Introduction

Okay, really this all started last year when Shane received a call from Intel asking him to come for a second interview in Phoenix. He'd begun the application process at BYU's fall internship fair in September. His trip and interview resulted in a job offer and then another trip for me to check out the area. Previously, I had only been in Arizona for two reasons, a) to drive through the northwestern tip of the state on I-15 (between California and Utah), and b) I think I came here as a little girl when we took a Colorado River trip. When I got to Phoenix in December, I was grateful for the beautiful weather and fell instantly in love with Chandler, the city where Shane will work. I was sold.

Boy, those guys at Intel really know when to bring you down to suck you in. Summer was far away from my thoughts then, but now it's right in front of me. It was 100 degrees here in the Phoenix area yesterday. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It is supposed to be SPRING!!! I mean, I knew it was gonna be hot, but we left the most gorgeous Utah spring ever I think to come to the desert. Nice. Okay, sorry about that tangent, I'll get off my soapbox... for now.

Back to the story. Shane accepted the job with Intel in December and started his last semester at BYU in January. I took all the classes this last semester that I needed to graduate that I won't be able to take through independent study. We spent spare time (which was rare) all semester looking at houses online. As of two weeks ago, we still didn't have a place to live. We had looked a lot online and just not felt good about anything. We wanted to visit but had little time or money for a trip. However, on Thursday, April 20th, the day before finals started, we impulsively left Provo, UT and drove that night to Page, AZ. We left Page early the next morning and arrived in Phoenix around noon. After looking all afternoon at rental homes and facing a lot of dissapointment and confusion, we ended up at Starbucks. This sounds really dramatic, but honestly, I just wanted to cry. I was exhausted in every way and scared we would have to settle.

Then it happened. Shane reassured me before handing me a few dollars and telling me to go get a double chocolate chip creme (PS-- I LOVE THOSE). When I came back to the table Shane was at, he had hooked up to the T-Mobile hot spot and was online looking at new rental listings in the area. He was calling around trying to get showings. The problem was, it was 4:15 on a Friday afternoon. After leaving a bunch of messages, someone actually called his phone back and it was an agent named Carolyn. Shane asked if it was possible to see the property she had listed online. We knew it was too much to ask to see it that night, so Shane explained we were out of town and that we could find a place to stay overnight in Gilbert and see the home in the morning. I was kind of bummed because we had hoped to find something and make it halfway back to Utah that night, especially with Finals having started that day. Then, Carolyn said it would actually be better for her if we could see it at 5:00 that night! I was thrilled. I wanted right then and there to reach through the phone and kiss her!

So we took the scenic route to the house because we had a few minutes to kill. We had no expectations of the home because there were no pictures in the listing online, but when we got there, it had great curb appeal and a good neighborood feel. Plus, it was in a nice area in Gilbert. I had hoped to live in Gilbert. In addition, the rent price was a great deal, and much less expensive than the other places we'd looked at. I tried not to get my hopes up about the inside. We met Carolyn and walked inside... Bullseye! I think we both knew right away that it was a dream come true. We tried not to appear too desperate but asked if we could fill out the application then and there since we would be leaving town that night. Carolyn let us and we promised to send the application fee when we returned home the following day. We were kind of on pins an needles the next day or so after until we heard we had been accepted to lease the home. Relief filled my soul when I got the phone call.

A mad crazy week of packing, taking finals, and wrapping up work obligations followed and now here we are in the house on Oriole, but this time as residents. We've moved. We're here now, and I can hardly believe it. So this blog, The Arizona Experiment, has been created to document our experience, our adventure, our experiment if you will, here in Arizona.

Thanks for joining us!

Enjoy!