Arizona

I live in Gilbert, Arizona.




That just seems weird to say. Weird to think. I will often be driving down the road and think, "THIS is my home. Like, I could possibly live here 'til I die. In fact, as of this very second...that's the plan".
Again, strange.

And then I often wonder why that's so strange for me. I didn't LOVE a lot of things about Bountiful. There are very few people I miss from Bountiful. In fact, most things I miss have nothing to do with the home I had, or the neighborhood I lived in for so long. I think quite simply I miss being totally comfortable in a place. And I miss the beauty of living on the side of my mountain. I miss having four seasons. Let me be specific here...I miss FALL. I miss my family. I miss two dear friends.

October, until this very year, has always been my favorite month. Well, no longer. But truth be told, I am holding out hope that November becomes sort of magical. I can feel the weather changing. I am chilly in the evenings. Every morning is like a little bit of heaven: sunshine, birds, bright...and CHILLY. My very favorite combination. Each morning when I wake up, I want to put on my Snuggie, sip something warm, snuggle into the chair on my back porch, and spend a few minutes with myself - reading, praying, thinking, whatever. It's peaceful, it's quiet...and it's a lovely greeting to every morning. See, there is hope for November. Plus, it is my birthday, Chris's birthday, and our Anniversary (which I have just decided this year that we should celebrate again...a blog post for a different day :)).

The kids have made friends.
However, in my heart I am sad because they left behind some amazing friends. They each have at least one special person I hope they can keep a life-long relationship with.

My house is perfect for us.
Totally within our "happy" price range. After our ultra-expensive Bountiful house, this is a big, big plus for me. It has everything we need. It feels friendly and cozy when you walk in. The neighborhood is nice. In fact, as you drive into our subdivision, there is a sign that greets you that says, "CORONADO RANCH - A nice place to live". What a funny choice of words, but it is proving to be true.

Summer was HOT.
True. Ohmygosh, true. However, I think one of my favorite things about this year was every day after the kids got home from school they would all jump in the pool and SWIM. Together. Just for a few minutes. Laughter and fun with their brothers and sisters before the homework and craziness of the evening began. And that lasted clear into October. Now it is too freezing. But maybe those fun times make the crazy hot heat worth it? I suspect I will look forward to rounding up my family and visiting family and friends each summer. One can only take so much of 115 degrees. Reason to travel!!!





I don't have to work!!!
YAHOO! That sentence along makes everything worth it. It really was difficult for me to work so much with a family the size of mine. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if we needed it. BUT, for now, I am so incredibly happy to JUST BE HOME.

Arizona is ugly.
Also true. I don't find this state to be beautiful. Someone in my ward told me they have lived here forever and love it so much and would never live anywhere else. My first thought was, "WHAT? Have you ever been OUT of this state?" I felt like the obvious answer to that was NO.
I have been consciously trying to notice things about Arizona and this area that are lovely. My list is small.

I definitely live in Arizona. And wherever my family is, is home. Not to say I don't stress about what happens when they leave for college. Most of them want to go to BYU. Which means back to Utah. I will of course be sad to have 700 miles between myself and my children. But I guess that is life. And we will figure it out as it comes.

Pictures of the house:









My house will not look like this for long as I have bought some PAINT. "After" pictures coming soon enough.

Also, we are tearing up the backyard and starting over. It's a mess at this moment.