April Stop: Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ. Wow,  completely full circle. We hit a year of travel in March, and during April, we returned to where the whole journey started in the first place.

For some quick backstory, I lived in Tucson for a little over three years before Connor and I hopped into our cars and hit the road. I had to leave behind the life I knew for a shot in the dark. Luckily, Connor and I are good at taking leaps of faith, and look at where it led to! I have loved the experiences and growth we have had during this journey so far. So, going back to Tucson was a pretty wild experience. 

I truly loved it. Seeing my old staff, my old stores, my friends, my favorite places, and so much more was beyond special. I think it healed a part of me that broke when I left. Saying goodbye a second time was so hard, but I know my memories will always keep Tucson alive in my heart. I hope this isn’t too deep for a blog post, it was a very emotional month for me and I would be remiss I didn’t included it in this story.

For now, we can jump into the fun activities before I get too sentimental and continue t0 ramble about my love for the desert and people here.

The drive from Austin to Tucson was one of the longer drives, around 14 hrs, but we made it and our Airbnb was one of the nicest ones yet! Everything felt brand new, clean, and super well kept.

Pretty much the day after getting there, I immediately went to Shake Smart. It had been over a year since I saw old my staff and stores, so that was huge for me. I went into both stores and surprised the girls. It was so fun! I wanted to clock in and start blending shakes. I love my old staff and stores so much. I tried to visit different shifts and people by going to the stores at least once a week. I had the best time seeing them.

Then, pretty soon after, it was the weekend already! We had a wedding out in San Diego so we drove out Saturday morning, changed at our hotel, and went to the wedding that night. The wedding was absolutely stunning. The bride and groom looked so amazing and happy, and their venue was the iconic Hotel del Coronado. Everything from the touching ceremony, to the white rose florals, to the delicious food, to the fun dancing were perfected.

I’m so happy for the couple! Incredible wedding! It was also extra fun because I got to reunite with two of my girl friends from college. Us four, including the bride, had gone through journalism at SDSU together and were really close.

So getting to be together for this beautiful wedding with all of our partners was a blast. We drove back Sunday morning and tried to recover that evening in Tucson.

Honestly, when we move our lives every month, that’s already a lot, and then certain months have extra trips and travels happening during them which is exhausting and makes the months feel even faster and shorter. Like during our month in Tucson, we had the wedding, a music festival, and a bachelorette trip…so intense.

During my first real week in Tucson, I got to spend quality time with my old friends. I grabbed lunch with a friend, went to my old yoga studio with other friends, and went dancing with my old dance partner. It felt amazing to be surrounded by people and places I love.

Connor and I had a date night at Charro Vida which is one of my favorite restaurants. It still tasted as delicious as a year ago, and we got to eat out on the patio during sunset. I loved it.

I also got to go to an outing with my old staff which was a blast. We didn’t have outings when I was their boss, so it was a fun experience for me. I just loved getting to spend time with them and catching up with them for a few hours. I wish I got to see them all the time.

Dancing with my old dance partner was fun too! I haven’t found a better dancing bar than the Maverick in the whole nation during our travels. I’m sure there are good ones, but I didn’t find one, so I’m really happy we got to go dancing one night.

The weeks were flying by already. I also couldn’t believe the luck we got with the weather in Tucson! I definitely thought it was going to be in the 90s and 100s already, but it was so beautiful the whole month. It stayed in the 70s and 80s with sunny days. The wind kicked up for a few of the days but it wasn’t insane winds. My runs during the day were actually pleasant temperature wise. I was getting great tans. I can’t say I enjoy running yet, but getting outdoors is a perk. I was also still doing yoga regularly at home for my certification. It was so fun getting to go back to Session with my friends though. I absolutely love that studio, so being back was amazing. 

We kicked the second weekend off with a trip to Phoenix to see family and friends there too. I was able to grab coffee in the morning with my old coworker.

I had a blast getting to see her and hanging out. I miss her so much. I wish we could’ve had more time together, but even just getting to see her was special.

After that, I met up with Connor and his cousin for a fun filled afternoon! We went to Bam Kazam which is a warehouse full of mini escape rooms that simulated puzzle games for people to complete.

It was so much fun! Once we spent up our time there, we grabbed an early dinner with his cousin before we had to get back on the road to Tucson.

Thankfully it was just a day trip so we had some recovery time on Sunday.

We did spend a few hours of quality time with a couple of our close friends on Sunday morning though.

We enjoyed the beautiful morning at the park and talked for hours.

Connor and I were pretty wiped out when we got home in the afternoon, so we chilled at home the rest of the day.

I did discover a super fun activity for using AI technology though.

You can take a picture of your pet and ask AI to turn it into a portrait of a person.

Let me tell you, I think I spent at least an hour doing this with different peoples’ pets.

I just have to share the result I got for Princess, it is totally accurate. Connor and I were cracking up. 

During the following week, I kept up with my weekly visits to Shake Smart.

I wish I could’ve gone every day honestly. I love it there, and of course the products are fire. Speaking of Shake Smart, I got to attend one of the special team bonding activities called Senior Sendoff.

It’s where everyone goes out to a spot close to campus and celebrates the seniors who are graduating in a couple weeks. It was extra special for me because a lot of the seniors were my hires, so seeing them grow through the years and getting to be there for their celebration was a special gift. I’m so thankful I got to be there to send them off. 

Another weekly activity I got to enjoy while I was in town was going to my old soccer team’s games! It was so fun getting to see them and cheer them on.

Being on the sidelines sucked but absolutely worth it to see them all. I got my hugs and high fives in each Wednesday night! I miss them and playing together!

After that week, Connor and I finally had our only full weekend in Tucson. We wanted to take full advantage of it by going to all of our favorite places we hadn’t had the chance to visit yet.

We went to Cartel Coffee downtown for a cute little coffee date first. We wanted to be caffeinated for the next task of the day which was visiting our storage locker!

Can you believe it?! After a full year of travel, we were finally getting to visit our storage unit. I had no idea it was going to be so much fun either! I was having the best time, laughing and goofing around with Connor. There was something so joyful about visiting our little box that held the rest of our possessions, and that we hadn’t been able to see any of it for over a year. I kind of forgot the feeling of having possessions, not going to lie. It was crazy peeking in at all of it. After we unloaded some of the stuff we had carried for over a year and didn’t need anymore, like snowboards and books, we got back on the road to go to Mt. Lemmon. 

Mt. Lemmon is one of my favorite places. I naturally feel at home and called to mountains so I’m not surprised, but I’ve always loved this mountain peak in the middle of the dessert.

So unique and amazing! It’s so beautiful too, looking out from Windy Peak at the colorful, saturated, Tucson sunsets.

I used to visit this spot as much as I could when I lived in Tucson, and even celebrated my birthday up there in 2023. This time, we took my blanket up there and settled in for the sunset.

I wish we could’ve stayed up there all night and even camped up there, but we had other really exciting plans to get to.

My favorite restaurant is in Tucson, like favorite out of any in the nation and places I’ve lived. It is called Tito&Pep. I love everything about it from the food, to the ambiance, to the service, to the decor.

My all time favorite thing on the menu is the grilled octopus, and Connor always gets the crudo. It is a must visit for me. I used to bring my friends and family there whenever they visited me. After dinner, we went to my favorite speakeasy called the Owls Club. It used to be an old mortuary and church, so some of the seating inside is church pews. I love the intimate ambiance the pews, candles, and stained glass create. The drinks are also great of course. I just love going here for relaxed conversations with friends.

Sunday morning started strong with a lovely farmers market before going to the MSA Annex. Connor and I love this area of Tucson and even considered apartments over here at one point. There’s cute boutiques, vintage spots, coffee shops, yummy restaurants, and even a used book store. We spent hours here walking around, stopping into our old spots, and exploring the new pop ups in the area. Connor’s favorite coffee shop of all time has a location here too, so quick shout out for Presta!

This was all just the first half of the day, we still had a lot on the list. It was Easter that Sunday so we went to an afternoon movie at the Loft. Connor and I both love the Loft which is a small independent theater that has tons of events going. They showed Wallace&Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and were handing out bunny ears for people. The host employee gives little intros about the movies on the stage before they start. It was so much fun and I loved seeing Wallace and Gromit on the big screen! We came home and dyed crazy eggs after that. It’s one of my favorite Easter traditions, and they turned out so cute. Then, we hopped in the car to catch the sunset out at Gates Pass.

Gates Pass is another must do as tons of Tusconians know. There are these rocky peaks that look out over the stunning desert landscape covered in Saguaros.

We drove down the back side of the peaks to see as much of the sunset as possible. I love the way the sun dyes the land orange, it is so beautiful out there. Our weekend wrapped up with a cozy night at home after such a packed couple days.

I got to see one of my close friends twice while I was in town too! Our schedules were both so packed this month, but we made time for each other as much as we could. One night we did dinner at her place to catch up and the other time we went on a pretty walk out by her new house. I love talking to her about life and everything we have going on.

She gives me great insights and it was so fun getting to see her and give her hugs!

Pretty much the last big event was Stagecoach! What an awesome music festival! It was Connor’s and my first time going, and we had the best time! It was seriously so fun! I don’t normally listen to country music, but it’s one of Connor’s favorite genres so some of his favorite musicians were there. Everyone we saw during the festival totally killed their sets. Like oh my gosh, everyone sounded so good and just totally jammed out. I could probably write a whole blog post just about the musical festival. My favorite was, of course, Lana Del Rey. She is one of my top five favorite female musicians, so seeing her live was surreal. I listen to her all the time, and I couldn’t believe I was seeing her in real life. Her set was beautiful and her voice was angelic. I loved seeing and hearing her on stage! Some other stand out performances were Creed and the Goo Goo Dolls. I love rock and roll so loving their sets was not a shocker, but they seriously crushed it. Their bands were insane and the leads’ voices were amazing. We got to see the famous Zack Bryan and Luke Combs which were both an awesome time. We enjoyed some legends like Sammy Hagar and Tracy Lawrence, and even had some funny nostalgic moments at T-Pain and Nelly. So like I said, the artists were incredible and we loved them all. The festival itself was really well done too with cool art, Guy Fieri BBQ, brand engagements, bars, speakeasies, a horse corral, and more. I love going to festivals with Connor. We get to explore a whole new world together for a few days, and he has the best attitude. It’s so fun making these memories together. 

Festivals do take it out of us though, so after Connor drove the 6 hours home, we were both tapped out. Thankfully, Princess’s old kitty sitter was able to watch her the whole time we were away! I’m so grateful to her for spending time with our sweet girl. She was well taken care of. 

An exciting announcement though, I graduated from my yoga academy! I am officially accredited as a yoga instructor through Akasha Yoga Academy! I’m unbelievably excited to continue my yoga journey and to start teaching soon. 

I had one more day in Tucson after Stagecoach and before going to the bachelorette trip. Within that short timeframe, I went on a walk to get matchas with my close friend, grabbed lunch with my kitty sitter who is also my friend, and enjoyed happy hour with our two close friends. Packed in a lot during the last day, but I just had to see them before I left. It was so hard saying goodbye, but future plans makes it more of a ‘see you later’ thankfully.

The bachelorette was a blast of course! I absolutely loved getting to see family and meet new friends. Girls Gone Guerneville was an iconic and memorable trip. We floated down the Russian River, tasted wines from three vineyards, and sang karaoke at the local bars almost every night. I’m excited to see everyone at the wedding in a month!

Then I packed my car the day after I got back so I could drive to Utah. With all the travel and craziness, this blog post is more delayed than usual. I appreciate your patience and understanding with the later release!

Overall, I got to do almost everything on my Tucson list. I missed seeing a few of my friends, didn’t go to two bakeries, missed out on my favorite gluten free brewery, and couldn’t do a few of the hikes I wanted. But I am absolutely not complaining because I think we packed in as much as we possibly could. Quality over quantity is still a priority even with all the plans Connor and I make. My heart is so full and happy with the time we spent with our loved ones and places we cherish. So I am fully thankful for this past month in Tucson. I loved it so much.

As hard as it was to leave, I am still really excited for Utah. I’ve always dreamt about spending time in Utah and visiting as many parks as we can. We are going to do our best to do exactly that. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Princess Update:

She is as cute as ever, of course. Princess definitely has an attitude right now because we were gone for the festival, but she still makes sure we know she loves us. She is just meowing for our attention every five minutes. Again, a huge thank you to her sitter this month! We couldn’t have enjoyed our extra adventures without Princess being taken care of. For those of you following her health journey, we took her to her old vet while we were in Tucson and got blood work done to see if that would show anything. Every test and visit has helped give us more information, but unfortunately there’s no quick cure for her situation and we are just trying out different treatments to see which help. She is the best trooper ever!