Where I Come From

Back again for another month-long blogging challenge with Jenni at Story of My Life!  I participated with her last challenge, "Blog Every Day In May," and I really enjoyed it!  So I'm looking forward to this month's challenge!   

Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Gosh, this prompt could go so many different directions.  In quick summary style, I'll take a stab at answering each item...
...Where I came from: I'm a desert rate for sure- born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.
...What I came from: A loving, hard-working family.
...The people I came from: My amazing parents, an older sister, and a younger brother.  Plus a slew of extended family spread across the U.S.
...The places that have influenced me: Phoenix, AZ; Spokane, WA; Granada, Spain; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; and now Gladstone, Australia.
...The factors that make me, me: I'm a middle child, a former ballet dancer (15+ years), a special education teacher, a (very rusty) Spanish-speaker, a travel-lover, and an expat.

I could write for days about any of the items in this prompt.  However, I thought I'd focus on the places that I've come from and that have influenced me. 

I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.  I lived in the same home for the first 18 years of my life.  Phoenix will always be "home" for me.  My 18 years here made me a true desert rat who loves warm weather and would bet big money that no sunsets are prettier than Phoenix sunsets.  Phoenix is also where my husband and I were married almost three years ago. 

Can't beat a gorgeous desert landscape!

I moved away for the first time when I began college.  At the age of 18, Spokane, WA became my home, and I became a proud Gonzaga bulldog!  I made some of my best friends and best memories here. 

During my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Granada, Spain.  This was my first experience living abroad, and it was such an incredible experience.  It is here is where I probably got the travel bug that I still get bitten by even today :-) 

Can't believe I lived in a place where La Alhambra was practically in my backyard

After graduating college, I moved to Los Angeles, California where I became a Special Education teacher with Teach for America.  Living in Los Angeles made a lover of many things including: a good beach, big city life, and teaching in high-need communities.

L.A. skyline (on a shockingly clear day)

The view from the street I lived on.  Gosh, I miss it! 

I tore myself away from my beloved beach home in order to follow my heart to Houston, Texas.  After nearly a year and a half of long-distance, it was time for my now-husband and I to live in the same place- so Houston it was!  I was skeptical at first, but now I am a huge fan of Houston... and I miss it dearly. 

Our first home!

And now here I am in the little town of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.  It's been one year now (you can read about my Aussie-versary here).  We will most likely be here for a while still... but I know that whenever we leave here, I will realize how formative my time here has been.  Just like each of the other places I've lived thus far have really and truly made me who I am.   

Tannum Sands- Our local beach

David and I on the Great Barrier Reef - a true Australian experience!