ArizonaLife.Rocks - Pam & Jeff Miller - Blog

Rumblings & Ramblings ...

8/25/2018

The monsoon season in Arizona has been in full force complete with the rumbling of thunder, the flashes of lightening, and the crazy floods that seem so intense, and then disappear in 30 minutes. As for the ramblings, let me ramble on about a few random things.

A couple weeks ago we passed 2 years living in our current rental house. This is the 2nd longest we have lived in a place. The longest was 9 years in the same rental house in Cambria. We did not make it to 2 years in our first rental house in Sedona, or the 2 different rental houses during our time in Hawaii.

Late July had me reach my 2-year anniversary of working at Pink Jeep Tours. At the end of July the company was sold to new owners. A much larger family run business based out of Georgia, called Hersched Family Entertainment. This is a good thing and only brings bigger and better opportunities to the Pink Jeep family.

The HFE Corporation owns amusement parks, aquariums, resorts, theaters, and the Harlem Globetrotters, too. Click here to read all about them.

We are getting ready for the Jewish High Holidays in September, and I have been asked to blow the shofar, and then in November we will celebrate Pam’s Bat Mitzvah, along with 3 of her Hebrew classmates during a Friday night service. In between we have a long weekend get-away to Minnesota in October. We are going to visit some friends and co-workers from when we lived in Cambria and worked at Hearst Castle.

Apparently old age is creeping up on me and I am having cataract surgery on both eyes. One eye was done this week, and the other in a few weeks. While my brain is playing ping-pong trying figure out how to focus on things, I am amazed at how clear and how colorful everything is in the eye that had surgery. Who knew the world was so colorful. No more yellowish or grayish tint to everything.

Nothing else real exciting to report except maybe the scorpion that stung me in the garage last weekend. He/she is dead now.

Think I got real lucky and not a full sting. It hurt a little, freaked us out a lot, and I learned that the firefighters/paramedics down the street are real nice, and good looking, too.

I hope summer has treated you, your family, and friends well, and that everyone is safe, healthy, and happy. ~ Jeff

2 More Years of ArizonaLife

6/23/2018

Guess I have been tied up with life, and have forgotten to write a blog post for an entire year. Let’s see if we can change that and get back to regular blog posts.

Monday, June 25th, we will have been back in Sedona for 2 years. In some ways it seems like we just got back, and in some ways it seems like we never left.

Life continues moving on, and things are good. Pam and I are still living in the same rental home in the Village of Oak Creek area. Earlier in June we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary, and we have already finalized our plans to return to Maui and Kauai in June 2019 for the celebration of our 20th anniversary.

In a few weeks, I will hit my 2 year anniversary working at Pink Jeep Tours. I must say, I do not miss being outside in the elements, and amongst the tourists, and enjoy my Monday – Friday office desk job at the corporate headquarters.

Pam is still busy with her jewelry crafting, cross-stitching, taking Tai Chi/Qigong classes when available, teaching a friend how to cook, and continuing her studying of Hebrew. Along with some of her adult Hebrew classmates, Pam is going to be Bat Mitzvahed this upcoming November. She was also recently elected to be Vice President of the Women’s Havurah, at the JCSVV (Jewish Community of Sedona and Verde Valley).

We have both become more involved at the JCSVV attending most Friday night services, the High Holidays last Fall, Purim, Hanukkah, and other celebrations and events. I have been called upon to carry the Torah, and Pam has been called up on the bimah to light the Sabbath candles and sing the prayer. We both have been called up for aliyahs, too.

This past year we had some enjoyable local road trips and weekend getaways. Some to places we have visited before, like the Grand Canyon, and Petrified Forest, and to some new places, like Tuzigoot National Monument, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, and the towns of Bisbee, and Tombstone in Southern Arizona.

Last November we took a short trip to Spokane for the annual NAI Workshop (National Association for Interpretation) where I was recognized and honored to receive the association’s Meritorious Service Award. When we returned from Spokane, we had Thanksgiving dinner at our house with relatives and friends. It was a nice change to celebrate the holiday in our house.

Being the sports fan that I am, it was great to watch my hometown Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, and to have the Arizona Diamondbacks surprisingly make the play-offs last year, and to be off to a good start this season, too. We went to a few games down in the valley last year, but passed on buying tickets for this season. Too much driving, and too expensive.

We survived a very dry winter and spring. If my old memory is correct, only 1 day with any snow, and only a couple days with any rain. We are in severe drought conditions and red flag fire danger warnings, too. Last summer we had only a couple of monsoons. With monsoon season officially starting June 15th, we are all hoping for lots of storms and water for our land and vegetation this summer of 2018. Work even has a day and time of the first monsoon storm pool going. I picked 7/4/18 @ 1:40PM.

Wishing you all a safe start to summer, along with good health, good times, and lots of happiness, too. Hope to be back with more blogging soon.
Peace. Love. Light. ~ Jeff

366 = 1

6/25/2017

June 25th. 366 days = 1 year ago today, we arrived back in Sedona. We had my car, 5 suitcases full of our stuff, and thanks to friend Jon Knight, and his brother Mike Knight, a furnished vacation rental to sleep, and settle in for the next 6+ weeks. A charming VRBO, called Marilyn’s House, their mothers place in West Sedona. A few weeks later, Pam’s car would join us, and 7 weeks later, our cargo shipped from Hawaii finally arrived from its cruise across the Pacific, and truck ride from the port of LA.

When we arrived on June 25th, we had idea if and where I would find a job, where would we eventually find a place to live, and how the move back would work out. It was a hard decision to make, but we had to survive. Spring and the start of Summer 2016 were quite a rough few months. Making the decision to leave Hawaii and return to Arizona was stressful, agonizing, and even painful at times.

I hit the streets running, or at least scouring the Internet help wanted ads and driving around to apply for jobs in my air-conditioned car. A few weeks later, I was hired by Pink Jeep Tours to work in their headquarters support office in West Sedona. Phew. It was a great opportunity with a great company. Start date, July 21st.

Now, June 25th one year later, we are settled in to a nice rental home in the Village of Oak Creek area of Sedona. We have been in the place since the beginning of August 2016. On July 21st, I will hit my 1-year anniversary working at Pink Jeep.

Life has moved forward, and we have survived. As Pam has said, she had a nice 2 and a quarter-year vacation in Hawaii. With purging our belongings before we moved across the ocean, and again before we moved back, we have refurnished our home.

We are settled back in Sedona, we have made a few new friends, and have joined and become involved in the local synagogue, the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. And yes, it is a dry heat.

Hope all of you are well. Hope the Summer season is good for everyone, and hope to post more frequently on our ArizonaLife.rocks website blog.

3 + 2 = 8

9/25/2016

3 months ago, on June 25th, we pulled back in to Sedona. It was my first time back since we moved away in March of 2014. Pam was here for a short visit in 2015. 2 months ago this past week, on July 21st, I started my new job working in the support office at Pink Jeep Tours. I must say, I am the happiest I have been in quite some time, other than the pain and healing time that Pam is having to go through with her recent elbow and arm injury. There is always room for things being better and/or for some improvement, and that is why 3 + 2 = 8, and not a 9 or 10. Jeff

2 + 1 + 2 + 1

8/23/2016

It has been 2 months since we arrived in Sedona on June 25th, and just a bit over 1 month since I started my new job working in the support office for Pink Jeep Tours in Sedona. We have been in our new rental home for 2 weeks now, and our cargo arrived from Hawaii about 1 week ago.

Getting settled back in Sedona has been both happy times, and some stressful times. Finding a new job, and a new place to live were definitely good things, and happy times. Having to replace furniture we sold, and other household items, has at times, been a bit stressful, but is just stuff, and it will all be fine in the long run.

There have also been some bad times. A couple days after moving in to our new place, my wonderful wife, Pam, took a fall and hurt herself. A dislocated elbow, and a fractured arm led to 11+ hours in the emergency room, and a lot of pain, aches, discomfort, and bad times. Now she gets to start the rehab and physical therapy process. I wish I could wave my magic wand, or have some futuristic device to make her all better. Please send her some good vibes, and some healing hugs. She certainly does not deserve what happened, or what she is going through. She sure picked a heck of a way to get out of unpacking boxes and getting the house organized.

Once we do get unpacked and organized, we will share some pictures of our new place, and more of beautiful Sedona. For now, I leave you with this one, the main cover photo here on our website. It is one of my favorite pictures taken on Pam's birthday in 2012 while we were out on a Pink Jeep Tour. Jeff

3 + 3

7/19/2016

We have hit 3 weeks and 3 days back in Sedona. There was another warm week with no real monsoon activity up until this afternoon. I hope the monsoon storms return soon. We had a day trip to Scottsdale to pick up a package and have lunch with Pam’s aunt, and visits to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Trader Joe’s and Costco. Sure missed those first two in Hawaii.

More job applications were completed, and a couple more interviews happened, too. The job I really want had a second in-person interview first thing last Monday morning, and then a follow-up phone call on Thursday with a few more questions. Finally at ten minutes to 5PM on Friday last week, came the phone call with a conditional job offer pending past employment verifications, reference checks, and a drug test. The offer on paper came today, and I went and did the drug test, too. Should get the all clear on Wednesday, and then it will be official. Stay tuned to Facebook for the official announcement.

We also went looking at permanent house rentals yesterday and today. We put in an application on a place in the Village of Oak Creek area of Sedona. Should find out about that on Wednesday, too. If that happens, we have our own place as of August 8th. Woo Hoo! Now we just have to buy a bunch of furniture since we sold all of ours in Hawaii, and wait for the ship with all our household and personal goods to arrive in LA, and then trucked to Arizona. That should happen about the shortly after the house lease starts. In another few weeks, it should all come together. Keep you fingers crossed for us. Jeff

2 + 2

7/11/2016

It’s been two weeks and 2 days since we arrived back in Sedona. What a whirlwind the past couple of months have been. Our first week back we were both under the weather a bit, but are feeling fine now. We have settled in a bit, but we are still in limbo as I look for a new job, and then a place to call home. Week two became a productive one with Pam’s car being delivered to our rental home, getting our cars registered and our AZ drivers licenses, and getting my prior AZ license plated re-assigned back to my CRV.

Have crossed paths with a few of Pam’s relatives down in the valley, and some old friends in the Sedona area, and of course, looking forward to crossing paths with more. One thing that I liked in Hawaii was the aloha spirit and when greeting someone, or even meeting them for the first time, there were usually hugs and polite kisses involved. Maybe we can start spreading the spirit and tradition here in Arizona, too.

While it has still been warm, the lack of humidity is nice. Week one we did have a couple monsoon storms, but nothing in week two. This week is looking dry, too. I really like the monsoons, not only for the coolness they bring, but the rain smell is good, and the thunder and lightening is always a nice show.

I have applied for a bunch of local jobs, and had a couple interviews the first week, and have some lined up for this week. Hoping something happens quickly so we can move forward with getting settled. Well, it’s time to go get ready for a couple interviews today. Wishing you all a great week. Aloha, and adios. Jeff

Week 1 back in Sedona ...

7/3/2016

We have survived our first week back in Arizona, and Sedona. We have started contributing to the local economy by visiting the local grocery stores, Costco and Trader Joe’s. Compared to the prices in Hawaii, we are in shock how less expensive food and gas are here in Arizona. I have to fight the urge to not stock up on stuff, as those are normal prices, and not some blowout/closeout sale.

It is a bit strange to be in a furnished vacation rental home, since we are not on vacation. We are here, but it is like we are not here since it is not our stuff. It’s hard to describe. Just glad we have a place to hang our clothes, a place to sleep and eat, and a place to call home while we transition and get settled. It has been in the 80s and 90s, but the dry heat is much easier to deal with than the 80s of Hawaii with the humidity.

We both had caught some stomach bug that messed with us for a few days, but still had a productive first week that included grocery shopping, getting a post office box, and opening a new account at the credit union. I also had a couple job interviews, one in Prescott, and a phone interview with a company in Sedona, that has already scheduled a second in person interview for the 11th. This next week we will get our AZ drivers licenses, and register our cars. Pam’s car has reached Long Beach and is supposedly going to be delivered to Sedona on Thursday.

They do not have a fireworks show here in Sedona, so we will do our normal watching of a Capitol Fourth on PBS on Monday. Will also watch the Padres at Diamondbacks on TV. I wish you all a safe and happy holiday, and thank you to all who serve and have served to keep us safe, free, and independent. Jeff

New Adventures

6/27/2016

One week ago we left our rental home in Kona, Hawaii, and we are now “settled” into our temporary rental home in Sedona. Last Monday seems like a million hours ago, and a million miles away. The near weeklong of travel to get to the mainland, pick up my car in California, and drive to Arizona was very draining on both of us … emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. As were the few months leading up to our relocation. Thankfully we have each other, and the support of friends and family, too.

A very special thank you to Jon, a good friend and former co-worker in Hawaii, and to his family, for allowing us to rent their family’s vacation rental home in Sedona while we get settled, I find a job, and our belongings sail across the ocean. Jon and his brother Mike in Florida have been a big part in making this move back to Arizona possible. I have never met Mike except on Facebook, but Jon and I worked together at a tour company in Kona. He now has his own tour business, and is one of the best Tour Guides that I know. So if you ever wind up on the Big Island of Hawaii, I highly recommend a day tour with Jon and his Luxury Travel Guide Global Award winning company, Kona Adventure Tours.

As for our adventures, we have landed back in Sedona and new adventures await. We will keep you updated here on ArizonaLife.Rocks, and on Facebook, too. Adios, Jeff.

New Chapter

6/15/2016

2 years, 2 months, and 22 days ago we moved to the Big Island of Hawai’i. In 1 week we have a one-way flight to San Diego where my Honda CRV has completed it’s cruise across the Pacific and is waiting for us. A few days of travel and family visits, and we will arrive back in Sedona. I am looking forward to another new chapter in our lives, and to closing the book on the 2+-year chapter of living in Kona. You can start following our new chapters and our new adventures here on ArizonaLife.rocks
Jeff