Christmas in the Valley of the Sun

The years I lived in Arizona were bittersweet. I loved Arizona: the mild winters, the heat, the apartment swimming pool, the beautiful sunsets, the friends I made there...but I also hated some of it too: being away from home (especially at Christmas), missing my friends back in Missouri, etc.

Christmas in Arizona was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Much of the landscaping there is rock, gravel, and cactus. No lush lawns in the desert! My room mate Dar and I would go walking a lot late at night to the park a few blocks from our apartment. At Christmas we'd always pause in front of a house nearby that was all lit up outside with Christmas lights. We got such a kick out of all the lights on the cactus in the yard instead of on Christmas trees! And some of the lights played Christmas music! We'd stop and listen to the music and enjoy the lights and then mosey on to the park to swing. (Yes, swing. I STILL like to swing !)

Heather was born when we lived in Arizona. Her first Christmas (1991) was spent in this house.

In fact, this house is the only one I've lived in which there was a fireplace mantle on which to hang our stockings! We were still moving into the house on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I still love this house and miss living in it. Although I was told several years ago that I really wouldn't want to live in it again. Marty worked on a dairy farm and the house came with the job. After we left, new barns were built....in the field next to this house! I'm told the stench there is unbearable now. I decided to check out how much of the area has changed with satellite images at google maps. My friend was right...the new barn is huge and is right next to the house! Almost all of the beautiful green lush grass appears to be gone too. The backyard where Heather used to play now appears to be the new parking spot for someone's car.

One Christmas, our friends Jim and Joyce took us driving to see Christmas lights. Somewhere in North Phoenix, not far off I-17, we came across the most spectacular Christmas lights display I had ever seen. You couldn't park anywhere near this house. You parked blocks and blocks away and walked to get a closer view. We paid $1 for this picture from the owner and we paid $1 for a tour of the inside of the home and backyard. It was all the most amazing lights display I'd ever seen. I'd be curious to know if the owners are still there and if they still create displays such as this each year.

Arizona (continued)

I began telling you about my move to Arizona here. I look back now and still remember that time as being full of excitement, fun, and close friends who still mean a lot to us.

The night I met Marty, I also met his friend Garth, who we knew then as "Tree." The man is 6'4" (or is it 6'6"???) so I can only assume that's why he was called Tree. Marty lived upstairs from the apartment where the party was we'd been invited to. Those throwing the party were Tom and Frank and they were celebrating Tom's birthday. All these guys and many more we met were friends of Marty's through school. They were attending the Automotive campus of the tech school Dar and I were attending. (Dar and I attended the graphic design campus 11 blocks away from the main campus.)

One of the dates Marty and I went on was to a nearby roller skating rink. We were skating around when we noticed a guy in a cap that said "Wyoming" across the front. Marty's from Wyoming so this got his attention quickly. Marty went up to him and said, "You from Wyoming?" That's all it took. The conversation poured. Tron and Ed (his cousin) were from Laramie, Wyoming and Marty from Torrington. We learned that Tron and Ed were also enrolled in the same tech school as Marty. Tron invited Marty and me to go 4-wheelin' out in the desert with him the next day. We agreed that it sounded like fun. I think that's the first and last time I've been 4-wheelin'. It was fun for the most part but I'm sure I saw my life flash before my eyes a few times as he'd race up the hills and I was sure he was going to tip his truck over before we headed back down! I later learned to just brace myself whenever riding with Tron anywhere! He still carries the honor of the scariest driver we know! Just buckle up and hold on when Tron's in the driver's seat!

As new friendships were formed most weekends were spent with all of us hanging out somewhere together: Marty, me, Dar, Tree, Tron, Tom and Frank (sometimes Ed, Adrian and others would join us too). The only married couple in the group were Jim and Joyce and I can't remember exactly how we met them. I think Jim and Tron were buddies but I'm not sure. We were a scattered bunch with Dar and me from Missori; Marty, Tron and Ed from Wyoming; Tree from Portland, Oregon; Tom and Frank from Eugene and Cresswell, Oregon; Adrian from Mountain Home, Idaho; and Jim and Joyce from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
While we were all in school, bonds were formed that still exist today. Tree was the best man when we married and Dar was my maid of honor. Although we've lost touch with most we still keep in touch with a few and email has made that easier. Tree is the only one I know of still in Arizona. We still email from time to time and still send him Christmas cards. He has a 10-yeard old son we've never met. Tron is back in Wyoming with his family. We haven't seen him since Heather was 2 years old and he has 2 children we've never met. We call every year or two and send Christmas cards. Dar and I still email fairly regulary and call every few months, or try to. No matter how much time has passed between conversations, it's as if no time has passed.
As I'm writing this I've just received an email forward from Tree so I asked him how we met Jim and Joyce. Here's his reply: "we met jim and his big ugly dodge at school!"

For all these guys it was all about their cars (or their trucks)! Tree had a 64 1/2 Mustang. Marty and I had a '67 Firebird (well....it was half Firebird half Camaro -- front end was Camaro, back end was Firebird). The guys at school called it our "Chevyac" or "Fire Chicken". But oh could that car MOVE! Marty says I had way too much fun driving that car! He claims he couldn't keep tires on it....guilty as charged.... Tron's a Ford man and had a Ford truck for 4-wheelin' and had a Thunderbird for crusing in. Either one was a scary ride! Jim was a mopar man and did have a big ugly truck. (Sorry Jim!)

I think they let me hang out with them because they liked my tea and the no bake cookies I'd make for Marty!

Here's our '67 Firebird. I couldn't find a better picture yet.

Ed, Me, and Tron at our Graduation!

I worked at Sears for a while in the childrens clothing department. The Phoenix Suns Gorilla made an appearance one day to help sell some Suns Tshirts. Spurs fans: please don't hold this against me!!!

Whereas now our hang out spot is Kirby's Korner....back then our diner of choice was the 5 & Diner. I always thought it was cool that it was on Missouri Avenue!

I don't have a lot of photos of myself from back then, unless they look like this one. Marty doesn't pick up the camera often, but when he does this is what he takes pictures of!

This was our cat "Sox". Yes, we were creative, weren't we?

Frank and "Lucifer". Frank, Tom and Lucifer lived downstairs from us when we lived in the apartment complex near the school.

Jim. I don't have a picture of his truck. I wish I had a photo of the day he dumped it in the river and had to be towed out!!!

Tree and Tron the day Marty and I got married.

Marty and me...way back when.

Dar and me being goofy in a mall photo booth.

Playing in the Verde River in Tron's truck. Marty's standing in the back.

Tron's car. I'm telling you some of my scariest moments were in this car!

Tom.

Tron's apartment where we'd hang out and play sand volleyball. Even when I was pregnant! What fun we all had!

Where we went to the movies. We could always scrape up enough money to go to the dollar movies. This one was located in the same center as my school. I remember one night after class I thought I'd lost my mind because I couldn't find my car! I finally found it over next to the theatre and could not remember parking it there! I was about to drive off when I found a note on the windshield that said "Gotcha!" Frank and Tron had skipped school and pushed my car across the parking lot and then went to the movies. I'm so glad they were still in the movie and didn't see me trying to find my car!!!

Dar with Heather just before we moved to Wyoming. She'd brought Heather some warm jammies to keep her warm in cold Wyoming!

The house we lived in after Heather was born. I STILL love that house!!!

The view from our back yard.

Heather and I with Snoopy at a park Dar and I used to live near and go to swing.

Dar

Throughout high school I just knew I'd graduate, attend college and become a teacher. 6 months before graduation all that changed. I completely changed my mind, and changed the course I had planned for my life. I am the 2nd of 5 kids and so far the only one to continue my education past high school at all. My parents weren't in any position financially to help me with my education. During my high school art class one day a representative from National Education Center in Arizona presented an alternative education plan that intrigued me. He told of a technical school where I could have my degree in 18 months and I'd have all hands-on training for much less than the cost of a 4-year college. I was hooked on the idea from the start. The representative met with my parents and filled us in on many more details. I decided this was what I wanted to do. My parents seemed disappointed but stood behind me and did what they could to help. I took on another job to begin saving money for the trip and necessary expenses for the move. I was ready for this adventure! (or so I thought at the time) 2 others I graduated with were also heading to the same school. The representative organized a picnic in Springfield (2 hours away) for all prospective NEC students in MO to meet. He had arranged room mates as well and this is where we could meet our room mates.

Here we are at the picnic the day I met Dar, who would be my room mate in Arizona. I don't have a clue who any of the other people in the photo are. Apparently they were all Arizona-bound as well, but I don't know that I ever saw any of them again.

In October of 1989 I moved to Arizona, leaving everything familiar behind. I told my family goodbye and threw all my belongings into the back of a friend's truck and spent the next 2 or 3 days riding in the hottest pickup ever, on the longest ride of my life. Dar and I met again when we arrived in Glendale, which is right outside of Phoenix. First stop: the school to register, pay fees, receive housing assignments, and take pictures for ID badges. Because neither Dar nor I brought our cars to Arizona we were assigned to an apartment complex closest to the main campus. We were excited to be on our own and setting up our apartment. My friend's mom took us shopping for stuff we didn't bring that we'd need for our apartment. So began our new life: flat broke, no car, no phone, no tv. But we were soooo excited! School was to begin in a week and we had until then to soak up the sun in the apartment's pool every day. Life was good! We soon got busy looking for jobs so we could work during the day and go to school at night. When we weren't doing one of those things we could always be found at the pool, which is where we met our first friends: Steve, Scott and Jose. I had a calling card so I could use the payphone to call home whenever I wanted, which was a lot! Mom always asked the same thing when I'd call and tell her how things were going. She'd always ask, "Don't you and Dar have any friends that are girls yet?" "No mom. Not yet. Girls aren't very friendly to us here." Job hunting was not going well and school wasn't what we thought it would be. Our class was very small and it turned out we were the only girls in the class at all. That wasn't too bad....until life drawing class. That was so uncomfortable! I think our teacher got a huge kick out of our reactions to that class. One night we skipped altogether. He sure got even with us. The next class the model was a young man. Our teacher Kip decided Dar and I needed to sit at the base of the stage and draw our assignment in a foreshortened view. Oh how the guys in class snickered at us over that one! We were so embarassed and NEVER skipped Kip's class again.

We were starting to become disheartened and very homesick. We worked at McDonald's for a while then switched to a local pizza joint. I was old enough to serve beer but Dar wasn't so she was trained to make pizzas. All I did was pour pitchers of beer and card customers. Period. It was awful. The manager begged us to go to the night shift and switch our school shift to days and he'd give us more hours. We refused. We liked going to school at night. He finallly decreased our hours so much that we quit and went on to other jobs. We decided it was time to figure out the bus system and headed to the mall to find jobs. I went to work at the San Fransico Music Box Co. as temporary help in the stock room until Christmas. I loved it. I unpacked boxes and retrieved merchandise for the sales people all day and never had to deal with customers.

Cruising Central Ave. in Phoenix with Steve, Scott and Jose. This is Scott and Jose.

Dar being goofy.

Neither of us had ever been away from home for the holidays and weren't going home until Christmas. We were depressed at the thought of spending Thanksgiving in Arizona. We discovered our new friends were also stuck in Arizona for Thanksgiving. Steve and Scott were also fellow Missourians and Jose was from Texas. Dar and I decided we could make a Thanksgiving meal and invite the guys over to share it with us. What began as a dreaded day, became one of the most memorable holidays we had. We decided to make the most of all being together, away from home and actually enjoyed the day like none other.

Steve carved our turkey.

After dinner everyone got in a food fight on our balcony, except me. I was too busy taking their goofy pictures. Then someone swiped my camera and the next thing I knew I got the whole cake shoved in my face. After that we hit the pool. We were in heaven...swimming on Thanksgiving! At that moment we loved Arizona again.

Dar and I went home to Missouri for Christmas which made us even more homesick when we returned to our apartment on New Year's Eve. We rang in the new year literally crying in our suitcases as we unpacked. Neither of us had wanted to go back to AZ but knew we needed to finish school. We'd cry and dream of ways we could raise enough money to rent a U-Haul and move back to Missouri...forget about school. 13 days later everything changed and I never talked about leaving Arizona again. We'd been informed by the apartment manager that we were invited to a birthday party in apartment 110, but she wouldn't tell us whose it was. We'd try to guess who the invitation came from. Some days we'd figure it was this creepy guy we'd see all over the complex and would try to avoid. Other days I'd imagine whether it was from this tall cute, blue-eyed guy I'd seen here and there but had never had the nerve to talk to. I even thought a couple of times I'd figure out where he lived. I saw him walking home one day when I got off the bus from a day at the mall. But, somehow in the several blocks to the apartment complex he got behind me and I never saw where he lived! Then one day I saw him again at the mail boxes when I went to get our mail. I thought....here's my chance to see where he lives. But, he motioned for me to go first so it turned out he saw what apartment number was on my mailbox instead of the other way around. Dar and I continued trying to figure out who the invitation was from but the apartment managers refused to tell us. We almost decided not to even go. What if it was the creep??? We decided we'd go, but we'd go 30 minutes later than they'd told us to be there and if it was the creep we'd leave very fast. We arrived 30 minutes late... and were still the first to arrive. We didn't recognize the 2 guys who lived in the apartment and soon after the "creep" showed up! We were ready to head back out the door.....when the tall cute guy I'd seen walked in! I whispered to Dar "that's HIM!" She rolled her eyes at me as if to say "now I'll never get her out of here!" You guessed it....the tall cute guy turned out to be Marty and he lived in the aparment upstairs from the birthday party. Apparently he and his friends had been watching us from his apartment whenever we'd hung out at the pool. And he worked at an outdoor outfitter store next to the bus stop where I caught the bus to the mall every day and he'd watch me come and go every day. I had only seen him a few times before that and still don't remember ever seeing him at the pool when we were there.

For a time Dar knew me better than anyone else. We became close friends and were very thankful that we didn't have a nightmare room mate situation as others did.

I haven't seen Dar in several years. After I moved to Texas, she lived nearby in Austin with her husband for a short while, then moved to California then recently moved to Michigan. She loved California and I only hope she will come to love Michigan just as much.

I adore Dar's husband JB. He makes her so happy!

Aren't they adorable together?!

Dar when I visited her after we'd both moved back to Missouri.

All of us the last time I saw her just before she moved to California.

I miss you Dar and will treasure your friendship always.