Last Few Days in Phoenix ...

With my 'vacation' in Arizona coming to a close, the last few days were filled with watching Taiwanese drama with my grandma and aunt, shopping at outdoor malls, taking Jake out for drives, going to dinner parties and saying good-bye to everyone. While I was excited to see family and friends in NYC/NJ, I felt like there wasn't enough hours in the day left in Arizona. I did my best to treasure every moment for what it was, knowing that once the moment has passed, it can never be recaptured, no matter how good my memory is. I guess knowing that there is an end brings a sense of urgency and significance to the present moment, rather than thinking about what the future may bring.

On Saturday, I went to one of the nicest outdoor shopping centers in the Phoenix area, Kierland Commons. It's like a miniature town, with 'blocks' of stores and restaurants and tree-lined sidewalks. I had the BEST salad EVER at this restaurant called Tommy Bahama, it has locations in Hawaii, how cool is that?! It's the Aruba Arugula Salad, with scallops and shrimps, SO delicious. I seriously found it difficult to see the food disappear as I ate. Later that evening, I went with Aunt Mary and Uncle Peter to their friends' Christmas party. Their house is absolutely beautiful, the meal was great and I enjoyed meeting the guests at our dinner table. We went on a hayride into the mountains, it was an interesting experience, although REALLY COLD.





























On Sunday evening a neighbor invited us over for a dinner party, it was great to see everyone and I'm glad I got to say good-bye.














I had planned on going to see the sunset from the top of a mountain on Monday (my 27th birthday, eek!) but didn't have enough time, our Bible study session that morning was so awesome that we went way overtime! So now the sunset is on my list of to-do's when I go back to Phoenix :) Thank you to all who sent me birthday wishes, it was a very low-key but enjoyable birthday! I was especially thrilled with the birthday song from Julien, thank you! :) On Tuesday we completed our Bible study of Mark, and my friend was so thoughtful as to bring a cake and dessert because I was leaving the next day. That evening, I ordered food in from Pei Wei, and enjoyed my 'last' dinner of my 'vacation' with family.














Tuesday was a very emotional and bittersweet day for me. Waves of thoughts, memories, and emotions came and went, as I attempted to grasp what I was feeling but failing miserably. I knew that I was grateful for everything that God blessed me with in Arizona, a warm and comfortable home to stay in, family who cared about me, godly wisdom through my aunt and uncle, churches with solid teachings, a new and challenging experience working in a restaurant, the opportunities to meet new people, speaking Mandarin on a whole new level, family and friends back home who kept in touch and encouraged me, time to spend alone with the Lord and enjoying the outdoors and beautiful weather, learning to be comfortable doing things alone and to trust Him in all things! But at the same time, I was really sad and scared to leave what I had grown to love about living in Arizona. By 7pm on Wednesday, I had landed in Newark and my parents came to pick me up. On the car ride home, I realized that the time I spent in Arizona felt so surreal, looking out the window at the 'familiar' views, I almost wondered if I'd ever left New York City. Things are so different here that Arizona seemed so long ago.