Home Sweet Home!

One year! That is how long it has been since Brian and I landed ship here. It went so fast, but at the same time it didn't. I still feel like a newbie here, and I guess technically I am. We have only just begun to see the Arizona sites. We have so much to see here still, we may be here forever. And honestly, at this point, I'd be OK with that.

We are really happy here, happy with the city, happy with the landscape, happy with the people. We love the weather and the fact that so many of you have come to visit already. We love our house and the pool, oh man, the pool, and that awesome mountain right behind us.

I love having the windows open in November and being woken by yipping coyotes. I love driving by saguaros in bloom, catching beautiful sunsets, and seeing roadrunners run across the road.

We still get a little freaked out. Every once in a while it just hits you like a ton of bricks, holy shit I live in Phoenix. A little tremble of overwhelming fear will shake you. But then you shake it off and go on with life because we are making it here. We moved our entire life across the country and we are doing great.

A lot has happened in a year. To us and to you.

We went from our very first house:


With the help of these wonderful people:


To this huge city in the desert:


Into this apartment:


And then into this house:


While we were making all these changes to our lives, many of you were making changes to yours.

Tim and Taylor moved to Los Angeles into this great apartment:


Having made a life change similar to ours, we were so proud of them for making the decision to go there and make their careers everything that they wish them to be.

Then this gorgeous creature came into the world:

I believe this little girl will be the one to crack my iced and hardened child hating heart. Although I will never change my mind to have kids, and yes mom I mean never, I am so glad to have them in my life.

In addition to the Sheaffers having Ella join their lives, they also made a move to Pittsburgh and a move into this house:


There is not just one baby entering into our lives. Oh no, there are many. When it rains it pours. (Sorry for the cliche) We heard from Greg and Cory that they were expecting a girl later this summer. We heard from my friend Gina that she is expecting a boy in the fall. And Sunil and Becky broke the news that they are expecting a baby in November. Wow, that's a lot of babies. We are so happy for everyone.

Not only are the Doshis having a kid, they also made the move back to Pittsburgh late last year. And now they are about to move into this house:


I don't miss Maryland, I don't miss the snow, the cold, I don't even miss the green. What I miss, and I know Brian misses are the friends, the gatherings and our family. No matter how much time passes, that will never get easier. We don't regret a thing, this move was something we needed to do. We had to explore and experience new things, that's our nature.

I cant wait to see what the next year brings. New babies of course and new adventures. I cant wait.

-Nina