In March of 2009, our family made our first flight to Phoenix, Arizona to visit my parents in the Chandler area. For me, it was love at first sight. The mountains, the sunsets, the weather; what was not to love? Yes, I would later find out about the heat, the venomous scorpions, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, coyotes, dust storms, and all manner of negative qualities about Arizona. None of that has dampened my affections for State 48.
We have lived in various cities over the years. Some of these moves were by choice, but mostly due to outside circumstances. However, the majority of this time has been spent around the midwest where we were born and raised. We have endured our fair share of ice, snowstorms, freezing temperatures and changing seasons in a day!
Now it’s finally time to live in Arizona!
Since this first trip (and numerous others since) the goal has always been to be able to enjoy Arizona full time. Up until now the timing just hasn’t worked out, whether it was getting the right job or our kids’ schooling. Now the star couldn’t be more in alignment. We have made the very long journey across the country to become residents of State 48 and we couldn’t be more excited about this new chapter!
When I have visited, I always tried to capture the area in photography. There have been plenty of “hits”, but there were more “I wish I had a do over” shots. Over the years my passion, skills and even the gear I use for taking photography has evolved. I have spent countless hours hoping to get the perfect shot and always wishing I had more time. Now, I won’t have to worry about running out of time or having to catch a flight home. The only issue I will have is to contain my excitement and try and capture all my bucket shots at once!
Right before Christmas of 2017, I purchased my first drone. I was eager to take flight and see the area from a completely different vantage point. I spent this Christmas flying around the neighborhood, and if I am being completely honest, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing! I shot in jpeg and not raw, a rookie mistake. I did not frame the shots well at all. However, some of those first shots are actually a few of my favorites I’ve taken to date. For the most part there were a lot of misses! Now I am a licensed drone pilot with an established business ready to grow even more in the Valley of the Sun.
This summer has flown by after being filled with graduation ceremonies, parties and plenty of packing! Any type of move can be overwhelming, but one across the country can seem daunting! However, we have made the journey and now slowly getting settled in our new community. We shed those heavy winter coats and exchanged them for short sleeves and open toed shoes! 🙂
Cheers to new beginnings in AZ!
