happy tucsoniversary to me

One year ago today I rolled into Tucson from pretty Albuquerque, check engine light still on in my beloved Lumina and proceeded straight to Casa 921 (aka the REAL Chill Town) to take possession of our keys and unload my overworked car. The first couple days, I stayed with Alex who was kind enough to lend me use of her whole house, take me out to dinner that first night, and let me bask in her air conditioning in between endless trips to Target and Home Depot and furniture stores. A day or two later, LB and Lois made it into town without killing each other on their cross-country drive and unpacking and decorating began in earnest.

I haven't given a lot of thought to the past year, possibly because until the last couple of months, it was one of the easiest, purposeful, and most fun of my entire life. Tucson will never be Madison, but the people I've met here have certainly helped ease that shortcoming. My transition out here was almost unmentionable, in fact, it was so easy. I didn't get homesick and though I missed their regular presence, I didn't pine for the people I left behind in Wisconsin. Adjusting to our new distance was natural and easy. Maybe as natural and easy as those relationships developed in the first place, lo these many years ago.

Moving to Tucson was one of the best decisions I've ever made, even now when I question whether I want to stay in this field. This program was the best option available to me and with few exceptions, it has fulfilled my expectations. Tucson is where I wanted to be, and over the past year, I've never wavered in that feeling, not even once. But more than that, leaving the Midwest and experiencing an entirely different region, climate and populace has been a ridiculously cleansing experience for me. I've learned so much about myself starting anew here and have grown in ways politically, spiritually and socially that I never could have imagined 366 days ago. I am sometimes hard pressed to remember who I was before I came to the desert, even though surely 95% of her is still present.

Without further ado, I present you merely some of the highlights of my first 365 days in the not-Midwest: Bowling. The Desert Museum. The Asylum. Birthday costume parties. Thanksgiving among friends. Having part of one family meet another. And her. Him, too. Little towns with big charm. Congress. A new year.Birthday dinners with good service, birthday dinners with bad service. Surprise cupcakes. Parties. Parties again. Red Rock. Her. Them. Him. Gem shows, drag shows, and indie shows at the Loft. Them. This land. More bowling. Running in our janky neighborhood. Him, too. Alison's Tour of Tucson Men Numbers One through Nine, but especially Number Six. Survival dinners. Fancy dinners. New cars. Soleil. That land, too. Roller derby. Karaoke. The shot count that's been on our whiteboard since May. Riding in cars with boys. The janky white cat. The singing, oh my god, the singing. Chocolate Truffle Twix. Our crazy landlady. Nogales. The story of the candles that sit on our front porch, just so, and have ever since January. Softball games with family. And on. Happy Tucsoniversary, indeed.