I am finally HOME!

To know me is to know that I have always wanted to move to Arizona. Just this past September, I officially made myself at-home in the desert. While I may have regretted this decision for a split second when we were unloading the trailer in 116 degree heat, I have never looked back.

This new chapter of my life has truly revealed to me the beauty in God’s timing, and quite honestly the beauty in growing confident to chase a dream.

Arizona became a dream after a spring break vacation in April of 2019. If you’ve ever been to this state during the spring, you understand that the weather in itself is undeniably the best to come by. Beyond that though, I fell in love with the culture and landscaping here. There was something about the mountains, cacti, palm trees, people, and energy–it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

It was hard to leave from that vacation. But I had this gut feeling that I would make it back to Arizona one day. This feeling that this place would be a place I called home for at least one season of my life.

This young and impatient version of me came back to Michigan, ready to find a way to move across the country. After doing some research I found a resort in the Grand Canyon that was hiring for the following summer. I jumped on the opportunity instantly.

I submitted my application for a position at the resort. It was not much longer after the new year that I interviewed and accepted a position with the company the summer of 2020.

This truly made life so exciting for me. At the time, I was going to college online at Grand Canyon University and found myself longing for something more than the average “college experience” and it felt like I landed across the perfect thing.

As unprepared as the rest of the world, I lost a dream to the pandemic. While I could rationalize with the reality of the situation I did not want to watch this opportunity be taken from under me. Yet, I watched it fall through the cracks.

It was devastating. For a while I led myself to believe that Arizona would never become a place I called home. But, I had one more idea.

What if I went to school in person at Grand Canyon University? GCU is located in Phoenix, Arizona which was close to the place we vacationed. My thoughts were that a campus lifestyle would give me an opportunity to bridge the gaps.

I set up a campus tour for later that summer! Michigan was just getting out of the strict lockdown policies, and we were eager for a road trip away from the same four walls.

Turns out that during the same week of my campus tour Phoenix was suffering from the effects of a wide-spread car fire. Obviously, we did not make the trip.

I continued my studies online and felt isolated in this chapter of life. It seemed that as all of my peers were entering their twenties, they were immersed in seasons of adventure. I became lost in the cycle of comparison, and lost hope on a dream instead of realizing it was probably just the wrong time.

Fast forward to 2024 where I found myself on the other side of college and a break up. Entering a season of continuous comparison and devastation that somehow all that was meant for me had passed me by. That there was no longer time for chasing bigger dreams.

I gave the suffocating thoughts to prayer and phone calls to my sister. It was not long before I felt this pull to research for places to live out of state again. Arizona made the list.

After one quick search on public transportation in the Phoenix area, I came across an apartment community called Culdesac Tempe. Culdesac was the first complex in America designed to be car-free–offering residents the ability to walk to local shops, bike to neighboring cities, and have easy access to multiple forms of public and private transportation.

As someone who has never drove a car and struggled visually, I felt intrigued by this community. It seemed as if it was intentionally designed for people like me who desire a different sense of freedom.

Even after learning all that Culdesac had to offer I still walked in hesitancy. I found a realtor on YouTube, Rich Brecklin, to discuss my needs and the Phoenix metro area. After briefly describing my need for accessible transportation and walkability, he said “have you ever heard of Culdesac Tempe?”

That is when I knew it was the place I was meant to be. After a phone call to leasing and an online application, I was committed to finally making this dream a reality.

2,000 miles away from everything I had known, and it was true that Culdesac had a built-in lifestyle that I never knew I needed. I quickly learned that sometimes in the waiting seasons we are being prepared for the next thing. Not only that, but the land is being prepared for us too.

You see—in the moments when I could not understand why the cross-country move was not working out it was because the land was being prepared for me, and I was being prepared for it. While it was a call on my life, Culdesac was not open to residents until 2022. Two years after I would have given anything to be in Arizona. But, most importantly, Culdesac was not a possibility for me until two years later when I was ready to receive all that this new life had to offer.

If I had forced the dream then, it would have never been a dream come true.

I cannot wait to share more of this life with you.

But for now.. Honey, I am home!