Catching Up: Moving and Summer 2014

Moving to phoenix from flagstaff for the year came on as a bit of a joke. I had just flown home from Virginia and Dugan and I were driving home from the airport and he told me our remaining roommate was planning on moving in with other friends in their apartment. Feeling defeated and at a loss of what to do- seeing as flagstaff was too expensive to live without any roommates and we were limited on people willing to live with our dog, I joked that we might as well live in phoenix for the last year we were in Arizona because at least we would be making more money. 

So of course the idea snowballed into house hunting and job hunting and school research yada yada. 

I found an apartment suitable for our budget and within good range if dugans school/work. 

But at the last minute, we changed our mind and found a cute little townhome with a yard for our dog and even closer to dugans work: across the street in fact! 

In June, I cancelled my vacation it New York to see Elyse (a trip I planned for alomst 6 months earlier) and I focused on packing my house, working 40 hrs a week at Late For The Train and my mother in laws wedding in Mesa. 

So in late June we took what felt like 5 dozen truck loads of stuff from our beautiful house in flagstaff to our quaint house In our new place in an overpopulated neighborhood in phoenix. The move was excruciating physically because moving is HARD and emotionally because we were leaving our mountains and forest and clean air to come live in 120 degrees of polluted and congested desert. 

All for the cause right? All for the cause of saving every penny this year to move away. All for the cause of cheap rent and better pay. All for the cause of being closer to family and friends for one last year before our big leap away from it all. 

We've been down here for about 6 and a half months. It's been exactly what I expected it to be. Hot, loud, polluted with people and smog, crowded, jammed with traffic etc. 

It's all for the cause. We have less than 6 months left and I fear that these last 6 will go even slower than the first 6. But we are keeping busy busy with work and long walks with our dog and visiting friends and family every chance we get. When we feel overwhelmed with the things we hate about phoenix, we run up to flagstaff or phoenix for the day. 

It's all for the cause, right? 

In a quick change of subject, I have to mention the birth of my sweet nephew benson just a few short weeks after my arrival in phoenix. He was a great "housewarming gift". I know there was once a time when he wasn't around, but now it's hard to imagine life without him. I'm so happy to embrace each new niece and nephew that comes into my life- I just want to be the best aunt I can be to them