So Far, In Scottsdale

This weekend marks one week in Arizona.

What we thought would be a two, maybe two and a half, day drive turned into a long four day drive.  And by "day drive" I mean day and night.  That's what happens when you have a crooked trailer that is basically activating the brake for half the trip.  We figured big rigs were just slow going until the same size truck with the same size trailer flew by us on the second day.  A quick pit stop for a new trailer and we were off to a slightly faster second half of the trip.

Who am I kidding?  Even with the new trailer, we had to hover between 55 and 60 to avoid the insane winds that blow across the open deserts in Texas.

If I never see the inside of a car again, that'll be juuuusstt fine.

I'm not a car trip person.  My butt started hurting by hour 5 and by hour 30 I was sure I would never stand up straight again.  Atlanta to Phoenix is no joke.  1900 miles in the car.  Each night, as we pulled into the hotel, I wanted to do whatever it would take to not wake up and get back in the car.

I rejoiced when we hit the Arizona state line.  Andrew let me enjoy it for a few minutes before telling me we had another solid 5 hours before we actually got to Scottsdale.  Uffda.

We ended our marathon road trip by unpacking all of our things and hauling them into our storage unit. At noon.  In 107 degree heat.  Word to the wise?  Don't move to the desert in August.

But now we are here.

Arizona.

Home.

Since we are staying at my Mom's house for a bit, I am feeling more on vacation than like a new resident.  But after the 3 months trying to sell the house, 2 months parenting solo, vacation is feeling pretty dang nice.

The kids flew in on Sunday (they actually ended up getting here a few hours before us) and are adjusting as well as two kids that just spent a week with their grandparents.  The first few days we all felt a bit flustered and it showed.  But yesterday we got organized and today feels like we live here.

Rather than try to share all the excitement going on in separate posts, I'm going to cram it all into this one and move it right along.  So here's what's happening since we arrived.

Our Digs:

We are incredibly thankful that we are able to stay at my Mom's house while we find our own place.  They won't be back until November-ish, so we have a couple of months to look.

Staying in a smaller, two bedroom house has been awesome.  I had my concerns about the kids sharing a room, but so far they are unfounded.  I set them each up with their own areas and, minus a few extra giggles past bedtime, they've both gone to sleep without any issues.

We didn't bring much stuff so we are getting to experiment with a smaller living space and less things.  Again, so far it's awesome.  The kids each have a small container of toys and it's been plenty.  I brought us way too many clothes so that's the next big purge.

We love the walkability of Scottsdale.  Like, y'all, Starbucks is a mere two blocks away.  As is the grocery store, restaurants, and a killer park.

The Heat:

I scolded Andrew every time he told me, "it's a dry heat," when I mentioned the forecast.

However, now that I'm here, I can confirm it is actually a different kind of heat.

In the sun, it feels every bit of 106.  Step into the shade and suddenly it's totally bearable.  There is no humidity, Josie's perfect ringlet hair stands as the proof.  When you are hot in the sun, it is the actual heat from the sun baking you, not the sweaty, humid nastiness we are used to.

The Job:

I don't even know where to start with how great Andrew's job is.

It's pretty unbelievable.  We love his boss and he loves the area he gets to work in.  He's running 7 stores, which keeps him busy, but not so busy that he can't make to to important things like the first day of school.

His job in Georgia made it hard for him to make it to a lot of things.  We both teared up when Josie nearly lost her mind seeing that he made it to walk her into school.  He gets to stop by the house during the day and even work from home some.  The kids can go in with him too, which gives me some awesome quiet hours at home.

Six months ago, we had no clue that something like this would come our way.  Again, so incredibly grateful.

The School:

Josie started her two day a week enrichment school this week.

She was super nervous leading up to the first day, but woke up that morning beyond excited.  Gabe and I got there early to pick her up and my heart about burst when she walked out of the room, smiling from ear to ear.  She loves her teacher and had a great day.

Favorite moments: when a boy got a nose bleed and chasing a boy on the playground.  Bless it.

This week was just a get to know you type day.  Next week, they start gym class, library, music class, computer lab, and a theme on deserts.  I'll probably say this all year long, but this school answers so many of my prayers.  For us, it's the perfect balance of home and away and she's getting to do all the normal school things that are hard to replicate at home.

the view on the way to school 

* don't worry mom, i wasn't driving

The Spa:

Before my Mom flew back to Minnesota, we had ourselves a little spa day.

Two hours worth of massage and facials and I hardly remembered the crazy four days in a moving truck.

The Georgia House:

Is a done deal.

We closed on the sale bright and early this morning.  After a few last minute scares and frantic running around that put my unused tear ducts to work, we are officially homeless.  I'm feeling the ultimate bittersweet feeling today.  Glad to to be done, but sad that it's done.

It feels like the end of a really, really good book.  Where you read the last page and close the cover and have to just sit there for a little while to process.

I loved that book.

And I'm excited to start the next one.

Here's to new beginnings.