Florida Bound: A Wedding and a New Life Update

Big News and an Exciting Trip Ahead!

I’m writing today to share some exciting news about an upcoming journey. Next week Shane and I will be heading to Florida for five days to see my mom get married!

I am so thrilled to be going home for such a wonderful occasion. My mom is truly the greatest woman I know, and anything that makes her happy makes me happy too. It means so much to be able to be there and celebrate such a special moment with her. Of course, there will be plenty of fun vacation pictures to share when we get back.

I also have another big update.

I have officially put in my two weeks notice at my current job and will be starting a new position as soon as we return from Florida. My new employers run a commercial real estate company, and I will be working on the accounting side of the business.

I feel incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. It seems like a place where every day will be both fun and challenging, which is exactly what I’ve been looking for. And, of course, it will be nice to start bringing home a few more dollars as well.

Lots of exciting changes happening all at once!

My next post should be filled with pretty pictures and priceless memories from the wedding trip.

Arizona Skies: Super Moon, Monsoon Storms, and Fireworks

Arizona Skies

The skies in Arizona have been nothing short of spectacular lately.

Between the Super Moon, the start of monsoon season, and Fourth of July fireworks, there has been no shortage of amazing views lighting up the sky.

Traveling is always exciting, but sometimes it’s nice to sit back and appreciate the beauty that already surrounds you.

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Super Moon Rising

The Super Moon was incredible to watch. It rose with this deep red glow and within minutes slowly shifted to a bright white as it climbed higher into the sky. It was one of those moments where you just stand there watching it change and realizing how quickly the sky transforms.

Monsoon Season

We also had the first monsoon storm of the season roll into Tucson. I headed up near “A” Mountain to watch the storm move across the desert.

The lightning shows during monsoon season are always amazing. Watching the sky light up across the mountains while chasing lightning with the camera made for a pretty unforgettable evening.

Fourth of July

And of course, you can’t enjoy summer skies without a few explosions of color.

I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from “A” Mountain, and the view over Tucson was perfect. Fireworks bursting above the city with the desert mountains in the background made for some really fun shots.

One of my favorites ended up looking almost like outer space.

I have been spending a lot of time experimenting with the camera I got for Christmas, and I am finally starting to understand the manual settings a little better.

Honestly, I wish I had taken the time to learn it sooner. Now that I’m figuring it out, I’m realizing how much beauty you can capture just by adjusting a few settings and being patient with the shot.

Stay tuned because I plan on sharing many more photos as I continue learning and playing around with the camera.

Life in Tucson: New Jobs and New Adventures

Life Updates from Tucson

Well, several updates from life here in Tucson!

First big news: Shane is now a United States Postal Service employee! After months of being selective and holding out for a government job, he finally landed one. We are both really excited about it.

Of course, the first thing everyone says is, “Aren’t they going out of business?” My response is always… who cares! Even if that ever happened, it would likely be years down the road. For now it’s a government job, and we are really happy about it.

As for me, my job has been a bit of a waiting game. At some point in the near future I should be trained on the CAD program the company uses, but until then I’ve mostly been working as the office manager and running the showroom. It leaves me with a little extra time on my hands, which has made me start thinking about possibly going back to school to finish my Bachelor’s degree. That might be my next step.

Lately whenever I think about the future, my mind drifts more toward where I want to travel rather than what I want to do with my life career-wise. With Shane being out of work until recently, we have been living on a pretty tight budget. Now that he’s working, I’m hoping we can start putting more money into savings for future adventures.

Because let’s be honest… the travel bug is still very real.

Speaking of adventures, we are planning a long weekend in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico next month so we can escape to the beach for a bit. I can’t wait.

Last weekend we also took a trip up to Phoenix to meet some friends at Saguaro Lake. The campsite we stayed at was only accessible by boat, which made the whole experience feel a little extra adventurous. The lake was beautiful and the weekend turned out amazing.

Now I’m officially missing the sunshine again and looking forward to more summer lake trips in the future.

Back Home for the Holidays

Back to Reality

Needless to say, I miss Mexico and all of our new adventures every single day. It was such an incredible experience. That said, it is definitely nice to be home, especially with the holidays right around the corner.

Our cat Chewbacca clearly missed us like crazy. He has been making up for lost time by cuddling with us every chance he gets.

Since getting back, we have been spending time with Shane’s family and catching up with friends whenever we can. Of course, real life also means getting back to responsibilities.

My number one priority when we got home was job hunting, and believe it or not, I already found something and even started today! I am now working as a secretary/receptionist for a closet company. I didn’t end up straying too far from the home improvement world after all.

The company designs and installs custom closets and storage areas for homes, including garages, offices, and other spaces. I will be running things in the showroom, helping schedule appointments, answering phones, and keeping everything organized.

I’m really excited about this new opportunity.

Shane is still on the hunt for work and hoping to find something a little different this time around. He would love to land a government job, but he’s keeping his options open while he searches. Starting something new is always exciting.

In the meantime, our house is fully Christmas-ified, and I love it. I still have a little bit of Christmas shopping left to do, but the holiday is coming up fast. Of course, I waited until the last minute like I always seem to do.

Another big change... I dyed my hair back to brown. The sun in Cancun had lightened it so much that it was getting dangerously close to blonde territory, which is definitely not my style.

So that pretty much sums up life after our amazing trip.

Now it’s time to get back to work, start saving again, and begin planning the next adventure.

Next stop… I’m thinking Euro Trip.