A Few of the Finer Things - March 2019

Learning AZ

I moved here 2 years and a month ago, to weather very similar to what we are experiencing right now. It was cold, overcast and rainy (like Seattle rain) for just about a month straight. I remember teasing Gary about the AZ blue skies and sun he promised me before I moved…and he reassured me that the rain shall pass and open up to beautiful sunny skies, given time. Foreshadowing…

I know many of you have taken on substantial moves in your lives – from country to country or state to state, changing jobs, and possibly leaving behind beloved family and friends. Beyond the process of the actual move - packing, getting rid of things, organizing a moving truck, finding a new place to live, etc. – is the acclimation to a new setting, meeting new people and settling into a new routine. This was very much a welcome challenge for me. I will tell you there were some rainy times emotionally, missing family and friends with whom I’ve spent the majority of my life. However, Gary was right: The rain does pass, and given time, the sun comes out again.

Not knowing anyone in Phoenix, I had to do some creative thinking and researching to build a new life for myself. It sounds almost silly, but – how and where to meet new friends? Where to eat? Something as simple as where do I get my car serviced and where do I shop? Along the way, I unearthed some coping mechanisms, along with some very cool ways to meet people that I would like to share.

Coping mechanisms:

1) FaceTime. The ability to connect face to face with my family and friends was KEY to my happiness early on. If you are not using this technology to stay in touch, you should try it. FT gives you the ultimate feel of being in the same room, though miles apart. My brother and I would even have a weekly Friday happy hour together and we still do, just not quite as often!

2) I rescued a dog. Actually, we definitely rescued each other. Some of you have met Louie the poodle mix. He is an occasional visitor at the office and a nice addition…although he is a horrible stock picker!

Cool ways to meet new people:

1) There is an app called Bumble, which is usually only thought of as a dating app but also has “friendship” capability as well, called Bumble BFF (Best Friends Forever!). You create a profile for yourself, select an age range and location (I chose 40-55, Phoenix) and select activities in which you are interested. Bumble does the rest of the work for you by offering profiles of women who have similar interests and locale, and you reach out to people who seem like your style. I was able to meet 2 very interesting and fun women via this app, and we now get together at least twice a month for dinner. We also stay in touch via a group text, which gets downright hilarious sometimes. What I found interesting about Bumble BFF is that 99% of the people I reached out to had moved to Phoenix within the last 2 years and were having a hard time making friends. This app was such a great find for me and I highly recommend it if you are looking to meet friends!

2) Meetup is another app which allows you to be social without having a network in place. Similar to Bumble BFF, you create a profile for yourself and can then opt in to groups that may have similar interests to you. One possible benefit to Meetup is that you are in a group of people vs. one-on-one. A few of the many groups available: photography, hiking, food & drink, running and dancing. I joined several groups and definitely met a few people and had a good time!

3) Volunteering. I started volunteering at St. Mary’s Foodbank in Phoenix and it is a blast! Each volunteer group works a 2-hour shift packing food boxes for underprivileged people in our community. St. Mary’s does so much more – check it out: St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Not only have I met kind and generous people through this endeavor, it feels so good to give back to my new community.

In closing, it has been wonderful learning to navigate my new home, and it has been so lovely to meet and get to know all of our fabulous clients. Between Gary’s clan and all of you, I feel like I have a new local family to love. Thank you!

Louie!

– Kelly Hughes, March 2019