"Go, Go, Wildcats, Go!"
Have I ever mentioned that I am the "Black Sheep" of my family?
No, I don't mean that I am evil. Or that I am a screw up. Not by any means. (Well, maybe I am a little evil...) What I do mean is that I am the only one in my family not to go to Arizona State University.
Anyone in my family who does go to college goes to ASU. That's just the way it is. It's assumed from a young age that if you choose to go to university, you will go to Tempe and partake in the maroon and gold goodness.
Well, I did not do that.
No. I chose to go to the University of Arizona. I chose red and blue and being a Wildcat to becoming a Sundevil. And by doing this, I became the default person to be picked on in my family.
I don't really pay much attention to sports. Never cared for them. Never really will. (The only reason I even know who Tom Brady is is because he is dating that supermodel.) But every year, in the late Fall, my family liked to pretend that I cared about sports.
"ASU is going to kick U of A's ass in the football game!" they would try to taunt me.
But the truth is I didn't care. I didn't even watch the games. I couldn't tell you who out of the 40,000 students at U of A were football players. I had sorority sisters who were cheerleaders. And they were the only reason I even knew our school's fight song.
More often than not, ASU would win the annual rivalry game between the two schools. And my family would get to bask in the glory of their school over mine. And I would pretend like I would care what they thought. But I did not. Because I didn't choose U of A over ASU because I was all into my school's superiority.
I chose U of A because my high school boyfriend was going to be going to school there. That is, until he got accepted to Purdue a month before the end of senior year. And ended up going there.
I could have changed my mind, and gone to ASU as I had always originally planned to. But I had already set my mind to living in Tucson and studying there. I had my dorm picked out. I had my parking pass. I even had a job lined up three days a week after classes. Why change it all, just because he wasn't going there anymore?
(And this begins the start to my independence streak in relationships, and not ever wanting to follow the other person. It wasn't till I met The Husband that I decided to work on that issue a little. And I still have trouble with it today.)
I am glad I went to the U of A. If I hadn't, I would be in a different career than I am now. (Likely would have stuck with broadcasting.) I would have probably stayed in Phoenix. (Which is a GREAT city. But I wanted to live someplace different.) And there's no way I would have met my husband. (I got bored with Tucson after school, and moved to NYC. If I had lived in Phoenix, there's no way I would have gotten bored.)
So, even though I like both schools... And even though I don't really care about sports... All I have is one thing to write about today...
Comments
Thanks!
Sure...
Phoenix is definitely not "trapped in the 80s." It's advanced into a very metropolitan city. And it's a huge city. There are so many little towns and cities that make up the area that there's a wide variety of things to see and do. Plenty of great shopping. Great sports teams. Culture coming out your ears... Art museums... GHOST TOWNS to visit...
Camping... Hiking... Skiing.. Snowboarding... These are all things you can do in a few hours drive from Phoenix.
Looking to spa? OMG... Arizona (Phoenix especially) has some of the best in the world.
Oh! And, um... Did you know it his SUNNY 96% percent of the year? Sure, it doesn't rain much. But it is sunny and warm most of the year.
And it's a more relaxing pace of life there. I moved to the East Coast 8 years ago because I was a young professional looking for a quick pace of life (compared to Tucson.) But, if I had chosen to live in Phoenix, it would have been a nice in-between. Phoenix is a very sexy city, but people there love to relax. Especially outdoors.
Also, Phoenix (from what I hear) has what's been awarded the best pizza in the world according to many gourmet magazines. I think the place is called Bianca's. (My sister tells me I have to try it when I visit her.)
It's a very good place to raise children. And there's plenty to do. The cost of living is extremely reasonable. And The Husband and I are likely going to buy a condo in the next few years there... To use as a vacation home.
I definitely recommend Phoenix. Where are you potentially moving there from?
I genuinely appreciate your insight.
You just gotta choose a neighborhood that works for you. But there is so much to do in Phoenix. And s many places for you guys to cheaply go away to on the weekends.