Desert disposables (also my birthday!)

I turned 30 this year! And I'm stoked. I'm beyond ready for a more seemingly calm decade of life. That's not to say I don't have any spark or excitement left in me, but damn, it's nice to feel a bit more sure-footed and self-aware (not to mention financially secure). That said, I do not feel significantly wiser than I did at 29, nor do I have any profound words to share about the lessons I've gleaned from these past three decades – because as far as I'm concerned, what the hell do I know?

But! I do have pictures.


 lol, me
Let me preface by saying that both of my film cameras are currently out of commission and my digital camera is an ancient-but-well-loved relic that weighs more than I feel like carrying around. So as soon as we landed in Phoenix, Hoan and I headed to the nearest Walgreens so I could buy a disposable camera.

I'm not really sure how or when it began, but I have such an affinity for disposables. I know they're expensive as hell, incredibly unreliable, and sometimes you'll waste half a roll on accidental whats-in-my-bag shots. But there's definitely something to be said about the ease and innocence of simply pointing and shooting. Plus, I knew I wanted a way to document my 30th birthday in Arizona besides relying on my iPhone and shoddy memory.



 glimpses of our airbnb
Sorry to state the obvious, but Arizona is really, really hot – and that's exactly why I wanted to go. My pale-ass San Francisco legs were sun-thirsty, Karl the Fog was as relentless as ever, and I was craving a change in scenery. As far as how we spent our time, it was kind of a free-for-all. We bounced around between Phoenix, Sedona, & Arcosanti and were never short of things to see, eat, or do. Some highlights included: tacos, a hot air balloon ride, reuniting with one of my best friends at Welcome Diner, hiking / getting caught in the rain / washing it all away with a glass of wine in Sedona, wandering around strange-but-cool-but-mostly-strange Arcosanti, and getting one of the best tours in recent memory at Taliesin West.



 the view from on high

 
 arcosanti 



 taliesin west & sedona

As I mentioned, I got to reconnect with one of my best friends, Steph, while in Phoenix. When Steph celebrated her own birthday back in July, she had one request: she asked a few of her friends to make a list of what they were grateful for. While a seemingly straightforward and easy request, it's really anything but – and she knows this! So here I am, giving it a shot ten months later. I'll keep it simple.

1) The partnership, generosity, support, and understanding of the people I love who also love me back (I guess this is technically many things in one, but just give it to me, okay?) 
2) Knowing there is so much more of this earth to see & explore
3) Every new day

As I get older, I think these things get away from me a bit more and I've spent less time acknowledging what makes me feel fulfilled or quite frankly, lucky. And while I know the list looks different for everyone, I'm so privileged that mine looks like this. So thanks for forcing me to sit with this a bit more, Steph.

 Is this a cheesy way to end this blog?

👋