Blog Posts

November New Releases

That fall chill is in the air and we’ve moved our weekend fun indoors. No more weekend BBQ’s or outdoor fun, but that doesn’t have to mean boring! There’s a season for everything, and fall is the season for cozy nights inside under fuzzy blankets! One of our favorite activities is heading to the local theater! We’ve got reviews of this month’s newest flicks. Releasing on November 4th is Hacksaw Ridge : “WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Based on the incredible true story. Hacksaw Ridge is directed by veteran actor-filmmaker Mel Gibson, who has previously directed the films The Man Without a Face , Braveheart , The Passion of the Christ , and Apocalypto . The screenplay is written by Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace. Lionsgate will release Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge in theaters everywhere starting November 4th.” Rules Don’t Apply comes out on November 23rd, and it “tells the unconventional love story of an aspiring actress (Lily Collins), her determined driver (Alden Ehrenreich), and the eccentric billionaire (Warren Beatty) who they work for. It's Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist Marla Mabrey, under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes, arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her personal driver Frank Forbes, only two weeks on the job and also from a religiously conservative background. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes' #1 rule: no employee is allowed to have an intimate relationship with a contract actress. Rules Don't Apply is both written & directed by legendary actor-filmmaker Warren Beatty, who hasn't directed anything since Bulworth in 1998; as well as Dick Tracy, Reds and Heaven Can Wait . Fox will release Rules Don't Apply starting November 23rd.” What is your favorite theater in Phoenix? Which of these new movies is your favorite? Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee blog!

Hosting Guests

The holiday season is fast approaching. Here at Liv Ahwatukee we love that our apartments have the space so our residents can easily host guests. From oversized patios to our clubhouse, our homes make a great spot for celebrating the season. We’ve gathered a few tips to help with the stress that may sometimes come with hosting others in your home! Follow some of these tips from First Home Love Life to take away the stress— and give you more time to spend with your loved ones! Don’t be afraid to learn from trial and error here— some guests feel most comfortable using their own toiletries while others might appreciate a spare toothbrush upon arrival. Keep a few of these essentials on hand for your guests. Even if they don’t use them, they will appreciate the gesture. The website author mentions “I know I personally don’t like to feel like I’m intruding when I’m staying with someone, so I always try to think ahead when we have guests. What does this person like? What could they need? What would make them feel most at home while they’re staying with us? I really don’t think that there’s a cookie cutter explanation or example since everyone’s guests will differ and have different needs, but I thought it would be fun to show you what I stocked in our guest room to give you a few ideas for when you have guests staying with you! I guess you could call it the guest room essentials, at least for now…” The list consists of: —magazines —bottles of water —little snacks for those night time munchies —moisturizer —lip balm —hand sanitizer —hand cream —mints —tissues Follow the link above to the site for more tips and information. Feel free to tailor this list exactly for your guests who are coming to Phoenix to visit. Happy holiday hosting!

Holiday Travel Tips

If youre headed out of Phoenix for the holidays, the last thing you want is to do so unprepared! Traveling during this season can sometime bring unexpected weather, delays, and changes in your carefully planned itinerary. Weve decided to round up a few simple tricks and tips to keep you prepared for whatever may come your way! This great list comes from Brownell . 1. Eye Mask & Ear Plugs Drown out the light and sound so you can rest. 2. Scarf Comfort + style join together in a scarf. Plus, it can double as a blanket if you get chilly. 3. Water Staying hydrated is so important when traveling, especially on a long flight. Bring a reusable water bottle through security, and fill it up in the terminal. 4. Hand Sanitizer and Wipes Keep your hands and area clean of germs. 5. Earphones For listening to music or watching movies; noise-cancelling ones are ideal. 6.Snacks The food on the flight is packed with sodium; bring a few travel snacks to avoid bloating. 7. Change of Clothes Bring a comfortable outfit to change into during the flight. Be sure to pack warm socks to wear if it gets cold. (Bonus! If your baggage is delayed, youll have something to wear at your destination.) 8. Toiletries Being able to brush your teeth and hair can make all the difference when its time to land, and lotion will keep your skin moisturized. 9. Eye drops Flying dries out your eyes so refresh them with eye drops 10. A good book A long flight is the perfect time to step away from a screen and read a book (a real book!). If youre traveling with little ones, we also found some good advice from This Fine Day . Their advice mentions to allow yourself plenty of time, too much time. Rushing and the stress of being late causes many melt downs and freak outs (by me!), so providing plenty of lead time, keeps me and everyone else calm. We hope these travel tips will be beneficial the next time you are headed out Phoenix! Safe travels and thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee blog!

Upcoming Events in Phoenix November

We know why you love living in Phoenix: beautiful landscapes, warm winters, and little traffic, not to mention proximity to California, Vegas, and Mexico. But you don’t have to go too far from your Liv Ahwatukee apartment to have a good time. Read on for highlights of the many events going on in Phoenix! Dogs’ Day in the Garden Take advantage of this special opportunity to bring the whole family, dogs included, to the Desert Botanical Garden. Go for a walk on Garden trails, meet other dog lovers, and heel for photo opportunities. Learn about local dog-related nonprofits, shop and enjoy samples with your pup, and experience hands-on, canine-themed activities. Don’t miss this tail-wagging good time! Wells Fargo Fiesta Bowl Million Dollar Hole-In-One Would you like to win a million dollars? Who wouldn’t? The Arizona Biltmore Golf Club hosts the nation’s top amateur hole-in-one tournaments. For just $1 a shot, more than 2,000 golfers of varying skill levels aim for a hole-in-one on a 125-yard hole. The top three daily finishers, including anyone who nails a hole-in-one, advance to the final round for a shot at the $1 million hole. It’s free to watch, so go support your favorite golfer! Zoolights Join the Phoenix Zoo at the Valley’s brightest holiday tradition: ZooLights presented by SRP! Celebrating 25 years, ZooLights shines with millions of lights, a three-story-high holiday tree, hundreds of glimmering light displays, and lakeside music-in-motion shows. ZooLights is open to the public Wednesday, November 23 through Sunday, January 8, 2017. NASCAR can-am 500 Race Come and enjoy a weekend of fast-paced NASCAR races. Friday will feature the Lucas Oil 150 and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying. Saturday will feature the DAV 200 Honoring America's Veterans. Finally, Sunday will feature the main event, the can-am 500. What are your favorite activities going on in Phoenix this coming month? Let us know in the comments because we don’t want to miss a thing!

Scary Reads for Halloween

Adventure, action, and romance all make for a great story, but sometimes that’s not what people are in the mood for. Sometimes, we just want to be scared silly in our cozy Liv Ahwatukee apartment. And there are a lot of ways to accomplish that — scary movies, haunted houses, or sitting around a campfire telling spooky stories. But when you’re home alone at night, one of the best ways to creep yourself out is a horror novel. Now, when people think about horror, they often think about slasher films or Steven King. While those are great, there is a whole host of other options out there. In two posts, we’ve gathered together a few excellent horror novels for you to try. The Devil’s Only Friend by Dan Wells From Amazon: “John Wayne Cleaver hunts demons: they've killed his neighbors, his family, and the girl he loves, but in the end he's always won. Now he works for a secret government kill team, using his gift to hunt and kill as many monsters as he can… “...but the monsters have noticed, and the quiet game of cat and mouse is about to erupt into a full scale supernatural war. “John doesn't want the life he's stuck with. He doesn't want the FBI bossing him around, he doesn't want his only friend imprisoned in a mental ward, and he doesn't want to face the terrifying cannibal who calls himself The Hunter. John doesn't want to kill people. But as the song says, you can't always get what you want. John has learned that the hard way; his clothes have the stains to prove it. When John again faces evil, he'll know what he has to do.” World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks From Amazon: “The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.” Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake From Amazon: “Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. “So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead — keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. “When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. “But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.”

Our Neighbor South Mountain Park

Did you know that the South Mountain Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States? In its 16,000 acres the park boasts 51 miles of primary trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking, no matter what your ability level is. From the park's main entrance, you can drive up the Summit Road 5.5 miles to Dobbins Lookout and spectacular valley wide views or you can continue to the Gila Lookout for a view of the Gila River Valley. This scenic road is shared by bikers and hikers and there are many steep sections and blind curves, so maximum speed is 25 mph and 15 mph on curves. You might find yourself going slower, though, because everything is so beautiful! The ancient Hohokam Indians, and potentially other prehistoric peoples before them, roamed this area . There are petroglyphs carved into rocks almost everywhere you look. As you travel through the park, try to imagine what life was like thousands and thousands of years ago. Just remember not to touch the petroglyphs. They have been worn down through human touching and we all want to protect these relics to be enjoyed by future generations. South Mountain Park is also home to the world-famous Phoenix Mystery Castle . The castle stands as a testament of love from a father to his daughter. We don’t want to spoil the whole story for you, but the castle is open for tours from October to May so be sure and check it out! The castle is listed in the Arizona Historic Register and is a Pride of Phoenix Award winner. It takes just under a half hour to get to the main entrance of South Mountain Park from Liv Ahwatukee Apartments. Have you ever been? Give us the inside scoop in the comments!