I am going to trust in God despite my trepidation of things to come and continue following my dreams no matter how many naysayers stand in my way.

New Year Commitment

I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the beginning of 2012....attending the Rose Bowl, making new friends...

Read more »