April 17-18, 2024, Wednesday/Thursday morning, 2:25am, pacific standard time, hotel in Chandler, Arizona,USA. I am aware of the posts I never write. The thoughts, memories, observances and experiences I fail to capture. Yesterday was the two year anniversary of a cherished vacation. I thought about reminiscing but didn’t. Later, a colleague at work threw out a comment about leaving the stress of her job behind and becoming a florist. I wanted to write about my own release valve from stress, going back to being a Chaplain, but I just couldn’t find the time. Finally, I thought of an analogy about my past Arizona experience being like a favorite book I return to read time and again but the thought was quickly dismissed. I am emotionally exhausted from nostalgia overload. Right now it is early Thursday morning. I am going to get up soon, go for a walk, exercise at the hotel gym, then get on the road back to California. I don’t know when I will return to Arizona. This has been a good trip. My work meetings went well, I saw old friends and visited the landmarks I wanted to see. Now it is time to say goodbye one more time and return to the life waiting for me back home.

April 16, 2024, Tuesday night, 8:44pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Scottsdale, Arizona,USA. Turns out I didn’t need to change hotels. When they announced the meeting last month it sounded like we would be staying close to the office. Instead, the meeting and dinner were in Gilbert and the hotel is 25 minutes away in Scottsdale. It would have been easier to stay another night in Chandler. But I am kind of glad it worked out this way. The hotel is a nice one in old town Scottsdale and staying in a different city gives me a new perspective on Arizona. I was overdoing it on nostalgia the last couple days in Chandler and needed a different experience.

April 15, 2024, Monday afternoon, 2:24pm, pacific standard time, outside old office in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Had a good time with my friend last night. Got up a little late and went for my usual Arizona walk followed by a workout at the hotel gym. The phone started ringing at 8:am and has barely stopped. Seems like a lot of people are punchy at work this week. This afternoon I went to a planet fitness in Chandler to see if it would be better for workouts while I am out here. It wasn’t very big and not very impressive. I might not bother trying and just stick with the hotel gym. After that I went back to the hotel and changed. Now I am driving around, visiting familiar haunts and planning what I am going to have for dinner.

April 14, 2024, Sunday afternoon, 3:35pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Chandler, Arizona, USA. Made it to Arizona an hour ago. It is somewhat surreal to be back. When I visited last July/august I was only 4 months removed from moving. Everything felt familiar. Now it has been over a year since I moved. It is nice to see the area again but there is a sense life has moved on without me. It is probably just Sunday afternoon blues making things more emotional. I am going to go to dinner at 5pm and enjoy the rest of my evening. I am sure as the week goes on I will feel happier.

April 12/13, 2024, Friday/Saturday morning 9:53am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. I am looking forward to my trip to Arizona tomorrow. I have made plans with friends, grabbed supplies and now getting ready to pack. I want to leave relatively early and get there by afternoon. It feels so good to be visiting a place that means so much to me. I want to do and see as much as I can while I am there.

April 10/11, Wednesday/Thursday afternoon, 2:55pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point,California,USA. I have been forgetting to post lately. Time to catch up. Yesterday I drove to Palm Desert from San Bernardino for an employees baby shower. On the way back I stopped in Beaumont to meet a friend for drinks. This morning I got up early, exercised, then headed back to Orange County. My mind has been focused on returning to Arizona next week. I want this week to end so I can get on the road and be back in familiar places. I reached out to a friend I haven’t seen for sometime (over a year). We are going to get together Sunday night in Chandler. After that I have Monday to myself and then meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. I am going to stay Wednesday night and try and see another friend while I am out there. It will be so nice to be back in Arizona.

April 8-9, 2024, Monday/Tuesday night, 11:16pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in San Bernardino, California,USA. In San Bernardino yesterday and today to meet with my boss and his business development counterpart. The meeting wasn’t very eventful but I did get to spend one-on-one time with him Monday afternoon at the office and yesterday morning at the hotel gym. I feel much more at ease about the nature of our relationship. I am happy. Right now all I want to do is make it through the rest of the week and head to Arizona on Sunday.

April 7, 2024, Sunday morning, 11:23am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point,California,USA. Today is the last day of vacation before going back to work. Yes, I worked Thursday and Friday but I wasn’t traveling or overly invested. This week I have a meeting in San Bernardino and one in palm desert followed by my trip to Arizona next week. I look forward to going back to Arizona. It will be nice to drive, visit old friends and see familiar places. Last night I watched basketball and took my daughter to the mall to buy pants. I was just about to turn in when a friend in Vista wanted to get together. It ended up being a long night. I had fun but I am dragging this morning. My daughter is supposed to go to a Ducks hockey game with her boyfriends family this evening. We will see how that goes.

April 6, 2024, Saturday morning, 9:21am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point,California,USA. I have a desire to create. Make music with my guitar, draw a picture, put words together to tell a story. Something that contributes to the universe and connects with people. I am in a good personal space at the moment. I have made peace with work and money. I feel settled with home and place and I am content with relationships. With so many needs being met I can focus on Self-actualization. It is rare to be in this kind of space. I am savoring the experience.

April 4-5, 2024, Thursday/Friday, 7:08, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point,California, USA. It still feels like I am on vacation. Yesterday I had a couple meetings but for the most part simply caught up on emails. I took my daughter to meet her friend at the mall around 1pm. Other than that I stayed home. The weather is chilly today so there is not much to do. I already made it to the gym this morning. Now I am back home drinking coffee and eating a poppyseed muffin my mom packed for me. I am going to enjoy today and relax this weekend before fully going back to work mode on Monday.