Here!

As of yesterday (Friday, January 15, 2010) I am now a resident of Tucson, Arizona!!!

Woohoo!

Butterfly Aliyah

Goodbye to my friend Tanya

This is my great friend Tanya Mironowski. We went to high school together, but didn't really become good friends until long after high school (six years afterward in our case). She's great fun and is an awesome person to know and be blessed by in every way.

Yes, praise God!!!

Woohooo!!!!!

Just found out my apartment application has been APPROVED--and for much cheaper than I thought it would be!!!!!

Thank you God!

Butterfly Aliyah

Goodbye to a good buddy, Pastor Mike

This is me in my official "goodbye" photo with Pastor Mike Sanborn of Granada Heights Friends in La Mirada, CA. When I first started attending GHF, he was the college pastor there, but is now the Minister to Adults (meaning he basically rotates preaching duties with the head pastor on Sunday mornings).

Anyway, Mike is an all-around great guy and has been a solid rock for as long as I've known him. He was really interested in my move when I told him about it and went out of his way to take me aside and pray with me about it right after service this morning. This photo was taken at Granada's special, secluded meditation area (a small outdoor alcove gardened to resemble an Israeli outdoor scene [something made easy by SoCal's Mediterranean climate]).

Butterfly Aliyah

Why Tucson?

This is not a very good question! The question that should be asked is, "why not Tucson?"

• An amazing climate year-round: moderate winters, incredible springs, hot summers (but with a refreshing late afternoon monsoon rain every day between late June and late September), and fantastic falls.
• The best economy in Arizona right now, and the part of Arizona most likely to receive stimulus money under the Obama Administration (based on how it voted).
• Natural scenery that is among the most amazing in America. Enough said.
• Butterfly and bird species diversity that occurs nowhere else, including many Mexican and tropical species.
• The ability to enjoy a variety of habitats within a span of only a couple dozen miles: low Sonoran desert, higher Sonoran desert grassland, Madrean oak desert woodland, and high-altitude Canadian forest (thanks to the incredibly rich altitudinal range of SE Arizona and its famous "sky island" mountain ranges).
• Much more reasonable rents than in SoCal!
• Great and highly authentic Mexican food. (Okay, this wasn't really a big consideration for me [my stomach has been veering more towards the "hate" aspect of it's love/hate relationship with Mexican food as of late], but it's still cool to say.)

Any more questions or comments, anybody?

Butterfly Aliyah

Saying goodbye to California, part 1:

From top to bottom: a beautiful January sunset in Seal Beach, CA; a couple of funny alpacas at La Mirada Creek Park in La Mirada; my great friend Johanna and her friends Erica, Lili, and Lorraine at Cha for Tea in Alhambra; and my buddies Matt and James in Norwalk.

Explanation of the name, "Butterfly Aliyah"

Greetings,

Aliyah is the special Hebrew word that Jewish people use when they move to Israel. It means that a Jew has been divinely called to return to his or her birthright homeland. They "make aliyah" when they move to Israel. Granted, I'm not Jewish, and I am not moving to Jerusalem anytime soon, but I do feel as though Tucson (and southeast Arizona more generally) is indeed my own personal divine "promised land"--my own "holy city", as a Tucsonian friend of mine aptly put it recently.

• I have visited or passed through Tucson or the surrounding area a minimum of once a year every year since 2003.
• I feel so natural, so peaceful, so "in my element" when there and feel sad every time I have to go home.
• I know that southern California is not my "home", at least at this stage of my life.
• I have wanted to relocate to Tucson for six years, but never was serious about it until now.

Many lepidopterists (people who study butterflies and moths) and birdwatchers from all over the country have moved to Tucson because they feel "called" there because of the breathtaking Sonoran/Madrean desert habitat and wildlife there over the years. Some big examples from my own home state are the butterfly experts Jim Brock and Doug Mullins and the famous birders Hank and Priscilla Brodkin. By the grace of God, I'm joining them.

Butterfly Aliyah

Greetings, everybody

Hello everybody;

I am embarking on a wacky and wild new life journey that will take me from my natal home to the home my heart has always belonged to (southeast Arizona). As the great John Francis Daley says in his song "Neverending Summer" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQwLw4rjmlw), "I ignored what they all said/And I packed my bags instead/Traveled to a brand new state/Where I relied on only faith." Those words could not be truer of anyone else than me.

Many people may not get this transition; many people may not agree with it. At this point, while duly noted, the opinions of those people are not relevant to me. You need to get out there and do your thing--do what you have been called to do. It may be difficult--it may be a lengthy and trying process, but you need to stick to your dreams. Please see this awesome speech by one of my very good friends (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7q_MZvdaq8) or listen this sermon, "Finding a Strategic Plan" (http://www.newventure.org/dev/media/messages/audio/2010/01032010_1030_64K.mp3; my apologies for the very low volume of the latter) for much better explanations of this process than I could ever deliver myself.

Until we talk again, wish me luck on this quest of mine. May the Lord keep you all safe and guide and direct me.

Your friend,

Butterfly Aliyah