My girlfriend Barbara expressed it best. "You've come full circle," she said, after learning about our successful bid to purchase a Phoenix home.
Jeff and I met at Arizona State University back in 1976 and didn't venture far in our quest for a winter residence. Located on a lake in the shadow of South Mountain, the home is fourteen miles from ASU.
Full circle has a nice connotation. We've lived in Southern California, Miami and currently Chicago, raised two children out of the nest and experienced the immensely satisfying but quick pace of career and family.
But recently, we've both yearned for a little less shivering and a little more sunshine. My top two choices were Newport Beach or the Phoenix area - two places that call to my heart. Newport because we started our life as a couple there, we lamented the loss of our first child there and Nick was born there. Plus I love the ocean! Phoenix because I was raised there and my family still lives there. And the desert - I had to leave the desert and come back to truly appreciate the beauty of broad blue skies, mountain vistas and flowering cacti.
But alas, Nick and Katie made our decision easy. Nick has settled in Phoenix after college and Katie is two hours north at the university in Flagstaff, Nick's alma mater. (No ASU for them). Being close to my children in February will be like sitting by the fireplace and watching the snowfall transform the barren winter landscape into a scene infinitely beautiful.
I may not be as active a participant in their lives, but I can be a grateful observer, happy to be on the inside looking out at these wonderful beings. Katie will still be two hours away, but a very drivable distance should she want a break from college life. And Nick is our co-investor and housemate during our winter sojourns. Hmmm, the added warmth I feel this winter may not emanate from the Phoenix sunshine, but the kitchen!
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