arizona

My New Favorite Travel Accessory! A Stick-On Phone Wallet

arizona, Blog, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, United States

 

I found the perfect solution to bulky purses, wallets, and phone cases! Thank goodness, because I really needed this. It’s a phone wallet, and it sticks right onto the back of your phone! I really love this and am excited to tell you about it. I’ll give you hint as to why: it has to do with security, style, and butterflies.

 

 

Why do I need a phone case wallet?

 

Let’s start with my life in high school. If you knew me in high school or college, you will remember the gigantic tote bag from my teen days and the backbreaking pink backpack from college. I was the kid who had anything you needed. Once, someone asked for a rubber ducky and I had it. True story.

Once I graduated, I was done with all that bulk and weight. I became a bit of a minimalist, and bought a thin phone case with a wallet slit in the back. It was great– until last week, when I dropped the phone on asphalt and — SMACK! — gave it a nasty crack in the screen. The problem was the chintzy case! All because I had to have the wallet case.

Obviously, I need a more protective case. They don’t make many of those with wallets in the back. However, last week, I was introduced to the Pocket Wallet by Alban, an adhesive credit card sleeve! This is the best of both worlds, because I can stick it to the back of any phone case and it adds only about two millimeters of width. My husband, Ben, loves it, too! He stuck one in his favorite color to the back of his Otterbox.

 

 

Phone Pocket Wallet Features

Although the concept is pretty simple, there are many excellent aspects to the credit card sleeve. First of all, it is great at holding up to three cards. There’s virtually no way these things are going to slip out. I love this, because I can keep my driver’s license in here. I can just grab it and run if I need to drive somewhere, and I don’t have to lug around my purse. Look, ma, no hands!

 

 

Speaking of no hands, this credit card holder limits the need to grip your phone. So you can relax your hands while you’re texting or carrying around your phone. All you have to do is slip a couple fingers into the built-in strap, and you’re good to go! My mom decided to try out her new Pocket Wallet today on her run. Rather than stashing her phone in a lap belt, she slid the strap onto her fingers. Not only was it comfortable, it also allowed her to have better access to her music, GPS, and timer.

 

 

In addition to the convenient storage and finger strap, the Alban Pocket Wallet credit card holder also protects your identity. You can slide your credit cards in here with no worries, because the phone card pocket is lined with RFID blocking material. I can walk around knowing my identity is safe. After all, to quote the infamous Tim Hawkins parody, “I know ya’ll really wanna be me.”

By the way, check out the cool designs you can choose from. My favorite is the pink flower credit card holder designed by artist Vanessa Kiki Johanning. It is so pretty and stylish!

 

 

My Initial Impression

Today, Ben was taking the biggest test of his life (more on this later), so my mom and I had a girls’ day. We went to Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, Arizona, and we brought along our phones with our new Alban credit card sleeves. Not only did we enjoy all the built-in features, but we discovered an unadvertised perk offered by the credit card sleeves! Apparently, the brightly-colored flower on the case designed by Vanessa Kiki Johanning also attracts butterflies!

 

 

There are 3,000 butterflies in the Butterfly Wonderland enclosure, but none of them were very interested in landing on us until we brought out the phone wallet designed by Vanessa Kiki Johanning. All those bright colors are apparently just as appealing to butterflies!

 

 

How You Can Get an Alban Phone Case Credit Card Sleeve

If you want a slim, affordable and stylish credit card pocket for your phone, you’re in luck! The Alban credit card protector sleeve is just a click away.

Pocket Wallets on the Alban Website: 

Guess what! We have a coupon, just for 3rd Culture Wife readers!

15% off! Enter code: 3RDCULTUREWIFE at checkout through end July 2017 with FREE SHIPPING. 1 coupon per email address for whole order.

Plain Colored Pocket Wallets: $14 (Reg $14.99) for a 2 pack
Pocket Wallets Designed by Vanessa Kiki Johanning: $18 (Reg $20.00) for a 2 pack

Website: AlbanGifts.com

Phone number: 1-888-438-0881

Pocket Wallets Designed by Vanessa Johanning: 

Price: $15- $20 for a 2-pack

Website: VanessaJohanning.com

Amazon: Rose Garden Wallet 

Pink Sunshine Wallet

 

These credit card phone pockets are a great buy. You can use them with virtually any phone case, and they are super convenient! Plus, they add a great pop of color to your look. Grab a two pack so you can share one with a friend! My whole family is loving them right now, and you can, too. This is the best must-have travel accessory I’ve found so far. Enjoy!

 

This post contains sponsored content

 

Honoring Our Veterans at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona

arizona, Blog, International Travel, United States

 

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes forget to really focus on what Memorial Day is all about. This year, I did a lot better at dedicating time to remembering fallen American heroes. The Tuesday after Memorial Day, I visited our local sanctuary of honor: National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.

 

 

 

What is Memorial Day?

If you’re not American and you’re reading this (or you’re any of interviewees featured on Watter’s World last week), Memorial Day is a national holiday in which we take a day off work in order to remember the many American soldiers who have died to protect our nation. From the first casualties of the Revolutionary War to the most recent war tragedy, each life is honored and remembered with gratitude.

 

 

What is National Memorial Cemetery in Arizona? 

This is the final resting place of many of Arizona’s veterans who have passed since the 1970s. My grandfather was a Korean War veteran, and although he had the option to be buried here, he chose to be taken back home to Iowa. Even though I don’t have anyone to visit here, it is still a wonderful place to go and think and be thankful. Here, you’ll find the endless neat rows of well-kept headstones, each representing a service member who gave their all for their fellow countrymen. The cemetery also has some beautiful memorials tucked away in to the far corner, including the flagpole from the U.S.S. Arizona.

 

 

 

My Experience 

Nobody was able to go to National Memorial Cemetery with me, so I ended up driving over to Cave Creek, Arizona by myself. It ended up being the perfect solo excursion for a thoughtful afternoon. I can’t quite describe the emotions I felt when I stepped out of my car in a remote area of the cemetery. I suppose “poignant” would be an appropriate word. I have to admit that I haven’t been to many cemeteries; I expected this one to be filled of creepy, moss-covered, chipping headstones with bizarre epitaphs. I guess that Boston graveyard tour got to me! However, nothing could be further from opposite of creepy or ghostly. In fact, I don’t think I’ve found a more pleasantly peaceful place in the entire Phoenix metro area.

 

 

It wouldn’t be bad to lay at rest here, where the warm sun shines perpetually, casting its light over long, neat rows of memorial headstones. The only sound here is an occasional bird and the smart snapping of an American flag in the wind. An occasional visitor sits quietly beside the engraved name of a loved one, and the militarily-neat rows are interrupted by the bright colors of flowers and flags.

 

I’m not so sure where one should or should not step near a grave, so I was careful to be respectful and just stroll along the perimeter. Many of the headstones were sprinkled with coins. According to Snopes, a penny on a grave means you visited to pay your respects. A nickel means you were at boot camp with the soldier. A dime means you served with him or her, and a quarter means you were there when the veteran died. The coins are a nice way to honor the military members and tell their loved ones that someone cares, and they usually go to pay for an honorable burial for military members without family and financial means.

 

 

As I surveyed the countless rows of headstones, I felt tears spring to my eyes. An engraved sign at the cemetery paraphrased the words of John Maxwell Edmonds:

 

When you go home,

Tell them of us and say,

For your tomorrow

They gave their today.

That struck a chord with me and I couldn’t help but let the tears flow. For all the countless graves at National Memorial Cemetery, this is just a sampling of the Arizona men and women who have sacrificed, if not their lives, at least their years for me. I just can’t quite wrap my brain around the idea of someone else sacrificing themselves for other people, including those they have never met, all in the name of patriotism and freedom. I think it’s just about as close as you can come to giving yourself the way Jesus did.

 

No matter what time of year you’re reading this, I challenge you to clear your schedule for a couple hours and head to the nearest military cemetery. Even if you’re not a U.S. citizen, this still applies; honor the people who fought and died for your country’s freedom.

 

You’ll never feel more patriotic than you do when standing beside the graves of thousands who gave everything for your nation. It’s an indescribable feeling.

Rosson House: Phoenix’s Last Surviving Victorian Home

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

Welcome to the house of your dreams! Rosson house is the only remaining Victorian mansion in Phoenix. Originally, the location of all those Phoenix sky scrapers was a small Victorian town. When the area we know and love as Downtown Phoenix became a terrifying place to walk in the daytime, the city tore down nearly all the Victorian and Prohibition era homes and replaced them with high-end infrastructure. Only one block was left, and the only mansion on the block was Rosson House. Today, my friend Ally and I explored Rosson House!

 

 

Although the building has retained the name of the original owner for well over a century, the Rosson family actually only lived in the home for a couple of years. However, their lifestyle is still evident throughout the house. The man of the house was a doctor, and he practiced within the home.

 

 

I thought it was very cool to see the old doctor’s office. Ben’s experience with becoming a doctor is so much different than Mr. Rosson’s was! In the Victorian era, people knew so little about the human body that becoming a doctor only required four classes. Ben’s been working nonstop at medical school for two years, and he’s only half way done! I guess they didn’t know much about microbiology back then.

 

 

What you see in the photo above is a doorbell. This doorbell is located in the master bedroom so that Dr. Rosson could be awakened in the middle of the night to attend to emergencies. Aside from the disruptive doorbell, the master was really a very nice room, complete with a lovely carved mantle and typical wooden Victorian furniture.

 

Exactly adjacent to the master bedroom is the nursery. The Rosson House Museum displays period toys and clothing for visitors to admire.

 

 

The toys in the room were shockingly heavy! One woman in our tour commented, “Wow, my kids would kill each other with these.”

 

 

Although people generally had a whole passel of kids in the Victorian era, five children were the most the house ever saw at once. Still, it had the fairly spacious Victorian bedrooms that could house several children at a time! One of the bedrooms appeared to be a servant’s quarters, since it was less lavishly decorated than the rest of the house.

The last upstairs room had a visiting display of soldier’s outfits in it. It also featured a beautiful, ornate vase made from a used artillery shell. Apparently, this is a form of World War II “trench art,” which is a type of creativity that stems from the consequences of war.

Of course, you can’t forget about the bathroom– you know, the one that 19 people shared during Rosson House’s shabby boarding house days. This place took borders starting at the beginning of Prohibition.

 

Aside from the personal family rooms in the Rosson House, there are, of course, the typical Victorian elements: the sitting parlor, the showy staircase, and needlepoint corner, and more. Below, you can see photos of the parlor. Of course, a few snaps hardly do it justice.

The Parlor was designed to impress visitors with its opulence. Note the ornate wallpaper, gold-painted ceiling with relief designs, the hand-cut wood floor motifs, and the red window. Now, that red glass window may look out of place, but Victorian-era people would have known that red stained glass is very special. In fact, to get real red stained glass like this, you have to use actual gold. You can imagine how pricey this would be.

 

 

Check out the kitchen and sewing corner! Can you imagine clothing and feeding an entire household with these tiny spaces?

 

I haven’t shown you the best and weirdest things yet. Let’s start with my personal favorite, the bizarre portrait. The picture is nice, but check out the flowers. Do you know what that’s made of? Human hair! For real! Apparently, girls used to collect the hair out of their brushes and make it into needlepoint projects and art.

 

 

Here are a handful of other cool things in the house: a Bible, the telephone, and the washbasin. Have I mentioned how glad I am to be a 21st Century woman? I’m so glad I get to let a machine do all the work when I wash my clothes!

 

Take a look at this optical toy! It makes the scenes stand out in 3D. Ally reminded me that we used to have something like this when we were kids, but they were plastic.

 

We had such a great time on this tour! The woman at the office was so nice and gave us tons of information before we even started. Our tour guide was awesome, too!

I can’t believe it took me so long to visit. This is definitely a must-visit Phoenix location. I learned a whole new side to Phoenix history, and now I understand my home city like I never have before. Phoenix hasn’t always been all chrome and glass! There was a time when life was slower, the city was smaller, and staircases came in an assembly kit by train.

 

Next time you have the chance, check it out! If you’re not in Phoenix any time soon, why not go on a history excursion in your home town? It’s an awesome experience!

 

Peach Picking! An Afternoon at Fenway Park Orchards

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

Did you know that Arizona is a pretty popular agricultural area? Arizonans grow oranges, spinach, lemons, wheat, flowers…. and peaches! Yum! Yep, even here in the desert, the least likely place you can imagine, you can grow all sorts of delicious things. Last weekend, my husband, my parents, and I headed to Morristown, Arizona to pick peaches at Fenway Park Orchards. There’s nothing like sourcing your food straight from the growers. Here’s a bit about this awesome little u-pick farm.

 

What to Expect from Peach Picking at Fenwick Park Orchards

It’s really trendy right now to eat local, eat clean, and eat organic. But hasn’t that always been the best way? Fenwick Park Orchards is a pesticide free, fertilizer free grower. Of course, this has a host of health benefits, but it also gives the fruit another huge advantage: the taste! According to the young man who briefed us on peach picking, the lack of chemicals allows the rich flavor of the fruit to come through. Our guide said that every singe tree has its own distinct taste. He was right! Wow!

 

 

We had the chance to try just about every tree and find our favorites. When you’re picking in the orchard, you’re entitled to eat as many peaches as you like, free of charge! The u-pick peaches at Fenway Park Orchards are a little bit more per pound than your average (dry, tasteless) supermarket peaches, but you make up for the difference with all the fruit you eat. Oh my word. Peaches off the tree are simply heavenly.

 

 

My parents love peach tea. They like to get peach sweet tea from Dutch Bros. Some of these peaches tasted exactly like that tea!

 

 

An hour’s drive from my parents’ home in Glendale was more than worth time in the peace and quiet of the beautiful orchard. It’s nice to get back to nature and get a little dirt under your fingernails once in a while! I think we all feel the call to to remember our ancestor’s ties with the land now and then.

 

 

By the end, we were all hot, sweaty, sticky, and oh-so-happy.

 

 

We also had about thirty pounds of peaches to take home!

 

 

Peach Recipe Ideas

What do you do with thirty pounds of delicious, juicy, freshly-picked peaches? Why, you make tons of peachy delights with them!

 

 

As soon as we got back to my parents’ house, we set to work on my dad’s personal favorite peach dessert: cobbler! He searched online to find a peach cobbler recipe that included blueberries.

 

It was delicious! Fresh produce makes all the difference.

Of course, there are plenty of other things to do with peaches.

 

 

Here are some recipes to try:

 

Fenway Park Orchards Info

Cost: The peaches cost $2.39 per pound when we visited. Of course, this price fluctuates from season to season.

Hours: You can visit Fenway Park Orchards from Tuesday through Sunday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Coupons: Visit the Fenway Park Orchard website for a coupon.

Contact info: 

  • Website: FenwayParkOrchards.com
  • Phone: 623-388-2603
  • Email: away106824@aol.com
  • Address: 42610 Highway 60-89
    Morristown, AZ 85342

 

Fruit seasons:

Apples: June and July

Peaches: May and June

Peach season in ending, but apple season is just around the corner! We’ll be in Arizona for a few weeks yet, so we will definitely be back to Fenway Park Orchards to pick apples, If you’re in the Phoenix area between May and July, be sure to take a side trip to Morristown for some fresh produce. After all, there’s nothing like eating local, wherever you are.

Saturday Morning at Phoenix Public Market

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

Downtown Phoenix is full of wonderful surprises: little indie coffee shops, trendy boutiques, unexpected museums, ethnic food unlike any other, colorful splashes of street art… you get the idea. It’s not all chrome and glass like you see on the postcards. One of my favorite local attractions is the Phoenix Public Market that runs in the parking lot of Phoenix Public Market Cafe each Saturday from 8:00 am to noon. I first discovered this urban gem about four years, ago, when one of my best friends started working for one of the vendors. Since then, it’s been on my agenda during each of my rare free Saturdays! Last Saturday was one of those delightful days. Here’s what you can expect at Phoenix Public Market!

How to get to Phoenix Public Market

If you’re like me, you generally avoid both driving and parking in downtown Phoenix at all costs. It’s not that it’s a poorly designed city; on the contrary! The problem is that there are a ton of one-way streets and a shortage of free parking. Thankfully, getting to Phoenix Public Market is pretty easy! Here’s the address:

14 E Pierce St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

To get there from the West Valley, you need to take the I-17 South to the I-10 East. From the East Valley, get to the I-10 West. No matter where you’re coming from, go south on 7th Ave, then go east on Roosevelt, then go south again on N. Central. There is plenty of parking, even on a busy Saturday morning–thank goodness!

What you can get at Phoenix Public Market

Look who I got to go to the farmer’s market with!

Yep, that’s right! Alyssa and I were both med school wives in Saint Martin. When I said goodbye to her six months ago, I had no idea that I’d get to hang out with her in Arizona! She and her husband are spending a few months here between classes and clinicals, just like us. You can read about our island adventures exploring downtown Philipsburg and downtown Marigot in some of my earlier posts. I guess we just like hanging out together downtown.

We had a great time wandering through the many vendors at Phoenix Public Market, trying samples of ice cream and peppermint essential oils. The farmer’s market has everything you can imagine, as far as produce goes. I picked up some fresh organic Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and tomatoes while we were there. Everything tastes better fresh!

It’s not all veggies at the Phoenix Public Market, through. There are also things like homemade cheese, fresh-baked goods, local honey, and ice cream. A chocolate chunk cookie was essential to our shopping day.

This weekend, the market with bursting with colorful blooms! Hit this corner of downtown in springtime, and you’re always bound to see plenty of flowers for sale.

We admired the handiwork from all the talented vendors. The farmer’s market is an awesome place to get turquoise jewelry, hand-carved wooden toys, and macrame. Both Alyssa and I loved these handmade macrame planters. Aren’t they awesome?

I loved listening to the live music in the market before we left. Outside the market, there are always plenty of food trucks. I’ve tried the acai bowls before, and they are delicious.

 

Phoenix Public Market Cafe

Of course, no trip to the Phoenix Public Market is complete without stopping at Phoenix Public Market Cafe. This is located right next door to the market, and it sources as much of its ingredients as possible from the market. Alyssa treated me to a cup of tea and we enjoyed chatting in the busy weekend atmosphere.

There’s a lot to do in downtown Phoenix, but if you’re in the area, why not make some time this weekend to enjoy a taste of the rural in this urban jungle? Actually, anywhere you are, it’s a great time to seek out some local produce! Go support your local growers and eat healthy. Love your community!

 

Kito’s First Dog Park: Foothills Dog Park

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

The Valley of the Sun is a pretty dog-friendly place. In the West Valley alone, there are 17 dog parks that I know of. Today, I checked out the Foothills Dog Park (in Glendale, Arizona) with Kito and my sister, Kaylee.


Getting There

The Foothills Dog Park isn’t hard to find. It shares a parking lot with the Foothills branch of the Glendale Library. The library is near 59th and Union Hills, and its turn-in is just west of the Glendale Rec Center. The gate to the dog park is located on the south side of the library parking lot.


Hours and Rules

The rules of the dog park are pretty basic: pick up your dog poop, take home your toys, and be courteous.


The hours are from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.


Features

The Foothills Dog Park is pretty big! There is plenty of space to run off-leash and play fetch. There is a separate park for big dogs and little dogs, which is awesome. Kito is medium-sized, but she usually ends up knocking over little dogs when she gets too enthusiastic.


Between the two areas, there is a fenced-in location with a doggie drinking fountain. Kito was a snob and would only drink from my bottle, so guess who didn’t get water? Me. We’ll work on that.


There are also a bunch of playground-style toys. I suppose you could use these for training, but we just had fun on them. Kito liked the tunnel because it was shady.


Speaking of shade, there are plenty of shaded areas for both dogs and people to relax.

My Rating

I’ll give this dog park a 5/5! Maybe it’s just because I don’t have anything to compare it to yet, but I thought the Foothills Dog Park was pretty amazing. I’m excited to try the next dog park on our to-do list!

A Walk Along the CAP Canal

arizona, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

Just in case you were wondering, Phoenix has a grand total of zero natural waterways. We do, however, have a couple of canals. The Central Arizona Project Canal and the Salt River Project Canal. These take water from the Colorado River and the Salt River and bring it to the city because, well, there’s a city in the middle lf the desert with no water. Go figure. 


The CAP canal isn’t too far from our house; in fact, it runs through the middle of one of our favorite hiking ranges, Deem Hills. 


Deem Hills is in the Northwestern corner of Phonix. If you start at the east entrance of the trails, you can take the Circumference Trail a short distance to the path that goes along the edge of the canal. Unlike the hilly trail over the mountains, this is a nice flat trail, good for long walks and jogging.


The trail goes through the range, and then runs behind a neighborhood. It offers access to parks and playgrounds, and has nice views of the canal. 


When a canal’s all you’ve got, it’s actually a pretty desirable view. We did find a rattlesnake back there once, so keep an eye out just in case! 


Kito loved the trails. She’s still discovering new and interesting things, like quail and rabbits. She didn’t even mind when we ran the last mile! This is the first of many family hikes in Deem Hills.

Unicorns and Starbucks and Pop Stars

arizona, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Spouses Organization, Uncategorized, United States

So… I ate my words this week. Or rather, drank my words. As many of my friends moved back to the States over the past several months, they looked forward to one thing above all else: Starbucks. Oh, they were obsessed! They talked about the pumpkin chai latte all fall (I totally didn’t miss fall because we don’t get it in Arizona anyway). They talked about pepperminty drinks all winter (another thing we don’t get). They talked about iced coffee all summer. A couple of them went to St. Barth’s for the purpose of Starbucks, because they had heard there was one there (there isn’t). Oh, and when it was time for them to move home, they talked about Starbucks all the time, posted Instagram photos, and drank it every day!

I rolled my eyes.

I don’t really like coffee, and I’ve probably had about five coffees in my entire life. So I didn’t really get the whole thing.

So, then I moved back to the States. Guess what was the first thing I bought on U.S. soil? Yup, Starbucks. Hypocrite that I am. And it was GOOD. But I did some pretty stupid things in the process, which I am blaming on the ridiculously long trip we were in the middle of. It addled my brain, guys.

The only reason I even went to Starbucks was for this sweet thing: the UNICORN FRAPPE.

This is a photo of my friend Jordon’s Unicorn. (Hey Jordon.) I am posting this because I did not get my Unicorn, friends. So I have to use someone else’s photo.  I am also posting it because, apparently, Jordon’s alter-ego is Lord Voldemort. But back to the Unicorn.

I’ve been in the Caribbean for a long time, so going up to Starbucks in the Miami airport was pretty exciting, not going to lie. Equally wonderful was the smile and greeting that I got from the barista, because I have gotten used to the customer service culture on Saint Martin. That’s a nice way of saying that there is an island-wide epidemic of poor customer service in Saint Martin. However, on Saint Martin, you don’t usually pay a whopping six bucks for, like, two ounces of coffee. The Unicorn Frappuccino was $6.50 for a tall (by the way, non-U.S. friends, a “tall” is the smallest microscopic cup of coffee you’ve ever seen). Six dollars and fifty cents! No way.

In Saint Martin, there are usually two columns for prices at restaurants and store. The left column is the price in guilders, which is roughly twice as much as dollars, and the right column is the price in U.S. dollars. At Starbucks, there are also two columns. The left column has the price, while the right column has the calories.

I looked at the menu to find something cheaper than the are-you-freaking-kidding-me-six-and-a-half-dollars cup of pink unicorn magic, and I decided on the caramel frappe. Why? because while the left column said “5.00,” the right column said “300.” Oh, $3.00 in U.S. money, right? I ordered it.

I was a little surprised when my total was $5.50-ish. I paid it, while trying to figure out the math. Oh tax. That’s right. We don’t have sales tax in St. Marten. Still, that seemed a little expensive. Who raised those sales taxes while I was gone? Politics really have gone down the toilet in this country. It wasn’t until I walked away– sleep-deprived, dragging a hyper dog, and probably looking like a crazy person– that I remembered that there’s only one currency in the United States, and that Starbucks is just really expensive. I was ordering something worth 300 calories, not $3.00. Oops.

I have another funny Starbucks moment (I actually went twice in the first week I came back– sorry to everyone I judged, either mentally or verbally, for doing this very thing). I’ll make you wait for that one, though, because my Sint Maarten friends need to know about a wonderful thing called Dutch Bros. Guys, you’re Dutch, and you have no idea what Dutch Bros is! I know, because I asked some of you. Well, as you can see, the cups have windmills and tulips on it, which, according to Stuff Dutch People Like, totally makes it Dutch. It’s also home to the one and only coffee I will ever drink, the Carmelizer. So get some Dutch Bros, Dutch people! You need this in your country.

Back to the Starbucks. I actually went back to a Starbucks in order to get that Unicorn Frappe. And much to my sadness, the barista told me that they are literally sold out all over the Valley! I somewhat suspect they’re actually just sick of making them, based on this video, but either way, I had to settle for a cotton candy frappe. Which, by the way, is really good. It isn’t as colorful as the Unicorn Frappe, though, so it didn’t look as good as my Instagram Feed. Here is a shameless plug: follow me on Instagram!

While the color didn’t make it Insta-worthy, the name on it did. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even get a clear photo.

This is just about as good as my friend Lord Voldemort’s cup, and it wasn’t even intentional. I’ve had all sorts of interesting spellings of “Breana” on my Starbucks cups, but this is a first.

That’s all for today, guys. I have to go work work work work work now. Let me know your funniest Starbucks moment in the comments!

The International Move from the Black Lagoon

American University of the Caribbean, arizona, AUC, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Spouses Organization, United States

 

The good news: we made it back to Arizona!

The bad news: it took 24 hours and about half my remaining sanity.

If you’ve ever moved internationally, you know it’s not exactly a piece of cake. Actually, it’s pretty tough, emotionally and logistically. It’s like I was being ripped in half, because I was so sad to leave St. Maarten, but at the same time so excited to see my family and my hometown. And while I was trying to deal with those emotions, I had to be getting rid of all my stuff and cramming the few things I was keeping into our suitcases.

 

 

Fact: You can only drag so many pieces of luggage through the airport.

Also fact: Suitcases hold less than you expect them to.

 

 

As we were going through all our stuff, I was wondering where the heck all that crap came from. We only lived in St. Maarten for a couple of years, and I was intentionally trying not to amass copious amounts of things. So even after selling, donating, giving away and throwing out the large majority of what was in our apartment, we still had three suitcases, two gigantic backpacks, and a couple of small backpacks. Plus the dog. And by the way, getting the dog back was incredibly stressful. But I don’t want to even think about that right now. She’s here, and that’s all that matters.

 

 

The first thing that happened when we got to the airport, as we were struggling to get our luggage to the counter, was a cranky security guard stopping us and demanding to see our paperwork for the dog. Not only was it bad timing, but she actually has no authority over whether or not a dog goes on the plane. We have to show it to the lady at the baggage counter and the people a customs. I took this total waste of time as a bad sign about the way the trip would go, and boy, was that accurate.

 

Kenny driving us to the airport

 

Kito was thoroughly freaking out by the time we made it through customs, but the hour wait to get on the plane calmed her down. We planned to get on the place last of all, so that Kito wouldn’t get in anyone’s way, but they actually let us get on the plane first. That was really nice, and it gave us a chance to get settled. Kito was so worn out that she lay down at my feet and fell asleep.

 

As soon as the engine started, she shot straight up in the air and landed on our laps! Ben comforted her while I watched my beautiful St. Martin disappear beneath the clouds. I had thought I would cry at this moment, but I was already too exhausted for any tears. The last thing I saw was Pond Island growing smaller and smaller beneath us. It was strange to think that my Little League team was practicing right then and I was not there to help.

 

Kito literally shook with terror for the entire three hour flight to Miami. Poor dog! The good news was that she was so quiet that I don’t think anyone noticed her.

 

 

We had booked a flight with a 1.75 hour layover so that it would be easier on the dog. Here’s a piece of advice: never book a short layover when going through customs in Miami. We had intended to use the really cool new customs app (Guys, it’s really cool. You have to use it next time you fly internationally!) but it doesn’t work if you have an “x” on your customs form. Kito is technically an imported animal, so we still had to wait in the long line.

After the long line, we were taken to another special customs area for people who are importing stuff. We were the only ones waiting in the room, and we waited for fifteen minutes while the staff slowly stacked papers, watched basketball on TV, had a conversation about illegally imported mangoes, and complained about having to multitask when they finally decided to get around to seeing us.

Even through we were slowly watching our chances of catching our connection slip away, I was more concerned about Kito’s rabies shot. I had called my vet to set up Kito’s health certificate appointment, and she told me not to worry about making a separate, earlier appointment for the rabies shot. So I got it a week early, along with the health certificate. St. Maarten is a rabies-free country, so it technically doesn’t matter, according to the CDC. A lot of my dog-savvy friends, however, told me that I might not get Kito through customs if her shot was less than a month old. So I was really worried about that. As it turned out, though, the customs people looked the shot record over, smiled, and handed it back without a comment. Of course, seeing that they didn’t appear to take their job very seriously, I wouldn’t count on that being the norm.

 

 

We left customs and realized that we had just missed our flight. We were directed to customer service, where we waited in another long line to get a new flight. When we finally got to the front, the representative told us that the next flight was at 7 AM– twelve hours after we had landed in Miami. Since the delay was not the airline’s fault, we didn’t get a room or even a meal voucher. I could tell that the manager felt bad, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Another woman who was on our flight was MAD. She was incredibly mad, and she really wanted us to be as mad as she was. Honestly, though, we weren’t that upset. Maybe it’s because we were too exhausted to feel anything other than tired, but I think it was because we were just thankful to be through customs and in Florida. There’s nothing like getting your newly-stamped passport back and hearing, “Welcome to the United States.”

 

 

The airport wouldn’t let us through security a “day early,” and when we got our new tickets it was 11:00 PM. So we had to wait an hour just inside the door and get overpriced Pizza Hut, which was all that was open. Boy, did that Pizza Hut taste good just then. At midnight, we went through security. It was actually nice to be doing the TSA thing so early, when there were only five people in line ahead of us. We just had to slide on through, and we were done in ten minutes. Phew. We still had six and a half hours before boarding, so we found a quiet terminal and tried to sleep.

 

 

We actually did manage to sleep a little bit. It’s amazing how easy it is to fall asleep in odd places when you’re so exhausted! Even the dog just dropped off to sleep, all curled up on an airport chair.

Of course, we couldn’t sleep the whole time. I was worried about Kito peeing on the carpet, so we took to her to the special doggy bathroom a few times to make sure to avoid a mess. Thank goodness for the doggie bathroom!

Also, Ben made a new friend named Leo. Leo works at the airport, and he didn’t have any assigned duties for a couple hours during the especially slow parts of the night, so he talked to Ben for a while and found out our predicament. He helped us get seats together on the plane, and then drove us an all our stuff to our terminal on his cart.

 

 

When it was finally time to get on the plane, I was surprised at how quickly the night had gone. The plane ride didn’t seem so short. I slept for a while, and tried to do a crossword puzzle with my fuzzy sleep-deprived brain. Mostly, I held Kito, who was really not enjoying the whole experience. The upside to the early morning plane ride was that my parents didn’t have to pick us up at midnight, which I was happy about.

Finally, we touched down in dusty Phoenix! I have never been so happy to see the familiar outline of Camelback Mountain. We were so excited to see my family, and Kito was excited about the new kennel they bought her. Seriously– I have never seen a dog who loved a kennel so much. How wonderful to be a dog and have a grassy yard for the first time ever, and a cozy kennel to sleep in at night!

 

 

After the whole experience, I can safely say I will never fly with a dog again. At least not for that long of a flight! It was the worst flight experience I’ve ever had, but we got through it with pretty good attitudes and made it home just fine. Now that we’ve recovered a bit, I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends and re-integrating into the United States. This is just the first chapter of a whole new life.