7 things I like about you

So I'm going to be a little open and blunt about something that I have been thinking about lately. My mom and I share a pet peeve. I have a REALLY hard time tolerating people bashing on where ever they live at that moment in time. Unfortunately, all of these people have been women, and it really rubs me the wrong way. There are a few women in particular that stand out in my mind. One woman was one that I watched while I was growing up. She wasn't native to Arizona, and almost every time I was around her I would hear complaint after complaint about how much she didn't like Phoenix and wanted to just go away. Sadly, I met people like that at BYU. And sadly, the trend has continued here in Dallas.

I really don't think I'm better than anyone else. Truly, I don't think that. I have made many mistakes. I have many faults, but I can honestly say that I love Arizona, I love Utah, and I love Texas. I also have things that I don't like about each place, but I don't think anyone will find perfection until heaven, right?

With that said, I made a list of seven things that I like about Arizona, Utah and Texas. I made these lists at work because I was SUPER bored. Here it goes:

ARIZONA

1. I love the sound the cicadas make in the trees during the summer

2. I love african daisies

3. I lovelovelove the wide freeways. Seriously, people that have never lived outside of Arizona have no idea how good they have it. Five or six lanes going each way (except the I-17) is such a beautiful thing. I would kill to have that in DFW.

4. Monsoon season

5. The smell of the Arizona forests up north. I know, I'm weird, I swear it smells different than any other forest I've been in.

6. The saguaro cactus

7. And of course, it's my HOME.

UTAH

1. I LOVE BYU.

2. I love that there are temples everywhere

3. (this is specifically to Provo) I love that it is against the law to throw a snowball at someone without their consent. It's true! Look it up! It's a law!

4. Um, the mountains, duh.

5. Hiking, skiing, camping, rock climbing, hot springs, waterfalls, repelling. If you were like me (who played in the mountains all the time) it would be impossible to get out of shape living there.

6. I love that Utah has gorgeous seasons. Fall is absolutely spectacular!

7. The Prophet lives in Utah. That's pretty legit.

TEXAS

1. I love how gorgeous and huge the trees are in east Texas. And they are so so SO green :)

2. I absolutely adore the accent. I have met THE cutest people here.

3. Speaking of the people, everyone in Texas is so friendly!

4. Texas will completely shut down when it snows. It's hilarious. No school, no work, no nothing.

5. My kitty is a native Texan! And how could you not love that sweet furry face! (sorry, he was staring at me, I had to include a kitty plug)

6. Downtown Dallas is by far the coolest downtown that I have lived close to.

7. Texas is WARM :) and I like warm :)

I'll be honest, I think some people need to suck it up. People who are from Texas don't want to hear me complaining about all of things I don't like about it. Trust me, I definitely have some things I could complain about (BUGS!!!!) but no one here wants to hear it, and it would probably hurt their feelings. It hurt my feelings when people bashed about Arizona. And maybe I was being too sensitive, I don't know, but there are so many good things to out way the bad, don't you think?

Anyway, (ah! another pet peeve! it is "anyway" NOT "anyways". "anyways" is not proper usage) I'm done ranting. I don't even care if I'm yelled at for this post, it needs to be heard by others. We all need to learn how to bloom where we are planted. Life is too short to waste it away with complaints. God didn't create this world to have us hate it. I promise you, it IS possible to find beauty everywhere you go.

-Amber