Top Ten places I love best in AZ, here ya go.. (this is mostly a shopping and food list)
10. Goodwill- Yes I know there are Goodwill's all over the US of A, but here I have one a block from the kid's school and another one a few miles away from the school, and well they are just all over the place around here and that makes my thrifty little heart smile.
9. Hobby Lobby- Gosh I just love this place so much. Chances are if you get a Christmas gift from me it's from here.
8. Pita Jungle- Oh..just discovered this little gem in the fall and have been hooked ever since. It's just soo Washingtonish there (tattoos, patchouli oil, piercings) and the food is delish!
Then they do this great thing that restaurants in Washington NEVER do, they give you a to-go cup for your drink, like "oh do you want more iced-tea to go?" seriously so awesome.
7. Freestone Park- This park helped me through my major culture/lack of green/no water shock that I went through upon our arrival. I would sometimes go 3 times a day, this is also the very first park I went to with the soul purpose of sitting on a blanket all by myself and reading in the afternoon sun. Have you ever done this?? Please let me recommend it, it feeds the soul.
6. My pool- Us Washingtonians are a people who crave sun, in a way we worship it a little. We are a people of no sunscreen or worries about SPF anything. So when this webbed footed lady learned of the joys of a pool in the back yard and the ability to lounge by said pool with girl friends and kids, she was really ok with no green lawn:)
5. Anthropolgie- Yes I know they are everywhere, but not as close as I am now. The closest one in Washington is in the University District in Seattle and it's super hard to find parking..and it's always (yes always) raining. I wonder if Anthro sells umbrella's??
4. Agritopia- Awe yes it's as good as the name sounds. It was my dream place to live if we ever bought a home here in AZ and you could ride your bike to the cutest darn coffee shop ever from your house. Instead of buying a house there I just went to coffee all of the time so people thought I lived there. This is one place I'm really really really gonna miss.
3. Hugest public library EVER- Ok so not that big, but in my old house and here in 80's house we have great libraries right down the road.
2. Quiessence- After months of searching (via food blogs) for a unique and more Washingtonish place for our anniversary dinner I found it, and it was everything it was cracked up to be. We had incredible service, the freshest food I had eaten so far in AZ and the ambiance was sublime. This is one of my most very favorite memories of AZ and my smoking hot hunk of a husband. (can you tell he's been gone for 13 days?)
1. Cornerstone Christian- Cornerstone truly changed my opinion of big churches forever. Yes it's stinking huge, and yes it was hard to get used to after attending a small church for so many years, but I have learned to love this church. Furthermore (ooh big word) it confirmed so many beliefs about church (in general) I've always held. No matter what the size, you have to CHOSE to put yourself out there, you need to deliberately seek relationships. Yes I could have spent the last 18 months warming a chair on Sunday and in such a huge church I would have never been noticed, but from what I get out of the New Testament that really is not an option. A very big shout out to a place even though vast in numbers made me feel like the special few:)
The new place..with a very impassable driveway..whatever!
Even the dog got a new winter coat:)
Starbucks western Washington style:)
:)
Winter wonderland...
A perfect Christmas eve:)
Crafty goodness
