What's been happening and how I am doing?
Phoenix Botanical Gardens - EIPCo.
My first blog is starting strong with some of my personal life issues. I promise it will get better as I keep writing for this blog. I am still unsure if I need a fucking paragraph indent like a college paper or even double spacing. Is this graded?
Getting right into it (with no indent): My move failed and now I am moving in January. I have received an influx of support over the past 8-months leading up to my move to Scottsdale, Arizona. I have felt so good about moving since this has been my dream since December 2018. When I tell you I fought to be in the position I am to move down south, I have been kicking and screaming for 5 years. I have been hustling and improving my work daily so I can get enough traction in AZ for it to make sense to move. All of the work I put in worked and my work is split between the PNW and the Southwest. Financially I put myself in a wonderful spot and started doing the Baby Step program by Dave Ramsey. Being in severe credit card debt from this industry is a standard, I was tired of only working for the credit card companies. I dug myself out of over $14,000 in credit card debt so I would be able to use my money the way I wanted.
Preparation for my move was so smooth and I know God had his hand in it. I could feel it. I was randomly finding crazy deals on everything and the inquiries and bookings were flowing. I bought everything I needed for my apartment as well as a deposit on a place in Northern Scottsdale. My credit and income were perfect and I got accepted with ease. I found this apartment a year ago and was so set on living there. When the time came in June to apply, the EXACT unit I wanted was available the same weekend I had a wedding. It looked like a page in God's plan, Which it still is, just not as I thought it was written.
I talked to the employees and managers, and everything seemed in order. I looked at every photo I would find on Google to make sure this place was good for me and livable. I even made scale models of the place for my dad to build me cabinets that would fit the space.
Right before I loaded everything up into the trailer, my estranged grandfather died. It was a weird time in my family and I didn't know how to handle it. I had so many galleries to finish and get ready to move south into my first non-college apartment. Thank God I had one more meeting with my long-time counselor the day after he died.
While part of my family was grieving, I had to say goodbye to my large family, all while running my business by myself... absolute SUCKTOWN, USA. (Editors note: I absolutely love my job but everything together made it hard to fully enjoy it like I usually do) I got to the point where I didn't have time to cry. I was pushing through making sure all my OCD tendencies were attended to and editing every second of the day.
I was pretty sure I was going to complete my weddings before I moved, but I finished 12 and that still bugs me. I hate being that creative that says one thing and does another. I have severe people-pleasing disease and will sacrifice my well-being to make sure others are 1000% happy with me. I got a lot of it done but 3 weddings, so I can't be too awful on myself.
I got done what I could and was ready to move. My car was full of gas for my mom to drive down and my dad's trailer was loaded with things he made me and all my shit. I flew down early for a wedding with my associate shooter. Before she got there I went to check out the place to see where and what it looked like. When I got there I was excited but then started to feel disappointed. What it looks like online was NOTHING to the reality. I knew going in that things could be doctored, but it didn't even look anywhere close to the advertisements. I took photos of the outside and showed my parents... They saw what I didn't see initially. But I was trying so hard to like what I saw. The next day I went and looked in the daytime and the door was open so I took a peak... and my heart sank. Never mind the hole in the floor, the completely different layout, and the fact that the Cullen Family could live there because it was so dark and hidden. I noticed that not one level was used in making this place. The floors, walls, and ceiling were warped. The main bathroom countertop had a 3-inch decline so everything slid down it.
At that point, I was a mess and I called my parents to see what to do. They were 14 hours out from the road from Eugene to Scottsdale. I went back and forth on what to do, knowing that this place was a scam and I would need to either move in or find another place. ( Going to Disneyland was also on the table, ngl). My mom got the next flight out and while I was shooting a wedding she and my dad were looking for anything decent with immediate move-in. Both of them took weeks off work to do this for me. Which added to the pressure of completing my move. On Saturday, we spent all day looking and didn't stop until Tuesday. We only found a handful that we liked, but my experience was so tainted that I couldn't move.
I went there on Monday morning to go over the unit and I explained to them that I needed a new unit or they needed to fix mine. There was apparent water damage, mold, sliding flooring from the moisture exposure, beat-to-shit walls and floors, and major issues with the foundation, making everything warped. As well as a FUCKING DITCH outside my front door that was said to be a "Garden". The "sidewalks" were also about the width of a 35mm film roll. One wrong move after a drunken ASU party and I would have a really bad week.
The employees didn't even want to fight it because they knew I was right. They also sensed that if they crossed me it would be a very bad day for them. I haven't seen my mom so physically mad before. She was ready to become a Worldstar Class Karen. Oh! And my $300 lounger chair was STOLEN off my porch. I put the box hidden on the porch and unless you were inside the unit, you couldn't see it. The maintenance guy had a lot to say about that and we are sus that he took it. Since he was the only one in the unit. The unit was hidden so for someone to steal a 70lb chair off a tall balcony wall, is kind of impossible. Thankfully I was refunded from Amazon, but if I rebuy it, not on Prime Day it will be $150 more than I spent on it.
There were LOTS of tears and pillow screams let out last week. It was devastating that I was scammed. While my whole life was sitting in a trailer in Oregon. I worked so hard for this moment for 5 years and it was not happening.
There are more details, but I am tired of this situation so I will break down how much money I have lost in three weeks, due to this. I have a wedding and an engagement shoot scheduled for November. I needed to get travel accommodations for November since the status of moving to AZ has been pushed back and nothing was avalible for November. I am not one to reschedule an engagement shoot so I took the high road to keep the integrity and reputation of my business. I spent almost $2,000 on travel for two trips back to Arizona. I adore my clients and they are always first priority to me. My personal life should never interfere with what I do professionally if it's not an emergency. This is not a blog to be "poor me", it's just the reality of getting scammed and not preparing properly, a cautionary tale if you will. Between the chair, unexpected flights, deposits, insurance changes to Arizona, and everything I have lost about $4,500.
I contemplated for days if just moving in would be financially the same but any route I took I would be losing thousands of dollars. So I came back home on Wednesday last week, currently living out of trash bags, boxes, and just editing to get those four fall weddings completed. I haven't had time to process this fully, but I am starting to this week.
This all ended up making me sick! So I am fighting a cold while unpacking when I have time. But the best part is I am running a business with an insane amount of inquiries, phone calls, and onboarding. I am so excited that I am experiencing these good things while going through this because it makes these days more happy :)
Ahhhh that actually feels better to have written this all out. I know there will still be so many more questions, but at the end of this, my clients and business will ALWAYS come first before my personal life. I am still so lucky and so blessed to have this job.
The lesson I have learned is that you need to see what you are buying before you buy it or work towards it. As well as saying "I need help" more often. I found two places I LOVE in Scottsdale and I am planning on moving in January 2024.
I am so ready to put this behind me and enjoy the holidays with my family and reset before I actually move. I definitely have a great sense of humor about this now, even if it heavily sucks.
There has been a lot of good the last three weeks too, and I will not forget that :)
Proverbs 19:21 – Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Psalms 20:4 – May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!
xoxo
Em
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