A few days in Houston TX

So, everything is off to a good start. I'm in Houston right now with my friend Brent. Brent lived in Houston for a while and, a few months ago we decided to do a fun little trip since I always fly through the HOU airport when I go to Central America. I've always been curious about the city so it's been fun seeing what Houston has to offer. Today we went to the mall and I FINALLY got the Oakley shades I've been looking at for the last year. It was fun to browse all of the fancy stores--apparently there's a lot of money in this town.
Here's a funny story. So, I love walking through Neiman Marcus to see all of the newest trends and they always have the coolest displays. I get a lot of ideas from them. Anyways, I know that Neiman's is way out of my league so I'm not trying to fool anyone but I actually found some really cute shirts on the clearance rack so I decided to try them on. The lady that checked me in to the dressing room took one look at me (in my American Eagle shorts) and I could tell she had her doubts about my ability to pay for the merchandise I was going to try on. Like I said, I'm not trying to fool anyone so I didn't care but this stuff was too good to pass up and it was actually reasonably priced so I stepped into the dressing room. The fit was perfect...I proceeded to the cash register. I pulled out my prestigious WaMu Gold Debit Mastercard and attempted to pay for the shirts. The lady gave me the weirdest look. She then informed me that Neiman's only accepts American Express or Neiman Marcus card! I was so disappointed! I carry my Costco AMX about 90% of the time but since I'm headed to Central America--the land of VISA and Mastercard--I didn't have it on me. She, of course, asked me if I would like to apply for a Neiman Marcus card (which I can't imagine using more than once every ten years). I couldn't believe it! I felt so stupid but then I thought about how silly I must have looked in that store in my American Eagle shorts and no-name t-shirt. I should really stick to the real world...the world where people use WaMu Gold Debit Mastercards at Target, Ross, and Old Navy with smiles on their faces :-)

Uncle Roger...

I love you Uncle Roger and will miss you.
It's weird how I can feel so close to someone I only saw on rare occasions but I always felt so close to Uncle Roger (my Dad's Uncle). He called me "Big Al" (which I never liked much when other people called me that) and I always knew it was with love that he called me that. He drove Chevy Camaros--which is just cool to begin with--and he had a thing for fancy video cameras. He loved visiting our family and I remember a time when he made it down to St. George to see us. He loved the natural beauty of the desert there. One summer my family and I had the chance to go to Michigan and it was amazing to see that beautiful place and the history that the Beach family has there. My email inbox never saw it coming when Roger discovered the wonders of the internet! I could always count on some kind of joke or late-breaking news from Uncle Roger ;-) I feel like I only had a chance to scratch the surface of an amazing man but what a great opportunity it was to get to know him here on Earth.
I hope to see you again someday, Uncle Roger. God bless you!

Moving Day...

Yay! I'm done moving! So, if you can't tell from the picture I have a lot of stuff so I'm so sore right now. This move was quite the adventure. My friends (Justin, Brent, and Dominic) arrived at my condo in Phoenix in the morning and we started loading my dad's truck and trailer. Everyone had their doubts that we could make it in one trip but I was bound and determined. As you can see from the picture I stood everything up on end to make it fit. I think the trailer had more wind resistance than a parachute by the time we had it all loaded!
It was a great time and we only suffered one casualty...my favorite lounge chair wasn't as heavy as I thought and it decided to jump ship on Indian School Rd. It was crazy because it almost hit the car behind me! Luckily, nobody was injured in the process :-)
Anyway, I'm happy to say that everything (except the chair) is now at my place in Mesa. I'm excited to be back at Circle Tree Condominiums living the good life with my roomy Justin (see pic). Now I have one more week before I leave for Central America. Let's see if I can get this place orgainized before then!

Ugh!!!

I'm moving on Thursday so that means I get to do the lovely job of packing up all of my belongings and moving them to Mesa. I would like to take this moment to thank my parents for doing such a great job of teaching us kids how to orchestrate a successful move. By the time I was 18 yrs old our family had relocated to twenty different residences so I have plenty of experience!
Anyone who would like to share in the joy of moving is more than welcome to join me on Thursday @ 10:00 am at the condo in Phoenix. I'd hate to keep this all to myself ;-)

Mesa, here I come...

So, I got a bit of pity from people about my "lemonade" blog but I want to make sure everyone knows that I'm actually excited about moving back to Mesa (the home of one million check cashing stores...lol). I was just over chillin' with my future roommate/friend (Justin) and I really enjoy being around him so I think it's gonna be cool :-)
Best of all, it will be wonderful to be closer to all of my "East Valley" dwelling family. Sometimes it seems so far to drive from PHX so it will be great to see a little more of them!

Summer of Travel...

I'll be in Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) from June 19 to August 22! Whoo hoo! I'll be updating this blog every chance I get while I'm down there so keep coming back. I'm in a competition with my sister (Crystal) for site visits...j/k!
Hasta luego amigos :-)

Making lemonade :-)

I have always loved lemonade! I don't know if it's the contrasting taste of sour and sweet or the refreshing cool it injects into my body on a hot day. There's just something so wonderful about lemonade!
I'm sure everyone has heard that cheezy cliché about "making lemonade out of lemons." Apparently this saying is meant to inspire all of us to take a bad situation, add a little sugar and turn it into a wonderfully refreshing experience. Well, I know this sounds cheezy but that's what I'm doing...
It all started a little over a year ago when I decided to purchase a beautiful condo in a high-rise building in Central Phoenix. It seemed like a great idea...close to work, in the middle of all the action, and a view to die for. The special incentives were great and a new light-rail project was sure to be a boon to property values in the area. The financing went smoothly (thanks to stated-income) and everything seemed perfect!
Well, to make a long story short, the decision to buy this property has led to my most challenging financial dilemma since I was welcomed to the world by that friendly doctor at Utah Valley Hospital! The building (which was supposedly completely remodeled by a developer) has a lot of very expensive problems which have been passed on to the homeowners. My HOA dues are now in excess of $500/month!!!! And that is not taking into account "special assessments" for broken pipes and deteriorating infrastructure. Yikes! Anyone who knows me well realizes that I am not a millionaire who can afford to fork over thousands of dollars to a home owners association.
So, after a lot of thinking (and about three months on prozak...j/k) I have decided to graciously gift this property to it's rightful owner--the bank. That's right, I will be foreclosing on this condo and it breaks my heart but the purpose of this blog is to show how I plan on making lemonade out of these lemons in life.
Many of you may know that I have always dreamed of owning my own furniture business. Something about interior design and furnishings intrigues me. I'm sure I got it from my Mom! Anyway, with the HUGE expense of this condo out of the way I will finally have the freedom to follow my dream. I am going to design and manufacture chic, eco-friendly home furnishings and interior decor items! I will attempt to use items that we normally throw away and make them look like something other than trash. I'm so excited to get started!
So, I quit my job at WaMu and I'm off to start a new adventure! To start off I am going to spend a couple of months in Central America to volunteer with Books for a Better World and draw inspiration from the local craftsmen down there. When I come back (in Aug.) I will work my brains off to get this new business off the ground. Wish me luck!
I cannot express how blessed I feel to have the ability to see past the bleak experience of loosing my condo to a bright, hopeful future. So next time you sip on a glass of lemonade remember that Allen is somewhere on the Western Hemisphere making the best of a bad situation.