Spring Break trip to Sedona..Everything is finer in Flagstaff.

I have been to Flagstaff once before, and I was amazed that Arizona had mountains and cold places. I was also amazed that New Mexico had mountains and cold places as well. However, you must realize that my only reference to what these two states were like were the Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner cartoons in which Bugs Bunny takes a "right at Albuquerque".  The flora and the fauna in these cartoons did not show a single mountain, and Bugs Bunny never wore a coat when he popped up in the middle of the desert. So for those of you who are thinking what I used to think..now you know that places that have deserts can actually be quite cold. It all stems from the fact that when you are at least 6,000 feet up in the air, things (and places) are just colder.

See how nicely I inserted a geography lesson into the middle of my trip?

After entering Flagstaff, and once again finding out that my little Mapquest app had difficulty with directions as well (I mean after all, it is related to me) we once again delivered flyers to the architect firms that existed in Flagstaff. Sadly, some of them were gone as well. Flagstaff is a beautiful city with mountains and hills, cute shops, and most importantly...pine cones.


When you live in New Mexico, finding a pine cone is kind of like finding a Coach purse on sale at a 65 percent discount. I am sure David just shook his head at me as I found one that met my requirements (mainly, it wasn't squashed) but I just ignored that.

After our business deliveries were done, we spent a lot of time exploring Flagstaff. The downtown area is historic, charming, and very personable. With the train station at the center of it all, and cute little brick shops all around, Flagstaff has a very zen-like charm...without being totally fruity.

One shop we entered had a very nice man who was dedicated to the pursuit of peace and harmony within the universe. He had this instrument (whose name escapes me at the moment) that he imported from Germany. It was kind of a combination between a harp, a guitar, and a box. He would hum chants while strumming said unknown instrument, and I was impressed because he actually could sing..and performed the chants with great fidelity. (And no, I did not giggle at all). He also had a kind of massage bed that had a deluxe size unknown instrument on the side. The deal was that you laid on the massage bed, and he sat beside you, strumming the unknown instrument, and sing. So of course I had to try it. I must admit that at first it was a little disconcerting to have someone beside you singing..but the instrument gave a vibration underneath the bed that was very peaceful and soothing. You can have all this singing and relaxation for the amazing price of 6000 dollars.  David told me afterwards that every time I would relax, I would then instantaneously tense up. I have no idea what he was talking about.  Did I mention I don't relax well?

David in Flagstaff.

We checked into the world (well, the state at least) historic Monte Vista Hotel. This hotel was built in 1927, and it was kind of interesting that the citizens of Flagstaff (including the author Zane Grey) decided that Flagstaff needed a premier hotel that would meet the needs of all the travelers in the area. We stayed in the "Humphrey Bogart" room, which actually had a bathroom attached to it..unlike some rooms in the hotel where the bathrooms were in the hallway...kind of like a college dorm.  The decor was...well, let's say the decor was interesting.  There was one outlet (yes, one outlet) in the entire room, meaning that I had to disrupt my hair routine totally. Did the residents of Flagstaff not know the importance of good hair care? They did have one of those dryers that were in the wall...the only problem was that there was not an outlet to plug said hairdryer into the wall. And the sink had a dainty drip to it. But the bed was comfortable,and it was right in the middle of the town.  And it was historic..historic things should not be perfect. 

After walking around the town square, we went into a Sports Bar to have a drink. This Sports Bar had two interesting qualities to it:

1. It had 4, 345 Large Screen HDTVs in it. You may think I am exaggerating. I assure you that I only am just a bit. 
2. We were the only two people (except for the wait staff) that were in this bar with the 4, 345 Large Screen HDTVs. 

After the drink at the Sports Bar, we wandered around looking for an appropriate place to eat supper. David is a vegetarian, so that leaves out places such as "Fred's Steak House" and "LoneStar Steaks". I think it is just morally wrong to expose a vegetarian to meat. Kind of like me being exposed to snakes. And on top of this all, I have "restaurant choosing" anxiety. I have always thought the best kind of restaurant would be where you could go from table to table, asking the customers what they were eating, and if it was good.  However, if I did this, I am sure I would end up in some kind of holding cell. Hopefully one of my friends would bail me out. 

David picked out (thank goodness) a happy looking Mexican restaurant, where guess what? They also had 4, 345 Large Screen HDTVs. Perhaps it is the law in Flagstaff to put large screen TVs in all restaurants. There were a lot of customers in this restaurant, with some watching the 4, 345 Large Screen HDTVs.  Besides having to use sign language to be heard over all the televisions, we had a nice meal, and went back to the hotel, where we slept with the one outlet room. I am sure David dreamed of selling his lights to the 4, 345  firms that we might possibly visit the next day in Sedona. That is what good business men do. 

The next day we checked out of the hotel, and went to this charming little coffee shop where an older beagle sat sadly by the front door. While we sipped coffee and ate an evil cinnamon roll, I worried about the poor beagle by the door. I was hoping that someone in the shop owned him, and finally asked the Flagstaff looking man by the door if the beagle was his. I will mention I don't think he appreciated my concern for his dog. In fact, he was a tad crabby. Perhaps that is why the beagle was a bit sad. 

We left Flagstaff, and went down a very narrow and twisty type road that took us to Sedona. This was one of those drives that leaves your mouth open and your heart happy. The scenery was unbelievable, and as we got closer to Sedona,you began to see creeks with huge rocks that would be perfect for walking on and exploring the creek that meandered through the mountains and down into the valley. When I was in elementary school, one of my aspirations was to follow the creek that started at Armstrong Park all the way to its origins. I never was able to go to the ocean, but it sure was fun trying. Seeing the big rock creek made me want to do that again. However, we had architects to visit in Sedona, so we continued on to the city. David was most likely very content, because the only words that came out of my mouth during the ride were "Oh wow" and "Holy Cow". Perhaps he knew this gorgeousness of it all would leave me speechless.  Bonus for him.

We left the road with the winding creek, and went up the road to Sedona. But that's part three of this story.

Spring Break Excursion-Venturing into Gallop

I know that I have mentioned several times that my life is pretty nice, but simple. I go to school, work with amazing people and students, go home, walk the dogs,  go see Torturous Dave at the gym, ride my bike..repeat. It's a very nice life actually.

Vacations haven't happened in my life since I've been out of the bubble. Mostly because being on your own equals watching carefully what you spend equals the fact I'm in education-that should explain everything you need to know why

And that's ok, really.

However, the time-space continuum once again rotated and aligned to change this. David decided that it would be fun for us to go on a road trip to Sedona. In terms of time, David has less time than I do. Way less. (That's another story for another time) But in terms of need, he needed a vacation WAY more than I even did.  So I very happily accepted, holding my breath and not getting my hopes up too much just in case the time-space continuum took a negative twist, and something would happen to prevent this time from occurring.

But off we went.

First of all, there was the issue of clothes packing anxiety.  If you are a woman at all (and perhaps if you are a  man) you know what I mean. You have to pack enough to make sure that you are prepared for every event and situation. I mean, what if you go someplace that is cold? Or hot? Or what do you do if you go to a nice place? So my basic theory is to prepare for all of the above. And of course, basic hair care is vital..so your hair dryer and flat iron have to take the trip as well. I mean, after all, it takes work to make me look even normal.  I wouldn't want David to go off fleeing into the deserts of Sedona in shock..although he has seen me with a red face and mascara streaming down my face..so perhaps, on second thought, I didn't need to worry about that. :)

So I packed numerous shirts, tops, jeans, dresses, sandals, tennis shoes (and no, there was not a kitchen sink in there) threw some books in there (relaxation time was supposed to be built in, after all) and took myself and my suitcase to David's house, where we left early on Thursday to head off. He didn't laugh too much when he saw my HUGE suitcase, especially in comparison to his small and efficient  one

Hey, it's not that mine is so big..his was just very small, I might add.

Our first stop was in Gallup. David owns a lighting company, and like any smart business man, takes advantage of the opportunities that come his way. And since we were driving through there, why not stop and drop off some of his flyers to give him even more work to do..and to be busier than he already is? (This is just an observation, and once again, another story for another time.) My only experience with Gallup (and my apologizes to anyone who may live there) was when Whitney went there for a basketball tournament, and the people there were...well, less than friendly. In fact, they were a tad bit hostile. David assured me that he would save me (if necessary) from the evil meanies of Gallup, and in fact informed me that Gallup had millionaires living there as well. Why this would be, I will never know.

Somehow I just can't see this as a home for millionaires..but since I'm not one, what do I know?

One thing that I must mention is that there were several things that I learned about the world of lighting on this trip. Well, there have actually been many things that I have learned about the world of lighting since I met David, but there were two in particular that I learned on this trip:

1. A lot of architects have their offices in their houses. Please note these houses are not easy to find, even with my little Mapquest App.
2. The economy has not been kind to architects..or to businesses in general. Of course a lot of you may know this already, but it was news to me. 

We spent a while trying to locate architects that had addresses that didn't seem to exist. I tell you, the people who name roads and use directional thingys like "SW and NE" are evil. Totally evil. Or else they have not consulted with the mapping people, who don't seem to know that these directions exist, and you end up in Timbuckoo or some scary location. After leaving a couple of packets at some doors, David took me to a Gallup institution. It was the El Rancho Restaurant and Hotel.

 It seems as if once upon a time, when the movie industry made lots of westerns, a lot of movie stars made movies in Gallup. I mean after all, it is very westerny. There were western types of furniture, and tons of pictures of all kinds of movie stars such as John Wayne, Doris Day, even Jane Fonda. Why Jane Fonda would be there, I am not sure..but her picture was there. She doesn't seem like the kind of actress that would make a western movie.

Me inside the hotel 

David (with his great smile) in front of the hotel

We left Gallup (with no harm to self or others)  and stopped for lunch in Winslow, Arizona. I am not sure what one does in Winslow, Arizona, for once again there were a lot of businesses that didn't seem to be in business. We circled the downtown area several times looking for a place to eat, and after finally parking by a playground in which David thought I'd enjoy because it would remind me of school (he's so funny) we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant which had western type table covers, and lots of oriental ornamentation about the place.  After that, we piled back into his truck...and headed off to Flagstaff.

The Drama of It All.

There are two kinds of people.

Well, there may be more than two kinds of people, but for the sake of this post, we are concentrating on the two kinds I have been thinking about lately. We will discuss other kinds of people at another point...when I think about those types, most likely.

Back to the two kinds of people.

I know that I have mentioned several times that I pretty much led a life of complete "bubble-i-zation" (yes, that is a new word) until the last six years ago, when my little bubble like world burst.  I would like to mention that I have learned more in the last six years about the world, and people in it, than I did in the previous years I was a person. I think the biggest part of it all is watching people in this world and the way that they operate in it.

It's fascinating ..and a little scary at times.

The biggest benefit (if you can really call it that) out of Reid's death is that my whole perspective on the world and everyone in it has changed.  I remember I used to dissolve over things that in retrospect, meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of what we call this world. I mean, I was upset in High School when I didn't make the first chair for the violas in the orchestra. I was upset when I didn't make straight As in College.  I was upset when I applied for 5 different assistant principal positions one summer (I called it my administrative summer tour) and didn't get a single one.

And then I finally got it. Yes, I am a slow learner.

This perspective helped me to see that in the large scheme of things, peace, tranquility, and a sense of self is so much more important than what you have, who you are, or the stuff that is going on around you. Because you can't change a thing about the stuff around you. I thought I could (silly me) but perspective and time have taught me that the only thing I can control is my reaction and my response to things.

This leads me back to the two types of people.

Type One : These are the kind of people I like to be around. They view the world as an adventure and a chance to learn new things. They don't throw a tantrum when a less than stellar car driver cuts them off on the road. They laugh when a small child spills grape juice on them. They help you see the world as a learning lesson..and that people (although some are strange, some are weird, all are different) are worth knowing and learning lessons from. They don't take everything so seriously. They've not naive, but they have wisdom and grace in viewing people and things.

Type Two: This group is exhausting. This group is what I think of as the "stirrers". Nothing is worth it unless it is filled with drama, gossip, and doing their best to undermine people or systems. They see themselves as completely justified in doing what they have to do to people. Their intentions are deliberate, and involving everyone and broadcasting what they are doing.  They never stop long enough to think that there might be a good reason for what people are doing..or that everyone is doing what they do with the worse of intentions. But nothing is more exciting than the drama of it all..and involving everyone into their world of drama.

Now everyone has a little bit of group 1 and group 2 in them. The issue is to decide in which group you want to live the majority of your time in this world.  I have to admit that I lived in group 2 when I lived in crazy land..it was all about the drama of it all. And when I left, it took time and hard work not to fall into the cycle of it again. And I am so much happier without it.

I think the thing of it all is that you have to decide what world you want. To me, tranquility  and the joy of the world as a huge classroom full of "learning lessons" is so much better than a world in which the drama of it all supersedes any chance you have for existing in a serene world where people are respected..and given a chance to peacefully coexist.

And the amazing thing is that you can find as much (or even more) fulfillment and fun in a world that is not  filled with drama and chaos. Really. You can.

I have. :)