Home

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."  

- Maya Angelou

Ok, ok, I'm finally posting pictures of our apartment.  Unfortunately, I'm not a photographer, so these pictures probably don't really show how cute this apartment is, but at least you can get an idea. Oh, and there are a lot, so get ready for picture overload...

First, our living room.  Most of the same furniture as before, with the addition of our new reading chair (which we found at a thrift store for $40!) Isn't it perfect?

We also have a patio, which we don't use much now due to the extreme heat, but I'm looking forward to using it when it cools down. We live on the second floor so we have more privacy, and we overlook the pool.

Next, the kitchen. Already more space than we had before (we don't have to keep our table pushed up against the wall). Also, you can't really tell in the pictures, but the kitchen has vaulted ceilings which makes it feel much more open. 

 Our last apartment kitchen had a few cupboards and ONE drawer.  This one is so much better.

 Now, down the hallway we go. The first door you see on the right is a bathroom.

 Great for guests so they don't have to walk through our room to use the bathroom.

The door across from the bathroom is the second bedroom, used as our office for now.  Of course my books have been made quite at home already. 

We also have room for my old daybed that my mom brought up to us last week when she came for a visit.  I need to get some sheets on it, but it will be nice for guests, or if Phil needs to take a little nap in between study sessions :)

 On the other wall (the mirrored doors) there is a huge closet that spans the whole wall, nice for storage.

Down the hall we have our own washer and dryer!  We were able to find them cheap on Craig's list the day after we moved here.  So nice to not have to carry our clothes down to the laundry room.

Now, finally to the master bedroom.  First of all, I can't help noticing how empty and boring that wall looks, but really the bedroom is quite nice. Its too hot for our comforter on the bed right now, so its just made up with sheets.

 We also added my old dresser (also brought up by my mom) so that I would have room for my things.

 And Phil uses this dresser. 

Walk in closet.

And bathroom. The vanity is separate from the toilet and shower which is nice.  Again, more drawers and cupboards.  I'm amazed that we were able to fit all our stuff in such a tiny apartment before!

Well, if you made it to the end of this post, I hope you aren't bored out of your mind. Also, let me just mention that we loved our home in Salt Lake, it was our first apartment together and will always have a special place in our hearts.  But, it has been nice to move into a new place and grow together with this whole experience. 

Phil started school yesterday, and I have made some leads on a new job, so hopefully I can start working soon.  We are liking the area and making new friends.  We have been so blessed and are so grateful for all we have.

¡Ay Biblioteca!

No one will really appreciate the title of this blog as much as my brother Daniel and his friend Mike.  In fact, I don't think I ever even understood the joke...

So, on Saturday Phil and I went and got library cards from the Glendale Library. Now that I am officially finished with school I have been thinking of all of the books I am going to read, and since my pockets are rather shallow I will have to borrow those books rather than buy them as I'd like.  The thing is though, I haven't actually been to the library for a long time (not counting the Marriott library on campus that I visited often, but only to write papers and use the computers).  The last library card I had was from the Tijeras library in NM and was probably last renewed about 5 years ago. I always had intentions of getting a library card for the Salt Lake library but I just never did and I was so busy with school that I wouldn't have been able to read that much (for pleasure) anyway.  

After we got our cards we walked around the library a bit and I picked out a few books.  But as I was looking at and collecting books I kept getting the uncomfortable feeling I normally get when I am in a store, thinking to myself, "I shouldn't get all these, I shouldn't spend the money, we can't afford it, I don't need all three..."  But then I remembered,  "I'm in a library, and all the books are free, and I can check out as many as I want!!!"  Its obviously been too long and I think I will be spending a lot of time in this library...

Finally here!

Well, we made it.  It feels good to finally be here in Arizona after so much time thinking and talking about it (not to mention planning and packing).  We love our apartment, its so much bigger than the one  we were in in Salt Lake with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a patio, and our very own washer and dryer! Plus there is a pool that we have quite enjoyed the past few days as swimming is pretty much the ONLY thing to do when you go outside (high today: 114 degrees).

We have spent the past few days just getting settled. It turns out that putting things away takes a lot longer than packing them up. We have driven around Glendale to get to know the area and visited a few shops and stores here and there.  Mostly, Phil has been enjoying his time off before he starts school (which everyone has been telling me will take up all his time and that I should just expect to not see him again for the next two years) and I have been hunting for a job which unfortunately has been harder than I thought.  Hopefully, I will be able to find something soon.

We attended our new ward on Sunday and I am so happy to say that I really liked it.  After our time in the 11th Ward I just felt like I could never love another ward again.  We had so many good friends in the 11th Ward and hated to leave it.  But, our new ward (the Sunburst Ward :) ) is a lot like the 11th Ward.  They have a group of families that have lived there for years and then younger couples and families who move in and out every couple of years for graduate school.  They were very welcoming and happy to meet us (as well as the other 3 new couples that were there on Sunday) and we felt right at home.

Most of all, I just feel grateful lately for all of our family and friends who helped us get ready to move here.  It's been a big change, and a little scary at times (still is) and I'm just glad to know we have so many people who love and care about us. I will post pictures soon of our new home, I just want to get a few more things into their place first. Until then...