#ihatearizona

[crazycatladydollcollector]

PSA: don't go hiking in Phoenix during the summer unless you're doing an early morning hike. It's too hot and even people used to the Phoenix heat can get sick. Also, always bring plenty of water with you including extra water in case your car breaks down. Stay safe! #phoenixsucks #ihatearizonasummers #ihatearizona https://www.instagram.com/p/CSIa8e2Jf5h/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jmgrimes-robison78]

#firstdayofsummer #ihatearizona I will be dead soon it’s already to to hot. (at San Tan Valley, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/By_EPMUFnoW/?igshid=1qtaa9w8gj351

[reader44ever]

On January 5th, @_peachyfishy_ tagged me to do the #10thingsiwouldneversay tag. I took a picture of the #sky last night, because when I went outside with my Max I spotted three stars, all in a line. Isn't this a #constellation? (Sadly, I can't remember which one. Anyone?) 🤔 . . . . I put a photo I just took of my Max in with the first photo of the #stars. He was whining at me for some reason. 😕🤔 (Max's ear is pointing at the three stars, if you can't see them in the first photo. The second and third photos get progressively closer to the stars. Isn't the "Zoom" feature great?!) 😍❤ . . . . Anyway, on to 10 Things I Would Never Say! 1. 🙊 I ALWAYS do tags the second I see that I was tagged! ⏰ 2. 🙊 I hate doing tags! 🚫🔖 3. 🙊 I don't like dogs. 🐶 4. 🙊 I love spiders. 🕷 5. 🙊 I can too have a cat! 🐱 6. 🙊 I have never laughed or cried while reading a book. 🚫😂😭 7. 🙊 I LOVE living in Arizona! 🏜🌞🌡⛈❤ 8. 🙊 I don't own any books. 🚫📚 9. 🙊 Literary Fiction is the BEST! 🌎🎉❤ 10. 🙊 I read lots of nonfiction. 👩‍🏫👩‍⚖👩‍💼👩‍🔬 . Lastly, I didn't tag anyone, as this tag's been around for awhile. But if you HAVEN'T done it, please consider yourself tagged! 🤣❤ . . . . #DogsofInstagram #skyporn #ilovetags #ILOVEDOGS #Arachnophobic #AllergictoCats #iamanemotionalcreature #IhateArizona #IownSoManyBooks #loveparanormal #NoNonfiction

[mostlysunnyrn]

Love...Hate

How did it get to this point? How did I come to despise living in Arizona? I can easily pinpoint the time frame that this happened.  The first year was the “wonder year.”  We spent so much time ooohing and aaahing the beautiful scenery.  The mountains, palm trees, saguaro cactus, sunsets collided to send us into sensory overload in the best way.  We spent long evenings driving around or walking and exploring our new home and all the desert vistas it had to offer.

By the second year I discovered I’d developed a nagging voice in my head.  I’d get frequent thoughts about how weird a lot of the people seemed to be, or how many rude people we came across in our daily interactions, or how miserable the summers were, etc.  I asked my husband and found that he noticed the same things.  At that point I started bringing up the possibility of going back home to Chicago. We went back home for a weeklong visit and we were set on returning home.  The cost of living in Arizona, while generally lower, was not as cheap as we hoped it would be.  We found the lack of things to do here and the resulting boredom ridiculous.  

There was one hurdle: I had withdrawn from school when we decided to  relocate to Arizona and I vowed to finish nursing school before moving again.  It was one of those life goals that I just had to do--ya know?  So I resigned to staying put at least for a little while longer to finish nursing school.  Soon life happened. We had a baby and then a few years later another.  Almost begrudgingly, I agreed to buy a house here because renting no longer made sense given that we had no immediate plans to leave. I put school on hold until I could have time to focus.  After several years, I went back to finish my goal of graduating and becoming a nurse.  

My final semester, I became pregnant with our third child. I dragged my heavy belly off the bed in 110 plus degree weather during my 8th month of pregnancy to sit for my RN licensing exam--the NCLEX.  In my head I knew that I had let too much time get away and I had to do this now so that we could begin to move on.  When the computer shut off after about 76 questions my heart jumped in my mouth! I just knew it was over and I had failed. I started shaking. I composed myself and got up to leave. 

The next day I found out I was officially a Registered Nurse! I had passed and could now scratch this off my life to-do list. I started looking for a nursing job to develop my skills so that finding a job whenever we decided to relocate would be easier.   At this point, we’d been Arizona residents for 9 LONG years.  After the second year I went from love to like to hate. I often would feel my husband out and he seemed to like living here for the most part.  Only later did I find out it wasn’t as much that he liked it, it was just more of it being the “safe and familiar” choice.

On the other hand, I’ve spent the past 10 years trying to hush the feeling that I needed to get out of this place and hoping that my husband would have a change of heart. How long would we live in this state that lacks culture and identity? That is dreadfully lacking in good food? That overflows with rude and sometimes ignorant people?  Sorry but when Walmart is the number 2 employer for the state, that does not bode well.  I’ll post more on the jobs (or lack of good ones) later. 

[lolahasmoxie]

Can it be fall/winter again, because it was 95 today and f that shit. #project365 ihatearizona

[crazycatladydollcollector]

YAY! Labor Day weekend is the end of summer! At least for some of us...😢 #arizonasucks #ihatearizona #valleyofthesunisnofun https://www.instagram.com/p/CTfdFS9BnY-/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mostlysunnyrn]

120

I’m sitting here listening to the hum of my air conditioner.  It’s a hum I’ve heard consistently all day.  This sound is accompanied by a subtle--almost unnoticeable--whir from the blades of my ceiling fan. It’s not quite 9 am and the overcast skies beckon me out for a walk. I grab my phone to check the current temperature outside. It’s 98 degrees fahrenheit  so a walk is out of the question.  As the mercury climbs quickly: 11, 115, to finally 120 degrees by 5 pm; I’m sitting and once again asking why am I still in this place? Why haven’t we packed up and moved yet? This conversation plays in my head every. single. summer that I’ve lived in Arizona.  Occasionally, my husband and I have had talks of leaving but we couldn’t agree on where to go. 

This time is different though.  Finally, after ten years of misery (on my end)t, my husband is finally ready to leave.  In good faith, we’ve even booked a hotel and rental car for a trip to “scout out” a new state/city in the next few months. Last night my husband looked at me and said, “Hopefully, if anything, next summer will be our last summer here.” I replied, “By next summer do you mean summer of 2018? Because if so, I can’t let my mind think about that possibility. I can’t imagine going through another entire summer here in this desert wasteland.” 

Let me make a disclaimer now: I am starting this blog to have a place to allow my brain to scream out loud while I’m stuck here.  Arizona is a state of unique beauty and the sunsets are second to none.  However, this is not a place I want to consider as a permanent home.  I’m not going to sugar coat my experience living here.  Feel free to disagree with my thinking--and we can agree to disagree if you think Arizona is an awesome state in which to live.  So how did I come to HATE living in Arizona? I’ll detail this in another post.

[melissathevampireslayer]

i dont even like when its over 65 degrees idk how im going to survive Arizona for an entire weekend.

[comeplaywithclay]

Why..

do I sit here and torture myself by looking at pictures of San Diego

[crazycatladydollcollector]

Anyone want to trade cities? LOL! 🌞 🏜 🔥👩🏻💀#phoenixsucks #ihatearizona https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJ_kESJtGZ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[dolphinwhisperer-yo]

wow i wish this next year would just fly by so I can apply for 48648648 scholarships and apply to UO. I know I shouldn't be so anxious and I should be enjoying every day and not thinking about the future so much BUT I'M JUST SO MOTIVATED TO GET THERE RIGHT NOW WTH BUT I HAVE TO WAIT TILL 2014 LFNASKJFNAL HAHA fuuuuuh man. like I literally just spent an hour looking up scholarships and transfer requirements but I can't even apply for like another year -___-