Our Refuge from the Sun

We have made it to Arizona, unpacked and moved right in. We are renting an apartment here in the greater Phoenix area and really really appreciating the air conditioning! It has been such an easy move with no real hiccups. Our movers delivered the goods, everything was in the same condition as went we saw it last (except our dvd player, which was quitting on us in Utah and seems to be rejuvenated by the Arizona sun). I have really appreciated having Mike around to help us settle in. We are now exploring the idea of some little day jaunts to help us soak up the rest of the time before Mike begins his job. Most of these will need to be indoors however because it is over 100 degrees a good portion of the day and we haven't quite adapted to the heat.

These are some of my favorite little pieces of our new home:

Fancy bathroom fixtures, fancy blinds, cute night lights and a washer and dryer

Before the movers came we lived in the apartment for a few days and Annabelle helped me with our first loads of laundry. She then proceeded to 'play laundry' for the next few days. I did laundry again yesterday and Annabelle forgot about this little in-home-luxury, so when I asked her to help me with the laundry she ran to the door and put on her shoes . . . I think we'll eventually get used to it!

Here are some of my favorite spaces:

 

   

Craft Corner in the Master Bedroom (thank you Mike). TWO bathrooms, I don't know what to do with all the space. New kitchen counters, fixtures, appliances, floors and cupboard faces! A dinning area that is NOT over carpet. And finally and an area I owe to Keri Anne (my good friend who lived below me in Provo) who came up with the idea, a reading nook! Now I just need to start a new book, any suggestions?

We have met a few of our neighbors and attended our new ward twice. Our new ward is very welcoming just like any regular family ward except that there seems to be several more young couples than usual, which is great for us! Annabelle thoroughly enjoyed attending nursery our first week (she hadn't really seen toys in a week) and she gave her version of her life history to the nursery leader, when I picked her up the nursery leader told me: which states all of our relatives lived in,  that pineapple gives Anna diaper rash and what kids attended nursery in our previous ward. 

We're excited to be here "in the real world" and are grateful with how smoothly the whole process has gone.

Arches National Park

Hurray for camping at Arches National Park with our friends the Lees! This post is so much easier to write about than saying goodbye. This camping trip we took 'on our way' to Arizona actually eased the leaving process since we didn't have to say goodbye to absolutely everyone before we left! We camped just outside of Arches for a few days and enjoyed all sorts of weather :) but best of all we did some amazing hikes . . . with THREE kids. Way to to go Chris and Sara for putting up with us. 

So here are some highlights of the trip - there are tons of pictures, so enjoy - or just scroll past if you aren't really all that interested.

(If my slide shows aren't showing up - just close the them with the 'x' in the corner)

These are my Favorites of Annabelle and Benny

On our last day of the trip we had rain so we decide to take to explore Moab a little bit and found this amazing Park just as the weather began to clear. It was a Rotary Park but in one section there were all these GIANT percussion instruments. It was so much fun.

 

We all (adults and kids) just kept playing and playing on them. It was so much fun it was hard to stop yourself from running from instrument to instrument to try them all out. I seriously think it was the absolute BEST public park I have ever been to! Sara noticed a little plaque on one of the instruments that gave this website - check it out! Seriously - if I ever have funding for a public park at my disposal, I will be installing these.

Our last adventure in Utah was awesome. Check back later this week and I'll have an update with how the move has gone on the Arizona side of things!

Saying Goodbye to Provo

I guess I have kind of been putting off writing because I have wanted to post about our last weeks in Utah but I didn't actually want to talk about it. Is that weird? BYU was always just a stop for us but as I should know by now (from moving 6 times as a kid), that you get attached! Of course we miss our wonderful friends and ward but surprisingly I am also feeling like I miss being on campus and in the bubble (yes I am admitting that). I miss knowing where I am, I miss my routine. We tried to carry on with doing fun and new things before we left Utah so in between getting organized for the movers and cleaning the apartment we went to the SLC temple (we'd never been) and of course we had to try J Dawgs before we left. It was a good thing that we put J Dawgs off until the end or else I'd be eating there with every excuse to eat out I could think of.

 

(speaking of which I know this isn't flattering . . .)

It was great but kind of hard to know that we were saying goodbye as we saw our friends that last week. But it was wonderful and relaxed and the move could not have gone more smoothly! Thanks to all of our wonderful neighbors and friends that watched Annabelle for endless hours as we cleaned - you more than likely saved her life as I mixed toxic chemicals in the bathroom, resulting in a change of color for our tile! We'll miss it, but on to our next adventure I suppose.